TITLE: IT'S A WONDERFUL FILE by Alison
(Sorry about the title - I couldn't resist the pun!

AUTHOR: Alison
FEEDBACK: Please! xalison@excite.com or lammasday@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: Not mine, of course. 
ARCHIVE: Lone Gunmen Mailing List, anywhere else just ask
SPOILERS: Minor for Unusual Suspects
PAIRING: Mulder/Scully 
SUMMARY: What would Mulder see, if he got the chance to see what 
the world would have been like without him?

NOTE: Yes, this is my entirely inadequate tribute to that great 
Christmas film, "It's a Wonderful Life." 

IT'S A WONDERFUL FILE 2/4


They rematerialised on a street corner in downtown Alexandria. 
Mulder looked round uneasily; he knew this area and knew it was 
best avoided at night. Lucy patted his arm reassuringly. 

"It's okay, Mulder, no-one can hurt you while you're with me. And 
they can't see me at all."

"Just as well."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well . . . the way you're dressed . . ."

"Don't tell me . . . not proper attire for an angel? Okay, how 
about this." She clicked her fingers again, there was a brief flash 
and she reappeared in jeans, teeshirt and a leather jacket. "Better 
now?"

Mulder mumbled. "I just thought you might be cold like that."

"Don't be ridiculous. Come on."

Mulder trailed after her, wondering why it was he always got 
involved with bossy women.

===000===

METRO DINER
14th & Arlington

"I know this place. I was here couple of years ago, there was a 
shoot out."

Lucy nodded. "A drugs bust that went wrong, wasn't it? And don't 
tell me an angel isn't supposed to know about drugs busts. Some of 
us spend half our time picking up drugs victims."

Mulder sighed and took a place across the table from her. "What are 
we waiting for?"

"'Who'. Wait and see."

The waiter came by offering coffee to Mulder, but he didn't seem to 
see Lucy. 

"You should't drink that stuff anyway, it's terribly bad for you."

Mulder grunted and watched her as she played with the black box. 
"That's another thing. Since when have angels had computers?"

She looked up with a smile. "Cool, isn't it? I't something Alan 
Turing's been working on. He's a sweet guy, but so shy! He runs 
like a rabbit every time he sees me coming!"

"Why am I not surprised?"

She was saved from answering by the phone beeping again. "Yes, 
Joseph. No, we're waiting in a diner. Well, it's a sort of bar. 
What? no, of course I won't!"

She put the phone away. "My boss . . . poor guy, just can't get 
him to delegate. You'd think I shouldn't be allowed out on my own!"

"Please, just don't tell me this is your first assignment?"

Lucy's reply was certainly not one expected from an angel.

Ten minutes later Lucy sat up straighter. "There."

Mulder looked behind him. A familiar figure was standing in the 
doorway, looking round warily. 

"Langly!"

A hand came down on Mulder's forearm. "Be quiet!"

"But it's Langly. What's he doing here . . ."

"Shut up!" 

Mulder watched in amazement as the tall lanky blonde walked past 
with no sign of recognition. He approached a table at the back of 
the room and talked quietly for a minute with a nondescript, 
casually dressed guy in a heavy gold necklace and dark glasses. 
Mulder saw a small packet passed across the table to Langly, and 
Langly passing something back. His heart sank. Round here, that 
could be only one thing. God, Langly, no! 

He started to get up. "Gotta stop him!" 

He found himself pushed back with a strength greater than his own. 
"No. You can't interfere. You don't belong here. All you can do 
is watch."

Mulder's felt nauseous. He couldn't stop watching. Langly was 
heading towards the door. Mulder tore away from the girl's grip and 
ran out the door. He saw Langly disappearing into an alleyway on 
his left.

"Langly!"

His yell stopped the blonde man in his tracks. Mulder found himself 
looking face to face at his old friend. Facing a blank, completely 
unrecognising stare. Langly looked almost the same, but not quite; 
some how he looked thinner, haggard and much older. His hair was 
shorter, ragged and dirty. His sweatshirt sleeves were pushed 
back, and Mulder saw with a sense of inevitability the needle tracks 
on the inside of his forearms. 

"Langly, it's me, Mulder! Don't do this!"

A hostile, cynical face glared back at him aggressively. "Who the 
fuck are you?"

"It's Mulder! Don't you remember me? Langly, I've known you for 
more than ten years! Ever since Baltimore -"

Langly's hiss of indrawn breath was his only reaction, and his stare 
was like that of a snake. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Langly, don't you remember? Baltimore, me and Frohike and Byers -"

Langly backed away. "Oh, fuck . . . I never been to Baltimore, 
okay? You got the wrong guy. I never seen you before."

Mulder made a grab for him. "Langly, think! The Lone Gunman . ."

Langly looked scared and backed away further. His voice rose to a 
hoarse shout. "Get off of me! I don't know nothin' about any 
gunman. Leave me the fuck alone, okay!"

He twisted his arm out of Mulder's grasp and was gone, racing away 
down the sidewalk as if his life depended on it. 

Mulder stared after him, breathless. He turned to find Lucy looking 
at him compassionately. 

"He doesn't remember you, Mulder. He never met you."

"But . . he knew something about Baltimore. And he knew the names 
of Byers and Frohike."

"Yes . . but it happened differently, Mulder. You weren't there."

Mulder shook his head. "I don't understand. Frohike and Byers . . 
he remembered them. Where are they? What happened to them?

Lucy had the black box in her hand again. "Melvin Frohike . . 
.yes, I know where we can find him. Come on, it's not far."



===000===


SULLIVAN'S BAR

This time round the surroundings were more familiar, as Mulder 
recognised the bar that was one of the Gunmen's favorite off-duty 
haunts. Lilting Irish fiddle music burst from the door as a 
customer exited. Mulder hurried forward, leaving the girl trailing 
behind him, and pushed inside, recognising the young Irish barman on 
duty. "Hey, Dermot! How ya doin?"

The barman looked at him with a pleasant inquiring expression. 
"Sorry mate, should I know you?"

"Aw, c'mon Dermot, you know me! Fox Mulder, I've been in here loads 
of times with the Gunmen!"

"Gunmen? Who would they be, then?"

"Jeez, Dermot, don't mess me around! The guys - Byers, Langly and 
Frohike! You know, the guys I call the Three Stooges! They come in 
here most Friday nights."

The Irishman shook his head. "Fro-hickey? You got me there. What's 
he look like, then?"

Mulder bit down his rising impatience. "Short guy, five-four or so, 
receding grey hair, glasses. Always wears fingerless gloves."

The young man raised his eyebrows. "Hey, sounds like that old guy, 
what's his name . . ." He turned and called through the kitchen 
door. "Hey, Billy, what's the name of that old drunk hangs round 
here trying to blag free drinks?"

Mulder bristled. "He's not that old . . ." he was distracted by 
Lucy pulling his arm. The barman snickered and gestured in the 
direction of the door. "Talk of the devil . ."

Mulder swung round. "Frohike?"

But he hardly recognised the wasted figure swaying in the doorway. 
"My god - Mel?" 

The man who had been Melvin Frohike blinked at him with bloodshot 
watery eyes. He seemed even smaller than Mulder remembered. 
Diminished, stooped and crushed. His hands shook. He looked 
without recognition at Mulder in front of him. Mulder grabbed his 
shoulders in both hands and recoiled at the stink of cheap alcohol 
and unwashed flesh that hit him in the face. "Mel?"

Frohike squinted at him as if he had trouble focusing. "Who are you 
. . . nobody knows me by that. Do I know you? Memory's not so good 
now . ."

"Frohike, you remember me? Fox Mulder! 

"Fox . . . Fox . . . buy me a drink, Fox?"

"Sure, yes, Mel! You remember me, don't you?"

They were interrupted by the barman."Okay, that's enough, old guy. 
Outta here, now."

Mulder protested. "Hey, wait a second, I'm talking to him. Mel, 
what happened to you? What happened to Langly? And -"

Dermot came round the bar towards them. "He'll say whatever you 
want him to say if he thinks he'll get a drink out of it. He's 
trouble. I don't want him in here. C'mon, grandad, on your way." 

He took Frohike's shoulder and pushed him, not unkindly, towards the 
door. Mulder protested. "What do you mean, trouble? What do you 
know?"

Dermot shrugged. "He's an old lush, been nothing but bad news for 
years. They say he was involved in some murder case up in Baltimore 
few years back. He was lucky to stay out of jail. Lost his 
business after that, went downhill fast. He's been in the gutter 
for years. Poor old guy." He looked sympathetic. "Just get him 
out of here, okay?"

"Okay, wait a minute, willya? Mel, talk to me. Do you know who I 
am?"

Frohike blinked blearily at him with sunken eyes. He looked twenty 
years older than the man Mulder had known. Drink and despair had 
etched deep lines in his face and forehead. His skin was blotchy 
and unshaven. His mouth trembled and a line of spittle ran down 
from one corner. 

"I dunno, man. Can't remember so good now. S'funny, I can forget 
all sorts of things 'cept the things I want to forget . . ."

"What do you remember, Frohike? Do you remember Langly? I've just 
seen him. What happened to him?"

Frohike frowned, his head shaking. "Langly . . . hippie jerk . . . 
screwed up after Baltimore . . . "

"What about Baltimore, Frohike? Do you remember Baltimore? Do you 
remember meeting me there? Me and Langly and Byers?"

Frohike's head jerked. "Whassat . . . Byers . . . no man, don't 
know nuthin' 'bout that. I wasn't there, didn't see nuthin . . ."

"You must remember, Mel! I was there, I saw it. We talked, 
remember? You and me and Langly and Byers? 

"Shut up about them! I tell ya I don't know nuthin!"

Frohike pushed Mulder violently away fromhim and he fell backwards. 
The old man stood over him, his face twitching. Tears were streaming 
down his face. "Why did you make me remember? I'd almost managed to 
forget. Why did you remind me!" 

"Frohike? What happened? What happened in Baltimore?"

But Frohike was stumbling away from him down the street. "Bastard, 
why did you make me remember!"

Mulder looked after him, a terrible suspicion crystallising in his 
mind.

He sprang up and grabbed the girl's arm, pushing her back against 
the wall. "What happened to Byers? Where is he? Don't tell me 
he's not here. Show me!"

"All right, Mulder. But we need to go to Baltimore."


END OF PART 2