The X Files put on Peter Pan 7/8

by Cosmikgirlie

Chapter 7

As Mulder and Scully held each other, Byers eagerly fitted in the missing piece of the M.F.E.O into it's place and switched it on. Brilliant! he whispered. 
At the end of the performance everyone bowed and the audience cheered like ya never did hear before! Once they had filtered out of the hall, Skinner congratulated the cast. 
"Well done you lot! It was superb!" He hugged Mulder as Will rushed over and hugged Scully, much to the agents’ disappointment. Suddenly Byers ran in, followed by Langly and Frohike. He was clutching the M.F.E.O. "You guys!" he shouted. "Wanna go?" 
"Sure!" said Marita and Krycek, appearing from behind the curtains. Just as they were about to hook up, Skinner held up his hand. 
"No! Wait! No electricity is to be used! There's been a power cut and we cannot waste supplies!" 
"But this isn't wasting!" whined Byers. 
"No. I'm sorry." said Skinner, sternly. 
Suddenly Langly piped up. "But Skinner, you have some batteries, don't you? They'll do fine!" 
Skinner paused. "Erm...I don't know where they are..." he murmured. 
"They're in your pocket aren't they?" asked Langly, walking up to Skinner. 
Skinner checked. "Nope!" he said, with a squeaky voice. Mulder saw a lump. "Here we go!" he said, snatching them from him, before Skinner could do anything. 
Byers stared at Skinner, with narrowed eyes. "Why didn't you want us to find them?" he asked. "What's going on?" 
"Nothing!" replied Skinner, starting to sweat. "I just didn't want to waste...erm.." he backed away, looking suspicious. 
Everyone closed in on the large man. "We're not leaving till you tell us what's going on." said Krycek, firmly. 
Skinner took a deep breath. "Fine." he said, gritting his teeth. "I, I stole the piece, from the engine. I didn't want you to use the M.F.E.O!" he protested. Everyone gasped in shock. "But why?" asked Langly. 
"Because....I don't want Krycek and Marita to get together. Marita, I love you. And I know you love me too." He then proceeded to get down on one knee. 
"Marita, will you marry me?" 

**

Everyone stared at Skinner, gobsmacked. Marita paused and then suddenly ran towards him shouting: 
"Yes! Yes! Of course I'll marry you!!" Skinner looked extremely shocked, as did everyone else, as Marita jumped into his arms. 
Mulder frowned and peered at Krycek who was standing behind, staring at the happy couple. He looked upset and turned away, walking out of the room. 
Marita looked after him, over Skinner's shoulder, looking slightly anxious. She then turned to everyone. 
"So? Aren't you gonna congratulate us?" The Lone Gunmen walked up and kissed her on the cheek, also shaking Skinner's hand. Skinner had a grin so big, he looked like a clown. 
Scully congratulated Marita, and later walked up to Mulder, to talk about the event. 
"Mulder, don't you think it's weird how Marita accepted Skinner's proposal?" 
Mulder sat down on the stage. "I know...I thought it was too...but I guess, she did once love him, so what's to stop her loving him now?" Scully sighed, resting her head gently on Mulder's shoulder. She never thought she'd be thinking this, but she wondered how Krycek was. 

Krycek sat, his head in his hands in the changing room. He wiped away a solitary tear and thought about what had just happened. It was weird. He had never felt this way before. When he was younger, he was taught how to kill, how to get what he wanted; he was taught never to get emotionally involved: it was dangerous, Cancer Man had told him. And now, whenever he thought of Marita getting hurt or not being happy, his insides screwed up and he felt so angry. He cursed himself for letting himself fall in love, especially with someone who could hurt him. And now she had done just that, got straight to his heart and ripped it in two. 
"Hi." said a quiet voice. 
Krycek looked up. It was Marita. 

**

It was the second day of performances. Skinner was running around like a small child on Christmas day while Mulder and Scully were kneeling on the floor, playing a game of chess. 
"Don't you think it's weird how things turn out?" said Scully. 
Mulder pushed a pawn forward. "Yeah I suppose.." 
"You see, I would never have expected Skinner to marry so fast..I mean I would have thought you and I would be married before him." 
Mulder looked up. 
"I mean, separate weddings, of course." stammered Scully, feeling her cheeks blush. 
Mulder smiled. "Mmmmm." 

Marita walked slowly across the stage. She pondered about what she as doing. But she had decided. And there was no turning back. It was the right decision she told herself over and over. 

"I'm getting married in a week, Ding dong the bells are gonna chime!" sang Skinner, with a jolly smile as he ironed his pink dress. 
Langly walked in, clutching the M.F.E.O. He watched Skinner for a moment and then spoke. "You know, you never tried this thing!" 
Skinner looked up and looked down again, quickly. "Oh well, what's there to try! I mean it's just a toy!" 
Langly immediately rushed up to Skinner, grabbing his shirt collar and pulled him aggressively up to his face. "It is not a toy." he said slowly with gritted teeth. "If you tried it, with Marita, I think we'd all get a surprise." With that he let go of the frightened Skinner and walked off. Skinner stood for a moment catching his breath, thinking about what Langly had just said. He then shrugged and started singing again. "I'm getting married in a week..." 

Krycek sat alone in the back props room. He reached under the bed and closed his hands around a picture frame. He pulled it out and stared at it. It was a photo of him with his arm around Marita, dated about 5 years ago. He sighed and hugged it to his chest. 

**

"Scully, there's something I have been meaning to tell you for a long time. You have always been there for me and I find you really attractive. Your beauty and elegance electrifies the room and I can't stand to be away from you. When I touch your hair I feel like it has been sent from the angels: it is so soft and refreshing. I just want to hold you and never ever let go..Scully, I love you. And I know you feel the same way as me. So will you marry me?" Frohike looked up at her hopefully. 
Scully woke up with a start. She looked around her. She must have dosed off in the changing room. Suddenly she remembered her dream and winced with disgust. She managed to pull herself up and go and get a glass of water to pour over her head. Just as she let the first drop cool down her sweaty brow, Mulder burst in. 
"Scully..what are you doing? Skinner's going manic, he wants you in rehearsals!" 
Scully looked up. She felt like she was in a daze and everything around her went blurry. But with Mulder's anxious help she dragged herself onto the stage. 
"Hey Scully! If you would just move a couple of steps to the left, so I could fit the bed on the stage, that would be great!" said Frohike. 
Scully stared at him not listening and started to feel very sick. 

Outside all the commotion inside, a young woman dressed in old clothes, her head wrapped with a moth-eaten shawl, was ambling towards the theatre. It was freezing cold and she pulled her cardigan tightly round her. Her face, which looked older than her years, was screwed up with determination as she reached the front door and walked in. 

"Scully, Scully! You're doing it all wrong!" shouted Skinner, his face in his hands. 
"Well fine! You try jumping up and flying out of a window!" said Scully, scathingly. Her mind was not on the rehearsal, but on the dream she had encountered. Why was it Frohike saying all those words? The thought of him and her together sent a shiver down her spine. Suddenly she remembered when Frohike had called her hot when they first met. She then remembered Mulder's words soon after. "I think it's plausible someone could find you hot!" A second shiver ran down her spine, but for very different reasons to the previous. 

"Excuse me?" said a small voice, at the back of the hall. Almost so small Mulder didn't hear it. He turned around to be greeted by the young woman. 
"Yes?" he said, curiously. 
"Are you Fox Mulder?" asked the woman, with a very serious look on her face. 
"Who am I having the pleasure of speaking to?" 
The woman ignored him. "I have some very important news to tell you, Mr. Mulder. It is essential that you follow me." 
Mulder frowned. "I think we can manage here." 
The woman huddled closer to him. "The show must not go on. The show must not go on." said the woman with an eerie whisper. 
Mulder peered at her. "What do you mean?" 
"Something terrible is going to happen tonight. You can't continue with your performance. It's very dangerous!" the woman said with anxiety. 
Mulder stared at her. "What's going to happen? What are you talking about?" 
"I can't say any more, Mr. Mulder. It was a risk me coming here at all. But you cannot be here tonight. Do you hear me?" 
Mulder was silent, pondering. "Why should I listen to you?" 
"Because I am telling the truth!" squealed the woman. She then stopped and started to whisper. "They're going to kill me and if you want to save yourselves then vacate the premises before tonight!" The woman stared at Mulder with tearful eyes. 
"Who are you?" Mulder tried again. 
"I have to go." said the woman, as she pulled the shawl around her face. And with that she ran out, leaving nothing but an eerie silence behind. 
Mulder paused and then ran out of the door. He peered round the icy roads. She was gone. 

**

Mulder walked back towards the stage, pondering about what had just happened. He couldn't think who the woman was, but somehow her face had looked familiar. 
"MULDER!!" roared Skinner. "Get onto the stage and start kissing Scully!!" 
Mulder looked up with a grin, and said, "Oh well, if I have to. God, the things people are expected to do these days!" he murmured as he skipped up onto the stage. 

That evening, people began to assemble in the hall and Mulder peered round the curtain, looking out for the woman. 
"What you up to? Spying on the audience are we?" said Scully walking up to him. 
"Mmmm..just looking for someone." He looked over to the stage where Byers and Skinner just started the first scene. Mulder scratched his head, worried. What if the woman's prophecy was correct? But he decided against it and went back into the changing room. Marita was in there, doing her hair. 
"Marita? When's the wedding?" asked Mulder, casually. 
"Next week. Why?" she replied. 
"Well...aren't you rushing into it quite quickly? I mean, you and Skinner....it's kind of..." 
"What?" said Marita, staring at Mulder dead in the eyes. 
"Erm...you know..." 
Mulder was saved by Langly coming in to fetch the M.F.E.O. Skinner had ordered him beforehand to place it backstage where it "couldn't get in anyone's way." A few minutes later, Mulder swiftly moved out after him and sat beside the machine, which was connected to the wall with a series of complicated wires. Having nothing better to do, he picked it up and examined the making of it. It was very good: he had underestimated the skills of the Lone Gunmen. 
Suddenly Mulder froze. He stared, his eyes wide at the tiny screen which usually displayed the words M.F.E.O. But now, something quite different was displayed. Four numbers. 0:9:27. As Mulder stared, the last two numbers moved: 26, 25, 24. As carefully as he could, Mulder slowly replaced the M.F.E.O, and looked, his brow sweating, at the wires. They were incredibly complex: there was no way he could dismantle it. Starting to panic, Mulder got up and rushed into the changing room. 
"Maria, I think there is a bomb in the building. Quick, you have to get as many people as possible and lead them outside. But keep everyone calm, for God's sake!" 
Marita stared at him. "A bomb..." she breathed. 
"Yes! Now do it!" shouted Mulder and left, in a hurry. He looked at the stage from the side. Byers and Frohike were acting. Mulder ran down the side stairs and rushed to the front of the stage. He stood up in front of everyone and announced loudly: 
"Right everyone. Don't be alarmed. Just form an orderly queue and as quickly as possible vacate the premises. We have a potential bomb hazard. Please move quickly." 
Everyone gasped and straight away started to run for the door, causing a riot and massive queuing. 
Mulder turned to Byers and Frohike and ordered them to show everyone to the fire exit. 
Amidst all this chaos, Mulder's mind concentrated on one thing: Scully. He ran backstage, searching for her, but couldn't find her. Meanwhile a mass of frantic people were assembling outside, with Skinner trying to shut everyone up. But it didn't really work as he was wearing the pink dress, and this kind of took away any authority he might have had. 
Mulder stared at the bomb. 0:5:44. "Oh my God..." he breathed. He looked quickly into the props room and sure enough: there was Scully, reading her book, absolutely oblivious of what was going on. 
"Scully!" he called and ran over to her, hugging her quickly and then plling her outside. "Wha..what's going on?" stammered Scully. 
Once they were outside, Mulder made everyone walk a fair distance from the bomb and, scared, everyone obeyed. 
"I have rung the bomb authorities, they said they can get here in 20 minutes!" said Skinner. 
"That's too long, far too long!!" shouted Mulder, who was by now getting fantic. 
Everyone then watched the theatre from a distance with fearful eyes, waiting for the inevitable. 

**

Mulder and Scully stood staring at the theatre. The atmosphere around them was incredibly tense. Marita rushed up to them. “You guys! You have to help me! I can’t find Krycek anywhere! I think he’s still in the building!” Mulder and Scully looked at each other, concerned. But Mulder shook his head, knowing that they had no time to go back. 
Suddenly they heard a shout coming from the theatre. Everyone stared at a man, who appeared to be running out, clutching the M.F.E.O in his hand. Mulder gasped as the man rushed over to a local lake and threw it, with all his might, straight in. Mulder immediately screamed for everyone to duck down and cover their heads. A moment later, a gigantic explosion was heard. The water in the lake shot up into the air and poured all over everyone. Luckily they were far enough away from the lake to not get drowned. As soon as the rain had died down, a soaking Mulder and Scully got up and stared at what lay in front of them. The water had devastated the land, flooding everything in sight. Mulder looked thankfully at the very wet, but still in one piece theatre. 
As soon as the congregation had caught their breath, they all stood up and cheered loudly, and proceeded to run towards the theatre. Marita searched around for Krycek, the hero of the day, but couldn’t see him for all the flooding. At last she saw a finger pointing out of a puddle and pulled him out. She then shook him, rather forcefully, until he woke up. Mulder watched them hugging and remembered the mysterious woman who had prophesised the explosion. Scully walked up to him. “Don’t worry, Mulder! It’s all over now!” she said with a weak smile. Mulder smiled back, but continued to rack his brains about the situation. As he entered the theatre, questions whirled round in his head. Who was that woman and how did she know about the incident? Why was the bomb in the form of the very harmless M.F.E.O. and who had planted it? More to the point why would anyone want to blow up the theatre? Or did someone have a particular grudge against a member of the cast? Mulder looked up from his gaze to see the whole audience lifting up Krycek and chanting: "Hero! Krycek’s da man!" Mulder frowned. Somehow he thought that Krycek had more to do with this entire incident than he was letting on. 

**

It was the day of Skinner and Marita's wedding. Everyone was gathered in the theatre hall, as this was the place that Skinner had decided to have it. Scully was fiddling with some pink ribbons in her hair (strangely like Skinner's ones!). Marita bumbled into the changing room where she was sitting and sat down next to her. 
"Lovely Scully, now here's your bridesmaid dress!" She then held out a big frothy bundle of pink, which looked more like a meringue than a dress. Scully took one look and got up. 
"Uh-uh. No way. I am not being seen in that...thing." 
"What? But you have to! All the bridesmaids are going to be wearing them!" 
"And who are the other bridesmaids?" said Scully with a withering look. 
Marita bit her lip. "Well...you're the only girl...but the Lone Gunmen are going to me bridesmasters!" 
Scully raised an eyebrow. "Oh that's all right then. I'll just be a meringue in the middle of a couple of jokers." she said sarcastically. 
"Oh cheer up Scully! It'll soon be all over and we can all get on with our lives!" 
Scully looked up. It was just the way she had said it, or something about the seriousness in her voice which made it sound strange. Marita caught her looking at her and got up quickly. "Right must get on!" she said and rushed out, Scully gazing after her. 

Meanwhile Mulder was searching the internet to find some sort of explanation to what had happened. He thought that if he could find out how the bomb was made, it could lead to the culprit. 
"You have email!" said the voice on the computer. Mulder looked curious and clicked on his email box. A short message appeared on his screen. He read through it with a frown. 

WELL DONE. YOU MANAGED TO STOP IT LIKE I KNEW YOU WOULD. BUT REMEMBER FOX, YOU WON THE BATTLE BUT NOT THE WAR. THEY'RE STILL AFTER YOU. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR DANGER. 
EVE 

Mulder stared at it, his eyes wide open. He looked up to the top of the email, but it didn't say who the sender was. But he suspected straight away it must have been the woman who had warned him on the day of the explosion. 

People were starting to arrive for the ceremony and the bridesmasters were busy arranging flowers, and attending to everyone's needs. Meanwhile, Mulder, all dressed in his suit for the wedding was busy emailing everyone he knew who could help him find out the identity of the woman. He pressed send for the final time, and lay back. All he could do now was wait. Suddenly Scully burst in, fiddling fantically with her dress. 
"Mulder can you help me?..." She stopped and looked curiously at his computer. "Mulder what are you doing?" 
Mulder looked up. "Scully, there are lots of things I've got to tell you, but you must promise to keep it under wraps coz I don't know what I am dealing with here." Scully nodded seriously, and Mulder proceeded to tell her, as he zipped up her dress. 
Scully looked astonished at what he had found out, but just then the computer said "You've got email!" Mulder whizzed round and Scully rushed to the screen. The two stared at what they saw. The name of the woman was Mrs. Walter Skinner. 

**

Mulder stared at Scully who in turn stared back. "His..." 
"wife." finished Mulder. Just then Marita burst in. "Hey you guys, have either of you seen my veil? I've been looking everywhere for it and I sorta need it for the ceremony." 
Mulder and Scully just stared at her in a daze. Marita frowned and left the room thinking it must be pre-wedding nerves..although she had no idea why THEY would be getting them! 
Behind stage Krycek was preparing his speech. He had no idea what to write and decided to scrunch up the paper and throw it in the bin. Just as he was doing this, he caught a glimpse of someone in the back room. He peered curiously through the gap and to his surprise saw a woman, dressed in a long shawl, kneeling over something. He pushed open the door to ask who she was, but once he got into the room she had disappeared. Krycek scratched his head and walked over to the desk where she was kneeling. A tiny scratch mark had been made on the wood. Krycek leaned closer and squinted his eyes. It said "Eve 4 Skinner." 

Soon the vicar had arrived and most people were in their seats. Skinner was walking up and down the isle, saying his wedding vows over and over again. Marita meanwhile was in the changing room with Scully, who was doing her hair. 
"Are you sure about this?" probed Scully. 
"Of course I'm sure! What kind of dumb question is that?" 
"Well..it's just that this is a life-changing decision and I just want to make sure you know what you're doing. I mean, what if one of you two had already found someone else and weren't fully committed to the marriage." Scully knew this was stupid, but she was desperate. 
To her surprise, Marita didn't respond but was suddenly very quiet. 

As soon as everything was set, Frohike commenced with the piano-playing and Marita walked slowly down the isle. Langly was sitting down, a tear in his eye and Mulder and Scully were back stage. 
"Look, I just think it is the best thing for everyone if we tell them!" said Scully, forcefully. 
"No!" shouted Mulder. "We can't interfere with these types of things. It's up to them to sort it out themselves." 
"But she doesn't even know!! This marriage will only lead to ruin and heartache!" 
Krycek then burst in, out of breath. "I thought over whether I should tell you this or not, but here goes. There was a woman here before. Her name's Eve. I think she has something to do with Skin-man." 
Mulder stared at him. "When was she here?" 
"I dunno, about an hour ago. She disappeared before I could do anything." 
Mulder sighed. "Damn." 
"Listen. We have to tell them now. We have no choice." said Scully. 
"Wait a second, what do you mean tell them? Tell who?" asked Krycek. 
"Marita and Skinner of course." said Mulder. 
"What?!?" Krycek started to get panicky. "No, no that is not a wise idea. We don't even know the facts. No, don't stop the wedding!" he exclaimed. 
But Mulder had made up his mind. "Lets do it." 

"Do you Walter Skinner take Marita Covarrubias to be your lawful wedded wife?" 
"I do." said Skinner almost hurriedly. 
"And do you, Marita Covarrubias take Walter Skinner to be your lawful wedded husband?" 
Everyone stared at Marita. She paused, took a deep breath and said: 
"I -" 
"WAIT!!" Everyone gasped and peered to the back of the hall where Mulder was standing, slightly nervous for everyone to see. 
"You can't get married because... the groom already has a wife!" 
Everyone gasped again. Marita stared, horrified at Skinner, who was looking very sheepish. 
"No wait, I can explain!" he took a deep breath. "Yes I do have a wife, but we don't live together. She follows me around and pretends we're still together but in true fact we're not." The vicar stared at him, disgusted. "Well," he announced. "I can only proceed if the bride-to-be approves." 
Once again everyone stared at a very pale Marita. She took a deep breath and spoke. 

**

Marita paused again. “Ok, lets carry on.” She said with a hollow voice. Everyone gasped and started muttering to each other and even Skinner looked amazed. The priest raised an eyebrow and said: “Are you sure about this Marita?” But Marita remained firm and nodded her head stiffly. There was another pause and the vicar spoke again. “Alright everyone, I think this is clearly a very difficult situation and so I think we will allow ourselves a few minutes break to have some time to cool off before we carry on.” He lowered his voice and said: “It’ll give you two a time to properly talk.” Marita looked disgruntled at the decision and stormed off, leaving Skinner alone at the altar while everyone else filed out. Mulder and Scully stood at the back of the hall, looking sympathetic towards Skinner and the whole situation he had got himself into. 
“What I don’t understand, is why Marita doesn’t seem to care at all about Skinner or his ‘wife’.” said Scully. 
Mulder sighed. “Maybe she loves him that much, that whatever he does or whatever happens she’ll always care about him.’ He was looking at Scully now and caught her eye for a moment. She smiled and looked down. 
“You know..” she said, “Didn’t you think it was strange how even though it looked as though Krycek and Marita were made for each other, it never worked out.” 
“And also, how he was so desperate to let the wedding proceed, like he didn’t seem to have any feelings of jealousy.” replied Mulder. He stopped and scratched his head. Scully watched his hand caress his soft hair. She sighed. 
“Maybe we should have a word with him.” she concluded. 

“Listen Alex, I know we’ve had our ups and downs but we truly want to know if you’re OK. I mean, what’s all this business with Marita?” 
Alex looked up and frowned. “What business?” he said gruffly. 
“Well, the unfinished kind.” said Mulder. 
“Oh, listen that…it didn’t really mean much…look I don’t care what Marita does…I mean..I never cared about her..in fact I want her to be happy with…..” he paused as if he was having trouble saying it, “.Skinner.” 
Mulder and Scully glanced at each other. They were not convinced. 
Suddenly Krycek took a deep breath and sat up quickly. His eyes widened with determination and without so much as a ‘bye’ he briskly left the room. Mulder and Scully followed in interest. He had gone into the room opposite and seemed to be having heated words with someone behind the closed door. Without trying to be too much of an eavesdropper, Mulder and Scully tiptoed their way to the door and Mulder shoved his ear up to the keyhole. Scully leant on to his back, straining to hear something. 
All they heard were muffled voices: “No, Alex you don’t understand………I have to…….look I can’t now…….now that I’ve come this far……….you have to listen to me……..please Alex……” Then there was silence. 
Suddenly they heard footsteps nearing the door and Mulder and Scully quickly jerked backwards and entered into a deep conversation. 
“No, you see Scully, it just wouldn’t work……Britney Spears and Elton John - they’re just not compatible, you understand.” After Scully had given Mulder a very weird look, they glanced at a very inflamed Krycek storming out of the room. He crossed them without a second glance and entered the changing room. 

Later on, everyone was gathered in the hall once more to continue with the wedding. Skinner looked very optimistic, having had a talk with Marita, managing to sort some things out. Once everyone was seated, they waited for 10 minutes, but Marita didn’t turn up. Scully gave a worried look to Mulder, who got up and approached Skinner. He was frantic. 
“Where is she Fox? She said she’d be here! Where is she?” 
“Don’t worry, I’ll have a look around.” said Mulder, with a reassuring voice. He then went backstage to check the changing room. There was no one in sight. He thought carefully. Where on earth was she? Scully soon joined him with some news. 
“Krycek’s also missing.” she said with a worried voice. They then both proceeded to check the very room where they had last seen Krycek storm out. Inside, it was very dark. Scully fumbled for the light and Mulder at once stared at the desk. On it was a small tattered note. He gulped and ran over to it, picking it up and reading aloud. 

Skinner and the rest of you, 
By the time you read this letter we’ll be on the next plane to England. I’m sorry you had to find out this way but I had no choice. Alex and I have been planning this scam from the very beginning, from when we first joined this performance. But we….I.. couldn’t go through with it. I’m sorry Walter but I don’t love you. I never have. It was all just pretence to get your money and have my visa renewed. You see I come from England. It was where I was brought up. Maybe it’s the English part of me that’s not giving me the courage to go through with it. But for what it’s worth I’m sorry. We just couldn’t bear the thought of working for CSM anymore, and when you told me you had just inherited all that money from your aunt, I couldn’t help it. We had no other option. You were our last hope. In a way I am glad that you had a wife. It made me realise what I was missing. I love Alex, I always have and I’m not going to deny that. I just want you to know that I’m sorry. I hope you have all the love and happiness the world can offer you, Walter Skinner. 
Many regards 
Marita xx 

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