Title: Worried Author: Erin M. Blair E-Mail: eblair@sonic.net Classification: SRA--Story, Romance, Angst Content: Mulder/Scully Romance. Spender/Other Romance. Spender/Baldwin Slash UST. Crossover: X-Files/Millennium Spoilers: Ascension. Archive: OK to archive at: Gossamer, EMXC, Xemplary, and SEFAMSRN. Others: ask me first. Please forward to ATXC. Disclaimer: They're not mine. Chris Carter owns them. The character of Melanie Alomar belongs to me. Summary: Scully's students help Mulder's investigation of her abduction by Duane Barry. -------------------------------------------- WORRIED Written by: Erin M. Blair -------------------------------------------- FBI Academy Quantico, VA August 17, 1994 Noon A group of students clustered at the sign of the forensic lab door which said: * FORENSIC EVIDENCE 101 * INSTRUCTOR: SPECIAL AGENT DANA K. SCULLY * * FBI Cadets and Non Agents, * I regret to inform you of the disappearance * of Special Agent Dana K. Scully. Until further * notice, classes are cancelled until new arrangements * are made with your SACs. * * If you want to join in the search, please feel * free to contact me at FW_Mulder@fbi.aol.com * * * Sincerely, * Fox Mulder * Special Agent * Dana K. Scully's former partner No one knew what to say or do until Jeffrey Spender broke the silence. "We have to do something..." "Like what? Sit on your ass," Barry Baldwin said with a laugh. "Jeff, we all know how much you think our teacher was such a babe." "And do you think I honestly have a chance? I don't. We all know who George Hale is." "I don't," Emma Hollis said with a sigh. She was a young light skinned black girl with long black, curly hair and deep brown eyes. "Who's George Hale?" "George Hale has got to be Agent Scully's former partner, Fox Mulder," Jeffrey explained. He had a sudden realization when he figured out his chances to get Agent Scully to notice him was an off shoot, at best. His eyes lingured as he watched a beautiful auburn haired woman walking towards them. She stopped to look at the notice on the door. At first, he thought it was Agent Scully but then he realized that it was his fellow classmate. He knew whose this young cadet was, and decided to talk to her. "Melanie?" "Hello," Melanie Rose Alomar said as she gave Jeffrey a shy smile. She had always liked him from afar, but was too afraid to do anything about it. "Is there class today?" Her clear blue eyes dashed at the notice and then she gasped. "Oh my God! That's awful. I hope she's all right. We've got to do something." "I agree with Melanie. We have to do something to help find our instructer. Agent Scully needs us to work together," Emma said, with a look of determination in her eyes. Jeffrey nodded. "I'm in. We have to come to a decision." "I know that I want to be a leader. I say we go find out who took her and demand answers!" Barry Baldwin explained. "Who asked you, Barry? You did nothing in our group project for gathering evidence. You better watch out or you might be in the same boat as that Tom Colton," Jeffrey said, giving him a playful push. "Colton's a jerk," Barry said with a frown. "I heard rumors what he did on the Eugene Tooms case." He changed the subject. "Jeffrey, wanna go on a date?" "I'll pass." "Stop it!" Emma exclaimed. "We're not here to ask people out on dates. We have a case here, and let's prove to our fellow agents that we're going to be great agents." "I agree. Emma, what do you think we should do?" Melanie asked with a sigh. "Let's somehow contact Agent Mulder and get on the case." "Mel, you're right. However, I don't think you should come. Barry, Emma, and I will help him. Don't you have to be at the laboratory or something." "Why not, Jeff?" Melanie asked, defensively. "I don't want you on this case, Mel. I don't want anything to happen to you. We lost our teacher, Melanie, and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." "Is this a declaration of love, Jeff?" Melanie asked as she gave him a soft smile. "Yes." Melanie didn't know what to say or how to react to Jeffrey's simple reply. *He loves me?* Then she was obvious to their other fellow cadets' reactions to her and Jeffrey's not-so-private moment. "I don't know what to say, Jeff. I'd never...had anyone say this to me before..." "You'd never had a boyfriend, Melanie?" Jeffrey inquired with a whisper. He turned towards Barry Baldwin and Emma Hollis. "We'll have a meeting with Agent Mulder here sometime today. I'll call the both of you on my cell phone." The agents nodded and said their goodbyes while Jeffrey walked with Melanie down the hallway. He didn't want their private conversation to be overhead by other cadets and agents. "No," Melanie whispered back. She looked away from Jeffrey's gaze with an embarressed blush. "Never. I'd never done been kissed either." "You'd never been kissed either? Surely, a guy would - " Melanie interrupted. "My parents were very strict Catholics with my siblings and me." "Really?" Melanie nodded. "I think it's due to the fact my father was a cop in New York, and my mother was a sociologist." She paused. "I guess they were afraid for my sister and myself from getting raped or something worse." "I understand," Jeffrey said with a nod. "So I guess you were always interested in law enforcement?" "I guess I take it from my parents. My father was a detective dealing with homicide, and my mother worked as a profiler in the police department." She gave him a smile. "That's where they met." "That's interesting, Mel. You'd never mentioned anything about your family. All I knew was you had three sisters and a brother." "I guess it never came up," Melanie said with a sigh. "Are you really afraid you'd might lose me?" Jeffrey nodded. "I would die if something happened to you, Mel." "Mel?" "It's short for Melanie, isn't it?" "Yes, it is. I guess it's better than 'Smelly Mellie' - I used to wear flowery perfume, and my sister, Melissa, used to call me that. So did my twin, Melinda." "Melanie, Melissa, Melinda?" "My sister, Celina, was almost called Melantha," Melanie said with a grin. "My parents weren't very original when it came to names. Luckily for Celina, they used a baby name book. They also used a baby name book for my brother, David." "Lucky for the both of them, I guess." He paused. "Melanie?" "Hmmm..." "You don't mind if I call you 'Mel' or 'Mellie', do you?" Melanie thought for a minute, and shook her head. "No, I don't mind. Call me anything but 'Smelly Mellie'!" Jeffrey laughed and then his eyes became serious. "I would die if anything happened to you, Melanie." He paused. "You have the most beautiful name: Melanie Rose Alomar. Someday, you'll be Melanie Rose Spender." Melanie's smile deepened with her blue eyes twinkling with a mixture of happiness, amusement, and seriousness. "I think you're jumping the gun a bit, Jeff. We don't know what the future will bring." She paused. "I thought you'd fallen for me because I look so much like her." "Her?" Melanie pointed in the direction of Agent Scully's office. "Our teacher. Special Agent Dana Scully. I know I look so much like her. No one has to tell me, you know." She paused. "Are you afraid that my resemblance to her will...?" She let her question trail off, not wanting to let her emotions to get the best of her. "I'm sorry." "Don't be. I'm afraid of that too." * * * Melanie's Apartment Four Hours Later Alexandria, VA After soaking in the bath tub after finding out about her teacher's abduction, Melanie was towl drying her damp auburn hair as she sat down at her computer. She wanted to check her America Online e-mail account for any messages from Jeffrey. Sure enough, there was a message waiting for her from him: * TO: MelanieRAlomar * FROM: MelanieJeffSpender * SUBJECT: So I jumped the gun... * * and created this new account. You'd never * know, right? * * Anyway, I contacted Agent Mulder. He said * we're going to search at Skyland Mountain! * I'll call you, Melly. * * Jeff "Right," Melanie murmured. Her blue eyes gazed at the message, and she couldn't surpress a smile as she remembered their conversation. *He loves me...* This story's still being written. Author's Notes: This was written before I watched the series finale of Millennium when I found out about Barry Baldwin's death and Emma turning out to the dark side--her joining the Millennium Group. What's with that? Since this story is set in 1994, please note that Emma's still on the good side and Barry's still alive. Feedback: Nice, constructive criticism only. I do want to know any errors I had made in the story, but I'm not going to read any flames anyone sends. Send to: eblair@sonic.net