X-Files: A New Beginning
AUTHOR: The Fox
ARCHIVE: Anywhere, just let me know
RATING: PG?
SPOILERS: All
DISCLAIMER: Exactly what everyone else has been
telling us for years: These characters do not belong to
me, but if they did, CC would have a lot to answer for!!
I am making absolutely no money from this (dammit!).
FEEDBACK: Yes, please! I am a virgin fanfic writer.
Please be gentle with me :) e-mail me on
xmarksthespot8@hotmail.com
SUMMARY: Mulder's back. You'll just have to read
on!!

NOTE: I have not seen Season 9, as it hasn't aired in
Australia yet but I have seen heaps on the internet. I
am also in the process of viewing Season 8 as re-runs
because I missed too many when it first aired here. I
have been inspired for some time now with great
fanfic writers like Dri, Shawntaw, Dawn and Bonetree,
just to name a few and dabbled a bit on paper, but
never got up the nerve to send one in. I've also heard
the rumours of a new movie (yay!) with both Duchovny
and Anderson (double yay!). I got sick of waiting for
Season 9 and for the rumours of the movie to come to
light and thought out my own version of the second
movie. This is what came from the dabbling.
On an end note, thank you Shawnta for your
inspiration!! Mwha!! :)
  _________________________________________________________________

X-Files: A New Beginning
by The Fox

********************************

Prologue
Washington D.C.
December 1
6.15pm

"Goddammit!!"

The vial shattered immediately on contact with the
floor, the pieces of glass glistening, moistened with
the sticky substance it had contained.

"You've really got to be more careful, Jim. We can't
afford to be clumsy and lose more time than we
already have." Dr. Steve Callahan bent uncomfortably
in the contamination suit, steadying himself and
reaching down with shaking fingers to retrieve the
larger pieces of glass. Dr. James La Salle released a
puff of air, wanting desperately to wipe at the beads of
sweat forming on his creased brow, an impossibility in
the damned suit. He scanned the room for the paper
towels and the waste container. The suits were not
only uncomfortable and stuffy, they could be
downright claustrophobic, especially after spending
almost 8 to 10 hours a day in them and only being
able to see things by turning your entire head or
relying on your peripheral vision.

"Believe me, Steve, it wasn't intentional. We've been
working non-stop on this for too long and getting
nowhere. Just us, no one else in this Godforsaken
hole because of SECURITY and their CONFIDENTIAL
protocol bullshit! What do they expect from us!" He
swiped at the mess, leaving trails of the yellow
substance on the tiled floor. Callahan ripped more
sheets from the roll and followed La Salle's motions,
succeeding in clearing the entire mess with two
swipes.

"THEY expect us to give them results." He stood and
leaned his exhausted frame against the bench,
causing the glass vials to tinkle together in their trays.
La Salle replaced the waste container and stretched to
stand by his colleague.

"When's the deadline?" He seemed to compose
himself. Callahan shrugged, the material of the suit
swishing with the motion.

"Didn't give me one, really. Though I suspect it can't
be too far off." La Salle's eyebrows raised slightly in a
silent question.

"Jim, those experiments in Tunisia are relatively
completed. Those bees..."

"When do you meet with them again?" La Salle cut
him off, not really wanting to know more. There was
an uncomfortable pause. He noted Callahan's face
through the plastic of the headpiece. Definitely a
grimace.

"Tomorrow".

"Oh man..... What are you going to tell them?" La
Salle absently flicked on the computer monitor by his
side. His colleague stared at the machine, not really
taking in the formulas adorning the screen.

"The truth. We can't create the protein code needed. It
just can't be created synthetically. That's why it's only
effective within the first 96 hours."

"They won't accept that, you know". Callahan nodded
in agreement, still staring at the screen.

"It's been months without any support. The team we
did have is now deemed redundant after only two
years. All this testing... So many lives.... They'll have
to accept it, or....." He lifted a larger glass vial, rotating
it in his hand.

"It doesn't exist. Not here, anyway. They have to
understand that we tried. We can't manufacture
something that doesn't exist, that can't exist." La Salle
turned to watch Callahan still rotating the object in his
hand, swirling the yellow liquid contained inside.

"Maybe...." Callahan held the container still and then
slowly rotated the bottom toward him to view the white
label beneath. The large black words stood out
clearly: PURITY CONTROL 2

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter One
Washington D.C.
December 1
11.03pm

Dana Scully bolted upright in her bed. Desperately
trying to control her breathing, she rubbed at the nape
of her neck. She sighed as it came away wet with
perspiration. The red numbers on her bedside clock
announced that she had only been asleep for at least
an hour. She needed sleep. Tomorrow was an early
lecture at Quantico, one of the many "perks" of her
new life away from FBI Headquarters, though she was
called in frequently to consult in various cases that
required her "expertise". Then there was the matter of
getting William to her mother's even earlier. God, she
needed sleep!

Dana fell back onto the bed, her left arm placed upon
her forehead. She looked toward the window at the
drapes billowing in and out with the slight breeze. It
had been warm for a December night, so she had left
the window slightly ajar to feel the crispness of the air.
She liked to have her bedroom slightly cool so that
she could snuggle into the warmth of the covers.
Moonlight and streetlights from below illuminated from
the window and gave her bedroom an almost ghostly
appearance.

Why had she woken so suddenly? Had she been
dreaming? A nightmare? She honestly couldn't
remember and maybe didn't want to. She turned away
from the window and snuggled deeper into her pillow,
closing her eyes and willing herself to just go to sleep.

As soon as she had closed them, they snapped open
almost immediately. She had definitely heard a noise.
It sounded like a floorboard creaking under the carpet.
She held her breath and waited. Nothing. Perhaps it
had been the floorboards from one of the tenants
above or below her apartment. Yes, that was probably
it. Sighing again, she closed her eyes.

This time, she definitely heard the creaking. It was
definitely her apartment! Slowly, Dana pulled away the
bedcovers and swung her feet around on onto the
carpet. Carefully, she reached for the first drawer of
the bureau, lifting it slightly so as not to scrape the
wood together and blindly searched for the cold metal
of her pistol. Grasping it, she held it close squinting in
the darkness to check if it was actually loaded and
then proceeded silently towards her bedroom door.

She peered around into the living room, also haloed in
the ghostly light like her bedroom. Weapon held tightly
in both hands, arms stretched out before her, she
crept into the room, straining her eyes to scan all the
shadows in every corner. Nothing. The kitchenette
also held no obvious threat.

Lowering the gun but still walking with stealth, Dana
slowly pushed the door to the baby's room open. Her
eyes locked onto the cot. She could hear the soft
snoring from William, intakes of air still a little raspy
from his recent bout with a cold.

Forgetting her task of surveying the apartment and
perhaps thinking all was now secure, Dana moved
quietly to her son, reaching down to replace the
covers that he had kicked off during his slumber. She
lovingly stroked the fine hairs around his temples.
When he was first born, his hair was light in color and
Dana thought William might eventually possess her
fair skin and auburn locks. Eventually the shade
darkened to brown, though his skin tone remained fair.
His blue eyes had also darkened. There was a saying
she remembered from somewhere. ' All newborn
baby's eyes are blue.' Was that true? She knew as a
scientist that it really depended on the parentage and
dominant and recessive genes. Though sometimes
things had a way of just happening... didn't they?
William's eyes had turned to a darker shade of ... was
it green? Hazel? Sometimes it was hard to tell. It was
almost like they changed whenever she thought she
could place the color.

Sometime during her reverie Dana became aware of
another presence in the room. There was no noise,
just a sensation that crept over her. Without hesitation,
she whipped around poising the gun before her,
aiming it directly at the shadow behind her near the
wall.

A figure was seated in the reclining chair she used for
feeding or cuddling William. The position was so that
the figure was silhouetted in the darkness away from
the window and near the far corner of the room. It did
not move or speak.

She stood like that for some time, watching the figure,
squinting at the darkness. She almost expected the
figure to light up a cigarette, but that was not possible.
Wasn't it? Why couldn't she move? What was
stopping her from screaming out to the neighbors or
taking this intruder into cuffs and calling 911? She was
capable. She had spent almost 10 years at the FBI
and KNEW she was more than capable. Yet, she kept
the weapon aimed at the shadows but could not move
or speak.

"Hey, Scully."

She gasped. Her heart missed a beat and her hand
flinched. That voice was so familiar.

The shadow moved slightly and she jerked her hand
to straighten it further, trying not to lose aim.

"Forgotten me already? Has it been that long?" The
shadow stood.

"Stop!" Dana broke her paralysis.

"Scully, it's me." A step closer. The hammer of the
pistol pulled back with a shaking finger.

"So, you're going to shoot me?" The intruder stepped
into the light of the window. Fox Mulder's face was
now in full view.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Two
Washington D.C.
December 1
11.20pm

"It's me, Scully." Fox Mulder repeated. Dana shook
her head. Memories of 'shape-changers', clones and
flukemen penetrated her thoughts.

"No. I don't know.... I don't know if it's you!" Tears
welled in her eyes and blurred her vision. She
tightened her grip on the Sig and risked a glance at
her son. He was still sleeping, though she had raised
her voice.

"I know it's been over a year, but you know
me.....Look at me, Scully. Look at me. Please." His
voice was insistent and soft, caressing her thoughts,
manipulating her rationality. The tears overflowed and
streamed down her cheeks. She swiped at them with
her left hand but kept her weapon aimed directly in
front of her with the other. Dana dropped her eyes to
the intruder's chest, not wanting to look into his eyes.
Not wanting to believe. She had to be strong for
William. It was so hard. It looked so much like him. If it
wasn't him......

"Noooo....."

"Scully...." Another step.

"No!" She hissed and replaced both hands to the gun.
"It may not be you! I don't know!"

"If you look at me, you'll know. Trust me, Scully. We've
always been able to trust. Please trust me now. If you
look at me and don't know me, then you can shoot.
You've shot me before....."

That did it. Dana raised her eyes to his face. Those
haunted hazel-green eyes stared back at her with
such intensity and she knew. Her heart knew. More
tears threatened to fall and her arms lowered. The
forgotten weapon dropped to the floor making a dull
thud on the carpet. Her trembling hands tried to
ascend to her face, but they felt like lead. A sob
caught in her throat and instigated her whole body to
shake with each subsequent sob.

Fox Mulder hesitantly extended a hand as he stepped
further towards her. He wanted to engulf her in his
arms tightly but he didn't want to frighten her any more
than he had already done. She had trusted him.
Believed him and he would not want her to flee now.
Gently, he stroked her arm with his right hand, feeling
the sobs that racked her small frame. His own eyes
blinked at the moisture filling at each corner. His left
hand traced the tears that tracked along her cheek
and then cupped the side of her face. They stared into
each other's eyes searching out their pains, their
memories and their hearts. A reunion of lost souls.
Finally, Dana leaned forward and Mulder was able to
relieve the ache to hold her tightly against him.

"God, I've missed you." Not more than a whisper could
he utter. He nuzzled her hair, breathing in her scent. A
mixture of strawberry shampoo and vanilla lotion. So
many memories lingered within this fragrance that was
his Scully. He could remember countless times that he
had drawn strength just being in the same room she'd
been in, even hours after.

"Mu...Mulder..." That was all she could manage as the
more violent sobs abated. Dana gripped her hands
around his waist, felt his strong arms envelope her
and felt his heart thundering in his chest against her
ear. Her trembling and sobbing continued, leaving his
t-shirt under her cheek damp with her tears. The
tightness of his arms was so reassuring, giving her his
warmth and strength. It was so familiar.

"Hey, you're gonna get dehydrated that way." Mulder
chuffed, pulling back to look at her. He leaned down
and kissed her brow and swiped at his own eyes. He
was rewarded with a brilliant smile. He finally looked
past her and to the sleeping infant in the crib. He bent
down and repeated the same motions as Dana had
previously, stroking William's hair along the temples.

"He's grown." His voice remained soft, engrossed in
the motion of his hand.

"That happens." Dana watched Mulder stroke
William's face, his eyes showing so many emotions as
he continued to touch the tiny form.

"I've missed it all." That one short sentence impaled
her heart. She had been the one to send him away, to
leave her and William. He had not wanted to leave,
would have given his life for both of them. More tears
threatened and she forced them back, sniffling.

Dana sighed, wiped the last tear that was clinging to
her cheek and reached up to touch Mulder's chin. He
forced his gaze away from William and rested on her.
She smiled and tugged at the sleeve of his leather
jacket.

"C'mon. We need to talk." She led him to the outer
room. Mulder fell onto the couch and flinched slightly
when Dana switched on the lamp. It was only then
that she was able to see how thin he had become. A
few more lines traced his face and there were dark
rings below his eyes. He looked up, caught her staring
and smiled. The lines and dark rings seemed to fade
as did the years. The man she had partnered with on
all those cases, working out of that basement office all
those years came back into view. This was Mulder.
His smile always had the power to melt her heart. The
time apart had not changed that.

"Are you hungry? Something to drink?" God, it
sounded like she was babbling.

A chuckle escaped his lips as he looked at her. She
dropped her head and let out her own laugh, barely
audible.

"Mothering instincts, Scully?" Mulder shook off his
jacket and placed it on the arm of the couch.

"You don't look like you've been mothered much."

"I could say the same for you." Dana straightened her
pyjama top and looked away to the kitchen. Mulder
cringed. Why did he have to do that? He could be
such an ass sometimes. Couldn't he just keep his
mouth shut or just try to say something nice?

"I'm sorry, Scully. I... Shit. That was insensitive. I
guess we're both so used to being honest with each
other, it just slips out, huh? Either that or we haven't
had much practice for a while." He rubbed his chin
and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

"I guess this year hasn't been too kind to either of us."
Dana sat beside him and laid a feather touch against
his arm. "Mulder, why are you here? Do you realise
the risk...?"

"I've been here before." He stared at his hands.

"Before?"

"Yeah."

"When? How?"

"There were times that I just had to see you... to see
you both. Just to make sure that you were really safe.
I know I shouldn't have, but ..."

Dana increased the pressure on his arm, urging him to
continue.

"I came here a few times, watched you
sleep.....checked on Will......" He ran his free hand
through his hair.

"Oh, Mulder...." She took his left hand in both of hers.
"But tonight?" She tugged on his arm to bring his eyes
to her. "Tonight is different, isn't it?" A tingling
sensation crept along the nape of her neck.

"I have to get you and William out." The warmth and
sadness in his eyes turned to fear.

"Why? What.....?"

"Scully, just trust me. We have to leave. Now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Three
Washington D.C.
FBI Headquarters
Hoover Building
December 2
8.36am

He was getting a headache and the day had just
started. Assistant Director Walter Skinner removed his
glasses, placed them on his desk and pinched the
bridge of his nose. There was a soft rap on the door
but he didn't raise his head.

"Come in."

"Sir?" He lifted his head only to rest them on his
knuckles at the sound of his assistant.

"What is it Kimberley?"

"You need to call Quantico immediately." Quantico? It
was only 8.30 for Chist sake. What could they possibly
want so early in the morning? What happened to the 9
to 5 schedules people used to keep? Though he had
hardly ever kept those hours in recent years. Instilled
military training had seen him up at the crack of dawn
every day and he was usually at work by 8am,
sometimes earlier.

"Sir?" He hadn't realised he was staring straight
through Kimberley.

"Sorry, Kim. Who was it and do you have any idea
what it's about?" She leaned over his desk to place a
small memo near his glasses.

"All there Sir. He did mention something about Agent
Scully when he..."

"Agent Scully?" He replaced the glasses on his nose
and picked up the memo. He reached for the phone as
Kimberley closed the door to his office.

"This is A.D. Skinner. I'm returning Agent Ryan's call."
A pause. "Agent Ryan....... What? No, no I haven't ..... I
assure you....... Well, I'm sure there's an
explanation..... Are you certain? What about her cell?
No, I haven't heard...... Yes, I'll check, but..... I'm sure
you can get a substitute while we find out...... Right.
Let me know if you hear anything first." That headache
was now in full force. He massaged the pulse at his
temples and did not hear Kimberley return. He jumped
slightly when he felt her brush by at his side.
Sometimes she was so silent in her movements that
he often wondered whether she had military training
also. Maybe it was just the headache overpowering his
senses.

"Sorry, Sir." She placed a reassuring hand on his
shoulder. Two round tablets and a tumbler of water
were set in front of him. He looked up to meet her
smiling face.

"Thought you might be needing that today." She
squeezed his shoulder and was a little surprised to feel
his large hand cover hers before letting go, still holding
her gaze.

"Thank you, Kim. I... er....appreciate...." She walked
over to the door and stopped before opening it.

"You really should take more care of yourself. I've
watched you work yourself to the limit." He smiled at
her concern. She returned the smile and couldn't help
notice that her boss was just the slightest bit flustered.
Those little muscles in his jaw usually worked
overtime. They were doing that right now. After all
these years, was he interested? She had actually
hoped some time after his marriage with Sharon had
failed and the divorce proceedings had all faded into
the background that he would at least notice her. He
had always been the considerate boss but a stickler for
protocol. A good man. That in itself was hard to find
these days.

"Kim?" She looked back from the open doorway.

"Yes, Sir?" She felt a flush crawl up her neck to her
cheeks at her thoughts.

"Could you please keep trying Agent Scully at her
home and on her cell? She didn't turn up for her first
lecture this morning and no one seems to be able to
reach her. It's not like her. They thought perhaps I'd
given her an assignment without their knowledge.
Agent Ryan will need to be notified if we're able to
contact her, though he may reach her first. If that's the
case, and he calls, patch him straight through."

"Yes, Sir. What about Agent Scully's mother?"

"Only check there when it's absolutely necessary. I
don't want to alarm her, especially if it turns out to be
nothing. God knows she doesn't need any more on her
plate."

"Yes, Sir."

"Kim?"

"Sir?" She turned to see an awkward smile placed on
his lips. Those jaw muscles also working.

"Thank you again. I really DO appreciate it."

"You're very welcome. I do it because I WANT to, not
because I HAVE to." She watched the surprise
enlighten his face before she closed the door. Oh, he
definitely seemed interested.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 4
Somewhere on the outskirts of Washington D.C.
December 2
8.50am

William squirmed in the child seat in the 4WD, pulled
on the front straps and pointed at things that passed
by the window. Mulder raised his eyes to the rearview
mirror intermittently to watch him, taking in all the
emotions in his little face as he looked out at the
scenery beyond the window. At times he grinned,
puckered his lips, gurgled and sometimes sucked in
his cheeks at the things passing by.

"Is he always so quiet?" Mulder glanced at the
motionless passenger by his side.

"Huh?" Dana turned from her own window and craned
her neck around to see her son in the back seat, now
pointing at a large billboard by the road. She turned
back to Mulder's expectant smile. It was so good to be
able to see his face, his smile. It was definitely
something she had missed. "Quiet?"

"Yeah, he hasn't cried or complained since you woke
him."

"I guess after the first few months, he's never really
cried or been very fussy." She looked back out at the
passing trees. "I guess I never really thought about
that, but..."

"But?"

"I thought maybe he would've started talking by now."

"He hasn't?" Mulder risked a longer look at the
rearview mirror. William seemed to be waving at
something that caught his eye.

"No. Well, apart from a few sounds: grunts and
whimpers mainly. Nothing that you could call forming
words. Mom was concerned as well so we took Will to
a couple of specialists not long ago." Dana looked
down at her hands folded in her lap.

"And?"

"There didn't seem to be anything physically wrong
with him. He's been very healthy. Just the one cold last
week, but he recovered so quickly. He hasn't had any
of the childhood diseases yet, but he's been
vaccinated...." She raised her eyes to see Mulder's
lopsided grin. "What?"

"Nothing. You sound so defensive. I KNOW what a
good mother you are, Scully. You don't have to give
me a run-down. Are you concerned about his speech?
You know that some children are just late bloomers,
don't you? Actually some gifted children start out that
way. Statistics..."

"I know the statistics, Mulder. I did a bit of research...."

"I'm sure you did. I'm just sorry I wasn't there to help
you." Mulder's smile faded and his features became
serious again, turning his attention to the road through
the windscreen. Dana leaned back into the headrest
so that she could look directly at Mulder. She bit her
bottom lip and decided it was time.

"Mulder?"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't leave D.C. at all, did you?" Mulder didn't
answer straight away and she thought he might be
avoiding her question. Then he spoke.

"I tried, but.... I couldn't. I know you wanted me to...."

"I didn't WANT you to, but it was just too risky for you
to stay. You know that, don't you?" He didn't answer.
"Mulder?"

He let out a slow, sad sigh that ripped at her heart.
She let him gather his thoughts while she watched
him. Finally, after some time, he spoke again.

"I watched you sometimes.... going to work or coming
home. A couple of times you went to the park with your
mom....." Dana wanted desperately to reach out and
touch his arm and retreated. He needed to say his
piece without interruption, without distraction. She
could still read him after all this time.

"Once you were there with Will. Just the two of you and
I almost.... It was tempting to just go to you,
but.....That's why I guess I went to see you at night
while you were sleeping. It was stupid, I know, but
sometimes the need was just .... too much. Even if I
couldn't talk to you, or....or.... touch you. It was just
enough to be near you.... to see Will. I even got a little
scared sometimes....."

"Scared?"

"I'd hoped I'd never see you with...."

"With?" This was a puzzling statement to her. Mulder's
brows furrowed.

"....with someone." He finished. Dana's eyes grew
wide. 'With someone'? How could he think that? Who
would even want to ask a single mother out? What
single working mother would even have the time? She
stopped these thoughts and suddenly realised that
she'd had the same thoughts about him. 'What was
Mulder doing right now? Did he think about her? Did
he think about William? Was he with anyone?'

This time Dana didn't hesitate. She reached over and
grasped his right hand in both of hers, her thumbs
tracing light tracks over the knuckles. She swallowed
the lump that was threatening to rise in her throat. She
didn't want to cry again. Too many tears had already
been shed. It was amazing that there were still any left
to flow.

"Where did you stay? The e-mails..."

"Somewhere people wouldn't look. Wouldn't think to
look. I even picked up some research work for a
couple of universities, using a pseudonym." He
glanced briefly at her, revelling in her touch. "If I got
lonely, I crashed at the Gunmen's, but not too often.
They get a little paranoid, you know?" A small smile
tugged at the corner of his mouth. She thought about
all the deadbolts on their doors and how they would
not take any risks with open telephone lines. They had
even offered to check her home for bugging devices!
Yes, paranoid, but they would not turn down their
friend. They hadn't even told her about Mulder.

"Mulder, do you...." She looked down at his hand,
turned it over and entwined her fingers with his.

"What?"

"Do you ..... resent me for making you leave?" She
couldn't look up at him, didn't want to see what may be
in his eyes. She kept her own eyes focused on their
hands.

"'Resent' you?"

"Is HATE too harsh a word then?"

"God, Scully....."

"Do you?" He curled his fingers around hers.

"I could never hate you, Scully. I know that you just
wanted to protect me....to protect Will..... I also know
what Kersh said to you. I guess I was angry at first, but
I've had a lot of time to think. I wanted to protect YOU.
I couldn't do that if I was gone. So, I compromised.
Now, do you hate ME for not leaving... for hanging
around, breaking and entering.... stalking....?" Dana
raised their entwined hands to her lips and kissed the
knuckles of his hand where she had tracked her
thumb. He could feel her smile against his skin.

"Does that mean you don't mind the stalking?" God it
was good to joke with her again. Even this slightest
attempt. He missed that so much. Who was he
kidding? He had missed her. It was just so good to be
with her again. Dana planted one more lingering kiss
on his knuckles and dropped their still entwined hands
in her lap. She didn't want to let go, not yet. It was
almost like she was trying to make up for time that had
been lost to them. Time that they couldn't touch.

"Mulder, it was just about the hardest thing I've ever
done. I want.... I NEED you to know that." She
continued to stroke his hand but still couldn't look up.

"I think we both did it for William.... but can YOU
understand why I couldn't leave entirely? I need YOU
to understand that, too." She nodded her reply.

They continued on in companionable silence. Dana
caught a runaway tear as it escaped down her cheek.
The air had been cleared, bar one more matter.

"So, Mulder, is it okay to ask something now?"

"I guess so, as long as you don't want me to tell you
my pseudonym. The research I did was pretty shitty.
Nothing paranormal about it. Just psychology crap."
This time he didn't raise a smile from her.

"Would you mind telling me why I'm following you on
nothing more than blind faith again? You still haven't
told me why we needed to move so quickly and why I
couldn't call Quantico or even my mother. Mulder,
she's probably having a fit right now. You do realise
she may have called the local PD already?"

"Knowing your mom, Scully, she'll wait a while - more
from past experience I would think - and then most
likely call Skinner and interrogate him if she can't find
you at Quantico." She raised her eyebrow. Ah, 'The
Look'. No words were needed. She wanted an answer:
now.

"Look, let's stop up the road somewhere and grab
some breakfast. We'll talk then, I promise." She was
looking at the road in front of them. No reply. "You can
call your mom from there. Just don't tell her where you
are." At least she was still holding his hand, so that
had to be a good sign.

"Scully?" Still no reply. He didn't want to piss her off,
not when they had just been reunited and not when
they had just cleared so much that needed to be said.
He was an old hand at pissing her off, that was sure.
There was too much more ahead of them and it was
way too much to spill out in one sitting. He tried again,
this time gently tugging at her hand. "Okay?"

This time, he received a nod of the head in reply.
Okay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Five
Washington D.C.
FBI Headquarters
Hoover Building
December 2
11.15am

The elevator slid open and A.D. Skinner stepped out
into the corridor. He strode with purpose to his office,
pushing his glasses further up his nose. Kimberley
looked up from her computer. Skinner's long coat was
unbuttoned, his tie was somewhat askew and the top
button of his collar was undone. It looked as though his
morning had been uneventful. He rubbed his right
temple absently as he had done earlier that morning
and stepped to the front of her desk. The tablets he
had taken were losing their effect.

"Any news, Kim?"

"I tried to catch you earlier..."

"Sorry, I forgot to recharge the battery." He produced
his cell phone and bounced it a couple of times on his
palm, looking at it disdainfully.

"Agent Ryan called back a short while ago to inform
you that Agent Scully never made her 10.30 lecture
either." Skinner shifted his hand to her desk, tapping
his fingers. This was a nervous reaction she had noted
over time. "I haven't been able to reach her anywhere,
Sir, and neither has he. I've even checked various
hospitals and the paediatrician that she's visited in the
past, but nothing."

Skinner motioned to move to his door and then turned
back to Kimberley.

"Maybe it's time to call Agent Scully's mother."

"Yes Sir."

"On second thought, find her number and I'll call."
Skinner pushed the door to his office open, removed
his coat to place it on the coat rack and dropped his
briefcase on the floor by the chair. His eyebrows rose
when he noticed the wrapped plates of sandwiches
next to the neat pile of files on his desk. The question
on his face was still evident when Kimberley walked in.

"I... uh... didn't think that you had bothered with
breakfast and might have been too busy to consider
lunch. So, I took the liberty..." Skinner sat down and
reclined back into the chair.

"So you don't think I'm taking care of myself?"

"Well..." Kimberley moved to his desk, handing him a
yellow slip of paper. "Let's say that I'm protecting my
interest." She turned to leave.

Skinner's eyebrows could not go any further off his
head. What the hell did that mean? Was this one of
those rhetorical statements or one of those innuendos?
He imagined he had heard something in her voice
earlier, but shrugged it off without another thought.
This was different. Christ. Was he too old to play these
games? Well, he wasn't dead either.

"Sir?" She was lingering at the door, obviously amused
at his reaction. "Let's say that if anything happened to
you, I'm out of a job, right? So, in a way, I'm protecting
my own interest." That should let him off the hook a bit,
but not too much. She didn't want to give him a
coronary. She began to close the door behind her but
peered back in when she heard him call.

"Kim?"

"Sir?" He shifted in his seat.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"I was going to take my break at 12.00."

"Going out?"

"No..."

"Then why don't you join me? There's enough here to
feed a small army."

"Oh...Only if you're sure?"

"Let's say that I have to protect my own interests too."
A small smile formed on his lips. She grinned widely at
that and closed the door. He could play this game too
and give as good as he got.

Skinner leaned forward, tapping the notepaper
between his fingers, contemplating lunch. Kimberley?
He HAD noticed her, he was only human after all and
not THAT old. He was also in good shape physically.
BUT. But she was his assistant. What was he doing?
He looked down at the slip of paper. He was too tired
to think about that right now. He reached for the phone
and dialled. It was picked up on the receiving end after
five rings.

"Hu...Hello?" The person on the other end was
obviously out of breath.

"Mrs. Scully? Maggie?"

"Yes?"

"It's Walter Skinner. I'm sorry, did I catch you at a bad
time?"

"I was just out the back. What can I do for you Walter?"
Skinner hesitated and Maggie Scully took this pause
as something ominous. "Walter? What's wrong? You're
obviously not calling to say `hello'. Is Dana alright?"

"Maggie... I'd hoped you'd be able to enlighten me on
that."

"What? I don't under..."

"Sorry, Maggie, I don't mean to frighten you. Scu...
Dana didn't turn up today at Quantico. We thought
perhaps.... Has she called you?"

"No. I actually called her this morning when she didn't
bring William around. This is the day she usually drops
him off fairly early. I couldn't reach her. I thought
perhaps she'd changed her mind and took him to
daycare. She often does that when she thinks I'm too
tired, sometimes forgetting to call." There was a pause.
"God... did you try there?"

"I'll get my assistant to check it out, but since she
hasn't called in..."

"Walter, she wouldn't just leave."

"I know. Maggie, please don't panic. Maybe there was
an emergency and she hasn't been able to inform us
yet. I'm sure there's an explanation. We'll find out.
Please stay by the phone in case she calls and let us
know."

"Alright. Walter?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. I know the pressure is always on you
when things like this happen. It's good to know that
there is someone we can depend on. You've been so
good to us so many times."

"Let's hope that it's just nothing."

"Yes." There was no conviction in her voice. It was an
all too familiar scenario. This woman was strong.
Damned strong. He knew where Scully inherited this
trait. He let the receiver fall into the cradle and pressed
the intercom.

"Kim?"

"Yes?"

"Did you get a hold of Agents Doggett and Reyes?"

"No, Sir. They seem to be out of range. A.D. Kersh has
them on assignment in Colorado. I've left a message
for them to call ASAP. Sir? Does that mean you had no
luck with Agent Scully's mother?"

"Hmmm." He let out a breath. "She did mention a
daycare centre though. Do you know which one?"

"Already checked. No sign of them." A grin formed on
his lips again. God she was efficient.

"Okay. We'll wait for Doggett and Reyes. Maybe they
called her...."

"Sir? Would you like me to check with A.D. Kersh
about that?"

"No. I'm sure he would have mentioned that, or at least
Quantico would have been informed." He cut off the
intercom and then depressed the button again, looking
at the plates in front of him.

"Kim?"

"Sir?"

"How about an early lunch?" He could hear her chuckle
before he removed his finger from the button. Skinner
sat back and waited to hear her footsteps move
towards his door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter Six
Rocky Mountains, Colorado
December 2
11.17am

She was trying hard to hold her breath. Leaning over a
corpse and in this position was really not an easy task.
She could feel the bile rise, so she sat back on her
haunches and looked away to see where her partner
had disappeared to. A late breakfast had not been a
good idea today, but she hadn't known they would
uncover a corpse.

Agent Monica Reyes re-zipped the body bag,
straightened up and quickly placed her hands into the
pockets of her thick jacket, that were almost numb with
the cold. She spotted her partner talking with a very
animated sheriff by the dirt track they had arrived on
earlier. As she neared them, the sheriff was already
climbing into his patrol car.

"What's up?" At her voice, Agent John Doggett turned
to face her, his lips set in a thin line, one hand on his
hip. Not a good sign.

"A.D. Skinner's been trying to reach us."

"Another assignment?"

"Agent Scully's missing."

"What?!"

"She didn't turn up at Quantico this morning. They've
checked everywhere and she's left no word. No one's
heard from her since about 4pm yesterday. They
wanted to know whether we called her out here without
Kersh's knowledge."

"Did they check with her mother? What about her
apartment?" Monica pulled her jacket tighter around
her. John nodded, more to himself than in agreement
to his partner's questions.

"Done. Her apartment showed no evidence of a break-
in, but..."

"But?"

"Some of her belongings were missing." Monica stared
at him in disbelief.

"So you're saying that she just up and left? Something
must have scared her, surely she wouldn't...?"

"I'm not saying anything. We don't know enough to
jump to any conclusions."

"I guess we're leaving then?" Monica turned to see the
crew collecting the body bag.

"Well," John followed her gaze. "This guy's no longer
missing and the sheriff's got his former partner in
custody, so case closed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXX

Somewhere between Washington D.C. and Louisville
December 2
11.44am

"Mulder, you said you were going to stop over 3 hours
ago." Dana shifted in her seat, rubbing her stomach.
She wondered if Mulder had heard the growls it had
started emitting.

"Sorry." Mulder glanced at the rearview mirror. William
had nodded off about an hour ago. "I wanted to get
some miles between us and D.C. We also need to find
somewhere obscure."

He half-turned his face to her and gave a quick smile.
He'd better find somewhere soon. He'd heard her
stomach complaining some time ago and his was not
doing any better. William had been the only one fed.
Thank God he didn't have to pee.

Just as he thought they might have to wait a little
longer, a roadside truck stop came into view on his left.
Only a few semi-trailers were parked alongside. Mulder
swerved the 4WD into the driveway and manoeuvred
into a parking bay at the back of the diner.

William blinked awake as Mulder braked to a stop.
Dana unbuckled the seatbelt in one swift movement
and propped her head over the headrest. Seeing her
face appear, William gurgled around a smile, his two
bottom teeth peeking out of pink gums.

"Hey there, sleepyhead!"

Mulder unclasped his own seatbelt and kicked open
his door. He stretched backward, resting his hands on
his lower back. As he opened the back door and
leaned in to release William from the child seat, Dana
was already stretching behind him and stamping her
feet to get the blood flowing again. He was surprised to
see William's outstretched arms. Dana was obviously
as amazed as he was as she stopped her motions and
stared down at them.

"Mulder, he doesn't go to anyone else but me. He
doesn't even want to go to my mother most of the time,
but I think now that he's used to her, he sort of puts up
with it, but he never...." She stopped. Mulder was
grinning from ear to ear as William was still reaching
out to him. "Well, I guess he...."

"Da! Da!"

"Oh my God!" Dana's legs gave way and she found
herself kneeling on the ground beside the door,
steadying herself on the side of the vehicle. Mulder
swooped William up into his arms and out into the
parking bay. William, oblivious to the astonishment of
the adults, shrieked with delight.

Mulder knelt beside Dana, seating William on his lap.
William was hickupping around his giggles. She
cupped her son's cheeks and covered his face in
butterfly kisses.

"You spoke! I don't believe it!" She leaned against the
car, threw her head back and laughed. "Yes! Yes!
Mulder, he spoke!"

"I heard. I also heard WHAT he said." Mulder scooped
William up again and lifted him above his head, then
brought him down to cradle in his arms. William
thought that was just as good as the last motion and
let out several more squeals of laughter.

Still stunned, Dana absently grabbed the diaper bag
from the back seat and locked the door. As she
watched them walking into the diner ahead of her, she
suddenly realised that not only had William spoken his
first words, it had been directed at Mulder with arms
outstretched. William was shy to strangers, even to her
mother. She had been so protective of him, not
wanting to introduce him to too many people, due to
her own fears of losing him. Even the daycare centre
where she sometimes took him was small, secure and
did not have many patrons.

William had taken to Mulder instantly and had uttered
his first words to him. Perhaps bonds went beyond
distance, beyond comprehension. Amazing. She
squinted up into the sky, smiled and followed them into
the diner.

Mulder was waiting for her inside the door, scanning
the interior for a booth. Dana, still unable to stop
smiling, held out her arms to take William.

"Mulder, I'll take him to the restroom first. Why don't
you order me some toast, coffee, eggs and bacon? We
won't be long." He nodded, but stopped her as she
turned to head for the back of the room.

"Bacon, Scully?"

"I'm celebrating." She grinned again and disappeared
through the doorway.

There were four other inhabitants in the diner. Two
men sitting at the counter, deep in conversation with
the waitress, pouring their coffee and one man seated
in the far left hand corner by the window. He surmised
that all three were possibly the drivers of the trucks
parked outside.

The waitress looked up from her chore and motioned
for Mulder to sit anywhere he pleased. He chose the
middle booth on the right side of the diner facing the
window nearest the rear parking bay.

Dana stared at her reflection. They had fled so hastily
that she had not even thought about make-up. She
splashed cold water on her face and used William's
towel to dry. She was so pale. If only she had brought
her make-up bag with her from the car she could have
freshened up the way she would have liked to. William
fussed on the change table by her side, forcing her to
collect her thoughts.

"Well, Mulder has seen me in worse condition than
this." She said to her reflection as William started to
whimper. He was definitely not comfortable sitting on
the table and was determined to make this known. At a
last minute attempt, Dana tugged at the clip to let her
hair fall down around her shoulders. She ran her
fingers quickly through her hair, pinched her cheeks
and then proceeded to pick William and the diaper bag
up in one motion.

"I am so proud of you!" She kissed William's cheek to
confirm her statement.

Mulder was leaning back in a booth to her right when
she re-entered the diner, sipping at what looked like
orange juice and staring out the window deep in
thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He chuckled and replaced
the glass on the table.

On seeing Mulder, William giggled, bucked against his
mother's waist and reached out for him. Dana let out
an exaggerated sigh.

"I think I should be jealous." She let Mulder take the
wriggling infant from her.

"Nah, I think it's the height thing." Mulder glanced at
her as she sat in the seat opposite. One eyebrow was
arched high above her eye. He chuckled again. "I'm
taller, Scully, so he gets a better view of the world."

Dana shook her head and took a sip from her own
orange juice as she watched Mulder settle William on
his lap, facing the table. The smell of bacon filled the
diner and she found her mouth watering. She
rummaged through the diaper bag, found the small jars
she needed and selected one. William spied the jar
and squealed.

"Now, Scully," Mulder scoffed, "that's bribery."

"The way to a man's heart, Mulder." Dana lifted one of
the spoons from the cup and saucer to the right of the
table and with some effort managed to unscrew the
cap from the jar. She was hoping her food wouldn't be
too long or she might be forced to eat William's lunch.

"Scully, can I?" Mulder held out his hand for the spoon
and jar. She gave him a wide smile and relinquished
the objects.

The waitress gathered the cutlery and napkins and
leaned against the servery waiting for the cook to
place the remaining food on each plate. She glanced
over at the group seated in booth 7 and rubbed the
side of her face. Not regulars, just one group of many
that passed by on their way to the city, but certainly the
first to make her actually take notice.

They were a beautiful family. Just beautiful. That was
the only way she could think to describe them. She
had seen good-looking families before, but this one
could be on the cover of one of her weekly magazines,
like Vogue. The two adults had that stressed look
about them though, like some of the truckies that
stopped by and hadn't seen sleep for a few days, but
they were real stunning to look at. Might have been
their eyes, the way they looked at each other and the
little one: what a cutie! His eyes were obviously
inherited from his father, but they were more intense,
so full of life.

"You gonna stop wool-gathering and take these plates
out?" The cook banged the side of one of the plates
with the egg flipper to emphasise his point. The
waitress wrinkled her nose at him and assembled the
plates on the tray beside her.

Mulder had almost finished feeding William, his little
fingers wrapped around Mulder's larger ones and over
the spoon, when the waitress appeared by their table
with their order.

"You are such a cutie!" The waitress cooed at William
and then straightened up to look at the two adults. "I'll
just go and get your coffees. Oh, we have a high chair
out back, if you'd like?" She gestured to the kitchen
with her thumb.

"Thank you, but he's fine." Mulder replied, not wanting
to give up the warmth of William on his lap, his fingers
still curled around his own.

"If you don't mind, though," Dana gave the waitress an
uncertain smile and plunged her hand into the diaper
bag. "Could you please warm this for me?" She held
out a bottle with William's formula.

"No problem. Won't be long." The waitress scuffed off
to the kitchen in her backless sandals.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Seven
Roadside Diner
Somewhere between Washington D.C. and Louisville
December 2
12.30pm

The empty plates had been cleared a few minutes ago
and they sat in silence sipping their coffee, stealing
glances at each other when the other wasn't looking.
Dana had not eaten that much since...well, she really
couldn't remember.

William sucked on his piece of toast trying to taste
more of the egg that it had been dipped into. His other
hand was playing with the zipper on Mulder's jacket,
leaving butter smears on the leather. Dana reached
over and began wiping William's hands and then
proceeded to wipe the oily patch on Mulder's jacket.
Mulder watched the movements of her hands, lost in
thought.

As Dana sat back, William picked up where he left off
and began absently playing with the zipper again, still
sucking on his piece of toast. She exhaled a long sigh
as she traced around the rim of her coffee cup. Mulder
shifted William a little more to his left and then slowly
looked up to meet Dana's eyes.

"Okay," his voice slightly hushed, " I guess I need to
explain a few things." Dana opened her mouth to
speak and then clamped it shut. No, she would restrain
herself and wait, at least for now.

"The Consortium, remember them?" He asked and
Dana nodded in reply. "Well, even without that
cigarette-smoking son of a bitch, they're still around,
still making deals. I've been tracking them, trying to
find out what they're up to. Over the last year they've
been dabbling in oil. Corn oil. Apparently they have an
invested interest in corn crops in Tunisia. A satellite
photograph that the Gunmen were able to intercept
showed the same kind of construction that we saw
outside of Dallas."

Dana leaned forward, absorbing these words. She
could not contain herself any longer.

"So, Mulder, does that mean they have those
Africanised bees housed in that...that..."

"Looks that way, Scully."

"But what's that got to do with us now?"

"Not us, Scully. It's not about us any more. It's
William." Dana's eyes grew wide in disbelief. William
had finished his piece of toast and was sucking on his
fingers. At the mention of his name, he gazed up at
Mulder and smiled.

"Why Mulder?"

"Well," he continued,"apparently you had some tests
done on him?" Dana's body tensed. She'd had
complete blood and DNA testing shortly after William
was born. She suddenly felt the slightest bit guilty.

"I...I had to be sure. I had to know that he was okay.
That he was...normal. How did you know?"

"It's not hard, Scully. I knew you would under the
circumstances and the Consortium obviously knew that
too. It's relatively easy to hack into medical files, if you
know how. Tell me what the tests turned up?"

"If you saw what tests I did, then you would already
know the results."

"No, I didn't. THEY did. I just KNEW that you would be
taking blood and DNA tests. So, tell me, Scully, what
did they prove to you?"

"Mulder..." She could not pull her eyes away from his,
though she could feel tears welling, ready to fall. "I
HAD to. I was so scared."

"I know." He reached out for her hand. "It's okay."

"Everything was normal, though the ET scan showed a
little more activity in one part of the brain that's actually
dormant in ours. I didn't take this to a neurophysicist
because William was so small and it was just a fraction
more activity than usual..."

"Gibson Praise." Mulder groaned, pulling William a little
closer with his left arm. Scully nodded. He knew her
fears.

"Mulder, I didn't know what to think, but his blood was
clean, not like Gibson's." She brushed the tear that fell
onto her cheek.

"And his DNA?"

"I think you know."

"I need to hear it from you. I need to have it confirmed
by you." Mulder gripped her hand. "Please."

"Mulder, he IS your son. That's beyond a doubt."
Mulder let out the breath that he had been holding,
closed his eyes and lowered his head, almost resting
on the top of William's crown. "You only have to look at
him now to know that."

"There were so many questions, so many..."

"Mulder, stop." She squeezed his hand in return. "Just
tell me what this Consortium wants."

"They want William. He holds the key." Mulder planted
a kiss on the top of William's head. "The key to what
they've been searching for since their failed attempt in
Antarctica." Dana's eyebrows furrowed in
concentration.

"Mulder, I don't understand. Maybe I've been out of the
X-Files too long. I'm not quite connecting the dots
here."

"A vaccine, Scully."

"But they had one. You held it in your hand. You
injected me with it. Will wasn't even there!" She
stopped, realising that she had raised her voice and
looked around. The two customers at the counter had
left some time ago and the last one in the corner
seemed totally absorbed in his newspaper. She
lowered her voice anyway. "Mulder?"

"That vaccine was a WEAK vaccine. It could only be
administered within 96 hours after infection or it
wouldn't work. They've been trying to produce a lasting
vaccine, an actual cure to the virus: a cure to the black
oil. From what I've discovered, their scientists haven't
been able to achieve their goals. They can't produce
that protein code that you yourself detected."

"But..." She was cut off when Mulder released her
hand and tapped the table.

"Just let me finish, Scully." Dana complied by sitting
back in the booth again. "You were exposed to the
virus and given a vaccine. I was exposed in Tunguska
when they tried to use me as a test subject. I was also
given a vaccine. I can only assume that we're now
immune."

"But why don't they want our blood then? Why
William?"

"Scully, the vaccine we were given was synthetic. A
vaccine that can only be administered within 96 hours
of infection. They need a natural vaccine. You and I
are now immune. William is a combination of our DNA.
William would have a natural immunity. They want him
so they can obtain that protein code."

"Oh my God...." Dana clasped her fingers on the edge
of the table. Her knuckles were white with the effort.
His words finally sinking in. "Mulder, they wouldn't just
stop at taking blood samples, would they?"
Mulder wrapped both hands around William's body and
planted another kiss on his head.

"Scully, you and I both know what kind of people we're
dealing with here and he wouldn't survive what they'd
have planned for him."

Dana leaned across the table and stroked William's
cheek. He gurgled and smiled, trying to grab her
fingers.

"So, what do we do?"

"Well," Mulder sighed and deposited William on his
mother's lap," I still want us to get as far away from
D.C. as possible right now. Then we wait for the
Gunmen to try and get evidence."

"Mulder, we can't do this on our own."

"We've got no choice right now." Mulder crouched
beside her. "Look, I'll fix the bill and then fill the tank.
Why don't you call your mom? But, Scully, you have to
make it short. We don't know if her phone line's
tapped. And...you can't tell her where you are." Mulder
tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I know. I just need her to know that we're okay."

Mulder was just about to stand when William reached
out to pat him on the cheek.

"Da! Da!"

Dana locked her gaze with Mulder and they both
laughed. It was a refreshing change to the intensity of
their recent conversation.

"See Mulder," Dana smiled up at him, "even HE knew!"

Mulder watched Dana from the counter of the diner as
she gathered William onto her hip and placed the
diaper bag onto the table. She looked over to him and
pointed at the bag. He nodded and she strode back to
where they had entered, stepping into the glass
enclosure to make her call.

"You need a receipt?" The waitress had rung up his bill
on the cash register and was waiting expectantly for
his reply.

"Uh...no thanks."

"You have a beautiful family, mister." She smiled as
she took his money and pocketed his very generous
tip.

"Thank you." Mulder positively beamed as he returned
to the table to collect the bag.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Eight
Mrs. Scully's residence
December 2
12.55pm

The remaining Christmas cards fluttered to the floor.
Maggie Scully had delayed writing out the cards this
year in the hopes that Dana would join her next
weekend to help. However, after hearing from Walter
Skinner this morning, she needed to keep herself busy
and this provided a perfect task.

She bent to retreive the fallen cards and noticed the
top one. It was addressed to Fox Mulder. She hadn't
been able to send him a card last year, though she'd
written it in the hope that perhaps he would show. She
supposed she would have to keep this one also.

She had no idea why he had to leave or why her
daughter insisted it had been for the best. She was not
given any explanations and she didn't ask for any. She
only knew that wherever he was, he would be hurting.

During the months that Dana had disappeared early in
their partnership, he had been devastated. She also
knew that the second time she had been taken, he had
literally travelled to the end of the earth to bring her
back. She didn't know all the details, but she knew Fox
and she knew that he and Dana shared something
special. Being apart like this was obviously hurting
them both. It was definitely love, but it was more than
that. It was almost as though they lived for each other,
felt each other's pain, like they were born for each
other. Was that what being `soul mates' meant? She
had never seen anything like it in her life, even in her
own marriage. Wherever Fox was, she hoped he was
coping. If Dana was any indication, then he may only
be holding on by a thread.

Dana had never revealed the nature of her pregnancy,
though she had been told she was barren some years
ago. She rejoiced for Dana. But her daughter's
happiness was marred by the fact that Fox was not
with her. When Fox went missing in Oregon, the
pregnancy seemed to be all that was keeping her
going each day, keeping her alive. She wouldn't name
the father, but Maggie knew. It was best to leave
things unsaid.

Dana had become very quiet this past year. She doted
over William, that of course could be understood,
being the little miracle that he was, but she hardly ever
carried on a conversation any more. She was so
distant. Smiles were also rare and forced and really
only genuine wherever William was concerned.
Maggie hoped that for both Dana and Fox's sakes that
they would soon be reunited.

The ringing of the telephone brought her out of her
thoughts. She dropped the pen between the stacks of
cards and moved into the living room.

"Hello?"

"Mom?"

"Dana?" Maggie gasped. "Dana! Where are you? I've
been so worried. Everyone's been looking for you!"

"Mom, I can't....Mom, I just wanted to let you know that
we're alright. William and I are fine. Try not to worry
and I'll call you again when I can." Maggie could hear
Dana's voice thick with tears. She could also hear
William's muffled gurgles in the background.

"Dana! Not worry? Sweetheart, why can't you come
home? What kind of trouble are you in? What about
Walter Skinner? Can he help you in any way?"

"Mom, I really can't....I'm sorry. I HAD to leave. I'll call
you again soon, I promise. We love you."

"Dana, wait!" Maggie listened to the beeping on the
line for some time until she let it drop from her hand.
She sat on the floor by the phone and wept.

What was happening to her daughter now? How many
times must she go through this? And now, her
grandson was involved. She wished Fox were here.
He would know how to find them. He would protect
them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Roadside Diner
Between Washington D.C. and Louisville
December 2
1.15pm

He was waiting on the other side of the pumps, leaning
against the 4WD, hands in his jacket pockets and
looking down at his boots. He'd filled the tank and paid
a visit to the restrooms and she had not shown up, so
he'd waited. He knew that she would not risk talking
too long to her mother, so it was possible that she may
have paid another visit to the restroom herself. That
would be understandable, really.

He looked up as she approached, pushing himself
away from the car and swung the rear door open.
Mulder noticed the red tinges and puffiness around
Dana's eyes. It would have been difficult for her, to
restrain herself from telling her mother everything, to
try and reassure her. So, he didn't say a word as he
settled William into the child seat and clipped the belts
in place.

Dana was grateful for the silence. He didn't ask and
she didn't want to tell. She had tried to compose
herself somewhat after hearing her mother's voice.
Even the waitress had offered her a glass of water.

She sat in the front passenger seat and waited for the
travelling to commence again. Mulder drove in silence,
stealing glances now and then. There was no need for
words. It was their unspoken communication. A few
looks, nods or a tilt of the head said so many things.
They could read each other so well. Sometimes that
had been a blessing and sometimes a curse. No one
else seemed to understand this communication
between them. It confused outsiders. It even pissed
people off because they couldn't follow the flow of their
conversations. It had also pissed off Skinner to no end,
though he seemed to accept it after time, perhaps
thinking that if it enhanced their partnership, it couldn't
hurt.

Skinner. Her mother had mentioned him. Evidently
he'd called her to see if she knew anything. Could he
actually assist at all in this situation? Mulder had said
he was waiting on evidence. If the Gunmen could
produce evidence, would Mulder consider enlisting his
help? She turned her head to look at him. He was
focused on the road ahead but felt her eyes upon him
and glanced in her direction. Her eyes were half closed
and she was smiling. He reciprocated her smile and
then returned to the road. Perhaps she'd bring the
subject up later.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Nine
Somewhere between Louisville and Nashville,
Tennessee
December 2
9.45pm

When Dana woke it was dark. The only light was the
glow of the headlights on the road in front and the
colorful numbers and symbols lit up on the dashboard.
She was still facing Mulder, positioned rather
awkwardly, which explained her numb leg and sore
neck. Mulder was rubbing his eyes with the palm of his
right hand. She stretched and massaged her neck,
craning around the seat to discern how her son was
doing.

William was playing with the makeshift mobile that
Mulder had set up to hang above his window. Gasoline
stands had an array of assorted trinkets that had
caught his eye along the way. Mulder actually seemed
more amused at this task than William did. William was
also chewing on a child's cookie, or what some people
called 'baby biscuits'. She didn't remember packing
anything like that. Mulder must have picked some up
while she had been sleeping. He also looked like he'd
had a change of clothes.

She turned back to Mulder, who was still rubbing his
eyes. He never ceased to amaze her. He had let her
sleep and had obviously changed and fed William
without waking her to get assistance. He was
becoming a good father.

"Mulder?"

"Hmmm?" He placed both hands back on the steering
wheel after stifling a yawn.

"You've been driving all day without any sleep."

"Like old times, huh?" He smiled, not taking his eyes
from the road.

"You probably didn't get any sleep before you came by
my apartment either. We have to stop somewhere so
you can rest."

"I can go a little while longer. I still suffer from
insomnia, you know."

"Even so, your body still needs to rest. You need to
replenish your strength."
Dana sighed. She would have to use a different tactic.
"William needs to rest, Mulder. At least for the night."

Mulder glanced at the rearview mirror, then back at
Dana. Stupid. Of course they needed to rest. What had
he been thinking? He'd wanted to get as far away from
D.C. as fast as possible and didn't even stop to think
about how or where they would go. Didn't think. Damn!

"Sorry. Stupid, huh? I just wanted to get you out of
D.C. I just....God, I just don't stop to think. I haven't
changed, have I?!" He slapped the steering wheel.

"Mulder...." Dana leaned forward so that he could see
her face as well as keep his eyes on the road. "You
DID think, that's why we're here. It wasn't stupid. What
IS stupid is if you don't rest, you'll be of no use to me
or William." She reached out and rubbed his arm. "No,
you haven't changed, Mulder, and I'm glad."

He didn't answer but seemed to be thinking about that,
so she sat back and kneaded her neck again.

"And Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for feeding and changing William."

"I wanted to."

A billboard came into view on the right. `The First and
Last Stop Motel. Next 2km.'

"Hey, Scully, I think we're in luck." Dana also saw the
sign and smiled.

"I hope it's not like one of those tacky ones you used to
pick." This got a smile from Mulder as well.

"Scully, I'm offended." He placed a hand over his
heart. "I thought you liked all those little out-of-the-way
motels with the pet roaches."

"If this place has roaches, William and I are sleeping in
the car!"

Mulder chuckled and saw lights ahead. It was not only
a motel but perhaps a small town as well. He hadn't
noticed any sign suggesting a town, but then he hadn't
really been looking.

He almost missed the turn-off just as Dana pointed to
the dirt track leading off the highway. It was perhaps
only 2 or 300 yards from the turn-off to the motel's
reception area. He braked, turned off the ignition and
headlights, sat back and rubbed his eyes again.

"Wait here. I'll go check us in."

Dana nodded and closed her eyes. She heard his door
open and listened to the crunch of pebbles under his
boots as he walked to the motel's office.

She must have dozed off because she couldn't
remember Mulder returning and driving in front of one
of the rooms. He was leaning over her and touching
her cheek when her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, you don't have to sleep in here. I don't think they
have roaches."

Dana opened her door and swung her legs to rest on
the ground. Still seated, she stretched her legs and
shuffled her feet that made scraping sounds on the
gravel. As she closed the door and walked around the
car, Mulder had already released William from the child
seat and was half leaning in to grab the diaper bag. He
straightened and handed William to her. He slumped
over her shoulder, still sucking on the cookie, not really
interested in actually eating it. Mulder reached into his
jacket pocket, produced the room key and placed it in
her outstretched palm.

The florescent light flickered overhead several times
before basking the entire room in brightness. William
murmured his disapproval and tucked his head under
his mother's chin, shielding his eyes with one arm. The
door closed behind her and Mulder entered carrying
two overnight bags and the diaper bag. He dropped all
three on the floor next to one of the beds and surveyed
the room.

It wasn't the Ritz but it was clean and didn't smell of
rising damp like some of the motels they had stayed in
and the heater was actually working. There was a
queen size bed and a single bed next to the far wall
covered in a floral bedspread. The floral theme
continued on the curtains over the bed and the towels
left at the end of each bed. There was a small, round
table near the entrance with a sofa and two chairs.

Mulder flopped onto the sofa and kicked off his boots,
throwing his jacket on one of the chairs. Dana had
placed William on the single bed while she rummaged
through her bag. He was already curling up before she
could dispose of the cookie and was able to make a
kind of fort around him with extra pillows and blankets
from the chest of drawers by the larger bed. He wasn't
usually a restless sleeper, just kicking covers off when
he was hot, but this at least helped relieve her own
fears of him falling from the bed.

Before Dana entered the bathroom, she noticed
Mulder reaching for the phone, and stopped. Mulder
raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Just have to check something out."

"Who...?"

"Santa's helpers." He smiled and began dialling. She
nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

The ringing continued for some time before a familiar
voice answered.

"Lone Gunmen."

"It's me. Turn off the tape."

"Yeah, okay. Let me put the scrambler on." There was
a short pause and Mulder could hear a few clicks and
another voice in the background.

"Hey, man," Langley began, "how you doin'?"

"Okay. Have you got anything for me yet?"

"Only some small time stuff so far."

"Like what?" There was another pause and a more
fervent conversation muffled by Langley's hand over
the receiver. "Langley!"

"Hang on, man, we're gonna put you on speaker."
Mulder sighed. These three could not carry on a
conversation by themselves.

"Hey, man, how's everything? Where are you?"
Frohike.

"You really think I should tell you?"

"Sorry. Guess not."

"Tell me guys, what did you find?"

"There's been quite a bit of movement in a certain area
of Tunisia that we noted previously." Byers this time. "It
seems they're moving out."

"Moving out?"

"Yeah, man. The whole field was burned to the ground,
even those huge domes were incinerated." Langley
chimed in.

"They must be transporting everything....the virus...."
Mulder rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"Yeah, that was our guess." Frohike again. "But we
haven't found out where yet. We're still trying to track
them. Next time you call, we may have something for
you. Maybe a location, or maybe even an organisation
name."

"When's a good time to call you again?"

"Give us another day." Langley piped in.

"Can you hold up where you are for another day? Is it
safe?" Byers' voice was showing sincere concern.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Hey, man," Frohike finished, "take care of yourself
and....your family." Mulder closed his eyes. MY family.
Those words sounded good. Sounded great.

"Thanks guys. I'll be in touch." He returned the phone
to the table just as Dana stepped out of the bathroom.
The smell of soap filled the air.

"All yours." She offered the bathroom for Mulder's use,
not realising that she had just left herself wide open for
a graphic or lurid response.

"Well, Scully," Mulder waggled his eyebrows at her, his
eyes bloodshot but twinkling, nonetheless. "If you say
so."

"As I said, Mulder, you haven't changed." Her lips
curved at the corners and she shook her head as she
wandered over to the bed.

Dana jumped slightly when she felt Mulder brush by
her to pick up his bag. When did he become so silent
in his movements? Had he always been this quiet or
was it something he had acquired over the last year,
avoiding being discovered? He was already in the
bathroom when she looked up from checking William.

She sat on the opposite bed and stared down at her
son. His mouth was slightly open and his bottom lip
was twitching as if he were in conversation. His mouth
almost always had that puckered look. Her mouth. His
left hand was curled under his chin and his right one
was on the pillow next to his head, the little fingers
sometimes curling in and back out.

She didn't know how long she had sat there just
watching her son. It must have been a while because
the door to the bathroom opened to reveal Mulder in a
new t-shirt and sweats, the hair over his forehead still
wet and almost hanging over his eyes.

Mulder padded over to the single bed and peered
down at William's sleeping form. He stroked his son's
cheek gently and looked over at Dana.

"He looks like you when he sleeps."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow.

"It's the hands, always one under the chin, Scully."
Mulder mused.

Dana watched as Mulder took one of the pillows from
the larger bed and opened the drawers to produce an
extra blanket. He proceeded to the sofa by the
entrance and placed them to one side. She shook her
head and shuffled off to stand by him.

"Mulder?" She bent down and retrieved both the pillow
and blanket. "You can't sleep here."

"I'm used to it."

Dana looked up at him and shook her head again
before she returned to the bed.

"Not on THAT one. It's way too small for you and after
driving all day you need to stretch out and rest." She
placed the pillow back by the headrest and the blanket
at the foot of the bed where the towels had been and
turned off all the lights at the main switch. "Now, I'm
too tired to argue, so just come here."

He didn't move, but he didn't sit on the sofa either, just
stood there watching her. The only light was
fragmented through the wooden slats of the blinds by
the door. She pulled back the covers and slipped into
the bed, leaving plenty of room on her right side. She
waited.

Mulder placed his hands on his hips and looked at the
sofa, then leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling.
She WAS right, but... He couldn't get another room;
even an adjoining room would be too dangerous. He
couldn't leave them alone: not now.

The covers were pulled back and the mattress dipped
with his weight. Dana opened her eyes to see Mulder
facing her on his pillow. Their eyes locked in
exploration of the other. Caressing, saying everything
which words could not. They did not touch, only with
their eyes.

Some time elapsed before Dana's eyes slowly
lowered, the silhouette of Mulder's form on her closed
lids. Mulder remained fixed on her face, a face that he
had missed so much.

There was so much to think about, so many thoughts
that constantly invaded his mind. This was probably
why he was an insomniac. He pushed them all aside
and concentrated on her face. Her pursed lips slightly
open. Her hand under her chin. Her slightly freckled
cheeks and nose. Her auburn hair fanned out on the
pillow below her right cheek. With these thoughts of
her, Mulder felt his own eyes grow heavy and as he
continued to watch her, he followed her into sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Ten
First and Last Stop Motel
Between Louisville and Nashville, Tennessee
December 3
7.07am

She was dreaming of a forest. The sun's rays were
upon her, streaming through the canopy of the trees,
warming her face. She was lying on the ground upon
the softest, greenest moss and feeling content. A
blanket of leaves enveloped her and she felt so warm,
so safe. The smell of the forest was ... was ... Mulder?

Dana slowly opened her eyes. The forest was gone.
The sun's rays were actually on her but peeking
through the curtains above the bed. Arms replaced the
blanket of leaves that had surrounded her. Mulder's
arms.

They were still facing each other, Mulder's arms
loosely wrapped around her. Dana's head was nestled
under his chin, her right cheek between his chest and
the pillow that they now shared. Dana's right arm was
under her chin, palm flat against his chest. Her right
leg was bent over Mulder's. Her free arm was under
his left, and wrapped around his waist. God!

Some time during the night they had sought out each
other's warmth, each other's touch. This felt so
unbelievably good, so right, so safe. Better not go
there right now.

William stirred in the bed behind her. She carefully
moved her head back to see Mulder's face. He looked
so peaceful. So content. She had always loved to
watch him sleep, not that he knew she had sometimes
done that.

Regretting the loss of his touch, she slowly pulled her
arm from around his waist and scooted backwards to
the edge of the bed, holding his left arm and gently
placing it on the bed where she had lain. Mulder
shifted slightly, leaning into the area where Dana's
body was now missing. His left arm slid across the
sheet as though searching for her. She held her
breath. Mulder stopped moving and she listened for his
breathing to become deep and even again until she
could release her own breath.

William was sitting up, playing with the covers pooled
around his feet. He smiled up at his mother and
stretched out his arms to be held. Dana gathered him
to her, planting a kiss on his cheek and searched the
diaper bag and her overnight bag for extra clothes for
both William and herself. On the way to the bathroom,
she tripped over her shoe and tried to steady herself
on the side of the bed.

She hadn't even regained her balance when Mulder
suddenly sprang to life, reached under his pillow, sat
bolt upright and aimed a Colt ACP at her with both
hands.

She gasped, holding William tightly against her,
instinctively turning her body around, shielding him.
Mulder's eyes were wide open but glazed.

"Mulder?" Dana's heart was racing, not daring to
move. Mulder blinked several times; confusion
shrouded his face. He shook his head as if to clear his
bemusement and lowered his arms and head and sank
back down on his knees, hurling the pistol behind him
on the bed. It bounced several times across the
mattress to rest between the headboard and his pillow.

Dana, still holding William tight against her side, slowly
moved to stand beside Mulder. He raised his head
slowly. His eyes were gorged with remorse and guilt.
He lowered his gaze again and pulled his legs up
against his chest, both hands running through his hair.

"Scully....God, I'm so sorry. So sorry...." He rocked
back and forth, gripping his legs tighter.

"Mulder, it's okay...."

"No, it's not!" He whipped his head around. "I could
have shot you! I could have shot you both!"

"But you didn't."

"I COULD have!"

"Mulder..." She kept her voice soft but firm. "I startled
you and you're used to being alone..."

"You're making excuses for me..." He shook his head,
eyes lowered again.

"No, I'm trying to rationalise this. Wasn't that my job?"
He looked up at her then, some of the fear dissipating
from his face. "Mulder, I startled you. I know you have
to keep a gun near you. I should have woken you...."

"What if I had...."

"Mulder...." Dana moved beside him and stroked the
hair back from his forehead, trying to reassure him.
Her heart was beating its normal rhythm once more. "I
don't think you would have fired. No, I KNOW you
wouldn't have."

He grabbed her hand gently and placed the palm
against his cheek. The light stubble bristling against
her skin.

"You have too much faith in me." He whispered against
her hand and kissed her palm.

"No, I have faith in US." She leaned down and kissed
the top of his head. Mulder closed his eyes at her
touch.

"Da! Da!" William reached down to grab for Mulder,
only able to brush against the top of his ear.

"Well, " Dana straightened up, trying to lighten the
atmosphere. "Looks like someone's feeling left out."

Mulder smiled up at his son and took his outstretched
hand in his own, placing a kiss on each chubby finger.
William giggled and squirmed in Dana's arms,
obviously wanting to go to Mulder.

"Oh no you don't. You're going in the bath." Dana
shifted him onto her other hip and moved towards the
bathroom. She stopped halfway and turned. "Mulder?
We'll make a deal to wake each other up, okay?
Regardless of the hour."

Mulder stared at her for a moment and then nodded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Somewhere between Louisville and Nashville,
Tennessee
PM
Same day

It was definitely a small town. There was one general
store that doubled as a post office, a few other shops,
including a diner and a pharmacy and the bakery
where Mulder had gone earlier that morning to buy
croissants and muffins.

They had spent the entire morning in the motel room
eating breakfast, drinking the complimentary instant
coffee, talking, playing with William and basically trying
to forget the event that had terrified Mulder when he
had woken. They had agreed to wake each other up,
regardless of the time. It seemed to satisfy Dana and
she refused to raise the subject any further.

Mulder however, still held the fear that it could happen
again and perhaps with fatal consequences. Dana's
trust in him was so complete and he felt undeserving
of it, but he wasn't going to disappoint her and dwell on
it. He would bury this fear, bury it deep within the
confines of his mind where so many other fears lurked,
where she couldn't see. He would just wake her as he
had promised.

William constantly craved their attention, trying to walk
by leaning on his parents or the chest of drawers or
wanting to play with anything that caught his eye. He
was relentless in his antics with Mulder, trying to climb
over him or on him. Late morning he had fallen asleep
on Mulder's chest as they both lay on the carpet
playing with the makeshift mobile from the car. Dana
lay on the bed and watched them, basking in the
moment.

They had decided when William woke that it was
probably safe enough for them to venture into the town
to get some fresh air and to see if there was a park for
William. The wind was still chilly but the warmth of the
sun compensated for the cold. They had concluded it
was definitely picnic weather and wandered into the
bakery that Mulder had previously entered, hoping that
they could purchase some ready-made sandwiches
and drinks.

Dana inhaled deeply. The smell of freshly baked bread
was heavenly and reminded her of visiting her
grandmother when she had been a small child.
Grandma had always insisted on making her own
bread.

She hadn't been listening to Mulder's conversation with
the storekeeper and noticed him regarding her with an
amused expression, William hanging off his arms,
sucking on a sample of bread that the storeowner had
presented him with: a reward for a toothy smile she
had received. Mulder turned back to the storekeeper
after Dana raised her eyebrow at him.

"So, we're thinking of having a picnic around here....."

"We can rustle you up somethin' for that, I'm sure.
Anythin' in partic'lar that you like or don't like?"

Mulder and Dana exchanged looks.

"I'm kind of partial to bagels...cream cheese..." Dana
began.

"And I eat just about anything, as long as it's not too
healthy!" Mulder finished.

The storeowner released a hearty laugh and
disappeared through the back partition. Her voice
echoed into the store.

"Ok, let me see what I can do for y'all. There's a nice li'l
park with a small pond just up the road apiece. The
young'n can feed the ducks there. Real nice. Clean."

Sounded perfect.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was definitely perfect.

They'd had to keep their jackets tight around them to
stave off the cold but the sun remained out the entire
time spent by the pond. William had squealed with
delight as he helped Mulder throw the leftover bread to
the ducks, some of them actually feeding on the bank
near their feet. Dana couldn't remember a more perfect
day. It was almost normal.

Mulder sat back against the tree watching William
crawling in front of them, trying to catch the scurrying
ants in the grass. He pulled Dana back towards him,
her back against his chest and crossed his right arm
under her chin to place his hand on her left shoulder.
Dana stiffened at first and then relaxed into his caress,
leaning her chin firmly on his arm. Yes, it was definitely
a perfect day.

"Mulder?"

"Hmmm?" His voice was mellow, close to her ear. Her
skin tingled.

"We'll have to leave here tomorrow, won't we?"

Mulder let out a short puff of breath, sending another
tingle along her neck.

"I don't want to talk about that right now."

"But you'll talk to them tonight?"

'Them'? She probably meant the Lone Gunmen. He
was not really in the mood to think right now. He
nodded in agreement against her ear.

"Yeah. Let's not talk about that now, okay?" He placed
a gentle kiss behind her ear. She felt a flush rise up
her neck. That spot was just so sensitive.

"'kay..." That did NOT sound like her own voice.

Mulder felt her shudder at his touch and smiled against
her skin. He continued the kisses down her neck to the
top of her jacket, then along the side of her face. Dana
turned her head slightly; eyes closed and met his lips
in a sweet, chaste kiss.

Her eyes opened to Mulder's gorgeous, smiling face
tilted to the side of her own. She was reminded of the
kiss they had shared after their ordeal with the
Millennium Group; the way they had both smiled
afterwards. The expression in their eyes was different
now though.

Mulder leaned in and kissed her again, this time
lingering a little longer. Short butterfly kisses followed
along the length of her mouth and on her chin.

"Mul..." Dana started but the words were swallowed by
Mulder's lips on her own again and she forgot the
words she had began to say. Forgot all the worry, all
the time spent apart. Nothing mattered at that moment.

Their kisses deepened, becoming more passionate,
more urgent until they broke away catching their
breath, forehead against forehead, both panting and
flushed. The chuckling started with Mulder, still against
her forehead until both of them began to laugh
outright.

"Shkeee!"

The laughter stopped abruptly as they turned to see
William sitting in front of them, one hand on Mulder's
knee and the other pointing at Dana. Mulder's eyes
widened.

"Scully."

"What?"

"No. He's trying to say 'Scully'." Mulder searched
Dana's face. She looked from Mulder to William and
then back to Mulder.

"No. I don't...."

"Shkeee!" William climbed onto her lap.

Dana laughed again and her eyes danced. She
scooped him against her shoulder and kissed his nose.
Mulder rubbed William's back as she held him. She
met Mulder's eyes.

"I'm going to hold you fully responsible, Mulder." She
gave him a serious look, but with no strength behind
her words. He feigned surprise and shock. "Yes,
Mulder, you! He should be trying to call me 'mommy',
not Scully. This is because of you."

Dana leaned forward and brushed her lips against
Mulder's cheek, then his mouth, lingering on his full
lower lip. William squirmed between them.

"This is because of you, Mulder. Thank you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter Eleven
First and Last Stop Motel
Between Louisville and Nashville, Tennessee
December 3
6.20pm

"Shhh. You're gonna rupture something if you keep
going!" Mulder's voice scolded, but his eyes were
laughing with her. Dana could not stop giggling.
Actually giggling like a schoolgirl!

It all started at the pond when Mulder had slipped on
some damp leaves as they were leaving and had
ungracefully fell on his ass. It wasn't the actual event
that had caused the laughter, but the expression on his
face. It had been a look that she had never seen in
over 9 years of knowing him. She had thought she'd
known every guise, every expression. This one was
new and took her by surprise. So much so, in fact, that
she hard started to giggle and could not stop.

They had leisurely strolled back to the motel, Dana
trying to compose herself, but every time she glanced
at Mulder, the giggles would surface again. She held
her side as they neared the door of the motel room.

"Mrs. Jones!"

A rather large lady shuffled out of the reception area
and was trying to attract their attention. Mulder turned,
William nestled over his left shoulder. He caught up
with Dana ahead of him and bent down to her ear.

"That's you, Scully."

"What?" Dana squinted up at him, clearing her throat.
It was becoming rather raw from her laughter.

"Mrs. Jones. That's you."

"Oh." She turned to see the woman waddling across
the driveway.

"Mrs. Jones!" As she came closer, Dana could hear
the woman puffing for air.

"Yes?" Dana smiled politely and waited as the woman
tried to catch her breath. Her face was red and she
clamped a meaty arm to her rather ample breasts. As
she did so, she turned her face to Mulder with an
inquisitive expression. Mulder shuffled his feet and
shifted William to his other shoulder, not exactly sure
what was expected of him. He took a wild guess.

"Uh....honey, this is Mrs. Wade. This is her motel." Mrs.
Wade smiled at this. Good guess. Profiling came in
handy sometimes.

Dana looked up at Mulder, an eyebrow raised, more to
the `honey' reference than to the introduction. He
smirked and nodded to the larger woman. She focused
on Mrs. Wade.

"Mrs. Jones, I just wanted to firstly say hello and to
apologise for not having a spare crib last night when
your husband asked."

"Oh, that's quite alri..."

"We only have the one and the Wilson's won't be
leaving until tomorrow night."

"That's fine. We've made do with..."

"Anyway," Mrs. Wade interjected again, waving a hand
in front of her, "tonight we serve dinner in our dining
room. I assume your family will be joining us at 7?"

Dana looked around for Mulder. He had escaped into
the motel room. Damn him!

"Oh, I don't think...."

"But you MUST. It's no charge. We like to do it every
week, my Nelson and me. Like the company."

"That's very kind, but..."

Mrs. Wade squeezed her arm.

"I'll see you at 7. It's roast beef tonight." She turned
and strode off, finishing her words over her shoulder.
"There's only one other couple to join us: The Wests.
They're newlyweds."

Dana stared after her. She choked on a laugh until she
could enter the room out of Mrs. Wade's earshot. As
she closed the door, her giggles commenced again.
She would really rupture something if she continued to
laugh like this. But it was bliss.

Mulder was sprawled out on the sofa; William playing
with a new trinket that he had picked up in town. A soft
toy. A little yellow duck to perhaps commemorate the
day at the pond. He was grinning widely as she giggled
against the door.

"What's with the W-thing?" She croaked.

"W-thing?"

"Wade, Wilson and West!" Dana wiped the tears of
laughter from the corners of her eyes.

"Maybe it's the area. I should've checked us in as the
Whites." Mulder shrugged.

"Oh God, Mulder, I don't think I can survive tonight!"
She let out another laugh and cleared her throat,
collapsing in the chair opposite the sofa. "`Jones',
Mulder?"

He placed a hurt look upon his face.

"Hey, Scully, it was late and I needed a common
name!"

"Well, in that case, you're doing all the talking tonight!"

Mulder groaned, but then his eyes twinkled.

"Roast beef?"

"That's what she said."

"If it's good, then it'll be worth it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

First and Last Stop Motel
Same day
Evening

It had definitely been worth it. Mrs. Wade was a
fantastic cook. Mulder had accepted seconds, as did
the other men. The women had all declined another
helping, mainly to save room for the apple pie. Mrs.
Wade had even pureed fresh vegetables for William.

Conversation had been quite scarce at first until Mr.
and Mrs. Wade embarked upon stories of past guests.
They had a knack for making people feel at ease.

The Wilsons were on their way to Wyoming to start a
new business. The newlywed Wests, were driving to
Las Vegas for their honeymoon. Mulder fabricated a
story of visiting his mother, who hadn't seen Will yet, in
Nashville.

He had been totally unprepared when Mr. Wade had
inquired whether he was a police officer, but had
remained surprisingly calm. Mr. Wade had noticed the
pistol under his jacket. Mulder had replied that he was
in fact a law enforcement officer and felt naked without
the weapon. That seemed to appease the situation.

The Wilson's two-year-old girl had been fascinated in
William and they had played together on the floor of
the living room in full view of the dining room table,
while the adults drank their coffee. The newlyweds had
not entered in much conversation. A lot of touching
and brief kisses were passed between them, not
unnoticed by Mulder who constantly glanced at them.

The motel room seemed so quiet compared to the time
spent within the Wade's dining room. It had been a
surprisingly pleasant evening, despite their prior
misgivings.

Mulder had telephoned the Lone Gunmen on their
return in the hopes of gaining any new developments.
They had not been able to come up with a damn thing,
though Langley was still trying to hack into another
database. They needed another day. Mulder was
apprehensive to stay in one place for too long but
conceded to noon the next day.

Dana contemplated the evening as she gently rubbed
William's back, seated on the opposite bed, leaning
across his tiny body. The dim glow of the lamp casting
shadows across his face.

"Asleep?" Mulder inquired softly as he closed the
bathroom door.

She nodded, sitting back, still watching William's chest
rise and fall to the rhythm of his breathing. Mulder
pulled the covers further up under William's chin and
brought the extra pillow closer from the edge of the
bed.

"Sometimes I can't believe that he's here." Her voice
was distant. Mulder settled next to her. "I have to keep
looking at him to make sure that it's not a dream. And
to have you here with us as well..."

"It's not a dream any more. You can believe, Scully.
Believe." Mulder tucked a strand of hair behind her ear
and let his hand drape down along her neck. He felt
her shoulders tense and massaged the back of her
neck. Dana relaxed at the touch of his fingers circling
her neck and shoulders, kneading the muscles there.

Mulder cupped her face with his other hand and turned
her toward him. His eyes searched hers and found the
answer.

He pulled her towards him and gently kissed the
corners of her mouth, her nose, her cheeks and then
descended upon her lips. The kiss deepened,
becoming more passionate, more intense, more
demanding. Heartbeats increased and breathing
became more labored. Without breaking the embrace,
Mulder leaned further forward, gradually descending
them together on the bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A-hem! Let's leave them alone for now. ;) I'm not
particularly fond of voyeurism! <G> I told you, it's my
first time writing something a little more than romance,
plus I am still a 'virgin' fanfic author. *blush blush*
Maybe some day, if I have some inspiration..... *sigh*
Oh and another apology: no offence to the names
Wade, West , Wilson or White - or Jones for that
matter!!
Okay, let me get onto Chapter Twelve.....
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter Twelve
First and Last Stop Motel
Between Louisville and Nashville, Tennessee
December 4
2.13am

It was just out of reach. If he could just stretch a little
further....just a little bit more..... almost....and then he
fell.

Mulder kicked out slightly. He had been falling. He had
been trying to reach for...something. What was it?
Nothing came to mind. No memory of what he had
been reaching for at all. It hadn't been one of his usual
nightmares and for that he was grateful.

A little disoriented, he looked up at the ceiling, then
turned his head to the left. The motel. He could make
out William's small form on the other bed in the dim
light of the room, facing towards the window so all he
could see was the back of his head peeping out from
the covers. On the pillow by his head was a round
shape. He strained to see what it was. The toy duck.

There was movement on his chest. Dana's head
shifted slightly and some auburn strands tickled his
chin. A smile formed on his lips. THIS, he
remembered.

Her right arm was draped across his stomach under
the covers and her naked body was nestled into his
side. He bent to nuzzle her hair, his right hand gliding
down the silk of her skin along her spine. With his left
hand, he stroked the side of her face, placing the
wayward strands of hair behind her ear. The warmth of
her nearness caused a pleasant stirring in his groin.

Dana shifted again, sliding her arm up to his chest and
under her chin. The movement caused a slight shiver.
She propped her head up on his chest. Her eyes were
half-closed, a shade of blue peeping out from under
the lids, and reflecting the moonlight from the window.

"Can't sleep? Cold?" Her voice was just a whisper, still
slightly sleep-slurred.

"Not cold." His voice vibrated deep from his chest
under her chin. "Not cold at all."

God, what did people call that type of voice, all raspy
but yet soft? A crooning voice? Mellow? Definitely
sexy. Whatever it was called, it was making her nipples
harden against his skin, driving the sleep away.

"Nightmare?"

"Not really. More like.... I don't know, but definitely not
a nightmare."

"Okay." A slow blink. She kissed his jaw then propped
her hand under her chin. "Want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

"It WAS a nightmare." Dana sighed, stroking a lock of
hair back from Mulder's forehead.

"No, it wasn't. It was..... That's the thing, I can't
remember." He inclined his head from the pillow and
kissed the tip of her nose. "Don't worry about it."

"You usually remember your dreams." A frown creased
her brow.

"Not this one."

"What DO you remember?"

Mulder softly chuckled, creating tremors along her
body.

"What? Why are you laughing at me?"

"Scully, you're always trying to analyse everything. I
honestly don't remember." Another kiss to her nose. A
smile teased her lips.

"Okay, fine. Whatever." She motioned to move away
but Mulder grabbed her shoulders, keeping her in
place, still chuckling.

"Where are you going?"

"To let you sleep."

"Who says I can get back to sleep? Or that I WANT to
go back to sleep?" She could just make out a slight
movement of his eyebrows in the dark.

"Again, Mulder?" He rolled over, still gripping her, so
that she was beneath him. He didn't answer but his lips
descended on her neck. "Mulder?"

Mulder continued his exploration of her neck and then
persisted down to her shoulders until he finally spoke
against her skin.

"I have to make up for a lot of wasted time."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

10.35am

Dana stretched on the mattress. God, her body was
aching all over. Muscles she hardly used were
groaning this morning. She smiled and turned her
head to see the cause of this wonderful pain she was
experiencing.

Her smile faltered. That side of the bed was empty.
She bolted upright, Mulder's t-shirt hanging loosely
around her body and scanned the room. The other bed
was empty. William?

Dana literally jumped from the bed, running to the
bathroom. Not there. She whipped her head around,
hair falling into her eyes, trying to focus. Both overnight
bags were gone but the diaper bag remained on the
floor. Panic was rising rapidly from within her.

The sound of the key turning in the lock ceased her
wandering of the room. The door opened to reveal
Mulder, William clinging to his neck and carrying the
two overnight bags.

Mulder halted. The panic in her eyes was evident.
Tears had already tracked down her cheeks. Mulder's
stomach turned to think he had placed that look of
terror in her eyes, on her beautiful face, a face that just
hours ago, displayed sheer pleasure to him.

They both could not move for a moment, Mulder
standing in the threshold, Dana by the bathroom door.

Mulder exhaled a long breath, placed the bags by the
bed and went to stand in front of her. She ripped
William from his arms and held him fiercely against
her, sobbing.

"You promised!!" Her legs were giving way as the
panic slowly ceased and she moved to sit on the bed,
still holding William tight. He squirmed at the intense
grip and she finally loosened her arms, placing kisses
over his face.

"Scully..."

"You promised, Mulder!" She regarded him with a
scathing look. He sighed and sat beside her. He
noticed she flinched.

"Scully, I DID try to.... You were really out of it." She
wouldn't face him, continuing to shower William with
kisses. "Scully..."

"Mulder, I didn't know.... You were both gone.... I.... I
don't ever want to feel like that again." Her voice was
choked with tears.

"Scully, when you wouldn't get up I took Will for
breakfast and we did some laundry. Mrs. Wade has
one of those coin-operated machines out back. I
thought we'd be back before.... Scully, I REALLY did
try and wake you. Scouts honor." He raised a hand in
front of him, palm outward.

Her face was buried in her son's shoulder and the
words he heard were muffled.

"You were never a scout." At least she wasn't
shouting, but she wasn't looking at him either. He
needed to be able to read her face.

"Scully? I honestly tried to wake you. You know that I
wouldn't.... Okay, I have proof." Her eyes peeked over
William's head, still moistened with her tears. Good.
He didn't want this between them. He HAD tried, but
she seemed so peaceful and he thought they could
make it back in time before she woke completely. Next
time, if there was a next time, he was definitely leaving
a note!

"Proof? How can you have proof?" Oh good. Dr. Scully
was back. Dr. Scully the scientist.

"Evidence, Scully, that I DID in fact try to wake you."
The eyebrow raised higher than he remembered.
Interesting. She allowed him to wipe away her tears.
That was good.

"Okay, what's this evidence?"

"When I tried to wake you, you bit me." Another raised
eyebrow. "Look." He removed his jacket and tugged on
the collar of his sweater to the left shoulder, pulling his
t-shirt along with it. A rounded red mark was revealed
beneath. Dana leaned closer. Definite teeth mark. She
sat back to observe the lopsided grin. Her anger and
fear that she had felt were but mere twinges now. He
really had tried to wake her. It was her turn to feel
guilty. She had panicked. She had not even been
rational. But with all that she had been through, all that
she had seen.... It was also not within her to apologise
so easily.

"Mulder, that.... that could have been done during the
throes of passion." Mulder shook his head, letting go of
his sweater.

"Scully, I remember your throes of passion, and you
weren't doing that!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

11.30am

Mulder could wait no longer.

They had packed all their belongings in the 4WD, paid
their bill, bid their goodbyes and waited. Mrs. Wade
didn't mind them waiting until noon. They had been a
nice family, a little skittery, but nice. And the love was
so eminent; it made her feel just plain good.

He paced. He sat and then he paced again. If he'd had
a basketball, it would have been bounced off the walls
and the ceiling.

It was still too early, but what was half an hour? He
dialled from the sofa; long legs sprawled out in front of
him.

"Lone Gunmen." Why did it always seem like Langley
answered?

"It's me. The tape."

"Okay. Hang on." Clicks and beeps. "Hey, you're
early." The speaker was on again.

"I didn't think half an hour would make any difference."

"Time is always an important factor." Frohike's voice.

" 'Time is of the essence'. Haven't you ever heard of
that?" Was that Byers? Were they all drinking?

"Yeah, and 'time waits for no man'. Cut the bullshit,
guys, and tell me what you've got!" Someone cleared
their throat.

"Okay," Frohike began, "we found some interesting
stuff in a very secure location. Very hard to hack into.
Security was major."

"Yeah, man," Langley continued, "we're talking N.S.A.
Their codes are mean!"

"N.S.A.?" Mulder gathered his legs in towards the sofa.
"Jesus. They're involved in this?"

"We stumbled on a couple of documents when we
were checking out corn oil." Byers added. "They were
involved in some deals in Tunisia."

"We got a name of the company for you, too." Frohike
again. "'Nature's Best'. Not even a seal of approval by
the F.D.A."

"We even have a location for you too." Langley added.
"Dallas."

"Oh, Jesus." Mulder groaned. Dana had been seated
with William on her lap in the chair opposite Mulder,
patiently waiting. Patiently listening. She leaned
forward to get his attention.

'What?' She mouthed at him. 'Dallas' he mouthed in
return. Damn! Bad memories there.

"There's a large factory between Dallas and Waco."
Byers this time. "A lot of activity happening. We're
almost certain everything has been moved there."

"Okay..." Mulder ran a hand through his hair. "What's
happening in D.C? The research centre. Any indication
whether the tests are continuing?"

"Oh yeah." Frohike's voice was too serious for Mulder's
liking. "There was a fire."

"What?!"

"Yeah," Frohike continued carefully, "this one was big.
No trace of anything left behind, not even bodies. I
don't think we tripped security, but it happened
yesterday before we could hack into their files."

"Shit! They may be moving out too..." Mulder rubbed
his temple. "...maybe disposing of all the evidence and
transferring to a new site...maybe joining in Dallas..."
He wasn't really conversing with the Gunmen, just
bouncing his thoughts around verbally.

"Something's brewing, man." Langley brought Mulder's
thoughts back to the task at hand. "Something big. You
want us to do anything?"

"Just sit tight for awhile. We're going to keep moving
now. I'll call you."

"We'll wait." Frohike was back. "You know we'll do
anything we can. Just take care, okay? Oh, and
Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas." Mulder huffed.

"Bah, humbug! Thanks guys. I'll be in touch."

Christmas. Just over three weeks away. It did not feel
like any Christmas spirit was being spread around at
all. Christmas.

Mulder was lost in thought, pulling on his lower lip.
Dana retrieved the phone from his lap and placed it
back on the table. She could tell that his mind, his
complex and brilliant mind, was working overtime. The
expression on his face was the one he usually had
when he was about to embark on a theory, but he
gave no indication of sharing it with her.

From the pieces of broken conversation she
intercepted, she had a pretty good idea of the
situation, but she would pry the remaining details from
him later. She would also try to implore him to seek
help. Help from Skinner.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX