From: raine Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 10:11:54 -0400 Subject: xfc: NEW: Fuente de la Juventud 1/2 Source: xfc TITLE: Fuente de la Juventud AUTHOR: Raindancer DISCLAIMER: The X-Files and all related characters belong to Chris Carter, Fox Television, and 1013 Productions. I do not claim ownership and no infringement intended. I make no money from this. CATEGORY: X S Mulder/Scully Friendship RATING: PG SPOILERS: The only one I can think of is Detour. ARCHIVE: Keep my name and the disclaimer attatched. SUMMARY: Mulder discovers the fountain of youth by mistake and its effects are quite unusual. THANKS: To Vickie Moseley for pointing out my faux pas and the kind words. FEEDBACK: Please! I don't care if you hated it. At least let me know it! To all who don't write, you might not understand that feedback is greatly needed to writers. But trust me, it is! To writers, you understand. Come on don't let me down! Reply to raine@naxs.com "Jacob Daniels, Harry Trent, and Gary Sullivan went into the Florida woods for a camping trip two weeks ago. Their bodies were found two days ago." Scully studied the man sitting behind the desk. The light from the projector was reflecting off of his glasses hiding his eyes. He continued to munch of sunflower seeds as he studied the screen. "Mulder, it says here they died of dehydration. How is this an X-File?" Mulder advanced the slide tray and an image of the woods popped into place. "This is the camp site and also the place where the bodies were found. See that chest by the fire pit? It was full of food and water! There is _no_ way that these men should have died." Scully flipped through the file until she came back to the coroner's report. She was looking for any physiological reason that the men might have stopped eating. "Rabies?" "No, Scully, there was no physical reason why these men stopped eating or drinking. The food and water were also tested for any agent that might cause any odd behavior. Poisons, biological agents and what not. There was _nothing_ out of the ordinary." Scully continued to look at the file. In all honesty she was very apprehensive of going back into the Florida woods. The last time that they had spent the night in the woods they were attacked by men with amazing camouflage abilities. Mulder's mothmen. "Mulder are you sure that this is a case for us? Maybe they were staging some kind of protest." Mulder stood up and looked at his petite partner. Then as if reading her mind. "Scully, these are not mothmen. This is something else. The area here is far away from that area." Scully sighed and turned to study the screen. "What time does our flight leave?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The summer heat lay against her neck like some obscene tongue and the air buzzed with the drone of insect wings. She continued to tromp after the man blazing the path before her. His long legs ate up ground much faster than her shorter ones so she had to keep a quicker pace to keep him in sight. The flight had been smooth enough to allow her to ease her grasp on the seat long enough to take a more detailed look at the file. While she was certainly more versed in flying now than she had been when she first started on the X-Files it remained an unpleasant task for her. Now, while trying to keep up with her overly tall partner, she wished for a pair of wings. "Mulder, hold up please!" Mulder turned around. He had not been aware that he was leaving his partner behind in his dust. "Sorry, I wanted to reach the campsite before dark." He waited for her to catch up to him. "As do I, Mulder, but not at the expense of my heart. Take smaller steps or slow down one." Mulder grinned and put his hand on her back just under her pack. "Your pack to heavy for you?" "No, Mulder, but my legs are too short." They continued on with Mulder more conscientious of the pace he kept. Smiling inwardly he marveled at the progression of their partnership. In the first few years there was no way that she would have made that admission to him. She would have made up some excuse as to why she couldn't keep up with him. A twig snapped off to their right and both people jumped. Mulder couldn't see anything but then the foliage was so heavy it wouldn't be hard to miss something. He had to admit that he was a little on edge about being out there. It wasn't as if they had many good times in the forest. In fact, their track record was a lousy. "How much farther to the campsite?" Mulder looked around him. "We've been hiking about an hour. I would guess we've got twenty more minutes to go. We'll just have enough daylight left to set up camp." They hiked the rest of the way in amicable silence. Once at the camp they unloaded their packs and set up the tent. After the fire was built they sat down and shared a comfortable meal. Well, almost comfortable. Slap. "Damn!" "Mulder, I told you to put some of that bug repellent on." She rifled around and came up triumphant with the bottle. "Here, with your luck you'll catch malaria." "Ha, Ha. Don't even joke about it!" He took the bottle and sniffed at the opening. "Ugh, can't they make this stuff smell any better?" Scully cocked her eyebrow at him. "Mulder, what on earth are you talking about? It's odorless!" Mulder grumbled as he rubbed the stuff on. "Yeah, right." "Will you quit complaining! How long are you planning to stay out here anyway?" He threw the bottle back at her bag. "We've enough food and water for four days. That's approximately how long Daniels and the other men were out here before they died. I figure we'll hike around the area tomorrow and see what we can see." Scully stared up at the night sky. "What were they doing out here anyway? It didn't mention in the file and it's illegal to hunt in this area." Mulder echoed her movements and let himself relax against his pack. "Apparently they were on a men's getaway. They were college buddies out here to catch up on things." Scully continued to stare up at the stars burning holes in the darkness. With the heat of the fire against her legs and the moist air she felt herself getting sleepy and her voice took on a dreamy quality. "That's nice. I guess it would be relaxing to get away from everything. No distractions." Mulder sighed. "Yeah, not a video store in sight. Hey, where are you going?" Scully spoke over her shoulder. "To bed. Be sure you take care of the fire before lying down, Mulder." When she didn't receive an answer she turned around to see him up and moving around. "Where are you going?" Mulder grinned. "To bed. I get to share a tent with you and you think I'd stay out here?" Scully smirked. "Just remember we each have our own sleeping bags, Mulder." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder was up and around the campfire by the time Scully arose from her sleeping bag. She pulled off the tee and shorts she'd worn to bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a tank with a plaid shirt over it. By the time she was dressed Mulder had a cup of coffee waiting for her. "Here. I know how cranky you can be before your first cup." Scully looked daggers at him but accepted the cup. "You're in a good mood." She wasn't able to stifle the resentment in her voice. "I've already had two cups." Mulder stirred the oatmeal he was cooking over the fire. "Oatmeal, Mulder?" Mulder grinned. "I've already eaten. I had pancakes but since I didn't think you'd eat that I fixed this. Is it okay?" Scully nodded and allowed a small sigh of pleasure to escape her lips as she sipped her coffee. Maybe the morning was looking up after all. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully was ready to sit down. They'd been out hiking the better part of the day and she was ready to rest. They'd stopped around noon and had lunch on some rocks and continued on. Just now they were headed back towards camp. The gurgle of water echoed up ahead. Mulder broke through the foliage ahead of her and called out. "Scully, check this out!" She pushed aside foliage blocking her path and surveyed the venue before her. The pool of water was glistening in the early afternoon sun. At the opposite end there was a small fall that contributed to the gushing of water that they'd heard. The area surrounding the pool was verdant and lush. "Wow!" Mulder stood by the edge and looked into the pool. "Scully, look at this I can't see the bottom but the water is as clear as glass." Scully stepped up to the edge and looked into the pristine pool. The water reflected her reflection back at her in a faint replication. The water was crystal clear but the bottom couldn't be seen. "That's really deep." He chuckled. "No kidding! How come we didn't see this on our way out?" Scully shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we were farther south than we are now." She looked down at the compass in her hand. "I don't think so." He started to turn but caught the toe of his foot on a rock by the water's edge. Scully reached for him but was too late. Mulder toppled into the water with a soft splash. He reemerged sputtering and coughing, gasping for breath. "Here, Mulder, let me help you out of there." She reached down and gave him a hand up. "Good thing you know how to swim." Mulder was too busy trying to catch his breath. When he didn't answer Scully became concerned. "Mulder, you okay?" Mulder managed to shake his head. "C__ c__ ." He stopped and tried again. "Cold!" Scully reached over and felt his skin. It was as if he'd been dunked in ice water. "The lake is probably fed by an underground stream. Help me get you back to camp so you can change clothes and warm up." Somewhere on the walk back to camp Mulder stopped feeling cold. In fact he stopped feeling anything. Numbness descended over him but by the time they arrived back at camp Mulder had started feeling like his old self again. "Go change into some dry clothes. I'll start a fire and put some water on for coffee." Scully turned her efforts to starting the fire. It would be so like Mulder to get pneumonia from falling into water while in Florida. And in the summer no less! When she heard Mulder walking up behind her she handed him a cup of the hot liquid. "How're you feeling?" Mulder sat down by the fire and accepted the cup gratefully. "Better. My joints feel a little stiff but otherwise I feel fine." Scully looked at her partner with an appraising eye. "It's probably just your body reacting to the shock of the cold water but if you start feeling anything else weird you let me know." Then she reached over and felt his forehead and took his pulse. "Your pulse is good and your temperature, as far as I can tell, seems to be normal." Mulder shrugged and sipped at his coffee. "I'll be fine." Scully turned and looked at their campsite. "I don't think we're going to find anything out here, Mulder. We've been all over this area of the forest and haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. The tree line is intact and there's no scorching of the ground around the area." Mulder was apt to agree with her. He had come out here expecting to find . . .well, something. But he hadn't seen anything outside of the usual. "I don't know, Scully. Something's niggling at the back of my mind. I just can't put my finger on it." Scully sighed. "Well do you think it's possible you can ponder this in town. We could get a hotel room. That way we won't be too far away if you have an epiphany." Mulder shrugged. "We've only been here one night, Scully. I hate to just leave. I think we should give it more time." Scully sucked on her lip. So far they'd been lucky. She didn't really want to tempt fate. "I suppose we could stay one more night. But, Mulder, I really don't think the answer to those men's deaths is in the woods. Where are you going?" "I'm tired I didn't sleep that well last night. I'm going to take a nap before dinner." Scully sat there stunned. Mulder? Taking a nap? Now what was it she'd been thinking about tempting the fates? XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX This time Scully was up before Mulder. He'd slept through the night and Scully had been worried. Maybe he'd hit his head on something when he fell and the cold kept him from feeling it? Scully had woken him several times during the night to do neuro checks just in case. He had simply rolled back over and gone to sleep. Not like Mulder at all. She was packing up some of their stuff when she heard Mulder come out of the tent behind her. "How are you feeling, Mulder?" "Good." Scully looked over to where Mulder was sitting down by the fire pit. Something wasn't right. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Something wasn't right. He had woken up in a sleeping bag inside of a tent. He couldn't remember getting there. When he'd looked outside he'd seen Scully sitting by the campfire. And while he'd recognized her she still looked different. Her hair was shorter and she was thinner. She seemed harder somehow. He'd gotten dressed and stepped out of the tent to survey his surroundings. They were in the forest somewhere. That much was evident. The last thing he and Scully had been involved in was the case at Mount Avalon. Were they in the forest somewhere around the volcano? Were they still investigating the Firewalker robot? But that wouldn't account for Scully's changed appearance. He kept a tight rein on his panic. He didn't want to worry Scully with all that she'd recently been through. She didn't need to deal with his memory lapse on top of her recent abduction. A voice broke into his thoughts. "Hurry up and eat, Mulder. We're going back into town today. No argument." He turned back around and looked at the food that was waiting over the glowing coals. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully checked them into the town inn and settled herself in her room while she let Mulder settle into his. She was seriously thinking of taking him to the nearest medical center. Every attempt she'd made to draw him into conversation had failed miserably. He would answer her questions in one or two word sentences. Frankly she was worried. She knocked on the adjoining doors and let herself through. Mulder was flipping through the channels. "Hungry?" Mulder stopped his perusal of the local stations. "Yeah, actually I am." "Let me grab my things and we'll go find a diner." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX As soon as they got back to civilization he had checked to see what the date was. He had been shocked to discover that he was five years behind. He'd stared at himself in the mirror and allowed that fact to sink in. There were lines around his eyes and mouth that hadn't been there before. He had observed that Scully had looked somehow harder and he was dismayed to see that it was true for him also. He was now genuinely worried. In fact he planned to tell Scully about it over dinner. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully sat in stunned disbelief. Her dinner was getting cold on the table and while Mulder would look everywhere but at her. "You can't be serious! This is some kind of joke, right?" Mulder shook his head. He was feeling a little lost. He'd watched Scully closely. There was obviously so much more history between them that he couldn't remember. She didn't hold herself as tightly anymore. She'd loosened up some. Suddenly he felt his head pushed down and her hands combing through his hair. She ignored the stares of the people around her and continued to search his head for bumps or contusions. His compliance to her ministrations without complaint fueled her worry. "Mulder, I can't find any bumps on your head but I'm going to take you to the hospital." She left her food untouched and paid for their tab. Mulder met her at the door. "Come on, Mulder. Let's see what's going on." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully stood in front of the viewing screen and stared at the results. X-rays, CT scans, and an MRI had turned up nothing. EEG results were also negative. The lab results were expected back anytime. Maybe that would turn up something conclusive. She turned toward Dr. Jacobson. "If I'm reading this right then these films look clean." Jacobson nodded his head. "So far we can't find any reason for your partner's memory loss. If the lab results come back clean I'm going to put in for a psychiatric consult." Scully sucked on her lip. "Let's not buy trouble." She walked out of the room and down the hall to Mulder's cubicle. She peeked in and saw that he'd fallen asleep. They'd been keeping him awake in case the etiology turned out to be neurological in nature. Since that had been ruled out she decided to let him sleep. She picked up his hand and gave it the lightest of caresses. There was a time in her not so distant pass that she would have distanced herself from her worry. How times changed! "Hey." The sleepy voice caught her by surprise. "Hey, yourself. How're you feeling?" Mulder shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. What's the prognosis, doc?" Scully smiled at his attempt to cover his nervousness with his dry wit. "We're still waiting for the blood tests but all your films came back clean." Mulder nodded his head and started to settle back down in bed. "Mulder, wait a minute. Look, if your lab work comes back clean Dr. Jacobson wants to order a psychiatric consult." Scully watched as Mulder's eyes grew wide and he started shaking his head. "Mulder, it's the next logical step. I have to agree with Jacobson." Mulder grasped her arm. "Scully, please. If I have to have my psyche messed with I'd rather have it done by someone I know. Let's wait until we get back to DC." Scully studied the man lying before her. She knew that he didn't like his head messed with. There were too many demons lying in wait for him to risk someone plowing through his defense mechanisms. "Okay. But, Mulder, we've got to get to the bottom of this. You will see someone in DC." Mulder seemed to relax and she let him drift off again. She knew there was something wrong. There's no way he would just lie complacently in that bed unless something was going on and whether it was physiological or psychological they were going to get to the bottom of this. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The blood work had come back negative and with much protesting by the doctor they'd finally released him into her care. They went back to the hotel so Scully could rearrange their flight and gather their stuff. Mulder had been quiet on the ride to the airport. There was a moment when he seemed to startle. She'd thought that he'd been nodding off again and hadn't paid much attention to it until he'd done it again just a few moments ago. She watched as he looked about him with an air of surprise. He seemed to take in his surroundings with a bit of confusion and Scully felt her stomach sink to her toes. "Mulder?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX He must've dozed off. He looked around the plane and finally settled back into the seat. That's right. He was going back home for holiday. He tried to relax but felt a pair of eyes on him. When he heard his name it startled him a little. He had grown accustomed to being called by his last name while at Oxford. But away from the hallowed halls of academia it sounded strange to him. He looked to his side to see an older redheaded woman staring at him with something akin to concern in her eyes. "Yes?" She looked at him and sort of blinked her eyes. "Mulder, are you okay?" Now this was odd. The woman acted as if she knew him but he had no idea as to who she was. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully sat back as if she'd been sucker punched. Did he know her? 'Oh my God!' "Mulder, who do you think I am?" He studied her a moment and then gave a hesitant smile. "I really don't know, ma'am." Scully closed her eyes and tried to take deep, calming breaths. There was a slight lilt in his speech that made her vaguely nauseous. It wasn't very pronounced but every so often a word here and there would pop out with a slight English twist. She fought to keep her voice calm and level. "Mulder, Fox, how old are you?" He studied her a moment. "I'm nineteen. You'll have to forgive me. I just finished with examinations and must've been extremely tired when I got on the plane. What's your name again?" Scully felt her gut twist further and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "Scully, Dana Scully." The mention of her name didn't elicit any sign of recognition and she thought that her heart would break. 'He's forgotten me!' Mulder continued to stare at her a few more moments in uncomfortable silence. "Well, it was nice meeting you." He turned back to observe the sky outside the window. Scully sat back in her chair. Now what did she do? How did she deal with this? In truth, she didn't really want to get into this on an airplane. But once she was on the ground he would want to go his separate way. She needed back up on this. She excused herself and made her way to the back of the plane where she picked up the phone that allowed her to call people on land. Taking a deep breath she called AD Skinner. She waited while the phone rang on the other end. It sounded distant and small coming out of the tiny speaker and just served to remind her of how far away she was from any help. The voice that finally answered the phone sounded rough and disused. "Sir, this is Agent Scully. Yes I know it's late but this is an emergency. I'm calling from flight 473 from Florida. It's Mulder, Sir." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX She had vacillated between trying to engage him in conversation and just trying to keep up with her own thoughts. She was so afraid that she would blink her eyes and he would lose more time. Her attempts at conversation had been poorly met. 'Mulder, what year is it?' He'd looked at her like she was crazy but had answered her. '1980.' Granted that had been a bad question to ask. "After we touch ground I'd like you to meet a friend of mine." Again he looked at her as if trying to discern exactly what rock she'd climbed out from under. "I really need to be getting home. Maybe another time, okay?" Scully could have laughed if the situation hadn't been so dire. She recognized the voice he was using as a shadow of the voice he used during hostage negotiations. 'That's right, when their crazy use a soft, non-threatening voice.' An idea came to her and she reached into her pocket and showed him her badge. "I promise, I'm legitimate." He eyed her badge with eyes just a little wider than usual. "Okay. I guess I can spare a few minutes." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Once on the ground it wasn't difficult to spot her boss in the milling crowd. She made sure that Mulder was following her and headed over toward the tall man. "Sir. I'm glad you're here. Uhm, Mulder, this is Walter Skinner he's an assistant director at the FBI and our . . . my . . . boss." Skinner kept looking from Mulder to Scully but shook Mulder's hands. "I need to check and see how long I have until the plane leaves for Chilmark." Scully looked to Mulder and then Skinner. How did she handle this? Mulder had his ticket out and was looking at it. "I don't understand. I should have a connecting flight. I need to speak with someone from the airline." He started off toward the ticket counters but a large hand reached out and grabbed him. "I'll help you take care of it after we get done. If you could just speak with us first." "Is this about my father?" Scully traded a look with the AD. "No, not at all. We just need to talk to you." "Am I in some kind of trouble?" He was openly fidgeting now. This time it was Skinner who answered. "No. You're not in any trouble. Please we'll explain everything." "Okay but I need to get my baggage." "Yeah I need to pick up mine too." Scully walked with Skinner behind Mulder. They both continued to observe the man before them. There was a difference to the way he walked and moved. His mannerisms were different, almost shy. "Do you have any idea how this came about, Scully?" Scully sighed and looked at her shoes while she thought about her answer. "No not really. Whatever it is seems to be progressive though. It's getting worse. The first instance of memory loss resulted in a loss of five years this time he's gone back to 1980. In his mind he's coming home from Oxford for holiday." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX They made their way through the extensive parking lot until they came upon the dark colored sedan. They approached the car and started to open it when they heard a gasp. Scully turned to see Mulder pale and gasping but staring at his reflection in the chrome of the car parked next to theirs. The parking lot lights had given off just enough light to distinguish his features. She grabbed a hold of the trembling man and tried to steer him into the open car. "Sir, could you help?" Skinner made his way around the car and helped push Mulder into the back seat. Scully climbed in after him and pushed his head down between his legs to keep a very frightened Mulder from passing out. "Where to, Scully?" Scully continued to mumble platitudes to Mulder in the back seat. "GUMC, Sir, and hurry." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The man in the bed was currently sleeping. Scully breathed a sigh of relief. Mulder had been in such a state of distress by the time they'd arrived at the hospital that he'd been in danger of doing himself harm. The drugs had finally kicked in which in turn slowed down his heart rate to acceptable levels. She currently sat at his bedside running her fingers through his hair. When they'd first arrived at the hospital it'd been an uphill battle to convince the doctor that they'd already run all necessary physical tests. Finally, a quick call to Hanson Memorial in Florida had cleared up the matter. Now on the fifth floor psychiatric unit, Mulder was resting comfortably. Scully wracked her brain for the cause of Mulder's current condition. She was sure that his fall into the lake had somehow precipitated his unusual amnesia. She hadn't been able to talk to him once he'd seen his reflection. He had all but shut down. There was a soft knock on the door and Scully looked up to see Skinner poke his head through the door. "Could I see you a moment, Agent Scully?" She smoothed the hair off of his forehead one more time and then stood up to go talk to her boss. Outside of the room the hall held the quiet hush that all hospitals seemed to cultivate in the wee hours of the morning. "He's resting comfortably." Skinner nodded and looked toward the door. "I have agents combing the forest where you said you encountered the pond. So far we haven't been able to find it. Are you sure of your location?" "Yes, Sir. It's there. A pond like that doesn't just disappear. They're not looking in the right place!" "Look, Agent Scully." He paused and watched a nurse walk by before continuing in a lower voice. "It could be that Mulder has finally succumbed to the pressures he finds himself under." Scully looked at him angrily. "That's not it! Sir, you know its not!" Skinner sighed and looked around to make sure that they weren't being listened to. "Agent Scully, calm down. Look you need to rest too. Take it easy. This has been hard on you too." Scully stared at her boss a minute more. "With all due respect, Sir, Fuck off!" Then she turned and went back into the room. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The soft whimpers woke her up from an uneasy sleep. She sat up and winced at the crick in her neck. The staff had tried to get her to leave earlier but she'd persevered until they gave up. Now she looked upon the sleeping form in the bed. Sweat had darkened his bangs and was causing them to cling to his forehead. She reached over and took his hand. "Mulder. Fox, it's okay." She wondered what state of mind he'd be in. Could the amnesia reverse itself as quickly as it started? Mulder opened his eyes and stared at her a moment. He looked at her in confusion and then looked around the room. He let out a groan and then curled up on himself. Scully bit her lip. Was he remembering seeing his reflection? "Hey." He turned his face back up and looked at her. "Hi." "Can you tell me your name?" The look he gave her said that he'd done this before and he was tired of it. "Fox William Mulder." "How old are you, Fox?" "Sixteen." Scully felt her stomach drop to her toes. He'd lost three more years. She tried a smile but felt it waver a bit. "Are you in high school?" She should call the doctor but a kind of morbid curiosity made her sit still. "Yes I'm a senior." Scully blinked at that a moment but then remembered that he had graduated early. "What do you remember about coming to the hospital?" Mulder closed his eyes and seemed to search through his mind for the events that led to his current predicament. "Appendicitis." Scully raised her eyebrows and sucked in her cheeks. She pushed the call button. "So you've had your appendix removed?" At his nod she started to question him further when the door opened and a nurse stepped inside. "Yes?" "Will you page the doctor and tell him that Mr. Mulder is awake and that he should come down? Thanks." She turned her head back to the man in the bed. "Does your side hurt?" He started to nod and then stopped. He took an inventory of himself and then looked up at Scully with confusion in his eyes. "I don't understand. Something's wrong. I feel weird, like I'm different." Scully looked up as the doctor came into the room. "Mr. Mulder, it's good to see you awake and calm." Mulder looked at the older man like he'd grown a second head. The doctor seemed to take his look in stride. "You don't remember me?" Mulder shook his head. "I'm Dr. Stanton. I admitted you to the ward here. Why don't you do me a favor and tell me the year." "1977. I don't understand what's going on here. Where's my mom?" The doctor looked toward Scully for an answer while she looked back at the doctor in frustration. How did she explain the situation without upsetting Mulder again? She decided to keep it simple and as honest as she could. "Your mother couldn't be here right now as is the situation with your father." Dr. Stanton flipped through the chart and spoke without looking up. "If it's 1977 that would make you sixteen, right?" At Mulder's nod he continued. "What if I told you that it was really the year 2000?" Mulder continued to stare at the doctor and then with a sideways look toward Scully he smiled a little. "I would say that you are full of shit." Scully couldn't help but chuckle. As dire as the situation was it was good to see that some things never changed. "You don't think you could accept an extreme possibility?" Mulder turned his attention back toward Scully and smiled shyly at her. "I suppose I could but this is ridiculous." Dr. Stanton cleared his throat to bring their attention back to him. "I see. Well, why don't you rest for a while and the nurse will be back in shortly with some medicine." Mulder's eyes narrowed. "What kind of medicine?" The smile that the doctor gave him was patronizing. "Just something to help you get better. Don't worry yourself about it." Scully stood up. "I'd like to speak to you in the hall a moment, Dr. Stanton. Fox, I'll be right back." She handed him the control for the TV. "Try to rest a little." Out in the hall she closed the door on the sound of flipping channels. "What are you planning on giving him?" The doctor looked up for a moment from his notations in the chart. "Haldol." Scully looked at him with incredulity. "Haldol! He doesn't need that." Dr. Stanton finally stopped his scribbling. "Look, your friend in there is psychotic. I don't know what field is your specialty, _Dr._ Scully, but mine is psychiatry so why don't you let me handle this." Scully stared up at him with something like murder in her eyes. "I have a better idea, Stanton. Bring the papers for me to sign for his release." The doctor's face turned red and for a moment she thought she was going to have to call a crash cart for the portly physician. "Mr. Mulder needs help!" She smirked at him. "Yes he does, just not your kind. Bring the papers while I help get him ready." Then she turned and walked back into the room. "What a prick!" Mulder looked up at her in shock. "Fox, I'm going to ask you to do something for me." She walked over to his closet and began getting his clothes. "Hey, what are you doing? Who are you anyway?" She put his clothes on the bed and started removing the IV. "My name's Scully . . . or Dana, whatever you want to call me. Fox, I've got to ask you to trust me. I know that right now you don't know me from Eve but it's important that you do." By this time Mulder was sitting up in the bed with his legs hanging over the side of the bed. He frowned down at himself and then looked up into her eyes. He stared intently into her eyes as if searching for something. Then a look crossed his face that she couldn't quite identify. Wonder, confusion, embarrassment? "Yeah, I don't know why but I think I can." Scully let the smile that was tugging at her lips go and she could feel it sparkling in her eyes. "Good. Now, get dressed we're getting you out of here." He stood up and after a few brief moments of dizziness from the drugs he moved to the bathroom to get dressed. While he was in there the doctor came back in with the forms and she started filling them out. "I could take this to court you know. There isn't a single judge who would disagree with me." Scully handed papers back to him and smiled icily. "Go ahead." The doctor left in a huff with the beet color creeping back up his cheeks. Scully turned to see Mulder come out of the bathroom clutching at the door with his face the color of Children's paste. Damn! She'd forgotten about the so-called mirror in there. It was little more than polished metal but it provided a safe reflective surface for the patients to use. "Fox, it's okay. I'll explain but lets get home first okay?" He looked at her. "It's okay?" "I'll explain. Come on, let's get you out of here." End Pt. 1. Continued pt. 2. TITLE: Fuente de la Juventud 2/2 DISCLAIMER: The X-Files and all related characters belong to Chris Carter, Fox Television, and 1013 Productions. I do not claim ownership and no infringement intended. I make no money from this. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully was currently going through hers and Mulder's clothing from the trip. Mulder, meanwhile, was sitting on the couch with her compact held up to observe himself. He'd said little and Scully let him have the time to assimilate everything. She was looking for anything that might lend some credence to the ideas that were firmly taking hold in her mind. 'Mulder, you'd be proud of me.' It wasn't until she happened on the clothes that Mulder had been wearing when he fell into the pond that she found what she was looking for. She gasped slightly when her fingers contacted what should have been soft cotton. What her fingers encountered was still, hard, and sharp. She pulled out his shirt and found that it was covered in a crystallized layer that shown faintly yellow in the light. Mulder had looked up at her gasp and watched while she pulled out the shirt. "What's that?" Scully shook her head. "I don't know but I'm going to find out." She grabbed a ziploc bag and put the shirt inside and sealed it. Then she washed her hands and picked up the phone. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX She stood outside of the apartment door with Mulder and knocked. She waited nervously for an answer. Finally the door opened to show the stern and slightly confused expression of her boss. "Scully, what are you doing here? Better yet why is Mulder out of the hospital?" Scully pushed her way in the door and Mulder followed her. So far he'd been pretty quiet but she could tell by his agitation that that would not last much longer. "Sir, I'm sorry. I've got to run into the lab and test a substance that I found on some articles of his clothing. I couldn't leave him alone." Skinner looked from one person to the other. "Mulder, why don't you find something on the TV while Agent Scully and myself discuss this." Then dismissing the younger man he turned toward Scully. "No." Skinner's head turned back toward the man defying him while Scully couldn't help but smile down at her shoes. "Excuse me?" Mulder sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "I said no. Quit talking around me like I'm a child. I'm right here and fully capable of participating in this conversation. Especially since what you're talking about is me!" Skinner looked away while the muscle in his jaw tightened. He had to remind himself that this was not the Agent Mulder he was used to dealing with. "Fine. Why didn't you leave him in the hospital?" Scully sighed. "Sir, that was not the place for him. The doctor wanted to drug Mulder up to his eyeballs. That's not what he needs." Skinner studied Mulder. "You sure?" Mulder stepped forward. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Nothing, Mulder. I'm sorry." Scully turned to leave at the door she turned back to Skinner. "Watch him. I'm afraid our time is running out. I have the sneaking feeling that this is what killed the men in the forest." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Karyn was sitting in the lab when Scully arrived. "Thanks for taking time out of your weekend to run this for me." Karyn smiled at her. "Not a problem. What've you got?" Scully handed over the bag with the crystallized shirt in it. Then she began suiting up. She didn't want to come into contact with this stuff anymore than she had too. She watched as the young chemist did the same. Karyn had come in when Pendrell had died. Scully smiled sadly. She could still see the way his eyes had watched her and his shy grin. He had been a really sweet guy. "Okay, Karyn, let's get this stuff analyzed." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Skinner stared at the man sitting on his couch flipping channels. He didn't particularly get along with Agent Mulder in the best circumstances. Now, well, now he just didn't know how to relate to him. He watched as Mulder slumped on his couch and flipped through the television channels. "Have you had breakfast?" Mulder looked up at him sullenly. "I'm not hungry." Skinner sighed. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. "Come on, tell me what you want or you may end up eating something you don't like." Mulder seemed to study him a moment. "Bologna hats." Skinner stared at the young man. "Bologna hats? What's that?" Mulder rolled his eyes and looked up. "You put butter in a pan and then fry the bologna." Skinner tried his best to keep the disgust from showing on his face. "I'll see what I can do." Skinner was in the kitchen cooking when he heard Mulder's voice from the living room. "Hey, uh, Sir, what time is it?" Skinner looked up at the clock on his microwave. "It's 11:20" He heard grumbling from the living room and went to see what all the noise was about. "What's wrong?" Mulder looked up at him with his bottom lip stuck out. "I can't find Fantasy Island." Skinner felt a sad tug at his heart. This young man was so lost. "It doesn't come on any more." He started to go back in the kitchen but stopped and face back toward the TV. Try channel 15. There's a show on there you'd probably like. It's called Quantum Leap." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The sun was caressing the horizon by the time Scully had left the FBI labs. She'd thanked Karyn profusely for coming in on a Saturday to help her with the analysis. With the papers containing the information they'd been able to gather on the bacteria that had been contained in the crystals she headed for her car. She'd spoken to the AD several times during her stint in the lab. So far everything had been okay. Neither had killed the other, yet. According to Skinner, Mulder had not regressed anymore, which was a relief. Perhaps the bacterium was losing ground. Then again, from what little she knew about it, that wasn't likely. So when she arrived at Walter Skinner's apartment she was quite surprised to see the AD pacing the front of his living room. His movements were tight and controlled hinting at an approaching tempest beneath. "What happened? Where's Mulder?" He turned toward her and his eyes glinted behind his wire frames. "He's gone. I turned my back for one minute and he was out the door. I've got people looking for him. I stayed here in case he came back." She pulled in a breath between pursed lips. "I'm going looking for him. If he were to regress while out there alone it could be catastrophic!" Skinner put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Scully, wait! I'm sorry I let him get away." Scully studied her boss a moment and then smiled wanly. "I know you didn't mean too. Let's just find him, okay?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX It was going on four in the morning and she was getting desperate. She'd looked everywhere she could think of. She'd even looked at his apartment and hers in case some sort of homing instinct took over. She had to find him before his fate matched those of the men that had been found in the forest. Scully had received a phone call earlier from Karyn. She'd remained at the lab studying the substance after Scully had left. It seemed that prolonged exposure to the substance caused a regression all the way to infanthood. It was looking more and more like the campers had regressed until they were no longer able to take care of themselves. And while it was true that Mulder had not been exposed again to the chemical it was a substance that was not known. It was too risky to assume that he'd be all right. She'd been on the phone with Skinner, the police, and the hospitals in the hope of coming up with a lead. So far she'd no luck. Now the battery on her phone was almost gone and her back was sore and stiff. She needed to get back to Skinner's and look at the rest of the analysis that Karyn had faxed over. It was the ringing of her phone brought her out of her reverie. "Scully." "He's where?" She pressed her mouth into a grim line. "I'll be right there." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX She pulled up to the bridge on 9th and cut the engine. She could see the figure standing on the precipice of the bridge and the tall silhouette of Skinner standing back from the rail. She could hear the cadence of his deep baritone but was too far away to understand what he was saying. The flashing lights of the squad cars gave the dark night a surreal feeling. Scully's feet splashed through the puddles left by the recent rain. Flashing her badge to gain access to the bridge she approached the two figures cautiously. "Fox?" He seemed to tense at her words but he didn't turn around. Instead he stepped closer to the edge. She drew in a deep breath and stopped a few feet from Skinner. "Fox, it's me Dana. Honey, please listen to me. I know you're scared and confused but I can help." She heard a quiet sob come from the man poised to jump. "They're dead. Everyone but me." Scully worked through what he'd said and quickly surmised that he was talking about his family. "I know. I'm so sorry but, Fox, this isn't going to solve anything. You're sick. Once you get the proper medicine everything will look better. I promise." He didn't answer her and she fought her heart back down into her chest. Oh God she couldn't lose him now. Not when they were so close. "Fox, did you hear me? You don't have to do this." "Samantha!" The cry was heart wrenching. She watched as Mulder let loose of the railing and teetered on the edge. Slowly, as if she had all the time in the world, he started forward. One foot was off of the edge before she could move. She let out a cry and started forward but she was too far away and too slow. Skinner made it to him first and was able to grab the back of his shirt before he could plummet into the raging water below. The force, however, was about to pull him over the railing as well. Scully ran up and grabbed the taller man around his mid section. The both of them were able to get him up and over the railing of the bridge with some help from the officers on site. She peered down into Mulder's face to see his cheeks lined with tear tracks. "Oh, Mulder, I am so sorry." She looked up to see her boss standing over them. "Help me get him home, Sir." When he looked like he was going to protest she pressed on. "Please, Sir." Skinner sighed and then reached down to help her up. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX They entered into Skinner's apartment and sat a trembling Mulder on the couch. He ignored them both. She stepped closer while Skinner continued to stand off to the side. He'd found a blanket in the back of his car and thrown it over Mulder's shoulders but Scully could see that he was still shivering. "Fox?" He looked at her and there were tears in his eyes that threatened to spill down his cheeks. "They're dead. All of them." Scully watched as first one and then another tear trembled on his lower lid and then cascaded down his face. She moved over onto the couch and gathered him in her arms. At first he resisted and then he relaxed into her embrace. She didn't offer any inane platitude but let him spend his grief on her shoulder. When he was calmed down some she looked to her boss. "Sir, is it all right if he lays down here for a while? It's so late and he's exhausted." Skinner stepped forward. "No not at all. There's an extra bedroom just down the hall. There's clean linens all ready on the bed and towels in the bathroom." Scully nodded her thanks and helped a distraught Mulder into the guest room. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX When she came back into the living room and kitchen area it was nearing on seven in the morning. Skinner was sitting at the table sipping a cup of coffee. He started to rise and pour her one but she waved him back down. After pouring her coffee into the cup sitting on the counter she joined him at the table. "He finally fell asleep. He was pretty upset. It seems that he hasn't lost his investigative skills. Somehow he managed to find out that Samantha and his parents are dead." Skinner nodded. "So he hasn't regressed any more?" "No. Hopefully his exposure was limited enough that he won't regress any more. Who found him?" "Agent Jackson found him. Are you sure he wouldn't be better off at the hospital?" Scully sighed and sat back in her chair. "He will have to go back to the hospital but not the psych ward. We've discovered some things about what's caused this. The pond he fell into contains a bacterium. This bacterium infects the brain. It acts along the same line as mescaline except that the only hallucination it produces is that one is younger." Skinner raised his eyebrows at the woman across the table. "So this is a hallucination?" Scully nodded. "Of sorts, yeah." "Well that's good news isn't it? I mean if it's a bacterium then antibiotics will kill it, right?" She got up to pour herself another cup of coffee. "Karyn and I found only one antibiotic strong enough to kill it. The problem is that this particular antibiotic can't cross the blood-brain barrier." Skinner raised his eyebrows. "Explain." Scully paused a moment to put her thoughts into order. "The blood-brain barrier is a protective shield around the blood vessels entering the brain. It's semi-permeable meaning that only certain things can penetrate it and make it to the brain. That's why infections such as encephalitis are so dangerous." "So this bacteria is able to cross this barrier but the only treatment to cure it can't? Why does Mulder have to make everything so difficult." Scully let a small chuckle escape. "So there is no way to cure him?" "There is a way but it's dangerous. He'll have to be kept in isolation while the treatment takes place. We'll use the sugar mannitol to open the barrier. It shrinks the cells lining the vessel walls temporarily. This way the antibiotic can pass the barrier and kill the bacteria." Skinner frowned and contemplated his cup of coffee. "That sounds dangerous." Scully nodded. "It is. It leaves him temporarily open to infection. That's why he has to be in isolation." Skinner stood up. "When do we start?" Scully looked at her watch. "In a couple of hours. I want Mulder to get a little rest before we start." "You too. You need your rest. You haven't slept in over 24 hours have you?" He waited for her nod. "I thought so. Go lay down in my bed. I'll be fine on the couch." Scully started to protest. "No, I mean it. Go lie down." Scully smiled. "Thank you, Sir." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully watched through the window as the mannitol was introduced into Mulder's system. The doctor and nurses were in full gowns to minimize the chance of infection. Mulder had been very lackadaisical all morning. The news of his family's death had been more than he could handle at the time. It took Mulder more than twenty years accept the possibility of his sisters death. To have that event thrown in his face all at once had been too much of a shock. She startled as a figure stepped up behind her. "Easy there, Scully. How's the treatment going?" Scully turned to see Skinner standing a few feet behind her. "They've just administered the mannitol. It'll be a little while before it'll start to work." Skinner observed the woman standing before him. The nap had done little to refresh her. She had dark circles in her eyes and her hair lacked its usual luster. "Scully, go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I'll stay here and watch Mulder." Scully shook her head. "I don't want to leave him while the treatment is taking place." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, you said yourself that it'll be a little while before they can begin treatment. Take this time to get something to eat and rest. If you don't I'll have two agents in the hospital." Scully looked at her boss doubtfully. "I mean it. I'll call you when they get ready to begin the treatment. Now go." She turned and looked through the window once more at her partner. "Thank you, Sir." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully stared through the window at the figure in the bed, her mouth pressed into a tight line. This had been too close. Mulder's reaction to the antibiotic had been swift and severe. They had him on oxygen to facilitate his breathing and antihistamines to ease the symptoms. Normally they would switch antibiotics but this one was his best chance. They were just going to have to watch him carefully and monitor his vitals. In a moment she was going to suit up and go in for a while but first she wanted to make sure that she had a firm handle on her emotions. He was asleep but Mulder had an uncanny ability to sense when she was distressed and she didn't want to add to his stress level. When she felt in control of her faculties she went into the small room and put on the gown, cap, facemask, and booties. There was a soft hiss of air as she opened the door into the room where Mulder lay. The heart monitor was on silent mode so the room was filled with the sounds of Mulder's soft breathing. The mask seemed to amplify and distort his breathing till it filled the room. She pulled a chair up to his bedside and sat down. He was out of it enough that she could pick up his hand and not disturb him. The combination of the reaction, drugs, and lack of sleep had worked to bring him down to a level below consciousness. Scully rubbed tiny circles on his palm with her thumb. It was more for her comfort than his at this point. It would take time for the drugs to rid him of the bacteria and until that time he would remain in a state between sleep and wakefulness. It was going to be a long week. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dana Scully was exhausted. She'd been dividing her time between the office and the hospital. This weekend had limited her duties to just the hospital but even that didn't allow her the proper rest. It'd been seven days and Mulder had still not come to full consciousness. Tests showed that the antibiotics had done their job and the bacterium was fully gone from his system. The mannitol had been discontinued and they were now in a normal room. Or as normal as it got for ICU. The fact that he hadn't woken yet was a cause for concern. She rubbed his arms in hopes that the stimulation would bring him around. The research being done on the bacteria showed no evidence of brain damage in the rats. Scully studied Mulder a minute. He wasn't a rat. Could the bacterium somehow have damaged that fine mind? Was that the reason he had not returned to full wakefulness? EEG's showed his brain activity to be normal, as did the MRI and CAT scan. Was Mulder retreating into himself? Had the shock of his family's death been too much for a sixteen-year-old Fox Mulder? There were more questions than answers at this point and the lack of progress was making her irritable. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that when he first moaned she missed it. It took a second moan to bring her around to awareness. "Mulder? Come on and say hello." She smiled down at him when his hazel eyes opened and focused on her. "Hi. How're you feeling?" Mulder blinked his eyes a couple of times and smacked his lips. "Okay. Water?" She poured him a drink from the plastic jug on the tray then put in a straw and bent the neck. "Take it slow." He sipped with the appreciation of a man stranded in the desert. When he'd had his fill he pushed the glass away and pulled himself up in the bed a little higher. "Well, I must have avoided surgery this time." He frowned. "Either that or I've been out so long that it doesn't make a difference." Scully smiled and took his hand and started to rub small circles on his palm with her thumb. "What do you remember?" Mulder stilled a moment and closed his eyes. "We were investigating a case in the Florida woods. I fell into a pond and then we headed back to the campsite. I was tired so I took a nap and . . ." He frowned and a look of confusion came over his face. "After that its really fuzzy. I get a bunch of images but they don't make any sense." He looked up at her, his eyes wide and the pupil dilated a bit. "Scully, what happened to me?" Scully stopped the circular motion on his palm and studied his face a moment. "You found the fountain of youth, Mulder." He stared at her a moment uncomprehending. "The fountain of youth? Really?" Scully smiled at the childlike wonder in his voice. "Of sorts, yeah." Mulder was quiet a while. "We've got to go back out there. The water needs to be studied. Scully, this water could change the way we look at old age!" She chuckled. "You have no idea!" She was quiet a moment while she worried her lip. "Mulder, the pond has disappeared. The forest has been combed thoroughly. It's as if its been swallowed up by the forest." Mulder stared at her. "Somehow, Scully, that makes sense. So, tell me, was I an adorably cute little boy?" THE END Hope you enjoyed it!