From:             shinkai@mlode.com (Susan Shinkai)
Subject:          Completed story: The IM Files -Lonely Men (1/2)
Date sent:        Mon, 2 Feb 1998 19:50:42 -0800

Title :  The IM Files - Lonely Men (1/2)
Author : Shinkai
E-mail Address: shinkai@mlode.com
Rating : R
Classification - SR
Spoilers - Duane Barry, Ascension
Keywords - Scully/Mulder romance, alternate reality
Summary - 9th installment of the series; Part 1- Mulder risks his life to
get closer to Duane Barry, while Scully, 5 months pregnant, tries
desperately to pull him back.  Where are his priorities- his quest or his
family?

Intro:  The Duane Barry/Ascension cycle is one story - told here in two
parts, just like in the original.  The story title, "Lonely Men" , comes
from IM Files #6 when Deep Throat cautions Mulder about his relationship
with Scully saying "we are all lonely men for a reason."  This story is told
in  more complete detail than most of the IM Files, as the originals were so
rich in content. Great Praises to Chris Carter and Paul Brown.
If you're not familar with the IM Files, it all started with a story called
"Meeting the Invisible Man." Start there san see if you want to end up here.

 Thanks and acknowledgment (or blame if you don't like the story) goes to
Connell for his creative suggestions and warped imagination.  Thanks all
those who have encouraged the continution of this series especial Vikki,
Domenica, Mandy, Lorrie and Koula (wherever you are.)

Disclaimer:  The characters and situations depicted in this story are not
the legal property of the author or her agents. This use is not intended to
be an infringement on the rights of the legal owners.  Use and distribution
of  this story is for not-for-profit entertainment purposes only.


LONELY MEN - PART 1 - DUANE BARRY MEETS THE INVISIBLE MAN

    Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder were never in more danger in
their search for the truth - the truth of what happen to Samantha Mulder and
who was responsible, and how far the secret forces within our government
would go to hide such truths.  Even in the shadow of this threat, they tried
to forge a life together.   Far from frivolous, their common bond gave them
the strength and the faith to continue the search.  But in the next few
days, they would both learn the consequences of believing in `extreme
possibilities"....

   Mulder had all but moved in with Scully.  He only went to his apartment
for a few hours every couple of days, to check for many unusual messages or
contact, knowing in a few months he would be moving out all together.  They
had decided that they would find a place to call theirs, a home to raise
their child.  The dangers that haunted them were real but so was the need to
complete their lives.  Mulder felt that once they announced their marriage
and pending birth, that the dark forces would avoid anything so blatant as
harming their child. However, Scully's doubt kept them from telling anyone
to the last possible moment.  She had even been avoiding seeing her mother
for the last month.  His new partner wasn't working out as Mulder had hoped,
so now the announcement would be delayed until they found a place.   Her
logic dictated that they make all the changes at once and explain the
details later.  His logic dictated that he shouldn't argue with her on this
issue anymore.  He gave her as much control as possible in their
relationship because he knew it made her feel more secure, especially since
she couldn't be in the field with him.  Control meant a lot to her and her
happiness meant everything to him.  Unfortunately, he still did a lot of
things to make her unhappy.

   On afternoon, Mulder called and left a message on Scully's answering
machine that he wouldn't be home for several hours.  He and his new
unofficial partner, Alex Krychek were  discussing the latest case they
worked on and they faced off as Mulder ignored the younger agent's request
to know more about how he formed his ideas.  The air conditioning in the
building hadn't been working properly  on the warm August afternoon, and
heat made tempers flair.
   "Krychek, if you can't figure it out yourself, maybe you should look into
another line of work." Mulder snapped in frustration.
   "Look, Mulder, I may be a rookie but I'm a good agent.  I know I still
need more field experience. But how am I ever going to learn anything if you
keep every thing to yourself." Krychek shot back.
   "Give me one reason I should tell you anything." Mulder challenged.
   "Because you NEED a partner." He lowered his voice to just above a
whisper and added  "They're not going to let you work with Scully, especial
after they find out she's pregnant..."
   "WHAT ?!" Mulder snatched Krychek by the collar.  The other agents in the
area ignored Mulder's out burst.  It wasn't anything unusual. But Mulder
realized he was going to cause a scene if he didn't calm down, so he
released him and growled "What did you say?"
   "It's pretty obvious. Even to a greenhorn like me.  She must be 5 or 6
months along." Krychek kept his voice low and smiled at Mulder. "Don't
worry.  I haven't said anything to Skinner.  I assumed you're the father."
   "Shut up, Krychek." Mulder threatened and turned away to stop himself
from slamming Krychek's head into the desk.
     Krychek became belligerent in response to his mentor's refusal to talk.
"You're always talking about the `truth'.  How people have a right to know.
If I have to put up with your mind games, I deserve the truth too."
    "It's none of your business."  Mulder growled again.
     Krychek grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face him. "It is my
business when you keep calling her every five minutes to update her on your
case and you don't tell my shit."
    "I'm not hiding anything from you, Krychek.  You just have to learn to
see for yourself and then you have to learn to believe it."  The cold look
in Mulder's eyes would have made most men back down, but Krychek persisted.
    "After what I've seen, I really do  believe Agent Scully is carrying
your child." the younger agent said firmly.
   Was it that obvious? She had been avoiding her mother because her would
be able to tell.  But how else would Krychek know?  Mulder's stare bore into
him, trying to make him drop the subject. "Damn it, Krychek, who cares? What
does that have to do with this case?"
   "Nothing. But if you get distracted by her at the wrong time we could
both get killed.  I have a right to know where your mind is, for my own
protection." His tone was tentative but sincere and it started to crack
Mulder hard stare.
   "You've already made your conclusions.  You don't need me to confirm it."
Mulder grumbled.
   "Then you're not denying it?"  he asked hopefully.
   "Truth speaks for itself." Mulder declared as he studied the agent before
him. "Maybe with a little help from a rookie FBI agent."  Mulder added
unable to play the hypocrite any longer. Mulder felt a small dose of pride,
telling someone else that he was going to be a father.
   Krychek broke into a grin then tried to look serious as he said "Thanks.
Really, I mean it.  Your trust means everything to me."
   Mulder chuckled under his breath, amused at how easily Krychek could be
placated.     "Don't get too excited.  You still have to finish that
 report."
   "You want ME to finish it?" asked Krychek.
   "Yeah. I do trust you with that much." Mulder said as he stretched his
back and looked at the clock.  5:50PM, the worst time to be out driving,
even though he desperately wanted out of the office.  "Besides I want to get
out of here and go for a run.  I'm too edgy. I need to clear my head."
   "Why not go for a swim instead?  Maybe you can cool off after brow
beating the new kid on the block."  Krychek joked, showing off his humble
best.
   "See, Krychek, you can come up with your own ideas if you apply
 yourself." Mulder finally gave him a small smile as he started clearing the
desk.  "Thanks for the suggestion." he added  heading out the door.

   Mulder dove into the cool water and began swimming laps.  Krychek was
right,  this was better than running through the hot, crowded Capitol Mall.
With Scully at home in the evening and Krychek at his heels every day,
Mulder's workouts were the only time he had to himself anymore.  He never
realized how much he valued that time until he started to give it up to be
with Scully.  As much as he loved her and as much as he wanted to share his
life with her and their daughter, he couldn't help but feel as if he was
losing himself.  Had he given her too much control over their life together?
Did she have the same feelings about her life? She hardly saw her friends
and family anymore, because she was with him.  Could they ever separate
their individual needs without offending the other? So many questions to
ponder in a one hour workout. Suddenly that hour was cut short.

    "Agent Mulder !" shouted Krychek as he walked along the edge of the
pool.
   Mulder swam to the side nearest him and asked "What's up?"
   The younger agent explained that he received a phone call from the
Richmond field office requesting Mulder to assist in a hostage  negotiation.
A man was holding four hostages in an office building in Virginia.
   "And they want me?" was his natural question.
   "Apparently, the man holding the hostages claims to be under the control
of  aliens." Krychek answered seriously.
    Mulder nodded in understanding and headed for the locker room to change.
Krychek followed him and said "They'll pick us up by helo and drop us off at
the site of the incident."
    "How'd you get in on this?" Mulder asked as he showered quickly.
    "They want to make sure you made it there." Krychek answered dryly.
   "Did they think I was going to be abducted by aliens?" Mulder mused.
Krychek shrugged and waited while Mulder got dressed.  Mulder felt slightly
self conscious under the other man's watchful gaze, not just because he
stood naked before him but because he needed to call Scully to tell her he
wouldn't be home.  After his earlier argument with Krychek about his
relationship with Scully, Mulder didn't want to risk any delays in getting
to the crime scene. He did think it odd that Krychek didn't wait for him
outside but knowing how he had a tendency to ditch the junior partner,
Mulder wasn't surprised.

    Krychek stood silently and admired Mulder's lean body and fluid motion.
Each movement defined the muscles on his chest and abdomen He knew he was
staring but Mulder made no effort to stop him so he continued to look.  It
wasn't actually an attraction but more of a fascination with the man who
believed in secret government conspiracies and alien abductions. A man who
believed so strongly he could end up risking everything, even his wife and
unborn child, to find the truth. Krychek wondered if Mulder's convictions
were was strong as his powerful body, or would his resolve finally crumble
when permanently separated from Scully.  The double crossing agent took a
secret delight in being part of the plan to test that resolve, and hoped he
would be there to see the look on Mulder's face when he realized he himself
was responsible for her fate.  Krychek remained expressionless as he watched
Mulder finish dressing then finally asked a question with a double meaning.
"Are you ready?"
    Mulder straightened his tie and replaced his service weapon in the
holster.  Running his hand through his damp hair and taking a quick look in
the mirror, he figured this was as close to professional he as going to get.
He just hoped the Agent in Charge wasn't some tight assed bureaucrat more
interested in protocol than saving lives. Figuring that he'd find out soon
enough, he finally replied "Let's go."

    As luck would have it, the negotiation commander was Agent Lucy  Kazdin,
well known for her single minded no-nonsense approach to resolving crisis
situations. She was the one who requested Mulder.  As Mulder and Krychek met
the negotiation team and tactical commander, Mulder began to wonder exactly
how he would fit into the game plan.
     The man's name was Duane Barry and he had broken out of a mental
hospital taking his doctor as a hostage with the intention of bringing him
to the alien abduction site to prove the experience was real.
Unfortunately, Barry couldn't remember where the site was and stopped at the
travel agency to try to jog his memory, taking three more hostages.  They
were still in the travel office, located across the plaza from the command
post. He was lucid but manic, armed and not afraid to die.  A secure phone
line had been established but Duane Barry's ranting provided very little
information on which the negotiators could act.  That's why Mulder was
called - to give him someone to talk to.
   When Mulder asked if they had any back ground on Barry's abduction, the
other agents gave him questioning looks.  "Do you really believe in this
stuff?" Kazdin asked.
   "Is that a problem?" challenged Mulder.
   Apparently, it wasn't.  "We're here to save lives." she emphasized.
Kazdin informed him that his progress would be evaluated every three hours
to determine if tactical intervention was necessary. Mulder then received
the crash course in FBI hostage negotiation. They outlined the 4 steps of
honesty, containment, conciliation, and resolution.  They emphasized the use
of the hostages names to help Barry identify with them as people and as
victims.  They stressed the importance of not buying into  Barry's delusion.
Mulder regarded the last point as arrogance on the part of the negotiators.
It was like telling a Vietnam vet suffering from post traumatic syndrome
that the war never happened.  How could Mulder be honest if he couldn't tell
the truth about other abductees?

    Mulder agreed to follow the rules of engagement, despite his misgivings
about the limited background on Barry.  He made contact with Duane Barry
over the phone line and listened as the man smartly replied to his every
comment.  The man was manic but he was clearly frighten. Not of the FBI  but
of being abducted again. While Duane Barry's behavior was noticeably
aberrant, especially his tendency to refer to himself in the third person,
his intelligence and knowledge of FBI procedures was apparent.  Mulder
listened in frustration was Barry recited the goals of negotiation but
purposefully left out the `resolution'.  He demanded a real negotiation and
warned against any tactical options then hung up.
   Mulder threw Kazdin a look of anger.  "He's FBI.  Isn't he?"
    "Former FBI.." she answered calmly.
   "And you didn't think to mention that?" Mulder asked in disgust.
    "He's been out of the Bureau since 1982. He's been institutionalize on
and off for over a decade. That's beside the point." she replied unyielding
     "The point being the Bureau wants to minimize its embarrassment. Is
that it?" Mulder accused. It was now obvious to Mulder why he was called in.
They wanted to keep the entire operation under FBI jurisdiction, to show
they could police their own.  Kazdin admitted they wanted it taken care of
as neatly as possible.
. "If you just wanted someone to read the script, you didn't have to bring
me out." Mulder said frustrated.
   "This method has proven extremely successful in winning the hostage
takers trust." Agent Rich added defending their methods.
   Mulder grew angry again at the arrogance of the team, to think that Duane
Barry was acting out like just another psycho.  "That man is afraid. And the
only way you're going to win his trust is by trying to understand what he's
afraid of. He's not afraid of you or your sharp shooter that he knows are
out there waiting for a clear shot.  Have you ever talked to an abductee,
Agent Kazdin? Heard them talking about having their brain sucked out through
their nostril while being  wide awake through the experience? Would you like
to know what they do to a woman's ovaries?"
    "Not particularly." Kazdin replied firmly, as she wondered who was
crazier Mulder or Barry.
   "Then understand that you may have to alter your approach a little here."
Mulder said as he stormed from the room.
   Kazdin and the others frowned and considered their options.  It was
obvious Mulder did understand Barry's fears and was better qualified than
anyone to express understanding and concern. But Mulder believed it himself
and worst yet, he was a psychologist.  One thing Kazdin learned early in her
career as a negotiator was never try to psychoanalyze a man with a gun. Her
train of thought was interrupted by the young Krychek offering to help.  She
gave him the once over and asked "Do you have your notepad ?" He immediately
took out a pad and pen, and stood at the ready.  "Good, take this down.
Grande 2 percent cappuccino with vanilla.  Agent Rich?" she said as she
returned to the status board.
     The other agent waved off the offer as Krychek put away the pad,
refusing to be turned into an errand boy.
    Kazdin gave Krychek the evil eye and said "Did you think I was kidding?"
Krychek opened his mouth but she spoke again. "It's going to be a long night
and your friend who believes in flying saucers may be our only chance to get
those people out of there alive. Which means I have to work with him.  So if
you don't want another hostage situation to break out in here because I don'
t get my caffeine fix, I'd advise you pull out that notepad and get to work.
And on your way out, see if  Agent Mulder wants anything. While you're at
it, tell him I need to discuss our negotiation options with him."  She wasn'
t a rookie. She knew she could order Mulder back into the negotiation but
they would be butting heads all night.  Using Krychek as a go-between would
allow both  her and Mulder to keep their self respect while finding a
workable resolution to the situation.  Krychek understood her intentions and
went to find Mulder.

     After Mulder left the room, he wasted no time in trying to call Scully.
He finally reached her at her office in Quantico, working late. "Scully, it'
s me. I'm in Richmond."
     "I know.  I'm watching it on TV" she said with concern. She had flipped
on the evening news as a distraction an hour ago only to find a report of a
hostage situation taking place with a man who escaped from a mental
institution.  The chief negotiators were listed as Agent Lucy Kazdin and
Agent Fox Mulder of the FBI.
     Mulder explained that news media wasn't being told that Duane Barry was
a former FBI agent and claimed to be a victim of multiple alien abductions.
He asked her to find out anything she could about his history, his injury
which made him leave the Bureau, and his mental health history, especially
his accounts of his abduction experiences. He needed the information to find
a way to make Barry listen and to let the hostages go.  Mulder also hoped
that Barry could help reveal the truth about these abduction stories.
    Scully should have had no fear for Mulder's safety since FBI protocol
didn't allow negotiators to expose themselves to the kidnapper's line of
fire, but she  knew his habit of disregarding policy to do what was
necessary to save lives or to find the truth.  In this case, both lives and
the truth were at risk, which meant Mulder wasn't far behind.  She knew his
best defense was knowledge so she agreed to call him back with everything
she could find within the hour.  Before she hung up, she said softly "I know
I've said it a hundred times before but ... be careful. I love you.
Remember, we're waiting for you."
    He knew she was referring to herself and their child. He thought that
this idea of a family meant everything to him but in the cold light of
reality, he realized he have to tuck that idea deep inside so he could
complete his job and his search.  His love for Scully was the foundation of
his strength but it couldn't be the focus of his attention, least he become
distracted at a critical moment as he did when he faced Ed Funsch.
     "Let me know what you find." was all he said. Any promises or words of
love would have caught in his throat and clouded his mind.  He couldn't
afford that now. Besides, she knew. She always knew.
     Suddenly the light went out at the Command Center. Scully heard the
commotion in the back ground.  "Mulder?" she asked cautiously.
     "The lights just went out here.  Just call back as soon as you can.."
he answered and hung up quickly, checking his watch for the time.

    While Scully went to work, shutting out the possibilities of what caused
the power to fail in Richmond, all hell broke loose at the Command Center.
No one knew why the power was lost. Mulder rushed back into the main room
and looked out the window towards the travel agency office with the others.
Suddenly they were all blinded by a bright light that seemed to come from
the sky.  A brief instant later, they heard shots fired from the office.
The SWAT team readied for an assault as the negotiation team took cover.
Mulder checked his watch.  9 minutes.  They lost 9 minutes.  No one else
would know. No one else would care. Except Duane Barry.

    The Command team scramble to regain control.  They lost the phone line
in the power outage so Mulder called on his cellular phone.  Duane Barry was
manic "I told you.  You didn't believe me did you?"
    Mulder forced him to listen. "I...I believe you. I just need to know if
any one's been shot.?"
    The slow voice of reason came back to Duane Barry as he realized in his
frenzy he had shot the old bald guy he took as hostage.  "I guess we're
going to need a doctor."

    Mulder seized the opportunity to talk to Duane Barry face to face.
"Agent Kazdin, I'll go in with a medic.  If I can talk to him, I'm sure I
can get him to release the hostages."
    She looked at him doubtfully.  "I'm not as sure  as you but I still
think you're the best chance we've got. Besides, no one else is going to
volunteer." She gave Mulder the closest thing to a smile she could muster,
and instructed the tactical commander to equipment Mulder with a flax vest
and a wire.
     A tiny receiver was put in his left ear so they could talk to him to
coach him and warn him if the tactical team began to move on the office. The
microphone was hidden in the shoulder of the flax vest.  They were sure that
Barry would either let Mulder keep it on or put it on himself, either way
they would still be able to hear.
     Mulder's instructions were clear.  Disguised as paramedics, he and
Agent Janus would gain entry to the office and assess the victims'
condition. Janus, a trained medic, would  see to the victims, and Mulder was
to keep Barry talking.  As long as he was talking, he wouldn't be shooting,
Kazdin reminded Mulder.  Get the injured out, don't take any unnecessary
risks, and don't feed into his delusion.  Mulder smiled to himself thinking
about how much she sounded like Scully, so logical and precise.
   Suddenly he realized, he should have called Scully to let her know what
was happening.  She was probably trying to call him but his cellular phone
was being used by the Command Center until the land lines could be
re-established.  There was no time stop to make a phone call so Mulder
grabbed Krychek and took him aside.  "Agent Scully will be calling back with
information on Duane Barry. Get the information and tell her...." He paused
unsure of what message he could trust Krychek  with.  "Tell her I love her."
Krychek gave Mulder a puzzled stare but Mulder just repeated "Tell her,
Alex.."
     Krychek nodded silently in response and watched as Mulder and Janus
walked across the Plaza.  The young agent smiled to himself at the
circumstances which forced Mulder to trust him.  It was no simple message he
was asked to relay.  It was a message that proved Mulder's weakness, perhaps
his ultimate undoing.

     Once in the travel agent office, Mulder and Janus were searched at gun
point by the Duane Barry.  They knew he only had 4 or 5 shots left but that
was enough to kill everyone in the room so they came unarmed.  He didn't
seem bothered that they wore body armor and he even seemed to believe Mulder
when he said they didn't have a gun in the medic box and that he wasn't
wearing a wire.  Duane Barry knew they were FBI and that at least one of
them had a wire, even though he couldn't see it.  But it would have been
against protocol to bring a weapon in a medical box because it would
endanger the life of an already injured victim. And the body armor didn't
protect the head.

     Janus tended to the injured man and Mulder began to talk to Duane
Barry.  At first he sounded like another script but soon he began to talk
about what happen when the lights went out.  To Agent Kazdin's  frustration,
Mulder asked "Was it them?". He asked about the lost time. She warned him
that he was pushing Barry over the edge but Mulder ignored the warning.  He
knew the only way to get Duane Barry's trust was to let him know that
someone else believed.
     Barry writhed with painful memory of his past ordeals but continued to
watch the agent dressed as a paramedic that spoke to him.  It saw something
familiar in his eyes. This agent showed no sign of fear but that look in his
eyes reminded Duane Barry of the feeling he had when he was first taken. He
accused Mulder of making it up but Mulder responded by saying "Isn't that
what they said about you. That you were making it up?" This agent wasn't
afraid of Duane Barry, he was afraid of the same thing Duane Barry was
afraid of -Them.  All at once, Duane Barry felt this agent knew something
that everyone else missed and because of that Duane Barry decided to listen
when Mulder asked him to let the injured man go.
      "There's no reason this man has to die." Mulder's calm voice declared.
"Come on, Duane. You've got the power. Let him go."
     "OK." he agreed. But as Mulder and Janus started to move the man, Duane
Barry told Mulder "No, you stay.  I'm trading bald man  for you." Under the
circumstances, Mulder couldn't refuse and Janus took the injured man out the
door, in to the plaza.
     Duane Barry had tied Mulder's hand behind his back and set him in a
chair facing the center of the room.  He dared Mulder to show how good a
liar he was. "How can you know what Duane Barry's been through."
    "It happened to my sister." Mulder confessed.
 Duane Barry refused to believe him. He screamed maniacally, demanding
respect and honesty. Mulder began to recall the stories of other abductees
with the intensity of  a man possessed.
   "How does it happen, Duane? Driving in your car, alone in your bed? When
do they come to you? You're paralyzed aren't you? Unable to move. Sometimes
you can't even breath.  You feel an electric shock go through your body then
they're there."  Kazdin continued to warn Mulder but he was too far gone to
listen.  Mulder ranted on. "Where do they take you, Duane? To a ship? Are
you consicous of going there? Tell me, Duane" Mulder was seduced by the
Duane Barry's world, imagined or real.  It was  a world he'd spend years
trying to understand, trying to find a gateway to,  as Mulder's  own life
and memories  faded into the background.
   Duane Barry cried in agony recalling the moments described by a man he
didn't want  to trust.  Mulder's urgent voice, his knowledge of abductions ,
and his desire to know what happen to Duane Barry finally convinced the
desperate man to trust him.  He encouraged Mulder "Tell the what their
business is.  Tell `em."
   "They take you aboard the ship to  perform `the tests'." Mulder obliged.
   "They... they drilled me teeth." Duane Barry agonized over the memories
and started  shouting "They drilled holes in my damn teeth."
    The doctor and the other two hostages were terrified, sure that they
were at the mercy of two madmen.

    Kazdin and the others in the Command Center grew more frustrated.  The
situation was no better, still 4 hostages, and one of them, Agent Mulder,
might set Duane Barry off like a flare in a fireworks factory.  Kazdin
ordered a surveillance team to go ahead and drill through the wall of the
neighboring office and insert a fiber optic camera so they could see what
was going on.  She was concerned that Mulder was just as delusional as Barry
and considered his `reports' unreliable.

     Scully gave up on trying to call Mulder's phone and contacted the
Richmond FBI to get a number to reach the Command Center.  Krychek took the
call.
    "Where's Mulder?" she asked wondering why Krychek was even there.
    "He traded himself for one of the hostages." Krychek said bluntly.
    "HE DID WHAT ?!" She shouted "You've got to get him out of there now!
Duane Barry is not what Mulder thinks he is."
    "Mulder had a message for you. He said he loves you..." Krychek said
calmly before he stealthily pulled the phone cord from the wall.
     "Damn it!" Scully cried as the phone broke the connection. She tried to
reconnect to no avail and called the Richmond FBI office again.  Even they
were having trouble getting through.
   "The phones have been acting up since that power outage." the agent on
duty explained  to her.  "We can try to get the message through but all hell
broke loose down there when he took that FBI agent hostage and..."
    "Never mind" she answered sharply "I'll get it there my self."
    Scully wasn't one to ask favors very often but she was desperate. She
called her medical school professor who was now the Medical Director for the
DC area Life Flight Helicopter service.
    "Dr. Turner...Shelly, this is Dana Scully." her voice was tightly
controlled to hid the panic she felt for the safety of her husband.
   "Dana, what's wrong?" Dr. Shelly Turner knew Dana well enough to know she
was in trouble.
    "I need a favor.  I'm at Quantico and I need to get to Richmond as fast
as possible." she answered directly.
   "Does this have something to do with that hostage situation down there?
The one they're showing on the news?"  Dr. Turner knew Dana had joined the
FBI so it only made sense.
   Scully took a deep breath, prepared to beg if necessary. "Yes, and the
FBI agent who's been taken hostage is...is my husband..."
   "What!" Dr. Turner exclaimed.
   Scully continued undistracted  "...and I have information he needs to get
out of there alive. Going through FBI channels will take too long.  Is there
any way..."
   Dr. Turner responded immediately "I'll have LF3 at Quantico in 10 minutes
or less.  I'll arrange an LZ near the incident.  Under the circumstance I
think I can keep the unit there on standby. Do you have a case number?"
    "No, I'm not officially on the case." Scully admitted.
   "Then make up one.  We'll fix the paperwork later." Dr. Turner offered.
   "I can't thank you enough."
   "Just invite me over to meet this new husband of yours and we'll call it
even. Now go."
   Within minutes, Scully was on the helo pad getting into LF3, bound for
Richmond.


     Agent Kazdin feared Duane Barry was becoming more unstable by the
second but at the same time she knew what Mulder was doing.  To Mulder and
Barry, this alien thing wasn't a delusion. It was very real.  Mulder was
trying to allow him to express his fears and let him know he wasn't alone,
that someone cared. At the same time, Mulder was pumping him for details of
the abduction.  Mulder had said it himself - each case was different.  What
ever sympathy Mulder had for Duane Barry was tinged with a need to know what
horrors he experienced, or thought he experience.  If everything worked,
Mulder might be able to walk out with a sobbing Duane Barry in his arms.  If
didn't work, Mulder and the other hostages would come out in body bags. It
was a dangerous game and Kazdin would only let it continue until she knew
all other options were gone.  As long as Mulder had his trust no one was in
danger, she hoped. If nothing else, Mulder's distraction allowed them to
move the sharpshooters closer and increase their chance of a clean shot.

    Duane Barry had relived most of his experiences and had settled into a
chat mode with Mulder. He told Mulder how sometimes he saw kids, that they
were doing test on them as well.  Mulder asked "Are they hurting them?"
     "Oh yeah." Duane Barry replied knowingly "Sometimes it hurts real bad.
Makes you want to die"  He described it like living with a gun to your head.
    Mulder tried to convince him to let the others go. "Take me instead." he
offered.
    Duane Barry smiled and said "They'll kick you're ass for talking like
that."
    Mulder became lost in the possibilities. "I don't care about that." he
replied but Duane Barry insisted he couldn't do that to Mulder.  That's was
why he brought along the doctor. Finally Duane Barry said to Mulder "You're
the one that was talking to me on the phone... Agent Molder, was it?"
    Mulder smiled at the mangled name "Mulder, Agent Fox Mulder." There was
no need to pretend he was a paramedic.
     "How do you know so much about what Duane Barry's gone through?"  Duane
Barry asked.
      "It's what I do.  They're called X-Files...or they were called
X-Files.  The FBI shut down the investigations and reassigned me." Mulder
answered honestly.
      Duane Barry nodded as if he understood.  "X-files?  Duane Barry's seen
X-Files... a long time ago.  Before... before..." He suddenly grew agitated
and readied his weapon. "Before the came and took Duane Barry !" he started
to shout again.
     "Duane, that's why I haven't stopped looking !" Mulder shouted trying
to regain the man's attention.  It seemed to work as Duane Barry focus back
on Mulder. "I haven't stopped trying to find the truth, to try to help
people like yourself."
     "The truth?  Duane Barry's seen the truth." he said sharply and
bitterly . Then he sighed and looked at Mulder sympathetically. "You
married, Mulder?"
    "Yeah." he replied, forgetting about the dozen agents listening in.
     "Kids?"
     "Not yet."
    "Got a picture of your wife?" Duane Barry asked wistfully.
    "No, I'm undercover, remember?" tilting his head to the paramedic badge
on his shoulder.
     "Oh yeah, sorry.  Bet she's pretty, huh." Mulder nodded silently.
"Duane Barry had a pretty wife and beautiful children.  Then they took him,
up in those ships." His mouth flinched but stayed calm. " They changed Duane
Barry. Made him want to hurt people.  It scared her... HE scared her.  So
she left with the kids.   And Duane Barry was alone. And they kept coming to
take him back."  He turned his back to Mulder and for an instant  Mulder
thought he could rush him.  Then he realized not only would that be a
tactical error, but it would also be an injustice to Duane Barry, who just
needed someone to believe him.  Duane Barry quickly turned back to face
Mulder, a sad expression on his face.  He shook his head and said "No, Agent
Mulder. You don't want the truth.  Duane Barry's seen the truth and he knows
it ain't worth it."
     Mulder didn't dare say anything else for now but more than ever he
wanted to see what Duane Barry saw.

    There was a commotion at the doorway to the Command Post. Kazdin sighed
<Now what? Alien Rights Coalition?>  What she found was a demanding woman
named Agent Scully.  Agent Rich and Krychek were trying to calm her down but
she didn't want to be calm, she wanted to be heard.
     "I think there's a been a critical misjudgment here. This man who
claims to be under the control of aliens... his mental history describes a
rare psychosis. " She explained how the gun shot wound to his head which
ended his FBI career left him mentally disturbed but also effectively
destroyed the moral center of his brain. A famous case of a similar injury
characterized the victim behavior as violent and bizarre, with a tendency to
act out his fantasy. He had a history of being a pathological liar and
highly delusional.
     Kazdin asked how Scully became involved in the case and she explained
that Mulder and her had been partners and that he requested the information.
Kazdin briefed her and admitted "He's got your partner completely fooled."
    "Is there any way I can reach him with this information?" Scully asked,
eyeing the listening equipment.

      Duane Barry told Mulder that he government was involved, working with
them.  That there a secret corporation protecting them. The exhaustion was
evident in Duane Barry's  voice as Mulder tried to get him to face the
current situation.  Duane Barry wanted to go to the place where they first
took him but could only remember that it was a mountain somewhere.  "Up and
up....ascending to the stars..." he murmured.
    Mulder kept asking him to try to remember when he heard "Mulder, it's
me."  <Scully!> he thought as he felt his heart pound.  He knew she was
there to stop him from going with Duane Barry.  Then he heard her words.
"Duane Barry is a brain damaged psychopath who took a bullet to the head. He
's not what you think he is.."  Her voice was strong but it had the sharp
edge of fear, fear for his safety if caught in a cross fire.
      Mulder wasn't done `interviewing' Duane Barry.  "How do they find you
each time?"
      "Implants... in my gums, sinus cavity , in my belly button...tracking
devices." he replied showing Mulder the scars.
     Scully voice warned "He can snap at any time. He has a history of
violent and irrational behavior. You've got to work to resolve this."
     Mulder's mind snapped to attention.  He knew he had to try to get the
other hostages out before Duane Barry lost control again or the Tactical
team lost their patience.  The trust Mulder had built proved  enough as he
convinced Duane Barry that if he let the two women go, the FBI would help
him get to where he needed to go.
    As the woman headed for the door, one stopped and told Duane Barry that
she believed his story.  More than anything, that convinced him that it was
time to move on.
Scully warned Mulder than the tactical team was moving in on the office. As
Duane Barry stood tried and frustrated, Mulder could see the laser sight of
the sharpshooters rifle focus on the base of his neck.
     "Duane, come here!" Mulder suddenly shouted, ruining the `kill shot'.
Mulder had to know if Duane Barry was telling the truth about his abduction.
He couldn't let them kill a man acting out of fright, to the point of
desperation.  "Something I want to ask you."
     "What? What is it, Mulder?" he asked innocently.
    "You didn't believe me. I had to earn your trust. Now there's something
I got to know...  are you making any of this up?" Mulder asked bluntly.
     Duane Barry expression turned cold and he began to tremble. Through
clenched teeth he growled "You...  you calling Duane Barry a liar?!"
     Mulder immediately recognized he over stepped the fragile bond they had
formed and said "No, I'm sorry, I believe you, Duane."  But it was too late.
Duane Barry was shaking Mulder and pulling on the flak vest with the hidden
microphone.  No one in the command center could hear his violent reproach of
Mulder's attitude.
     Now, Mulder wasn't sure if Duane Barry was a victim or just a madman
who read the same books as him.  Had Mulder feed the fantasy and escalated
things just as Kazdin had cautioned him against?  There was little room for
doubt that Duane Barry's sanity was too thin to trust.  Duane Barry was
angry but he wasn't actually trying to hurt Mulder but one more step would
push him over the edge.  So Mulder took a chance and  used the last bit of
trust Duane Barry had in him to stop this once and for all.
      "Duane! Duane, can I say something?!" Mulder shouted above Duane Barry
's rantings. "When you let the women leave you left the door unlocked. Lock
the door, Duane.  They can get in here. Go lock the door"
    The tired and confused Duane Barry  accepted Mulder's advise at face
value and walked towards the front door.  Mulder watched, knowing the
sharpshooters were waiting.  Duane Barry suddenly saw the red laser sight on
his chest then the shots rang out.  Mulder saw the glass window shatter and
watched Duane Barry fall.  More shots were fired and the men rushed the
building, then stood over the motionless body of the man who had trusted
Mulder one last time.

    When Scully saw Mulder slowly emerge from the office, she ran out to the
plaza and meet him as she threw her arms around him.  He returned the
gesture and gently kissed her forehead as they stood in the center of the
plaza, embracing silently.  Kazdin watched thoughtful and turned to Krychek
to ask "Does his wife know about this?"
    Krychek smiled "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she does."
    Kazdin  nodded, guessing the truth of the matter.  "So Agent Krychek,
are you going to get me that coffee or not?"  Krychek looked offended, but
she smiled "Never mind. I suppose I owe you one for bringing  Mulder down in
the first place. Agent Rich, what's the possibility of debriefing  at
Starbucks?"

    Mulder watched as Duane Barry was loaded in ambulance.  He sighed sadly
and said "I believed him..."
     She took his hand and reassured him "Sometimes when you want to believe
so badly you end up looking too hard."
     "He wasn't a bad man." Mulder reflected out loud.
    "But he was dangerous.  He would have killed you without a second
thought if he lost control." she reminded him.
      He shrugged as if he wasn't so sure he was that dangerous. "I don't
know. Maybe I see too much of myself in him." Scully's eyes questioned him.
"His wife left him after he started having these fits of rage."
     Now she understood.  Memories of their first marriage together and his
violent outbursts came flooding back, but so did one other fact.  "Mulder,
you left me, remember?"
    "Only because you wouldn't. Not even to protect yourself."
    "That's right." she said as she  wrapped her arm around his. " And it's
still true."
    "You mean you'll still love me if I turn into a violent , raving lunatic
obsessed with proving alien abduction?" he asked, kissing her forehead again
    "What do you mean `If'?" she replied, stretching up to kiss his cheek.
    He smiled and said "Fox Mulder has a wonderful wife."

   A few days later Mulder returned to Richmond at Agent Kazdin's request.
They met at Jefferson Memorial Hospital where Duane Barry was listed as
critical after nearly dying .  She reassured Mulder that she appreciated all
his help in resolving the case with no lives lost  and that despite his
unorthodox method, he did the job that needed to be done at the time.
    They stepped into Duane Barry's room and Mulder studied the man he had
tricked into stepping into the line of fire. Kazdin told Mulder that Duane
Barry's record of service in the FBI was exemplary and that his shooting was
still somewhat of a mystery, shot by his own weapon on a drug stake out.
"But that's not why I asked you here....In the X-rays the surgeon found
several pieces of metal... in his gums, in his sinuses cavity, and his
abdomen.  And a dentist examined his teeth and found holes too small to be
drilled by any current equipment in use. Anyway, I thought you ought to
know." She handed him a small vial with a metal fragment in it taken from
Duane Barry's abdomen.  Mulder stood stunned at her words and looked at the
vial then looked at Duane Barry.  Mulder thanked Kazdin for her frankness
and left to return to Washington DC
     Mulder stopped in to see Scully and handed her the vial as he told her
what Kazdin had told  him. She proposed that it could have been a piece of
shrapnel since Duane Barry served in Vietnam. Mulder listen half-heartedly,
sure than she had convinced him to betray a man who was telling the truth.
"If it was implanted, Duane Barry's telling the truth." he said regret and
accusation in his voice.
    Scully  didn't back down as she responded "Or some version of the
 truth.".
   "What about the nine minutes we lost, the flash of light?" Mulder
challenged.
   "Mulder, things were so confused a team of tactical experts couldn't even
agree if fired 4 or 5 shots.  The flash of light could have been some kind
of power overload.  Look, we can clear this up right now.  I'll take this to
ballistics for analysis."  Mulder nodded and left the room without a word.
     <Damn you , Mulder. I'm not perfect and neither are you. If we knew who
was telling the truth and who was lying, we'd be out of a job.> she thought
to herself as she headed to the lab.  The technician at the lab couldn't
tell exactly what the source of the metal was but he did find a set of tiny
score marks  etched on it flat side.  How they got there and what was their
purpose,  he hadn't a clue.
    Scully chose not to reveal these finding to Mulder until he came home,
to avoid another long night in the office.  His reaction was just what she
expected.
    "He was telling the truth.  Damn!" exclaimed Mulder. "And now he won't
trust me enough to tell me anything more about his abduction."
    "Mulder, it doesn't matter if Duane Barry WAS telling the truth.  The
situation had to be resolved.  He already shot one man and he attacked you."
Scully pointed out.
    "Only after I questioned his honesty. He wasn't  really trying to hurt
me.  And that guy he shot... it was an accident." Mulder said in defense of
Duane Barry.
     "Mulder, he's attacked people before. The only reason he didn't kill
anyone was that no one tried to stop him.  He took hostages at gun point.
PERIOD. Liar or not you did what you had to." Scully insisted.
    "No, I did what you wanted me to." he accused harshly. "You always have
to be in control, don't you?"
    "And you always have to put yourself in the line of fire, don't you?"
she retorted.
    He bristled at her remark and replied "I'm an FBI agent! It's part of
the job to take risks. If I can't face those dangers what good am I as an
agent..."
     She suddenly interrupted "I'm an FBI agent, too, remember?  So don't
expect me to believe that macho crap.  We take risks when we have to, not
because we're trying to prove something.  Dead agents don't solve cases."
    "I'm trying to do more than solve cases.  I'm trying to find the truth
about these abductions and the governments involvement. Someone wants to
stop me and they don't need your help." he shouted bitterly.
    His accusation pushed her too far and she rallied a reply.  "They don't
need to stop you from finding the truth.  They can lead you down  your
chosen past of self destruction and just wait. Wait until your luck runs out
or I leave you."
    His anger flared as he asked "Are to threatening to leave me if I don't
follow your rules?"
    "Would you rather die following yours?" she shot back.

    Silence filled the room as they considered the biting remarks they
exchanged. Mulder knew it wasn't Scully he was mad at, just the frustration
of the situation. His glare soften as did his voice "I suppose if I weren't
always taking risks, you wouldn't always be trying to take control, huh?" he
offered softly.
   She sighed and took his hand "I wish it were that simple." She sat closer
to Mulder and continued quietly. "All my life, I've tried to prove myself -
to my brothers,  to my father, to the FBI, to you.  I'm not complaining. I
love the challenge. But I've found that frustration that comes with getting
in over my head, affects my work. I need that control, not just to satisfy
my ego but to do my job right."
   "Dana, don't you know how fantastic you are when you lose control." he
remarked, the distinct look of arousal in his eyes.
   "No, Mulder. We're not talking about sex games." she sighed. " I'm
talking about real life."
  "So I'm I." he smiled. "I heard about the way you stormed into the Command
Center. That wasn't the Agent Scully. That was my wild, out of control
 Dana." He hugged her tightly and kissed, the way always did when he thought
he won an argument.
    "But Fox, I..." she tried to speak between his kisses. "Stop it... I'm
not finished... don't think you can end this like that."  He didn't answer,
he just continued.  She finally broke lose and scowled at him.  "Do you know
what I really want?" He shrugged his shoulders as he continued to smile at
her.  "A life were decision about  control and risk taking weren't always
life threatening."  His smile dropped into a look of concern, as he saw the
tears form in her eyes.
   "Dana, you're frightened." It was a statement not a question, and he
offered his embrace with his arms open wide.
    She turned away instead.  "I'm tired. Tired of wondering where I'll be
and what I'll be doing... on the day you die."
    "We have a choice, you know." he whispered softly.
    She knew he was talking about leaving the FBI, seeking the truths
quietly and privately.  But no matter what he said, they both knew it wasn't
a real choice for neither of them.  They were too deeply rooted, too heavily
invested to back away.   She put on her coat and walked towards the door as
she said to him "I'm going out. Don't wait up for me."
    He opened his mouth to ask where she was going but stopped as she made
it obvious she was taking her cellular phone.  It represented an unspoken
understanding that she was only a phone call away.  He had pondered the
question if she needed more time alone a few days ago during his swim.  So
with gently caring, he stood behind her and stroked her hair gently and
whispered "I'll see you when you get back."
   Without turning to look at him, she took his hand, kissed the palm and
walked out.

    She drove by her mother's place and watched the lights go out in the
living room.  It was her bedtime and soon dreams would fill her mind.
Perhaps dreams of a grand child. Scully remembered a night, ten years ago,
when she told her mother she wanted to find a friend who cared about the
same things she did but that saw the world a little differently, someone who
provoked and challenged her, someone she could fall madly in love with.
Later that same night, when Melissa brought home a stranger to spend the
night, Dana met Fox for the first time.  Scully decided she was due to have
another talk with her mother.  Scully planned to call her in the morning and
meet for lunch, with Mulder if possible.  Then they could tell her
together - that they were married and that they were expecting a baby girl
in about 4 months. There was no need to bother her tonight, but Scully felt
better just knowing she would finally tell her mother the truth.  She was
also sure it would make Mulder happy as well, being open about their
relationship.  Scully breathed a sigh of relief and wondered where to go
next....

    It was such a clich‚ for a pregnant woman to crave pickles and ice cream
that Scully felt  silly buying those exact items at the grocery store.  But
it was either that or Chinese food and all the good restaurants were closed
already.   If nothing else she hoped the ice cream would make a decent peace
offering to Mulder to make up for the heated debate they had earlier.  The
closer she came to delivery, the more important it was to her to never walk
away from Mulder with angry words.   Resentment was a luxury reserved for
people whose lives weren't in constant danger.
    The store was nearly empty.  A few clerks stocking shelves scurried past
her.  One stopped to offer her help in finding what she needed.  She replied
"I'm fine, I found what I was looking for." and politely waved him off.  The
words repeated over in her head several times as she walked down the aisles.
Finally she realized the words referred to much more than a shopping list.
    She had found what she was looking for. Mulder.  The man she loved
beyond logic or reason, a man she would follow into hell itself, just to be
with him. A man that loved her so passionately that he dared to explore all
the secret reasons for her beliefs, risking his own beliefs in the journey.
She realized Mulder had never tried to change her, only enlighten her, by
showing her the truths he witnessed. He had never asked her to abandon
science, only to consider the `extreme possibilities.'
    `Extreme possibilities'  always seemed to be fantastic ideas, born of
simple observations and a lot of lateral thinking.  The thought settled
quietly in her mind, as she stood at the check out counter, watching the
price scanner tally her purchases.  The  clerk took her check then closed
down the register and walked away.  Scully studied the laser beams on the
scanner, poised to read the next item.   On an impulse, she reached into her
coat pocket and pulled out the vial containing the metal taken from Duane
Barry and ran it over the scanner.
    Suddenly the cash register went crazy, flashing numbers and symbols. At
first she was startled, then she made the connection between the metal
fragments and the groceries she had just bought. They both had an inventory
code. Scully feigned innocence when the clerk came to see what happened,
then she quickly left the store with her purchases. She rushed home,
unnerved by the implications of such extreme possibilities.

     As she entered her apartment, she called for Mulder but heard no
answer.  She quickly set down the groceries in the kitchen and looked for
him in the bedroom.  There he was, naked in bed, sound asleep.  "Mulder, it'
s me" she whispered, gently shaking him. His eyes opened without
consciousness but she continued to talk, raising the level of her voice
gradually.  "That piece of metal they took of Duane Barry. I ran it over a
scanner and it has  some kind of serial number.  What the hell is this?"
    Mulder's mind instantly cleared.  "What?! How did you..."
    "The bar code scanner at the store.  Mulder, what does this mean? It's
like someone was cataloging him What's going on?" she asked, her voice
filled with concern and just a hint of fear.
    "Duane Barry was telling the truth!" Mulder growled, as he sat up to
face her.  "Damn it and you made me lose him."  He didn't really blame her
but his half awake logic had it's own conclusion. "It need to get him to
take me to..."
    "NO !" Scully insisted. "Even if he was telling the truth, he's insane.
We need to find out more about what happen to him before you go near him
again.  He can't even remember where he wants to go."
    "Regression hypnosis." Mulder answered quickly "Or maybe just free
association. It's there, Scully.  I feel it."  His eyes blazed with
excitement.
    Her mind desperately grabbed for facts for her to focus on. "His medical
records suggested he was delusional before his claims of abductions..."
     "Scully, I need you validate his injury.  Maybe they staged his
shooting just to cover up his abduction..." Mulder  rambled on with his own
ideas.
     "He's incapable of differentiating reality from delusion..."
     "I'm sure I can win his trust again. He'll understand we  had not
choice..."
     They each continued to speak but neither one heard the other, both lost
their own rationalization of what happened to Duane Barry. That special bond
between that enabled them to share different visions seemed totally absent.
They were afraid to argue again so instead they put a wall around their
conflict and ignored each other. Simultaneously they both realized they had
lost the connection that held their thoughts as two halves of the same
whole.  They were suddenly silent then he took her hand, looked into her
eyes and said softly "I can't do this without you, Dana."
     She bit her lower lip, as if she was trying to stop herself from
answering then whispered "Then don't." she declared.
     In two words she expressed her doubts about his beliefs, her need to
keep him safe and  her fear that he would act rashly and alone.  He knew
precisely what she meant and  made no effort to hide his frustration. He
gritted his teeth and shut his eyes tight while pressing her hand against
his cheek. That special bond was back but it carried negative feelings as
well as loving ones.  In a quiet choked voice he cried "I need to know what
he saw."
     She pulled her hand back and he followed it with his eyes until he
looked directly at her.  His eyes pleaded for an answer, a reason why she
would hold him back.  She knew her will power would break under his intense
gaze and so she embraced him tightly, pressing him back down to the bed.
Her lips said silently "I'm sorry" as they formed kisses along his neck and
jaw.  Her hand began to caress his chest and abdomen as her hips pressed
heavily into his, trying to distract his mind from any need  other than the
building desire in his lions.
     Mulder moaned as the sweet sensations swept over his body.  He nearly
surrendered to her seduction but finally found the strength to push her
away. "No" he said firmly, panting for control. "Not until we settle this."
His hand trembled as they forced her to stop touching him and his skin
prickled at the sudden loss of contact.
     She glared at him and accused "Isn't it enough that I love you and
don't want to see you get hurt?"
   "You know damn well your not doing this just because you love me."  he
growled, then added spitefully  "You'd fuck Krychek right now if you thought
it would keep me from going after Duane Barry."
   Scully slapped him across the face and shot back "You would sleep with
anyone if you thought it would lead you to the truth."
    He felt his arousal heighten as he looked up at her, threatening to slap
her back.  He held his passion and anger in check and replied with a leer.
"I think that should be your job.  I think  you'd enjoy the power of
screwing a man senseless.'

    Scully felt suddenly ashamed of herself for using sex to try to win an
argument.   Yet she knew that her bed wasn't the place to settle their
difference. She did love him, more than anything, and she knew his words
came from a wounded heart but they would need to rely on their good sense to
move forward on this issue. "Get dressed and we'll discuss this in the
living room." she said bluntly and left the room.
    The moment she left, Mulder seized his throbbing erection and soothed
the aching desire she had initiated.  His breaths were heavy as he gradually
fought the urge to continue satisfying his raw lust as he started to get
dressed.  In her game of control, she had tried to play the ultimate hand
and he  called her bluff.  Now he had control and was determined to make her
face the truth about Duane Barry.  Without warning, he heard a crash of
glass.  Then he heard her scream his name...

    Scully had left the room, embarrassed that she would have been so
desperate to avoid another argument that she used sex as a tool of control.
Was she so obsessed with him and shaping his fate that she lost her good
sense, debasing their intimacy to a diversionary tactic?  Now she had no
choice but to risk the anger and conflict, and face the possibility that he
would follow Duane Barry `up to the stars.' She glanced at the window to
look towards the stars and suddenly saw a face staring back.  It was the
face of terror embodied in Duane Barry.  He crashed though the window and
seized her.
    "Mulder, I need your help!" she shouted as the devil wrestled her down,
despite her valiant struggle. "Fox! ....." she cried just before he knocked
her unconscious.

     Mulder charged  into the room, gun in hand but Duane Barry slammed into
him before he knew what was happening. The gun flew out of his hand on
impact and Mulder was pinned against the wall with a mad man at his throat.
"You lied to Duane Barry !" the madman shouted.  "You don't know what Duane
Barry's been through." He banged Mulder's head against the wall as he held
him by the neck.
    All the while, Mulder ignored the pain, his eyes searching for Scully.
He saw her laying on the floor, out cold,  bleeding from the mouth.  His
body exploded into a frenzy trying to escape Duane Barry's grip.  Mulder's
mind flooded with rage at the man who would dare to hurt her.  He kicked and
punched but Duane Barry stood immovable. He wanted to kill Duane Barry with
his bare hands but he couldn't break free. As Mulder began to pass out from
the lack of oxygen, tears fell from his eyes and he formed her name with his
lips.
     "Sorry it has to be this way, but she's gotta go see them.  Duane Barry
has to take her to them."  The last words Mulder heard before he lost
consciousness were "The truth, Mulder? Duane Barry will show you the
truth..."

END PART 1

__________________________

Notes:
Departures from the original-
   - Krychek gets to hint at the attraction/fascination that he has for
Mulder, while his attentions tend to bewilder Mulder.
   -Agent Kazdin was a great character of strong in-sight and honesty.  I
tried to expand her role a bit in this story.
   -Duane Barry relates to Mulder his painful search for the truth, trying
to warn him that it cost him his wife and family. Hints that Duane Barry's
shooting was not just a drug crime related incident.
  -How Scully got to Richmond so quickly
  -The whole Mulder's risk taking vs Scully control business.

Creating continuity within the original -
  -Why did they call Krychek, How does Krychek know where to find Mulder
after hours?
  -Why did Mulder tell Scully he was "in Virginia." He LIVES in Virginia so
that would be no big deal.  Saying he was "in Richmond" would make sense.
  -It's only 75 miles from Quantico to Richmond -Why would she fly from
Washington DC? (Actually, it's further way than Quantico.) An air ambulance
could be deployed almost immediately and could make the trip in less than 30
minutes, which would explain why Kazdin got the photo just as she arrived
when they started placing the camera when she called.

BTW - Did you know that as a joke, since Gillian Anderson was pregnant at
the time, in the grocery story scene, Scully DID buy pickles and ice cream.



Title :  The IM Files - Lonely Men (2/2)
Author : Shinkai
E-mail Address: shinkai@mlode.com
Rating : R
Classification - SR
Spoilers - Duane Barry, Ascension
Keywords - Scully/Mulder romance, alternate reality
Summary - Scully is violently taken from their home with Mulder as a
helpless witness.  He begins the frantic search for her, plagued by his own
guilt, driven by his deepest fears.  Scully faces her own revelentions as
she awaits her fate. Part 2 of the 9th installment of the series.

Intro: See Part 1
Disclaimer: See Part 1.

 LONELY MEN  -PART 2 - ASCENT INTO DARKNESS

   Mulder regained consciousness slowly  as he became aware of a woman's
voice .  It wasn't Scully and she wasn't calling him by name.
   "Sir, can you hear me? Are you all right? Sir?" the voice asked.
    He opened his eyes to see a paramedic leaning over him. She repeated the
question.  He nodded as he tried to remember where he was and what happen.
He was on the floor, dressed only in his boxer shorts. His whole body felt
numb.
   The paramedic turned around and called to someone else.  "Officer, he's
awake." She cover him with a blanket and waited for the uniformed officer to
kneel beside her.  "He's in shock. Keep it brief." she instructed the
policeman.
    "Sir, what your name?"  the police asked slowly.
   Mulder began to speak and coughed at the tightness of his throat.  He
held up a hand to stop the paramedic from intervening and finally said
"Mulder, Fox Mulder."
   "Do you know what happened  to Miss Scully?" the officer asked.
   Mulder's mind flashed with the memory of the attack by Duane Barry,
seeing Dana on the floor unconscious and injured.  "DANA!" he screamed and
he tried to get up. He stopped instantly,  clutching at the burning in his
crotch. Wincing in pain, he pleaded "Where is she?"
   The paramedic gently pushed him back down and said calmly "Let me check
to see of you're hurt then we'll tell each other what we know."
    He refused. "Tell me where she is ! Is she all right?" he cried.
    The officer looked at him with concern and spoke.  "She missing.  The
neighbors called the police when they heard a window shatter. They reported
seeing her car speed off shortly afterwards. We're already looking for the
car. That's all we know." Mulder fell back into silent shock, unable to move
or think clearly. The officer kept talking softly. "Now, let the medic take
a look at you and  you can tell us what else happened." Mulder nodded
although the panic was apparent in his eyes.
    She moved the blanket and lifted Mulder's hands then gingerly looked
under his boxers. "Ouch! You're pretty badly bruised.. Did somebody hit
 you?"
    "I....I can't remember." He remembered struggling with Duane Barry but
he felt nothing but dread , followed by unconsciousness.  But now he felt
the sharp pain of his battered genitals.  He felt a wetness on his hand and
asked "Is that blood?"
   "Uh, no sir... it looks like semen.  Your's I would guess." the paramedic
responded as politely as possible.
    The comment drew the officer's attention.  With deadly seriousness in
his voice, he asked "Mr. Mulder, what were you doing in Miss Scully's
apartment?"
    "She's my wife!" Mulder growled as he snapped back to awareness.. The
officer eyed him suspiciously as Mulder continued.  "I haven't moved in but
I'm always over here. You can ask any of the neighbors." The officer
continued to stare at him with doubt.
     "I did." the officer replied. "They said you two were arguing earlier."
    Just then the other officer called out. "I found a gun on the floor over
there and two empty holsters, one in the living room, one in the bedroom."
   Mulder quickly explained "We're FBI agents. You can check my ID.  In my
pants in the bedroom."
   The officers verified his ID and were fairly sure he was telling the
truth so they listened as he tried to recall exactly what happen.  "A man
named Duane Barry that we arrested last week, somehow escaped from the
hospital where he was being held. He found his way here and broke through
that window.  I saw him! He took her!" His voice grew wilder as he recalled
the scene clearly.  "I've got to stop him ! He thinks I betrayed him. He'll
kill her!"
   "Hold on!" the officer said trying to calm Mulder. "Tell us exactly what
happen.  Where were you when he broke in? Were you with your wife?"
    "No. She was in the living room, I was still in the bedroom." he said
with frustration.
     "Asleep?" the office inquired.
    "No..." Mulder answered hesitantly "...I was getting dressed."
    The officer regarded Mulder state of dress and considered the
observation made by the paramedic earlier.  "Is that all you were doing,
sir?"
    Mulder shifted anxiously. "Fine... OK... I was masturbating.  Is that
what you wanted to know?" he roared.
    "Officer, I think that's enough for now. He IS still in shock and
disoriented." interrupted the paramedic.
     The officer turned away and mumbled  something about Mulder not looking
like he was in shock.  The paramedic gently placed a cold pack against
Mulder's bruised areas and whispered  " You probably ejaculated when he hit
you.  It's just a matter of mechanics."  She added sympathetically  "I know
your wife's disappearance wasn't your fault.  I'm sorry the cops are making
this so hard on you."
    Mulder shook his head.  "It is my fault.  I started spending the night
here to protect her and now..."
     "And now you took a bad beating trying to protect her." the  paramedic
offered. "Don't beat yourself up anymore.  " She smiled slightly as she
checked him for other injuries.  "You look OK but your throat might swell up
again from the damage he did.  Do you want to go to the hospital?"
     Mulder refused further care and thanked the paramedic for her patience.
He took a deep breath and asked the officer to come over so he could explain
what happen more clearly.  Soon afterwards the officers let Mulder get
dressed and the apartment was overrun with an investigative team.  Mulder
followed behind the forensic team, studying Dana's blood stains on the
window still, trying to detach the horrible memory of her attack.  In all
the confusion, Mulder saw a familiar face arguing with a officer at the
front door.  It was Maggie Scully. "I have to get in." she demanded.
     Mulder went to console her but reached for her with blood tinged
fingers. "Mrs. Scully? She's not in there."
      "Where is she?" the frighten woman asked.  She turned away in tears as
Mulder followed her.
     "She's gone.  I'm sorry. I couldn't stop him." Mulder offered.  It was
no secret to Maggie that Mulder spent his nights in her daughter's home.
She knew they were `together' even if she didn't know they were married or
that Dana was pregnant.
     Maggie told him that she had a dream that Dana was going to be taken
away..  "I was going to call her but  I didn't want to scare her.  She would
have laughed at me anyway.  She doesn't believe in that kind of thing, you
know." Maggie told Mulder as he held her for reassurance. She gazed at him,
tears streaking her face, "Why? Why would he take Dana?"
     Mulder stared at the ground and spoke slowly.  "Because of me.  Because
someone wants to hurt me and they know they can do it by hurting her."
     Maggie slapped Mulder but instantly regretted it.  Mulder didn't move
at all, hoping she would punish him again.  Instead, Maggie embraced him and
sobbed  "She loves you, Fox.  She would risk her life to protect you.  Now
it's your job to make sure she doesn't."

   Maggie and Mulder stayed after the forensic team left. There was nothing
more he could do until the morning since the police were already on the look
out for  Scully's car. At least he felt useful helping  clean up the
apartment.  They went slowly, Mulder studying each piece of evidence as if
it could reveal the secrets of Duane Barry, and Maggie, recalling the
history of every item in the room.
    "Fox, I did you know when she bought this lamp that it was part of a
matching pair? She gave the other lamp  to me to put in my study.  She said
it was her claim to my place so it would always be her home as well."'
     "I always thought it was odd that she uses so much symbolism in her
life." He replied idly.
     "Like her wedding ring?" Maggie asked coyly.
    "No...I didn't mean...." Mulder stammered.
    "It's OK. I understand.  In her heart, I think she never truly believed
you were ever divorced." Maggie assured him.
     Mulder wanted to tell her that they were married again, and that she
was pregnant but even the thought brought uncontrollable sadness to him.
The words  choked in his throat as he tried. Maggie knew he was on the verge
of  making some kind of confession to her but that his heart was still in
too much pain to think about Dana.
    "Fox, don't try so hard to bear your soul to me.  Dana might not like
what you have to say.  Wait until you ask her, all right?" she said with a
kindness only a mother could offer.
   Her words were a comfort to him, at once easing his guilt  and
re-affirming that Dana would be back home again soon. They continued the
task at hand silently except for sharing a few anecdote about the woman who
they both loved so dearly.

  As Mulder left in the morning, Maggie decided to stay in Scully's
apartment to wait for the workman to replace the window.  She insisted that
the place be in the same meticulous order Dana had left it.  Mulder hugged
her warmly before he left and said.  "Don't worry.  I WILL find her."
    "I know" she answered in a strong confident tone, reminiscent of Dana
herself.
     As Maggie set on the task of cleaning the kitchen, she heard  knock at
the door.  A pleasant looking young man stood out side, carrying several
folders.  "Is Dana Scully in?" he called hopefully.
    He looked harmless enough so Maggie opened the door to answer him.  "I'm
her mother.  I'm afraid there's been... an accident.  Dana is not
 available." she replied hesitantly.
    His face reflected genuine concern as he said "I'm sorry to hear that.
Hope everything works out OK." Maggie started to close the door even as  he
continued tentatively. "But I have some important information regarding the
house that she and her husband were looking at last week."
    Maggie stopped and opened the door wide. "Don't you mean her
 ex-husband?"
    "No, it was Mr. Mulder that accompanied her.  I just wanted them to know
the seller would be willing to lower the price for a young couple starting
out... but I suppose now is not a good time to discuss such matters." he
concluded tactfully.  Maggie nodded silently.  "I apologize but they only
gave me her home phone to contact them, so I took a chance that I could
contact them..." He backed out the door and handed her his card " Just let
them know I stopped by, and have them call if they're still interested.
Again, I hope everything works out."
    Maggie could have easily concluded that Dana and Fox went house hunting
poising as a married couple for any number of reasons - an FBI
investigation, they were tired of commuting to see each other,  they wanted
a place where they could have some privacy - but the truth seemed crystal
clear.  Somehow, some where  they had gotten married again.  Had the
circumstances been any different, she would have been overjoyed at the news.
But now with her missing, it was just a bittersweet reminder  of how much
she and her daughter had lost that special bond they developed after William
Scully died. She knew it wasn't fair but she felt a sudden resentment of
Fox, not just for stealing Dana's attention but for not protecting her from
harm.  Afterall he promised to take care of her , over ten years ago...

   Scully laid in the back seat of the car bound and unconscious.   She
moaned softly as she awoke.  The instant she realized her hands and feet
were tied, she started to yell.  "Fox! Are you here?"
    Duane Barry looked over his shoulder at her.  "Good. You're awake. You
feel OK? Duane Barry's sorry he hit you so hard."
    She thought to herself <This can't be happening.>  She tugged at the
restrains but they wouldn't budge. She needed to find out what was going on
but her first concern was Mulder, and what happened to him.  "Where's
Mulder? " she asked cautiously reminding herself that Duane Barry was a
pathological liar.
    "Oh, I left him there." the madman sighed.  "He was breathing when I
left." He thought deeply then added.  "He didn't really lie to Duane Barry.
He was just doing like he was told.  By the voice in his head. Just like
 me."
     "Duane, where are we going?" Scully asked hoping to come up with a plan
soon.
    "Up, up ...somewhere...they'll tell Duane Barry if he forgets." he
mumbled.  Then he pulled the car over, into a rest stop as Scully struggled
to sit up.  He got out of the driver's seat then opened the back door.
Looking Scully over, he shook his head and said "Mulder was right.  You are
pretty.  Sorry I gotta do this..." He torn a strip of cloth from her skirt
and prepared to gag her with it.
     "No wait" she said quickly "Maybe I can help you find where you need to
go?"
     "Naw, Duane Barry knows you don't believe his stories.  You just want
to escape." he reasoned.
    "Please listen to me." she said, more as a command than a plea. "Mulder
would have gone with you but I wouldn't let him.   Show me, Duane, show me
you're not lying and I'll make sure they never take you again."  Strangely
enough, she really meant it. She wanted to take the blame so Mulder wouldn't
have to. Was it her need for control or her need for justice?
    But Duane Barry quickly gagged her.  "No, it's too late. They're already
coming for you. It's the only way."  She fought as best as she good but it
was a simple matter for him to pick her up and place her into the trunk of
the car.  "Can't have you drawing attention to Duane Barry.  We got a
schedule to keep." With that, he slammed the trunk shut and her world turned
dark again.

    Mulder met with Skinner and a panel of FBI bureaucrats assembled to
review the handling of Scully's disappearance.  The Duane Barry incident
that they had tried to sweep under the carpet was getting uglier all the
time but at least Scully was a FBI agent, keeping it primarily an internal
matter.  Krychek came along as moral support for Mulder. He answered Skinner
's question of Duane Barry's violent behavior and reasons for taking another
hostage, the theory that he was following alien voices inside his head..
Mulder tried to act as professionally as possible, despite his appearance.
He wore the same suit he had on the day before, his hair was tousled, his
face unshaven and his eyes blood-shot from crying and lack of sleep.  Mulder
wanted to rip the room and it's occupants apart for allowing this to happen
but he couldn't risk censure, not with Scully's life at stake. His anger
settled into a slow burn as he speculated on how Duane Barry found Scully.
   "Agent Scully was carrying a piece of small metal removed from Duane
Barry's abdomen. An implant he describe as  a  tracking device." The
incredulous looks and comments he received prompted him to continue. "Either
that or someone within the Bureau supplied him with that information.  But
somehow he was able to walk out of his supposedly secured hospital room  in
Richmond, steal a car and drive straight to her front window in Annapolis.
That's why I suspect there something more to this than just a raving
 madman."
    As strange as his accusations, no one could argue with his logic.
Skinner assured him that the utmost speed and thoroughness was being
exercised and requested Mulder to turn his files over to HRT.  Mulder
requested to brief the team himself but Skinner insisted that he go home and
get some rest.  He stated Mulder was too close to the case but that they
would use him if they could.  Mulder protested as he knew Duane Barry and
his motive better than anyone else.  Skinner pulled Mulder to the side to
speak privately to him.
   "Agent Mulder, I read the preliminary police reports.  I know you where
there in her apartment when Barry took her." the AD whispered.
   With that single remark, Mulder lost the fine restraint he'd managed so
far. Shouting in Skinner's face, he replied "So what are you saying? That it
's my fault? That she's gone because of me? Where the fuck do you get off
blaming me..."
    "AGENT MULDER, THAT'S ENOUGH !" Skinner roared back. The panel and
Krychek stared at the two men, shouting face to face.  Skinner's voice
returned to low rumble of threat and caution that made Mulder stop and
listen.  "You are way too close to this case, Agent Mulder.  If you can't
control yourself in a board room, think of what you'll do in the field.  Go
home.  Get some rest and I promise we'll call if we find anything."
     Mulder fumed but he knew Skinner was right.  Mulder's sanity and
judgment were worn thin by the events of the last twelve hours.  The burden
of guilt and regret weighted every thought and every action.  He needed to
do something but he wasn't in any shape to communicated rationally with a
task force or convince anyone there was a conspiracy in play.  It was time
to let his intuition and instincts take over, away from the Bureau
mainstream.  Time to be "Spooky" Mulder again.
    Mulder acquiesced to Skinner who gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
Skinner looked at Krychek and ordered "Make sure he gets home safely."
    Once outside the office, Krychek said "Come on, I'll take you home."
   Mulder turned and walked away "Forget it.  I have work to do."
   Krychek grabbed his shoulder stop him.  Mulder spun around and shoved the
younger man into the wall with a slam. Without a word,  Mulder pressed his
left arm on Krychek`s chest to hold him against the wall and threaten with a
fist on his right hand.  His panting breaths and wild stare should have
signaled Krychek that Mulder wasn't in the mood to argue. But the rookie
showed remarkable calm and actually smiled at Mulder, then said "You need
sleep and Skinner told me to make sure you got home OK."
    Mulder slammed Krychek into the wall again. "Damn it, Krychek! You
should know better than anyone else.  She's  IS my home! I can't rest until
I find her." Suddenly the dangerous eyes filled with tears and the angry
arms fell limp at his side. Mulder left Krychek, mumbling "I have to find
her."
    Krychek followed him relentlessly. "Mulder, look at yourself.  You're
irrational and useless.  If you found them now, you might get her killed."
    That was more than Mulder could take. He spun around again, only this
time his fist came flying.  But Krychek was ready.  He easily dodged Mulder'
s punch then caught Mulder as he fell forward, thrown off balanced by the
unchecked force.  Mulder struggled to get free from Krychek's arms but
Krychek spoke so softly Mulder had to stop to hear him. "See what I mean?
You can't even take out a smart mouth punk. Let me at least take you some
place you can lie down for a bit then we can talk about how to find Scully
and Duane Barry."
    Mulder reluctantly agreed. There was too much happening in Mulder's head
to concentrate on the case.  Krychek lead Mulder to a small conference room,
off the main floor of the building. It had a couch, a small table and a few
chairs but obviously saw little use.  "I think they stopped using it because
it was too small and it was a security risk since it faced the street. But
it's perfect place to rest for a few hours." Krychek commented.
    Mulder laid down on the couch and closed his eyes, then announced to
Krychek "One hour.  Wake me up in one hour. In the mean time , see if you
can get a tape of the hostage negotiation with Duane Barry."
     Krychek nodded, turned off the lights and left the room.  The dark,
quiet room induced Mulder to drop also instantly into sleep, despite his
emotional turmoil.  He began to dream almost immediately.  It wasn't so much
a dream as a re-play of the previous evening, the last moments before Scully
was attacked and taken.  The truth about the implant, the argument that
followed, Scully trying to seduce him to calm him down, his driving her from
the bedroom.  The dream continued, revealing what his subconscious blotted
out the night before when he was interviewed by the police.
     As Duane Barry choked him with Scully helpless on the floor, Mulder
experienced a state of arousal similar to auto-erotic asphyxiation. His
struggle to free himself only intensified the sensation, resulting in an
uncontrollable orgasm.  Duane Barry reacted by thrusting his knee hard into
Mulder's groin and saying "Duane Barry don't like it when you're not
listening. She belongs to them now." The dream mercifully ended but repeated
itself several times, each time editing out or warping more of the
unpleasant memories until the dream evolved into an erotic fantasy of Scully
seducing and over-powering him, strangling him with her loving hands,
driving him into sheer ecstasy.
    Mulder's hand had wandered to his waiting erection , adding stimulus to
the sensual dream but real pain shot through his body as he tugged at his
bruised testicles.  He woke suddenly, in pain and horrified at his
unconscious perversion  of Scully's abduction. Confused and disoriented, he
tried to remember what he was doing in this room.  Then he quickly became
fully aware of where he was and who was standing in the room watching him.
"Krychek, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
     "I came to wake you up.  Are you all right?" he asked, nervously.
    Mulder ignored the implications of Krychek watching him masturbate in
his sleep and answered "Duane Barry took a low blow at me.  It's still
pretty sore."
     "Is there anything I can do to help?" Krychek offered, still nervous
but his eyes drifted to Mulder's crotch.
     Mulder couldn't ignore Krychek's attentions but he didn't know how to
react either.  "Krychek, what do you want?" he asked impatiently.
     Krychek stared at Mulder for few more seconds then looked up to his
face and cleared his throat "A Virginia Highway Patrol officer spotted
Scully's car speeding but apparently he didn't know there was a APB on it
and approached the car alone. They haven't heard from since then...."
     "SHIT !" shouted Mulder as he flew to the door. "Why didn't you say so
in the first place..."
    Krychek stood in his way at the door and replied "Calm down, Mulder.
They already sent two back up units and the air patrol. If it was Barry and
he did attack the officer, they still should be able to recover the video
from the dash-mounted camera.  Skinner said he'd call me as soon as they had
anything."
     "So we just have to wait. Is that it?" Mulder growled.  Krychek nodded.
"Did you at least get the tape of Duane Barry and me?"
     "Right here." He handed the tape to Mulder who snatched it instantly
and pushed his way out the door. "So, Mulder, did you get any sleep?"
     "Yeah" he sighed "but I didn't get any rest.  And I won't until I find
her."

    Scully heard the police siren as she laid in the dark trunk of the car.
She felt the car stop and struggled to shift her body so she could kick
something hard enough to make a noise. The sound of footsteps signaled the
officer's approach, then she heard distance conversation.  She couldn't make
out the words but suddenly she  heard the change in pitch of the officer's
voice.  She was able to finally kick the lid of the trunk but then a shot
rang out.  She heard another set of footsteps approach the trunk.  She held
her breath until she saw the face of Duane Barry threatening her if she didn
't stay quiet.  She realized it was her distracting sound that gave Duane
Barry the opportunity to shoot the officer. If she had let the officer make
his arrest, she could have been free.  Instead her need for control, her
needed to demand attention, caused one man's death and perhaps her own.

   The Virginia Highway Patrolman that stopped Scully's car had been killed
and the video from the patrol car showed that it was definitely Duane Barry
who shot him. The initial viewing of the video showed not sign of Scully so
Skinner ordered a copy of the video to be analyzed by the FBI video lab.
Skinner informed Krychek who quickly relayed the information to Mulder.
Mulder flew down to the video lab and review the tape with the technician.
    They studied the video in slow motion and still saw no sign of Scully.
Mulder concentrated on what Duane Barry would have done with Scully.  He
studied the partial view of the open trunk and asked the  tech to zoom in on
a portion of the trunk. He caught just a glimpse of a familiar shade of  red
and a slight movement.  As the tech enhanced the video, the image of Scully
became evident, a image that horrified Mulder and the tech.  She was bound
and gagged, blood coming from her mouth, laying in the trunk. But it was
proof that she was alive.  They quickly printed out the image to distribute
it with the APB.  Mulder lingered over the picture, as if he could speak to
her through the image. He whispered "It's my turn to take control.  Don't
give up on us yet."
    Mulder  knew they had to find Scully before Duane Barry  hurt her again.
He  listen again to the tape of Duane Barry.  "Up and up.... ascending to
the star." he heard.. Mulder replayed it several times trying to recall
where he heard those words before. A notion stuck him and he grabbed a map
to locate the spot where the highway patrolman was shot.  Studying the map
he found what he was looking for ...Skyland Mountain. He pulled out the
yellow pages looked it up. There he found the ad for their aerial tram which
promised to "ascend to the stars." Mulder was sure Duane Barry had taken
that ride many years ago and would repeat it again tonight.
    He started to head for the garage but remembered that Skinner had his
car towed to his apartment, where he was suppose to be, sleeping.  He
spotted Krychek and demanded "Get the car."
    "Where are we going?" Krychek asked as Mulder checked his service
weapon.
    "Just get the car." he replied holstering the gun.
    "What about Skinner?"
    "I'll take care of Skinner.  Meet me in the garage"
    Krychek protested "But Mulder, where are we..."  but Mulder had already
ran from the room. "Damn!" Krychek's  secret assignment was to watch Mulder
and report on his movements but it was difficult to follow even such simple
orders when Mulder insisted on keeping  everything from him until the last
minute.  The trust Mulder afforded Krychek was tentative, born of necessary.
Krychek knew he had to protect the "project" but if he played Mulder just
right, he would ensure his total trust and dependence.
     Mulder knew he couldn't talk to Skinner directly without risking a time
consuming reprimanded on the spot.  He also knew if Skinner sent in the
cavalry, Duane Barry could panic and kill Scully.  So he e-mailed his plans
to Skinner's secretary marked 'urgent'.  She would find it within the next
hour, too late to stop him and Krychek

    Krychek called the his `other boss' and reported that Mulder knew were
Duane Barry was headed but hadn't revealed it to him yet. "Just stay close
to Agent Mulder and keep me informed" was the reply he received just as
Mulder entered the garage.
    "Give me the keys" Mulder demanded.
    "Why don't you tell me where we're going instead?" Krychek countered.
    Mulder seized Krychek's hand, pulled the keys out, got in the driver
seat and started the car.  Krychek quickly jumped in before he drove off.
    "Don't I even get an explanation?' Krychek grumbled.
    "I think I know where Duane Barry took Scully." Mulder replied without
emotion, despite the feeling of desperation in the pit of his stomach.
"...a mountain along the parkway."
    Krychek shook his head at the non-answer.  "I don't suppose you're going
to tell me which mountain?"
    "See Krychek? You are learning." Mulder replied sarcastically.

   They drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway in silence.  Krychek studied  his
map, trying to second guess Mulder.   Mulder felt the fatigue of the long
night, and closed his eyes for an instant.  The instant turned into several
seconds and before long, Mulder's consciousness faded. Suddenly, Krychek
yanked the steering wheel as he realized the car had drifted across the
center line into the path on an oncoming semi-truck.  Mulder insisted he was
fine but Krychek helpfully reminded him of the dangers of sleep deprivation,
and suggested he drive instead.
   "You don't know where were going." grumbled Mulder.
   "Then tell me !" insisted Krychek.
   "Not until I'm sure." Mulder answered stiffly
   "You can't protect her with your secrets, you know." Krychek offered.
"What if something happens to you? Whose going to save her then? You'd risk
any thing to find her but it won't mean anything if you get killed before
you do."
   "SHUT UP !"  Mulder snapped.  The conversation was starting to sound like
the argument he had with Scully just before she was taken.
    "Face it , Mulder.  You're losing of control and someone going to get
hurt.  I just don't want it to be me. Or Scully." Krychek observed solemnly.
    Mulder huffed but said nothing.  Once again Krychek was right.  Mulder
was about to tell his temporary partner where they were headed when he
realized that Krychek always seemed  to know how to set him off.  Mulder
thought it was odd that Krychek had no  intuition regarding  victims or
suspects but could read him and Scully like a book.  Mulder glanced at the
boyish face and remembered how Krychek had watched him in compromising
situations, specifically as Mulder got dressed at the swimming pool and as
he masturbated in his sleep.  Mulder concluded that either Krychek had an
unhealthy obsession with him or that he was spying on him.  Either way,
Krychek had to go. Now.

      "Hey, Krychek, maybe you're right." Mulder offered deceptively, as he
pulled the car to the side of the road. "Why don't you drive while I close
my eyes for a bit."
      "It's about time you listened to reason." Krychek replied as he
unbuckled his seat belt.  "Where are we headed?"
      Mulder pretended to fiddle with the  steering wheel  and replied
"Huh... it's that place with that tram.... what's it called?" He watched as
Krychek stepped out of the car and left the door open.  Krychek began to
answer when Mulder suddenly hit the gas and sped away.  The door slammed
shut from the force, nearly catching Krychek's head.
     "MULDER, YOU'RE INSANE !" Krychek shouted at the car as it vanished
from site.  He called his contact, the Cigarette Smoking Man, to tell him
that Mulder was headed for Skyland Mountain and he'd been ditched again.  He
heard a disapproving silence in reply followed by a instructions to stay
where he was. Krychek stood at the road side, wondering at what point he let
Mulder regain control.

     Mulder reached the Tram Station at Skyland Mountain, but the man on
duty told him that the tram was out of service, since the cable had just
been replaced.  He had seen Duane Barry about 45 minutes earlier and told
him he had to take the road to the top.  He'd not seen any sign of Scully
but told Mulder that it would take him just over an hour to get to top via
the road.
     "How long does it take the Tram?" Mulder asked looking up at the cables
stretching up the mountain.
     "About 15 minutes but like I said it hasn't been tested yet." the
technician reported.
     "You have to get me up there." Mulder demanded.
     "You don't have any choice." he replied.
     Mulder pulled aside his jacket to reveal his gun and unsnapped the
retaining strap on the holster.  Placing his hand on the pistol grip, he
looked the other man dead in the eye and said "No, you don't have any
choice."

      The tram operator reluctantly agreed to send Mulder up the tram but
warned him to keep the speed below 15 mph.  Mulder ignored him as the tram
lurched forward.  The tram operator ran into the control booth and saw that
Mulder was already moving faster than 25 mph.  He radioed the tram car and
warned Mulder that the car would jump the cable if he didn't slow down as it
passed the tower.  Reluctantly Mulder slowed the tram but sped up again once
he passed the tower. The operator watched with concern, hoping the untested
cable could  handle the strain.  He breathed a sigh of relief as the car
approached the upper station when he saw a young man enter the control
booth, flashing an FBI badge.
    "Is Agent Mulder safely at the top?" Krychek asked.
   "Almost." the operator answered watching the monitor which showed the
view from the upper station. "The car needed to lock in position or it can
slide back."
   "Thanks." Krychek replied, as he brought the butt of his pistol down hard
against the man's head, dropping him cold.  Krychek looked at the monitor
then stopped the tram and switched the car into reverse, throwing the car
into a wild swing.
    Mulder had been holding the door when the tram car came to a suddenly
halt, a short distance from the platform. He had just regained his balance
when suddenly he realized the car was moving back down the cable.
Frantically, he opened the door and jumped to the platform.  Scrambling to
his feet, he got clear of the car as it banged against the side of the
platform.  He didn't know who was at the controls but he had only one
concern at the moment - to find Scully.

     Krychek swore loudly as he watched Mulder escape.  He checked the tram
operator and discovered his blow had killed him.  Krychek swore again then
removed any evidence of his presence from the control booth and slipped back
outside.  He called  his contact once again.  "I was unable to delay Agent
Mulder.  I'm afraid he's at the top already."
     "We were in place shortly after we dropped you off. We can handle him
from here." he was assured by a smooth voice.  "In the meantime, wait there.
Skinner and his people will be there shortly.  I'm sure you can give them a
convincing story."

    Scully never gave up fighting the restrains.  Her wrist and ankles were
bleeding, her body bruised from sliding around the trunk.  Thankfully, she
had no abdomen pain or vaginally bleeding.  She had one miscarriage already
in her life, under much less stressful conditions, and prayed she would be
spared from another one.  Scully had always believed she had `willed' her
miscarriage of the fetus created by a vicious violation of her body. Now she
tried to `will' the protection of their child, a symbol of their love and
hopes for the future. Her own body was the only thing she still had control
of.  But she knew what was coming - the dreaded `tests' that abductees
described. She had never heard of what happened to pregnant women and unborn
fetus.  Soon she would have no control, no will of her own. She would be
violated again, perhaps just in her mind but raped none the less.  She
breathed deeply to calm herself.  She had survived rape before. She would
again.  She would be free again, in control someday.  Her existence and the
survival of their child depended on her faith - in herself, in God and in
Mulder.  She took a final deep breath as the car came to a stop and Duane
Barry opened the trunk.
     Duane Barry looked at her sympathetically "You know, I have to do
 this?" he asked.
     She nodded without judgment.
     "Maybe you'll come back, just like Duane Barry did." he babbled as he
lifted her from the trunk.  He untied her legs so she could walk but held
her firmly at his side. "Mulder will listen. He'll believe you. He'll
understand."
    Scully nodded again. He was right. Mulder would believe any story of her
abduction. But question  was - could she?
    They walked a short distance then he stopped her.  She looked up at the
dark sky, remembering the stories her father told her of lost mariners,
navigating by the stars, keeping faith that home was on the horizon.  She
felt a sharp needle prick at the base of her neck and the stars faded from
her view.

     Mulder ran along the road to the summit as darkness settled on the
mountain.  He found Scully's car still running, blood on the steering wheel.
He took a deep breath, prepared for the worst, then looked in the trunk.
Empty.  Nothing except the blood stained bindings that held her captive.
The flashlight beam suddenly caught a glint of gold.  Mulder picked up the
object and studied it sadly.  It was the gold cross on a chain she wore
around her neck.  The same necklace that used to carry her wedding ring
before she started wearing it again.  He slipped it into his pocket, besides
his wedding ring which he always kept with him, even if he rarely wore it.
      In the distance, he heard yelling.  It wasn't Scully but he was fairly
sure it was Duane Barry. He ran toward the sound and crested the hill to see
the silhouette of Duane Barry carrying a small limp body towards three
indistinguishable shadows.  Mulder froze in place and wondered what he was
witnessing. Aliens?  Secret Government operatives? Suddenly he realized
nothing else mattered but Dana.   Drawing his gun he shouted "PUT HER DOWN,
NOW !"  Duane Barry ignored him and passed the body into the shadows.
Mulder fired three shots, intending to get their attention as he rushed
towards the shadows. "STOP OR I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU !" he 
shouted
in desperation. Every bit of evidence, any proof that stood before him, not
longer matter. Not as long was `they' had Dana.  Before he could reach them,
he was blinded by a bright light from above. Shading his eyes, he tried to
move forward again, when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.
Before he could even turn around, everything went dark.

      Krychek sat in front of the lodge as Skinner and several other agents
drove up.  He greeted Skinner saying "Good, you got my message."
     Skinner replied "Actually, I got Mulder's message.  He left an e-mail
telling us where he thought Duane Barry was headed. Where is Agent Mulder
now?"
     "Well, Sir, he ditched me again. I had to hitchhike here." Krychek
lied. "He left my car here so I think he took the tram.  And, Sir, the tram
operator is dead."
     "So what the hell are you doing just sitting here, Agent Krychek? Why
didn't you go after Mulder?" Skinner barked.
     "I was searching for the person who killed the tram operator." Krychek
answered.
     Skinner gave him a sour look but accepted his answer as sincere "A
search helicopter will be here shortly.  Go with them to the summit and see
if you can find Mulder or Scully." ordered Skinner. "One unit stay here and
secure the murder scene and the rest of us will take the road and meet you
at the summit lodge."
     Krychek nodded and smiled to himself at how easy it was to fool  people
into trusting him.  Everyone but Mulder.  But soon that wouldn't be a
problem. If everything had gone according to plan, Mulder would  have no one
else to trust but him.

      Mulder regained consciousness to the sight of Duane Barry ranting and
raving at the heavens.  "I'm free, you sons of bitches. You can't touch
Duane Barry anymore !" he shouted gleefully.
     Mulder grabbed him and shouted "What did you do with her? Where'd you
put her?"
     "They took her." he replied.
     "Who?" Mulder demanded, as he put cuffs in him.
     "THEM !" Barry exclaimed, looking excitedly towards the sky.  "I told
you they were going to take someone else."
     All at once another bright light filled the sky and Duane Barry started
yelling "NO! NO!" and backed away from it as Mulder's grip threaten to break
his arm.   The light moved and Mulder recognized the it as a search bean
from a helicopter. But Duane Barry kept cowering.
     Mulder savagely threw Duane Barry to the ground.  He grabbed the
restrained man by the neck and shouted "You fucking bastard! What did you do
to her?! Where is she?"  Another light flashed on them but it wasn't from
the sky.
     "Mulder!" Krychek called.   Mulder released Duane Barry and looked into
the light. Krychek looked at the subdued prisoner and asked "Where's
 Scully?"
     Mulder, in despair, dropped to his knees and covered his face to hide
the tears. "She's gone." he finally said.
    Krychek feigned sympathy and patted Mulder on the shoulder then slid his
hand to the base of his neck and rubbed the small wound that Mulder hadn't
noticed.  "Then we'll just have to keep looking." he said darkly.

    The helicopter and ground teams continued to search the area for
evidence of the activity Mulder witnessed, as the team medic tended to Duane
Barry, whose chest wound reopened when attacked by Mulder.  They sat in a
small office in the summit lodge, Mulder silently gathering his strength and
composure.  Once the medic left, Mulder proceeded to question Duane Barry
about what happen.  Mulder's blood boiled with raging hate for Duane Barry
but he held the emotions in check until he had the answers he needed for
find her. "Did you kill her?" he asked, unprepared for the answer.
    "No. I swear." Duane Barry insisted. Mulder accept the reply willingly.
    Duane Barry insisted it was `them' in their spacecraft that took her, in
exchange for his freedom from future abductions.  He had facial burns that
he claimed was from the ship, the same ship Mulder saw.  Mulder was
unconvinced since he had only seen a light, some kind of helicopter, and he
had no such burns. Duane Barry claimed that `the government people who
helped them' were right out side the door and became agitated yelling for
Mulder to stop them. Mulder  shoved Duane Barry's head down on the desk as
he continued to yell that the military was in on it.  Mulder saw no one
outside the window and his patience grew thin with Duane Barry's chatter.
Then he noticed the dried blood on his hospital arm band, with short strands
of red hair clinging to it.  Ripping the arm band off, Mulder saw clearly
what it implied.
    "Did you hurt her?" Mulder demanded, his heart beating wildly in his
chest, ready to explode with dread and hate.
    "NO!." Duane Barry replied, terrified of Mulder's fury.
     Mulder lost all control and waved the arm band in his face and screamed
"What  is this?"  He seized Duane Barry by the throat, as he had earlier.
Mulder growled as he tightening his grip until Duane Barry started choking.
A small voice of reason, a voice that sounded just like Scully, reminded him
that Duane Barry was the only clue he had to her disappearance.  Mulder
threw Duane Barry back into his chair and watched Duane Barry's face as
returned to a normal color as he gasped for air.  Frustrated and helpless,
Mulder fought back the tears.
     Mulder's mind flashed back to a night in London when he tried to
strangle the man who raped Scully and turned his life into a nightmare.
The horrible act of violation of the woman he loved fueled a dark fantasy in
Mulder, just as Duane Barry's attack the previous night invaded his dreams.
Mulder lashed out at the only target back in London, and Dana paid the
price.  In her fears and worries about Mulder, she had a miscarriage of the
child conceived by the rape.  But now she bore their child, conceive in
loving union, and only his strength and perseverance would save them this
time.  Mulder's loathing for Duane Barry was no less than the hate for Dana'
s rapist, but  he found the control to restrain himself in the her faith.
He clutched at his wedding ring and her cross in his pocket, and started to
leave the room.
    "I'm sorry." Duane Barry offered pitifully. "They had  to take her. I
hope their not hurting too much with the tests. I'm sorry."  Mulder didn't
know how to what to believe anymore.

      Mulder warned Krychek that no one was to go near Duane Barry until he
had some answers.  Krychek babbled something about Mulder having to explain
his actions but Mulder closed off his words.  His perfect memory recalled
all the horror stories of abductees but he couldn't recall any stories of
pregnant women.  The words of Deep Throat haunted him once again. `We are
all lonely men for a reason' he told Mulder.  He had always thought it to
mean that obsessed men had no place in their life for a family but now a
dark truth came to him as he realized the `reason' was that `they' destroyed
any family.  It was Mulder's own fault for trying to have both his obsession
and love in his life.  As he stared into the darkness, Mulder knew that
Duane Barry HAD showed him `the truth.'

    As Mulder waited for Skinner and the others to arrive, he saw Krychek
inside the room with Duane Barry.  Mulder rushed him out and asked what he
was doing there.
     "I heard him gagging." Krychek claimed.  "He said you choked him.  You
know, I saw you on the summit, with your hands around his neck."
    Mulder touched the bruises on his own neck and replied seriously  "I
don't care. I said NO ONE was to go near him."
    Just then Skinner entered and demanded to know what the hell was going
on.  He started to rake Mulder across the coals for disobeying a direct
order, when Duane Barry went into convulsions.  The medics rushed in and
started CPR but it was apparent Duane Barry had made his final ascent.

     The following day, Mulder tried to get the results of Duane Barry's
autopsy and toxicology report at Quantico.  He was told he had to go through
military channels, since Quantico was under military jurisdiction and there
was no FBI pathologist available to do the autopsy.  It was a bitter
reminder that Scully was gone.  While he was there, he collected a few
things from her office. It was odd sampling of the last few months of their
life - a flyer from the Palomar Observatory, a liver fluke in a jar, a
sample of LSDM, articles on sleep deprivation, and Duane Barry's medical
records.  What he didn't expect to find was a bunch of dried flowers
accompanied by the note that he had sent her in a the guise of a body bag.
They were pressed in a book entitled "The Invisible Men: The Forgotten
Heroes that Changed the History."   He tenderly pressed the book to his
cheek and wished he'd stayed invisible.

     In a deserted garage, a cigarette smoking man sat next to a young man,
who glanced around nervously.  They quietly exchanged words as a look of
nervous anticipation crossed the young man's face.  What happen to Scully
wasn't his concern he was told.  Mulder was a risk but killing him would be
a greater one,  so just continue to stay close to Agent Mulder and to
maintain his trust, he was ordered.

    Skinner called Mulder into his office and questioned him concerning
Duane Barry's death, which  was determined to be caused by hypoxemia
secondary to asphyxiation, caused by strangulation.  While Krychek backed up
Mulder's claim that Duane Barry was alive when he last saw him,  Mulder was
still under suspicion due to the admitted attack during the interrogation.
Mulder's claim that Duane Barry was poisoned and of a military cover-up
during the autopsy were unsubstantiated and he was dismissed with orders for
him and Krychek to report to the Office of Professional Conduct for a lie
detector test.
    Skinner couldn't help him, Scully as gone and there was only other
person who might be able to help.  He had to get to Capitol Hill in a hurry.
Krychek caught up with Mulder in the agent bull pen and reminded him they
were due at the OPC.  Mulder ignored his comment and asked for his car keys
again.  He even called him Alex this time.  Krychek, trying to show good
faith to his `new best friend'  gave him the keys without question.

     Unwilling to wait for the elevator, Mulder ran up the stairs to Senator
Matheson's office.  In the dark empty stairwell, he encountered `X'.
"There's nothing the Senator can do for you. Not without committing
political suicide." he told Mulder.
     "Why? Do they have something on him?" Mulder asked naively.
    "They have something on everyone, Mr. Mulder." X replied.
    "So do I." Mulder replied coldly, gripping his weapon. "I need his
 help."
    "No one can help you now. Your channels of appeal and recourse are
closed." X proclaimed.
     Mulder stood level with the man as he realized "You know don't you? You
know what's happened to her."
     "This reaches far beyond any of us, Mr. Mulder. Even my predecessor." X
warned.
     "I want an answer!" Mulder demanded.
    "Why kill Duane Barry if there was nothing to hide?" he replied
cryptically.
    "You mean the government?" Mulder asked trying to get a firm answer..
    "They only have one policy - Deny everything." X stated flatly.  He
walked back into the shadows and said "There are no answers for you, Mr.
Mulder. Go home."
    Mulder's mind went numb, faced with no where to turn.  All at once, his
heart torn open at the thought of Scully a victim to this insane chase.  He
lunged at the man in the shadows, screaming "Fuck you!  I can't go home. I
have no home.  They took her!  They took her and our child !" Mulder tried
to grab of X's coat and throw him down the stairs but the reflexes of this
cold blooded man deflected the attack. Knocked down, Mulder grew his weapon
only have it kicked from his hand.  X dropped his knee painfully in Mulder's
back and pressed his head into the floor.
     "I said go home, Agent Mulder. You can't win this one." X said once
again.
    Mulder's anger erupted and he threw off X, sending him tumbling down the
stairs.  X recovered quickly and pointed a gun at Mulder.  Mulder
disregarded the threat and replied "You're wrong.  This is one I can't
afford to lose.", calmly picking up his gun.
     X started backing down the stairs and said "Even if you do get her
back, they'll only take her again."
     "Then I'll find her again." Mulder said resolutely. "I've already done
it before." he said quietly to himself as he proceeded up the stairs.
      X shouted "Mulder, is she worth it? Is she worth the truth?"
      Mulder fired one shot towards  the voice asking the offensive question
and assumed that X understood the answer.

      Mulder barged into Matheson's office, dishevel from his fight and two
days without rest.  The office staff was prepared to call security but the
Senator told them it was all right.
     "Fox, I heard what happen to your friend. I'm sorry." he offered
quietly.
     Mulder shook with anger. "She was my wife! And those sons of bitches
took her to get to me!  I did your dirty work and now she has to pay.  I
need you to..."
     "I'm sorry, Fox." he interrupted "but there's nothing I can do...."
    Mulder pulled out his gun and shoved it into the Senator's neck.  "I'm
tried of hearing that.  I don't care what they have on you.  I don't care if
it's political suicide.  It will be real suicide if you don't help me."
     The Senator stayed remarkable calm as he said "I can't help you in your
quest if you insist on taking this course of action."
      "This is the only help I need." Mulder growled.
     "All right, let me find out what I can.  I'll call you tomorrow." the
Senator promised. Mulder pushed the gun harder into the older man's throat.
"I'm  not scared of you, Fox.  I'm doing this as a favor." Then he repeated
firmly. "I'll call you tomorrow."
    Mulder lowered his gun and replied "You should be scared.  Without her,
I lose control and I'm already doing things I'll regret later. I WANT AN
ANSWER !"  He turned and left the office, his gun still in his hand as he
walked passed the startled receptionist.  The Senator sighed deeply, knowing
the answers Mulder sought were not his to give.

     Mulder walked down the stairs and saw no sign of X.  He figured his
shot would be a clean miss but it was worth it to have the last word.  He
climbed back into Krychek's car  and idly stared at the dash, wondering if
there was anyone else who could help.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw
cigarettes in the ash tray. Krychek didn't smoke. Morley's.  Those were `his
' brand, the Cigarette Smoking Man. Mulder's rage flew out of control as he
started the car and drove it into the nearest solid object he could find.
Only slightly dazed by the crashed, Mulder removed two cigarettes from the
car and left the scene.   Leaving the wrecked car smashed against a concrete
barrier on the Parkway, Mulder began his search his in earnest to find out
who was responsible for Scully's disappearance.

      Krychek waited at the OPC but Mulder never showed.  He wondered if he
could continue to befriend Mulder even though Mulder insisted on being
belligerent and uncooperative.  With Scully gone, Mulder had to realized he
would need someone to cover his back.  More than that, Mulder needed a
friend.  Even though Mulder seemed disturbed by the attention Krychek gave
him, Krychek felt sure he could convince Mulder it was just a case of hero
worship. Krychek's thought were interrupted by a phone call on his cell
phone.  A calm, smooth voice said "He knows. It's over."  Krychek tucked the
phone back in his pocket and sighed. <So much for a my new best friend.> he
thought as he quickly left the building.

     The next day Mulder reported straight to Skinner's office.  Since
Mulder never showed up at the OPC, Skinner started into Mulder immediately.
Mulder simply said "I came across some evidence that required immediate
investigation." He gave Skinner his analysis of Krychek's involvement in
impeding the investigation and the death of Duane Barry . Skinner warned "I
can't protect you, Agent Mulder. Passed a point, this will become a larger
Bureau matter."  Mulder nodded in understanding and presented his case.
     Duane Barry wasn't just investigating a drug deal when he was shot.  He
had opened an unclassified missing person report on the daughter of  a
political activist who claimed the CIA funded their secret projects with
drug money.  The circumstances of the disappearance would have placed it in
the X-Files if Barry hadn't  believed it was related to the case he was
investigating.  The details of what happen the night Barry was shot were
never known, only that he was found shot though the head with his own gun in
a manner so precise that he lived but became a manic delusional socieopath.
But when he started to trust Mulder and Mulder listened, some one killed
him.
     Krychek had a perfect record in the Academy but no one remembered him
actually being there, except in a few classes. Skinner hadn't requested him
or assigned him to any specific sections but had received his transfer
directly from the director's office. And Krychek was the last person to see
Duane Barry and  the tram operator alive.  Mulder concluded Krychek was
responsible for their death and in part, for Scully's disappearance. Krychek
used Mulder's  knowledge of Duane Barry to tract down him and  Scully, and
directed his associates to intercept them.  His allegiance was to the
military or some covert branch of the government, the same people the
Cigarette Smoking Man worked for.  All this based on two cigarette butts.
Fortunately for Mulder, Skinner recognized the cigarettes and called for
Krychek to report to his office.
     Mulder supposed them took Scully either because her investigations had
gotten too close to the truth or because she had physical proof in the form
of the metal implant.  He finally admitted that she may have been taken
simply to disable him, emotionally and resource-wise. He swallowed hard,
hearing  his own words like a confession.
   Skinner grimly asked "Do you think she's dead?'
   Mulder couldn't answer. Just the thought made life unbearable. He closed
his eyes and bit his lip, trying not to scream in agony. He opened his mouth
and gasped without words. Finally he asked "How far go you think they'll
 go?"
     Skinner just shook his head, in utter dismay over the whole affair.

      As they waited for Krychek, Skinner considering Mulder's reactions his
question and  commented "I read the full police report on Agent Scully's
disappearance.  It said she's your wife.  Is that true?"
     Mulder nodded, keeping a stern expression on his face, least he break
into tears.
     "Why wasn't I informed of this change in status?" Skinner asked without
animosity.
     "It wasn't any of your business.  Yet." Mulder answered bluntly.
     "Yes, but..." Skinner was interrupted by the phone. He listened then
hung up and told Mulder that Krychek hadn't reported for work and his home
number was disconnected.
Skinner put Mulder's report on top of the pile of files on his desk.
     Mulder shot up in disgust.  "That's it?  He just disappears in the
woodwork?"
    "It would appear so" Skinner responded casually.
    Mulder raved on.  "Who are these men who can murder with impunity and we
can't do anything about it?"
     "Let it go. There's nothing you can do about it." Skinner advised
calmly.
     "Is that your answer? Is that how you can live with this? So tell
me...what can YOU do about?" Mulder shot back accusingly.
     "The only thing I can do.  As of now, I'm reopening the X-Files. That's
what they fear the most." Skinner said firmly.  He'd made his mind up long
before Mulder challenged him, from the moment Scully disappeared. " And
Agent Mulder, as of now Agent Scully is assigned as your partner once
 again."
     Mulder gave Skinner a suspicious glare "Sir, you know it's against FBI
policy to have married couples working together."
    Skinner studied Mulder's report again. "It's also against policy to have
one agent spy on  another."  He huffed and looked squarely at Mulder. "As
far as I know, I have no official documentation of any marriage."
    "Thanks you, Sir." Mulder said gratefully.
    Before Mulder left the office, Skinner added "Have you heard about
Senator Matheson?" Mulder froze in his steps as Skinner continued
"Apparently he was found last night after an attempted suicide.  They say
his chances are about 50/50 of surviving." They had him blocked at every
turn.  Mulder knew the odds would always be against him. He left the office
without another word.
   He knew Skinner granted him the token  of working with Scully again just
because Skinner thought she would never return.  But Mulder knew otherwise.
As he walked through the agent bull pen, he reached in his pocket and pulled
out his wedding ring and slipped it on his left hand.  Several agents stared
at his action, recognizing the ring as the same design as the one Scully
wore,  a gold band inlayed with black and white onyx.  They chose the
unusual design to represent the darkness that brought them together and
light they brought into each other life.  More than ever he needed to be
reminded of her light.  He ignored the whispers behind his back as he tucked
her picture into the corner of the frame that held Samantha's picture on his
desk.

     That afternoon, Mulder met with Maggie Scully in the plaza near the FBI
headquarters. He gave her a sad smile then reported that they had no new
leads but that they were still actively looking.  Maggie took Mulder's hand
and touched the ring. He sighed and slowly said "Dana and I.... we
re-married in Puerto Rico in July."
     "I guessed something like that." Maggie replied. "I spent the night at
her place.  I  had that  dream again.  I can't tell you how it scares me."
     "It's probably scarier when the you stop having the dream. Don't you
think." Mulder offered hopefully.
    Maggie smiled at his efforts, knowing what pains he suffered. "I suppose
your right."
    They sat silently, afraid of any new truths.  Mulder wanted to tell her
more - that Dana was pregnant, that it was his fault, that they had argued
just before she was taken, that he saw her as Duane Barry handed her to
them - but his soul felt hollow and spirit weak.  Instead he reached in his
pocket and handed her Dana's gold cross,  the last bit of her he could
offer. Mulder reflected once again "I found this.  It's something I often
wondered about her. If  she was such a skeptic, why did she wear this?"
     Maggie took it and smiled "I gave to her on her 15th birthday."  She
held it up and said "It was another one of her symbols.   Even a skeptic has
to have faith." She pressed the cross back into Mulder's hand.
    "Don't you want to keep it?" he asked bewildered by her gesture.
    "When you find her, you give it to her." she reassured him.  Maggie knew
the meaning of waiting and the value of faith.  She  remembered when Bill
went off to sea during the Cuba Missile Crisis, and all the times after they
were married when he said good bye, never knowing what fate awaited him.
Dana knew it as well. Wherever she was, Maggie was sure Dana held her faith
close to her heart.  But Mulder needed a symbol, a reminder, to keep him
from falling into the darkness that consumed him in his weakness. "Bring my
baby girl back home." she said earnestly.
     Mulder's heart sank at the unintentional reference to the unborn
daughter that was missing with Dana. Mulder broke into uncontrollable sobs
and Maggie held him,  rocking him in her arms until he was quiet again
     Mulder hugged the kind understanding woman that mothered his beloved.
She should hate him for all the misery he dragged Dana through yet she held
him close, to ease his suffering, infusing him with the hope he needed to
carry on.  He softly whispered "Thank you for believing in me."
     She whispered back "Just don't stop believing in yourself.  Dana never
has."

     That night Mulder returned to the mountain top where he last saw her.
Was she taken by aliens or some agents of darkness?  Had she ascended to the
stars or into the depth of hell?  He had no doubts that she was alive but
had no idea where to begin the search.  He looked up into the night sky and
felt comforted to know wherever she was, she could  see the same stars.  He
focused on a single star, Polaris, the North Star, which had served for
centuries as a guide to wandering souls. Slowly he let his vision expand
until it included all the stars and he could see the big picture. He pulled
the gold cross from his pocket and fastened it around his neck.  Holding it
tightly, he whispered an affirmation. "The truth is out there. You are my
truth." Mulder slowly, methodically began to search the area once again, a
lonely man in the night.


END  (for now)
_____________________________________

Of course, more is coming...
    There will be a "3" episode but Mulder WILL NOT  sleep with a `vampire'
, but maybe with a spirit.  I'll try to keep it short and strange.
    Scully will be returned but in what condition? Where is their child?
What happen to the real estate agent? - Hey, I'm working on it.
     Please send any comments, feedback or suggestions to shinkai@mlode.com

STORY NOTES:

 Original Episode Continuity/Clean-up  Notes:
     -I killed the tram operator out right- none of this "missing presumed
dead" crap.
    -In the original, when and how did Search/Rescue and Skinner  get called
so they could be there the same time as Mulder reaching the top?  My Mulder
left a handy e-mail to delay them just enough....
     -How Mrs. Scully can be so nice to Mulder in the original remain a
mystery to mothers all over the world - is she empathetic or what ! At least
my Maggie knows how much Fox loves Dana and how much suffering he has at her
loss.

 New Stuff Notes:
    -Ditching Krychek gave Mulder more time to see....what ever it was he
saw.
     -The parallels between my young Dana's rape and Scully's abduction are
remarkable and totally coincidental or subliminal. But it makes for fun
story telling.
     -The sharp pain in the neck thing relates to experiences reported by
abductees.  Was Mulder taken as well?  In my universe, that kind of stuff
remains opens. And for the story, it gets them unconscious without being
beat-up.
    - The X and Matheson encounter were heavily rewritten from the original,
due a great deal to Connell's input.  My Mulder won't just give up; CC's
Mulder can be such a wimp! And smashing Krychek's car? Just a little health
aggression release.
     -Mulder and Scully both gaze into the stars to find their `direction',
a symbol of the lights in the darkness, just like their wedding rings.
     - In the original, Mulder looks at the gold cross and says "I never
considered...." In my version he says "I've always wondered...." My Mulder
has had a lot more  time to stare at Scully's neck and wonder such things.

Future events notes:
   -Mulder/Krychek relationship remains open regarding
attracting/fascination just in case I need it in the future
   -I wanted Scully to face her fears and limits before vanishing; It's a
growing basis for her actions and decisions.