Chapter Text
There was a buzz and the secured door at the end of the hall could be heard being pushed open. Mulder tensed but then breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the familiar tap of heels. The cot in his cell creaked as he rolled off it, standing to greet his redheaded partner.
Scully stepped into view, dressed smartly in a blazer, blouse, and pencil skirt. Mulder wished very much that he was at her side looking just as professional, but his suit had been ruined during the prior evening's unique series of events... He'd been given a change of clothes, which was a ridiculously out-of-date prison uniform. The material was tattered and itchy, white with grey stripes. Definitely a couple decades old, but Mulder supposed this small town jail didn't have a decent enough budget for new uniforms. Only a sheriff and deputy ran the place and there were a total of three cells, side-by-side. Empty but for him.
With a grin, Mulder wrapped his hands around the rusty metal bars and joked, "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" Scully just crossed her arms and glared up at him. His cheery guise faltered and he mumbled, "Uh, well, thanks for coming to bail me out."
"I didn't," replied Scully.
"What? But - then why are you here?"
Scully raised a brow at the question and said with annoyance, "Maybe I'm here to make sure my partner is still in one piece after he decided to ditch me - yet again - in order to carry out a truly idiotic scheme."
Mulder opened his mouth, clearly wanting to protest, but Scully raised her voice to cut him off - "God, you could've been killed, Mulder!" She reached through the bars to prod gently at the colourful bruise on her partner's left temple and then she used both hands to check his scalp. He let her, ducking his head and even bending his knees a little. Then she asked sternly, "Where else are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Scully, really! Just sore here and there, nothing to worry about." He looked straight into her eyes to convey his sincerity and she nodded after a moment.
"Well, consider yourself lucky."
"I would, but..." Mulder gestured at his surroundings with an endearing pout and Scully (internally admonishing herself) began to feel some pity for him.
"Skinner will get you out, I'm sure. He should be here within the hour."
Mulder straightened up and stammered out, "S-Skinner? He... he's coming here?"
Scully clarified, "Yes, Mulder. He called me this morning, said he left the nearest airport in a rented car. Sheriff Lowry contacted him last night to explain what happened and - "
"What did he tell him? WHAT!"
Scully frowned at the interruption and answered with some exasperation, "Well, I don't know exactly! I assume they discussed the case's resolution and why you were arrested. Skinner actually told me not to bail you out because the Bureau's budget will have a large enough dent as it is, considering the damage you caused... Anyway, he believes coming in person might help smooth out the situation. The sheriff seems open to it. When I came in, he said he was looking forward to letting Skinner deal with you." Blood drained from Mulder's face as Scully continued, "Jesus, Mulder, I really wish you had allowed me to go with you! I could've talked some sense - I mean, there were so many other ways you should've handled this! You could've... "
Mulder tuned her out, focusing on the knowledge that Skinner was coming in person... and that he had spoken directly with the sheriff. That meant his boss didn't have to rely on a vaguely written report to figure out what had happened. That meant he knew all about the two - no, three wrecked vehicles, the sewer explosion, plus the evacuation at the liquor store, and... oh, God... the sheriff probably told him about the time he told the deputy to go fuck himself!
This was bad. Mulder suddenly felt sick and lowered himself to a crouch, his sweaty hands sliding down the bars to follow. Scully crouched as well and put a hand on his knee, concerned, "Mulder, are you alright?"
"He's gonna kill me," Mulder groaned.
There was a short chuckle from Scully. "Well, I won't deny that you're in for a steaming lecture, but you'll survive."
"No, Scully, you don't understand!" Mulder began banging his head against the bars, wondering if it could be a good idea to make himself unconscious before Skinner arrived.
"Hey, stop that!" Scully flicked his nose before asking, "What's not to understand, Mulder? I've seen him angry at you before, more times than I can count. Just - be remorseful, say you're sorry, and please don't do your petulant teen act. Show him some respect, okay? He's probably putting off some important matters in order to come here."
Scully's advice was just serving to make Mulder's stomach flip. If Skinner was planning to do what Mulder was thinking, then he was about to be saying sorry a lot! Also - petulant teen? Well, he might soon be giving a pretty good portrayal of a naughty little boy. Right now, he even felt a couple decades younger, waiting for his father to come home after getting into trouble at school... What a charming throwback.
If Scully only knew, Mulder thought, and then he seemed to struggle internally with something. A moment later, he nodded to himself and cleared his throat. "Scully?"
"Mulder?"
"Can I tell you a secret?"
Scully blinked, bemused, and replied warily, "Okay... uh, shoot."
"You can't tell anyone, all right? Promise?"
She couldn't help a smile at the juvenile exchange. "Want me to pinky swear it?" she giggled, but Mulder huffed and she quickly said, "Fine, fine, I promise! So, what else did you do?"
Mulder frowned at her assumption. "No, it's Skinner..." he took a deep breath and went on, "He, uh... he hits me."
There was a long pause in which Scully tried to convince herself that she had heard correctly. Even after doing so, she had to confirm. "Skinner hits you?"
"Yeah, when I... when I screw up." Mulder bit his lower lip and glanced away with a flutter of his dark eyelashes.
There was another pause, even longer, before Scully slid her purse off her shoulder and rummaged through it. "I'm calling him - no, I'm calling HR! I'll report him, that balding piece of shit... " she fumed, "Where's my damn phone!"
"Scully, don't!" Mulder exclaimed with a shake of his head, "You promised you wouldn't tell!"
"I don't care! Skinner can't abuse you no matter how much you screw up - Hey! Give that back, Mulder!"
Her purse had been yanked away, through the bars. Mulder chucked it behind him before saying, "Listen! He's not abusing me, okay? It's punishment. I deserve it, sometimes, you know?"
Scully's heart panged for her partner. "Mulder, oh my God..." she said, tears forming in her eyes, "How many times has Skinner beaten you? I'm so sorry! I - I really thought that we could trust him but he's clearly been taking advantage of his position. I can't believe he... that he -"
"He spanks me!" Mulder interjected, not liking to see Scully cry.
Scully sniffled, "Wha... What did you say?"
"Skinner spanks me," Mulder said more quietly. His face was no longer pale, turning pink.
Scully wiped at her eyes while still managing to direct a look of incredulity at Mulder. "What do you mean he spanks you? Like, like... "
Blushing hard now, Mulder specified, "He puts me over his lap and smacks my ass with his hand."
Scully still looked unsure. She stood up from her crouch, put her hands on her hips, and demanded, "Explain everything."
Mulder stood as well, then backed up a couple steps to sit on the end of his cot, hands clasped between his knees. He began his explanation with, "Do you remember that case from about nine months ago? The Satanic cult?"
"How could I forget... and it was a nudist colony, Mulder."
"Yeah, well, why couldn't it be both? That orgy had undeniable elements of - ah, nevermind!" He took a deep breath before going on, "After we were taken off the case, that was the first time Skinner did it. He came to my apartment and told me the higher ups wanted my ass on the curb, but that he'd do his best to convince them not to fire me if I could convince him that I was willing to accept responsibility for my actions. I told him I wanted to. I ask him how... and he said I could agree to be personally disciplined by him - off the record. He said I could give him an answer the next day, but I accepted right away. So he punished me, right then and there."
"Did you know he was going to hurt you? Physically?"
"Yeah, I did, but I thought he'd just throw a couple punches, something like that. It would've been worth it to keep my job, you know? But, instead, he just spanked me like a... like a little kid."
"Over his lap? With just his hand, you said?" Scully hid a smile at the image that conjured.
Mulder nodded, adding, "It still hurts like hell, though! I mean... his hand's huge! And he's already punished me like this six times now, for anything he thinks could've threatened my job or, uh, my life... It's been about three months since the last time, which happened 'cause I forgot my gun in my car when I went after that witch hunter."
Scully refrained from commenting on that ridiculous pursuit, instead taking a moment to consider what she had learned. Mulder's additional details came as a relief compared to what she had previously envisioned her partner enduring. Corporal punishment wasn't a topic she had been confronted with for a long time, but she thought to herself that there was a huge difference between physical abuse and a spanking. If certain factors could be ascertained, of course.
Her father had been a loving man and had spanked her brothers every once in a while, even when they were older teens. It always helped to put them back on track. Scully herself had been over her mother's knee a couple times to combat some brattiness. And she and her siblings held no grudges toward their parents, only gratitude... At these thoughts, Scully's respect for Skinner returned and actually grew at the thought of him taking on such a paternal approach. One that risked his own job in order to preserve Mulder's.
"Oh, hold on," Scully blurted, "is this why you've been better behaved the last few months? I've been noticing! You're less impulsive and hold your tongue better around authority figures. You've definitely been less trouble on our cases - well, until this one."
Mulder groaned and held his head in his hands, "Like I said before, Skinner's gonna kill me! My ass will be barbeque! I - I don't want to believe it, Scully, but I'm pretty sure that's why he's on his way, and why you weren't allowed to bail me out. The sheriff told you that he was letting Skinner deal with me, right? He must know he's gonna spank me!"
"You mean here, in jail?" Scully laughed, "Don't be ridiculous, Mulder. That would be entirely unprofessional."
Mulder agreed, but he could recall a couple threats from Skinner that made it difficult to ignore the possibility of being punished in public. One time, he'd told Mulder, "Maybe tanning your butt in front of the entire bullpen will teach you to respect your colleagues. With the way you've treated most of them, I doubt they'd report me!" Another time, he'd said, "I don't care what basketball game is on. I'll be the only one sitting on your couch this evening. A punishment is best delivered as soon as possible with you, or else that mind of yours gets whirring with ideas and excuses, so open this damn door!" Mulder cringed at the memory of that particular spanking.
So, despite Scully’s point, Mulder couldn’t tamper down the niggling fear that Skinner wouldn’t wait for them to return home, wouldn’t wait for them to have privacy! But - "Scully, you can stop him! That's why I've been telling you all this, okay? You're the only one who can calm him down, make him wait to punish me... or, uh, not punish me at all! I know I didn't make the best choices yesterday, but he’s talked to the sheriff! That's a biased point of view, right? And 'cause of that, he’s not gonna consider the good I did! He’s pissed... God, Scully, I can sense how pissed off he is!"
And, as if Mulder did possess some sort of a sixth sense for their boss, the door buzzed again. Someone entered and marched heavily toward them. Mulder watched Scully's eyes widen, confirming who it was before Skinner even came into view.
Scully turned to face their superior with a polite, "Hello, sir". He definitely looked pissed and she wasn't going to even attempt to calm him down. Mulder’s desperate plea for her to win him some leniency had generated the opposite effect when he had tried to defend his actions. While still rather uncertain about the appropriateness of Skinner’s discipline, the idea of Mulder being firmly taken to task for his behaviour was appealing to Scully... In short, she thought Mulder did deserve a spanking.
A vein pulsed at Skinner's temple, but he spoke calmly, "Hello, Agent Scully. Thank you for waiting for me." Then he turned to the cell and said much more gruffly, "Stand up, Mulder. Front and center."
Mulder forced himself to stand and stepped close to the bars again. He held his hands behind his back and kept his eyes down on his grimy socks (his shoes had been ruined along with his suit).
“Agent... Fox... Mulder...” Skinner seethed, “Do you understand just how much trouble you’ve caused this town? And how much trouble you’re in?”
“Sir, let me explain - ”
“NO! I’ve heard enough from Sheriff Lowry. I want a simple answer, and you know I expect you to look at me when I’m speaking to you!”
Mulder glanced up at his superior’s face and saw how red it was. Not a good sign. He couldn’t help but shift his gaze to Scully, silently imploring her to say something.
“At me, Mulder! Don’t expect Scully to defend you, not after you so brashly disregarded her role as your partner while on active duty. Do you think you have the right to ask for her help now?” Mulder flinched at the comments, suddenly too ashamed to look at Scully. He shifted his gaze back to Skinner.
“No, sir, I don't... I'm sorry...”
Skinner nodded in approval, his expression looking marginally less strained. “Better, Agent Mulder. And you will be sorry. Now, let’s simplify my initial line of questioning... Would you agree that you behaved badly yesterday?”
Mulder sighed, “Yes, but I - ”
“Save it! The only butt you ought to worry about is yours, understood?”
“Skinner, sir, please - ”
BUZZZ!!!
Both men went silent as the far door opened to lumbering set of footsteps, then there was an enthusiastic shout from the sheriff - “I found it, Mr. Skinner!”
What he had apparently found was something that confirmed Mulder’s worst fears, turning them into a nightmarish reality. He stepped away from the bars, his panic face turning up a notch just as Scully let out a subtle gasp at the wooden paddle in the sheriff's hands... and it was not the kind for rowing. The flat of it was about a foot long, maybe five inches wide, and several holes had been drilled through it. This was a paddle made for punishment.
The sheriff smacked it against his palm with a fond smile before speaking to Skinner, "Like I said over the phone, we ain't allowed to use this no more - but, back in the day, it helped me straighten out plenty of wayward young men in this town. I figure, since you'll be punishing your boy outside of an official capacity, that this ought to come in handy, eh? A good paddling won’t be forgotten!" He smacked his palm again and added wistfully, "Sometimes the old ways were best...”
He handed the paddle over to Skinner who inspected it for a moment before replying, “Thank you, Sheriff Lowry. I’ll certainly take this into consideration, along with your experience with it. Now, if you may, I would like access to my... boy.”
“Oh, of course!” The sheriff got the cell door open and Skinner entered with the paddle. Mulder looked back and forth between the implement and his boss's face before backing away with a fervent shake of his head. He came to a stop like a nervous animal between the rust-stained sink and toilet against the rear wall. Skinner only spared him a frown before turning around to face the sheriff again.
“Please lock us in. Although we've dealt with issues similarly, this is still an unfamiliar situation for myself and Agent Mulder. I can’t be assured of his cooperation or my ability to keep him under control, so let’s not risk an escape if we can avoid it."
“That’s a fine point, Mr. Skinner!” The sheriff locked them in and then finally addressed Scully with a tip of his star adorned hat. “Ma'am, I’ll let you hold on to the cell key. I reckon you can let ‘em out whenever your boss gives his say-so. No rush at all! Can take a while to get through to someone as headstrong as your partner is." He took a brass key off the ring at his belt and handed it to Scully. She remained speechless as she accepted it, still incredibly astounded that Mulder had predicted correctly... Skinner had quite clearly planned to spank him here, and the sheriff had been privy to it!
“You’re leaving, Sheriff?” Skinner asked, sounding surprised, “I had assumed you’d want to witness this end of our agreement.”
“Oh, no... I’ll afford Agent Mulder some dignity. He did solve the case and for that our town is thankful! Of course, I don’t condone the way he went about it so recklessly! If my son attempted even one those stunts, I'd blister him good. He wouldn't be sittin' for at least a week!” He tsked, then added, “Anyway, the walls here ain’t as thick as what you've got in the big houses, so me and Deputy Royce ought to hear the hollering from our desks. That'll do." He chuckled.
“Well, I appreciate that you can see the silver lining in all of this," said Skinner, "but the outcome of this case will not dissuade my hand. I promise you, my agent's recklessness will be dealt with quite thoroughly.” Skinner raised the paddle to imply that it would be contributing.
The sheriff nodded, looking pleased. “I don’t doubt that, sir. As agreed, all charges will be dropped, but I’m unable to do anything about the bills to fix the damage in town. It’ll be quite a while before things get back to normal here, that's for sure!” He directed his next words to Mulder, calling out, “I hope you learn your lesson, young man!”
Skinner looked back over his shoulder to garner Mulder’s response, which happened to be a glare and a pout.
"Mulder..." he warned, but the younger man just crossed his arms and turned his head to the side. Skinner sighed at the petulant teen act and told the sheriff, “He’ll properly thank you and apologize after we’re done.”
Sheriff Lowry just smirked and gave another tip of his hat before making his way out, leaving Scully alone in the hall. She fidgeted with the key in her hands and viewed the cell as if it were a stage, curtains risen to reveal two performers in a play that she was unexpectedly invited to, and had little knowledge of.
Skinner caught Scully's eye and seemed about to say something to her before Mulder (still against the rear wall) whined, “I can't believe you actually came here to do this! You're crazy if you think this is okay, 'cause... 'cause it's not! It's unprofessional, and... and unfair!” Plus that paddle’s too damn scary, Mulder thought to himself, deciding that Sheriff Lowry was a bag of dicks for digging it up.
Skinner's mouth pressed into a thin line and he took a deep breath before telling Scully, “One moment, please...” He set the paddle down on the cot before making his way to Mulder, to whom he asked, "What's unfair, Mulder? What did I come here to do?"
With his arms still crossed, Mulder glared and replied, "You know damn well what!"
Skinner glared back and said, "Lose the attitude."
Mulder jutted his chin out and raised his voice, “I don’t have an attitude! You’re just being – ” but before he could finish that sentence, Skinner spun him around with a firm grip on his upper arm and delivered one heavy slap to his rear. Mulder yelped and visibly transformed from cocky to cowed.
The two men were nearly the same height but Mulder hunched into himself while Skinner loomed over him and ordered, "Keep quiet, and stay facing the wall until I call for you."
Skinner watched Mulder meekly comply and then went back to Scully whose eyebrows were both raised. He cleared his throat, seeming somewhat uneasy now, and said, “Agent Scully, I must apologize for how confused and appalled you must be, due to what you've been witnessing here. Please allow me to explain. I know my actions and intentions may seem extremely - ”
“Mulder told me, sir,” Scully interrupted to admit, “about your method of disciplining him. I’m aware that you’ve been, um... practising corporal punishment.”
Skinner blinked in surprise and pondered a moment before asking, simply, “And what is your opinion?”
Scully decided to speak formally, "Well, sir, it’s certainly unorthodox... but I have some reason to believe it's been beneficial. Barring this case, I’ve noticed Mulder’s conduct gradually improving in the time that he's been faced with consequences in this way. My, um - my family used corporal punishment, and I can understand it to be done in a nurturing manner... However,” Scully’s eyes were like ice as she finished, “if your treatment of him falls toward abuse, I will make sure that you never touch Mulder again... You won't be able to.”
Skinner didn't seem unsettled by the threat. Rather, his expression contained a hint of approval as he responded, "Thank you for sharing your thoughts so openly. Now that we're collectively aware of this matter, I do believe that there should be more honesty between us. I wish to share my personal stance as well. The truth is that I care for... for Fox – and for you, Dana – much more than I should. I do not regret that, but I would regret either of you losing your jobs - or your lives, God forbid - when I could’ve done something about it. Abusing your partner is that last thing I want to do. I am punishing him to protect him from himself.”
Scully wondered if she was imagining the shine in her superior’s eyes as he cleared his throat and went on, “I know my words cannot assure you, not one-hundred percent, so I think it would be best if you witness this upcoming punishment and judge me for yourself. ”
“No!" Mulder suddenly shouted, "No way, Skinner!” and he charged at Skinner with fists clenched at his sides. Scully completely expected him to at least shove at the older man but, to her surprise, Mulder seemed to catch himself and stopped to leave a couple steps between them. He breathed in deep before speaking with much more restraint, “Sir, please don’t make her watch this.”
Skinner didn’t say a word, just pointed to the wall where Mulder had previously been ordered to stay. After a heavy silence, Mulder returned to it with a groan. He pressed his forehead against the chipped concrete and then occupied himself with the effort of not cracking his skull against it. Knocking himself out seemed more and more like an appealing option. Skinner and Scully were talking about him like he wasn't even there, anyway!
“As I was saying, I would like you to see me carry out Mulder's discipline, but it’s completely your decision to make... Do you wish to stay?” Skinner asked.
Scully gave a serious nod.
“Good. I do have one condition, however... which is that you’ll refrain from interrupting. You'll watch us in silence, please. I want to be able to keep my focus on Mulder, and I also want you to be able to consider the punishment in its entirety before being free to comment. Can you abide by this?
"Yes, sir, "decided Scully, "I won't interrupt."
“Thank you... Then we’ll get set.” Skinner moved to the cot which was set against the left wall of the cell. Scully could only see his profile, the right side of him, after he sat down on the thin mattress, and he began to roll up his sleeves with a look of stern determination. He didn't have on a jacket or tie, Scully noticed, and she wondered if he had removed them because the car had gotten too warm - or because he expected to be exerting himself.
This is really happening, Scully thought. Mulder was going to be spanked right in front of her! She felt nervous, but a little excited as well. She stepped back until she could rest against the wall behind her, and then she took a deep breath and reminded herself to remain silent. Like an audience member at a play, with the performance set to begin...
“Come here, Mulder.”
(♥️Y♥️) TBC (♥️Y♥️)