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Someone I Trusted V:  Sharon's Reprise *NC17* 1/1    
Deslea R. Judd    
drjudd@primus.com.au drjudd@catholic.org    
Copyright 1998    
    
DISCLAIMER    
    
This work is based on The X Files, a creation of Chris Carter     
owned by him, Twentieth Century Fox, and Ten-Thirteen     
Productions. Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Kim Cooke, and Sharon    
Skinner remain the intellectual property of those parties and are    
used without their consent and without commercial gain.     
Susannah Skinner is my creation and may not be used elsewhere    
without my consent.    
    
Spoilers: One Breath, Blessing Way, Paper Clip, Piper Maru,    
Apocrypha, Avatar.    
    
Category:  Story,  Romance (Skinner/Scully).     
    
Rating:  NC17 for sex.    
    
Summary:  Sequel to Someone I Trusted I, II, II, and IV, in which  
Skinner is torn between his past and his future.    
   
Fan mail is always appreciated!!!  My e-mail is    
drjudd@primus.com.au.  Archivists, feel free to add this to your    
collections; but be sure to let me know.  This and my other    
stories may be found at http://home.primus.com.au/drjudd    
(shameless plug).    
    
PREVIOUS TITLES:    
Someone I Trusted (The Blessing Way), in which Scully pulls a    
gun on Skinner...and surprises him    
Someone I Trusted II: The SSR File, in which Scully and    
Skinner discuss their coupling and try again   
Someone I Trusted III: Always, in which Scully and Skinner  
resume their affair and discuss children
Someone I Trusted IV: The Apocryphal File, in which Scully   
decides to try for a baby, after all   
   
Someone I Trusted V: Sharon's Reprise *NC17* 1/1    
Deslea R. Judd    
drjudd@.com.au drjudd@catholic.org    
Copyright 1998

	Scully entered the bathroom with considerable relief at 
the opportunity to get away from Mulder.
	She stared at her reflection.  There were dark circles 
under her eyes which she was sure had not been there three hours 
earlier.  She had aged since the news had broken, and it showed.
	Mulder thought she was disgusted at Skinner for 
sleeping with a prostitute.  She wasn't.  She was dismayed, for 
their fight had taken place only hours before, but disgusted, no.
	//How much of this is my fault?// she wondered 
fruitlessly.  When he had telephoned her, almost in tears over the 
business with the divorce papers, she had been less than 
sympathetic.  "Walter, you have a future with me.  Your marriage 
has been over for a very long time.  It's time to sign them, and let 
it go.  This is a reason to celebrate, not to mourn."
	"Celebrate?  //Celebrate?//  This is seventeen years of 
my //life//, and they're gone!  All for nothing!"
	She had become angry then.  Perhaps his link to his 
past had affronted her more than she had acknowledged.  
"Nothing?  You call Susannah nothing?  Wasn't she worth it?"  
Then, only slightly more gently, "Walter, do you //want// to still 
be married to Sharon?  Do you still want a life with her?  
Because if you do I think you'd better work it out real fast."
	Walter had been furious with her.  "Is that what this is 
about?  God damn it, Scully, I'm mourning the biggest loss in my 
life since my father died and all you can think to do is get in a 
jealous snit?  For God's sake, grow up!"  He'd slammed down the 
phone.
	Yes, she decided, she had some responsibility here.  If 
she had only given him the support he needed he wouldn't have 
sought it from some whore.
	//Since when do you talk about your fellow women like 
that, Dana Katharine?//
	//Since my man slept with her and won't even admit he 
paid for her.//
	She understood, though.  He knew he had lost 
considerable ground with her by sleeping with this woman.  But 
he could salvage some ground by pretending he hadn't known she 
was a prostitute.  As if she cared.
	//If he'd known...if it had truly meant nothing...that 
would probably be easier, actually.//
	There was another thought creeping in amidst this 
introspection, and this one was sinister - sinister enough to keep 
pushing behind other thoughts until it screamed at her:
	//If you had supported him, it could have been //you// 
lying in that bed with your neck broken.//
	She shook her head in an effort to clear the clatter of 
her warring thoughts.  Did she think he was guilty? //Did// she?
	He //could// be, she knew that.  She knew about the 
nightmares, the sleepwalking.  And she knew he was not always 
himself when he woke.
	But that was a far cry from saying he had killed the 
woman.  She herself had never felt anything but safe with him.  
On the other hand she wouldn't have picked him for a cheater, 
either.
	She frowned at her deathly-white reflection.  Her only 
course of action could be to continue as she had done...play 
dumb.  As far as Mulder knew, she had no idea Walter had been 
married.  And she certainly had no way of knowing his condition 
when he woke from nightmares.  One of them needed to be 
impartial in this, and Mulder couldn't be if he knew she was in 
love with Skinner.  As for her...that was a joke.
	There was one other thing she could do.
	Not investigate too thoroughly.
	Because if Walter was guilty, she wasn't sure she 
wanted to know.  And she most certainly didn't want to be the 
one who acquired the evidence which would permit his 
indictment.
	She splashed her face with water.   Mulder would 
wonder where she was.  She had to get back out there.  Pulling a 
tissue from her bag, she mopped up the excess and headed for the 
door.
	She collided head-on with Sharon Skinner.
	"Excuse me," she said shakily, completely unnerved.
	Sharon ignored her social niceties.  "You're sleeping 
with him."
	Scully stopped still.  "I beg your pardon?"
	"You're sleeping with him," Sharon repeated.  "And 
Mulder doesn't know."  She dug into her purse for her lipstick, 
going on nonchalantly, "Poor Scully.  You didn't know he liked 
to play the field, did you?  But after all, he slept with you while 
he was married to me."
	Scully shivered inwardly.  How the hell did she know?
	But then...women //knew// these things sometimes.
	Just like she knew Sharon was lying about Walter to 
hurt her right now.
	Scully went on the defensive.  "I'm surprised to see you 
here, Senator," she said lightly.  "I'd have thought the fact that 
your husband is under suspicion for murder might cost you 
votes."  //Just like your lesbian daughter might, and isn't that why 
you won't let her home from boarding school even for Christmas?  
Come to think of it, isn't that at least half the reason Walter was 
so pleased to see the back of you?//
	Sharon's expression darkened.  "I've spoken to the 
Director about a media blackout," she said coldly.  "That's 
already been taken care of."
	Scully gave a cynical laugh.  "Now, I should have 
guessed that was coming.  You're some piece of work, Sharon."  
Nonetheless, she was glad for Walter's sake.  "Excuse me," she 
said disgustedly, and stormed out.

ONE WEEK LATER

	Scully walked into the AD's office.  Kimberley waved 
her straight in.  Knocking on the open door, she passed through, 
feeling like an intruder.
	Skinner was there in his dress uniform, struggling with 
a recalcitrant neck button.  "Let me," she said softly.  He looked a 
little surprised, but allowed her to fasten the silver stud for him.
	He looked down at her, taking in her attire.  She wore a 
black coat over her own dress uniform.  Her hair was in a demure 
french roll.  "Scully, what's this?" he asked quizzically.
	"I'd like to accompany you to the funeral, Walter.  If 
you'll let me."  She smiled mirthlessly.  "Don't worry, I'll stand a 
discreet distance away."  Senator Sharon Skinner's funeral was to 
be a major social occasion.
	He shook his head.  "I'm not worried about that, Dana.  
Of course you can come if you wish.  God knows I could use the 
support."
	Scully frowned.  "Will Susannah be there?" she asked 
with sudden concern.  She had a soft spot for Walter's sixteen-
year-old daughter, though she had spoken to the girl on the 
phone only once.
	Skinner gave a regretful sigh.  "No, she won't.  I offered 
to fly her home but she said she preferred to remain in 
Switzerland until the end of the school term.  She doesn't seem to 
care that her mother is dead.  It frightens me a little."
	Scully's brow was creased, but she said cautiously, "It's 
probably understandable, Walter.  The woman banished her to 
boarding school at the age of seven.  Susannah has seen her 
perhaps seven or eight times since then.  In a very real sense 
Sharon was a stranger to her."  She paused.  "I doubt she cares 
nothing at all, but I think it will be a reaction which escapes 
gradually over time.  And there will be anger - you need to be 
ready for that."
	He nodded, worried lines forming in his forehead.  
"You're probably right.  Do you think I should talk to Mulder?  
He's the best psychologist I know."
	Scully shook her head.  "No.  Not Mulder.  You could 
bring out a few scars of his own."
	Skinner glanced at her suddenly, then nodded.  "You're 
right.  I wasn't thinking."  They fell silent, lost in thought.
	Sharon Skinner had died five days earlier after being 
run off the road, for which Walter had been framed, just as he 
had been framed for the prostitute's death.  It had been Mulder, 
as Scully had hoped, who had cleared him.  They had never 
discussed his infidelity, nor her apparent suspicion of him.
	Now, Skinner spoke.  "You know, when Sharon was 
hurt, I decided I wasn't going to sign the divorce papers.  Not til 
I'd spoken to her, cleared the air, made my peace with her.  After 
seventeen years of marriage we owed one another that.  I made 
my peace with her before she died, Scully.  She didn't hear me, I 
don't think...but I think I found it in my heart to forgive her...and 
to ask her to forgive me for shutting her out."  His voice seemed 
to come from far away.
	Scully hung her head.  "I'm glad, Walter.  I had no right 
to act as though that part of your past had no value.  I'm sorry."
	He touched her chin, made her look at him.  "Hey," he 
said gently.  He held her gaze a long moment.  "About the girl-"
	She put a finger to his lips.  "I don't want to know.  I 
think I have some responsibility for that.  And even if I didn't, I 
still don't want to know.  It's over."  She looked away.  "I'm sorry 
I suspected you, Walter.  It wasn't malicious, and it wasn't me 
thinking you were capable of cold-blooded murder.  It was being 
faced with too many shocks all at once, and not being able to 
know for sure.  With the circumstances as the context, I just 
couldn't be sure."
	"Nor could I," he admitted.  He kissed the top of her 
head tenderly.  "Scully, I love you.  That hasn't changed.  And 
even though I wear this again -" he held up his wedding band "- 
as a remembrance, I know that my future is with you.  It always 
was."
	She held his gaze for a long moment, remembering.

	The night of Sharon's death, Scully and Mulder had set 
up a meeting between Carina's killer and one of Carina's 
colleagues, a terrified working girl who was the only witness left 
alive.  As Scully and the girl paced in their hotel room, waiting, 
the man had arrived and knocked Scully out.  Just as he took aim 
at the girl, Skinner had arrived and killed him.  Seemingly angry 
and dazed, he had pushed his way past Mulder and made a 
beeline for the door.
	Scully had been barely conscious, but she had dragged 
herself up at the sound of his voice receding.  Lurching 
frantically through the throng of law enforcement personnel, she 
caught up with him at the elevators and collapsed against him.  
"Walter," she gasped.
	He caught her.  "Scully, go and get some first aid."
	She shook her head.  "No," she said frantically.  "I have 
to talk to you."
	Striving to control his temper, for it was easy for her to 
believe in him now she had proof, he led her back to the hotel 
room.  He collared Mulder.  "Mulder, Scully's a mess.  I'll drive 
her home if you like.  That bump on the head was a bad one."
	Mulder gave him a relieved look.  "Thank you, Sir.  I'm 
going to be ages here."  He went into the bathroom and returned 
with Scully's handbag.  "Her keys should be in there, Sir."
	Skinner nodded, not wanting to say he had keys to her 
apartment already.  "Thanks, Mulder.  See you tomorrow."
	Mulder waved, already conferring once more with the 
cops.
	Scully, her equilibrium slowly returning, walked 
unsteadily at his side.  He roughly dragged her into the elevators, 
and then through the car park to his car.  "Where's your car, 
Scully?"
	"Home," she said vaguely.  "I came with Mulder...fleet 
sedan..." she trailed off.
	"Good," he said gruffly.  "One less thing to worry about.  
Now get in."
	Scully complied.
	The drive back to Annapolis was not a pleasant one.  
They sat as far away from one another as possible, Skinner 
reflecting with a scowl that this had been her idea, so why the 
hell was she avoiding him?  Aside from a brief argument about 
music selection, they sat in stony silence.  When they arrived at 
Scully's, he helped her out of the car with ill grace and dragged 
her to the door.  Unlocking it with his own key, he pushed her 
through the door and closed it behind them.
	She stood, a little unsteadily, waiting for the storm.
	He pulled her to him and cried harshly, "//Now// do you 
believe me?"
	Her face crumpled slightly.  "Walter," she whispered, 
touching his face, "I //always// believed you.  It was your memory 
I didn't know if I could trust."
	That seemed to affect him, because his hold on her 
loosened, his expression softened.  "Nor did I, Scully."
	She bowed her head, her tone full of guilt.  "I'm so sorry 
I let you go through this alone."  Her face was hot with shame.  
He tilted her chin, and kissed her cheek where a tear coursed 
down it.
	They both started to speak at the same time.  "I'm sorr-"
	They stared at one another in the dark, then laughed 
softly.
	He spoke.  "Not tonight, Dana.  Another time.  Let me 
love you...I can't stand another night with this - this distance 
between us," he said softly, a faint pleading undertone there.  Her 
brow furrowed until she realised: he feared she would refuse him.
	Because of the prostitute.
	With great forgiveness and compassion in her heart, she 
leaned up to kiss his lips with utmost gentleness.  Her hands 
cradled his face between them, her thumbs running idly over his 
mouth.  And then he was weeping, and so was she;  and they 
kissed frantically through the tears, clothes tossed heedlessly 
about the room.  She led him to her bedroom and drew him down 
on top of her, longing to be warmed...consumed.  There was 
something about the overwhelming intensity of his bulk on top of 
her, //possessing// her, that made her feel whole...safe.
	He kissed her lips with a fleeting touch, then ran his 
nose and mouth down over her chin and her neck, inhaling her 
scent.  He kissed her throat, the base of her neck, her ears, tracing 
their every curve with his tongue.  She gave a little inward gasp, 
then a moan.  "Oh! Walter," she breathed at a high octave.
	He rolled her onto her side.  She gave him a quizzical 
look in the moonlight, but did as she was bidden.  He lay down 
behind her, kissing her neck, his hands drifting down over her 
buttocks and up around her waist.  Crossing in front of her, they 
found her plump white breasts, caressed them, brushed the little 
hard nipples that sprang up under his touch.  He kissed her down 
her spine, then up over her back and shoulders.  Scully's moans 
were not the urgent ones of racing lust, but the muted yet 
insistent ones of lazy, languid passion.
	His hands drifted lower, to the thatch of hair at the 
juncture at the top of her legs.  He felt her reach around to idly 
caress his cock, gasped suddenly at her touch.  He slid his fingers 
into her damp warmth and rubbed the little hard nub he found 
there, rotating it slowly.  She gave a series of shuddering gasps as 
he took her to the edge, then drew her back, her sounds almost 
sobs.  Then he probed deeper, his fingers inside her, teasing.  She 
clenched him so hard he could barely move, the movement a 
demand for more...for release.  
	She was slick and ready, and he found that soft springy 
spot inside her that made her helpless with desire.  He pressed it 
gently, insistently, felt the tense arousal in her body give way to 
relaxation as the adrenaline ran through her veins, taking her 
control and turning it into surrender.  She flung her head back 
into his shoulder and gave a long, low moan.  She felt her limbs 
turn to water and her mind shut down, her body shaking 
uncontrollably with aftershocks of arousal, the spasms seeming 
to come from her very core. "Walter-" she breathed hungrily, then 
fell silent, her buttocks ramming unconsciously against his cock, 
resting snugly between them against her ass.  He ran his fingers 
tantalisingly over that other, more secret opening, and she jerked 
against him with renewed spasms of longing.  He teased her 
there, but did not enter, content to send shockwaves through her 
nerves there.  She gave a series of soft incoherent gasps, bringing 
her knees up to her body, exposing her.  She pushed against his 
fingers and bucked upwards, her slick entrance laid open for him.  
"Walter!  Please!" she cried out.
	It was a demand, and he complied, running the tip of his 
cock over her, teasing her, waiting for her to open and let him 
pass.  She shifted as he slid deeper inside her, his thickness and 
his length making way for itself, as she felt it penetrate her, fill 
her.  She squirmed against him, her hair and her flesh pushing 
into him, turning him on even more.  She could not move, but she 
could grind down on him as he sank his cock into her to the hilt, 
time and time again, his slow deep strokes embedding him deeper 
and deeper into her core, and her heart.  Relentlessly he drew 
back, then slowly but firmly pushed on, as though if he pushed 
deeply enough he could merge with her, hold her forever.  He 
heard her cry his name as he filled her, felt her arch her back and 
cry out, "Oh, Walter, yes...yes...God, how I love you!"
	He thrust into her hard.  "I love you, Dana," he moaned, 
not incoherent like her, his voice low and heavy with all the 
feeling in his heart he was trying to convey.  
	She seemed to catch it through the fog of her hormones, 
because she took his hands and crossed them over her breasts, 
crossing her own over his in a tightly protective gesture, her body 
suddenly orgasmic again.  He felt his cock throb and tense, sank 
himself deep inside her, then felt the rush of release as he filled 
her.  She shuddered hard against him, but this was different; the 
shudders seemed to come not from her core, but from her arms 
tightly crossed over his own.
	They stayed that way, him still buried inside her, their 
arms clasped cradling one another, and they slept.

	Now, Scully reached up for him and kissed him on the 
lips, her breath hot against his.  "Walter," she said quietly, "we 
have both done wrong here.  You slept with another woman," she 
said gently without recrimination, "and I deserted you when you 
needed me - when you got the papers, and then when you had to 
face this.  On balance, it seems to me that my sin was probably 
worse.  But it's over.  I forgive you, and I can but ask you to 
forgive me."
	His face creased with suffused pain.  "Of course I 
forgive you."
	She favoured him with a gentle smile.  "Then we can go 
on."
	He leaned down to kiss her.  "Yes.  We can."

COMING SOON:     
Someone I Trusted VI: Interlude, in which Susannah Skinner    
holidays with Scully and Skinner    
Someone I Trusted VII: Terma's Shadow, in which Scully    
answers Skinner's jealousy with a commitment    
Someone I Trusted VIII: Memento Mori, in which Scully and    
Skinner discover she cannot have children    
Someone I Trusted IX: Susannah, in which Susannah comforts    
her father and Scully    
Someone I Trusted X: Ground Zero, in which Skinner deals for    
Scully's life - and fertility    
Someone I Trusted XI: Monkey Babies, in which Scully turns to    
"Mulder" for solace    
Someone I Trusted XII: Redux, in which Scully turns on Skinner    
Someone I Trusted XIII: Redux Schmedux, in which Scully    
seeks Skinner's forgiveness    
Someone I Trusted XIV: Pendrell's Legacy, in which Mulder    
offers a solution    
    
BY THE SAME AUTHOR:    
Offspring (novel)    
On The Outside (long story, Offspring prequel)    
The Field Where My Love Died (vignette)    
The Field Where My Love Prevailed (vignette)    
Borderline (unfinished long story)    
Lyrics of the Heart (unfinished long story)    
Smokin' Maggie (unfinished long story, not yet available)    
Evolutions (unfinished novel, not yet available, Offspring    
sequel)