From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 14:14:41 -0600 Subject: DIE BRUDERSCHAFT by Ewa Source: revision Reply To: ewa@whatewa.com A LINK IN THE CHAIN 3 DIE BRUDERSCHAFT (The Brother-hood) AUTHOR: Ewa E-mail: ewa@whatewa.com RATING: PG 13 CATEGORY: V baby fic? SPOILERS: post Requiem THANK YOU To Susan Proto, who inspired. SUMMARY: Scully's POV some of the men in her life DISCLAIMER: Any character you recognize belongs to Mr. Carter & Co. I can't resist; I need to play with them a while! ARCHIVES: Let me know where it's gone please! Newbie writer, constructive feedback appreciated. ewa@whatewa.com 08.28.00 DIE BRUDERSCHAFT (The Brother-hood) FBI BUILDING Basement area She sat in his chair, at his desk. The computer screen flickered as his screen saver came on...that was so like him. The image of a UFO darted about the screen, while the message 'I want to believe' scrolled along the bottom. It was s-o-o-o childish, so Mulder, he'd always retained that child-like quality. Like a child, he would always believe, no matter how implausible the idea, like a child his enthusiasm was irrepressible and like a child, he was very vulnerable. She was waiting for information. She did have work to do while she waited, but instead she sat at Mulder's desk just gazing into space. No, not really space, but at the little teddy bear that sat on top of Mulder's computer monitor. It was their unborn baby's second gift, it's very first toy. Mom bought their child the first gift, a little Matinee set, after the first visit to Karen, the Obstetrician. No, this gift had come from a very unlikely source, and because of that was all the more precious. She'd had a bear like that when she was little. She kept him still in a box in her closet. Her bear was larger, his fur all worn, discolored and grubby from the constant loving of a little girl. The right paw was limp, its velvet pad tattered from years of her sucking at it to get to sleep. He'd gone everywhere with her. When she'd left home, he'd gotten packed in with her things. She'd never intended to take him with her but she didn't have the heart to put him out. She looked at this smaller version of her childhood friend; this one too, in time, would become a cherished friend. Already it was a confidant. People would think her mad if they knew She often shared her thoughts with it. She stroked the soft golden fur, he had a lovely face and a glint in his eye. Yes, the baby would love it. She remembered how she had come by him. "Yes Sir, I hear, but you with all due respect, I need the Gunmen in on this. They're always boasting how their 'Kung-Fu' is the best; we need some of it right now. They're his friends, they have the ways and means, they'll do all they can to help and I can trust them." "Sir, you recall he was infected with that virus he claimed to be of alien origin? The virus that was reactivated in him by his exposure to the source of alien energy? Mulder *was* the proof of what he had always tried to prove...the existence of alien life. It nearly killed him that time. Somehow it all ties in with why he's been taken. It's the reason. But why? That's what all these other people who've 'vanished' have in common. They all experienced anomalous brain activity to some degree; some sort of electro-encephalitic trauma." She pause to catch her breath. "There's more to it, there's a link. I just can't figure it out. I need more access to records, medical, surgical, government; more information about experimentation, research...." "I need the Gunmen, they have the skill and the resources. They're almost brothers, and they need to be doing something to try and get their friend back. They have the equipment and the knowledge and I trust them." She was hoping she could convince Skinner. "I understand you can't officially sanction this, that you don't go along with their methods, but they've helped us out so often in the past. We owe it to Mulder to explore every avenue; no matter how unconventional." Even if it isn't legal, she thought to herself. She waited, not knowing what else to say to her superior. "Okay Agent, I'll go along with this, but the less I know in *this* case the better." He'd agreed. Scully sighed with relief, not so long ago she wouldn't have dared to speak to the AD in this manner, but since Mulder's abduction and the subsequent discovery of her pregnancy, things had changed. In the office Skinner would listen to, and consider, her views and rationale; outside the office Walter had become her friend, a protector, and a father figure. He and her Mom tried to care for her as best they could; as best as she would allow them to. Scully had been in contact with the Gunmen since her partner's disappearance. They'd been with her when she had discovered that it was Mulder who was the target for the abduction, not herself. They were the one's that had called 911 and got her to the hospital when she had collapsed. She'd avoided seeing them since. Although they were in contact, she hadn't seen them face to face in over three months. She'd have to face them; the explanations would be easier if she went to them. By the time she arrived at the quasi-fortress where they 'hung-out', Scully was very nervous. There was the usual performance with security measures, Before Frohike, his receding hair scraped back into a ponytail opened the door to her, and with his customary, suggestive leer, he bade her come in. In the corner of the room Langly, with his long flowing blond hair and geeky glasses and wearing a controversial T-shirt, sat fiddling with some sort of surveillance equipment. Frohike greeted her in his typical inimitable style. "The delectable Agent Scully! Long time no see cutie." Scully smiled, she ignored the way he spoke to her; she'd stopped taking offence a long time ago; it was just his way. Byers in his smart suit, ever the gentleman, offered to take Scully's coat for her. That was when the fun started. The sound of a mug smashing on the floor was followed by a strangled gasp from the corner where Langly sat; two pairs of eyes turned to look at him, then, at what he was staring at in complete astonishment. Three pairs of eyes gawped in her direction. Byers dropped her coat on the floor and his jaw nearly followed suit; Frohike's face was a picture, very, very pale, but a picture all the same. Scully giggled and then laughed; she really couldn't help herself! Realization hit all three at the same moment. "You're...you're pregnant!" they managed to gasp between them. Then Frohike collected himself enough to whisper " Does Mulder know?" "Yes, I believe he does," she said with a grin. She'd started to feel the tiny butterfly flutters Of her baby's movement only a week ago, now they were getting stronger and more frequent. The child somersaulted again; she smiled serenely and gently stroked her belly. All hell broke loose. The three of them started tearing around like madmen, almost falling over each other to fetch her a chair, trying to get her to sit down,put her feet up, have a drink of milk. "Boys, boys!" she cried, holding her aching sides; weak from laughter. "Enough already!" Eventually she'd been able to calm them down enough to explain things to them. She was some 20 weeks along and it was obvious that she wasn't just cuddly, she was definitely pregnant. She told them the real purpose of her visit and wasn't surprised to learn that they were already on the case, checking and cross-referencing any information they could 'acquire'. They couldn't stop staring at her. Their look both reverential and awed. They were so glad for her, for Mulder. Her revelation had turned these strutting macho men into boys, eager to please. These men would do anything for her and the baby, they would protect the child and her and do whatever they could to find her mate. How different was their reaction to her pregnancy to that of her own brother. She'd never forget the look on Bill's face when she had broken her news to him and Tara. Bill, Tara and little Matty's visit with Mom coincided with Dana's regular visits to Karen's office for her check up. She'd seen their car parked outside Mom's house as she pulled up. Mom was still at the Mall getting some last minute grocery shopping. Dana felt her heart sink. She had a bad feeling about this, but it was something she had to get done. She walked into the hall and Matty ran up to her to greet her. He was a beautiful boy and she loved her little nephew so much. He was all the more special to her because he was born at the very time her little Emily had died. She picked him up and hugged him. Bill came into the hall, followed by Tara. He stopped dead, staring at his sister with absolute horror. "Put Matty down," he almost hissed at her. "Tara, take the boy out of here!" Dana looked at her brother in shock and bewilderment. "Bill! What's the matter?" "Get away from me, stay away from my family! You're disgusting, filthy, how could you do *that* with *him*, with that sorry SOB, how could you stoop so low? I knew he was sniffing round you. You bring shame to the family. How dare you involve Mom in this!" Dana saw Tara standing in the doorway, her face as white as a sheet, a look of anguish on her face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her husband either. Bill continued his tirade. Dana couldn't stand it, With tears falling down her face she walked out of the house back to her car. She hadn't seen Bill since. He was back at sea. Dana was staying over with Mom when Tara and Matty next came over . The atmosphere had been awful. Dana didn't blame them, though it broke her heart that, through no fault of her own, she had split her family up. When Tara had offered Dana some of Matty's out-grown baby equipment Dana didn't accept, not wanting to cause Tara any further trouble. Thank God Mom still didn't know exactly what had been said that day. Frohike, Langley and Byers had taken her under their collective wing. She'd lost count how many times appetizing meals had appeared, both in the basement office here, and at Mulder's apartment. Her pregnancy turned them into a bunch of 'old women'. They didn't think she was taking enough care of Herself. When she was feeling down they would do whatever they could to try to cheer her up; what surprised her was that, usually that they did. One evening during the week after the episode with Bill, there was a knock on the apartment door. She was not in the mood for company and reluctantly opened the door. To her surprise, there stood a very bashful Frohike. He looked so incongruous, looking very menacing in his leather biker gear and holding the small teddy bear in his hand. "Every baby needs one of these," he'd said as he thrust the bear into her hands and turned to leave. Scully was completely taken aback, her eyes glazed over with tears; without thinking, she grabbed him into a hug and placed a kiss on his cheek. He blushed. "Shucks! If I'd known it would have this sort of a response, I'd have done this years ago!" Scully aimed a playful punch at his shoulder. She was so lucky, she had some wonderful caring brothers, not blood brothers but brothers in spirit. This baby was going to have such a lot of uncles to spoil it! She and the child were surrounded by a brother-hood who's one aim was to keep them safe. These were the people who had restored her faith in humanity. Walter let her stay on in the bureau, but only with the proviso that she accept a new partner... no, not a partner, never that.She only had one partner. This one was more of a 'guard dog', a 'guardian', Whatever. She accepted, she'd no other choice. She needed to stay at work, not only to continue her search for partner but for financial reasons. She could not afford to take leave or stop working. Financially things were tight. She paid the rent on both their apartments. Since his disappearance Mulder's account had been frozen and of course he was not getting paid! She had 'power of attorney', but without a body everything was up in the air. She had to stay at work till the last minute! She didn't think that she would ever see eye to eye with Agent John Doggett, they seemed to rub each other up the wrong way from the moment they met. But he was a good, thorough sort of cop. He reminded her of a tenacious bull-dog, she though of him as her guard dog. Agent Doggett believed that any thing could be solved if you followed procedure and kept at it. He was a skeptic, as she herself had once been. She knew that he was not keen on this particular assignment. Being a 'good little FBI Agent' he followed orders and would try to find Mulder to the very best of his abilities. She would have to learn to work with him. "How much of all this are you willing to trust Agent Doggett with? He's a fine cop, comes with the highest recommendation from NYPD. He's thorough, but he does seem to have a problem with some of this stuff. He's an even greater skeptic than you were! Phrases like 'biologically alien' faze him out completely." She remembered Skinners words to her some months previously. "He doesn't need to know about the 'biologically alien' at this present time Sir. He needs to be looking into cases of brain injury, temporal lobe abnormality. I've managed to pull up quite a lot, but it all needs checking out, cross-referencing and following up. As you've all but grounded me, he'll have to do The leg work while I get on with the researching in a nice *safe* office. I can't see you letting me off desk duty!" Skinner smiled at that. "That could work out well, at least we wouldn't have to be rubbing shoulders all day long", she continued She was wrong about the man; he was good. He worked diligently and to the best of his ability. They were no nearer discovering the truth than they had been at the outset, but that was not down to Agent Doggett. There had developed between them, a sort of grudging respect. They would never be best buddies, but they had learnt to rub along together and work as an efficient team. On many points they'd agreed to differ, but they never tried to undermine or score points off each other. What had surprised her was that, no matter what their differences were, to the rest of the bureau they would present a united front. She had thought herself incapable of working with anyone other than Mulder, but John Doggett had somehow slotted into her life. It had been a while before it dawned on him that she was pregnant. His reaction to this fact was not like that of either their fellow workers, or of the Gunmen. He'd never referred to her condition, but Scully realised one morning just how much he did support her. He made her life hassle free, shielded her from the other agents. The snide remarks that had so upset her earlier in her pregnancy had stopped. She had a strong suspicion that it had something to do with Agent Doggett and with Walter. Doggett was not as fussy and protective as the Gunmen; he did not make her feel helpless and weak as Bill had done, nor did he treat her in the paternal manner that AD Skinner had adopted of late. He never interfered, never offered advice and never made her feel like an invalid. His assumption that she was 'up to the job' boosted her self confidence, made her feel strong and capable, even on days that she was assailed by doubts. He had always treated her as 'normal'. She knew now that Skinner had chosen wisely when he'd assigned John Doggett to work with her. She was very lucky, she knew that Bill loved her albeit he showed it in a very strange way; he'd never liked Mulder and he wanted the best for his 'baby sister'. He didn't understand that Mulder *was* the very best. She had found so many other people who loved her, all in their different ways. While she sat at the desk in 'the bowels' of the FBI Building waiting for Doggett to come back with the latest information, she looked at her baby's teddy and gently rubbed her belly where a little foot or elbow nudged and poked at her. This child was just like it's Daddy, so active and restless. She laughed softly as she imagined having to go jogging to let the child 'unwind' and get it to rest; just as she'd had to do with Mulder so often. END feedback please! ewa@whatewa.com 'Tread softly for you tread on my dreams.'