Date sent:        Sun, 19 Apr 1998 21:15:58 -0500
From:             Karoshi12@Ameritech.net

Title:   FOX the Fugitive 



"Maggie, now that we're alone," Dana peeked  over her shoulder  
to confirm Officer Jack Warninski was out of ear shot, "can you 
tell me again about your encounter with Age..., Mr. Mulder?"

Maggie licked her lips and took  stock of Special Agent Dana Scully.  
The woman was tough,  cold as ice but there was something in 
the way her voice softened when she spoke this  Mulder's name 
that made Maggie suspicious.  "Listen Agent Scully, we've been 
through this, I'm tired."

"Please Maggie, one more time."

"Okay but no one is going to convince me that that man is a 
psychotic nutball or some kind of serial killer.  No m'am, I've 
been waiting tables for over 20 years and I know how to read 
people and that boy was not crazy.  Tired," she paused for a 
moment thinking back to her meetings with this Mr. Mulder, 
"yes, he was exhausted, kind of out of it, but not crazy like 
mean crazy."

"Maggie, please tell me in your own words what happened," concern 
evident in her voice now.

"Okay, okay, a few nights ago, he comes stumbling in the door, 
I don't know about 7-8pm, not sure, we were a little busy that night
It wasn't like you could miss him, he was a bit of a mess."

"How so Maggie, describe him to me."

Maggie smiled a little smile, she knew that man wasn't a killer,
 just a man in some trouble.

"Maggie, please."

"Well, looked like he hadn't shaved for a few days, rough 
beard, you know."

Scully nodded, not wanting to interrupt her flow.

"Hair was messy, looked like he just ran his hands through it 
before walking in the door.  His clothes were rumpled like he'd 
been in them for a while but even with all that against him, he 
was still the best looking thing I'd seen  in a long time," taking
a moment to linger over the memory.  "Oh my, hazel eyes that 
had the weariest look I'd ever seen, you just wanted to put your 
arms around him and hug, you know," she asked Scully.

"Yes Maggie," she said softly, "I know, please go on."

Maggie smiled a little smile, oh yes, Agent Scully knew something 
about wanting to hug that man, that was pretty obvious.  Maggie 
continued,  " Now let me see, we usually don't seat people.  Locals 
usually just come in and make themselves at home but it was pretty 
obvious he was a stranger and not used to making himself at home.  
I gave him a smile and asked if he was here for dinner or just a beer.  
At first I thought he didn't hear me but then he looked at me with 
those sleepy lids and a bit of a pout and said he was feeling a bit 
hungry."  Leaning in to Scully now, she whispered, "I was 
feeling a little hungry myself."

"Maggie, please."

"Oh, okay.  Gave him my best table and took good care of him I 
did, made sure his food was good and hot.   I noticed he ate real 
low, at first I thought he was just enjoying the food but after a while
 I could see he was almost falling asleep in it."

Maggie looked up at Agent Scully  and asked, "what did he do, 
is he really bad?"

Scully wasn't  sure how much she should say at this point but Mulder 
being Mulder, it appeared he had stolen another heart, even unshaven.  
"He didn't do anything Maggie, it's what.....what he might do.  Unshed 
tears sparkled in Dana's eyes, "he's sick Maggie and I just want to find 
him and get him home."

Maggie understood, she knew the look.  "He was just getting ready to 
pay the check when he stood up and nearly fell down.  Being the 
good Samaritan I am", she smirked, "I grabbed him around the 
waist and then lowered him very slowly back into his  chair 
(smiling she thought, real slowly).  I told him he needed to go 
hold up in the motel and at first it didn't look like he was going to 
listen but then, I guess I got to him because he took directions to a 
local campground and left."

"And that was the last you saw of Mulder?" asked Scully.

"Well no, he must've stayed the night because I ran into him the 
next morning at the minimart gas station just down the street.  
He was buying some stuff, donuts, I think  and some kind of pills.  
Must have been for that cold he looked like he was fighting.  I was 
just checking up on him, making sure he was all right," blushed 
Maggie, "when Jack came in.  This Mulder bumped right into Jack," 
Maggie laughed, "thinking about it now it was kind of funny 
although I doubt he thought so.  Jack let him pass with an excuse 
me but, well Jack's a cop, it was almost as if he could smell 
something wrong.  He started to walk towards him and I thought 
he was going to start harassing the poor guy so I gave him my 
best smile and called Jack over to me, giving your friend some 
time to slip out and drive away."

"Except for the cold, did he seem all right?"  

"He looked okay, still messy and,  a little smelly.  Stuffed up 
from the cold I guess, oh yah, I also noticed a bruise on his 
forehead, kind of high up, like he hit the top of his head on 
something.  And like I said, he was tired, less tired than the 
night before but you could tell he had a long way to go before 
he was going to be able to really sleep."

"What about the car, what can you tell me about it?"

"Nothing to tell, didn't really pay much attention."

Skinner joined them now, his presence still felt oppressive to her.  
She was used to him in his office, not out here in the field and 
certainly not looking for Mulder.  She was wary of him, not 
sure how to behave.  "Scully I checked with the campsite 
down the road.  The owner vaguely remembers a Will Johnson 
hecking in that night in a dark-colored Ford.  I showed him the 
picture of Mulder and he ID'd it on the spot."  

Officer Warninski had joined them again as well.  One more 
question announced Scully, "any thoughts, ideas on where he 
might be heading?"  Both Maggie and Jack shook their heads no, 
neither had been paying attention by the time Mulder pulled out 
and Mulder didn't say anything to Maggie that would indicate his 
final destination.

Thanking both of them for their time and cooperation, Scully 
and Skinner headed to their borrowed car.  A friend of the pilot 
had agreed to let them use it.

Scully turned to Skinner, "Maggie described him as being 
exhausted and a bit banged up but otherwise healthy."

"The trailer park manager didn't seem to notice anything unusual 
bout his appearance, probably gets a lot of guys that look like that , 
looking for a cheap place to catch some sleep."    Skinner started 
the car, "what now Scully, we have no idea what direction he's 
headed in.?"  

"Sir, I'm sure I'll be able to narrow it down to a small area 
shortly," insisted Scully.

"How can you be so confident?"

"Well, it's a little unorthodox but I think, considering it's Mulder 
were looking for, it'll work," Scully smiled that small smile she 
reserved for special occasions, for  those when she knew she had 
outwitted Mulder.

Skinner gave her his full attention, "Scully, what have you done?"

"I put out Mulder's picture to every emergency room in the country."

"and...."

"I may have mentioned that if he were to check in with an injury that 
they should sedate him heavily and contact me immediately," she 
said smugly.

"Shame on you Scully," Skinner feigned shock. "How can you be 
so sure he'll need an emergency room?"

Disbelieving she stared at Skinner, "sir, this is Mulder we're talking about!"

"Point taken Scully," agreed Skinner as he started the car, "point taken."

************
Okay, so your head hurts, get used to it, growled Mulder to himself.  
He hadn't slept on the bus and he was hungry.  The bus had deposited 
him at what appeared to me a local mall in Boulder, Colorado.  He 
shoved his bags into two large lockers and headed for a little  bagel 
shop on the second floor.  With two plain bagels, cream cheese 
in hand along with the largest cup of coffee sold by the place and a 
local paper, he parked himself in a corner table near a window. 

Looking over the rentals for the area, he circled a couple possibilities.  
While thumbing through the rest of the paper he couldn't help but 
notice the articles on the Ramsey case, he had forgotten about that 
one, to him it was pretty cut and dried, just a matter of pulling 
enough evidence together to make it a case.  He'd have to make 
sure he didn't hang around Boulder too long,  didn't need to worry 
about running into any old friends from the bureau working the case.  
God they would like that, tracking and turning in Spooky Mulder, he 
knew men and women who would pay for that experience, sobering 
suddenly, he realized he knew at least one man (Skinner) and one 
woman (Scully) who were being paid to track him.  He also knew 
he couldn't underestimate them but he still had hope that after a 
while, they would just let it drop and leave him alone.  Remembering 
his nightmare in that Wisconsin trailer park he shuddered, no, 
mustn't underestimate those two.  Absorbing the rest of the news 
quickly, he also read an article documenting  two apparently unrelated 
murders that had occurred recently, one in a nearby suburb and 
another right on campus, a professor, about 50-55 years from the 
picture.  Looked like from the article both men were well liked 
and respected by the community although  both died in different 
ways, one allegedly had been pushed off a cliff and into a rushing 
mountain stream and the other was found dead in his own home
police suspected he had surprised a burglar and been bludgeoned to 
death.  Interesting, Mulder flipped the pages, looking for a bit more 
information on the cases somehow he felt they were related, he just 
wasn't sure how.  Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he laughed 
out loud, startling the two ladies sitting at the table next to his, "oh, 
uhm, sorry," looking down at the paper, the Dilbert cartoon caught his 
eye, " I just love that Dilbert."  His smile was difficult to resist and the 
woman at the next table smiled back widely hoping he might reveal a 
bit more information about his likes and dislikes. 

Taking their interest as his clue to leave, Mulder stopped by the 
counter and refilled his coffee before leaving the area.  Next he 
located  a group of pay phones off in a quiet corner and began 
dialing.  In under 20 minutes, he had two appointments set up to 
look over some rental property.  Contacting a local car rental, 
they delivered a car to the Sears entrance in under an hour.  
American Express this time under the name Will Jakes.  
Recording the directions to each sight in his head, he headed 
into the mountains.  The first place was one of those dome homes 
built in the 60s.  It was pretty run down and easily accessible off 
the main road.  Something about living in a round home didn't 
appeal and he had hoped for something a little more remote.  
Heading further into the mountains, he made his way down 
several back roads, thinking  a four-wheel drive vehicle was 
going to have to be next on his shopping list.  Without it he'd 
never be able to manage this road in bad weather.  Pulling into 
a small driveway marked with a large Private Property sign, he 
stepped out of his car and walked towards the cabin.

The apparent owner arrived just a few minutes later.  As the man's 
truck pulled in Mulder felt his pulse quicken and automatically 
reached around his back for the comforting feel of his gun.  Until 
he could see the man clearly, he wasn't taking any chances.  
Pulling up his truck right behind Mulder's car, the man  slowly 
climbed his way out.  He was older, Mulder observed, oh heck 
who was he kidding, this guy was old, 85 years if he was a day. 
The man, about 5'6 limped his way over to join him.  As he 
approached, Mulder felt himself begin to relax and let his arms 
fall to his sides.

"Are you Will, Will Jakes," he inquired taking in the young man's 
haggard appearance and swollen eyes.  He was old, but not stupid,
 this boy was running from something or someone.

"Yes sir, that would make you Mr. Henderson?"

"You got that right boy, c'mon let's go inside and look around, 
get to know each other a little," walking up the stairs he fumbled 
to find the keys.

Mulder followed him, walking at the old man's pace, not wanting 
to make him feel rushed.  Looking around, Mulder decided small 
talk was his best option, he needed to sell this man on his own 
harmlessness.  "Beautiful country up here Mr. Henderson."

The old man turned as they entered the cottage, "yes, it is beautiful, 
it's the kind of place a man comes when he needs to forget."

Mulder stumbled on the floor board, recovered quickly and innocently 
asked, "forget?"

"Now son, you can't fool me!"

Mulder wasn't sure how to continue, "I.....I can't".

The old man chuckled, "son, anyone can see you're either recovering 
from a seriously broken heart or you're one of those executives who
 just decided to chuck the corporate world and leave it all behind."

"You're very perceptive Mr. Henderson, I didn't realize it was so 
obvious."

"Not to most but you know, I have been around the block a few 
times.  So...."

"So...., " Mulder repeated.

"Which is it, a girl or a job?"

"Well actually Mr. Henderson, it's .....," looking down, afraid his 
eyes would show the lie, "it's both."

"Both, a woman and your job, poor kid."

Mulder felt bad lying but depending on how you interpreted his 
current situation, it could be the way this man suspected.  Scully 
was the woman who betrayed him, the FBI was the career that 
disappointed him, yes, it made sense.  He felt his eyes well up with 
tears again  as he thought of all he had left behind, he didn't hear the 
old man talking to him.  Glancing up, the man couldn't miss the 
pain in his eyes.

"It's okay Will, I tell you, it'll get better," patting his arm now, 
he continued, "it can only get better."

Mulder, not expected any human contact flinched a little.  The old 
man saw it and chalked it up to a man who had been burned one 
time too many.

"Well, what do you think, do you want to live the life of a 
mountain man?"

Mulder looked around, one room, small kitchenette in the corner
table and chairs, double bed, it didn't look bad.  Sparsely furnished, 
it needed a good cleaning, but he could handle that.  Entering the 
kitchen area he checked the appliances and found a very old but 
working stove and refrigerator.  He entered the extremely small 
bathroom and was immediately gratified to find it had a shower, 
things were looking up. 

"A few questions Mr. Henderson," easily slipping into his interview 
mode.

"Yah?"

"Hot water?"

"Most of the time."

"This jack, does it work?"

"My God boy, do you think were savages," he laughed.  "Yes, it works, 
you just have to call U.S. West and ask for service, I can write down the 
actual service address if you like."

"Great, that would be great," Mulder nodded.  "What about," 
raising his eyebrow, "cable?"

"Sorry, not in this area," the old man answered smiling at Will's 
disappointment.  A naughty channel boy if he'd ever seen one. 
 "Most people up here order up one of those satellite dishes, 
that'll get you just about any channel you can imagine."

Mulder perked up, "any channel?"

"Any channel," the man confirmed.

"How much, Mr Henderson?"

"Well, to be honest, it's been sitting empty for a while.  Kind 
of far back for most people you know."

Mulder nodded.

"Listen, you seem like a nice young man, how about $400 a 
month?'

Mulder scanned the room once more, taking a chance he countered, 
"make it $350 and I can provide you with first and last month's rent."

The old man chuckled to himself, he would've taken $300.  Holding 
out his hand he agreed, "deal Will, let's shake on it."

Mulder reached out and shook his hand, then reaching for his wallet, 
he counted out $700 cash and handed it over.

Eagerly accepting the cash, Henderson asked, "so, what kind of 
work do you do now?"

Mulder froze,  he hadn't thought through how to answer that question.  
Quickly compiling his own profile in his mind, he found the answer.  
"Oh well, I write some, article here and there, just enough to keep 
food on the table."

"I read a lot Will, would I have read anything by you?"

"Now Mr. Henderson, what would a successful writer be doing in a 
$350 a month cabin," he joked.  "I said I was a writer Mr. Henderson, 
not necessarily a very successful one."

Henderson laughed, he liked a man who didn't take himself too 
seriously.  

Giving Mulder directions to the nearest town for groceries and the 
number of the phone company, his landlord went on his way leaving 
Mulder alone, alone in his new home.

************
Lone Gunmen Office:  Frohike was alone, Langly and Byers had 
gone out to pick up some lunch while he stayed behind and watched 
for any word from Mulder.  It had been a few days and they were all 
concerned.   While Frohicke searched  the chat rooms for signs of 
Mulder, Scully prepared to knock on his door.  Dana Scully was an 
attractive woman and although she rarely took advantage of that fact,
she had accepted that there's a first time for everything.  Doing a quick 
check on her hair and makeup, she raised her hand to knock.

He was startled when he heard the knock, who could this be, Byers or 
Langly would have never knocked.  Logging off quickly, he went to the 
door and checked out his visitor through the peephole they had installed. 
He was not surprised to see the sexy Dr. Dana Scully, he had been 
expecting her.  Opening the door, he allowed her to enter.

"Why Agent Scully, what a pleasant surprise," stepping behind her, 
he placed his hands on her shoulders, "may I take your coat," he asked.

Dana had the good grace to blush, it was obvious that Frohike knew 
why she was here.  She had planned on charming him just a little, but 
knowing him, he had probably already worked out a more detailed 
fantasy in his mind.

"Thank you," she shrugged it off to reveal a shorter than usual skirt 
and a blouse that gapped a bit when she leaned forward in just the 
way she was doing now.  Yes, Frohike knew this was going to be a 
very difficult temptation to resist.

Standing quickly he mumbled, "the guys will be back soon, just 
grabbing some lunch, would you like something to drink?"

Dana looked up at Frohike with bright, tear-filled eyes, Frohike was lost.

"Agent Scully....Dana, what's the matter," he begged.

Leaning into him, Dana moaned, "oh, it's Mulder....Fox, he's gone 
and I'm just sick with worrying about him."  She allowed herself 
to lean in a bit more heavily on him.

Frohike gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders and just 
held her for a few brief seconds.  Pushing her back gently, he 
began,  "you're a very bad girl Dana which usually I find to be a 
very exciting trait in a woman," she started to pull back but he 
wouldn't release her. Inches from her face now, he whispered 
softly, "Fox Mulder has been my friend for too many years.  
As much as I am just crude enough to attempt to take advantage 
of this situation, it is my friendship with him and," meeting her 
eyes now, "you that will not allow me to continue with this 
conversation.  Don't ask me, us, to help you find him, he's a 
big boy, he'll come home when he's ready and, it's safe."  He 
released her then and quickly moved away from her.  He was 
very vulnerable when it came to this woman and if she really 
decided to turn it on, he doubted he would be able to resist her.

Dana stood, tears miraculously gone.  She advanced slowly on 
him until she was in his face.  "Now you listen to me Frohike, 
Mulder is sick, do you hear, sick.  I am a medical doctor and 
believe me I know a sick puppy when I see one.  I don't want 
to find him so I can hurt him, when have I ever hurt him", she 
demanded.

"Well, there was that time you shot him, " he challenged.

"Oh well then," waving her hand to the side she sputtered, "that, 
that was for his own good."

"And what about that time you turned him in for drilling that 
hole in his head," he added.

"The man let another person drill a frigging hole in his head for 
God's sake, is that normal Frohike?  Normal people do not let 
that happen!"

"Being normal is highly overrated Dana," Frohike actually 
purred her name.  "Fox Mulder is not normal, he will never 
be normal.  Why do you demand it of him?"

Dana was silent, not wanting to listen but finding herself 
unable to avoid it.  Was it possible that this was the reason 
Mulder frustrated her so.  Did she have some deep-seated 
need to make everyone around her normal?  

"Dana", Frohike queried, her eyes snapped up at him, she was 
extremely angry.  "Agent Scully," he corrected, "can I ask you 
one more question?"

"Go ahead," tired now she didn't even look up.

"Is frigging a navy term?"  He ducked as a large book on the JFK 
conspiracy flew at his head.

"You, Byers, Langly AND Mulder are all going to end up in the 
same insane asylum," she screamed as she grabbed her coat.  She 
shoved her way through a surprised Langly and Byers and ran 
down the stairs.

Frohike smiled at them, "Mulder".

They nodded understanding what had just occurred.  They had actually 
expected her much earlier.   Langly pushed his  blond hair away from 
his face and said, "you know, there are worse people to be in an asylum 
with, at least we'd have something to talk about." 

"Absolutely," agreed Byers.

"Especially if the lovely Dr. Scully stopped by for a visit now and 
then," Frohike added.

Chuckling they went back to work, scanning the sites for news of 
Mulder.

************
Jogging  up the mountain path, Mulder was feeling better than he 
had in a very long time.  The peace and solitude the mountains 
offered him these last few weeks had allowed him the time needed
to come to terms with his  decision to leave his career and his friends 
behind.  He had even gotten to the point where he could think about  
Scully and Skinner without feeling the anger.  Thinking back, they 
thought they were doing the right thing.  That didn't make it right, 
but he no longer raged when he remembered their intentions.  

Truth be told, he missed DC.  He missed the work, he missed arguing 
with Scully and getting bitched at by Skinner.  It may have been a 
strange life but it was his.  The last few weeks had kept him busy.  
He had cleaned and scrubbed the cabin from top to bottom and 
stocked his refrigerator.  He had also managed to purchase an old 
truck for trips to and from town.  It looked bad, rusty and dented, 
but the engine was solid and it ran well.   The phone had been 
connected and he felt a need to contact Scully.  He had been fighting 
it for weeks now not really understanding how he could feel so 
desperate to run from her and to her at the same time.  He kept 
reminding himself of her plans for his future.

Panting hard now  he continued his run up the steep incline of 
the path, he was determined to make his five miles today.  
Usually that would have been a breeze for him but he had 
only just begun to regain his health after that last case and 
his week long jaunt across the country.  The altitude up here 
still made it difficult for him to breath too.  Bored with his 
new found free time, Mulder had begun to take an interest 
in the local news.  Five more bodies had turned up since 
he had first arrived in the Boulder area.  He accessed all the 
newspapers daily in an attempt to follow the case.  The FBI 
had been called in but no progress appeared to have been 
made.  Gasping for air now, Mulder slowed down to a slow
jog as he reviewed the details in his head.

His cabin had begun to look like his office, photographs of 
the victims and any personal information he had been able to 
gather through on line searches,  the press and a few other 
information sources he had back door access to.  Last week, 
feeling brave, he had even accessed the FBI database using 
Scully's ID and password to pull a copy of the current case 
file, this gave him information the newspaper would never see.  
He assumed Scully, like the rest of his co-workers  never  read
those security summaries they sent you confirming records 
accessed and it was the only way he could see the crime scene 
detail.  It had been a week with no problems, so it looked as
 though his assumption was correct.  Veering towards the left, 
he continued uphill.

What Mulder had forgotten was that Scully did not miss anything.  
When she had received her summary  of information accessed last 
week, she quickly scanned it, preparing to toss it immediately.  
The fact that she had been working only on finding Mulder for 
the last month made it a little easier to spot of course.  You've 
got nerve Mulder, I'll give you that.  Within a few hours she 
and Skinner were on their way to Boulder, CO.  At first Scully 
couldn't understand why he had been so careless, Mulder usually 
wasn't this sloppy.  He wanted that information badly.  Somehow 
he had become interested in the Boulder murders and was 
probably attempting to solve the crime.  This man was strange, 
he takes off, separates himself from everything he knew and 
held dear to go out and solve a serial murder case that if VCS 
had tried to assign him he would have been pissed.  Never 
would she completely understand him.  She was concerned 
about him though, he never took care of himself, especially 
when he was working.  It had become part of her job to insure 
he didn't fall too deeply and right now she wasn't there.  She 
did not like the thought of him attempting such a thing 
without any support, he was so very vulnerable in these situations. 
He was sensitive and perhaps she should just accept that and stop 
trying to harden him to the world he lived in.  All she knew was 
that she wanted him back, insecure, pain in the ass eccentric 
that he was, she wanted him back.

************
He stopped, bent low at the knees and inhaled huge gulps of air.  
The altitude was making him dizzy again and he had pushed 
himself too far too fast.    Suddenly he flashed on a woman, a
woman with a knife.  She was embracing the man and before 
he could shout a word of warning, he saw the knife penetrate 
the man's back.  Gasping, he fell against a nearby tree.  The 
murderer was a woman, yes, it was all making more sense now, 
he had to get back to his cabin.  He didn't see the depression, due 
to ground cover, until it was too late.  As he stepped forward, he 
could feel his ankle turn and the ground rush up quickly to meet him.  
He attempted to break his fall by grabbing a nearby tree but only 
succeeded in banging his shoulder hard up against the trunk.    
Grabbing his injured arm instinctively with his other, he didn't 
roll well and ended up cracking his forehead on a small rock 
embedded in the path.   

Stunned, he lay on his side just off the trail.  If it didn't hurt so bad, 
it would be funny.  The Keystone Kops had nothing on him.  
Spitting the dirt from his mouth, he began to ease himself up 
when he was struck by more images, images he had stolen using 
Scully's ID of the recent murder scenes, images of bloody, broken 
bodies.  Helpless now, his mind replayed  each death, each 
placement of the body.  He knew how to find the killer, knew 
where to look next.... 

 Surprised to find himself still laying on the ground, Mulder 
came slowly back to himself.  He attempted to shake his head 
in an effort to clear it and realized almost immediately that this 
was a mistake.  Such a little rock, he thought, to do so much 
damage.  He ran his good arm over his other shoulder and discovered 
blood, he had gashed it fairly deep.  Next he examined his ankle, it 
appeared to be a sprain, nothing broken thank goodness.

Leaning heavily on the nearby tree, he began to pull himself slowly 
off  the ground.  Carefully, he placed some of his weight on his twisted 
ankle, immediately regretting it.  "Damn, damn, damn, I just don't 
need this now", he moaned.  Well Mulder, whether you need it or 
not, you got it.  With that he began the mile long journey back to 
his home,  gritting his teeth hard with each step he took.

************
Smoke circled gracefully  around his head as he sat back in Skinner's 
office chair.  A comfortable chair, he thought, he'd have  to ask Skinner 
where he got it.  It was definitely not FBI standard office furniture but 
then Skinner was a big man and probably purchased it as a result of 
his long hours.  He was not here today, he was out in the field with 
Agent Scully, the Mulder chase becomes more interesting every day, he mused.

He was almost tempted to join in this chase personally.  The thought of 
getting his hands on Fox Mulder, especially this Mulder, distressed over 
the recent betrayal of his closest friends, was just so appealing.  With the 
right amount of coercion, he smiled at the thought, this might be the 
perfect time to convince Mulder of his need to potentially change camps.  
After all, the only way Mulder would ever truly learn the truth would be 
by working for him.  This Mulder would be vulnerable to such a 
suggestion, he felt it strongly.  He was close, so close.

His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone.  "Yes," he answered.

They had followed Skinner and Scully to Boulder and were awaiting 
their next move.

"Patience gentlemen, let them lead you to him but I want him first, 
understand," he paused for affect, " he's mine." 

************
Mulder painfully made his way into his cabin and headed for the bathroom 
sink.  Looking in the mirror, he could see that the injury to his head was  
bleeding heavily.  He dampened a town and held it to his forehead.  He 
needed to get back to his profile quickly.  Pulling a bag of ice out of his 
freezer,  he stumbled over to the table, flipped on his PC and sat down.  
Pulling over a second chair, he perched his foot up and wrapped the ice 
bag around his ankle. The shoulder had stopped bleeding on it's own as 
he stumbled his way back to the cabin.  "Mulder survives again, film at 
11," he joked out loud.  Anxious to capture his profile on paper, he 
dropped the bloody towel to the floor and began to work.

Two hours later, feeling dirty, tired and  dazed, he completed his 
profile on the Boulder Butcher.  His head had continued to bleed and 
he had had to wipe it out of his eyes several times, an unneeded 
distraction.  He was a she, he was sure of it.  The local cops and he FBI  
had ruled out a female early in the game due to the nature and strength 
needed to have pulled them off.  If there was one thing hanging around 
in this area had taught him was that people were fit here.  He had seen 
many woman out jogging or in town that looked like those American 
Gladiator women. The murderer was also very close to her victims, 
probably knew them personally.  If he could just talk the victim's 
families, he was sure he could locate the killer.  Well, he had the 
name of the agent in charge from the files he had read, addressing 
an anonymous note, he attached the profile to it and hit send....   
It was somewhat risky but he couldn't sit by and let anymore 
people die while he did nothing.

He had been sitting there for a while, enjoying the soothing cold 
on his ankle, zoning out as he stared at the screen.  What was he 
expecting to see there, an answer, a thank you.  Now you wait Mulder, 
now you wait, wait to see if they're smart enough to interpret the 
information you provided and catch a killer.  Sighing he eased his 
foot down to the ground, it was a little better now, probably not 
even a bad sprain.  Yah Mulder, you just keep telling yourself that.  
He was about to head for the shower when he heard a truck coming 
up the road, sounded like Mr. Henderson's.  

Mr. Henderson walked slowly towards the cabin.  The door opened to 
greet him as he began climbing the porch steps.  He was stopped 
short by Will's appearance.

"Will, what happened to you," he asked worriedly.

Mulder limped onto the porch, he didn't want to the old man to 
see his clippings if it could be avoided.  "Just a little fall during 
my daily jog," Mulder answered lightly.  

"A little fall, it looks like you broke that foot there and your 
head is bleeding something fierce."

Mulder, leaning heavily on the log banister above the stairs, 
reached up to touch his head.  Blood, it was bleeding rather 
heavily.  He didn't remember it being so bad.  He needed to 
get to the bathroom and clean it up.  As he turned, the world 
around him decided to move in the opposite direction.  Before 
he could catch himself he felt himself falling down the five 
porch steps landing painfully on his previously abused shoulder.    
He stayed conscious for a few seconds before the darkness 
embraced him.

************
 "Any luck sir," Scully asked.

"Nothing," Skinner grunted, "no sign of him here."

With that his phone chirped loudly in his pocket.  He 
answered it immediately, "Skinner."

Scully watched Skinner's face closely, something was up.  He 
looked confused and Skinner did not confuse easily.

"Agent Rullman, I did not assign another agent to work with 
you on the Boulder Butcher case," he insisted, "what leads 
you to believe I would?"

"That's bullshit Skinner and you know it, he may have not 
signed his name but I know who wrote this profile."

Skinner could here the man's words echo as he spoke.  Turning 
around, he saw a large red-faced man, around 45 screaming into 
the phone.  Disconnecting the call, he turned and walked towards him.

"Agent Rullman, I presume."

Rullman looked up at the interruption and choked.  Oh crap, what was
Skinner doing here, it was one thing to bitch him out on the phone,
 but not to his face.  

"Director Skinner," he nodded.

"Perhaps we could discuss this privately," Skinner asked.

His anger disappearing Rullman agreed and lead them to a nearby 
office and shut the door.

Trying to save some face, Rullman began, "listen Director Skinner," 
stressing director, "I'm not saying I don't appreciate the help but if 
you're going to give it, at least tell me.  Christ," running his hands 
quickly through his hair as he paced, "this has been a difficult case, 
we had hardly anything and then I get your boy's profile...."

"What boy is that, " Skinner leaned closer.

"Oh, c'mon Skinner, you know, that oddball you have working for 
you.  The one who gets all Spooky and is always zoning out or 
running off when you try to talk to him.  C'mon Skinner, how many 
loose cannons do you have?"

Skinner made no reply, waiting for the man to say the name. 
Scully could wait no longer.

"Where is the profile, Agent Rullman, may I see it."

"Certainly Agent...."

"Scully," she provided as he handed her the document.

"Scully," he repeated, "aren't you his partner?"

"Whose partner," she asked innocently.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but I know 
Mulder's work when I see it.  It's required reading.  The 
guy may be nuts, but he is good after all," he finished 
lamely.

Scully's eyes widened as she skimmed the profile quickly 
handing off the pages to Skinner as she did so.  

"It's his," said Skinner flatly, "I can spot his work in a dark 
alley with sunglasses."

This time it was Scully's phone that interrupted.

Answering it quickly, "Scully."

She listened and snapped, "what's his condition?  Okay, okay, 
under NO circumstances is that man to be allowed out of that 
hospital.  Put as much security on him as you can until we arrive."  
Ending the call she rushed towards the door.

Skinner turned to Rullman, "did you catch him?"

Rullman, "her."

"Excuse me Agent Rullman," 

"Her, Skinner, her.  Our killer was a woman, the niece of one 
of the first victims.  We," shaking his head now, "we weren't 
even looking for a woman, we had ruled that out early in the 
case."  Looking up at the pictures of the victims that surrounded 
him on the wall, Rullman returned his gaze to Skinner, "tell him 
thank you sir, he may be crazy but if he hadn't stepped in, I'm 
not sure how many more there would have been."

"I'll tell him Rullman," Skinner said softly.

"And sir," Rullman stopped him as he was about to leave, 
"tell him if he wants to work a case with my team again, to 
just ask.  We'd be glad to have his help."

Skinner nodded understanding how much effort that had just taken.  
He'll appreciate that feedback.  I'll have him contact you personally."  
With that he left to catch up with Scully.

She was already out in the parking lot, getting into their car.

He caught up with her quickly,, "what's up?"

"We need to hurry sir, as we suspected, he's here in Boulder," she 
explained as she started  the car.  As she pulled out, she added,
"he's been hurt."

************
Henderson had sat patiently in this waiting room of the Boulder 
Community Hospital for way too long.  Once again he made his 
way up to the desk.  Smiling his most charming smile, which 
wasn't bad for an 83 year old,  he cleared his throat loudly to get 
the attention of the pretty blond nurse.

"Mary," he said, noticing her name tag, "it is Mary isn't it?"

"Yes Mr. Henderson," she grinned.  Before he could say another 
word, she added, "no Mr. Henderson, I don't have anymore news 
for you than I gave you 10 minutes ago.  Mr. Jakes is still 
unconscious and being watched closely."  Crossing her heart 
with her right hand as she said it, " I promise to tell you as soon 
as I hear.  Why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get something 
to eat, it'll probably be a little while."

"Okay, okay," he grumbled, he knew when he wasn't wanted.  
Grabbing the newspaper off the table, he shuffled his way to 
the cafeteria.

Skinner and Scully rushed in through the emergency entrance.   
Displaying her shield prominently to the admitting nurse she 
demanded to know the whereabouts of Fox Mulder.  If the 
situation had not been so serious, Skinner might have laughed, 
he didn't think he'd ever seen Scully in her fully equipped Dr. 
Dana Scully stance before.  Eyes blazing, voice sharp, every 
action dared them to get in her way.  The admitting nurse 
grabbed for the phone and paged Dr. Thompson.

Dr. Thompson appeared immediately and escorted Skinner 
and Scully to an area just outside of Mulder's room.  A hospital 
guard was standing firm before his door.   "You're welcome 
to consult if you like Dr. Scully but I assure you, we're doing 
everything for him.  There was no need for sedation, as the 
flyer indicated, since he came in unconscious.  Took a nasty 
fall, two in fact, if you can believe the old man that dragged 
him in here."  Shaking his head, he chuckled, "that old guy 
was half his size but he still managed to drag the man into 
his truck and to our emergency room.  His ankle also has a 
bad sprain, shoulder needed a few stitches,  but otherwise, 
he's not too bad.  We'll have to watch the head wound 
closely of course."

"Can we see him now," she asked in a shaking voice.  

Quietly they entered the room  Mulder looked very pale.  
His head wrapped in white, foot elevated awkwardly and an 
IV dripped quietly beside his bed.  His arms were in restraints, 
the hospital feared him based on the flyer they had received.  
Scully stifled the sob that had begun to well in her throat, 
what had she done, she had caused this.  She  shouldn't have 
pushed him away, why couldn't she just accept him for who he 
was, Mulder.  Mulder was Mulder and that meant wild ideas, 
sleepless nights, constant guilt and emotions that always stayed 
too close to the surface.   This was who Mulder was and what 
made him so damn good at his job, it was time for Scully and 
Skinner to accept that and help him or get the hell out of his way.

Skinner understood what Scully was feeling.  He too felt guilty 
at what he had put his agent through.  If he had handled the 
situation differently, they would not be standing here today.  
Leaning into Scully, he whispered, "we can't expect him to be 
like everyone else anymore Scully, we need to stop fighting 
him all the time and only then," he paused, "only then will he 
ever let us close enough to help him."

Scully nodded as she attempted to wipe away her tears 
discreetly.  "Should we call Dr. Schumacher?"

Skinner looked at Mulder, the tubes and monitors hooked 
seemingly everywhere.  He knew they were there to help 
but he also knew how much Mulder hated it all.  His decision 
made, he turned to Scully, "I don't think there's any need for 
Dr. Schumacher.  I think Mulder needs some help from his 
friends, you know what a friend is Scully, someone who knows 
who you are and accepts you regardless of your differences.

She drew a ragged breath and stared down at Mulder, "yes,
I know what a friend is."

************
Several hours later,   Scully leaned over and check he IV drip, 
she had done so at least twice in the last 15 minutes.  Skinner 
and she both agreed that he should not wake with restraints on 
so they were removed.  She was nervous, nervous how he 
would react when he came to.  Glancing quickly at Skinner 
who was checking his voice mail in the corner, she reached 
over and pushed his hair gently off his forehead.  She smiled, 
his hair had grown a bit in the last month.  Unable to resist she 
moved her hand down his cheek and across his chin, his thin 
beard gently tickling the palm of her hand.  "What were you 
doing Mulder chasing aliens through the Rockies again.", 
she softly asked.

Suddenly there was a loud commotion outside the door and 
both she and Skinner pulled their guns and pointed at the 
sound.  Henderson pushed his way past the security guard 
who wasn't quite sure how to handle an 80 year old assassin.  
"I want to see Will and I want to see him now!  You need to 
get your records straight, his name is Will, Will Jakes, not 
some Wolf or Fox or whatever......," he mumbled.  Henderson 
froze, what the hell was going on here.  

"Hey, calm down now," he squeaked throwing his hands in the 
air, "I'm just coming to check on my boy here."

They both lowered their guns understanding immediately that 
this man was no threat.  

Stepping towards him slowly Scully asked, "your boy?"

"Well yes," he answered as he approached the bed, "Will is my 
tenant, he rents a little cabin up in the mountains from me."  He
stopped, shocked at how pale and still Will looked, "he's a nice 
boy, always respectful, you know," looking to Skinner for some 
assurance.

Skinner wasn't sure he could agree with that statement but there 
was no point in opening up that conversation, at least not today.  
"He's a nice boy," Skinner agreed softly.

"You're the girl then," Henderson looked directly at Scully.

"The girl?"

"When he came I asked him if it was a girl or his job he was 
running away from, you see I could tell he was running and it 
usually comes down to one or the other."

Scully moved closer, "and what did he say Mr....?"

"Henderson," he mumbled, "Sam Henderson is my name.  He said 
both, said I was real perceptive," adding this last statement with 
some pride, "said I had him pegged perfectly.  I'm usually pretty 
good with people you know."  He reached over an patted Mulder's 
arm gently and asked, "is he going to be all right?  When I first 
picked him up he was covered with so much blood and dirt and 
shaking so badly.  I didn't think we'd make it to the hospital in time."

"So, Mr. Henderson, you were the one who brought him to the 
emergency room," Skinner inquired gently, not wanting to startle 
the old man anymore than they already had.

"Yah, I hadn't seen him in a few weeks and I thought I would stop 
by and check how things were going. He said he fell but didn't 
seem to realize he was bleeding so much.  He acted surprised 
when I pointed it out.  I think he was going to go back in the 
abin when he lost his balance and fell off the porch."  Sam 
winced as he remembered the sound of Will's body thumping 
down those steps.

Mulder awoke slowly, hearing the soft murmuring of voices and 
the mechanical sounds of the hospital equipment surrounding him.  
He began to panic, moaning as the realization of where he was set in.

"I think he's waking up,"called Mr. Henderson cheerfully.

Scully pulled Mr. Henderson to the door.  "Mr. Henderson, Sam,
I think it's time for you to go.  If you leave your number at the desk, 
I'll call you in a few hours and let you know how he's doing.  Pushing 
him physically out the door now, she shouted her good-byes and ran 
back into the room.

Mulder was extremely frightened now, Skinner's face was inches 
from his and he was holding him down on the bed.  He continued 
to struggle, hearing some type of alarm go off somewhere.  "No, no", 
Mulder screamed.  Scully ran to the other side of the bed and put her 
hands to his face, trying to force him to focus on her.  

"Mulder, Mulder,  it's me Scully," his eyes were wild, jumping 
between Skinner and Scully,  he cried out, "Scully, Scully, help 
me," and continued to struggle painfully against them both.  
His head wound had begun to bleed again and he fought hard 
against their efforts to restrain him.  He was sweating profusely, 
biting down hard on his lower lip as he continued to struggle. 
He was awake but confused as to what was actually happening, 
his head throbbed painfully.  Scully grabbed the sedative from
the nurse and moved quickly towards Mulder's arm.  He looked 
up just as she was about to inject him and screamed.  He screamed 
like a man possessed, Skinner was startled and relaxed his grip.  
Reacting quickly to the opportunity, Mulder wrenched his arm 
away and threw himself out of the bed, ripping out the IV line 
as he did.  

"Mulder, no, stop Mulder, we're just trying to help you," Scully 
soothed in a gentle voice.  "You've been hurt Mulder,  let us 
help you."

Mulder stumbled backwards towards the door, wincing each time 
his ankle took on any weight.   Scully continued to speak softly to 
him, moving forward slowly.

"No, no hospital," he begged, "no doctors, I.....I,"  rubbing his long 
fingers over his eyes, trying to clear the fog that was beginning to 
descend on his mind.  Looking up, he saw Scully was closer now, 
she was too close and she had that needle, his eyes froze on the 
yringe.  He began to whimper and cry softly as he felt the wall 
behind his back.  He needed to get out, needed to get to the door, 
"go away Scully, leave me alone."

Skinner had seen enough, in under two minutes Fox Mulder had 
managed to completely disrupt the staff of the floor.  He had  
Scully practically on her hands and knees begging to help him 
and to make matters worse, it appeared he had hurt himself again.  
His arm that had housed the IV wasn't looking extremely unpleasant.

"Agent Mulder, FREEZE," Skinner commanded.

All movement in the room stopped cold.  The doctor and nurses 
who had come running into the room when the alarm went off 
roze in their places.  Scully turned to look at him as if he was 
nuts in raising his voice to this poor fragile boy.  And Mulder, 
well Mulder was confused.  

Waiving Scully to back off, Skinner approached Mulder.  "Agent 
Mulder, calm down NOW!  You have been hurt."

Mulder's brow furrowed into a frown as he tried to remember what 
happened.  "What," he croaked, as he looked down for signs of his 
injury.  He reached to touch the bandage on his forehead and felt the 
dampness of the fresh blood.  He stared at his hand.

"Agent Mulder," he stated forcefully, "listen to me," inches from him 
now, "Fox, you are in a hospital because of your physical injuries.  
You are NOT on a psyche ward Mulder, your mind is fine, right now 
it's your body we're worried about."

Mulder searched for and found Scully, she was nodding her head in 
agreement, smiling softly at him.  "But, but you were going to send 
me away," he whispered softly, his voice full of hurt, "you were 
going to let them in my head again."

Skinner was right next to him now and put his hand gently on Mulder's 
shoulder.  Mulder flinched from the contact but Skinner did not allow 
him to  move away.  "We were wrong Mulder, we were wrong."

Mulder wanted to believe Skinner, wanted to believe in Scully but she 
still had that damn needle in her hand.  Looking over at her, he moaned 
softly, "no needles Scully, no more needles, please."

Scully hadn't realized she still had it in her hand, she turned to the nurse 
and gave her the syringe.  Then holding out her empty hands to Mulder, 
she promised, "no more needles Mulder."

"Okay, okay," he hicupped, leaning heavily into Skinner.

Skinner and Scully helped him back into the bed.  The nurses went to 
work getting him settled.  He laid back against the pillow drowsily 
following all the activity.  Scully was standing at the foot of the bed 
gently stroking his lower leg, trying to maintain some connection with 
him.  Skinner stood directly in his sight with a stern look on his face 
that clearly said, don't move.

A few minutes later, all but one doctor and nurse remained in the 
room with them.  They each stood on opposite sides of the bed and 
before he had time to react, placed his arms in restraints.  Mulder's 
eyes few open  immediately attempting to twist his arms out of the 
wristbands.  "No," he cried, his eyes glaring accusingly at Skinner 
and Scully, "you lied to me."  He kicked his feet and thrashed wildly 
on the bed, ignoring the pain of his injured leg.

"Release him immediately," demanded Dr. Dana Scully.  Scully 
pushed the nurse out of the way and moved to release one of his 
wrists.  Skinner stepped in front of the Dr. and nurse and in no 
uncertain terms told them to leave.  

"But, he is a danger to himself," argued the Dr., "we only do this 
so he won't hurt himself."

Seeing the tangled mess Mulder had caused with his most recent 
struggles," Skinner replied sarcastically, "that theory doesn't seem 
to be working with Agent Mulder, would you agree?"

The Dr. could see Skinner's point but, oh hell, frustrated, he threw 
up his hands and shouted, "fine, whatever, you both can take 
responsibility for his actions because if you don't allow us to do 
our jobs, we can't be held responsible."

Scully stepped forward, "I'll take responsibility, please leave."

With that the doctor. and nurse left the room.  Turning back to the 
bed they found Mulder struggling to free himself from his 
remaining constraint.    He was exhausted, Scully didn't know 
how he could still be conscious with all his recent effort.

Gently, she put her hands over his, halting his efforts.  He fell 
back against the pillow his eyes never leaving his bound wrist 
and her hands.  Dana loosened the band and tenderly pulled his 
hand free.  She looked up to meet his eyes and saw him then, 
saw him as she had never seen him before.  This kind, gentle 
soul who through some strange twist of fate had been given so 
many gifts and in return had had so much taken from him.  This 
fragile human being, so sensitive and attune to other's pain and 
yet no one had really returned the favor.  She had tried but until 
now, until this moment she knew she had failed.  Holding his 
hand in hers, she reached up and stroked the side of his face.   
"It's okay Mulder, I won't let them hurt you again, I promise."

"Scully," he croaked, "I'm so tired."

"I know Mulder," caressing his face, "close your eyes and rest."

Wincing as he attempted to shift into a more comfortable position, 
he nonetheless felt the fog of sleep descend upon him.  He was 
forgetting something, what was he forgetting, "Scully," forcing 
his eyes open, "stay, please stay."

Smiling widely, she leaned over and whispered into his ear, "I'll 
stay as long as you need me, I promise."

Mulder's body relaxed as he fell into a deep, healing slumber.

Stepping back from the bed, she noticed Skinner standing off to 
the side with a suspicious glint in his eyes.  He was quite a bit 
taller than her but that didn't stop her from reaching out and 
embracing him.  "Thank you," she said, " thank you for 
helping him."

He hesitated only a moment before he returned the embrace.  "Don't 
thank me Scully, he's my friend too."

************
Three days later...

"Mulder, Scully, we need to get going soon."

"Yes sir," they both answered Skinner at once.


Skinner took a step back and looked over his two red-faced agents.  
"Explain to me why I can't get that reaction from you two at the 
office," he joked.

"Almost done, sir, I just need to get this last stash," Mulder attempted 
to reach behind a loose brick.  "Oh damn," he pulled his hand down 
and caught himself before he fell.  He still found himself light headed 
if he moved too quickly.  Skinner got to him first and eased him down 
on the sofa, "take it easy  Mulder."  Walking to the fireplace, he reached 
up easily and pulled out the package.  Handing him the package, he 
asked, "how much cash do you actually have Mulder?"

"Mulder, what are these," asked Scully waving several pictures in 
front of his face.

Mulder leaned back slowly on the couch remembering how quiet this 
place was before they found him.  He took the papers from Scully and 
said, "aren't those amazing Scully, a woman in the grocery store 
ornered me by the produce and offered to sell them."  He leafed 
through them affectionately, "it's some type of creature that's been 
seen around fifty miles south of here.  She offered to take me 
camping and look for it," he grinned suggestively.

"Sure Mulder, I'll bet she wanted to show you more than this missing link."  
She grabbed the pictures back and stuffed them into a nearby box.  
"We'll ship most of this stuff back to your apartment."

"I still have an apartment," he asked.

"Yes Mulder," Scully affirmed, "you still have an apartment.  But," 
she added,  "you owe me this month's rent."

Mulder raised himself carefully off the couch.  He stuffed the cash 
package in his carry-on bag.  Suddenly he froze.

"Mulder, what is it, are you in pain," asked Scully's concerned voice.

"No", he shook his head, "I just realized I can't leave, I need to finish 
something."

Skinner was losing patience, "Mulder you are in no shape to finish 
anything."

Mulder stubbornly stood his ground, "I'm not done here sir, I can't 
leave yet."

Now Scully was losing patience, "Mulder, what is it you have to finish.  
Tell me and I'll stay and take care of it."  Tugging his arm, she tried to 
lead him towards the door.

He pulled away, insisting softly, "I need to stay, I," guiltily dropping 
his head, "I was following a case and I need to make sure it's settled."

Damn, Skinner thought, I forgot to tell him.  "Mulder, are you referring 
to the Boulder Butcher murders?"

Startled Mulder, "yes sir, how did you know?"

"The killer was caught and confessed to her crimes the day you were 
dmitted in the hospital," he informed.  "Her capture was a direct result 
of your profile, I'm sorry, with everything else that happened, I 
had forgotten to tell you."  

Mulder shrugged, "are you sure they don't need me to stay around a 
bit and finish up the paperwork," he asked eagerly.

Skinner looked up sharply, what was going on here.  Mulder stood, 
balanced against a nearby chair, eyes pleading.

Scully, concerned, placed her hand on his arm, "Mulder, what's 
going on?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," he insisted limping away from Scully's touch.  
He felt a need for a little more space.  Apprehensively he pushed at 
the pile of files Scully had neatly stacked.  "I just feel a certain 
responsibility to finish the job I started."

"Bull shit," Skinner snapped, "we've been through hell and back 
tracking you and now you want us to leave you here to finish some 
paperwork."

He fearfully backed away from his angry director.  He was 
confused, when he decided to leave, to run, it was because they 
had planned to lock him away.  He glanced up and caught Skinner 
and Scully exchanging a look, the same look he had seen when he 
sat in Skinner's office so many weeks ago.  His leg was aching, he 
leaned his weight against the table.  

"Mulder," Scully asked softly, "tell me what you're feeling."  
She could see he was confused.  In the hospital,  hurt and in 
pain, it had been easy to convince him that everything would 
be all right, that they wouldn't force him into treatment.  But 
this Mulder was a bit stronger and his natural distrust was 
beginning to kick in again.  "Mulder, please, tell me what 
frightens you," she pleaded.

"Scully," he haltingly began, "I believe you and," nodding 
towards the stoic Skinner, "Director Skinner have every 
intention of not forcing me into some type of therapy.  I think 
right now you both believe that.   I also believe that the same 
things that made you attempt to find me, to...", he choked 
here, "...attempt to help me, will not allow you to NOT 
interfere if I begin to behave in a way either of you find 
unacceptable."  

"Damn Mulder, we thought you were suicidal," Skinner declared.

"You have to admit Mulder, you were extremely upset," added 
Scully.

It wasn't going to change, he thought.  The real question was 
could he live with it?  Could he live with their constant scrutiny, 
waiting for him to break in a million pieces.  Looking down at 
the table his hand found the file, Samantha's file.  He had read it, 
read it many times over.  He read it again every time he closed 
his eyes.  

Skinner and Scully again exchanged that look though this time 
he didn't notice.  His eyes were pinned to her file.  At this point 
neither of them knew how to proceed.

"Mulder," Scully murmured, "don't shut us out, we only want to help."

"I..., I don't think I'm ready to come home yet," he said quietly.  
"It still hurts too much," gripping her file tightly, "it's too hard to 
pretend it doesn't matter."

Dana gasped, "you don't have to pretend anything Mulder, we can 
help you or get you help if that's what you need."

"Mulder, you are coming back with us," Skinner insisted.

Shutters slammed down on his eyes, they became cold, unemotional.  
He turned his back swiftly to the both of them.

She had seen it though, so had Skinner.

Mulder walked to his backpack and stuffed in the last package of 
cash and Sam's file.  The file joined the few photos he carried of 
her and his laptop. He tossed on his jacket and strapped the pack 
onto his back.  He limped to the front door of the cabin, 
stopped and waited patiently for them to join him.  It was clear 
they would not take no for an answer, they were not listening.

Scully and Skinner quickly gathered up the last of Mulder's things.  
Scully was only a few short steps away from Mulder when the door 
slammed in forcing Mulder into the wall.  His head slammed heavily 
against the old logs and he noiselessly collapsed to the floor.

Two men dove into the room guns raised, scanning quickly for 
something or someone.  "Where's Mulder," they shouted, "where is he?"

Scully froze, her hands raised in apparent surrender.  Skinner, shielded 
by the sofa, shouted, "freeze."

Both men swung to cover Skinner.  "Drop it Skinner, no one has to 
get hurt here, we only want him."

Scully had slowly begun moving backwards attempting to put 
distance between her and the gunmen.  She could see that Mulder 
was awakening.  She prayed he would do so silently.  Her prayers 
went unanswered as Mulder groaned noisily.

Both men turned on him as one and Scully, desperate to distract them, 
grabbed the arm of the man closest to her attempting to dislodge his 
gun.  The man knocked her roughly to the ground.  Skinner, 
understanding he was looking at his only opportunity, fired and 
easily hit the man closest to Mulder in the back.  The other man 
who appeared ready to continue his attack on Scully attempted to 
return Skinner's fire but he was too late.  He appeared stunned as 
the blood began to ooze from his chest.

In the meantime, Mulder had crawled over to Scully.  Holding her 
face gently in his hands, he cried, "Scully, Dana, are you okay?"

She winced as he ran his hands over her bruised jaw.  She  took both 
his hands, looked him straight in the eyes and assured him she was 
fine, just a little shaky.  None too stable himself, he still managed to 
help her to the couch.  He treated her like fine china.  "You're sure 
you're okay Scully?"

"I'm fine Mulder," she reached to trap his face in hers and attempted 
to examine him.  He had been out for a few minutes there.

Pushing her away, he stood shaking his head angrily, ignoring the pain.  
"I did it again Scully, only this time I did it to both of you." Skinner, 
who had been checking one of the intruder's pulse sighed, confirming 
both were dead.  "Mulder," he said sharply, "you did nothing to either 
of us, someone else is the cause of this attack."

Mulder snorted, "you can't deny it was me they wanted.  They'll never 
stop, they won't leave me alone!"

Skinner soothed, "that's why you need to come back with us, together 
we're stronger."

Mulder glared wildly around the room, Scully was on the couch 
nursing a sore jaw just barely keeping herself from dozing off.  
Skinner was standing over two dead bodies, all because of him.  
None of it was right, it would never be right again.

"No," he sobbed, rushing towards the bathroom slamming the door 
behind him.  Once inside, he slid to the floor and wrapped himself 
into a small tight ball.  Head down, back against the door, he fought
to gain control of his raging emotions.  

Scully attempted to pull herself off the couch and follow him. 
Skinner stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.  "Leave him 
be for a few minutes Scully.  I'm going to call the police and get 
these bodies picked up.  She nodded, understanding Mulder's 
need for privacy at this time.  Leaning her head back against 
the soft sofa, she shut her eyes and welcomed the darkness.  

************
The cabin was swarming with local cops and FBI.  Even Agent 
Rullman, having heard of the incident, drove up to confirm 
everyone was okay.   The whole time the investigation was 
underway, Mulder  sat quietly on the front porch, his pack at his 
feet.  Both Scully and Skinner had attempted to talk to him but he 
only answered in monotones, he had emotionally withdrawn from 
the scene.  Knowing now was not the time for a confrontation, 
they assured themselves that he was unhurt physically and let him 
be.  There would be time later to talk through everything that had 
happened. 

Several hours later, all questions answered, Skinner and Scully 
were given the okay to leave the scene.   Skinner shoved Mulder's 
duffel in the trunk of their rental car while Scully went off to collect 
Mulder.  Scanning the porch she saw no sign of him, must have gone 
inside, she thought.  Entering the cabin, she weaved her way around 
the evidence team, searching the room swiftly.  No sign of him.  The 
bathroom was empty as well.  Frantic now she rushed out to the 
porch grabbing the officer in charge, "have you seen Agent Mulder?"

The officer shrugged and called out to the others. " Has anyone seen 
Mulder?" 

Negatives were returned all around.  Skinner had joined her by now, concerned.

A small voice attempted to be heard through the search for Mulder.  
A young female officer tapped impatiently on Scully's arm, attempting
 to secure her attention.

She turned, "yes officer, have you seen him?"

"I believe he left with Agent Rullman, they appeared to be discussing  
his last case," she informed, " they left around 40 minutes ago."

Scully grabbed her arm, "is there anyway to radio or call Rullman?"

By now the officer in charge had joined them puzzled.  "Is there a 
problem here, this Mulder is an FBI agent, right", he asked.

Skinner waved away his question, "do you have Agent Rullman's 
cell phone number?"

************
Mulder eased his way carefully out of the car, clearly in pain.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you to the Denver airport," 
Rullman asked Mulder, "it's the least I can do for you."

He leaned his head back into the car and smiled.  "Not necessary 
Rullman, we pushed the flight out to a later time.  I promised to 
meet Skinner and Scully down here at the hotel.  I just wanted to 
grab a shower before we flew out."

Rullman grinned taking in the agents disheveled appearance, 
"good idea, the way you look they wouldn't let you on the plane without a 
full body search."

Mulder laughed,  "that would be the best action I'd have in a 
long time Rullman."

"You and me both Mulder," he grinned as he pulled away.

Mulder watched him disappear from sight, entered the hotel 
and, handing the concierge a $10.00 demanded a cab immediately. 
The concierge pocketed the tip and sent the scruffy man on his 
way in under three minutes.

Rullman reached for his ringing phone as he maneuvered his way 
through traffic.  "Rullman," he answered.

"Agent Rullman, this is Director Skinner, is Agent Mulder with you?"

"Uh no sir, I dropped him off at your hotel around ten minutes ago," 
he answered.

"And what hotel is our hotel," Skinner asked calmly.

Uh oh, thought Rullman, what had Mulder done now?  "The Sheraton 
sir, he said he wanted to grab a shower before you headed to the airport.  
You were busy when we left sir and he was pretty insistent on getting 
cleaned up before heading home."

Silence met his explanation.

"Director Skinner, is there a problem?"

"No Agent Rullman, no problem, thank you for the information.

************
Before returning to Scully, Skinner called the Sheraton on the off chance 
Mulder might have checked in.  No such luck.  Skinner returned to the 
porch to inform Scully of Mulder's actions.

"He left Scully, he's disappeared again."

She was angry, "that bastard", she muttered under her breath.

"That bastard doesn't know what he's gotten himself into," said Skinner, 
worry clear in his tone, "as long as he's on his own we can't protect him.  
Hell, it's hard enough when he's with us, separate, I don't know how 
long he can survive."

"What do we do now sir," asked Scully.

"We wait Scully, we wait until he's ready to come in from the cold."

"And when he does?"

Skinner squinted as he scanned the beautiful Colorado Rockies,  "when 
he does Scully, we'll be there waiting to pick up the pieces."

Lips pressed tightly together, frowning, "if there are any pieces left to 
be put back together."

************
Smoke curled insidiously around his head.  He had just been informed 
that Mulder had eluded capture once again.   

"He must be found, you must find him and return him to me."

Alex Krychek smiled, "of course, you know I have always enjoyed a good 
Fox hunt."  

"Alive, I want him alive," he insisted.

"We want the same thing sir," he assured, "I'll find him and bring him 
back....alive."

With that the younger man left the room anxious to begin the chase.


SUMMARY:
Feedback:  This being my first attempt at fan fiction, I am anxious for 
feedback.  If possible, please provide me with your feedback in
the following format.

1)  What did you love?
2)  What did you like hate?
3)  What would have improved the story and made it more interesting to read?

Feedback to:    karoshi12@ameritech.net



Challenge:
I like the idea of Mulder as a fugitive constantly on the alert for danger from 
friend or 
foe.  I also like the idea of Mulder attempting to solve X-Files on his own, 
outside 
the restrictive environment of the FBI. Don't get me wrong, I love the show but 
have often wondered if Mulder could survive and thrive on his own.

If you like this path, please continue Mulder's adventures on the road.  I've 
read so many authors out there who write Mulder angst, torture,  humor, 
slash and romance so well.  I would be honored if one of you liked this 
story line enough to continue it.  All I ask is that you send me a note so 
I can watch for your story.