The Family Thornbush The Family Thornbush by Basingstoke Author's website: http://www.ravenswing.com/~bas/ Disclaimer: Author's Notes: Story Notes: The Family Thornbush. by Basingstoke (bas@yosa.com). * Langly's cousin looked through the bars at him, eyes narrowed, chewing on a stick of gum. "What did you do this time?" he asked. Langly looked flustered. "Um. Wrong place at the wrong time. Seriously, Ray, we didn't do anything, can you bail us out?" "Uh huh." Langly's cousin brushed his jacket back to get something out of his pocket, and Frohike could see then the empty shoulder holster with the badge clipped to it that he wore. "Langly's cousin is a cop?" Byers whispered to Frohike. "Looks like it," Frohike replied. Byers sighed. "I'll use my call to try Mulder again." Langly's cousin pulled a notebook out of his pocket. "Guys at the desk said you and your buddies were trespassing." "Like I said, wrong place." It looked like Langly was trying Bambi eyes. Well, it couldn't hurt. "Uh-huh." He was a cop all right. That was the exact tone they took when Frohike tried to weasel out of his speeding tickets. "Come on, Ray, please! Think of what Mom would say!" "I didn't know Langly had a mom," Byers whispered. "Scary to think about," Frohike whispered. "She'd say--"--something Frohike didn't understand, in what sounded like Polish--"--and she'd be right. Freak." "That is so unfair! What about that time I gave you my fish?" "It died." Langly's cousin cracked his gum. "Not my fault! And when I built you that computer!" "It died too." "I think we'd have more luck with the Salvation Army," Byers whispered to Frohike. "Aww, come on, RAY!" Langly's cousin leaned one elbow on the bars. "Give me one good reason why I should let you three clowns back out on the street." Frohike rushed the bars, standing nose to nose with Langly's cousin. "We're consultants to the FBI, working on a top secret mission. If you don't let us out, people will die--or at least be seriously inconvenienced." "Yeah, Ray! If we don't get the information out there, eighteen people are going to be rectally scanned by secret government troops!" Langly clutched the bars beside Frohike. Langly's cousin looked from one to the other. "Wow, Ringo. When you jump off the deep end, you do a triple gainer. I'm impressed." He straightened up and walked away. "Ray! Ray! RAAAAAAY!" A guy in a plaid shirt walked down the row and stopped Langly's cousin. They muttered together for a moment as Langly shook the bars like a monkey, then walked back. "Okay," Langly's cousin said. "I'll getcha out." "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" "Family is important, Ray," the guy in the plaid shirt said. "Without them, we wouldn't know where we've been." Langly's cousin glared at him as they walked back toward the front desk. "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Fraser?" "Well, simply that..." They faded out of hearing range as they turned the corner. Langly, Frohike and Byers huddled. "Good job, Langly," Frohike said. "I told you we could count on him," Langly crowed. "Now we just have to find Mulder..." "...ditch Krycek..." "...retrieve the tape..." "...convince Scully that we really AREN'T pornographers..." "...and then we're home free!" "I'm a pornographer," Langly said. Byers and Frohike exchanged glances, then Frohike put him in a headlock while Byers gave him a noogie. end. all comments are welcome. End The Family Thornbush by Basingstoke: bas@yosa.com Author and story notes above.