From: Jenn6092@aol.com Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1999 00:02:20 EST Subject: The Legend Series X: A New Legend 1/10 Disclaimer: The characters Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Cancer Man, Agent Jeffrey Spender, and Walter Skinner are the property of Fox, Chris Carter and 1013 productions. No copyright infringement intended. The Now Departing Character Michael "Kicker" Cameron and Dani Chase are my own creation if you want to borrow them, let me know. The names Anson Mulder and any other names are also of my own creation. Note: CHANGE OF PLAN!! For those of you waiting for "Their Legend" here it is, but it's not called. . . "The Legend Continues" I have decided to combine the last ten or so stories into one so it's a doozie. This is a MSRomance. BEWARE!!!!! Also, a long time ago I wrote "A Diary", a story dealing with Scully's thoughts on Cancer, death, and Mulder. The story is mainly consisted of journal entries, but in the story, Scully's main goal for keeping the journal is for Mulder to find it after she is gone. She wants him to know the things that she couldn't tell him in person. I never posted it. . . and just found it the other day. So I have decided to paste the entries through out the story as a way of leading up to my final story. Some are addressed at Mulder some are just thoughts. SUMMARY: Mulder is back, but for how long? RATED PG13 for Language T H E X - F I L E S ~present~ ***The Legend Series*** Part Ten A New Legend 1/10 By: Jenn Nistor (Jenn6092@aol.com) Classification: MSR,A, X Part One ~A Kiss Goodbye~ * * * 1999 From the Diary of Dana Katherine Scully Mulder, if you are reading this it means I must have died or they've taken me, this time to dispose of me. I started this journal many years ago. Nearly two to be exact, but it seems like eternity. I think you've read portions of this, but if something were to happen to me this is where you would find everything I want you to know. My life has been tragically countermanded and sometimes I don't think any of my life's strives, reveries, or devotions have been worth their merit. There have been many a nights that I have lie awake dreaming of the times you and I were safe. And I must say, that for the first time, in all the years of my life, and out off all the years working with you, the only time I have felt remotely safe was when I was at your side. You knew my fear and relieved it with your own. You gave me strength, with each breath of your own. After years of watching you meet my conceptions half way with your own, I've learned to accept different ideas beyond the realms of science. I've learned to broaden my expectations and believe in your explanations as well as the concept that life may subsist on another planet or beyond. Mulder, your ideas have brought me comfort, like a blanket consoling me from the torment that plagues at my soul. Your touch has intensified my meaning, but your grave emotional and deranged pain has ailed me severely. When you are in torment I am in torment as well. Our reliance is powerful although our surety is weak. I need you to know, that when I am gone the torch will be passed on to you. Ignite it with your passion for the immortal quest of truth that we have both shared equally. Mulder, when you are gone, the torch will burn on. Pray that it will burn in the right hands. All my Love Eternally, Dana Katherine Scully * * * August 5th, 1999 Washington DC FBI Headquarters Walter Skinners Office 9:20 A.M. "Who's doing this, Skinner?!" Scully screamed, throwing Kickers transfer papers at her superior. "Where are they sending him? Who authorized his transfer if neither of us put in the papers?" She was so angry. She could feel her blood begin to boil as her superior sat there without answers. Skinner held up his hand. He was just as confused as she was. He arrived at seven o'clock that morning to find the papers on his desk. No explanation was given. "I don't know." he replied honestly. "I found these on my desk this morning. It was the Directors decision, someone put in for his transfer and the Director okayed it. It's done with, there's nothing we can do about it, he apparently has already put in the two weeks needed before a transfer can be okayed. I don't know what to do." Kicker paced the room in frustration. "They must know she's pregnant." he said stopping to look at them. "They're trying to hurt her. They know Mulder isn't around to protect her. That has to be it. I can't think of anything else it could be." he balled his hands into fists. "Damn it!" "Don't jump to conclusions." Skinner instructed and motioned for him to sit down. "It's not good to get so worked up over something that can't be helped or changed. The pregnancy has nothing to do with this. Most people in the bureau already know she's pregnant." he motioned to Scully. "You *can* tell she's pregnant, and most likely those men were the first to know. It's not the pregnancy and it's not me or you two. Someone from above authorized it and I can't countermand it. It isn't my say." "So what do I do?" Scully pleaded. "I can't work alone." her hand fell to her swelling stomach. "I don't want to quit, Skinner. But nothing is going to happen to this baby. Do you understand me? Nothing is going to happen to this child. It's all I have left. Kicker sighed helplessly and looked to Skinner. "Do you think you can get Dani back to work on the X-Files?" he allowed himself to fall back into the leather chair across from his desk. "Or is there another lucky agent in line to take my place?" He shook his head. "I was asked not to assign any agents to the X-Files until I was given the okay." he looked at Scully. "Will you be all right until I get this thing straightened out or do you need to take your vacation? You are welcome to take a vacation if needed." She shook her head hesitantly. "I guess I'll be all right, but don't wait too long and make sure you don't stick me with someone like Krycek. I couldn't handle it. If that happens I'll be taking a permanent vacation from the X-Files, from the bureau and from everything that reminds me of this injustice building." He turned to Kicker. "I was instructed to inform you that you are to get packed up and report to the New York City Field office first thing tomorrow morning. No questions asked." he slid the transfer papers across the desk and to Kicker. "I know it's soon, but you have no choice." "New York." Kicker mumbled, picking up the packet of papers. "Couldn't they have picked a better place to send me?" Skinner shrugged. "You are going to have to deal with it. I can't do anything. Technically I am no longer your superior. You will have to take all complaints to the Director or to whoever is in charge in New York." Scully reached out and gripped his hand. "Don't worry, Michael. I'll be all right. Right now isn't a good time to piss off who ever is doing this to us." "Yeah, right. No pissing the enemy off." he pulled his hand away and stood up. "I guess I better go then." he looked down at Scully. "It was nice working with your Agent Scully, take care of that baby." Then with a brief nod of his head he disappeared out the door. "Those bastards." Skinner mumbled. "I have an appointment today to meet with the Agent that is supposed to take Kickers place." "What?" Scully stared at her superior in shock. "I thought you said that there wasn't anyone else in line for his position. That I'd have to be alone for awhile." "I lied." he handed her a file. "Go back to your office and start working on this case. By one o'clock you'll have a new partner." * * * 9:30 AM Mulder's Apartment "Must you follow me?" Mulder asked the associate angrily. "I'm going to the bathroom." he was already sick of the man who was assigned to watch him. He knew that once he was back with the bureau the man would disappear into the woodwork, but even then he'd be watching. Waiting for him to mess up. Waiting for him to make his move on Scully. The move that would eventually end up killing them both. "I'll meet you in the car in five minutes." the man said in reply. "You have you're appointment with the Director at 10:00 AM and then you're meeting with Assistant Director Skinner is at 11:00 AM We need to get moving if you want to be on time." "Fuck." Mulder grabbed his jacket and followed the man out of the apartment. "Are you always this pushy or are they paying you to drive me crazy? Being late is nothing new. . . I think everyone is used to my tardiness by now." The man laughed. "Agent Mulder, being pushy isn't my job and as for your tardiness, I was asked to keep you on time. They aren't accepting you old behavioral habits." "You were hired to keep me on time?" Mulder shook his head. "I don't think so. Why were you really hired?" he asked, as they exited the building and headed for his parked car. He laughed again and opened the passenger door. "I was hired to keep an eye on you, now get in. I'm driving." Obeying, Mulder climbed into the car and put on his seat belt. This was going to be a long day. He had know idea what he was going to say to Skinner, or the Director and certainly not what he was going to say to Scully. He had already spent half the night trying to figure out what he was going to say and he had come no closer * * * FBI Headquarters Basement Office 10:15 A.M. To: Assistant Director Walter Skinner Due to reasons out of my control I have decided to terminate my employment with bureau. I am giving two weeks for you to find a replacement but after August 19th I will no longer be at your service. Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully Scully leaned back and studied what she had just written. Then after a moment her gaze fell on Kicker, who was busy packing up his desk. She watched as he slowly picked up his last few remaining possession and drop them in his box His transfer didn't feel right to her. Her staying with the bureau didn't feel right either, for that matter, so she had made up her mind to quit. She didn't want to quit, but she couldn't be with out Mulder or Kicker. They were to much a part of her and being without them scared her. "I do mean it, Michael." she said. "I am quitting." she pressed print on the keyboard. Kicker looked up but didn't reply. He didn't know what to say to her. She was quitting, what could he say to change her mind? In fact, he was glad she was quitting, he didn't want anything to happen to her or the child. He had seen a lot of good agents go down in the line of duty and he wasn't about to let that happen to her. But on looking into her eyes he saw that she wanted him to talk her out of it. "What do you want me to say?" he finally asked. "Don't quit, things will get better?" he shook his head. "I can't say that. You know how I feel. You are always at risk if you stay." Scully sighed and stood up. "I love this job." she motioned to the walls around her. "Mulder and I rebuilt this office after they torched it. Together, we managed to save most of the case files and a few of the posters and pictures. I don't want to quit, but it's hard to stick with it when everyone I trust keeps leaving me." Putting down the box he was holding, Kicker made his way over to her so that he was standing directly in front of her. 'Why couldn't I have been Mulder?' he wondered as he stared down into her icy blue eyes. He hated the fact that it had taken a transfer to make him see how he felt about her. Not more than three hours before had he realized why he valued Scully so much. He was falling in love with her. "I will always be here if you want to talk. All you have to do is pick up the phone." he said grinned. "And call the airport to book a flight to New York City." he reached out and pulled her closer, holding her gaze. Scully forced herself to laugh. The way he was watching her scared her. "You, um. . " she glanced at the clock, trying to break the tension that had just developed between them. "You better hurry, Michael. Your flight leaves in two hours." she tried to step back, but her eyes never left his. Something held her gaze and before she knew what was happening she was back in his arms with her head buried in his shoulder. "I know you love, Mulder." he whispered, stroking her hair. "But if he doesn't come back. . . " She wouldn't let him finish. She pulled away and back up towards her desk. "Kicker don't. . . " she watched as his eyes filled with tears. "It wouldn't be fair to you, or to me. Even if I did love you, we couldn't be together. Things would always be in the way of us being together." "Mulder would always be in the way." Kicker corrected shook, reaching back for the box on his desk. "Mulder would always be in the way so I'm sorry I brought it up. I really shouldn't have." he picked up the box off his desk. He had to get away, as far away as he could before he did something he'd regret. "Take care, okay. You take care of that baby." he turned around and quickly ran our the door. Scully watched him leave and before she could think, she ran after him, catching him at the elevator. "Michael!" she grabbed his shoulder and turned him around so that he was facing her. "I owe you this." She reached up and pressed her lips against his. He closed his eyes, but her eyes were searching for something else. 'The cameras.' she thought. Slowly, but gently, she pushed him in range of the cameras. She had no idea what she was doing. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, hungrily. Or at least she was trying to. 'Please be seeing this.' she silently prayed. DING The elevator doors chimed and Kicker pulled away. "Take care of that baby, Dana." he whispered and with that he was gone. * * * The Journal of Dana Katherine Scully Mulder, where are you? I'm scared that our baby will never know his or her father. I keep thinking you'll come back, but you don't. I pray for your return daily and at night I wait. I always wait for you to climb through my open window or come through the open office door. I close my eyes and there you are, but when I wake up, you're gone. You're gone. You are always gone. What am I going to do without you? You kept me going, you gave me hope when everything seemed hopeless. You helped me survive the hardships I've faced. Where are you? Will you ever be here again, or is it hopeless. * * * 10:45 A.M. FBI Headquarters He could feel the eyes on him as he and the associate made their way up to Skinners office. Nothing had changed, he was still *Spooky* Mulder. The one and only agent that could be the punch line of a thousand jokes. He hated to think about how they had been treating Scully since he'd been away. He knew these men, they weren't very sympathetic to anyone's needs or feelings. "Are they always like this." the associate asked in a whisper as they passed a group of whispering agents. "Staring and whispering, I mean?" Mulder nodded, but didn't say anything. He was used to it. The meeting with the director had gone well, but he had gotten the feeling that the secretary and an agent in the office had been watching him the whole time. It had made him so uncomfortable that he had tried to get out of going to Skinners office, but the director would have none of his nonsense. "Don't listen to them." the director had said in his low, hushed voice. But how could he not. He wasn't exactly looking forward to giving Skinner a heart attach or to all the rumors that would soon be circulating. The associate wasn't helping very much either. He was just one more thing they could talk about. "Could you possibly leave me alone now?" he asked the man as they approached Skinners office door. "I know it's your job to shadow me, but I don't need the rumors that will start in your expense. I already have enough to deal with; trying to explain my whereabouts for the last four months is enough. Skinner and Scully are going to hammer me with a thousand questions and I won't be able to answer them." The man nodded and stopped dead in his tracks "I understand, it isn't my job to bring more attention to you." he held out his hand. "I want you to know that I respect you're work. Not many people have enough guts to stand up to these men." he paused. "You do have one ally." "Thank you." Mulder said in relief. He took the mans hand and shook it. "I appreciate it." "And if I were you." the associate said as he backed away. "I wouldn't let anyone or anything get in the way of something that I love, Agent Mulder." he grinned. "Get my drift?" then with a quick wink, he hurried off and disappeared into a crowd of agents. Mulder smiled for the first time in months. He finally had an ally. He didn't know why, but he trusted him. Something in the way the man had spoken told him that he could be trusted and should be trusted. Life was finally beginning to get better. The man whom he was supposed to report too was on his side. 'Here it goes.' he thought as he knocked on his superiors door. He took a deep breath. 'It can't get any worse than it already is.' * * * TLS X: A New Legend 2/10 Disclaimer: See part one T H E X - F I L E S ~present~ ***The Legend Series*** Part Ten A New Legend 2/10 By: Jenn Nistor (Jenn6092@aol.com) Classification: MSR,A, X Part Two ~A Change of Plan~ * * * 10:50 AM Skinner groaned as he heard the knock at his door. He didn't have the patients to deal with another cocky agent and he wasn't in the mood to deal with the complaints Scully was going to throw at him as soon as he did. Maybe he would have felt better if he had the agents name, but of course, he was always the last one to know everything. "Come in." he yelled just a stack of papers fell to the floor. "Shit!" he quickly slid off he chair and to the floor. 'Could this day get any worse?' he wondered. Mulder opened the door and walked in. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw Skinner on his hands and knees scooping up papers. He cleared his throat. "Sir?" he said hesitantly. It was too late to turn around and run. Most of the bureau had already seen him. "Sir. . . " he repeated a bit louder. "Ouch! What?" Skinner cried out in frustration as he slammed his head against his desk drawer. "Why is this happening." he mumbled, rubbing his throbbing head. "Sir?" Skinner was about to pull himself up, but stopped as the mysterious voice sank in. He knew that voice. Slowly, his eyes rose up to meet those of Mulder. 'I'm dead.' was his first thought. 'That's the only explanation. They killed Mulder and now I'm dead and on the other side with him.' "Skinner are you all right?" Mulder asked seeing the other mans confusion. He hadn't meant to terrify his superior, but it was quit obvious he had. The look on his face. . . He grinned. "If only I had a camera." he said, quickly shutting the door. "You should see you're self Skinner, you look like you are about to pee in your pants." "Mulder?" Skinner questioned, in complete shock. "Here." he held out the reinstatement papers. "The director signed them half an hour ago. I'm officially back with the X-Files." Still unable to think of anything to say, Skinner stared down at the papers Mulder had just handed him. He knew the words, but the letters were all jumbled up and he couldn't make them out. "Mu--Mulder?" he stammered again. "I don't get it." "I'm Kickers replacement." he explained slowly. "Those are my reinstatement papers and my transfer is to be effective immediately." Skinner shook his head, still unable to comprehend what Mulder was saying. "I don't understand." Mulder grabbed Skinners shoulders and shook him gently. "Get a grip Skinner. It's me, you aren't seeing things and yes I'm back. Okay--?" he held his superiors gaze as he spoke. "I am replacing Kicker. . ." "Why are you here?" Skinner asked, finally able to gather up what was happening. "I thought--" Mulder held up his hand. "Sir, I advise you to not ask any questions. In the long run it's better that way. I can't answer them." "All right." he pretended to understand, but in all actuality he had no clue as to what was going on and he didn't like it one bit. Four months, Mulder had been gone and suddenly out of the blue he was back. Skinner shook his head. It didn't make sense. "Why'd they let you go." "I did their work." Mulder replied, without offering any other information. "Does Scully know you're back?" Skinner asked quickly changing the subject. Mulder shook his head. "How do you think she's going to react? I was almost afraid to come back, I was afraid things would be different between us." Skinner looked away, trying to decide whether or not to tell him about Scully's condition. 'This is going to be interesting.' he thought. Then looking back at Mulder he asked. "What have you heard?" "Heard?" he questioned. Silence filled the room. It wasn't his place to tell Mulder. That was Scully's decision. It was her choice, not his. Picking up a pen, he quickly signed the reinstatement papers and held them back out to Mulder. "Take these." he said. "And go talk to her yourself." * * * From the Journal of Dana Katherine Scully It's getting dark now Mulder, the turpitude is setting in. I'm afraid that things have deteriorated too much to continue on with *OUR* pilgrimage. I know I promised you that I'd never give up and I will keep my covenant. But if something happens to me, I want you to know I did it only for you. I'd be gone now if you hadn't granted me the courage and endowment. I dream of your smile many nights. I miss the way you used to touch, so delicately, so loyally. I miss you Mulder. I hope you have the courage to continue on in your quest, even if I am not there to supervene you. I love you Fox William Mulder. * * * Basement Office 11:30 AM 'I won't trust him.' Scully kept telling herself over and over again as she pounded on the keys of her computer. It was nearly noon and she still hadn't gotten anything done. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Kicker and to the kiss they had shared in the hallway. Why had she kissed him? She kept trying to pin point the exact reason, but there wasn't a reason. She had been impelled to. DING Scully jumped as the elevator doors chimed. 'Keep your eyes on the screen.' she told herself as foot steps began to sound in the corridor. Fear began to well up deep inside her chest as the footsteps stopped abruptly. The sound of heavy breathing filled her ears and then without any warning a hand gripped her shoulder. * * Mulder paused outside the open office door and just watched. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her. She had her back turned to him, but he could tell she knew he was in the room. Her shoulders appeared tense and her hands hovered just over the keyboard, not moving. He wanted to run over to her and wrap his arms around her, but Ansons words kept running through his mind. "We will be watching." 'She's so beautiful.' he thought as he studied her. He tried to say her name, but no sound came. Instead, he quietly moved behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. * * "Hands off!" Scully cried, slapping the hand off of her shoulder. She slowly turned around to face him. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. She had expected to see some middle aged agent or some snot nosed rookie, but she found herself staring up into the eyes of Mulder. "No." she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the vision to leave. She expected to find him gone when she opened them, but he was still there. . . watching her. "Mulder?" her eyes met his. He smiled and knelt down in front of her. "Are you happy to see me?" he asked, taking her hands in his. She was silent. "Scully?" he squeezed her hands. She pulled her hands away and out of habit rested them on her stomach. Only four months along, but she could feel the baby move inside her. She lowered her eyes and then looked away. "They'll kill you if they catch you here." she said after a moment of silence. "No they won't." he replied softly. "I did what they wanted me to do and they let me come home. I'm Kicker's replacement." "They just let you come home?" she asked looking back at him. "You're not for any other reason?" Mulder studied her carefully. "Another reason?" he asked. He knew there was something she and Skinner weren't telling him. Didn't they trust him? Scully moved away and quickly stood up, pulling her coat around her swelling belly. "Someday, Mulder, I hope we can be honest with each other." she headed for the door. "Scully!" he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. As he did so, her coat flew open and her stomach was exposed. His eyes fell on the bulge. It wasn't an obvious weight gain, but to someone who knew her they would see that it wasn't normal. He looked back up into her eyes for answers. 'Was she with someone else?' he found himself wondering as he waited for a response. "Mulder." she looked up into his eyes, knowing that he could see her pregnancy and he was thinking she had been with another man. "I thought-- " he reached out and placed his hand on her stomach. Sure enough the baby stirred. "I thought you couldn't have-- have children. How? How far along?" She smiled and ran her hand over her stomach. "I didn't think I could have a baby either, but I am pregnant." she took his hand in hers. "I'm four months along." Mulder turned away and sat down on the couch. The shock was overwhelming. "Is it mine?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer. In a way he hoped it was, but in another he didn't. Could he raise it? Not in the position that he was in now. "What do you think?" she asked, cutting into his thoughts. "Do you want it, Mulder?" He looked away avoiding her questioning stare. "Is it mine?" he asked again. Whether he wanted it or not wasn't the point. He wanted to know if it was his before he said anything else. He looked back up at her. "Is it mine, Scully? I need to know." After a minute Scully finally answered. "Yes, Mulder, it's yours." This wasn't going quite the way she had dreamed it would. She had wanted to tell him over dinner or somewhere other than their office. She had expected him to see it the way he had. "I'm having the child. . . " she told him, before he could say anything else. "You can accept the fact that you are going to be a father or if you don't want to accept responsibility, I'm prepared to take on the challenge on my own. I may never get another chance to a have baby and I want it, Mulder. Whether you will be able to be there for me or not." He didn't know what to say. Then instead of answering, Mulder grabbed a sheet of paper and quickly scribbled something down then passed it to her. ~We can't talk here, let's go for a walk so I can explain.~ He had made up his mind. They weren't going to stop him. He was no longer one of them and he was going to tell her the truth. * * * Reflecting Pond 12:00 P.M. "So when did you find out?" Mulder asked as they walked hand in hand at the edge of the water. "About three months ago." she replied. "I went to the doctors and had a blood test done and they found it. It was the last thing I was expecting." she laughed. "I didn't even know what to say, I just hung up the phone and sat there in a daze for the rest of the afternoon." "And the cancer?" She smiled. "It's gone, thanks to you." she stopped and turned to him. "So tell me, why are you back, Mulder. How did you talk them into letting you come back to join me." He sighed and turned to look at the water. He could look anywhere but at her. "I don't know how to tell you." he said quietly. "I'm almost scared that things will change between us." "Mulder." she placed her hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me." He shrugged away. "You don't understand what these men are capable of." he turned back to her. "They can give back life after they take it and can destroy it forever. That's what they have done to me and they have done it to you. They just did it to you again." "What do you mean?" "I can never be with you, Scully." he finally said. Just having to tell her pained him and the look in her eyes made him wish he could take it back. "They'll kill you or me if I get involved with you again. That was part of our agreement. It was part of the deal I made." "What deal?" "The deal they gave me so that I could come back. The baby wasn't part of it and quite frankly neither were you." he looked over her and into the distance. "I still work for them, Scully. They own me." Scully clutched her stomach and turned away. This wasn't happening to her. Not now. How could he possibly be working for them. . . She started to walk away. "Don't. . .let me finish." he grabbed her arm, turning her back to face him. "I was sent back here to reclassify the X-Files, destroy you and our work. I said yes. . . but I didn't know about the baby." he shifted uncomfortably. He was losing her. He had to make her understand. "I owe them for saving you. They told me who I am and who the man I thought was my father is. They own me by blood. He's my father." "What are you talking about? Who is?" "The Cancer Man. He's my father, and Jeffrey Spender is my half brother." he squeezed her arm tighter. "I never meant to involve you in this. I don't want to hurt you." "You agreed to this?" Scully asked, fighting back a wave of tears. "Mulder we've already lost the X-Files twice and once to the man you claim to be your half brother." she shook her head. "I can't let you do this." Mulder sighed in frustration. "I have no choice. . .the only other thing we can do is quit and disappear." he paused. "And even then there is no guarantee that they won't find us." he glanced around to make sure no body was watching them. "We can't do anything else." Scully sat down on the bench behind them and took his hand. "I see it three ways." she began. "You and I can go back to the office and pretend that this conversation never took place. We can pretend that the baby is someone else's and do what they want you to do, or we can continue our work fighting for the truth and let them have their fun trying to separate us." she paused. "Or we can quit and let them win. It's you're choice." "And if we quit?" "Like I said. . . " she whispered. "They win and continue to deny the fact that we are not alone in this universe or on this planet." "They don't deny, Scully." Mulder said through clenched teeth. "You said it you're self once, we are the ones who deny it. Not them." A dark cloud began to settle over the pond and over them. The water began to ripple and a gust of wind shot through the park. This was the first time in six years that Scully was the believer and Mulder was the skeptic. Never before had they switched grounds. "What's happening to us?" Scully asked calmly, despite the tension that she was feeling deep down inside her. "Has our relationship really come to this?" "To what?" "To this?" she motioned around her. "To you and me here. . . my being the believer and you being the. . " she couldn't think of the right word. "The *them*." she finally spit out. "The one who now denies government conspiracy and works hard to hide the fact that it does exist." she stood up. "I'm really disappointed in you, Mulder. I thought you were stronger than this." "Scully that's not fair!" he cried. "What am I supposed to do? They'll kill you if I don't do what they say. It's not fair, but it's the only way." Scully laughed. "Do you want to know what isn't fair." she went on without waiting for his reply. "What isn't fair is that I have thrown everything away to believe in and protect someone who's afraid to fight for what he believes in." she shook her head in disgust. "I think it's officially over now, Mulder." she looked away. "It's been over for a long time but I was to blind to see it." She turned around and began to head back to the Federal Building. She expected Mulder to stop her, but he didn't. Was this how she wanted it to end? 'What am I doing?' she wondered, stopping in place. This wasn't how she wanted to leave things with him. She didn't want him to disappear again. "Mulder?" she turned around, but he was already gone * * * 12:20 P.M. Lower Lounge Federal Building "Stupid!--Stupid!--Stupid!" Mulder pounded his fist angrily against the coke machine. "Why am I such an idiot?!" he cried out loud. The lounge was empty and with the exception of a few people lingering in the halls he knew he was alone. Alone to beat up the defenseless coke machine. He laughed at the thought. At least the machine couldn't fight him back. "Have you finally lost her?" a deep voice asked from behind. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand as he turned to face the source of the voice. At this point he was beyond mad and just the sight of the man made him want to pull out his gun and start shooting. "You're a bastard!" he growled, reaching out to grab the man. Anson was to quick, he jumped aside and watched as Mulder fell into the wall. Then with a quick turn of his wrist he reached out and pulled Mulder back to him, twisting his arm roughly behind his back. "I may be old." he began, pressing his mouth against the younger mans ear. "But I'm not stupid. You listen to me, son. . . I gave you a chance to come back here! She wasn't part of the deal! You knew that and yet you betrayed my trust already! Why?" Pain shot through Mulder's chest as Anson twisted his arm tighter. "What did I ever do?" he cried, trying to break free of the mans grasp. "What did I do to you that was so wrong?" "You were born." Anson said laughing. "Out of all my children you were the only one who defied what he was told." he jerked Mulder's arm up, pulling it clean out of the socket. "You had to keep going, remembering all those bits and pieces of incriminating evidence." he jerked again. "You could have stopped. . .you could have given up. . .but you didn't. You had to become what you are." The pain was almost unbearable. Mulder felt his knees begin to buckle, but the man wouldn't let him fall. He continued to hold on, pulling harder and harder. "You created me!" he screamed in agony. "Please!" Anson snorted and let go. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "I may have created you, but my brother molded you." Mulder quickly moved away and huddled up against the wall. His arm ached, but he knew it wasn't broken. The fall had popped it back into place, though it still throbbed. He looked up at his father. "Then why didn't you take me? Why didn't you take me instead of Samantha?" "You were needed." he simply replied, backing up towards the door. "For what?" Mulder asked, struggling to stand up. "To destroy Scully, to deny the X-Files? What the Fuck are you doing to me? Why do you have so much fun destroying my life and everyone else's that I care about?" he clutched his arm as he finally stood up. "Do you get some sort of sick pleasure out of ruining other peoples lives, or is it just what you get paid to do?" "Put your gun down!" Anson instructed. "I won't tell you until you aren't armed." "Fuck!" Mulder grabbed his gun from it's holler and slammed it down on the table. "I'm unarmed so you better tell me before I find another way to kill you!" Anson looked down at the gun then back up. "If you must know. . .all great conspiracies have their patsies." he paused, trying to locate a quick escape route. "Or a fall guy to take the blame and clean up the messes." "And I'm the fall guy." It was all beginning to make sense. He knew there had been a reason that he was allowed to see parts of the truth and every time he got close it would disappear or he'd end up accidentally killing it. "I clean up you're messes by eliminating those who can expose you." "I gave you the chance to be more." Anson said heading for the door. "This is your last chance. I don't recommend that you mess this one up." then he was gone. TLS X: A New Legend 3/10 T H E X - F I L E S ~present~ ***The Legend Series*** Part Ten A New Legend 3/10 By: Jenn Nistor (Jenn6092@aol.com) Classification: MSR,A, X Part Three ~A Bastard Child~ * * * Luna's Lounge 12:45 P.M. "I still can't believe they sent him here." Scully told Skinner as she took a sip of her iced tea. "Can't you do something, Skinner?" "What am I supposed to do?" he asked. "Turn him over to the director who probably already knows about this?" he shook his head and took a bight of his sandwich. "The best thing we can do is wait and see what he does. Does he know about the child?" She nodded slowly. "I wasn't sure if I should tell him yet, but he sort of noticed." "You probably couldn't have kept it hidden for much longer." Skinner said thoughtfully. "What did he say about it? Did he deny it?" She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I walked away from him in the park. I had this feeling we were being watched." she paused and took a another sip of her tea. "I think they are watching him to make sure he doesn't slip up or fall into his old habits." "Do you think he can be trusted?" "I think I am going to have to trust him. I don't really have much of a choice." she stared down at her uneaten plate of food. She hadn't had any morning sickness as of yet, and it was just beginning to start. She pushed the plate away and looked back up at him. "My morning sickness sure picked a good time to kick in." she cringed as a wave of nausea washed over her. "Are you all right." Skinner asked, reaching out to her. "Do you need to go?" he started to stand, but she motioned for him to sit down. "Don't, I'm okay." she took a deep breath. "Just a little stressed I guess." "Are you taking this all right? Do you need a vacation or anything?" he asked with concern. "I can't help but worry about the child. It's a proven fact that stress can cause miscarriages and premature births. I don't want you to have to go through all that." he paused. "The stress of carrying a child is enough as it is." "I'm fine." she assured him. "I'm just a little shocked. I wish I could have prepared myself a little bit better for this." "How does anyone prepare for this sort of thing?" Scully shrugged. "I guess we don't." Skinner reached out and gently patted her hand. "Let's not worry about this now. . . eat. . .we can talk later." * * * 3:25 P.M. Basement Office The lights were dim as Scully made her way down the corridor leading to her office. She had spent the last two hours wandering around the building, trying to avoid returning to her office, trying to avoid the questioning stares and most of all, trying to avoid Mulder. She paused outside her office door. Mulders back was to her, but by the way his shoulders were shaking and his body was tense she knew he was crying. "I always wonder what's going through your head when I see you cry." she said, walking up behind him. She didn't want to disturb him, but she had to get something's out in the open. Mulder jumped at the sound of her voice. "Don't you know not to sneak up on a man with a loaded weapon?" he asked angrily, turning around to face her. "Where have you been?" "Out to lunch with Skinner." she replied, pulling over her chair. "But it really isn't your concern anymore, is it?" she sat down. Mulder studied her for a moment. This was not the vibrant and lively Scully he remembered. Her once beautiful blue eyes were now somber and grim; with a hint of hate in them. Her surface features were now tense and the rims of her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Her skin was no longer a healthy shade of pink, it had since faded to a sickly shade of white. 'Did I do this to her?' he wondered, but pushed the thought aside. He could do nothing. The only thing he could do was try and mend the relationship they had left. "Scully, this isn't us." he said softly. "Fighting isn't who we are. It isn't what we do." he reached out and gentry brushed the back his hand over her feverish cheek. "I don't want our partnership to be over. I've been sitting here thinking about what you said in the park and it scares me." Scully sighed deeply. 'Why does he have to be so gentle?' she wondered, still feeling his hands touch on her face. This wasn't the way she wanted it. She didn't want to end their partnership, if she couldn't have his love and his companionship she wanted his partnership. She looked up at him. "I don't know what to say, Mulder. I want to be able to trust you, but I don't know if I can, knowing that you still work for them." she looked away. "Can I still trust you if you are still theirs? "I don't know." he said, reaching out to gently turn her face back to look at him. Once he had done it he wished he hadn't. "Don't cry." "I want to trust you." she sobbed. "Mulder I need to trust you." she buried her face in her hands, trying to hide the tears he had already seen. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be all right, but he wasn't sure himself. He wasn't sure if she could trust him, after all he had been sent there to destroy her. "Is this how you want things between us?" he asked. "All tears and pain?" She looked up at him. "Things are never going to be the same." she sniffed and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. 'Things will never be the same.' Those words scared Mulder. The X-Files were no longer a stack of files, they had become a symbol. . . a symbol of his quest for justice, of his quest of peace and a symbol of his quest for love. In the beginning they had been files of lies, of conspiracy, files of the things no one wanted anything to do with or believe. The cases had been thrown into the dark recesses of the basement, left to be forgotten. Over time they had multiplied into groups of fears that no one wanted anything to do with. The X-Files had become an image of his compassion for justice. An image he had just thrown away. "Things don't have to change." he said. "No." she replied. "But they have. The things that have happened between us in the past will never happen again, regardless of our child that grows in me." she paused, searching for the right words. "I've spent the last couple of hours walking around DC thinking about what we should do and I've decided that I want you to continue working for *them*. The child is yours Mulder, and she will always know who her father is and maybe someday she can get to know you and you can get to know her. . . but right now it's over." she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Her?" Mulder asked, softly. "How do you know it's a her?" "I don't. . .I just have a feeling." "It doesn't have to be this way." Scully shook her head. "Yes it does. We shouldn't have to do this to our child, but it's the only way to ensure her of her safety and ours as well." she took his hand in hers. "This is the deal we both made. You gave me back something, Mulder, something that no one else on the face of this earth could give me. You gave me back my life and in the process you gave up your rights to love, to family and your freedom to pursue me. You unselfishly gave up everything for me. I didn't want you to do it, but I know why you did." Mulder stood up slowly and pulled her up with him. "Why did I do it?" he asked, looking deeply into her eyes. "Why did I do it?" "Because." she moved in closer. "Because you love me." Mulder closed his eyes and silently thanked God for her understanding his reason. She could have very easily ignored the fact, but she understood. He did love her and even though he found it hard to show her at times, he now knew that she knew. "Don't ever forget that." he whispered staring down at her. She smiled but didn't speak. She looked into his eyes. Searching. For what? She didn't know. A much needed peace had settled over them and for the first time since he had returned she knew that everything would eventually work out for them. After all they were Mulder and Scully. "How could I ever forget?" she asked. "I could never forget." she closed her eyes and prayed. Silently. 'Kiss me.' she thought and he did. * * * August 25th, 1999 Location Unknown 10:30 PM The men gathered in the their loft, sipping their drinks, smoking their cigars and cigarettes. It was too late for a meeting, but business needed finishing. They had managed to get through most of their agenda, but one subject still remained. What were they going to do with Mulder? "It has been two weeks, has Mulder violated our agreement?" the first elder asked in his scratchy, raspy voice. He was seated in the far corner in his usual leather plush chair, but he no longer felt comforted by the shadows. Something lurked in them and it terrified him. "That depends." Anson said in reply, he rested his arm on the fireplace and took a long slow drag of his cigarette. "I have repeatedly warned him of the consequences in breaching our agreement. He would be stupid to violate it. He knows what will happen." The room went silent. No one knew quite what to say. When Anson had brought Mulder into the group they had thought he was crazy. They all knew Mulder's quest for the truth was his life line and that his partner, whom in the beginning they had tried to eliminate, was his safety net. She was also his weakness and they knew this too. "His partner." another elder said from his perch near the fire place. "Has she questioned his return?" A young man who lingered in the back of the room stepped forward and into the dim light. "You have assigned me to watch Mulder." he began. "I have done as you have asked. He believes me to be an ally." "His partner." the elder repeated. The young associate shifted uncomfortably. "Her questions have been limited." he lied. He liked Mulder and there was no way he was going to betray him. "She hasn't asked about his whereabouts or of why he has returned. She isn't the threat you believed her to be." "There is rumor that Agent Scully is pregnant." the first elder stated. He focused his attention on the young associate. "Is it fact or fiction?" "She is." he answered softly. "Four months, I believe." "Is the child Mulders?" another man asked him. He didn't know. He hadn't spoken to Mulder about Scully's condition. He had only seen her a few times in the hall and once with Mulder in the cafeteria. From the looks of it, the child didn't appear to be his. He didn't dote over her like most men with pregnant wives or girlfriends, he made simple gestures to her and would gently help her up and make sure she was all right before they would go off their separate ways. He didn't appear any more concerned than a protecting partner. His actions didn't even hint to his being a soon to be father. Of course there was always the possibility that he was a good actor. "I don't think so." he replied. "You don't think so?" Anson asked in annoyance. "Or you don't want to answer us?" "It's not his." A buzz of voices rang out through the room and before the young associate knew what was happening, strong hands gripped his shoulders and steered him to the exit. "Go back to DC and make sure." someone said into his ear and with that they shut the door in his face. "I thought Miss Scully was infertile." an associate in far corner of the room said as he stood up. Anson looked down at his feet. He could feel the members of the consortium watching him as he searched for the right words. 'They are blaming me.' he suddenly realized as another member stood up, followed by another. "It is out of mortal hands." he finally said. "I higher force has given her this child. She was infertile." The first elder laughed. "The child will be a threat if it is Mulders." he said. "It should be eliminated. Shall we test Mulder?" he held and envelope out to Anson. "Give this to you're son and tell him we want to meet with him as soon as possible. The tickets are in the envelope." "I will." Anson agreed as he wondered what exactly 'testing Mulder' meant. * * * August 26th, 1999 FBI Headquarters Basement Corridor 7:20 AM "Agent Mulder?" Mulder jumped as someone grabbed his arm. "Shit, don't do that!" he cried, seeing who the mysterious caller was. "Sorry." the young associate whispered. "I was asked to give you this." he held out the envelope. "They request a meeting with you first thing tomorrow morning." "Why?" "They want to know if the child is yours." Mulder groaned and opened his office door, then motioned for the younger man to enter. "What did you tell them when they asked?" "I said it wasn't yours." the associate replied. "How many people besides you and Scully know who's it is?" "Just me, Assistant Director Skinner and Special Agent Cameron." Mulder said, counting off the obvious people who would know. "I don't even think Scully's mother knows she's pregnant." "Can somebody else claim the baby?" Mulder couldn't believe what he had just heard. "What? You want someone else to claim my child." he shook his head. "Who the hell would do that?" The associate sighed and decided he better be honest with him. "Agent Mulder, they are going to ask you to kill it. You have to convince them that the child is not yours and that it won't become a threat to them." he paused. "If you don't succeed they will make you kill it, yours and Scully's innocent child." Mulder grimaced and sat down in the chair behind his desk. "They'll make me kill it?" he asked. He nodded. "Yes. You have to convince them otherwise when you meet them tomorrow they will make you kill it." TLS X: A New Legend 4/10 T H E X - F I L E S ~present~ ***The Legend Series*** Part Ten A New Legend 4/10 By: Jenn Nistor (Jenn6092@aol.com) Classification: MSR,A, X Part Four ~The Stars~ * * * 10:30 AM Skinners Office Scully-- Had to leave for a few days, will call if can. Don't ask questions and don't tell anyone who the father of your baby is. --Mulder "That doesn't make any sense." Skinner said, handing the letter back to Scully. "He's acting as if the child isn't hi--." Scully held up her hand and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper off his desk then quickly scribbled down what she wanted to say. --Office may have ears. He can't claim the baby I don't know why. It isn't his from this moment on-- Skinner nodded and quickly crumpled up the note. "Did your partner say when he'd be back?" "No." she placed her hand on her stomach. "Hopefully before I go into labor." she grinned. "After six years of his running off I am starting to get used to it." "Maybe you should take a few days off until he gets back." Skinner suggested. "You are starting to look kind of tired and run down. He'd kill me if something happened to you." Scully laughed but didn't comment on his last line. "I probably should." she stood up. "Call me if you need me." "Sure." She quickly thanked him then left. * * * August 27th, 1999 Location Unknown 1:30 PM The men were in rows around him, some staring at him, other talking amongst themselves. The man who sat in the head chair was someone Mulder had never seen before. The mans eyes were dark and clouded with hate. 'Fear me.' his eyes read. And he did. "Everyone." the man said, holding up his hands. He focused his cold, evil eyes on Mulder. "We are here to discuss a problem that has just come to my attention, Mr. Mulder?" Mulder looked up, afraid to answer. "A problem?" he asked already knowing what it was. "Your partner is expecting a child, is she not?" he asked. "Yes, but if you think it's mine, you're wrong." he paused. "I was in England at the time of her conception and I was never with her in that way." It was lie, but even with their connections it couldn't be proven other wise. She had gotten pregnant the night before he left for England and no medical technology could pin point the exact time and day of conception. Not even theirs. "Then who is the father?" the man asked. "I don't know. I have come to think that it's her ex-partners, Special Agent Michael Cameron." he paused, praying that the next thing he said wouldn't damn his soul. "There are also rumors that it's Assistant Director Walter Skinner's." he drew in a deep breath. He had know idea what he was doing. The men remained quite as the man in the head seat continued to ask questions. "Assistant Director Skinner?" he asked. "What is Agent Scully's relationship with him?" "As far as I know it's just professional." he replied. "But he has carried a torch for her for some time now. I'm not exactly sure of what went on in my absence from the bureau. Their relationship could have changed in that time frame. I'm not sure." "The child isn't yours?" he asked again. "No." "Are you sure? There are ways of testing?" Mulder grimaced. He had forgotten about the DNA testing. 'Make them believe.' the young associates words rang out in his head as he tried to think of something to say. He had to make them believe or at least caste a shadow of doubt that the child wasn't his. "Sir, I won't deny the fact that I did have feelings for Agent Scully at one point in my life, but the child is not mine. Her life is her own and I have never had any influence over it. If I have to kill her child, to make you believe that it isn't mine, then so be it. I will, but the child she carries isn't mine." The man exchanged glances with Anson and then with the first elder who sat beside him. He then looked back to Anson who nodded. "All right." he said. "But if the child is later proven to be yours; you, agent Scully, and the baby will die. Is that understood." "Yes." Mulder stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me. . . I have to catch a flight." * * * August 28th, 1999 2:18 AM Airport "Thank you for picking me up, sir." Mulder said as he threw his carryon bag into the back seat of his superiors car. He wasn't exactly looking forward to having to tell him what he had done. Naming Skinner as the father of Scully's baby had to be one of the stupidest things he had ever done. Skinner nodded, but didn't speak. He hadn't been to thrilled to be woken up at 1:00 AM by one of his agents needing a ride from the airport. The only reason he had agreed was because he wanted to know what was going on and why he had run off without any advance warning. He pulled out of the airport parking lot and onto the highway. "Why didn't you call Scully to pick you up?" he asked, studying Mulder out of the corner of his eye. "Couldn't." he replied. He could have, but he wanted to talk to Skinner first. "Would you care to inform me of where you have been the past two days?" Mulder sighed and looked down at his hands. "England." he waited for Skinners response, but nothing came. Instead he just nodded. "Sir? You don't have a comment on my being in England?" Skinner shook his head. "No, I'd just like to know what the business with not claiming Scully's child is." "Sir, I can't claim it." he answered. "They'll kill her if I claim it. They think the child will be a threat to them." he paused. "They wanted to know who the father was, so I had to tell them someone." "What did you tell them, Agent Mulder?" Skinner asked, afraid to hear the answer. Mulder cleared his throat. "Maybe you should stop the car first." he suggested. "I don't think you should be operating a vehicle when I tell you. You might get us both killed." "Agent Mulder!" Skinner stopped the car on the shoulder and turned to look at him. "If you are about to tell me that you told them that I was the father." he shook his head in anger. "You might want to rethink it." "Sir." he eyed Skinner wearily. "I didn't know who else to say. I was hoping that you would claim it until I can get Scully and I out of here." he took a deep breath. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I really need this from you. I can't let them take that child from her. If they think it's yours they won't hurt her or the baby. I don't think you know how happy she is, I can't take that away." he paused. "I know that you do love you, or at least have some feelings for her." Skinner sighed. He was going to claim the child anyway, he just wanted to hear Mulder's reasons before he agreed. How could he say no? It was true, he had grown to love Scully and he had come to respect Mulder as his equal. He had watched them as they fought to stay together as they were bounced from one superior to another. He'd watched them turn into passionate agents, always backing each other up, being each others shoulders to cry on. They deserved to be happy. "So what do you want me to do?" he asked Mulder. "Do you want me to marry her, raise the child as if it were my own and pretend that she loves me? Or do you just want me to tell every person I see that I fucked your partner an she's having my baby?" "Jesus Skinner!" Mulder shook his head. "Do you have to be so graphic. You fucking Scully isn't exactly the image I wanted in my mind." he turned away in disgust. "Mulder." Skinner placed a hand on his shoulder. "What do you want me to do? This won't look good for me. Once word gets out that Scully is supposedly having my baby I might as well kiss my job at the bureau good-bye. Most directors and assistant directors don't run off and marry their agents. Especially the ones who everyone knows are in love with someone else." "She'd marry you if I asked her too." Mulder replied. The pain in his chest was almost unbearable. He didn't want Scully to marry Skinner, he didn't want Skinner to lose his job, but there was no other way. "You are the only other man, besides myself, that I trust. You don't have to marry her, but just help her. Make people think that it's yours. Take her shopping, play over protective dad. Do anything you want, but just don't say no, Skinner." "You know I'm not going to say no." he said, putting the car back into drive. "I'm going to take you to her apartment so you can discuss this with her." "Thank you." Mulder whispered. * * * Scully's Apartment 2:40 AM "I wish I could jump." Scully said softly as she peered over the balcony of her apartment. The night was warm and the moon was full, but she wasn't happy. Something was haunting her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. There was a pain deep inside her that she couldn't shake. There was a time in her life that she had been happy. She was child, twelve or thirteen. She and Melissa used to sleep on the screen porch and stare up at the stars. They'd laugh and count them, making up funny names for each shimmering light. Bill and Charlie used to creep out late at night and make fun of them, but they hadn't cared. She and Melissa had longed to be up there with stars, to be one of them. "Doesn't heaven get over populated?" she had once asked her mother as a child while they were visiting her grandfathers grave. Her mother just laughed. "Honey." she had said. "Everyone has their place in heaven. God never shuts any one out." Being the inquisitive child that she was, she had continued to ask her mother more questions. "Where does everyone go? Don't the people get lonely?" "No." Margaret had replied, picking her up and sitting down on the bench next to the grave. "Heaven is a place to be reunited with the ones you love, but sometimes people die before their husbands or wives and before their children or parents. When that happens God gives them light and gives them a place to shine. Each star you see at night is a soul, shining bright to guide those they left behind. Then when we die, we are given the light to help guide the next. No one ever truly dies. . . they live on forever, guiding the troubled, the lost and the blind." She couldn't remember how many nights she had lied awake, trying to find her grandfathers star. Thinking back on it, her mothers story seemed kind of dumb now. It had been her way to explain death to a frightened little girl who didn't understand that God didn't play favorites. Slowly stepping away from the ledge, Scully sat down in the wooden rocker and pulled her feet up under her. She longed to be with Mulder, to feel his strong arms around her and his warm breath against her ear. She missed the way he used to come over early in the morning to talk and she missed his late night phone calls. Most of all she missed the way he'd touch her. At first he'd find ways to touch her without her knowing that he was doing it, but as the years went on he wasn't afraid to comfort her or to let her know that he was there. "Mulder." his name escaped her lips. Then, against her will, she cried. * * * 2:45 A.M. "Don't to anything you'll regret!" Skinner cried as Mulder ran up the steps to Scully's apartment building. 'What the hell does he think I'm going to do?' he wondered as he quickly ran up the three flights of steps to Scully's apartment. Once he had reached her door, he dug in his pockets and pulled out his ring of keys. It had been four months since he had used the key, but he knew she wouldn't mind. The apartment was dark as Mulder made his way through the maze of furniture to his partners bedroom. He was about to open the door when he saw a flash of red on the balcony. He moved over to the door. 'God she's beautiful.' he thought, afraid to move any closer. All he could was watch her. He was about to turn around and leave, but then he saw it. She was shaking and through the glass he could hear the faint sound of her crying. Before he knew what he was doing, he opened the door and stepped out into the darkness. "Scully." he said, kneeling down in front of her. "What's wrong?" She looked up at him. He was back. She felt her heart skip a beat as he moved in closer. "I thought. . . " she took his hand, making sure he was really there. "I thought you wouldn't be back." Tears poured down her cheeks. "I wouldn't leave again." he whispered, gathering her up into his arms. Scully drew in a deep breath. "I'm so scared Mulder." she dug her finger nails into his arm. "I don't know what's happening to me. I can't clear my head, I can't clear my thoughts." she buried her head deeper into his chest. "I can't take it anymore." "Scully." Mulder jerked back. "What are you talking about?" She shook her head. "I can't clear my head." she cried. "It won't go away!" Mulder was scared now, he had never heard his partner talk like this. The look in her eyes was like nothing he had ever seen before. He wanted to slap some sense into her, but he still didn't understand what she was talking about. All he could do was watch as she stood up and began to pace rapidly back and forth. "Scully!" he cried. "Will you please stop and tell me what's wrong!" When she didn't stop pacing, he jumped up and grabbed her, roughly pulling her to his chest. "Stop!" he commanded. "You're scaring me." Scully fell her knees, sobbing. She could feel the baby moving around as she continued to cry, but she didn't care. She didn't have any idea what was happening to her and it scared her. "Help me." she pleaded, tugging on the hem of Mulders pant legs. "Mulder please. . . God help me." she buried her face in her hands. He looked down at her. He wanted to pick her up and never let her go, but something told him that he had to let her fight this one on her own. "Get up." he said sternly. He wasn't going to let her slip away this easily. "Get up Dana! You're stronger than this!" She continued to rock back and forth, ignoring his please. "Go away!" she screamed. "Damn it!" Mulder turned away, but he couldn't leave. He couldn't touch her either. He had promised Skinner that he wouldn't do anything stupid and he was afraid that if he touched her he wouldn't be able to let her go. "Scully, please! Please get up!" Silence. "Scully!" he turned around just in time to see her double over in pain. "Scully." he rushed to her side. "The baby." she cried as she clutched her stomach. "Mulder, the baby!" He quickly scooped her up and ran into the apartment. "Do I need to take you to the hospital?" he asked, placing her down on her bed. "Help." was all she could say. * * * TLS X: A New Legend 5/10 T H E X - F I L E S ~present~ ***The Legend Series*** Part Ten A New Legend 5/10 By: Jenn Nistor (Jenn6092@aol.com) Classification: MSR,A, X Part Five ~The Agreement~ * * * Georgetown University Hospital 3:35 AM "How is she?" Skinner asked, rushing into the emergency room. Mulder looked up from where he was sitting, but didn't move. "I don't know. They haven't told me anything yet. They keep saying that they have to run some tests." "What happened?" "I don't know. When I got into her apartment I found her on the balcony crying." he looked down at his hands. "She kept saying that she couldn't clear her head and went into hysterics. I didn't know what to do so I let her rant on and on. I didn't think about the baby." he shook his head. "Damn it, Skinner. If she loses that baby I'll never forgive myself for leaving her alone." Skinner gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault, Mulder. I should have seen it coming. She's been acting strange lately, but I didn't want to see it." he sat down in the chair next to him. "I think that everything, with your coming back and her pregnancy, has just been too much for her." "Maybe I should leave." Mulder suggested. "At least I know that she and the baby will be safe." he looked towards the room they had placed Scully in. "I just wish I hadn't agreed to work for them." "If you hadn't." Skinner said softly. "She would have died and the child she's carrying wouldn't exist. You gave her another chance. Don't ever say that you made a mistake. You've made her happy, this baby is something she can look forward too. Don't take it away from her by saying that you wish you hadn't done it. If she ever heard you say that she'd blame herself for the rest of her life." Mulder was about to disagree when the doctor approached. "Mr. Mulder." he said. "You're partner will be fine. We ran a few tests and it's nothing." "And the baby?" Skinner asked, standing up from his seat. "Is the baby all right?" "She's fine." he said, smiling. "She?" Mulder and Skinner asked at the same time. The doctor nodded. "She is perfectly healthy and developing well." he looked down at his clip board. "I honestly don't know what caused the pains she was experiencing. My best guess is that the baby was trying to tell her to calm down." he laughed. "We see this a lot with expecting mothers. They get worked up over something because their hormones go all out of whack and the baby starts kicking the hell out of them. It's nothing to worry about at the moment. Miss Scully just needs to take it easy or the next time this happens she'll go into premature labor." "At five months?" Mulder asked. The doctor nodded. "Right now the baby is in the middle of it's second trimester. It's to late to miscarry and labor at this point has been known to happen." he held out the board. "Which one of you is the father? I'll need you to fill out a couple of things." Mulder and Skinner exchanged glances. Neither of them wanted to say anything before they had spoken to Scully about their plan. All they needed was for her to see the papers and go into hysterics again. Premature labor was the last thing they wanted to see happen. The doctor cleared his throat. "I am." Skinner said, excepting the papers. "Sorry I was just thinking about what you said. I'll have to make sure Dana stays home from work for a couple of days to get her emotions in check." he glanced down at the first question and groaned. He was going to have to get some help in answering them -Name- -Mr. Mrs. Miss- -Date of Birth- -Social Security number- "Can I see her?" Mulder asked, stepping in front of Skinner. The doctor nodded and led him to her room. Then without another word he headed down the hall. Taking a deep breath Mulder opened the door and stepped in. "Scully?" She had her back to him, but by the way she was laying he knew that she wasn't asleep. "Scully?" he said again as he approached the foot of her bed. "I thought I was going to lose her?" she said, pulling herself up to a sitting position. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I can't believe I acted that way." "Don't worry about it." he said taking a seat next to her on the bed. "You've been under a lot of stress and my disappearing on you like that didn't help. I should have told you, in person, that I was leaving, instead of leaving you that stupid note." "What were you doing in my apartment?" she asked, eyeing him curiously. "If I had, had my gun with me you could have had a hole in your head." "I needed to talk to you." he replied, taking her hand into his. "It's important and I need you to listen to me with an open mind. Okay?" She nodded. Silence. "Mulder, just tell me." She was trying not to get too annoyed at her partner, but she wasn't quite in the mood for his beating around the bush and she hated the way he got all flustered when he was about to tell her something she didn't want to hear. "Just tell me." He turned away and climbed off the bed. "How much do you love me?" he asked, staring out of the hospital window. He watched as a man in his late thirties escorted his pregnant, in labor, wife into the emergency room. He longed to be that man. A man with a wife and a child, one not running from his past or trying to escape his future. He wanted to marry Scully, to be the one that their child called 'Daddy'. He wanted a normal life, something that he hadn't had since he was thirteen. When the men had taken Samantha, they had taken his life as well. "Enough to listen to what you are about to tell me." Scully replied as she watched her partner drift further and further away from reality. She couldn't see his eyes, but she knew that they were somewhere in the past. She had often seen him drift into his memories as they were talking and over time she had gotten used to it. It was as if he was trying to connect the present events with the past to explain why they happen. "Mulder. . ." she said, hoping to bring him back to reality. "Mulder you already know how much I love you. You don't need to ask me." Mulder stared down at the ground below them, not listening to his partners heart spoken words. He wanted to be free, to be able to walk out of the hospital with her, holding her hand, not caring what others thought of him. 'I can never have it.' he thought to himself. 'I can never have my child, or the woman I love.' "Mulder?" Silence. "Mulder!" Scully yelled again. "You know how much I love you." "Then you'll understand that I can't be a father to your child." he said, turning back around to face her. He expected her to start crying and begging him to marry her, but instead she nodded. "I know." she said softly. "A baby wasn't part of the deal you made with them." she eyed him sadly. "I already knew that. I knew that you couldn't marry me or raise a child with me. I never expected any of that from you, Mulder. I never did." she shook her head. "Thank you." he said as he sat down in the chair by the window. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that." "I didn't say that I liked it." Scully quickly pointed out. "But I know that you don't have a choice." "They kept asking me over and over again who the father was." he said through clenched teeth. "They wouldn't stop. . . they kept saying that I was the father, that I was the one." he closed his eyes. "I had to make them believe that I didn't love you. I had to make them buy it. I had to protect you, so I. . I. . " he looked down at his hands." "You what?" she asked. "I had to give them a name." Scully watched as he buried his face in his hands. She wanted to comfort him, but something told her that comforting wasn't what he needed. "Who did you say that the father was?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. She thought back to the kiss she had shared with Kicker in the basement corridors. At the time she hadn't had a clue as to why she kissed him, but now it was all beginning to make sense. Deep down inside she had known Mulder was coming back and that she'd have to tell him about the baby. Claiming it obviously would have been a problem, so she wanted to caste doubt in the minds of those monitoring her. The cameras. She knew that they would be watching her, waiting for her to make a mistake. It had been perfect. That one passionate kiss. She had purposely kissed him to throw suspicion off of Mulder. Even Kickers last line, 'Take care of that baby.' was perfect. "Who did you say it was?" she asked again, this time hoping that he had said it was Kicker. Silence. "Mulder?" she grabbed a book off the table by her bed and threw it at him. "Mulder!" His head jerked up. "Shit! I said it was Skinners!" Scully laughed. "Skinner?" she shook her head. "You have to be joking." she stared at him as he tried to hide his face from her. "Mulder? Mulder please tell me that you were kidding just now." He shook his head, waiting for the impact of another object. She laughed again, this time harder. The thought of her and Skinner was just too funny. "Mulder he's old enough to be my father. Does he know that you named him?" "Yes." Mulder replied in a voice just above a whisper. "He said he'd do it." "What?" she stopped laughing and stared at him in shock. "What do you mean by, 'He said he'd do it'." Mulder stood up and moved to the side of her bed. "Dana, he's agreed to be the father of my baby. He said he'd claim it and take the consequences that it will bring." "He agreed to be the father?" she shook her head. This was getting ridicules. "Next you are going to be asking me to marry him." "Actually." he stared down at his feet. He was sure to get another book thrown at him for this. "I was kind of thinking that you could. Just to make things look more realistic." "More realistic?" Scully cried in disbelief. She reached back and grabbed one of the pillows behind her and smacked him with it across the face. "You want me to marry Skinner. My boss! You want me to marry him! You've lost it Mulder! You've really lost it." "Scully." he reached out and placed a hand on her arm. "Don't get so worked up. I just think that it's the best for all of us. Including the baby." "Why would Skinner marry me Mulder?" she asked, a bit more calmer this time. "It's not fair to him. He shouldn't have to get in trouble for something that he didn't do. Why would he do it?" "Because." Skinner said, appearing in the door way. "It'll take suspicion off of Mulder until the time comes when you two can be together." "You'd do that for us?" she looked up at Skinner. "Why? All we've done for you is cause more problems than I can count." He laughed. "Scully, you and Mulder have made my job with the bureau more interesting and exciting." he cleared his throat. "I may have taken a few bullets because of you and a few punches, but the last six years have been incredible. I have never ever seen another pair of agents as bright and strong as you two are. You can take a licking, but never stop ticking. You never give up and I'm proud to know the two of you. Most agents would have quit digging for answers at the first sign of trouble, but you guys follow your hearts and that's a hard thing to do in this mixed up and twisted world that we live in." "I didn't throw the punches." Scully said, glancing at Mulder. She was trying not to cry, but his words touched her. IN all the years that she had known him she had never heard him so sincere. "Mulder can I speak to Scully alone for a minute?" Skinner asked, motioning for him to leave the room. "Sure." he quickly gave Scully a kiss on the cheek, then left, closing the door behind him Once he was gone, Skinner grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to her bed. "I don't know what Mulder told you about what those men told him, but you need to know that if they find out that the baby is his, they'll kill you and the child." he took her hand. "You and I, to make them believe that Mulder isn't the father, have to make them think the child is mine. I'm willing to try, but I need to know that you are okay with this." Scully sighed. "I don't like it, but I don't have a choice, do I?" He shook his head. "Okay then, what are we going to do? Are you asking me to marry you?" He blushed. In all his life he never pictured himself with someone like Scully. She was beautiful and smart, something that his first wife also had, but there was something else that made her stand out. Something that he couldn't see himself with. He couldn't think of one single time that she had called him by his first name. He couldn't even think of that many times when she had called him Skinner. It was always 'Sir', 'Yes Sir'. 'No Sir.' 'Sorry Sir'. "Well for appearances." he said, pulling a small box out of his pocket. "I think it's wise. In reality I have an extra bedroom in my apartment that you could have. It has a private bath and a small study off of it that you can use for the nursery." With a shaking hand, Scully reached out and accepted the box. Her heart began to race as she opened it. Inside was a small gold, wedding band. "How did it come to this?" she asked, looking back up at him. "Eight months ago Mulder and I were partners, he belonged to me and not them. Now I'm going to marry my boss, I'm having my partners baby and Mulder is no longer mine." she shook her head. "I don't get it. Why are you doing this for us? You could lose everything, Skinner." He took her hand. "I know this is hard for you. I can't even imagine the thoughts that must be going through your head. I want to help, though." he paused. "I know that I'm probably old enough to be your father and that you feel uncomfortable moving in with me, but for Mulder's yours and the babies sake this is the only way. I know it sounds drastic, but you don't know these men, Scully. They live in a world of lies. They create our truths and they don't like people getting in the way of their plans. Your child is a threat to them." "How? It's just a baby?" "It's Mulder's child." "Why is that different from your child?" Skinner shook his head. "I don't know. My only guess is that they want the Mulder line ended and they can't do that with a baby sharing the same bloodline." he leaned back and closed his eyes. 'Why did everything have to happen tonight?' he wondered. He was operating on about two hours of sleep, and at that moment all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and shut the rest of the world out. "You should go home, sir." Scully suggested. "You look tired." He laughed and opened his eyes. "That's another thing, *Dana*. You better start calling me Walter or no one will believe us." She grinned. "Sorry, I've just gotten so used to it." "That's all right." he stood up. "Do you want me to ask Mulder to stay with you or will you be all right until tomorrow morning when I can come by and pick you up?" "I'm fine." she assured him. "You'll be back here in a few hours anyway."