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BOSTON, MA.
Fox Mulder had trained well for the Boston Marathon. Scully was clever enough to convince Skinner that their vacation time could be written off if only for this once in a lifetime chance for Mulder to run the famous race.
What no one knew, was that someone had a score to settle. The news had been all around the state that Mulder the FBI Agent would be running this year.
Before the well-prepared Mulder could get past the starting line, a gun man downed the agent for a moment, although only grazing him, and Mulder's head hit the pavement.
Agent Dana Scully, his partner and a trained doctor, applied a cold compress to the wound. "Mulder, it doesn't look too bad, but I'm afraid you're out of the race. Especially since you hit your head on the asphalt. I think you'll end up with a bump on the head, but let's just make sure you don't have a concussion."
"Damn!" Mulder looked around and whispered, "Who want's me dead now, Scully?"
"Do you always have to be so paranoid, Mulder? Right now, I suggest we get you to the hospital."
"Oh, and Scully?"
"Yes, Mulder?"
"Thanks for supporting me, and convincing Skinner to consider this my vacation time. It really meant a lot to me."
"You're welcome. Don't forget, I'm also your doctor. You're going to spend the rest of your vacation recuperating, so when we get home I want you to engage in something fun; something that includes not exerting yourself or laughing too hard."
"Yeah. Well I'm not laughing now. I hate things that leave crappy scars on my body."
"Then I suggest you get off of the road and let me bandage this up. On the off chance that bullet was meant for you, I'll have Boston's finest run a ballistics check and a crime scene investigation. Just stay put until the police get here."
Mulder watched as tired, sore runners ventured on through the arduous course. "It was only a dream, Scully. Sometimes I think I'd have to call the Variety Club or the Strlight Foundation to make this one wish come true." He sat on the curb and Scully joined him.
"I know how much it meant to you. But you can always enter again next year." Scully removed the compress and applied a dressing to the wound. "You asked who wanted to shoot you. DO you have any reason to believe the bullet was meant for you? Because if you do, you should tell the police and let them handle it. You are not here in an official capacity."
Mulder thought a moment. "I had a few VCU cases here, but that was a long time ago. There were a couple of mobsters I helped put away. And there is the fact that The Boston Herald made my part in this race public. The files would be in the local Field Office."
"Then maybe it's worth a look. After we have you properly checked out."
Mulder was given an antibiotic to fend off infection and an X-Ray to make sure he hadn't fractured his skull after his fall from ten minutes of fame.
"Ready to go, Mulder?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. You know, someday they will have given me so many antibiotics I'll develop MRSA".
Scully held the exit door for Mulder. "Somehow I doubt that. Let's get you back to the motel, change clothes, then grab lunch."
When they reached the car, Mulder stopped in his tracks. "Yeah, I guess the SAC here wouldn't take me seriously in my running gear."
Scully unlocked the doors. "Mulder, you're not really going to see if anyone is out to get you. Tell me you're not."
"I am." Mulder fastened his seatbelt. Scully sat in silence, not even putting her key in the ignition. Mulder glanced over at her and asked, "What?"
"You're on vacation, that's what. You entered the race to get a shot at one of your fondest dreams, pardon the pun. Can't you leave it up to the locals? I understand a few of your fellow contestants were mayors, doctors, lawyers. Anyone in the race could have been a target."
"It's possible someone is out to get me, Scully. I put a lot of people behind bars before I transferred to the X-Files. I'm sure a few of them are already free again. I also know of a few people who have been trying to hinder my search for the truth about Samantha's disappearance... "
Scully frowned, thinking, Here we go again, but not saying it. "All right. We'll go to the Boston field office after you clean up and eat. As your doctor, I think you should just take it easy. Let the local PD handle it." Again, Scully knew her last piece of advice had fallen on selectively deaf ears. She could see the wheels turning in Mulder's head. Why does he have to insist on getting the collar here? She shook her head and pulled away from the hospital. "I meant that," she sternly reminded him.
During the drive back to the motel, Mulder was quiet. He knew for a fact there were at least three dangerous criminals who were likely out of prison for their crimes many years ago, and there was a chance they hadn't screwed up again, remaining in circulation. What he wasn't going to tell Scully about concerned two in particular. He pondered thier comings and goings since then all the way back to the motel.
"All right. Home sweet home away from home." Scully hadn't been heard. "Mulder?"
"Oh. Thanks, Scully."
"Where were you?"
"Thinking about my lost chance for glory," he chortled, not looking at his partner.
"Yeah, right. Never mind. I know it's useless to argue about it. At least it's not a monster on the loose or local abductions."
FBI BOSTON
SUITE 600
ONE CENTER PLAZA
BOSTON, MA.
1:10 PM"Remind me to order something other than corned beef on rye if we ever go to that deli again, okay?" Mulder held his abdomen and tried to massage gas pains away. He held the door for Scully as they entered the Boston field office, and pressed the elevator button. "Scully, I didn't want to mention it to you until we reached the building." The elevator doors opened and they were on their way to the sixth floor.
"I knew it. You already have someone in mind, don't you?" Scully looked up at the numbers above the doors.
"At least two men, and when we pull their files, you'll know what I'm talking about. They make Baby Face Nelson look like an altar boy."
"Mobsters?"
Mulder nodded.
"I see. So, you're going to look them up and see how they are?"
Mulder sighed. "It's not that simple. I'm going to find out if they're in town, and what they've been up to. Someone always knows something, Scully."
When they entered the SAC's Office, they were greeted by a receptionist and sat waiting to be seen. There were a number of cubicles occupied by other Agents.
"Tell me that's not us in a few years," Scully begged.
"You never know, Scully. They could close us down again, but that wouldn't keep me... "
"Mulder? Fox Mulder? It's been years!" A middle-aged man had left the inner office to greet them.
"Hal Franks, meet Special Agent Dana Scully."
"Partnered again?" Franks shook Scully's hand. "You lucked out this time." He smiled warmly at Scully.
Scully smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment. It's nice to meet you, Sir."
Mulder cleared his throat. "Hal, we're here on business. Can we talk in your office?"
Scully walked along side Mulder and gently elbowed him on his uninjured side, giving Mulder a warning stare. "Time off," she whispered.
Mulder just shrugged and looked away.
"I think I have time for an old friend. How is the old Hoover gang?"
"Older. Stricter," Mulder replied.
All three took seats in the SAC's Office.
"Mulder, I heard you were in town for The Boston Marathon. What are you doing here?"
"I'll get right to the point. I entered The Marathon, and I was shot at the very same moment the starter gun went off. Do you remember the Walker Street incident?"
The man thought a moment, then pulled his reading glasses from his breast pocket. "Well, that was at least ten years ago. Why?"
"Something tells me a couple of Walker Street members are back on the street, and I'd like to congratulate them on their freedom."
Scully interrupted the two men. "I think Agent Mulder has reason to believe one of those men may have been the shooter this morning."
"May we take a look at the files?"
"Sure. Who did you have in mind?"
Mulder stood, and Scully followed suit. "Vito Belmondo, Adam Perretti."
"Be my guest," Franks answered. "You know where they are. Just... "
"Relax, Hal. Scully has already told me to watch my step."
"Good partner," the older man remarked. "I hope you two can spare time for a drink while you're in town."
"Why not? I'm supposed to be on vacation. Don't get the wrong idea, Hal. Scully is my personal physician as well as my partner. She was here for the race."
"Uh huh."
Scully was feeling slightly embarrassed. "I'm a medical doctor, Agent Franks. I specialize in Forensics." She turned and proudly left the inner office with Mulder, who was soon leafing though papers.
They found an empty cubicle and examined the arrest warrants on the two men Mulder had mentioned.
"Racketeering, gambling, prostitution. Mulder, looks like these guys cornered the market on just about everything. Talk about the seamy underbelly of society."
"Keep reading, and you'll see they were also hitmen. Ten years ago, I had a wiretap on a barbershop in the downtown area. At the time, I was working with Bill Fisher. He's down in California now... long story. Our surveillance led us to a hit they had planned, and I arrested Vito Belmondo. Bill roped in Adam Perretti. After the trial, word got out they both swore to kill us."
"Mulder, it says here Perretti went blind six years ago as a complication of diabetes, so that leaves... "
"Vito Belmondo." Mulder called up current information on the man, using the computer. "Vito Belmondo, who is currently... a landscaper. Must have learned that in penitentiary."
"So you think he dropped the hedge clippers to shoot you? Mulder, some guys do go straight."
"Maybe he heard I was in town and went straight for his gun, Scully. Or maybe he's higher up in the chain of command. We'd better get a make on that bullet." Mulder closed the file on the computer and the one on the desk. "One never gets to leave the mob, Scully. At least not on foot."
"Okay, but does this information give us probable cause? Because if it doesn't, and he's really been good all these years... "
"Scully, I think the threat gives probable cause. Besides, he and Perretti murdered seven people after an off-track betting scheme went sour."
"Then I'll get ballistics to check out the bullet. If we can get a search warrant, for the guys in THIS office, we might be able to get home here before we use up our vacation time. How's the wound, Mulder?"
"About the same. Stings a bit, that's all. Let's get out of here."
"Uh, uh, uh." Scully pointed out Hal Franks' office. "Tell Agent Franks what you've found and let him handle it."
Mulder had been itching to get in on this case. "Okay, Scully. Here's the deal: I want this one. It's me here that was shot! Hell!!" Mulder was getting angry, then took a deep breath when he realized the pain was coming back with a vengeance. All heads were facing him, so he pulled Scully aside. "I know more about this guy, and the people he runs with, than anyone else. I have to be in on this one," he said softly.
"Okay, But we have to tell Skinner you were injured. The rest of it... if he is the shooter and you were his target... "
"We'll have to break it to Skinner before it goes to press. Don't worry. I know he'd be just as anxious to get the guy."
N. WASHINGTON STREET
BOSTON, MA.
5:30 PMArmed with wiretap equipment and with Hal Franks' permission, Mulder and Scully set up in a vacant old apartment beside the pool hall Belmondo was known to be a regular. More than a regular.
Mulder peered through the window with binoculars. "Belmondo's known for frequenting this area," Mulder remarked. "You ready to eavesdrop for a while until we're relieved?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. I'm really going to want a bath after we leave here for the night." Scully inspected an old desk, and found a lot of dust. "I don't think anyone's rented this place since Eisenhower's administration."
"Yeah. Kinda cool, these old places. Hey Scully, check out the view of... "
A shot rang out, Scully ducked, and Mulder had sustained another shot -- this time to the neck. As he lay on the floor in pain, Scully crawled to his side and grabbed an old bedsheet to apply pressure to the wound. "Lie still, Mulder. Did you see the shooter?"
"No... Call... "
"I'm calling for an ambulance first, then when you're stabilized I'll be back here with Mendez and Flaherty." She pressed 911 on her cell phone, quickly giving the address and their names. "Looks like I'm in on this one, too. Just sit tight. The EMS is on it's way. After I get you there, we're going to scour the area."
Mulder was quickly beginning to go into shock. "Just... just stay here and keep... keep eye out."
"No, I'm going with you... "
"Not time..."
As the ambulance was pulling up the street, there was a loud knock on the door, and Scully opened it to find a note. She quietly read it, then tucked it into her pocket. The words stuck in her mind. This was a warning. Don't wait for the house warming party.
"What's that?" Mulder whispered.
"Nothing. They're here. Mulder, I'm going with you to get the paperwork done, and then I'll be back here to do the job." Her words seemed to fade as Mulder lost consciousness. The attendants quickly spirited them away to the hospital.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
5:55 PMMulder was being prepped for surgery as Scully paced the hallway of the surgical floor. She took the note out of her pocket, looking at the words again. So someone is out to get him, she whispered. She tucked the note back into her pocket and folded her arms, continuing to pace the floor.
Finally, Mulder was being wheeled out of one room and into the surgical theater. "I'll get to the bottom of this, Mulder. I swear to you, I'll get the shooter." Her words went unheard, as Mulder was unconscious. The orderlies rushed him into the operating room, and Scully took that as her cue to head back to the abandoned apartment where two other agents waited for some sign of activity.
N. WASHINGTON STREET
BOSTON, MASS.
6:27 PMIn light of Mulder's shooting, the local agents were assigned to a different room on the same side of the building facing the pool hall. Surveillance was set up again and the view was just as good as the previous one.
Two agents from the Boston Field Office introduced themselves as Scully entered the dingy little place that was once home to someone.
A tall, brown-haired man in his mid-thirties introduced himself. "You must be agent Scully. I'm Agent Ted Flaherty."
"Pleased to meet you. Anything yet?"
"No," a very young male replied. His hair was a vibrant shade of chestnut brown. "I'm Al Mendez." Mendez was peering at the pool hall, with headphones over his ears. "Looks like we're getting a drug deal here..." There were two men exchanging money and standing very close to each other, as if they suspected they were being watched.
Scully grabbed the binoculars. "He's certainly not Belmondo. Any idea who he might be?"
"That's Belmondo's brother, Aldo. Seems to me he was busted last year. And the guy with him is just one of the regulars -- if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do." Scully returned the binoculars to Mendez. She turned to Flaherty and handed him the note. "A little token of someone's admiration. Can you tell me what's been happening in the area in the past few months?"
"Everything that was happening before Belmondo was convicted the first time around," Flaherty snarled. "And every time we think we have him, the witnesses and evidence disappear. This time, I think he's getting a little too cocky."
"Well, let's hope he slips up soon," Scully angrily whispered. "My partner's lying between life and death right now, and the little letter has me convinced the shot was deliberate. Any news from ballistics?"
"Came from a Saturday Night Special, unregistered," Mendez replied. "As for the second one, it's inside your partner until otherwise. So, who's for pizza? You can't go without eating, right?"
"Right. Strange you'd be thinking of food right now."
"Not really," Flaherty replied. "We're on a stake-out, and you're the one who's not hungry. You can hang around if you want, but it's against my rules to go without food on a stake-out. FBI 101: The Unwritten Rule of Nutrition."
Scully sat on the bed. "True enough, Flaherty."
"Then I'll call our favorite pizza parlor." He began to dial the numbers, and Scully squatted down on the floor beside Mendez.
"What's the latest on Belmondo's activities?"
Mendez sighed as if he was tired of rattling off a list of crimes. "Everything, Agent Scully, and we've been watching him real close for six months. Seems some people wanted to get out of a few nasty jobs, and he doesn't like quitters. Several prostitutes have disappeared, a bar owner was found stabbed thirty times. Stuffed into a dumpster on the other side of the city. Belmondo's wife was going to leave him, but until she does, we can't protect her. None of the evidence pointed to Belmondo. Just picked up a few hoods who deny knowing Belmondo, or having any connection with him. But between us and Boston's finest, we've had our eyes on this bastard for a long, long time."
The agents discussed the details at length for over an hour.
"The wife? You've offered her a way out?"
"Yeah. She won't take it. Nobody leaves the family, at least... "
"Not on foot," Scully recanted Mulder's words. "You do have her address?"
"I... wouldn't go there," Flaherty warned her.
"I might." Scully was hell-bent on getting whoever was responsible for Mulder's injuries. "Belmondo just tried to murder my partner. I don't take that kind of thing sitting down." Just then, her cell jingled. "Scully. Okay. Let me know when he... never mind. I'll be right there. Save me a couple of slices, guys. I have someone to answer to."
BOSTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
8:32 PMScully stepped off of the elevator on the surgical floor and saw Skinner sitting in the waiting room. She took a seat beside him. "Any news, Sir?"
"Not yet. I got away as soon as I could. Do you realize just how dangerous this is?"
"Yes, Sir. But I assure you we're taking every precaution. We have police at every entrance and exit, and the Boston Office has been more than co-operative. Ballistics will check out the bullet as soon as they get it. Belmondo has been an ongoing concern."
Skinner looked to the side, then whispered, "Did you see any indication that Mulder may not have come here just for the race?"
"No! He's been looking foward to this for nine months, and I gave him the medical okay to go for it. You don't think... On the other hand... "
"The thought had crossed my mind. I've talked to Hal Franks and his agents have been on Belmondo for ages. I also know he never gives up a grudge, and neither does Mulder. Now, I suggest you tend to Mulder and then go back home as soon as possible."
"I can't do that, Sir."
"I'm ordering you to, Agent Scully."
"I'm on vacation. And I'm not on call. Mulder would give his life for me, and I don't take this murder attempt lightly. So, before we leave here, I intend to spend my part of the vacation boning up on Organized Crime Investigation. Think of it as a seminar. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to check with the Nursing Station." Scully was about to walk off angry, but thought better of it and turned. "Sir, he's your friend, too. We could really use your help."
Skinner laced his fingers together and thought about the situation as Scully waited impatiently.
"I can't order you home. I also can't let one of my best agent's attempted assassin run free."
Scully nodded, and a slight smile crossed her lips. "Thank you."
They waited patiently, and by eleven o'clock, Mulder was wheeled into recovery.
Scully walked along with the gurney. "Mulder?"
"He'll be out of it for a while," one of the orderlies advised her. "The doctor will be with you shortly, Ma'am."
The moment she saw a surgeon leave the OR, she ran to ask about Mulder. "Dr. Leith. How's my partner?"
"He's been through hell and back, but our main concern was the artery. Your partner is going to need a lot of time to recover. Considering he was hypovolemic when you brought him in, I'm surprised he made it."
"Mulder's very strong-willed, and stubborn, Dr. Leith. When do you think he'll be conscious?"
"That's hard to say, Dr. Scully. Get some rest, and we'll let you know. Give one of the nurses your number and get some sleep. I know you've had a very hard day."
"Thanks. Let me know if there's any... "
"I will, and right now I'm due in surgery again. An aneurism." Leith rushed back into the OR.
An aneurism, Scully thought, as she walked toward the waiting room. Is Mulder just a shocky gunshot? She sat beside Skinner, who had been on his cell to the local FBI office. "He'll be unconscious for quite a while. He'll be okay."
"Can I drive you to your motel, Agent Scully? I already have a room, and there's nothing we can do here right now. It's late. I'd advise you to call it a night. I'll have two agents posted on the floor, and they'll be there for him when he's out of recovery. They just sent the bullet downtown."
"Sir, I'd really appreciate the ride, but our car's at the building we were working from. You can drop me off there."
"And you think I believe you're going to drive out of there? No. I can take you back in the morning. I've already told Mendez and Flaherty you're off for the night. If you wish to pursue this in the morning, I can't stop you. So, I guess I have no choice but to join you."
"I think we'd both appreciate that, and I really can't argue I'm not tired. Let's get out of here." Scully gave a nurse her card with her cell number written on the back, and she followed Skinner to the elevator.
N. WASHINGTON STREET
BOSTON, MA.
MIDNIGHTA.D. Skinner hadn't been able to obtain a room at the same motel Mulder and Scully had been staying. As soon as Skinner's car was out of sight, Scully locked her room again and called for a taxi.
Mendez and Flaherty were surprised she'd be there that late. "What's the score?"
"Hey! This is our watch, and you should be asleep, Agent Scully." Flaherty had been listening in on conversatons at the pool hall. He gave the earphones to Mendez. "Well, seeing as you're here, I may as well let you in on what's been going on. Twelve coke deals, a few call girls picked up dates, one a judge, and Vito Belmondo has been very talkative to Chester Smye. Chester is one of ours, and most graciously consented to be wired... "
"Just give me the facts," Scully asked blandly. "I'm tired and my partner is in post-op."
"Belmondo got to bragging he contracted out to down a fed. So, we're watching him until we get the warrant to pick him up. He usually leaves around one, maybe one-thirty."
"So, you're going to pick him up tonight, right?"
"We should have the go ahead any time now. And I have a good idea who the shooter is on the second attempt. We'll have the results later tomorrow."
"What about the wife? Can we get her out and under protection?"
"Belmondo keeps his Taj Mahal so tight, no one could get in. Out in the suburbs, big fence around the place, and two hoods around the clock. Her ladyship can't even sneeze without them reporting to Vito. We'd need a SWAT team."
"So it can be done?" Scully was tired, but quickly gathering strength. "We can get her out of there? Answer me, dammit!"
"We can, but... "
"But it can be done, right?"
"Yeah, but we'd have to get Franks out of bed, and... "
"Then do it! Franks is an old friend of Agent Mulder's, and I'm damn sure he wouldn't want to lose anyone who could provide the answers you need to get Belmondo for good. If you won't call him, I will."
"All right," Flaherty conceded. "We'll wrap up the tapes, call in and that's it. Al? Time to pack it in."
Scully breathed a long sigh of relief. "I'll call our boss. I think he'll want to meet with Franks in the morning as well."
As the sirens began to wail, and Flaherty and Mendez greeted the police, Scully drove straight to the hospital. It seemed as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She notified Skinner that they had enough evidence against Vito Belmondo to arrest him, and that they were in the process of picking up the 'guards' at his home, thereby freeing the wife to go into a witness protection program. The foremost thing on her mind now was Mulder.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
1:30 AMScully had spent half an hour beside Mulder in recovery, and stayed by his side when he was moved to another room. She sat in the chair, coat over her chest, praying Mulder would pull through. Eventually, sleep overtook her, and when she woke, the sunlight was peeking through the curtains.
7:03 AM
Scully stretched and folded her coat, watching Mulder's eyelids, checking to see that he was breathing steadily. She hadn't known her partner had opened his eyes in the night to see her right by his side, still in the clothes she wore when he was shot for the second time. He opened his eyes to see her reading his vitals on the monitor. "Heart still beating?"
"You bet. They arrested Belmondo last night, and... Skinner came out. I had to call him. Don't shoot me."
"I know. Tired," he whispered. His mouth felt as though it was full of cotton.
"You sustained a gunshot wound just millimeters away from your left carotid artery. You're very lucky to be alive, Mulder. Next time you come to Boston, keep a low profile."
Mulder weakly smiled. "Same time next year?"
Skinner entered the room. "I'm glad to see you're out of the woods, Agent Mulder. Agent Scully, if you weren't on vacation, you'd be suspended for deliberately disobeying orders."
"As it turns out, Anna Belmondo is turning state's evidence, and I'm here visiting a sick friend. A friend who was going to run the Marathon."
"Yes. I suppose you are. Next year, don't let the press find out you're running until after... "
"Until after I win... ?"
"If you can bear the caseload for the next year," Skinner told him in a mock stern voice.
Mulder smiled. "We nabbed Vito Belmondo. That's one thing I won." Mulder's eyelids closed slowly, and sleep came upon him.
END
If you enjoyed this story, please feed the author.
Title: Vito Belmondo
Author: Pattie
Details: 26k · PG-13 · Standalone · 11/19/05 · Email/Website
Gossamer Category(Keywords): Story [UST, Friendship, Angst]
Characters: Mulder, Scully
Pairings: Mulder/Scully/UST
SPOILERS: Season 6.
SUMMARY: Pot shot or attempted murder? Mulder enters the Boston Marathon and doesn't make it past the starting line.
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