The characters of Fox Mulder, Dana Scully and "The X-Files" are property of
Chris Carter and Ten Thirteen productions and Fox Broadcasting. The
characters of the syndicated series "Forever Knight" are property of James
D. Parriott and Barney Cohen. All characters are used without permission
and no infringement of copyrights is intended.

  This is a simple cross-over story that I've been telling some folks about
and I've finally finished. The plot deals with Mulder and Scully in Canada,
where they meet a rather interesting person. If you've never heard of
"Forever Knight", read on, you're in for a treat. Then, sit down with your
local TV guide and find the show. It's syndicated so it's on at different
times across the nation. (Try after midnight on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.)
AS always, e-mail me (Phenyx) with any comments you may have.



POETIC JUSTICE
by Michele Blankenship
(AKA Phenyx@aol.com)
1-2-95
Part one:  

THURSDAY January 5  5:38 PM.

  Fox Mulder tightened the scarf around his neck. Even though the taxi was
heated, he could feel the cold winter air seeping in through the door.
  "Brr" he glanced at Scully who was seated calmly next to him. She looked
warm enough, Mulder thought, but he worried about her just the same. Just
a few short months ago she had nearly died. Mulder had even helped pick out
her tombstone. Ever since she had returned to the X-files, there had been
moments like these. Moments when Mulder could hardly believe that she was
all right, that things were back to normal.
  Of course, things weren't the same as before. There had been small changes
in the things that Mulder told Scully. Nothing major, there were just small
thoughts or details that Mulder sometimes kept from her. Sometimes it was
safer that way.
  "You should have worn the heavier coat, Mulder." she chided him,
interrupting his thoughts. "You knew we were coming to Toronto for Pete's
sake."
  "Yeah, yeah." Mulder grinned. He seemed to smile a lot more in the past
couple of months. "I brought my parka with me. I just didn't think to
actually wear it. The weather was actually bearable in D.C. when we left."
  "We could go to the hotel first and you could change." she said hopefully.
  Mulder shook his head. "No, I want to get to the police station as soon
as possible. Besides, the detectives on this case work the night shift and
I don't want to miss them."
  Mulder was all business, thought Scully. For a moment, she had seen a
softness creep into his eyes and she wondered what he'd been thinking about.
But now, she could tell that he was thinking about the case.
  "Just remember Mulder," Scully warned "Try to behave yourself. We are
only here by the good graces of the Canadian authorities. If you start
stepping on toes or making this case any more outrageous than it already
is, we may find ourselves on a plane back home really fast."
  Mulder flashed her his most innocent look and replied, "I always *try*
to behave myself Scully." He grinned again.
  When they reached the police station, they were met at the street corner
by a rather enthusiastic detective. He helped them remove their luggage from
the cab as he introduced himself.
  "Hi ya. I'm Detective Don Schanke." The man was of average height. He was
bundled up in what looked like a very warm coat. He wore thick gloves and a
wool cap. He prattled on and on about how thrilled he was to have real FBI
agents to work with and learn from. Scully thought to herself *This guy
really lays it on thick*. It took only a few minutes to decide that she
didn't like him too much. The detective was directing all his comments to
Mulder and practically ignoring her.
  Once all the handshakes and introductions were out of the way, Schanke
said "Nick hasn't shown yet so we'll just go inside and get warm while we
wait."
  As if on cue, a very nice old Cadillac pulled up next to them.
  Mulder whistled softly "Nice car."
  "Isn't it though?" Detective Schanke replied. "Its too dark now to really
appreciate it. But it is in primo condition. It is a '56 Caddy, A little
trivia for you, this model has the largest trunk space of any car built in
the US." He sighed heavily," Some guys have all the luck."
  Scully, however, was more impressed by the figure that stepped out of the
vehicle. He had a very fair complexion and light brown, nearly blond hair.
His coloring seemed even paler due to the fact that he was dressed in black.
He wore a black overcoat that was open instead of buttoned. Under the coat
he wore a dark colored vest and a black shirt. He completed the ensemble
with dark denim pants and a pair of shiny black boots. Scully also noticed
that, although the temperature was undoubtedly far below freezing, the
other man wore no gloves or scarf.
  Scully was wrenched from her inspection of the man when Detective Schanke
called out.
  "Nick! Come on, we've been waiting for you. Let's get inside and I'll
introduce you to our guests. Geez, I'm freezing my butt off out here."
  As the group made their way into the station, Mulder glanced at Scully
with an amused look in his eye. Mulder obviously liked this Schanke
character as much as Scully disliked him. Scully sighed and shook her head.
It was going to be a long night.
  The quartet soon found themselves in a windowless conference room. There
were two utilitarian desks in the middle of the room situated in such a way
that the two people sitting at the desks would be facing each other. The
remaining furniture in the room consisted of a small couch that had seen
better days along one wall and an old beat up filing cabinet in the far
corner. The lighting was harsh florescence.
  Mulder pulled several files full of reports and photographs from the
briefcase he had been carrying and laid them on one of the desks.
  "I'd like to go over some of the main details of the case first. Then
Scully can take a closer look at the bodies you've found." he began.
  Detective Knight frowned. "We've got our own pathologist working on it
now."
  "I don't mean to take the job away from your coroner, Detective." Scully
replied diplomatically. "I'm here to help. There are some specific things
that we need to check on as well."
  Knight shrugged, but he still didn't look happy.
  "Why is the FBI getting involved in this anyway?" Knight asked.
  Mulder handed him several pages from the file as he answered, "Over the
past 10 to 12 months, there have been more than two dozen bodies found in
various cities across the United States. The cause of death in each case
has been exsanguination; the total removal of blood from the body. Each of
the victims was found with no mark of violence upon the body except for two
small holes right above the jugular vein where the blood was removed. The
victims seem to have nothing in common. We believe that they are chosen at
random."
  "Just like our two lucky winners this past week." interrupted Schanke.
  "Exactly" Mulder said.
  Knight flipped through the file rapidly. "There have been more than two
dozen of these killings? You are supposed to be experts with this kind of
thing. Why haven't you caught the murderer yet?"
  Scully could almost *see* Mulder's temper flair at that remark. Before he
could say anything derogatory, Scully answered, "The main problem has been
that many of the local authorities have tried to keep things quiet. No one
wants to admit that there may be a vampire running around their city."
  "Puts a little dent in the tourist trade." Mulder quipped.
  Scully shot him a dirty look, then continued, "We were only informed of
the posssible connections and assigned to the case three weeks ago."
  Mulder added "The two murders here in Toronto have been the first since
we were assigned to the case."
  "So," Schanke asked, as he looked through the photos. "What about all
the media hype? Are we looking for a bunch of American vampires?"
  Mulder shook his head. "The murders have been taking place in series of
three or four at a time. Then, several weeks will pass before they start
again in a completely different city."
  Scully sat on the corner of the desk next to Mulder and continued "That's
part of the problem. When the killings stop, authorities simply figure it
was a cult or something along those lines. They just breath a sigh of relief
and sweep it all under the rug. However, we feel that the murders are all
being carried out by the same person. The MO just doesn't follow any
religous type of ceremony or other cultish behavior."
  "So we are looking for one vampire then right?" Schanke joked.
  "More likely it's two." Mulder said seriously.
  Scully sighed. She could see the stunned looks in the eyes of the two
detectives. Mulder seemed not to notice and continued obliviously.
  "You've got to realize that there are 6 quarts of blood in the average
human body." he paused.
  "Five point six liters." Knight translated.
  "That's a lot of liquid for a single person to consume at one time."
Mulder stated logically. "Its more likely to be two individuals working
together."
  "Is he serious?" Schanke asked Scully.
  "Afraid so." she admitted.
  "So," Schanke ranted. "are we supposed to put out an APB for two dark
men with red eyes and fangs? Come on, be serious!"
  Mulder stared calmly at the detective and said "I never said anything
about the perpetrators being male."
  "So we're looking for lady vampires? Geez."
  Mulder replied "We can't be sure of the age or gender of our suspects.
I just want to remain open to all possibilities. We can't discount vampires
just because modern society no longer believes in them."
  Scully noticed that Detective Knight had moved to the far side of the
room. He was now leaning against a wall as far from Mulder as he could get.
She had seen this reaction before. Mulder would start ranting about some
crazy topic or another and some people felt it necessary *to get as far away
from the loon as possible*. Scully just shook her head defeatedly.
  The four began to discuss the more detailed and tangible facts of the case.
  
  Several hours later, Nick Knight made his way back to the conference room.
He had just spent the last 15 minutes updating the Captain on the progress
of the investigation. Agent Scully had gone over the autopsies again with
Natalie and had found nothing new to report. Nick had privately been proud
that the FBI agent couldn't improve on Natalie's work. He supposed that he
was beginning to get overly protective of his favorite coroner.
  Currently, the two agents were in the conference room with Schanke, going
over the reports of the most recent murders while everyone waited for lab
results to come back from the morgue. Meanwhile, Nick had been doing his
best to avoid any contact with Agent Mulder. Mulder was too sharp for his
own good and to make matters worse, *he believed*. Nick hoped that Mulder
wouldn't find out about his own lifestyle. Mulder was a decent guy. Under
different circumstances, Nick would probably have liked the man. But for
now, Mulder was just too much of a threat.
  Nick reached the conference room, knocked on the door and entered without
waiting for an answer. He was immediately assaulted by the cloying, pungent
odor of garlic. He gasped in horror and covered his nose and mouth quickly,
before he could retch on the floor.
  Through watering eyes he could barely see Schanke and the two agents.
They were eating a pizza. The pretty red-haired Scully explained "Pizza
with extra garlic. Mulder's idea of a bad joke."
  "I've got breath mints," Mulder grinned. "Better to be safe than sorry."
  Nick gagged again before Schanke spoke, "Oh damn. Nick I'm sorry. Nick
is allergic to garlic." he explained to the others. "Nick I forgot all
about it. Really."
  "Whatever." Nick somehow managed to say. "I'll just go check on Nat and
those test results."
  Nick left as rapidly as he could, pulling the door shut tightly behind
him. For several minutes he stood in the hallway with his back propped
against the wall, sucking in great gasps of fresh air, while he fought the
nausea that had engulfed his senses. As soon as he felt able, he headed
toward the morgue to talk to Natalie.
  Nick leaned up against one of the empty examination tables and frowned at
the red haired coroner on duty. Natalie Lambert was glaring at him angrily,
her arms folded across her chest.
  "Nick, you've got to be more careful around that guy." she scolded,
referring to Agent Mulder. "He is actually expecting to find vampires
responsible for these murders."
  "Vampires didn't kill these people, Nat." Nick said.
  "How can you be so sure?" she asked pointedly.
  "Mainly because this guy is STILL lying dead on that table instead of
sitting up and going for a little snack." he said angrily, gesturing toward
the shrouded form across the room. "None of the other bodies have
mysteriously disappeared either. Agent Scully even had several of them
exhumed for repeat autopsies. They are definitely dead. No doubt about that."
  "That still doesn't solve this problem with Agent Mulder." Nat continued.
"He's really creepy, Nick."
  "I know what you mean." Nick smiled crookedly at her. "He's a dangerous
man in my world, I suppose."
  Natalie nodded. "It *is* a lot easier to find a vampire if you've been
looking for one all the time." She paused for a moment then asked
thoughtfully, "What about the woman? Agent Sully?"
  "No," Nick corrected. "It's Scully, with a 'c'. Agent Dana Scully." He
shrugged. "She's very pretty. Nice clothes too. That green blouse really
compliments her red hair." Nick smiled as he reached out and plucked at a
stray strand of Natalie's own auburn locks.
  "Thanks for the fashion tip, Armani. I mean, what does she think about
these theories?"
  Nick paced across the room and back before answering. "I'm not sure. She
does have a small cross around her neck, I noticed that much. But I get the
feeling that it's an accessory, not a talisman. Do you know what I mean?"
  Natalie nodded.
  "I don't think she believes in vampires." Nick continued. "But she
doesn't discredit anything that Mulder says either. I think that she is
looking for a more *normal* answer but I can't really be sure."
  Natalie gently placed her hand on Nick's shoulder. "Just be careful." She
said seriously. "I don't know why, but I seem to have gotten used to having
you around. I'd hate to see you go."
  "I'll do my best." Nick smiled, gave Nat a quick embrace and left the
morgue.
  
  Mulder was sitting on the back of a chair, his feet firmly planted on the
seat. He was looking down at the desk tops which were totally covered with
photos from the various crime scenes. He had studied the photos individually
yet continued to stare at them.   
  "There is something here." He said to no one in particular. "I know that
there is something here."
  Scully had learned to listen to Mulder's hunches. Granted, sometimes he
was wrong. But more often than not, his instincts were right. People hadn't
started calling him "Spooky" for nothing. "What is it?" she asked.
  "I'm not sure. I know that it's here. It just hasn't clicked yet."
  The preliminary lab work hadn't revealed any new information. Other, more
detailed tests would be completed soon. For now, however, all they could do
was rehash the same old photos and files over and over again.
  Knight was lying on the couch, one arm drapped over his eyes. Scully
assumed that he was asleep. Schanke was still reading the files of previous
victims. Scully began to look through the photos. Most were black and white
pictures of the victims themselves. Other photos depicted the crime scene.
A few were actually close up shots of the neck wounds, two round punctures
in the flesh surrounded by a large black and green bruise.
  *That's one mean hickie* Scully thought to herself and she laughed.
  "What?" Mulder asked her in surprise.
  "Nothing. It's nothing." she answered quickly. "I've gone too long without
sleep. I'm starting to think strange things, that's all."
  "Then you should go and get some sleep." Knight said. He was suddenly
standing right next to Scully. She *was* tired. She hadn't even heard the
detective get off the vinyl couch.
  "I'll be fine." she said. "I just need another cup of coffee."
  Knight gently placed his hand on her shoulder "Are you sure?" he asked
kindly. "You look beat."
  Mulder flashed the detective a frightening look, but neither Knight nor
Scully saw it. "Scully's a big girl. She knows her limitations." Mulder
barked.
  Scully glanced at Mulder, startled. She had expected him to second
Knight's opinion.
  If Scully had hoped to read Mulder's expression, she was disappointed
because he was again looking intently down at the photos and she couldn't
see his face.
  "Okay." Knight didn't seem to notice Mulder's comment at all. "One coffee
coming up." There was now a coffee maker set up on top of the filing cabinet.
Knight walked over and poured a styrofoam cup full of the hot liquid.
  "I could use one too, Nick." Schanke said.
  "Shut up, Schanke." Nick whispered with a grin. He walked back to the desk
and handed the cup to Scully. "Here you go," he paused ".. Dana. Cream and
no sugar, right?"
  "I'm impressed, Detective. Thank you." She gratefully took the cup and
sipped the brew. "Perfect." she said with a smile.
  Mulder suddenly hopped from his perch, swatting one hand across the
collage of photos in front of him. "This is getting us no where." He
grumbled disgustedly as several pictures fluttered to the floor.
  "Look," Schanke volunteered. "We've been at this for hours. Why don't we
get some rest. We could all use a little break."
  Scully turned to Mulder in order to ask his opinion on that idea. Mulder,
however looked as though he hadn't heard a word. He was crouched on the
floor staring intently at one of the photos that had fallen to the linoleum.
"Mulder?" she asked.
  Mulder was mesmerized by the picture. He didn't even seem to be breathing.
  "What is it?" she asked leaning over his shoulder for a better look.
  "Knight!" Mulder jumped up without warning, nearly knocking Scully over
in his excitement. "Have you got a magnifing glass?" Mulder's eyes were 
wide and shining.
  "What is it ?" Scully repeated. Knight had, almost magically, produced a
magnifing glass.
  Mulder looked at the magnified image again for a moment.
  "Did you find your vampire?" Schanke asked as the four people crowded
around the picture.
  "Worse." Mulder answered solemnly. "Much worse."
  He held the photo out to the others. At first, Scully didn't notice
anything out of the ordinary. The image was from the most recent crime
scene. It was a location shot, a wide angle view of the alley in which the
last victim had been found. In the center of the picture, was the shrouded
body and several police officers. 
  Scully shook her head. "I don't see it, Mulder."
  Mulder pointed to the crowd of onlookers behind the police line in the
background of the picture. "There." he said.
  Scully methodically scanned the faces in the crowd with the magnifying
glass. Many of the faces had horrified yet eager looks on them. The
gruesomeness of some people never failed to surprise Scully. Scully
suddenly found what Mulder had been been pointing at. The angelic little
girl stared out of the photo at her. The child was smiling sweetly. A chill
settled around Scully's heart at the sight of that all too familar face.
Schanke asked, "What? Who is it?"
  Scully sighed heavily and answered, "She is known as Eve."
  
  Dana Scully was dreaming. She was semi-aware that she was currently
asleep.
  After Mulder had found Eve 9 (or possibly 10) in the police photos, he
had issued an all points bulletin on all the Eves. Photos of the identical
little girls, as well as pictures of Eve 6 and Eve 8 had been distributed
to the local authorities. There was nothing that Scully or Mulder could do
now except wait for some results. Around noon, Scully had succeeded in
talking Mulder into going to the hotel for a few hours of sleep.
  So now, part of Scully's mind *knew* that she was sleeping... dreaming...
  ...Scully found herself in a large black expanse. It wasn't dark. She
could see herself and her clothing. She wore the sexy red dress that she
had bought for last New Year's eve, the one that she couldn't quite find
the courage to actually wear. She felt a slight breeze teasing at her hair
and skirts.
  She turned slowly in a circle, looking for some indication of her
wereabouts. But there was only blackness.
  "Hello?" she called. There was no answer, she was completely and utterly
alone. She began to walk through the void but the blackness of her
surroundings made it seem as though she was going nowhere.
  "Hello?" she called again.
  *Bonjour, mon amour* a silky deep voice whispered from the darkness.
  "Who's there?" Dana searched the area for her unseen companion.
  *C'est moi.* replied the voice.
  Suddenly, Dana was not alone anymore. She stood facing a tall, light
haired man. He looked familiar for some reason but Scully couldn't quite
place him.
  He grinned invitingly at her and took her hand.
  *You look lovely tonight, Dana* he said as he moved closer.
  She couldn't help but smile at him. She should have been frightened,
more wary, but he was irresistable. Scully found herself drawn to this man.
He gently pulled her close to him and kissed her cheek tenderly. He then
kissed her passionately on the lips. Dana felt herself reacting to him. She
wrapped her arms around his neck and wound her fingers through his thick
hair. She clung to him as his kisses grew deeper and more intense.
  Faintly, in the distance, Dana heard a voice calling her name,
"Ssscuulllleeeee!"
  She ignored the voice while her companion peppered her face with feathery
soft kisses.
  "Ssscuulllleeee!"
  Dana held tightly to the light-haired man. She wanted to pull him closer
and closer to her own body.
  The voice became louder and more insistent, "Ssscuulllleeee!"
  Her lover was trailing passionate kisses down Dana's throat when she
pulled back slightly in order to acknowledge the beckoning voice.
  "Ssscuulllleee!"
  As Dana pulled away even further she saw the face of the man with her.
His eyes were red pin-points of light that glared out at her. She scrambled
frantically backward and stared in shock as her handsome lover suddenly
hissed in frustration, revealing two sharp incisor teeth...
  
  Dana woke with a gasp and was greeted by the sounds of someone knocking
on the door.
  "Scully?" she heard Mulder from the hallway. "Scully. Open the door!"
  For a moment, Scully sat in the middle of her rumbled sheets and tried
to regain her composure. Then she called, "I'm okay, Mulder. Hold on a sec."
She took one last deep breath and got up to open the door.
  "Scully? I've been knocking for a while. Are you okay?" he asked with
genuine concern.
  Scully glanced at the clock, she'd only been asleep for a few hours.
  "I'm fine, Mulder. I was sleeping." she said.
  "You must've been sleeping quite deeply not to have heard my knock."
  Scully shrugged. "I was dreaming." She refused to answer the questioning
look on Mulder's face. She REALLY didn't want Mulder to start
psychoanalyzing *that* dream. She'd probably never hear the end of it.
  "Was there a point to waking me up, Mulder?" Scully asked in aggrevation.
  "You mean, other than seeing you in your nightgown?" he asked grinning.
  Scully rolled her eyes at him in frustration as she quickly grabbed her
robe and pulled it on.
  "Actually," Mulder added, "you should just get dressed. "Scully looked
at him questioningly. "They've found another body."
  
  Mulder and Scully reached the crime scene just after dusk. The area had
been cordoned off and large floodlamps had been set up to aid in the
investigation. They were met by Detective Schanke.
  "The victim is a young female," Schanke began,"between 25 to 35-years-old.
She's the same as the others, two puncture wounds over the jugular."
  "Has the coroner seen the body yet?" Mulder asked.
  "Natalie just got here." Schanke answered.
  Scully walked over the examine the remains. Mulder chose to question the
officers who had first discovered the body.
  Scully knelt beside the coroner, Dr. Lambert, and asked "Can you
determine the time of death?"
  Lambert answered. "At least 24 hours, I'd say."
  After some joint discussion and a detailed examination of the body,
Scully left the coroner's side and went looking for Mulder. She found him
walking back and forth, combing the area, with Detective Knight.
  "Find anything?" She asked Mulder.
  Mulder simply shook his head.
  "Well," she started. "The victim has been dead for at least a day. But
the body was hidden in such a secluded area that no one discovered it until
tonight."
  He nodded. "I wonder what they are doing with all the blood? We haven't
found any blood."
  "Maybe they are killing the victims elsewhere and then dumping them."
Dana guessed. "That would explain the lack of blood at the scene."
  Detective Knight came up behind them and said "If you are done here, I'll
have them take the body to the morgue."
  Mulder answered "Yeah, we won't find anything else here. Just tag'em and
bag'em, Knight."
  He then took Dana's arm and steered her toward the car.
  
  Later, Scully and Mulder were back in the conference room at the police
station. Knight and Schanke had scrounged up a large bulletin board. They
were currently helping Mulder tack up certain photos and other information.
Mulder sat back and frowned and the information before him. He turned to
Knight, "No one has seen them?" he asked even though he knew the answer.
Schanke shook his head sullenly.
Mulder had posted a map of the city on one section of bulletin board. There
were three pins in the map, indicating where each body had been found.
  "Well," Mulder started. "The bodies were found within a five mile radius
of each other." Using a red felt pen, he carefully drew a triangle by
connecting the three locations.
  "We could start searching this area door to door." He said.
  Scully frowned, "But if this was the last killing, they would have moved
on by now." She continued, "And, if there is to be a fourth killing, that
would make the search area a square rather than a triangle."
  Schanke looked intently at the map. "The locations each seem to be rather
equally spaced," the balding officer observed. "Maybe we could estimate
where
they plan to strike next, and initiate the search within that pattern."
  Mulder nodded and he used a ruler to estimate the needed location.
  Meanwhile, Detective Knight said, "Is there any pattern to the number of
killings they commit in each city?"
  "I don't think so," Scully said, moving toward the desk. She began to look
through the previous case files for conformation.
  Scully sat and poured over the reports, all the while being very aware of
the presence of the handsome detective directly behind her. After several
minutes she answered, "In most of the previous occurences, there were four
victims. But, in three cities; New Orleans, Louisiana, Chicago, Illinois and
Akron, Ohio, there were only three murders. There doesn't seem to be any
pattern there."
  "What if," Knight began, "there *were* four murders in every city. But, in
those three cities the body of the fourth victim was never found or never
connected to this case."
  "Can we get a larger map of this area?" Mulder asked, indicating the red
square that was now indicated on the map.
  
  Mulder and Scully had just finished searching another block of Virginia
Ave. They had commandeered an unmarked police car and were currently trying
to warm themselves with a couple of cups of coffee. Mulder had to admit
that Knight had done a quick job of mobilizing the police force into search
patterns. There were eight other pairs of officers, including Schanke and
Knight, who were systematically sweeping the area that Mulder had indicated
on the map.
  So far though, they had found nothing, and the night was bitterly cold.
  Mulder glanced over at Scully. She was rubbing at one temple with her
fingers. Mulder thought she looked too tired, too worn out. *It's your
fault* he thought to himself.
  "Are you okay, Scully?" he asked aloud.
  Dana smiled wanly at him, "I'm just tired, Mulder. I'll be fine."
  Mulder glanced out the car window and said, "Maybe you should go back to
the hotel and get some sleep."
  Scully knew that Mulder was worried about her. He had been worried about
her too much since the incident with Duane Barry. Because she was cold and
tired tonight, she was suddenly angry at him for his overly protective
attitude.
  "I SAID I'm fine, Mulder." she snapped.
  He frowned at her, "I heard you, Scully." But the look of concern was
still on his face.
  Scully sighed loudly. "Look, Mulder, I didn't mean to yell at you like
that. It's just that,...well, you're attitude lately has started getting on
my nerves."
  "Attitude? What attitude?" He asked honestly.
  She had to smile at his reaction. He truthfully had no idea what she was
talking about. "You were right in what you said to Detective Knight. I *am*
a big girl. I *can* take care of myself. Being tired and sore and overworked
is part of the job, and I like my job, Mulder. So, ease up some okay?"
  She was rewarded with a cocky half smile from her insufferable partner.
  "I can't guarantee anything, Scully. But, I'll try." He smiled guiltily.
  "Good." She answered with a laugh. Mulder could be so warm and lovable at
times, she admitted to herself. "Let's finish our coffee and get back to
work. Detective Knight will be expecting us to check in soon."
  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mulder roll his eyes at her last
remark. She frowned at him, and Mulder sighed.
  "What?" she asked.
  Mulder shrugged, "I'm not sure. I just don't trust that guy, Knight."
  Scully feigned shock. "Oh no! Fox Mulder doesn't trust someone! Big news
flash there, partner."
  "Scully!" he whined.
  Suddenly, images from her recent nightmare flashed through Dana's mind
and she wondered why. She realized that Mulder was saying something about
his instincts and Detective Knight, but she wasn't quite paying attention.
"Excuse me, what?" she shook her head and asked.
  "Oh, never mind. It's nothing, really." he sighed. "Let me see the map."
  They sat in silence for the next few minutes.
  
  Schanke stomped his feet to warm them. "Come on, Nick." he complained,
"let's get a cup of coffee, I'm freezing."
  The two were searching a nearby area of the city for the Eve's.
  Nick turned suddenly and admitted, "Okay, Schanke. They aren't here.
Let's go."
  The two detectives walked out onto the street and headed toward Knight's
car. Schanke turned out his flashlight and put it in his pocket. There was
plenty of light out on the street. Although the old resteraunt they had just
left had been totally dark, Nick didn't have to use a flashlight. Due to his
peculiar allergy to the sun, Nick had once explained, he was forced to take
Vitamin D supplements which, in turn, gave him incredibly acute eyesight in
the dark. Schanke tried to rub some feeling back into his hands as they
walked. The cold didn't seem to bother Nick any though, Schanke noticed.
Schanke often wondered if Nick's allergies made him less sensitive to
changes in the weather. Technically speaking Nick might catch pneumonia or
freeze to death without realizing anything.
  Schanke shrugged to himself. He was the first to admit that his partner
was more than just a little strange, but he was still a friend. Schanke felt
responsible for the younger man and needed to look out for him, reguardless
of his peculiarities.
  Nick started the car and turned up the heat. "You stay here and warm up.
I'll go and get you some coffee."
  "Thanks,Nick." Schanke said in appreciation.
  Nick walked off into the dark.
  
  Scully was finishing her coffee while Mulder stared intently at the map.
He looked as though he was expecting the paper to start talking to him.
  "Mulder?" she asked carefully. "We still have alot of ground to cover.
We should get to work."
  "What if..."Mulder started cautiously, "What if the Eve's are leaving the
bodies in specific places for a reason?"
  "What kind of reason?"
  "What if they *want* someone to find them?" Mulder was getting excited
now. "Face it, Scully. They are incredibly egotistical. What if they are
daring us to find them?"
  "How?" Scully felt that Mulder was onto something with this idea.
  Mulder gasped suddenly. "God, It couldn't be that obvious could it?"
  He pulled a ball point pen from one pocket and began drawing two straight
lines across the map. He could feel his breath coming in shallow little
gasps with excitement. He connected two of the points on the map and then,
with a seperate line he connected the other two points.
  "Bingo." He said and held the map up for Scully to see. There, within the
red square that had been marked as the initial search area, was a perfect
blue X. The blue lines intersected over a warehouse address.
  Scully looked at Mulder disbelievingly, "X marks the spot?"
  "Why not?" He smiled ironically and put the car in gear. "Notify the
others that we are following a lead."
  
  When Nick returned to the car with a large steaming cup of coffee, he was
greeted by Schanke's excited call.
  "Hurry Nick," he hollered. "Agents Mulder and Scully have a lead. They
want us to meet them at the old Haversham warehouse."
  "What's up?" he asked as he climbed into the car.
  "Agent Mulder is going with a hunch." Schanke replied. "Let's go."
  Mulder and Scully reached the warehouse a few minutes later. Mulder headed
straight for the warehouse.
  "Mulder," Scully reprimanded him, "we should wait for back-up."
  He threw her a glance that said *yeah, right* and he continued toward
the building.
  The building itself was an old warehouse that had been out of use for
several years, and yet, on the top floor there was obviously a light on.
Mulder entered the building carefully, his gun drawn, with Scully right
behind him.
  It only took a few minutes to make their way up the three flights of
stairs to the top floor. There they found one huge room that was empty
except for the two small figures standing at the center.
  "Hello, Agent Mulder." said the slightly taller girl.
  Mulder motioned for Scully to hold back. Then he stepped forward
cautiously "Hello, Tina." he replied. "Hello, Cindy." He said to the second
child. "Or would you prefer to be called Eve 9 and Eve 10?"
  "Either way," replied Eve 10.
  "Doesn't matter." added Eve 9.
  "Where are the others?" Mulder asked ,looking around warily. "Where are
Eve 6 and 8?"
  "Gone" said one girl.
  "Long gone." said the other.
  Mulder frowned. "What do you mean, gone?"
  "Eve 6 was simply too unstable." One girl began.
  "She attracted too much attention." the other continued. "We had to
irradicate her."
  Mulder swallowed hard. "What about Eve 8. She IS the one who broke you
out of the institution isn't she?"
  "Yes." said Eve 10. "But she wanted us all to be a family."
  "She didn't want to deal with Eve 6's ...inabilities to cope." said the
second girl.
  The first girl continued, "She didn't approve of our methods either."
  "We were forced to deal with them both in the same manner." Eve 9 smiled.
  "No one will ever find them," Eve 10 grinned sweetly.
  "No one." the other girl emphasized.
  Mulder was beginning to feel slightly nauseated. "Then these killings,
the exanguinations.." he began.
  "It was our own idea." Eve 10 said proudly.
  "We are terribly disappointed, Agent Mulder." said one girl.
  "Terribly." said the other.
  Scully was quietly edging her way toward the other side of the room. She
wanted to be able to prevent any possible escape on that side. She prayed
silently to herself, *just keep them talking Mulder.*
  As if in answer to her plea, Mulder said "And why are you so
dissappointed?"
  "For more than a year," started Eve 9, "we have been calling you."
  "Why did it take so long for you to come?" pouted Eve 10.
  "Were our clues too elusive for you?" gloated the first girl.
  "We thought that you were The Great Detective." challenged the other.
  "If you could catch *us*" Eve 9 teased, "surely the clues we left all
across the U.S. would have been enough for *you*."
  Now Mulder was really feeling sick. All the murders, they had all been
part of a childish scheme to get back at Mulder for incarcerating them in
the first place.
  "Well," Mulder answered weakly "I've been a little preoccupied lately."
  "That's too bad" said the smaller girl.
  "Really, too bad." said the other.
  Then, the two children were in motion, and things began to happen very
quickly.
  
  Knight and Schanke drove up to the warehouse with a squeel of tires. Both
men jumped from the car and saw the empty vehicle that Mulder had been
driving parked to one side.
  Just as the two men began to walk toward the building, they heard a shout
from the third floor, "Mulder, Look out!" the yell was followed by a loud
crashing sound.
  Nick turned to Schanke and yelled "Call for back-up!"
  As soon as Schanke had turned his back to Nick, Knight jumped into the air
and disappeared.
  
  "Mulder, Look out!" Scully warned as soon as the girls had started to
move. She was then hit with something big and heavy. She was immediately
greeted with blackness.
  Mulder dashed across the room, hoping to catch at least one of the young
monsters. Instead he found himself sprawling headlong across the room.
They've booby trapped the room he thought to himself.
  He shook his head to clear it and realized that he was sitting on the
floor, his back against the wall. The windows were just above his head. He
saw Scully lying in a heap on the far side of the room but he couldn't
determine her condition from this distance. Worse yet, he had lost his gun
in the fall.
  The two Eves were standing very close to him. The taller one had a syringe
filled with greenish fluid, in one hand. He knew instinctively that the
fluid was a digitalis mixture of some sort. As the girl moved toward him to
inject the deadly concoction, Mulder threw himself to the floor and rolled
toward her. The impact of his body against the girl's legs threw her off
balance and she fell hard.
  Mulder gracefully lept up and turned to continue the battle, but Eve 10
lay motionless at first. Eve 9 ran, crying, to her fallen twin. The
distraught child watched in pain and horror as Eve 10 began foaming at the
mouth and convulsing grotesquely. Mulder could see the now empty syringe
sticking out of the shivering child's abdomen. Moments later, Eve 10 gave
one last suddering heave and was dead.
  "Nononononono" whimpered the remaining Eve.
  Mulder automatically went to the girl in an attempt to help her somehow.
But, before he could get closer to her, the little girl had whirled on him
and Mulder suddenly found himself facing his own gun.
  "YOU KILLED HER !" Eve 9 screamed at him. "MURDERER !"
  Then, as if in slow motion, Mulder saw the hammer go back on the pistol
as the child pulled the trigger. At the same instant, there was a loud crash
from above as a dark figure fell through the ceiling. The gun went off. The
new figure quickly snatched the gun from the little girl's hands and hauled
her off her feet by lifting her by the collar.
  Nick had his back to Mulder. The girl was squirming viciously in his
grasp. She was stronger than she looked, but still no match for Nick.
  "I'LL KILL YOU ALL! "the child screamed at him. "I'LL DRAIN EVERY OUNCE
OF BLOOD FROM YOUR WRETCHED BODIES!" She raved.
  Nick thought that was terribly ironic and would have laughed if the
situation weren't so incredibly horrible.
  "PUT ME DOWN!" she continued "I'LL KILL YOU!"
  Nick had had enough. He still had his back to Agent Mulder so without
thinking twice, he hissed loudly at the child. In his anger and revulsion,
he was sorely tempted to end the girl's life in the same manner that she
had ended so many others. Poetic justice.
  Eve 9 stared in horror at the face before her. The man had blazing red
eyes and deadly sharp fangs. He was a *real* vampire.
  The girl's mind snapped and she began to scream uncontrollably.
  
  Several hours later, the four investigators were watching the girl through
a two way mirror. Scully, although she had a large bump on her head, had
been checked out and was really none the worse for wear.
  Mulder gazed sullenly through the glass at the being that had once been
Cindy Reardon. The girl was in a straight jacket and had been heavily
sedated. But even the drugs could not end her screams. She screamed about
red eyes and vampires and blood. She was completely insane.
  "What will happen to her?" he asked Scully.
  "There are specialists who will try to treat her psychosis," Scully
began. "But I honestly don't know what they can do. She has created her own
dementia. She and Tina Simmons spent a year or more commiting 'vampire'
like murders. It's not terribly surprising that her madness deals with the
same topic."
  "Creepy," Schanke interjected, "It is really creepy though. Its a good
thing she missed with that gun, or someone could've been dead."
  Mulder knodded in agreement, as did Knight. No one saw Knight pull his
coat closed more tightly over the small round hole in his shirt.
  "I understand that you have a plane to catch this afternoon." Nick
commented to Scully dejectedly.
  "I'm afraid so." Scully smiled as the handsome detective guided her out
of the room.
  "What a pity." He purred in response.
  Mulder sighed heavily and followed them into the hallway. Maybe this
Knight character wasn't so bad. After all, he *had* saved Mulder's life.
It never once occured to Mulder to wonder how Knight had gotten to the roof
so fast, or how he could have fallen twenty feet through a ceiling and
landed so gracefully on the floor. It never entered Mulder's mind to look
for
the slug that Eve had fired from his gun. It just never occured to him....

end.