Date: Thu, 26 FEB 1998 22:00:36 +1100 
From: Rebecca Moore <rmoore@_no_spam_connexus.apana.org.au>
Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (1/13) 

**BIG** DEDICATION: I just *have* to dedicate this Kathy (sorry I hit your
glasses in Chem!! *smiles*) and all her friends at Sesame Street... (btw,
I think Kath has a *thing* for Big Bird.... <bg>!!) This part of the DOT
Files 2 is brought to you by the letter K (!!!!!!!!) and the number 10. :) 
**smiles all-round**

Also dedicated to my *dear* Sherlock, for being... well.... Sherlock!!! :) 
*hug* *And* also dedicated to Heather 'Sheesh Venus',
'Killer'-What-the-hell-Greg, and
Heatherli-make-an-appointment-with-my-secretary-and-by-the-way-are-you-
interested-in-learning-gaelic?... 
:) **grin** Okay, yet *another* dedication, this time for X-Philes Amanda
and Emily... :)  Aaaaand, I'll **also** dedicate this to Randi from Kath,
and what the hell, I'll dedicate this k to Randi as well... *k*!!!!!! :) 


--QUOTE OF THE INSTALLMENT--
'Go ahead... Eat my paperclips!'
                        ~Crow Spaz

Errrrrrr.... um.... I don't think I'll even *attempt* to explain that
one... :)

_________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 1/13
by Rebecca Moore, Katherine Marshall, Andrea Mathews, Christie Smallwood.
__________________________

PART 1:

MICK MOLLOY'S HOUSE
AUSTRALIA
09.03.96

'AAAAARGH!!'
'WHAT? WHAT? - WHAT?? WHAT????'
'AAAAAARGH!!'
'WHAT??'
'MY... MY LAUNDRY PILE!'
'WHAT?'
'IT... IT.... MY... MY... IT... THE LAUNDRY PILE!!!'
'WHAT?'
'IT..... AAARGH...!!'
'WHAT??'
'AAAAAAARGH!.... IT... IT *MOVED*!!!'
'WHAT?'
'WHERE'S THE PHONE?'
'SMASHED INTO THE TELEVISION!'
'WHAT?!'
'YOU CHUCKED IT!'
'OH! WHAT???..... CALL MULDER...!!'
'WHAT?.... WHY?'
'MY LAUNDRY!'
'WHAT ABOUT IT?.... IT STINKS!!'
'IT'S... IT'S ALIVE!'
'SO?'
'CALL MULDER AND SCULLY.. IT'S AN X-FILE!!'
'WHAT??'
'.... WHAT'S THE NUMBER?!'
'UMMMMM.... AAAAARGH!!!'
'HELP!'
'WHAT??!!!'
'MY LAUNDRY MOVED AGAIN!'
'GET THE AMERICAN YELLOW PAGES FOR MOBILE PHONES...'
'WHAT?!?'
'AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGHHH!!!!!!!'

PART 2:

J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON D.C.
09.03.96

Scully sat crosslegged, perched on the edge of Mulder's desk. 'So anyway,
about tomorrow night-'
'Bring bring!' Mulder's phone rang.
'Mulder.' He answered.
Pause.
'From *who*?'
Another pause.
'Who is it?' Scully whispered. He held up his hand to silence her.
'Where?'
Pause.
'Australia?'
Another pause.
'No, I'm sorry, I won't accept a reverse charge call from Mick Molloy of
Australia. Goodbye.'
He hung up and looked at Scully.
'Prank call,' he explained.


PART 3:

'Anyway, as I was saying...' Scully continued, 'What are we doing about
tomorrow night?'
'The DOT invited us over. He's having another party.' Mulder threw Scully a
grin. Scully noticed the gleam in his eye and returned the grin knowingly.
'Why is having another party?' Scully asked.
'Well, it's not everyday you find out you're about to have kids, is it?'
Mulder replied throwing Scully another meaningful galnce. Scully turned away
from this glance, as much as she liked her partner, she sometimes didn't
know whether she should be going this far. And after the last party...

PART 4:

SATURDAY 10.03.96
TRUEMAN RESIDENCE
WASHINGTON D.C.

Mrs Natalie Trueman busily ran around the kitchen preparing for the party
that night. She sang to herself as she put cakes in ovens and biscuits on
plates. Everything was going right in her life -- in the past 12 days, she
had remarried the man she loved, and was now going to become a mother...
'Natalie, my darling, how the preparations coming along?'
'Everything is just peachy, David dear.' Natalie smiled an adorable smile at
her husband, who in turn, kissed her on the cheek and returned the smile.

Life at the Trueman household seemed to be perfect.


PART 5:

Mulder stood in front of his mirror and straightened his tie. He *had* to
look good. For Scully. Glancing at his watchhe hurriedly grabbed his jacket
and ran to his car. He had to get to Scully's apartment quickly. The
*lovely* Ms Scully. Mulder gave a wry smile as he remembered Bond's words...
*   *   *
Scully self-conciously fluffed up her already perfect hair and then locked
the door of her apartment before making her way out to the street where
Mulder was sitting in his car, waiting.

For her.


PART 6:

10.03.96
AUSTRALIA

The laundry pile, unnoticed by anyone, crept out of the house and down the
street, not quite knowing where it was headed, but *determined* to make
mischief...


PART 7:

10.03.96
AUSTRALIA

'AARG!!'
WHAT? WHAT? WHAT??!'
'MY... MY... AH, MY LAUNDRY!'
'WHAT?'
'AAARRGH!'
'WHAT ABOUT THAT STINKING HEAP??'
'IT'S... IT'S.... *GONE*!!!'


Part 8:
**insert pic of typewriter here**  :)

SATURDAY 10.03.96
TRUEMAN HOUSEHOLD
WASHINGTON D.C

The party was a huge success. David was the perfect host, and Natalie, of
course, the perfect hostess.
Mulder and Scully, despite their usual anti-party attitude, found they
couldn't help enjoying themselves.
'Dana, Fox, it's good to see you both! Can I offer you drinks? Appetizers?'
Mulder graciously accepted the glass of champagne offered to him by Natalie,
but winced inwardly at her too-perfect, over-friendly voice. He gave Scully
a sidelong glance, but she showed no reaction, other than that of a
well-behaved guest.
The two partners began to circulate. Mulder wasn't must good at this, but he
did his best to be sociable and friendly. However, he felt a little lost
without Scully by his side.
'So you really work for the FBI? Wow, that's *fascinating*. Do you get to
use a gun?'
'Uh-yes, sure.' Mulder blinked and stared at the person he was talking to,
some idiot that he didn't even know. He debated whether or not to tell him
what he really did in the FBI.
'Um, it's been a fascinating experience talking to you, Mr... uh... yes,
well, I *really* should be going now, I can see my partner signalling me.'
He abandoned the poor person and waved his way through the mass of buzzing
socialites, frantically searching for Scully.
'Scully! There you are! I've been-'
'Mulder, where were you?! I was looking-'
They both spoke at the same time, then stopped and laughed.
'Scully, I really hate parties. Don't leave me alone like that...'
'Leave *you*? You left *me*!' She laughed again. 'I hate parties too. Do you
want to go outside for a while?'
He nodded, and followed her outside.

PART 9:

BACKYARD OF TRUEMAN HOUSEHOLD
WASHINGTON D.C.
Scully sat down on a seat outside the DOT's house and Mulder stood in front
of her. For quite a while the two agents talked, occasionally laughing.
All of a sudden, Scully stopped talking in mid-sentence. Both agents turned
their heads towards the house. Scully stood up, and together they slowly
moved towards the house as though a strange force was drawing them in. A
green glow appeared around the house and from inside a piercing scream was
heard.
The green glow brightened and Scully and Mulder turned away from the harsh
light. Scully fell against Mulder from the force and shock that happened as
a bright flash came from the house.
Then, there was silence. The house was dark, except for a faint flickering
light coming from the room where the party was. But as Mulder and Scully
watched, that too disappeared. Mulder groped for his flashlight, and helped
Scully regain her balance at the same time.
'You okay?' he asked.
'Fine.' Scully said, but Mulder thought he detected a faint tremor in her
voice. 'Let's go and investigate,' she said, pulling out her flashlight and
together, the agents moved towards the house, shining their flashlights
around them, searching for clues to the strange event they had just
witnessed....

-------

END OF PART 1/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (2/13) 

Dedication: I have to dedicate this edition of 'The DOT 2: X marks the
DOT' to the memory of the noble test tube and test tube rack that gave
their lives for King, Country and Chemistry in Lab War III. Please observe
a minute's silence before reading this story. Lest we forget. 

INSANITY WARNING: If you have an aversion to the brainchildren of less
logical sections of the female mind - be warned. Absolute insanity reigns
supreme. Just remember:-

"Sometimes the only sane response to an insane world is insanity"
                                                         - Fox Mulder, FBI
_________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 2/13
by Rebecca Moore, Katherine Marshall, Andrea Mathews, Christie Smallwood.
__________________________

PART 10:

THE DOT'S HOUSE

The source of the flickering green light seemed to be coming from the
centre of the room, along with a strange whimpering sound. As Mulder and
Scully crept closer, they realised that the whimpering was actually a
person sobbing.
"David?"
"It's my fault, it's my fault, I should have known something like this
would happen."
The DOT was out of control. He was weeping non stop as he knelt over what
looked like...

Natalie's body!

Scully knelt beside him.
"What's your fault?"
"Need you ask? THIS!"
He gestured helplessly to the deserted room that was previously so filled
with life, and to Natalie - who appeared to be the source of the flickering
light.
"David, what happened? What happened to Natalie? Why is she...GLOWING?!?"
Scully checked over Natalie's body as she spoke, finding with relief that
she was only unconsious, not dead.
"I don't know...I don't know." The DOT was still crying uncontrollably.
"Where is everyone?" asked Mulder
"They...they left," gulped the DOT between sobs. "They all rushed out when
the screaming started, and the light, the LIGHT...did you see it?"
They nodded.
"Where did it come from?" asked Mulder, leaning closer, a slight tremor in
his voice.
The DOT said nothing, but pointed to his wife.
"It's the baby," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Some things just
weren't meant to be."
He lifted Natalie's body and carried her carefully into their bedroom. He
closed the door behind them, leaving Mulder and Scully alone in the
darkness.


PART 11:

AN AUSTRALIAN POLICE STATION

"Bring, Bring..."
"Hello. Murrumbeena Police Station, Maria speaking."
"Ah...morning...no, good afternoon."
"Yes?"
"I need to report a robbery, not it's not a robbery...and abduction...no..."
"Sir?"
"My laundry escaped. THAT'S IT!! I would like to report a missing person.
Actually, a missing laundry pile."
"Sir..." In a warning voice.
"Yes?"
"You want us to find your laundry pile?"
"Yes."
"Sorry, we don't take cases like this sir. I suggest you check your laundry
basket. Good day."


PART 12:

03.09.96
SOMEWHERE IN WASHINGTON DC

Mulder drove slowly through the rain, with Scully sitting quietly in the
passenger seat beside him. The sound of the windscreen wipers swishing back
and forth broke the silence.
He pulled up outside Scully's apartment block.
"It looks like we're going to have a new case sooner than we expected."
"Yes...uh - thanks for driving me home."
"Do you want me to come in with you for a while?"
She looked at him gratefully.
"Thanks, that'd be great."
They stepped out of the car and ran up the steps to her apartment, Mulder
with his arm around Scully, shielding her from the rain. Once inside,
Mulder sat on the couch while Scully made them both a coffee.
"So what do you think just happened, Scully?"
She looked at him.
"Who knows. I guess we'll have to question David further in the morning.
And Natalie."
"If she survives."
"Don't say that, Mulder."
"Sorry."
She emerged from the kitchen with the two cups of coffee and sat next to
him on the couch.
"Whatever it was, I'm a bit freaked out by it," she confessed.
He smiled grimly. "I don't blame you."
They sat in silence for some time, sipping their coffee. It wasn't an
uncomfortable silence - they didn't feel the need to talk, just to sit next
to each other was enough to feel comforted. After a few minutes Scully
stood up.
"Thanks for coming in, Mulder. I really appreciate it."
He stood up and smiled.
"Anything for my partner...by the way, I meant to tell you earlier in the
night, but I didn't get a chance...you look really beautiful tonight."
"Mulder..." she blushed.
"I mean it. I don't often have the chance to see you out of your work
clothes." He put a hand yout to touch her cheek, but she pulled out of his
reach.
"Not tonight, Mulder. Please."
He nodded, slightly embarrassed.
"I guess I'd better be going, then..."
She stared after him as he walked out the door, almost regretting her
decision, but he didn't look back.


PART THIRTEEN

03.10.96
THE DOT'S HOUSE

David looked down at Natalie's face. He wished she would wake up. He was
sorry for all the pain he had put her through, but now he was the proud
father of 4 beautiful children. Except for one thing. The DOT winced as he
thought about what he would have to tell Natty...
All 4 children had the same red glow in their eyes as their father did.
Natalie stirred and David broke out of his daydream.
"David..."
"I'm sorry, Natty dear. I didn't know that I would put you through so much
pain."
"What do you mean, David dear?"
"Our children..."
"Children?!?!"
"Yes, dear, look - four beautiful little children."
"But David...their eyes!"
David turned away.
"I'm sorry, Natty..."


PART 14

03.10.96
AT AN AIRPORT SOMEWHERE IN AUSTRALIA

The laundry pile sat contentedly on its seat as the plane took off. It had
gone through a great deal of trouble trying to get its ticket. People have
a tendency to not take laundry piles seriously when they're buying plane
tickets.

Especially moving laundry piles.


PART 15

03.10.96
WASHINGTON DC

Dana Scully sat on the edge of her bed. Why had she made Mulder go? She
wanted him here. She was still a bit freaked out by the strange event they
had seen. But she had turned him away. He probably wouldn't want to be with
her now.

In his apartment Mulder sat at his table absentmindedly munching on
sunflower seeds. His thoughts were with Scully. His feelings for her were
obviously not the same thing that she felt for him. He didn't know what to
do. As if on cue, his phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Mulder...It's me," Scully said vaguely.
Mulder's heart did a flip-flop!
"Scully...I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was doing."
"It's OK Mulder..."


PART 16

03.10.96
THE DOT'S HOUSE

Natalie tenderly nursed her four DOT babies. They were different to what
she had expected, but they were the children she had always wanted, and she
would learn to love them...
One by one she went to each of their separate cots. Two boys and two girls.
She went to look at number four - wait a second, what was that pile of
dirty laundry doing on top of her child? Angrily she lifted the pile and
threw it down on the floor.
THE CHILD WAS GONE!!!

The laundry pile moved.
Natalie screamed.


PART 17

03.10.96
SOMEWHERE IN AUSTRALIA

"Mick, why are you wearing those disgusting clothes?"
"My laundry pile disappeared, taking all my good clothes with it."
"Oh..."
Both men jumped as they heard a loud dottish and evil sounding laugh. It
appeared to come from above their heads, but there was no-one else around
them.


PART 18

03.11.96
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC

"Natalie! What are you doing here?"
Scully was surprised to see Natalie Trueman waiting for her in her office
when she arrived there on Monday morning.
"Are you okay? I saw what happened on Saturday night..."
Natalie nodded. "Apparently DOT children are born slightly differenly from
humans," she said, unable to keep a trace of bitterness out of her voice.
"And that's sort of what I've come to see you about. One of the
children...it's disappeared!"
"Disappeared?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure - "
The two women jumped as the door opened. Mulder's head appeared.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were alone, Scully."
"Come in, Mulder. You might be interested in this..."


PART 19

03.11.96
J.EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC

Mulder came into the room and sat down on the edge of Scully's desk.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Natalie's children, they're not human. They're DOT children... and one has
disappeared."
"How did it disappear?"
"I was looking at my children and when I moved to the end cot there was a
massive pile of what looked like dirty laundry sitting on top of my baby. I
took it off and my baby..." Natalie began to weep. "It was gone. And then
the laundry pile moved."
She buried her head in her lap and Scully put an arm round her shoulders to
comfort her. Mulder felt an irresistable urge to smile, but it was soon
overcome by a look from Scully. To him, it sounded like a case of a bad
imagination.


PART 20

03.11.96
J.EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC

After some time, Scully managed to calm Natalie down, assuring her that
they would do everything they could to help her find her baby. When she
finally left, Scully sat down behind her desk, and Mulder opposite her.
"Well, I originally came in here to ask you something, but I guess this
missing alien child and haunted laundry pile kind of takes priority."
"Mulder..." That warning tone again.
"You really think it's something serious?"
She shrugged. "Most likely not. But Natalie's certainly very upset and as
her friends we should be sympathetic towards her."
"Friends? Since when?"
Scully raised an eyebrow. "As I recall, you and she were QUITE friendly at
one point."
Silence.
Mulder stood up. "Maybe I should go."
"No! No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
He sat down again.
Another silence.
"Scully - "
"Mulder - "
They both spoke at once again.
"What did you come in here to ask me?" said Scully.
"Oh - well, I  - oh it was nothing really." Mulder gave an embarrassed laugh.
"Nothing?" She looked at him.
"Nothing." He looked at her.
He leaned across the desk. She didn't lean back, but she didn't lean
forward either...
"Dana..." He stroked her cheek, and she let him.
She tilted her head sideway to meet his lips -

The phone rang, loudly.
Mulder banged his head on the desk in frustration.
"ALWAYS, something happens!" he muttered.
Scully answered the phone, trying not to laugh at Mulder.

-----

END OF PART 2/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (3/13) 

Dedication: This installment of the DOT 2 is dedicated to the pompom. (If
you've ever played the 'How to Host a Murder' game with 'Rock N. Roley' -
well, it's *that* pompom.)

Quote of the Installment: This is a genuine quote taken from an overhead
belonging to our physics teacher, relating to a 'problem solving task'...

"A nut becomes tight when it has a screw."

Maybe it's just the NC-17 stories, but that particular bit of physics sorta
stuck in our minds...

_________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 3/13
by Rebecca Moore, Katherine Marshall, Andrea Mathews, Christie Smallwood.
__________________________

Twenty One
THE TRUEMAN RESIDENCE
03.11.96

David sat at home next to his three remaining children.  Although slightly
concerned, he wasn't too worried about the fate of his missing child - as a
child, he had disappeared too.
As he was pondering over what he should name the children, Natalie walked
into the room. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. He stood up.
"Natty, I'm sorry."
"I'm OK, David, really."
And they hugged.
Unnoticed, the laundry pile slipped out of the house.

Twenty Two
03.11.96

The DOT child lay amongst the dirty sheets, watching the visions fly before him.
"Kill humans," the voice told him. "Kill the earthlings."
Yet some instinct inside of him told him that was wrong...

Twenty Three
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC
03.11.96

Scully put down the phone. "Natalie has informed the police who have
informed the FBI. Skinner wants us on the case."

Mulder snorted.

"Trying to get us out of the way on a simple case of a disappearing child.
Oh - I forgot - this is no ordinary child." His voice dripped with sarcasm.
"It may be more than it seems, Mulder." Scully came around to where he was
sitting on her desk. "We are dealing with - uh - alien children from a
planet no one has heard of, if your suspicions about the DOT are true."
Mulder's eyes began to gleam.
"Anyway," said Scully with a smile, "where were we before we were so rudely
interrupted?"

Twenty Four
'CINEMA CITY'
WASHINGTON DC
03.11.96

Sara and Daniel walked into the cinema hand in hand and took a back row
seat. Sara was totally and utterly happy. Here she was, finally alone with
the guy she'd wanted for so long... She pushed down the nagging feeling of
guilt she had at skipping school. If her mother found out... but no, she
wouldn't. She wouldn't know. There was no way.

She settled in her seat and smiled at her boyfriend as the previews began.
After a few minutes, she felt something bump against her leg. Looking down,
she saw a small toddler smiling innocently up at her.
"Hello!" she crooned softly. "Where's your mommy? Look, Daniel, isn't he cute?"
"Hmm." The two teenagers played around with the toddler for a while, who
giggled in delight.
"I wonder where his mother is."
"Yeah - she can't take very good care of him. Look at his clothes!"
The young boy was wearing a dirty, oversized tracksuit - one that looked
like it had been made for a full grown man.

The lights dimmed as the previews ended and the film started. Sara and
Daniel quietened, turning their attention to the screen.
The toddler pinched Sara, wanting more attention.
"Ow!" She looked down, and gasped at seeing the boy in the dark.
"Daniel... look at his eyes!"
There was a blinding flash of green light.
The audience screamed.
Darkness.

[Ugh. This sounds like something out of one of those Point Thrillers. Just
call me R.L.Stine the Second.]

Twenty Five
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC
03.11.96

Scully knocked on the door of Mulder's office. No answer, yet Scully knew
someone was in there because of the noise that came from behind the door.

"Mulder? It's me!"

Still no answer.

Scully pushed the door open. Mulder was lying back in his chair, feet on
his desk, mouth open, snoring noisily.
Scully marched in and pushed his feet off the desk. The snoring stopped.
Mulder blinked confusedly.
"What?!?" he exclaimed. "Oh - sorry. I guess I was a bit tired."
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to put your feet on the furniture?"
Scully asked.
Mulder lowered his eyes in mock guilt.
Scully smiled.
"Skinner wants us in his office," she said. "Now."

Twenty Six
TRUEMAN RESIDENCE
03.11.96

The DOT paced up and down in his house, pausing every now and then to stare
into the eyes of one of his children. Natalie wasn't home - she'd gone out
looking for a job to support them both.
The three children were growing up quickly - already they were the size of
a human child of two years. This wasn't what was bothering the DOT - he
knew that was normal for 'dotonians'.
No, something else was wrong. He could sense a hostility in his children
that wasn't natural - and he suspected that whatever it was related to the
disappearance of his other child.
He thought of the terrible things he himself was capable of doing when he
was possessed by that insane hatred. If perhaps he had passed that trait on
to his children...
In horror, he realised the possibilities.
Something had to be done.

Twenty Seven
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC
03.11.96

Mulder and Scully entered Skinner's office.
"Good afternoon Agent Mulder, Agent Scully. Take a seat."
The two agents did so, both of them familiar with this routine.
"I'd put you both on a missing child case, is that correct?"
They nodded.
"I want you to leave that case. Someone else will handle it. Something new
has come across that I would prefer you to investigate."
He paused, then pushed a file across his desk for them to read.
Mulder's eyes gleamed once again as he read about the unexplained horrors
at 'Cinema City'...

Twenty Eight
OUTSIDE J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC
03.12.96

Scully held out her hand for the keys as they walked towards the FBI-owned
car that they usually used.
"I'll drive," she said. "I want to be able to rely on at least one thing
around here."
He grinned and threw her the keys. "What - you mean you don't trust my driving?"
"Not when you've got that look in your eye. In fact, I don't trust you at
*all* when you've got that look in your eye."
He pretended to look hurt. "But you're my *partner*, Scully. You're
supposed to have complete faith in me."
"How do you think I've managed to survive as your partner for so long?" she
said dryly.
He laughed and took out the report on the strange deaths, reading through
them as Scully drove towards Cinema City.

Twenty Nine
CINEMA CITY
03.12.96

Scully and Mulder showed their badges then moved into the cinema.
"Mulder," whispered Scully. "Look at the screen!"
Mulder turned, and his eyes widened. The screen was putting off a strange
light - an eerie, green glow. Both agents were immediately reminded of the
same type of glow that had appeared in the DOT's house, the night of the
party.

The agents looked around a little longer for clues, but to no avail.
"Come on, Scully. There's nothing here to see apart from the screen, and
that dirty thing in the corner that looks like someone's laundry pile..."

Thirty
TRUEMAN RESIDENCE
WASHINGTON DC
03.12.96

The DOT children were left alone in the house. Natalie and David had gone
out shopping, leaving the three of them in their play area.

They were just learning to talk.

"Play game?" asked the boy, holding out a Lego block to one of his sisters,
who screwed her nose up in disgust.
"Wanna play out dere," she said, gesturing through the window to the
outside world.

Within minutes, the alien toddlers were outside the house.
"Play what?" asked one.
"Play kill," replied another.

Thirty One
MULDER'S APARTMENT
ALEXANDRIA, VA
03.12.96

Mulder was about to sit down to a nice snack of sunflower seeds and iced
tea, when his phone rang.
"Damn," he muttered, and debated whether or not to answer it. Eventually he
picked it up.
"Mulder."
"Mulder... it's me... you've got to help me. HELP!"

And then the phone went dead.

Mulder sped to Scully's apartment as quickly as he possibly could. The
front door was open, and he rushed in. Where was she?
He looked into the living room and gasped.
Scully was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor.
"Scully!"
She didn't answer. Mulder ran over and knelt by her side. To his relief,
she was still breathing.
Mulder gasped again as the whole room began to glow... with that eerie
green glow that was becoming too familiar...

Thirty Two
SCULLY'S APARTMENT
WASHINGTON DC
03.12.96

Scully awoke to find herself lying on the floor with her husband's
concerned face peering down at her... no, that was a different dream. Oops.
"Mulder," she spoke.
"Scully. Thank goodness you're okay."
"What happened?"
"I don't know... what happened to *you*?"
There was this glow outside the window, then I rang you, and then... I
don't know. My head hurts..." She closed her eyes again and Mulder tenderly
carried her to her bedroom, where she immediately fell asleep.
A few hours later, she awoke to the sound of Mulder's voice calling her.
"Scully!"
"Mmmm?" she answered sleepily.
"Uh - it's not really any of my business, but... is that your laundry pile
in the corner?"

Thirty Three
SCULLY'S APARTMENT
WASHINGTON DC
03.12.96

"What?" Scully asked.
"That pile of laundry in the corner. Is it yours?"
"Ah... no." She tried to sit up.
Mulder came over to her bedside. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Just rest."
He lay her back down on the bed and caressed her face.
"Mulder..."
He bent forward and kissed her forehead.
"Rest, Dana."
Scully closed her eyes and Mulder held her hand until she fell asleep again.

As he sat next to her and watched her rest, he thought about what had
happened to them both that day, and not for the first time, he wondered
just what they were getting into. He rested his head on the edge of
Scully's bed, and after a while, he fell asleep as well.

Thirty Four
TRUEMAN RESIDENCE
WASHINGTON DC
03.13.96

"David, where are the children?"
"Aren't they in the play area?"
"No. I thought they must have been with you."
David walked into the nursery where Natalie was standing.
"Oh, no." One on the loose was bad enough... but...
"David? What?! Where are my babies?!??"
... but FOUR was going to mean big trouble.

-----

END OF PART 3/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (4/13) 

Quote for the installment:

"I'm a moron" - Holden Caulfield. [I don't remember him actually saying
that - but it's written right here in the Doodle Pad and I certainly agree
with it :)]

_________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 4/13
by Rebecca Moore, Katherine Marshall, Andrea Mathews, Christie Smallwood.
__________________________


PART 35

[This is one of those entirely ridiculous parts that we should probably
leave out. I know it's not the best way to start a new part but I'm putting
it in anyway :)]

Mick Molloy was distressed. He had no decent clothes, no money and now, no
girlfriend. His life was the pits.

[-- um - why is he distressed? Isn't all that normal for him?
 -- That's the result of writer's block when you're in a freezing cold
tent in the middle of the night :)]

PART 36
03.13.96

Scully awoke to find her partner's head lying across her chest.
Her first thought was: "What have I done?"
She soon realised, however, that she was fully clothed, and that Mulder
was sitting on the seat next to her bed, not lying in it.
She gently moved his head and went to take a shower, feeling very gritty
after spending the night in her clothes.
Mulder stirred, then woke to find himself in a very uncomfortable
position. He got up and went to freshen himself in the bathroom.
Oops.
He backed out of the bathroom in a hurry.

PART 37
SCULLY'S APARTMENT
03.13.96 (NIGHT TIME)

Scully lay back on her pillows. She didn't want to turn the light out
after what had happened that morning.
"This is silly" she thought and reached for the light switch. The darkness
seemed to press in on her, surround her, it was an uncomfortable feeling.
Scully shivered.
"Dana" she heard her name being called.
"What? Who's there?" She sat up in bed. Next to her a figure started to
appear from the air. Scully tried to suppress the urge to scream. She
watched in horror as the figure took on human form and as she realised who
it was, she nearly fainted.
"Melissa..." she whispered.
"Dana, I wanted you to know, I don't hate you for what happened, I'm happy
here, and I want you to be happy too."
"Melissa...I'm sorry"
"No Dana, it's okay. I love you"
Melissa began to disappear.
"No!" Dana cried reaching towards her sisters ghost. "Don't go!"
"Goodbye, Dana" Melissa disappeared. 
Scully turned on her light and sat in bed, tears streaming down her face.
Without thinking of the time she picked up her phone and dialed Mulder's
number. Please answer Mulder...*please*
"Hello?" Mulder was half asleep.
"Mulder...it's me." And Scully burst into tears again.
"Scully? What's wrong?"
"I'm scared Mulder..."
"It's okay Scully. I'm coming over."

PART 38

Mulder knocked on Scully's door.
"It's me!" he called.
Scully opened the door and Mulder looked down into a white face streaming
with tears.
"It's okay, Dana"
He drew her closer to him. "It's alright"
"My sister, Mulder, she was here."
Mulder was confused but he knew he could find out later. All he had to do
at the moment was calm Scully down.
Taking her in his arms he led her to her bedroom and sat down with her on
his lap.
"Mulder..." She buried her face in his chest. "Don't leave me, Mulder. I'm
scared"
Mulder stroked her hair until she calmed down.
"Rest Dana, it's okay" he said gently. "I'm here"
"Mulder..."
Gently he kissed her forehead and watched over her as she fell asleep.

PART 38 the second :)
03.14.96

Natalie lay in bed, her normall beautiful face streaked with ugly tears.
The DOT continued his pacing up and down the house. He knew something had to
be done. He had to stop those children. But how? And what would he tell his
wife? He couldn't tell her what he knew about their children - it would
destroy her.
Confused and miserable, the DOT sat down and cried.
The once perfect Trueman family was falling apart.

PART 39
03.14.96
MULDER'S OFFICE

Scully entered the office without bothering to knock. As always, her hair
and clothes were impeccable, and she showed no sign of the stress she'd been
through only last night.
"Mulder, we have a witness"
Mulder looked up excitedly. "Who?"
"An old man who works in a milk bar just opposite the cinema. He claims he
has some information that might help us...if we're prepared to listen."
"If we're prepared to listen?"
"His exact words."
Mulder smiled. "Sounds like just another X-file to me...wel, what are we
waiting for? Let's go." He stood up and grabbed his coat.

PART 40
'FRED AND JILL'S MILK BAR
WASHINGTON DC
03.14.96

Mulder and Scully held out their badges to the young girl behind the counter.
"We're here to see a Mr Frederick Burns?" said Scully
"Freddy? He's the guy who owns this place. He's not in any kind of trouble
 he? He's just an old man, wouldn't hurt a fly."
"He's in no trouble at all." Mulder reassured the girl. "He claims he has
some information for us regarding a case we're on. Is he here?"
"Yes, he's out the back. Follow me."
The girl led them out through a small door in the back of the shop, into a
dark stuffy room where a man was sitting, watching television.
"Freddy Burns?"
"Depends whose asking."
'This is a man after my own heart,' thought Mulder
"I'm Agent Dana Scully, and this is Agent Fox Mulder. We're investigating
the recent deaths at Cinema Rex. Apparently you were a witness to the event?
Can you tell us what you saw?"
The man stood up and turned off the TV. He walked over and shut the door.
He looked at them.
"I can tell you, but whether you believe me or not is another matter."
"What did you see?" asked Mulder, that note of urgency creeping into his
voice again.
"I saw a light. The whole cinema glowed with a bright green light." He
paused and took a breath.
"Then I saw the cause of the light. I saw the murderer, running down the
street, unnoticed by anyone. Except me."
"How do you know it was the murderer?"
He looked deep in Scully's eyes, a look that sent a shiver down her spine.
"I know"
Mulder spoke up. "What did the 'murderer' look like?"
"The murderer was a baby. No, not a baby. A toddler. Couldn't have been
more than about three years old.
Scully sighed quietly. Another dead end. Another spooked out 'witness' who
was off his head and didn't know what he saw, wasting more of their
time...she tried to catch Mulder's eye, signalling that they should end the
interview.
To her surprise, Mulder obviously had different ideas.
He leaned closer to the old man, his eyes gleaming.
"Did you notice anything about the toddler? Anything unusual?"
The old man looked directly at Mulder.
"The eyes. That baby had the eyes of the devil."

PART 41
SCULLY'S APARTMENT
03.14.96

The laundry pile surveyed its surroundings. Scully's apartment was too
neat. The laundry pile made its way to her front door and unnoticed, slipped
out of her apartment, to look for the DOT children.

PART 42
03.14.96

Frederick Burns accompanied the two FBI agents to the door of the milkbar.
Scully couldn't wait to get out of there - the whole thing was giving her
the creeps, and she hated it when Mulder got in one of his 'spooky' moods.
"If only my wife was here still," mourned the old man. "She'd know what to
do about this. She always was a smart lady, my wife," he said proudly.
"Was your wife's name Jill?" asked Mulder.
"Yes... my dear Jilly..."
"Thankyou so much for you help" Scully interupted before the man got too
involved in his reminiscing - "but we really should be going now."
She pushed Mulder out the door and followed him to the car.
"How did you know his wife's name was Jill?" Scully asked when they were
out of sight of the milk bar.
Mulder gave her a funny look.
"Observation," he said. "Sometimes I worry about you, Scully."

PART 43
MULDER'S OFFICE
03.14.96

Mulder picked up his ringing phone with annoyance.
"Mulder."
"Fox, this is David."
"Nice to hear from you David. Please call me Mulder. Everyone does."
"Sorry, Mulder. Uh - look, I'm sorry to disturb you, I know you've got a
lot on your mind but I just don't know who else to turn to..."
Mulder listened with increasing interest to the DOT's story. When he hung
up, he immediately dialled Scully.
"Scully, it's me" he said when she picked up. "You know our minature
murderer? Well, it seems there's not one, but *four* of them on the loose..."


PART 44
03.14.96

Mulder locked up his office and walked out of the FBI building. Scully had
said she was too tired to do any more investigating today. That wasn't like
her, he thought as he walked towards his car. There was definately something
wrong with her... She had never really explained why she'd called him around
last night in tears... something to do with her sister...
He started to get in his car, then thought better of it. Putting his keys
back in his pocket, he walked off down the street. He needed a stroll to
clear his head and to bring him some inspiration.
He wandered down a side street, pulling his coat tightly around him. It
was getting cold.
"Hello Agent Mulder."
He heard a young girl's voice behind him. He turned to see a child of five
or six watching him.
"Hello. What are you doing in a place like this? Shouldn't you be at home
with your mother?" Curiously, he looked the girl up and down...then froze.
Her eyes...
He reached for his gun - but it was too late.

PART 45
SCULLY'S APARTMENT
03.17.96

Scully looked into her mirror. "Ug" she thought "I look awful"
There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked like she'd lost
weight. She went into the kitchen and made herself a coffee, trying to put
off going to bed.
Each night Melissa had appeared to her in a dream. She would say something
to Scully who would wake up in fright, sometimes crying.
She hadn't been able to face Mulder so she hadn't been to work and she had
taken her phone off the hook. Someone had knocked at her door a few times
but she hadn't answered.
The usually perfect Scully had become a wreck, someone who was too scared
to face her own partner even though she knew his feelings for her...

PART 46
WALTER SKINNER'S OFFICE
03.18.96

Walter Skinner rang Scully's number for the fifth time that morning. Still
engaged. She hadn't been in at work for almost a week now.
Mulder, too, wasn't in his office today. And he'd been acting awfully
strange when he'd seen him last Friday - stranger than usual, that is. There
was definitely something going on with those two...
"Oh well. They can take care of themselves" he decided, and continued with
his work. They were, after all, both unusual people.

PART 47
SCULLY'S APARTMENT
03.18.96

Scully looked suspiciously at the laundry pile in the corner of the
bedroom. They didn't look like her clothes...she looked away. She was
probably imagining things. She had to get herself together...
"Scully."
She jumped, and whirled around. Mulder was standing where she thought the
laundry pile had been.
"Mulder! How did you get in here?"
"Uh...you left your door unlocked."
"Oh..."
"Scully. What's wrong? You look..."
"Terrible. I know. You don't have to remind me." She turned away.
"I didn't say that." He came up behind her and stroked her hair. 
"Mulder... Mulder, I'm so scared...everything's going wrong..."
She buried her face in his chest, unable to contain it all any longer.
"It's okay, Dana, I'm here for you." He lifted her head and embraced her
in a passionate kiss that lasted for some time, pausing only to take a
breath and whisper her name.
"I'll always be here for you, Dana. I love you..." he murmured in her ear,
his hands moving slowly down her back.
"Mulder..." She tried to push him away gently, not yet ready for what he
was asking of her. He held her more tightly, trailing kisses down her neck.
"Mulder, please...I can't..."
"You can, Dana. I know you can. I love you...please...let me..." He pushed
her onto the bed, his kisses becoming more urgent.
"Fox! - Stop!" Now she was fighting to get away from him. His hands
pressed harder down on her.
"Why should I?" His voice suddenly became harsh. This wasn't the Fox
Mulder she knew. His kisses were suddenly unpleasant.
"Fox, you're hurting me!" She gasped. "Mulder...your eyes..."
She felt a gun being pressed against her neck.
"Goodbye, Dana."

-----

END OF PART 4/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (5/13) 

_Dedication_

Okay, this is dedicated to Elaine Paige's *absolutely* wonderful dance
steps in Tim Rice's 'Chess Moves'..... *g*.... 

Also dedicated to all those who use high speed 'chipmunk' dubbing! :)   

_Quote of the installment_

'Snerts are round.'
                --Randi 

(*ducks* to avoid Randi's response....)

_________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 5/13
by Rebecca Moore, Katherine Marshall, Andrea Mathews, Christie Smallwood.
__________________________

PART 48:

Scully watched in terror as Mulder's finger pulled the trigger back. She
reached up and 
pushed his hand away, but it was too late. She had dislodged the gun
slightly but the 
bullet grazed her neck and penetrated into her shoulder. The last thing
she heard was an 
evil dottish laugh that seem to come from Mulder. 
 

PART 49:

Skinner drove to Scully's house. He was going to find out why she hadn't
been at work.To 
his surprise he found her front door open. He walked in, calling her name.

No answer.

Skinner looked into her bedroom and nearly vomited. Scully was lying on
her bed, a pool 
of blood had formed around her neck and her face was turing blue. 

By the side of her bed was what looked like dirty laundry...

*      *       *        *         *          *


PART 50:

The DOT walked into the FBI building and up to the 'Enquiries' desk. 
'Can I help you?'
'Yes, I'd like to see Agent Fox Mulder. Is he in?'
The secretary consulted her books. 
'Yes, sir. Let me show you to his office.'
'Thank-you.' The DOT followed her down the basement.

*       *       *        *          *         *

'Mulder?'
'David. How nice to see you.' Mulder's voice was cold.
'Mulder, I've come to talk to you about my children. I'm afraid I didn't
tell you 
everything I knew on the phone last week. At first, I didn't think you'd
believe me, 
but... well... the situation's getting.... oh my goodness!' The DOT gasped
as he looked 
into Mulder's face, and saw not the agent he had come to know, but another
being 
possessed by an evil hatred that was only too familiar to him.
'Is there soemthing wrong, David?' Mulder advanced slowly on the DOT.
David narrowed his 
eyes. 'Whoever you are, don't try anything. My powers are just as strong
as yours.'
'Mr Trueman, I'm afraid I don't know *what* you're talking about.'
Mulder's eyes flashed 
scarlet.
'Where *is* Agent Mulder?' the DOT said angrily.
'I am Agent Mulder.' he replied in a low voice, 'I'm the only Agent Mulder
you'll ever 
see from now on.'
The DOT's eyes sparkled in anger, glowing with that same red glow. 
'Get out,' he whispered in a voice filled with authority and power.
A strange force filled the room for a few moments, and Mulder's body began
to omit a 
green glow. His face became distorted, and David saw a range of
expressions pass through 
his eyes - hatred turning slowly into terror, then confusion, then...
The red light went from Mulder's eyes. His face went blank, and he passed
out. The DOT 
rushed to his side.
    

PART 51:

Mulder knocked on Scully's door. 
'Come in,' he was suprised to hear a male voice say. 
Mulder entered the room and saw Skinner sitting at Scully's desk, staring
at the floor. 
'What are you doing here?' he asked, 'Where's Agent Scully?'
'Mulder,' Skinner replied, 'Scully's been taken to hospital. I found her in her 
apartment this morning, nearly dead.'
Mulder sat down in shock.
'She hadn't been at work for a few days,' Skinner continued, 'And she
wasn't answering 
her phone, so I went over. Her front door was open and she was unconscious
on her bed. 
It appears someone tried to rape her, then kill her by shooting her in the
neck.'
'Where is she?' Mulder asked, 'Is she okay?'
Skinner nodded. 'I'll take you down there now, if you like.'

Mulder nodded.


PART 52:      

Scully opened her eyes slowly to find herself in a small, white room.
'Agent Scully! You're awake at last! You have some visitors here to see
you.' A young 
nurse with a kindly face stood by Scully's side. 
'Do you think you'll be able to cope?'
Scully managed a weak smile. 'Who are they?'
'Natalie and David, I think they said their names were.'
Scully tried to sit up, but the pain in her neck too strong and she cried
out, letting 
her head flop back on the pillow. 
'Now, now, you just take it easy, there's a dear.' The nurse fussed around
her. 'You're 
still very weak - you've lost a lot of blood. Shall I tell your visitors
to come back 
later?'
'No, no. I wouldn't mind some company.' Scully decided.
*       *       *       *       *       *    

'Dana! Dana, thank goodness you're alright! Your boss rang us and told us
you were in 
hospital... What happended? Oh, you poor thing, just look at you!!'
Natalie gushed all 
over Scully, placing a huge bunch of flowers on her bedside table. David
was more 
restrained. 'We're so glad you're still alive, Scully. What happened?
Skinner didn't 
tell us much.' he asked.
'Oh... a man attacked me in my apartment...' She said vaguely. 
'In your own home?!' gasped Natty, 'That's terrible!'
'Was it anyone you knew?' asked David.
'Err... no...' Scully lied. She couldn't bring herself to admit what had
happened. David 
watched Scully's face carefully. 
'Darling,' he addressed his wife, 'Those flowers are wilting. Don't you
think you should 
get some water for them?'
'What a *good* idea!' Natty bounded out of the room.
When they were alone, the DOT sat down beside Scully. 
'Scully, are you sure you didn't know this man?'
She paused. 'Positive.' In a way, she was telling the truth.'Why?'
'Oh it's just...'
'What?'
He looked at her. 'I had a strange encounter with Mulder, yesterday.'
Scully sat up and stared at him. 'What are you saying?'
'Nothing... it's just that... I don't think you can hold him responsible
for his actions 
in the past few days. I just thought you should know.'
'What-' Scully was interrupted by the nurse poking her head in the room. 
'Agent Scully, there's someone called, uh, *Fox*, here to see you.'
Mulder walked into the room. 
'Scully... what happened? Are you okay?'
The DOT stood up. 'I'd better go and find Natalie,' he said, leaving the room.
   

PART 53:

Scully turned away from Mulder, ignoring the pain it caused her.
'Scully... what happened?'
'I should think that you would know,' she found herself saying.
'What?! How would *I* know?' Mulder said, 'I'm worried about you, who did
this to you?' 
Mulder could not read the look in Scully's eyes. 
'I'm fine Mulder, as you can see, I survived.' 
'Survived what, Dana?' But Dana had closed her eyes, and Mulder got
nothing more out of 
her.


PART 54:   

The confused Mulder, having no memory of what he'd done, walked dejectedly
out of 
Scully's private ward, and back towards the hospotal entrance.
'Mulder!' 
He pretended not to hear the DOT's voice, not feeling like talking to anyone.
'Mulder, slow down!' David panted, running to catch with him. 
'What do you want, David?' Mulder found it difficult to be polite in his
upset state.
'I take it Scully wasn't too nice to you,' David observed.
'What business is it of yours?' Mulder was almost yelling, now. 
The DOT stared at him. 'If you knew what I'd done for you...' He shook his
head. 'Tell 
me, Mulder, do you have *any* memory at all of the past five days?'
Mulder stopped walking abruptly and looked at him.
'No,' he said in a completely different tone of voice. 'No, I don't. Can
you tell me 
why?'
David nodded. 'Let me just find Natalie and take her home. Then we'll go
and talk 
somewhere.'


PART 55:    

Mulder left David's house feeling rather sick. *He* had done that to
Scully. He loved 
her so much, and now he nearly killed her. On purpose. Being 'possessed'
or whatever 
David said, was no excuse. She would never forgive him and he couldn't
face her now.

*       *       *       *       *       *

A few days after Mulder's visit, Scully was released from hospital. 
David had been in and spoken to her about Mulder. Scully knew that Mulder
would *never* 
do something like this to her. Anyway, they couldn't fight, they had to
work together 
before anyone else was hurt. 
Scully headed towards Mulder's apartment and knocked on the door.
'Mulder, it's me,' she called.
No answer.
The door was open, much to Scully surprise. Pushing it open, she entered
his apartment, 
walking towards the loungeroom with her gun in hand. She didn't know why,
but felt safer 
in doing so.
She opened the loungeroom, and entered with her gun in front of her. 
Mulder was lying back on the couch, Scully went over to him, and shook
him. He didn't 
wake. Scully noticed his breathing was coming in small gasps.
By the side of his couch was an empty bottle of sleeping pills, the
protection seal 
lying next to it....

-----

END OF PART 5/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (6/13) 

And now... *finally*... it's a NEW PART of the DOT!

For disclaimer, category, rating, see intro.

Notes: This part's *reeeeeeeeeally* soppy (ie, puke warning). If you don't
like that - hell, just read it anyway. :) :) :) Doesn't mean it's gonna
stay that way. I mean - come on - this is the DOT. There's no saying
*what's* going to happen. Just because we seem to have worked out a plot,
a style, a few character traits in this part doesn't mean we're going to
*stick* with them.

Quote of the installment:
"*Why* do you love 'k'?"
-- Randi

Dedication: This installment is dedicated to frozen pizzas all over the
world. We've had some interesting experiences with frozen pizzas.


__________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 6/?
by Christie Smallwood, Rebecca Moore, Andrea Mathews, Katherine Marshall.
__________________________


_Fifty Six_

Mulder felt numb. He had lost all sense of being contained in a human
body. He was in a tunnel - at the end was a shining white light. Suddenly
a white figure materialised in front of him. It was a young man - with
shining blond hair and warm brown eyes, which he turned on Mulder.

"Fox Mulder." There was affection in his voice.

"Who are you?" Mulder asked. For some reason he felt he knew the young man.

"I am your Guardian Angel," came the reply. "You have a choice. Do you
want to go on to the end of this tunnel, or do you want to go back?"

"Back?"

"To mortal life."

Mulder considered this question. For some reason, he was not surprised by
the Angel's choice. He looked back the way he had come. Scully's face
appeared before his eyes. She was crying - calling out his name.

"Dana," he gasped. He turned to the angel. "I have to go back," he said.
"She needs me."

"Very well," said the angel. Then he smiled. "Well chosen, Fox Mulder."
His outline began to blur. He was fading away.

"Wait," cried Mulder. "Will I ever see you again?"

A voice came seemingly out of nowhere. "I will always be with you," it said.

Mulder felt himself falling. Then he hit the ground, and everything went black.


_Fifty Seven_

Mulder opened his eyes and blinked. He felt strangely invigorated. Then
Scully's face came into view. Her mascara was smudged and there were lines
down her cheeks where her tears had wiped away the dirt. She was a wreck,
but she had never looked more beautiful to Mulder. He sat up and wrapped
his arms around her. She clung to him, whispering his name over and over
again through her tears. Hoping to sooth her, he reached over and switched
on the radio.

"For you and I have a guardian angel
On high, with nothing to do.
But to give to you, and to give to me
Love forever true."

"Those words are truer than they know," thought Mulder, raising his eyes
to stare at the star-studded sky out the window. He smiled, then lowered
his head and buried his face in Scully's hair.

"I love you, Dana," he whispered.


_Fifty Eight_

"Mulder, why did you do it?" Scully asked him.

"I found out what I did to you. I couldn't face you, I thought you'd never
forgive me." Fox buried his head in her hair again. "I'm so sorry, Dana."

Dana stroked his hair. "I forgive you, Fox. You weren't yourself."

Fox looked up and smiled. "Thank-you. You know I'd never hurt you on purpose."

"I know," she whispered. His face was only inches from hers. "Kiss me,"
she murmured.

Mulder was only too happy to oblige her.  His lips captured hers, moving
gently, coaxing her lips to yield. As soon as she did he deepened the
kiss. Her lips parted under his and she gave a little gasp of ecstasy as
she felt his tongue running lightly over her teeth. 

Her fingers fumbled with his shirt buttons, and he shrugged it off.
Trembling with passion and white with desire she ran her fingers across
his bare torso, exploring every nook and cranny while he made her shiver
with his kisses. Now his lips moved to the base of her neck, his hands
entwined in her hair, and she felt her knees go weak. 

She ran her hands across the soft hair on his chest and down to the hard
muscles of his stomach. But before she could venture any lower in her
innocent foray, she was recalled to her senses by the sound of her cell
phone. She pulled away.

"We shouldn't be doing this," she said reluctantly.

"Why not?" Mulder's voice was husky with passion. He pulled her close to
him - crushing her in the ferocity of his embrace. She knew only one way
to stop him...

Mulder's head snapped back as she dealt him a stinging slap across the
cheek. She cringed at the hurt expression in his eyes, but she knew it was
for the best.

Then, without warning, he threw his head back and began to laugh. Seeing
Scully's confused expression he wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes and
explained: "I always did dread boring women!"


_Fifty Nine_

"The relative isotopic mass of carbon-12 is - anyone? anyone? - twelve
exactly and that of chlorine is - anyone? anyone? Thirty-five point five.
Since the mass of the mole of carbon-12 is - anyone? anyone? - twelve
grams by definition..."

Natalie sat in the hall and tried to concentrate on the lecture. It was
hard to ignore the pressure of David's hand on her thigh but she had to
keep up her reputation as the highest scoring post-grad student in the
course.

A siren wailed and the students gathered their books, moving as one body
towards the door. It was time for her biology lecture.

"Today we will study the bloodstream. I need a volunteer. Anybody willing
to help out?"
Natalie raised her hand. The professor signalled for her to join him out
the front. She sat on a chair and he placed a probe just above her knee.
The information from the probe was projected onto a screen for all to see.

The professor squeezed below the probe and directed the attention of the
class on the effects of this on the information displayed by the screen.
Then he asked:

"Can anyone tell me what would happed if I were to squeeze *above* the probe?"

Quick as a flash, David's hand was in the air. "You'd get sued!" he said.


_Sixty_

Scully opened the door to see Mulder standing on the doorstep in shorts
and a t-shirt. He carried a towel over one shoulder.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Beach time," he replied. Even FBI agents have to have a holiday somewhere.

Scully was quick to catch the mood. After all, it really was too nice a
day to spend working. "Hang on a sec, I'll get my swimmers."

A couple of minutes later she was climbing into his car. Mulder pulled out
a pair of wraparound sunglasses and sat down at the wheel. Scully followed
suit, and soon they were speeding down the road.

"So where exactly are we going?" Scully asked.

"I've got a special place in mind," he said, smiling.

Scully raised her eyebrows at him but offered no reply.

Finally, Mulder stopped the car above a tiny stretch of beach and
signalled for Scully to get out. He did the same. Walking to the edge of
the cliff, Scully looked down at the beach. It was a perfect horseshoe
shape - a tiny bay rested between two rocky outcrops. The water was a
shimmering turquoise, and the sand a strip of fine white against a
backdrop of green.

"It's beautiful," Scully breathed. "How come we're the only ones here?"

"It's private," Mulder replied. Scully shot him a suspicious look, but he
put on an innocent expression. "I know the owner, and we've got
permission."
Scully relaxed. They followed a steep path down the cliff to the water's edge.

"Time for a swim, I think, I'm sweltering here," said Mulder, looking
amazingly cool. He stripped off his t-shirt and Scully gazed in admiration
at his finely-toned and muscular chest. He turned to her.

"Well?"

The sound recalled Scully from her abstractions. She slipped out of her
cotton print dress, revealing a shapely body clad in a skimpy bikini.
Mulder raised one eyebrow.

"Wow!"

She smiled self-consciously. "Are we going to swim?"

"You said it," said Mulder, diving into the sea. Scully followed him in.
The water was beautifully warm, and they splashed and played like
children. Mulder was a good swimmer, but not in Scully's class. She had
been brought up by the sea, and was almost as comfortable in the water as
out of it.

When they tired, they lay side by side on the white sand. Mulder reached
for Scully's hand and held it tightly. She felt so contented that she
almost fell asleep, but her eyes snapped open when she felt a finger
running across her stomach. Suddenly her body seemed flooded with heat,
and an aching sense of need. She fought it, but it didn't help when Mulder
reached across and pulled her to him, tilting her face so she was looking
him in the eye. Mesmerised by his gaze, she made no objection as his
fingers fumbled with her bikini strap. She barely noticed as the material
fell to the ground - but Mulder did. He broke his hold on her eyes and
gazed at the white skin. Without the effect of his amazing eyes, Scully's
brain cleared. She gave a gasp of horror and snatched up the material,
rolling away from him as she did so. Her back was to Mulder, but he could
see her shoulders start to shake as she struggled into her top. The angry
tears stung her eyes. She wasn't sure if she was angry with Mulder's
obsession with sex, or her own weakness. She buried her face in her hands
and sobbed. She felt Mulder's arms come around her, his cold lips on her
forehead, her cheeks, and finally her mouth. There was no passion in his
kisses now - only a desire to comfort her. He kissed her until her tears
stopped, then held her tightly to him as she rested her head on his chest
and fell into an exhausted sleep.


_Sixty One_

The following day, Mulder rang the doorbell at Scully's. When no one
answered, he jiggled the doorhandle. Surprisingly, it turned, and the door
swung open. Walking in, he called out.

"Hello?"

There was no answer. His heart in his mouth, he ran from room to room
calling her name. When he reached the lounge he stopped. Scully was lying
on the sofa fast asleep. She looked a mess - her hair was untidy, she
hadn't washed off her makeup the previous night, and she was dressed in a
tattered old dressing-gown. But to Mulder she looked beautiful. He reached
out and stroked her hair. Her eyes flickered and she smiled - as if she
were having a beautiful dream. It was a pity to disturb her, but...
Mulder fingered the object in his pocket. Then he reached out and gently
shook her by the shoulder. She yawned and opened her eyes, then sat bolt
upright when she saw Mulder.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I came to ask you a question." Scully looked confused. "I've asked you
before, but you never really gave me an answer."

Suddenly Scully realised what he was trying to do.

"Have you no sense of romance?" she said sternly. "No, I will not be
proposed to looking like this."

"You look beautiful," said Mulder.

Scully softened. "If you think I'm beautiful like this, you must be more
romantic than I thought."

"It's been a long time since I could look at you without thinking how
beautiful you are," he said sincerely. "Will you marry me, Scully?"

"I don't suppose I have a choice, really," she replied.

"What?" Mulder looked confused.

"Well, when you get to my age..." She got no further as Mulder swept her
into his arms and blocked her mouth with his. Scully responded willingly.
Yes, this was the one man who could make her happy...

_Sixty Two_

"It's beautiful," gushed Natalie. "Where did he get it?"

"I don't know," replied Scully, stretching out her arm to admire the
elegant diamond ring on her fourth finger. It was beautiful, and inside
the words had been inscribed: 'Love Forever True'. Wasn't Mulder sweet?
she thought. He'd given her another ring, too - a gold band with four
stones set in it - one of diamond, one of amethyst, one of nickel silver,
and one of aquamarine - spelling out the word 'Dana'. She smiled. They
were going to be very, very happy...

-----

END OF PART 6/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (7/13) 

For disclaimer, category, rating, see intro.

_Notes_

We're expecting flames. Read on to find out why.

_Quote of the installment_

"Did you say Festygirl, or Festybel?"
(Don't worry, festypeople...)

_Dedication_ 

With love, to the schitzoid bananas and canaries caged within yellow walls.

__________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 7/?
by Katherine Marshall, Andrea Mathews, Rebecca Moore, Christie Smallwood.
__________________________

_Sixty Three_

Scully sat in her apartment, staring at her computer screen. She'd decided
to work at home today.

But she couldn't concentrate.

"Come on, Dana," she reprimanded herself. "You've done *no* work on this
case in the past *week*. You've *got* to get something done."

She leaned back in her chair and sighed. She lifted her hand and stared
absentmindedly at the diamond ring on her finger, watching as the light
from her computer screen hit it and split into millions of different
colours.

Something was wrong. She could feel it.

She stared deeper into the sparkling jewel, as if it could provide her
with the answers she was looking for.

"Maybe it won't," she thought. "Maybe that's the problem."

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to her. Sitting upright in her chair
again, she quickly typed a few words into her computer and waited as it
conducted a search.

She read with interest the words on the screen. Then she dialed her partner.

"Mulder, it's me. Can you come over? I think I might have found something
regarding the case..."


_Sixty Four_

"Scully. It's me."

Scully opened the door to let her partner in.

"It's good to see you," he said, enveloping her in a hug.

"Mulder, you only just saw me yesterday." She tried in vain to disentangle
herself.

"Dana, every moment without you seems like a year," he replied huskily,
running a hand down her spine as he drew her close, his lips caressing her
cheek...

"Mulder, I called you over here on business," she said, slighly annoyed.
She pulled away from him.

Mulder looked offended. "I thought you liked me doing that."

She sighed. "I do, but..."

"Good. That's all right then."

He took her in his arms again, and before she could protest he placed his
lips on hers, his tongue easing her mouth open... his hands seemed to be
everywhere at once...

"Mulder!!" Finally she broke free.

"What?!"

"Show me a little respect!"

Mulder stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

Yes, that was it, she realised. That was what was wrong. She felt she'd
lost his respect.

"Mulder, we're partners. *Business* partners. We have been for some time.
And in that time... we've got to know each other... quite well."

"I know, Dana. What are you getting at?" He reached for her again, and put
a hand out to touch her cheek.

"*Don't* touch me!" she found herself saying.

Mulder looked shocked.

"Scully... I don't get it."

"Mulder, just this once can you *control* yourself and listen to me?" she
yelled.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he cried. "If you had a problem
with this relationship, why didn't you *say* so, before... before I..."

"Calm *down*, Mulder! Just hear me out!"

They were both silent for a few moments.

"Okay, then. What *are* you getting at?" he said more softly, this time
keeping his distance.

She sat down.

"I - I don't quite know how to say this," she began. She took a deep breath.

"We've gained a lot in our relationship recently," she said. "But we've
lost a lot, too, I think. Mulder, I... I love you. I always have. But I've
always loved you as a friend most of all - I always valued so much the
friendship we had together - I could tell you anything."

"But you still can!" he protested. 

She looked at him.

"No. No, I don't think I can."

She waited, but he said nothing, so she continued.

"You've changed, Mulder. Or maybe I have. Anyway - your perception of me
has changed. I know it has. I can't work with you as a partner anymore, on
equal terms. You've shown that today." She paused again, and looked at him
to see his reaction, but he showed none, staring blankly back at her.

"And I want to keep working with you, Mulder. That's why I can't accept
this," - she slipped the engagement ring off her finger - "or this," she
said, taking the other ring out of her pocket. She held both out to him.

After a very long pause, he took the rings and walked out, not looking at
her, not saying anything.

When the door closed behind him, Scully sat down at her computer again and
got back to work, determinedly keeping her face expressionless.
__________________________

END OF PART 7/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (8/13) 

For disclaimer, category, rating, see intro.

_Notes_ 

OK, guys, it's time to play Pick the Plagiarised Paragraph! See if you can
tell which paragraph in this installment was taken directly out of another
book. For extra points, tell me the name and author of the book. The
winner gets - a free email from **us**!! :) 

_Quote of the installment_

"Delete all selected items and children?" --Netscape.

_Dedication_

To the festy bunch. May they never find out who they are.

__________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 8/?
by Andrea Mathews, Christie Smallwood, Katherine Marshall, Rebecca Moore.
__________________________

_Sixty Five_

Mulder strolled along the side of the river, allowing himself to relax and
take in the beautiful surroundings.

"I could have been here with Scully," he thought wistfully. "If only I'd
played my cards right..."

Played his cards right? What was he talking about? This was *Scully*,
Agent Scully, who he'd known for so long, who he'd never had to pretend in
front of. They'd always been so honest with each other... so why was she
making him hide his feelings for her now?

And what *were* his feelings for her now?

He liked her - no, *loved* her - but she was right. Something had gone
wrong recently...

He sat on a park bench and absentmindedly watched some children playing in
the water a few metres away from him. One of the children seemed awfully
familiar, he realised, though he couldn't think why.

He noticed the children's games seemed to be getting rougher and more
dangerous. He looked around. Where were their parents?

And what was that red light reflecting off the water?

Something clicked. Mulder picked up his phone.

"Scully, it's me. Are you available?"

"What???"

"I mean... are you doing anything important right now?" Mulder rephrased
his question.

"Oh! Um - no. Why do you ask?"

"I'm down on the riverbank, just opposite the old church. There's four
kids here... I think you should come down..."


_Sixty Six_

"Mulder? What happened?" Scully rushed up beside her partner, who was
standing motionless, staring at the water.

"Scully... they were here... they just disappeared..."

"Who?"

He broke his gaze on the river and turned to look at her, as if just
registering for the first time that she was there.

"The DOT children," he said in an amazed voice. "I was watching them -
then they disappeared. Just like that." He clicked his fingers.

"What do you mean, that they ran off?"

"No." He grabbed her by the shoulders. "No, listen to me, Scully. They
*disappeared*. Vanished. Like we saw their father do once."

Scully stared back at him, not knowing what to believe. She trusted her
partner, but...

Suddenly, a green glow appeared all around them. They gasped and looked at
each other, realising the danger they were in. For a while they just stood
there, not knowing what to do. The glow grew brighter, and they had to
shield their eyes.

"Mulder! Scully!" A frantic voice called to them from further down the
river. They turned, but the bright light prevented them from seeing
anything.

"Run! Quickly, while you can!" They recognised it as being the DOT's voice.

"Where to?" Mulder called back.

"Anywhere! Just get away... I can't hold them off for much longer..."
David's voice sounded strained.

The bright light was giving off heat as well. Scully could feel her skin
beginning to burn. They couldn't see anything at all now. She hoped the
light wouldn't permanently damage their eyesight - if they survived.

She felt Mulder grab her arm and the two of them ran blindly, trying to
escape the terrible light. They seemed to be running for ages... but still
the glow surrounded them. Scully could feel herself getting hotter... She
forced her legs to keep moving, even though she was exhausted.

Then, finally, she found she could open her eyes. It was still hard to
see, but the light appeared to be dimming.

"Keep going!" panted Mulder when she slowed down. "We're not away from it yet."

They kept running.

Mulder stumbled, and Scully grabbed his arm to steady him. He smiled at
her wanly. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"

"Since when did you ever think I was helpless, Mulder?"

Never, he thought; never.

At last, the light faded. Scully collapsed in an exhausted heap on the
ground, where she remained for a few minutes, regaining her breath.

She looked up at her partner. Mulder was gazing in the direction they had
come from. She followed his gaze, and gasped.

Where before there had been lush green grass and tall trees growing by the
river, now there was nothing but smoldering remains. The grass had
shrivelled and turned brown, the trees were nothing but blackened
skeletons. Even part of the river had dried up.

Scully stood up and brushed down her skirt. "Looks like we're lucky to be
alive."

"Yeah..."

Mulder turned to look at Scully and realised just how lucky he actually
was - not just to be alive, but to have such a caring partner - someone he
worked with so well, someone who put up with him for all his faults. He
realised just how much Scully's partnership meant to him.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay," he said sincerely.

She looked at him. She felt the weight of his hand, and saw that look in
his eyes...

"Mulder," she warned.

"I know." He nodded, and took his hand away. "Friends?"

She smiled.

"Friends."

They walked back together to where their cars were parked.


_Sixty Seven_

"Code Red!" said the cadet.

Natalie screamed.


_Sixty Eight_

Mulder lifted Natalie in his arms and carried her to the car. Scully
raised her head and watched them go, but remained by the body. Mulder
reappeared within a matter of minutes and they bent over it together.
Nearby, the officer in charge was berating the sullen cadet.

"How was I to know she'd know?" he said defensively. The officer launched
into a furious tirade of words - telling him exactly how he should know,
how he should never say such things before near relations, and so on.

Mulder and Scully bore it for a while, but finally Mulder gave a grunt of
annoyance and stood up. He tapped the officer on the shoulder and Scully
saw them exchange a few words. The officer blustered and turned red but
Mulder met all his protestations with such cool assurance that he was
finally silenced. They went back to their work.


_Sixty Nine_

David wasn't breathing as they lifted him into the ambulance, nor was his
heart beating. Scully flashed her medical ID and shoved the paramedic out
of the cramped van. Then she hooked David up to a respirator and went to
work.

As she made an incision to remove a small section of his epidermis, she
suddenly drew back, catching her breath in disgust. A group of round,
squashy, black shapes were squeezing out of the opening. The reaction was
but momentary, however, for Scully was of the opinion that if you were
squeamish, you shouldn't be working in the FBI.

So she set about clearing his system of the unknown poison. As the last
black blob - for Scully did not know what else to call them - was removed,
the change was instantaneous. David's cheeks flushed and his heart started
beating so rapidly that Scully was worried lest his blood pressure become
dangerously high. It steadied however, and he began to breathe. She sighed
in relief. Then, sticking her head out the door, she called: "Code Blue."

Mulder gave her a thumbs up.


_Seventy_

UNITED NATIONS MEETING: 102 331 2241
DATE: 6.19.96
TIME: 13:04 HOURS

"Hey, why did the chicken cross the road?"

Everyone shrugged.

"To die."

No one laughed.

"That's not funny," the Spanish ambassador said.

"I don't get it," said the English representative.

"ENOUGH!" the Chairman cried. "Why don't you people just SHUT UP for once??"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

"SHUTUP! You fools!"

"Hey!" the American cried. "I don't think *we're* the ones with the problem."

"Yeah!" the others agreed.

"We are *supposed* to be trying to stop the DOT children, not telling
stupid jokes," the chairman said angrily.

"Oh, don't worry about that," spoke up the French representative.

"WHY?!?" the chairman yelled.

"Well, my baby-sitter is looking after the DOT children now."

"WHAT???"

"Don't have a cow, man," the Frenchie said. "I'll call the FBI and tell
'em. No probs, okay?"

The chairman looked like he was about to explode as the Frenchman reached
for the phone.

"Hey, Scully!" the Frenchman said. "How's my girl? Hmm...mmm..." The
Frenchman was nodding. "You're beautiful, Dana, honey," he purred.

"TELL HER ABOUT THE DOT KIDS!" the chairman exploded.

The French representative looked straight at him.

"What are you driving at?"

The chairman put his head on the table and wept with frustration.

-----------

No one told us it was supposed to make sense.... <g>

-----

END OF PART 8/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (9/13) 

For disclaimer, category, rating, see intro.

_Notes_

Make 'em up yourselves. (Then send them to us.)

_Quote of the installment_

Paisu: [suddenly turns to Katherine and says:] Did you know that fart in
French is wax? Can you imagine that written in a window?!? Half a leg
fart, $5!

_Dedication_

To Paisu. So she doesn't kill us. 

__________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 9/?
by Rebecca Moore, Katherine Marshall, Christie Smallwood, Andrea Mathews
__________________________

_Seventy One_

The man consulted the file spread out on his desk before him. He frowned,
and took a long drag of his cigarette. Not more trouble involving those
two, he thought.

He read further in the file. Whatever this case was about, he decided, he
had to prevent it from getting out to the public. He couldn't take any
risks.

The truth was out there, and it was his job to make sure it didn't get
into the wrong hands.

He puffed out the foul-smelling black smoke, leaned back in his chair and
smiled.


_Seventy Two_

The light...it was so bright...streaming in the window, blinding him...he
tried to reach out to her, stop her going, but he couldn't move, couldn't
go to her...was he really unable to move? or was it his own selfish fear
that kept him rooted to the spot as she left him, as he watched them take
her...and he didn't do a thing to stop them...He felt a stab of pain as he
heard the poor child's voice... "Fox! Fox, help me! Do something, Fox!"
Then the scream of terror, mingled with his own feelings of fear,
rebounding through his ears...then he heard her voice again, this time
accusing: "Fox, you said you'd protect me. You said you'd always protect
me. Why did you lie, Fox? Why?" He felt the pain clutch at his throat, the
pain from the last twenty-three years...Why? Why hadn't he saved her? Why,
Fox? 

The pain threatened to overtake him...then it turned to hatred...pure
hatred...for who? For those who had taken his sister, for those who had
lied to him, destroyed his life, destroyed his family, his planet...no,
this wasn't right! What was this?

The hatred raged on, hatred for humankind, as he tossed and turned...kill
them...a need to kill...he was blind with hatred...all he could see was
the red haze that permeated his eyesight...he had to cause more pain,
inflict the hurt and pain that had been inflicted on him...

He would lure them into his trust, then kill them...first their souls,
then their bodies...faces flashed through his mind - his parents, his
friends, co-workers, his partner...

"No!" He sat up with a jolt, a mangled cry emanating from his dry lips.

He untangled the sheet from where it had wound itself round his neck,
drenched with sweat. He lay quietly on the bed for some time, breathing
deeply, trying to stop shaking. He thought over the dream, realising that
some of the feelings he had experienced were from the time when he had
been possessed by the DOT child. With a shudder he remembered the terrible
deed he had done to Scully, and fought to keep back the tears of guilt and
pain. It was no use telling himself it wasn't his fault, though his mind
knew there was no way he could have stopped himself, his soul couldn't
forgive him. He shuddered, still feeling the pain from his nightmare.

"Fox..." He heard his sister's pleading voice in his head again. He had
betrayed her, betrayed her trust by letting them take her...and now he had
done the same to his partner. Scully, the only person her could trust, the
only person who trusted him, and he had taken that trust and used it
terribly...

Blocking out the awful memories, he rolled out of bed and stood up,
picking up his robe from the chair as he did so.

He stumbled out to the kitchen to make himself a coffee and work further
on the case. He knew from past experience that it was no use trying to get
back to sleep now - the only way to put the nightmare out of his head
would be to engage in other activities.

He sighed as he put the kettle on, and not for the first time he wished
for an ordinary mind. 


_Seventy Three_

Mrs Benefort stood for a few minutes in the doorway, staring silently at
her daughter. The beautiful 19 year old showed no recognition of her being
there, her eyes were glued to the computer screen.

Finally her mother sighed, shaking her head, and spoke in rapid Norwegian.

"Darling, I wanted you to come and visit me so I could *talk* to you. I
hardly every get to see you any more. And when I do, you spend the entire
time..."

"Get off my back, woman." the girl muttered rudely. Her mother stared at
her uncomprehendingly. 

"Ingrid, you know I don't speak English."

"I know, I know." She switched her tone and her language easily. "Look,
Mum, why don't you go and have a cup of tea? I'll be out in a second."

Mrs Benefort sighed resignedly and left the room. She wondered what the
machine held that fascinated her daughter so. She felt continuously
resentful that her child had been taken away from her like this - not
physically, but mentally. She knew Ingrid had no concern for her or
anything in the world around her - her entire life centred around her
computer. She even had another family who she contacted via the Internet.
She wondered idly if her 'cyberparents' knew Ingrid better than she did.
She also wondered why she bothered to nag her daughter to visit her - it
only caused her pain to see her like this.

                        *                       *                       *

Ingrid typed furiously into her laptop, already having forgotten the
conversation with her mother moments earlier.

"CROW>>" she typed, "so tell me about this guy you met." She punctuated
her sentence with her usual emoticon, feeling a sense of excitement at the
use of a language only 'net-users' such as herself could understand.

She waited for a reply. Finally, her screen read: 

"OCTO>> Well, he's - wait a sec, something's wrong with my computer!"
She typed back.

"CROW? What happened?

"OCTO>> My screen's glowing...something's really weird..."

"CROW?"

"OCTO>> HELP!!...IT'S KILLING ME!"

"CROW? CROW? DID YOU CRASH?"

"CROW?"

"TALK TO ME!!"

No reply.

Slightly shaken, Ingrid logged out and went to talk to her mother.


_Seventy Four_

"Scully, take a look at this."

"Mulder, get that look out of your eyes. The case is closed. David Trueman
is recovered, and his kids are back at home out of harm's way."

"So how do you explain the murders?"

She gave him a hard look and eventually shrugged. "I guess it's just
another 'unsolved mystery' like so many of our cases."

He looked at her seriously.

"You know I hate leaving things unfinished, Scully." 

"Mulder, the case is *closed*."

"I don't think so, Scully. Read this." He pushed the paper across at her.

"Mulder!"

"Humour me, Scully. Just have a look at it."

She sighed. "Fine," she said, relenting.

He studied her face for any signs of emotion as she scanned the file.
None. She finished, and looked up at him.

"So? What's your point?"

"Don't give me that, Scully. You can see the links just as well as I can."

"Mulder, just because the girl's screen allegedly emitted a green glow -
and mind you, we only have that on the word of her 8 year old brother who
probably has an overactive imagination - does *not* mean she was murdered
by alien children. I'm sorry, but this is just a totally illogical
conclusion to jump to - even for you." She handed the file back to him. He
took it, and tucked it into his briefcase.

"My instincts rarely fail me, Scully. I think we should go check out the
scene of her death."

"Mulder! I am not going all the way to South Dakota just to satisfy some
crazy whim of yours."

He smiled at her, that innocent, boyish smile that she usually loved, but
right now it made her want to punch him in the face.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," he said sweetly.

"I don't?" She narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

"Not just to satisfy my crazy whims, anyway." His smile grew wider. "No,
you'll have to do it because Skinner's asked you to. This 15 year-old girl
has just died an unexplained death, and whether or not it's connected to
out last case, we've been asked to find out why." He leaned back in his
chair, looking very satisfied at having defeated her.

Dana pursed her lips and glared at him.

"I swear, Mulder, on of these days..."

"Yes?"

"...I'm going to *kill* you."

He grinned.

"Qui, moi? What did I do?" He leaned back further in his chair. 

Scully couldn't resist it. With her toe, she gently nudged the edge of his
chair, sending him toppling over backwards. He tried unseccessfully to
grab at the edge of his desk as the chair tipped over and he landed in an
unflattering position on the floor.

"Ow," he said weakly.

She smirked. "Serves you right."


_Seventy Five_

"We hoped you enjoyed you flight to South Dakota on DOT airways," came the
airhostess' voice.

Mulder and Scully looked at each other. DOT airways...?

"Mulder," Scully said. "We better get going."

"Mmmmm," Mulder said absently.
                        *               *               *

Two hours later, our heroes were pulling up in front of the murdered
girl's house.

"Mrs Spaz?" Mulder asked.

[Ed's note - I believe the author of this particular section was finding
it difficult to think up a new character name. Yes... we *know* the name
'Crow Spaz' is totally ridiculous... but we've decided to let it stand.
After all, it kinda fits in with the atmosphere of the story...]

"Yes?"

"FBI. We have a permit to inspect your house regarding the murder of Crow Spaz."

"Yes, of course." She led the two agents inside the house and showed them
to the computer that her daughter Crow had been so addicted to.

"I can't imagine what happened!" Mrs Spaz cried. She fled from the room in
tears. The pain was too much to bear.

Mulder and Scully examined the computer screen carefully. Nothing unusual,
just a normal screen.

"Mulder, the girl was in a chat room when she was murdered. Do you think
that could be relevant?"

Mulder smiled. Hey, this could be fun...

'Please enter your name,' the chat site asked him.

"Hey, what should I go in as, Scully?" Mulder asked. "Loverboy?"

Scully gave him a disgusted look.

"Okay, okay!" he muttered. 'MULDER' he typed in the box.

Mulder and Scully stared at the screen as messages from different people
appeared.

"What happens now?" Mulder asked.

"Type 'Hello'," Scully suggested.

"I'm no good at this, you know..."

Scully smiled. It was true, both agents were not very good at socialising
- even on a computer!

"Hey," Scully cried. "Someone wrote to you!"

"From 'Octo'..." Mulder murmured. "What a name!"

"MULDER>>" Octo's message read. "Hi! Where are you from?"

"This is pathetic!" Mulder said.

It was at that moment that an eerie message flickered across the screen:

'WARNING. A murder is going to take place on Friday October 29th at the
FBI Headquarters. Thankyou."

"WHAT?!?" Mulder cried.

"Just a stupid joke," Scully assured him. But with that, another message
flickered across the screen:

'Miss Scully - you won't think it's stupid when it happens, now.'

Scully drew in her breath. This was *way* too weird. Someone had to be
watching them.

From the other room, Mrs Spaz screamed, and all the electricity went off.

"KILL 'EM ALL!!!!" a voice boomed.

Scully reached for her gun - and dropped it. The computer screen began to
glow. She threw up her arm to cover her eyes, and realised with a shock
that her arm was glowing too. Her heart beating wildly, she staggered
back, struggling against the fear rising in her throat. A pot plant ended
the fight for her. The fear, the pain, the confusion all melted away as
her head made contact with the hard floor and she lost consciousness.

-----

Thanks for reading. Come again soon.

And if you're ever feeling down, just be thankful your name isn't Crow Spaz.

-----

END OF PART 9/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (10/13) 

For disclaimer, category, rating, see intro.

_Quote of the installment_

DOODLEPAD ENTERTAINMENT brings you FREE Musical Interlude!

"Cancerman's song"

(To the tune of "Father and Son", sung by Cat Stevens)

Well it's time to be deranged,
Just relax, you're going crazy,
Everything is your fault,
And that's all you have to know.

Get a life, get a wife
And then kill her with a knife,
Then the FBI will get you,
And you'll have to go away.
I know, you'll have to go away.


Dedication: This installment is dedicated to the drunken Mr *Molokov*, on
behalf of Andrea...


__________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 10/?
by Katherine Marshall, Andrea Mathews, Christie Smallwood, Rebecca Moore.
__________________________

_Seventy Six_

FBI OFFICES
SIOUX FALLS, SD

Mulder flipped through the papers in front of him on his temporary desk,
but he was too distracted to pick up any clues from the information. He
sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He picked up the
phone beside him and began to dial, but then changed his mind and put it
down again. It had been only ten minutes since he'd last rung the hospital
to check up on Scully - there wouldn't have been any change in her
condition in that time, he realised miserably.

He'd hung around the hospital like a bad smell the moment Scully had been
taken in there in her unconscious state. Finally, the hospital staff had
suggested he go home - there was nothing more he could do for her at that
point.

He knew it was true - Scully would want him to keep working on the case.
But he just couldn't concentrate without her strength and presence beside
him, without her there to back him up, to make sure he had his facts
straight, to constantly argue with him over his crazy theories,
stimulating his mind.

"This is crazy," he thought. "She's only been gone for a few hours. It's
not the first time she's been hurt. What's wrong with me?"

He stared longingly at the phone. She might have woken up by now...

No, he decided, he didn't want the hospital thinking he was desperate.

"Even if I am," he muttered out aloud.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Mulder sat up with a start to find a young woman at the desk next to him
looking at him strangely. She had long, perfectly straight brown hair,
delicate features, and a figure that although slight, held an aura
strength. The most noticeable feature about her, however, was her eyes -
they were a soft brown, and framed by long lashes that appeared to
increase their depth.

Mulder shook himself and broke the woman's gaze, realising he had been staring.

"No, sorry, just talking to myself. Did I disturb you?"

"Oh, no, not at all." She smiled amiably. "Do you often make a habit of
talking to yourself?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

He grinned in reply. " I have to. No one else listens to me."

She chuckled, then turned serious. "I haven't seen you here before. Are
you new to the FBI?"

"Oh, no. I work at the Bureau headquarters, in DC. I'm just here on a
case. I'm Fox Mulder, by the way." He tilted his chair towards her and
extended his hand. She shook it warmly.

"Pleased to meet you, Agent Mulder. My name's Selina Leblanc." She studied
him curiously. "Your name rings a bell. Are you well known in the FBI?"

He paused for a moment, then replied, his face deadpan: "Oh, yes. Well
known for wasting the Bureau's time."

She smiled, sensing he was joking, but not quite getting the joke. He
picked up on her confusion and explained. "I have a reputation."

"What kind of a reputation?"

He smiled. "Can't I get to know you before I ruin any chance of a friendship?"

She grinned in reply. "That bad, huh? I wish I'd paid more attention to
the rumours. Anyway," she changed the subject, "Sioux Falls can be a
pretty boring place for tourists. Would you like me to take you to lunch,
and show you a few sights? That way you can get to know me a bit better,
and I can find out just why you're wasting the Bureau's time." She smiled
charmingly at him.

Mulder was a little surprised at the woman's forward manner. He hardly
knew her, and here she was asking him out to lunch! Still, he wasn't about
to turn down a free lunch. And it would take his mind off Scully.

And, there was something about this woman that intrigued him. He had the
sense she knew more about him than she was letting on.

"I'd be delighted, Ms Leblanc."


_Seventy Seven_

[Note - the following two parts don't make sense, but then, you're
probably used to that by now... <g> In terms of the overall plot, you can
ignore them.]

[Oh, and it also might help if you knew that we studied a really strange
book back in year 7 called 'I Am David'.]

FBI OFFICES
SIOUX FALLS, SD

"Hi, I'm looking for David," the head of the FBI said.

"I am David," Mulder said.

"I have some disturbing news for you."

"What?"

"Scully's dead."

"What?!?"

"She died. There was nothing the doctors could do."

"Oh, okay."

"You're taking this well, Mr Mulder."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well..."

"I AM DAVID."

"Yes, we know," the FBI head said.

Mulder grinned. He was David.


_Seventy Eight_

"MULDER!!!!"

"What?"

"MULDER!!!"

"SCULLY!"

"Yeah - it's me!"

"But Scully - you're dead!"

"No, no, I just had an out of bottle experience!"

"WOW, man," Mulder said.

"Mulder! Shhh!"

"What?"

"Your - your tie!"

"What? What?!?!"

"It's ALIVE!!"


_Seventy Nine_

[OK, back to the story...]

"H-T-T-P, colon, double slash, TV net dot com, slash, TV Chat, slash,
chat, dot, html," the man recited smoothly and without faltering.

"What the..." His younger companion gaped, obviously unfamiliar with the
terminology. He smiled patronisingly, and reached for another cigarette.

"I take it you're not online, Taylor?" he asked as he flicked his
cigarette lighter expertly.

"Ahh... an Internet address?" Some of the confusion cleared from Taylor's eyes.

"Not just *any* Internet address." The chain smoker paused, waiting for a
reaction. Receiving none, he continued: "An Internet address that our
favourite Bureau agent is taking a great deal of interest in."

The confusion returned. "Mulder? Why would he..."

"Why does Mulder do anything, Taylor?" The man raised his gravelly voice
slightly. "Because of his damn obsession with the truth, that's why.
You've been in the business long enough to know that."

Taylor nodded slowly. "What do you want me to do, sir?"

"See to it that Mulder doesn't have access to the address I just
mentioned. Block him off from all access to the Internet, if you have to."
He chewed on his cigarette thoughtfully. "Mulder doesn't know about our
little conspiracy with the alien children yet. And I'd like to keep it
that way."


_Eighty_

Mulder sat uncomfortably in the passenger seat of the tiny Mazda 121,
trying not to stare at the woman next to him. It wasn't just the limited
space in the tiny car for his long legs that made him uncomfortable,
either. Something about Selina Leblanc was eerily familiar - his
extraordinary memory told him he had definitely seen that face - or one
very much like it - somewhere before. And aside from her familiarity,
there was something about her eyes that made him shudder - their
incredible depths held some emotion that he couldn't quite place.

He allowed himself a short glance in her direction, his face carefully
masking his thoughts.

"So where are you taking me for lunch? I hope it's nowhere too far - my
legs are aching!" he joked. Selina had given him an extensive tour of the
city, and while the sights of Sioux Falls were fascinating, playing
tourist for so long was starting to take its toll on Mulder's limbs.

She smiled in reply. "I thought you Special Agents were supposed to be healthy."

"Ahh, but I'm not the type of person who does what he's *supposed* to," he
responded with a twinkle in his eye."

She glanced over at him. "No, I didn't think you were."

"So, where *are* you taking me for lunch?" He repeated the question.

This time, the twinkle was in *her* eye as she carefully phrased her
response. "I thought I'd make you lunch myself, at my apartment."

Mulder raised an eyebrow. This was turning into more than he'd bargained for...

"I'm a very good cook, you know, and it would be a sin to let you go home
without tasting a traditional South Dakota meal..."

"'Traditional South Dakota meal'? What's that, a hot dog and fries?" he teased.

Her lips curved upwards suggestively. "You'll just have to wait and see."

                *               *               *               *

Mulder sat patiently in Selina's dining room, waiting for his lunch.
Selina was busy in the kitchen, and she had insisted he stay put when he
had offered to help.

"Well, Mulder," he thought to himself. "Here you are in the house of a
woman you hardly know, while Scully's probably dying in hospital. Sound
familiar?"

Ashamedly, he thought of his rendezvous with Kristen Kilar while Scully
had been missing... despite the danger she'd been in, he'd had time to
stop searching and find another woman... then they'd found Scully in a
coma...

"This is different," he insisted, trying to squash down the feelings of
guilt inside him. "Scully's OK, being taken care of in a perfectly good
hospital, and Selina..."

"Yes?" the other voice in his mind teased him. "Selina? Admit it, Mulder,
you're attracted to her. You're here because you like the look of her.
Just like with Kristen."

<<No!>> he thought. <<Selina's not a *vampire*, for one thing.>>

<<How do you know?>>

<<I just know.>>

<<Face it, Mulder, you don't know a thing about her, except that she turns
you on.>>

<<That's not why I'm here!>>

<<Then why are you here?>>

<<Something about her... she knows something...>>

<<Knows what?>>

<<That's what I'm going to find out.>>

The battle raged on in his mind. Meanwhile, in the next room, Selina
arranged their meal on two separate plates. When she had finished, she
opened a drawer and extracted a small bag filled with white powder.
Smiling to herself, she sprinkled the white powder over one of the plates.

"Oh, Mulder," she whispered softly to herself. "You won't get away from me
this time."

Her eyes gleamed red behind her tinted contacts.

-----

END OF PART 10/13 :) :) :)

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (11/13) 

For disclaimer, category, rating, see intro.

_Quote of the installment_ 
-- So you're called Frenchie? Is that because you speak French?
-- Si, senor.

(From 'Sweet Charity')

Dedication: This part's dedicated to Oscar, the Ned look-alike.


__________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 11/?
by Rebecca Moore, Christie Smallwood, Andrea Mathews, Katherine Marshall.
__________________________

_Eighty One_

BACK IN WASHINGTON DC

David Trueman sighed as he thought of his fast growing children.

"No, they're not children anymore," he corrected himself. "They're adults.
Two fine men and two fine women."

But they weren't fine. He knew that. They were still consumed with the
hatred and the desire to kill that meant he had to keep them locked up in
the house like the toddlers they had been just a few weeks ago. It felt
wrong, and he knew it hurt his wife to see their children treated like
prisoners. But they seemed happy enough, occupying themselves with the
computer they had invested in recently - surfing the Net. And at least
they weren't doing any harm...

David could only hope they could somehow find the one cure to the hatred
that possessed them. The cure that had saved him twice. The only thing
that could destroy the hate.

Love.


_Eighty Two_

She was running, running for her life, down a dark corridor, she didn't
know where she was going, or even who or what she was running from, she
just knew she had to get away... Part of her wanted to know what was
behind her, that rational part of her that wanted to turn around, to see
what she was escaping from, but the whisper was drowned out by the rest of
her mind which screamed at her one single command, over and over...
'Run'...

the corridor ended and she tried the door Locked! hell... she rattled but
it was no use... shoot the lock! - no gun... oh hell I didn't come this
far to be stopped by a locked door - think, Dana! no time, no time, run
runrunrun... help! notheywon'tgetmenotnownotnow... ohdamnit'stoolate...

"MULDER!!"

She woke in a haze to find herself lying on her back on a metal table
surrounded by unfamiliar creatures. She shook her head, trying to clear
her foggy brain.

*Keep still.* A voice spoke in her mind.

She felt a dull pain in her arm as the needle was pressed in. She
struggled to remain conscious... she couldn't trust them... couldn't trust
anyone now... trust no one...

where are you, Mulder? why aren't you here to save me?

                *               *               *               *

People in long white gowns rushed in and out of Dana Scully's ward.

"Her pulse rate's increased and she's just been through a long phase of REM."

"Quite a speedy recovery, considering the shock she's taken."

"She seems to be a strong lady. We expect her to be gaining full
consciousness soon."

The two doctors paused in their conversation to look at Scully, whose
eyelids had fluttered open.

"Where am I?" she murmured in a weak voice. "And where's Mulder?"


_Eighty Three_

"Mmm, smells good." Mulder sniffed the air appreciatively as Selina walked
into the room carrying two plates.

"It *is* good." She set one  meal down in front of him, and took a seat.

"What is it?" He studied the food curiously.

"That's a secret." Selina gave him an enigmatic smile that sent shivers
down his spine.

<<Stop it, Mulder,>> he chided himself. Damnit, who was it she reminded his of?

Natalie! he thought suddenly. That was it. Her facial expression and
gestures were exactly like Natalie Trueman's. Could she be related? No, he
quickly dismissed that idea. The two women were nothing alike in looks -
it was just the mannerisms that were the same.

"Well, are you going to eat?"

He jumped slightly at hearing her voice, startled out of his thoughts. He
looked at her and grinned. "Sorry, just daydreaming."

She smiled at him seductively. "May I ask what about?"

Mulder blushed. "You may, but I won't tell you."

He noticed a glint in her eye.

<<Contact lenses,>> he realised. <<So that's why they look so deep. Must
be tinted.>>

A shrill noise emanated from Mulder's pocket.

"Excuse me," he said, rising from the table and reaching for his cellular
phone. "Mulder," he spoke briskly into the phone.

"Agent Mulder, this is Ms Hopkins from Sioux Falls Hospital speaking,"
spoke the voice on the other end.

"Yes? Is Scully all right? Is there a problem?" Mulder's throat tightened.
If anything had happened...

"Oh, no, sir. Quite the opposite. Agent Scully has regained consciousness
and she requested to see you. We thought you - "

"I'll be right there." Without waiting for further instructions, he hung
up and rushed to get his coat.

"Mulder? What's happened? Who was that?"

Mulder stopped and looked at her. "Selina, I'm sorry, but we're going to
have to have lunch another time. Can you give me a ride to the hospital?"


_Eighty Four_

Scully sat up in her hospital bed, the white sheets contrasting with her
fiery hair. The colour was starting to come back into her previously pale
cheeks, and she was longing to get out of the hospital and continue with
the case. She was bored silly - she needed some action. She wished Mulder
would hurry up and visit her. She'd thought he'd have been here...

Her thoughts drifted to the vivid dreams she'd been having during her
unconscious state. She wished she could remember more - all she could
recall was a feeling of intense fear and helplessness - similar to the way
she'd felt when she'd been abducted. The nurse said she'd called out
Mulder's name... Mulder... he should be here by now...

Something was nagging at Scully. There was something about this hospital
that wasn't quite right, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

After a while it came to her. Smoke. She could smell smoke in the air.
Where could it have come from? There were no fires allowed in hospitals.

She sniffed the air cautiously. Yes, there was definitely a strong smell
of smoke permeating the room. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it
sooner. And it wasn't just an ordinary smoky smell, there was something
very distinctive about it... she recognised that smell. She racked her
brains, trying to think what it could be.

Then, two things happened at once.

Scully realised what the smoke was.

And Mulder walked in.

He entered the room, took one sniff, and gaped at Scully. She gaped back,
startled by the revelation she'd just had.

"Cancerman," they gasped in unison.

------

END OF PART 11/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (12/13) 

For disclaimer, category, rating, see intro.

_Notes_ 

lalalalala i'm sick of typing this up lalalalalalala dsafhjnvroueryhjioxxxxxk

_Quote of the installment_ 

Rebecca: I feel like a donut.
Paisu: Stay away from Katherine then. Your life is in danger.

_Dedication_

To all those unfortunate souls who lost their lives in a valiant attempt
to stay on Reply-all. 

__________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 12/?
by Christie Smallwood, Andrea Mathews, Katherine Marshall, Rebecca Moore.
__________________________

_Eighty Five_

"BRIIIIIIIIIING!!! BRIIIIIIIIIING!!!"

A loud alarm reverberated through the hospital, causing Mulder and Scully
to put their hands over their ears.

"What *is* that noise?!" yelled Mulder.

"I don't know..."

"FIRE! EVACUATE!!" came a voice from down the corridor.

Scully wasted no time in rolling out of her bed, pulling the IV out of her
arm as she did so. 

She grabbed her belongings that were on the table beside her and followed
Mulder out the door, trying to ignore her throbbing head and weak legs.
The two agents joined the hectic crowd of panicking staff and patients in
their battle to escape the building.

"Where's the fire? Mulder asked a nurse. She gestured to a nearby
passageway and when Mulder followed her gaze he could see smoke pouring
out of what was once the hospital cafeteria.

"I always knew hospital food was dangerous," Scully murmured.

Mulder stared in shock at the burning doorway.

"Mulder? Are you ok? Come on Mulder, we have to get out of here."

"Scully... Selina... I left her in the cafeteria..."

"Selina? Who's she?"

Mulder ignored her question.

"I have to get her out of there... I can't leave her..."

"Mulder, you can't go in there! The fire's spreading - we have to get
out!" But it was no use - Mulder was already running down the passageway
towards the blaze, and Scully had no way of stopping him.


_Eighty Six_

"Selina? Wake up, it's me, Mulder."

Mulder sat on the ground outside the burning hospital, where everyone else
had gathered as they waited for the firefighters to do their job. He was
trying, without much success, to revive an unconscious Selina Leblanc.

"Mulder, you could have been killed going into that fire. What the hell
were you trying to prove?"

Mulder turned to see an angry Scully approaching him.

"I wasn't trying to *prove* anything, Scully. I was trying to save a life.
If it wasn't for me, Selina wouldn't have even *been* at the hospital, and
she wouldn't have been hurt. It's my fault she's like this now,  I
couldn't just leave her to..."

"Oh, don't give me that 'it's my fault' crap again, Mulder! I'm sick of
your guilt trips and your self blaming - one day you're going to kill
yourself pulling a stunt like this! You can't protect everyone, Mulder,
nobody - "

"Where am I?" Scully's lecture was interrupted as Selina gained
consciousness. She had a look of total confusion on her face. Mulder knelt
down beside her and explained.

"There was a fire in the hospital, Selina. I had to drag you out of the
cafeteria..."

"Who are you?" She interrupted him. "How do you know my name? And what was
I doing in a hospital, anyway?"

Mulder looked puzzled. "It's me, Mulder. Don't you remember...?" No, from
the blank look on her face, she obviously had no idea who he was. How
could that have happened?

"What's the last thing you remember, Selina?"

Selina closed her eyes as she thought.

"The last thing I remember... I was using the Internet."

"The Internet??" Now Mulder was confused.

"Yes. It was Sunday night."

"But... that's two days ago! You're sure you don't remember anythingsince then?"

"I'm sure... something strange happened. I remember, I was on TV chat, and
something strange happened... the computer went all green... oh, I'm so
tired - who are you, anyway? I don't know any "Mulder" - why are you
asking me this? My head hurts..." She closed her eyes again.

"Paramedics! Out of the way, please! Emergency!"

The paramedics lifted Selina into the ambulance and took her away before
Mulder had the chance to ask anything more. For a few moments he stood in
shock, amazed by what Selina had said.

Finally, Scully spoke. "Mulder, what was that all about? Who *was* that
Selina person?"

He didn't answer her question, but instead murmured absentmindedly: "Her
eyes. They were different, Scully. I'm sure they were... something was
missing. Something left her during that fire..."

"Mulder, would you like to tell me what is going on here?"

Mulder blinked and looked at her.

"Yeah. Let's go home, Scully. I think we've spent enough time here. I'll
tell you on the way back." He smiled and took her hand.


_Eighty Seven_
BACK AT THE HOTEL 

"Ok, Mulder, you obviously think that the fact that "Crow Spaz" was using
TV Chat before she died is related to the fact that the last thing Selina
Leblanc remembers is using TV Chat. But how could the two be anything more
than a coincidence? The two people didn't even *know* each other, as far
as we know, and we can't prove that Selina's health was in any way
affected by the use of TV Chat - just what are you going on here, Mulder?"


Scully had been updated on the events that had occurred while she was in
hospital, and was worried by the gleam in Mulder's eyes - the gleam that
said he had an idea involving something 'paranormal'

He stood up from the bed he'd been sitting on and started to pace the
room. "Scully," he began, "I know I can't give you any solid proof of this
but you have to believe me when I say that something was different about
Selina when she gained consciouness after the fire. I don't just mean the
memory loss - I mean... she was *different*, Scully. The way she spoke,
her mannerisms, facial expressions - and something, about her eyes... She
was almost like a different person."

He stopped his pacing and looked at Scully, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Mulder, that could easily be due to the fact that she probably wasn't
fully conscious, had just experienced some kind of amnesia, and was
probably in a great deal of pain, seeing as she had second degree burns on
most of her body. Even if you are right - what does that tell us? Where
are you going with this? Are you saying you think she's been "possessed by
the Internet" or something?"

Mulder resumed his pacing.

"Ok, this is just a theory, Scully, and I know you're not going to like it..."

"Uh-oh, I've heard that one before..."

Mulder sat down on the bed, concentrating intensely, trying to organise
the thoughts in his mind. After a few moments' silence, he began:

"Scully, we've come across people with psychokinetic powers before. What
if someone, somewhere, was using some form of psychokinesis through the
Internet? Using some kind of paranormal ability to affect people or the
other side of the world - killing them, or in Selina's case, somehow
taking control of their mind, until they lost contact? They could make
contact telepathically via the Internet, then continue to influence their
actions until something like losing consciouness prevented them from
contacting her mind..."

"Mulder, you're right."

"*What*???" Mulder looked shocked.

"You're right. I don't like it."

Mulder grinned. "You had me worried for a second there, Scully."

Scully stood - now it was her turn to pace the room as she composed
rebuttals for Mulder's 'spooky' theory.

"Mulder, what you are suggesting is just not logically possible. The
Internet is a system that transmits signals via phone wires - these
signals are created by telephones or modems hooked to computers - there is
no way that a person's mind could directly interfere with those signals."

Mulder interrupted her. "But Scully, isn't it true that humans produce a
certain amount of energy? What if certain enzymes, instead of just making
that energy, somehow directed it *out* of the body, where it would enter
the computer. The computer not knowing how to handle this extra energy,
would get rid of it through it's main outlet - the modem - where it would
travel across the world to another computer, which in turn would emit the
energy through the screen, causing the green glow that has been reported
in both cases."

"Mulder, that's ridiculous! There is no way the human body could do
something like that, let alone control such an ability to the extent where
they could direct the energy to specific computers and choose what effect
it would have to the person on the receiving end."

"No, maybe you're right," Mulder mused.

"WHAT?" This time Scully was shocked.

But the excitement hadn't left Mulder's eyes. "Maybe it's not human."

"Oh, no. Mulder..."

"Maybe it's alien."

-----

END OF PART 12/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: X Marks The DOT (13/13) 

For disclaimer, category, rating, see intro.

_Notes_

Please don't kill us.

_Quote of the installment_ 

There ain't none.

_Dedication_ 

There ain't none.

__________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Part 13/?
by Rebecca Moore, Katherine Marshall, Andrea Mathews and Christie Smallwood
__________________________

_Eighty Eight_
BACK IN DC, A WEEK LATER

Scully sat in her office, trying to concentrate on the paperwork that was
piling up around her on all sides. Her desk was starting to look as bad as
Mulder's... With that thought she sighed and leaned back in her chair,
removing her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose. She allowed her mind
to wander from the boring paperwork for a few moments, and instead
ponddered over the recent developments in the case. During their last few
days in South Dakota, they had visited Selina Leblanc a number of times to
question her further. Scully grudgingly admitted to herself that she was
actually quite a nice person, although she hadn't wanted to like her...

"Why not, Dana?" spoke a little voice in her mind. "What did you have
against her? Could it be that you're *jealous*?"

No, she quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She and
Mulder were *partners*, nothing more, they'd tried a relationship with
disasterous results...

She'd thought Selina had been nice, until they'd run a test on the food in
her house, and discovered she'd been trying to poison Mulder with arsenic.

Scully puzzled over that one. There was no doubt in her mind that the food
Mulder had been going to eat that day was poisoned. But why? Maybe Mulder
was right, maybe she had been possessed...

"No, that's ridiculous!"

"What?" Mulder looked up from his paperwork, and Dana realised she'd
spoken aloud.

"Oh... nothing. So, are you going to see the lovely Ms Leblanc again?"
Scully smiled cheekily.

"What, after she tried to poison me??"

"I thought you liked dangerous women, Mulder."

He laughed, then turned serious. "No, I probably won't see her again.
Although she was nice, and I still don't think she can be held responsible
for the arsenic episode."

"So what's stopping you?"

He looked up from his paperwork.

You are, he felt like saying.

"It's kind of hard to fit in time for a life with the hours we work,
Scully. You should know that."

"Yeah, true." She smiled grimly. "Normal people just don't appreciate the
fact that our jobs have to come first. I guess it's not that much fun
going out with an FBI agent."

"We are kind of hard to understand, aren't we," Mulder agreed.

"Well, we understand each other," Scully reasoned. "Maybe that's the
solution. Go out with another agent."

Mulder looked at her strangely. "I tried that."

Scully blushed as she realised the implications of what she'd said. "I
didn't mean..."

"No. Of course not." Mulder smiled and returned to his paperwork.


_Eighty Nine_

WARNING: Vaguely-semi-serious part ends here.

Scully died for the third time.


_Ninety_

Mulder was no reader; but he had contrived excellent accomodations, and
fashioned very pretty shelves, for a tolerable collection of well bound
volumes, the property of his houseguest. Mulder thought of the lovely
Scully.

"Ring, ring." The phone shrilled.

"Mulder"

"Mr Mulder, awful news - Scully's *DEAD*!"

Mulder sighed. He went back to his books. At least books don't die.


_Ninety One_

He bent his head over the books trying to decipher the small spidery
handwriting. It made no sense but that didn't worry him. He'd translate it
later.

A strange smell wafted into the room. Cursing, Mulder jumped up and ran to
the spare bedroom. Tying a handkerchief over his mouth so he would have
both hands free, he pushed the door open.

Even with the handkerchief, the smell was overpowering, and it took Mulder
a few seconds to adjust. Squinting into the light, he tried to see what
was going on .

The glass capsule had broken open and before Mulder's fascinated eyes, the
limbs - you couldn't call them arms - dropped off and disintegrated on the
floor. This roused Mulder to action!

It wasn't everyday you kept an alien in your spare room and he wasn't
going to lose the discovery of the century. 

He leapt forward and snapped the capsule closed. Immediately, the light
faded and Mulder blinked as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. He squatted on
the floor beside the spot where the arms had fallen. Suddenly his eyes
narrowed and he picked up a small metal object. It was a ring, engraved
with the initals C.S. Mulder was shocked. There was no way that *thing*...
wasn't... couldn't be... have been... human!


_Ninety Two_

Crow Spaz.

Mulder smiled.

Yes, it had a nice ring to it.

If he was ever to have a daughter he would call her Crow. Yes, Crow Spaz
Mulder. 

Had a nice sound to it. 

Mulder smiled again.

"What are you thinking about?" Scully asked him.

He grinned, and without hesitating he said clearly:

"Crow Spaz."


_Ninety Three_

"Who stole the giraffe's paperclips?" a voice demanded to know.

"Crow Spaz" Mulder murmured.

"What *IS* IT with this Crow Spaz?"

"She was the one who stole the giraffe's paperclips, she has no arms..."

"What happened to her arms?"

"They fell off."

"Oh. Very unfortunate."

"She - she reminds me of someone..."

"Who?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it... but... hey! That's it!"

"Who? Who it she?"

"Crow Spaz - Selina - the vampire - they're the same person!"

"Mulder - Marijuana's not legal yet."

Mulder smiled. "Wow, pink elephants with bow ties..."

"Mulder - "

"WOT?"

"Mulder! Where are you going?"

Mulder had started to walk towards the door in a trance.

"I'm going to follow those pink elephants wherever they go..." And with
that, Mulder walked outside the door after his 'pink "spaz" elephants'.


_Ninety Four_

"Mulder's dead."


_Ninety Five_

"Scully's dead"


_Ninety Six_

They're both dead, Skinner thought. How inconvenient. Now they would
REALLY shut down the X-files. 

No more X-files... oh well... it was good while it lasted... 

Mulder and Scully were buried side by side.

Skinner smiled. He knew they would want it that way.

Walted Skinners face suddenly changed. He frowned. Mulder and Scully had
been killed "in the line of duty"... but Skinner knew better...

Cancerman had hired hitmen to kill them...

And now they were dead.

Perhaps it was better this way. Perhaps the "truth" should be left buried,
in the past.

                                                                                                                  

*           *            *

CASE: 101223
NAME: Murder of Mulder and Scully.
STATUS: UNEXPLAINED.
                                                                               
*           *            *

                                                                                               
~* The End *~

-----

END OF PART 13/13

Subject: NEW: The DOT 2: Epilogue (1/1) 

For disclaimer, category, rating, see intro.

_Notes_

;) 

_Quote of the installment_ 

Katherine: <wails> There's no donuts left!!
Canteen Lady: <produces a donut from nowhere> Don't worry, I saved you one.

_Dedication_ 

To the canteen lady, who saved my life (and my sanity) on more than one
occasion.

__________________________

THE DOT II: X MARKS THE DOT
Epilogue.
by Rebecca Moore, Katherine Marshall, Andrea Mathews and Christie Smallwood
__________________________

A CONVERSATION OVERHEARD SOMEWHERE IN OUTER SPACE, 03.05.96

(Scene: Two inhuman beings are seated in an enclosed room facing a console
and watching closely the movements on the screen in front of them, which
appears to be filled with stars. They are speaking in a foreign language
which cannot be identified as anything spoken on Earth. Here is an
approximate English translation of their conversation:- )

Alien 1: I just received bad news regarding our Earth contact from Base 42.

Alien 2: Don't tell me Melrose Place has been cancelled again.

Alien 1: (confused): No... uh... it's the clones. They've been killed.

Alien 2: What clones?

Alien 1: You remember the 2 human clones we made?

Alien 2: No...

Alien 1: (exasperated): Where have you *been* for the last 264523 million years?

Alien 2: Reticula, mostly, with occasional visits to the Andromeda Plains,
and unchartered regions such as coordinates -

Alien 1: Ok, ok. Very funny. You *really* don't remember those two clones
we made? They took the place of a couple of FBI agents.

Alien 2: Oh yeah, that's right... Mulder and Scully, wasn't it?

Alien 1: They're the ones.

Alien 2: What was that for, again?

Alien 1: (speaking slowly, *very* exasperated): We wanted to make them act
completely out of character so their superiors would become suspicious and
shut the X-files down. So we sent two of our race down there to kidnap
them, put them in a coma, then reproduce their DNA so they could clone...

Alien 2: (interrupts): Oh, yeah, yeah, I remember now.

Alien 1: (mutters): Hallelujah.

Alien 2: So what were you saying about them, again?

Alien 1: *sigh* The clones died. 

Alien 2: Oh. So what do we do now? Send two more clones down?

Alien 1: No, we can't afford to lose any more of our kind. The real Mulder
and Scully are going to wake up from their coma soon, so the best thing we
can do right now is watch their progress. Watch and wait...

(The image on the computer screen changes, the stars disappearing to be
replaced by what looks like a view of the inside of a train carriage. On a
closer look, it can be seen that the carriage is empty but for two people,
both unconscious...)

-----

END OF EPILOGUE

-- 
Rebecca Moore
<rmoore@connexus.apana.org.au>