From: "S.A.D.S." Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 21:37:23 -0400 Subject: NEW: Qualcuno 1/3 MS UST Title: Qualcuno 1/3 Author: Erin aka ScullyClone Category: Story/M&S UST Spoilers: The Movie Rating: PG-13 for naughty language *tisk tisk* Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, and The X-Files belong to 1013 productions, FOX, and of course, Chris Carter. I acknowledge that he created them, not me, because he is God. :) How would my Sunday nights be spent without him? Summary: Mulder and Scully investigate a case that brings them a lot closer together. I love feedback and appreciate all I can get, good or bad! :) Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you want to archive it anywhere go ahead, but just email me first. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX RIIIIING!!!!!!!!!! Scully, startled by the shrill noise, woke up instantly. She sat up in bed and was about to reach for her gun when.... RIIIIING!!!!!!!!!! Sighing tiredly, she realized her stupid mistake and picked up the phone on her bedside table. "Scully," she said simply, with apparent sleepiness in her voice. "Hey Scully! Did I wake you?" "Mulder?" she glanced at the clock. "It's 3:14 in the morning. What's going on?" "Sorry, but our flight leaves in two hours and...." "Mulder, wait a second. What flight?" Scully interrupted, clearly annoyed. Mulder's voice showed no trace of sleep at all. "The one leaving for Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I'll explain all the details on the way there, Scully. See you in a half hour. I'll pick you up." "But, Mulder, wh..." Only the dial tone answered her. As she replaced the receiver, Scully was tempted to just lie back down and fall fast asleep again, but instead she climbed slowly out of bed and began preparing. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder pulled up in front of Scully's apartment complex and blared the horn. A couple seconds later she was walking over to the car, suitcase in hand, which she carefully placed in the trunk of the car. As she sat down in the passenger seat, she asked Mulder casually, "So, are you gonna tell me what this is all about now?" Mulder took a folder off the dash and handed it to her. While she began to leaf through it, he gave her a brief summary as he continued driving on toward the airport. "Kim Kauffman, fianc of her devoted boyfriend of 3 years, David Miller, was kidnapped from her home last Saturday. She's been missing since, even after a thorough search by the neighbors and the local police department." "That's all? A kidnapping case?" inquired Scully curiously. She knew that with Mulder no case was ever that simple. She learned to expect the unexpected and never view a case from the most obvious angle since teaming up with him. Mulder grinned mischievously. "Apparently you know me too well Scully." She smiled slightly. "David says he was a witness to the abduction," Mulder continued. "He claims that they were eating dinner when suddenly a bright light came through the windows. He says that a dozen or so shadowy figures with red, glowing eyes came through the walls." As Mulder said the next line, his voice dropped a few octaves lower making it seem as if he was reciting the plot of a horror film. "He was frozen in place, paralyzed as he watched Kim being dragged, kicking and screaming out the back door and into the night." "Well one thing's for sure, Mulder. You sure know how to add drama to a briefing." She then tried to give him her best annoyed-raised-eyebrow-skeptical Scully look, but found herself smiling along with him. "What do you mean exactly when you say that these 'shadowy figures with red, piercing eyes came through the walls'? Do you mean they just drifted in? Like ghosts?" "I thought you didn't believe in ghosts?" he asked teasingly. When she made no comment he continued. "Yep, sorta like ghosts you could say, from what I gather. That's why we're paying a visit to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. To talk face-to-face with Mr. Miller." He guided his car into the airport parking lot that was practically empty. "Oh, and Scully. I said red glowing eyes," he corrected her, emphasizing the work 'glowing'. "Not piercing." Scully sighed. "But it was nice touch," he added jokingly. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX On the airplane Scully immediately fell fast asleep not more than five minutes after they boarded. Her head leaned comfortably against Mulder's shoulder. He didn't mind a bit. Ever since the whole Antarctica experience, they both had become more relaxed around one another. Maybe because they had shown each other the risks they were willing to take, just to ensure the safety of the other. Whatever the reason, Mulder liked it this way. As he gazed down at the top of her head, admiring her, he wondered just what Scully thought of this new change. It was almost as if a barrier had been torn down and they were seeing each other in a whole new light or... His thought was interrupted by a soft beep. He looked up and saw that the 'fasten your seat belt' sign had just lit up. The pilot then announced that they would be landing soon. Reluctantly Mulder nudged Scully, waking her up. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX They picked up their rental car and headed straight toward the Miller residence. On the way there they noticed how vacant Lancaster seemed to be. Vast green fields stretched out and only cows and barns dotted their surfaces. "A real party town," Mulder commented wryly. They made their way into the somewhat more inhabited city and arrived at 23 Fairview Avenue. As they entered the slightly run down apartment building, Scully turned to Mulder and asked, "Is Mr. Miller expecting us?" "Not really. But the local law enforcement said that he'll most likely be more than willing to cooperate with our investigation. Miller almost reached the point of a nervous breakdown when search parties failed to turn up any clues of Kim's location. He's apparently blaming himself for her abduction." They arrived in front of apartment 12 and stopped. "Abduction? There's that word again. Don't you mean kidnapping?" asked Scully. "Maybe, maybe not," replied Mulder. He knocked on the door. The man who answered the door was about 20 years old. Average height and weight. Nothing unusual about him. Mulder and Scully both raised their badges. "Mr. Miller?" inquired Mulder. "We're Special Agents Mulder and Scully from the FBI. We're investigating..." "You found her?!" he interrupted anxiously. "No, I'm afraid we haven't, Mr. Miller. But if you help us we may be able to." Scully told the man softly. The man cast his eyes downward, clearly disappointed. He stepped aside in a silent way of inviting them inside. As Mulder and Scully entered, they could see very clearly that the apartment was cluttered and neglected as far as cleaning went. Miller shuffled over to an old chair, sat, and motioned for them to take a seat on the couch. They both did so. He hung his head in his hands. "So I guess your here to ask questions." he said monotonously. "Well fire away I guess." Mulder cleared his throat. "Mr. Miller, what were you and Kim doing the night she was abduct...umm, kidnapped?" "Well, her parents who had been visiting just left that morning. So we were going to have dinner together at her house. We were planning our wedding arrangements," said Miller. "Did her parents know about the wedding?" asked Scully. "Yeah, but I can't say they were happy about it. They always expected Kim to marry some rich ass hole with a white mansion and a Mercedes in the driveway." Scully thought about that. "Really? Unhappy about it to the point of becoming hostile perhaps?" Miller looked up briefly and laughed slightly. Not a happy laugh. A sarcastic, weary laugh. He returned his gaze to the floor again. "I know where you're going with that. If you're thinking her parents staged this whole thing in some sick way of keeping Kim away from me you're wrong. They left to visit relatives in Alaska that Friday. They've been snowed in there ever since, unable to get home. If they hated me before I'm just dying to know what they think of me now. After I let those.....those things just take away their only daughter. I'm too afraid to speak to them." He sounded exhausted. Mulder knew he had a right to be. He lost the person closest to him. He glanced at Scully through the corner of his eye. He knew what that felt like. He'd been there. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX About twenty questions later, the two FBI agents had gotten no valuable information and David's voice was getting shakier by the second. They left and head for Kim's house. It was a considerable drive, since the house was tucked away on the far edge of the country. Once they arrived, Mulder used the spare key that David had given them to open the large, oak, front door. Once inside it was obvious that Kim had much better standards than David had in the way of cleanliness. They made their way to the dining room, where the 'event' had occured. "So what did you think about David?" Mulder asked Scully while he examined the large picture window. "Well, he's obviously upset about Kim's disappearance. I suspect that he didn't have anything to do with it." "Mmhmm." "But I've seen a lot of good actors before. He could be faking it." "That sounds pretty implausible to me Scully. The guy looked like he could've burst into tears at any moment," he replied. "Yeah, you're right." She gave an exasperated sigh. "I honestly don't know what to think about this case at the moment. I dunno even where to begin interpreting the whole 'shadowy figures' scenario." Turning around, Mulder smiled at her. "Well, my interpretation is pretty easy to figure out." "Mulder, why would aliens abduct her in such a dramatic matter? I thought that they used tricky devices like missing time or memory erasure to cover up that sort of thing?" "You catch on fast Scully. Does this mean you're possibly entertaining the idea that Kim Kauffman was, in fact, abducted by aliens?" he asked, slightly amused. Before Scully had a chance to answer, Mulder's cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his trench coat pocket. "Mulder." "Agent Mulder?" the voice on the other line said. "This is Deputy Jeffries down at the sheriff's office. The one you contacted about the Kauffman case. It looks like we have two kidnapping cases on our hands now." "What? Since when?" Scully leaned in to try to hear what was going on. "Approximately 4:30 this morning," answered the deputy. "You might wanna stop down at the sheriff's office. We have the witness here." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mulder, Scully, and Deputy Jeffries observed the woman from the other side of the two-way mirror. She was fidgeting with a handkerchief and tears flowed freely from her eyes. "Her name's Maureen Autrey. She claims her husband had trouble sleeping last night so he woke up early that morning to get a glass of milk. When she came down to join him a bright light fell through the windows. The same figures that David Miller described entered through the walls and dragged him off. She couldn't move or make an any attempt to help him." Deputy Jeffries turned toward Mulder and Scully. "Almost an exact copy of Mr. Miller's report." "What do you know about the husband?" asked Scully. The deputy continued. "His name was Eric Autrey. They'd been married for one and a half years now. He was a good natured guy. Never got drunk, didn't do drugs, never even smoked a single cigarette in his life. He didn't have any enemies, as far as I know." "Can we interview her now?" Mulder asked. "If you wanna chance it," Jeffries said reluctantly. "She's really shook up but, hey, be my guest." Mulder nodded. He and Scully headed for the door of the small cement room. It was very dreary and the only furniture was a dilapidated table and three chairs. They took their seats across from Maureen who didn't appear to take any interest in these new visitors. "Mrs. Autrey?" Scully said cautiously. Maureen looked up. Her hands were shaking slightly. "We're Agents Scully and Mulder from the FBI. Can we ask you some questions?" she continued. Maureen only nodded and continued to fidget with the white handkerchief she was holding. "Mrs. Autrey, did you and your husband get along well?" asked Mulder. Maureen nodded again. "We always got along. He was the best guy a woman could ask for." Scully kept her voice low. "We know how harshly this must be affecting you, but do you remember any little details that you forgot to mention?" She shook her head violently and began crying harder. In between sobs she choked out, "I told everything to the police. Please don't make me repeat it." Before Scully could comfort her the door swung open and the deputy stood there. "Agents," he said excitedly, "I think we got a lead." Mulder and Scully traded surprised glances and walked out of the damp room to join Deputy Jeffries. They looked at him, hoping that they finally would start getting somewhere on this case. Jeffries explained, "We took a sample of the soup that Kim and David had been eating that night. Since we weren't expecting to achieve any evidence from it we neglected to test it for anything odd sooner. That is until we tested the contents of the milk that the Autreys had been drinking. It contained a powerful hallucinogen. We were suspicious so we ran the same test on the soup. The exact same hallucinogen was found in it too." "Well that explains the bizarre nature of the kidnapping," Scully thought out loud. "These 'shadowy figures' could just be the illusions induced by the hallucinogen. The kidnappers are, most likely, perfectly normal." Mulder was about to add on to that but suddenly a loud commotion came from the front desk. Suspicious Mulder, Scully and the deputy ran towards the front of the office with guns drawn. "Where is he dammit?!" screamed a female voice. As they entered the lobby they saw a young woman in the middle of the room with dirt streaked across her face. A large read stain covered her muddy shirt. Her pant cuffs were turn and equally as dirty. Her face showed clear panic. "I wanna know where he is!!" she continued yelling. Mulder recognized the face from the photo in the file Deputy Jeffries had sent him. Surprised, he addressed the woman, "Kim? Kim Kauffman?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2 Title: Qualcuno 2/3 Author: Erin aka ScullyClone XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX WHAT JUST HAPPENED.... "Where is he dammit?!" screamed a female voice. As they entered the lobby they saw a young woman in the middle of the room with dirt streaked across her face. A large read stain covered her muddy shirt. Her pant cuffs were turn and equally as dirty. Her face showed clear panic. "I wanna know where he is!!" she continued yelling. Mulder recognized the face from the photo in the file Deputy Jeffries had sent him. Surprised, he addressed the woman, "Kim? Kim Kauffman?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX After they had calmed Kim down she was able to clarify who she was looking for. "David," she said. "I need to see David right now." "Well, ma'am, as soon as you answer some questions..." started the deputy. "No! You don't understand! I need to see him now and I won't answer any questions until you let me." So they drove Kim directly to David's apartment. There was a very happy reunion between the two, and it took a while before Mulder and Scully could get any answers as to what happened to her. Kim and David sat on the couch, holding hands while Scully started the interrogation. "Kim, what happened the night you were taken?" Kim took a deep breath and began. "Well, I can't remember much of that. I only remember the part where I was being dragged out the door by those shadows. I guess I must have blacked out right after that 'cause the next thing I can recall is being in the middle of the forest. My arms were sore and my wrists hurt because they were tied tightly behind my back. There was tape covering my mouth so I couldn't cry out for help. I was kneeling in the dirt and I..I.." Her voice began to shake. "Kim?" questioned Scully. David squeezed her hand and Kim continued. "There were these people in black robes, and they were standing in a circle around me. They were chanting something...and I couldn't understand them. It...it must have been in a different language or something." She took another deep breath. "There must have been about six of them." "Could you see their faces?" asked Mulder. "No. They were wearing black hoods over their heads. But they were all different heights. The smallest one couldn't have been older than 12 years old." Here she took a long pause. "The tallest one, I guess he was the leader, walked up to me. He...he had something in his hand." She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. Scully was starting to think that they should continue the questions some other time when Kim was more mentally stable, but Kim kept talking. "It was a knife." Her eyes snapped open. "He raised it up in the air..and...and ...he stabbed me." She was close to tears. "Where did he stab you?" Scully asked. Kim took her hand from David's and indicated to the red stain right below her right shoulder blade. Then she replaced her hand in his and her eyes took on a glossy state as if she was reliving the experience. "I could feel myself dying." "What?" The deputy had been standing in the corner the entire time becoming more confused by the minute. "You heard me," Kim said in a dream-like tone. "I was dying. Then all of the hooded people left. Except for one. The smallest one. And then... and then I blacked out. I died." Deputy Jeffries sighed. This entire story was a cheap Stephen King rip-off and he wasn't going to listen to it anymore. He left the room, slamming the door. Scully was having her doubts as well, but she continued questioning, while Mulder sat beside her with an interested look on his face. "What do you mean, Kim?" she asked. "I died!" she yelled! "It's as simple as that." "Then how are you here now?" Mulder questioned. "I felt dizzy. I opened my eyes slightly and a bright, white light filtered through. Not like the one that came through the windows before I was taken. It was a...soft light." David only stared at her, not knowing what to think. Kim's eyes were wide open and she was smiling slightly as if she were witnessing a miracle. "My vision cleared," she continued, "and I could see her." "Her?" asked Scully. "A little girl. She had long blonde hair and she was maybe 10 years old. She was leaning over me with that light coming from all around her. Like she was angel, which she just might have been. Her hand was pressed against the exact place where the knife had entered. And...the pain was gone. I'll never get over what she said next," Kim swallowed hard and looked to the floor. Scully waited a few seconds. "And what was that?" "You have someone to go back to," Kim whispered and looked at David. Mulder cleared his throat softly to get Kim's attention back. Kim turned around reluctantly. "How did you get back?" asked Mulder. "I'm not sure. All I remember after that is waking up in my bed a few days later. I ran to the police immediately, thinking that perhaps David was there" Then Kim turned back to David. Mulder and Scully thought that it was best to leave the two alone now, so they quietly thanked them and left. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX It was late and the day had been a very busy one. On the way to the nearest motel, Mulder asked for Scully's opinion of Kim's version of the truth. "Well," started Scully, clearly skeptical," she was drugged. The hallucinogen may not have wore off completely, which may have had some part in her story." "So, you think that she hallucinated the whole thing?" "Not exactly. She could have very well been held captive, but not by figures in hoods and black robes. And the whole dying part was an exaggeration. When I checked her for wounds back at the deputy's office, before we took her to see David, there was a light scar below her shoulder. If the knife was used with considerable force and a slight angle it could've killed her had it entered her heart. It had already healed though. She probably was scraped by a tree branch or something." "It looked like there was a lot of blood, Scully." Here was Mulder's chance to be skeptical. Scully paused. "I haven't really figured that part out yet," she admitted. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully had only been asleep for three hours when she felt someone gently shaking her awake. Puzzled she opened her eyes to see Mulder standing over her, his hands on her shoulders. "Scully wake up! There's been another kidnapping." "Wh...what? Already?" "Actually," Mulder said sitting on the side of her bed, "this particular person, a Mrs. Gini Shi, was missing a day before Kim was taken. Her husband, Josh Shi, never contacted the authorities until now. Apparently, Josh never really missed her." Scully sat up. "Well that doesn't make sense. In the other cases, the victims had a good relationship with their significant other. Why would this case be different?" Mulder shrugged. "When questioned by Deputy Jeffries, Josh said the only reason he came to the police at all was because he wanted a divorce. The cops searched his house and found evidence that makes it seem as if he was abusing Gini. Bloody shirts, pictures of Gini with scars. There were several complaints by the neighbors about the arguing too." "And I take it that the kidnapping was described the same way as David and Maureen portrayed it?" Mulder nodded. "Right down to the exact same hallucinogen in the coffee they were drinking." Scully got out of bed. "Well, can you call the deputy and tell him we'll be on our way?" "I'll do that." "Maybe we should check out Gini's medical records and find if there was any more evidence suggesting abuse." "I'll call the hospital now." "I'll join you after I get a quick shower." Mulder smiled mischievously. "I can help with that too." "Mulder..." Scully started. Then she just smiled and shook her head. "I can manage by myself." And she stepped in the bathroom and closed the door. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX When they arrived at the sheriff's office ("Once again," thought Scully tiredly.) they found that the hostility practically radiated off of Mr. Shi. When asked if he hadanything to do with Mrs. Shi's disappearance his reply sent chills down the deputy's spine. "No, I didn't touch the bitch. But if she were here now I'd snap her neck." "Look, Mr. Shi, there's no need for violent remarks like that," said Mulder cautiously. Josh Shi gave Mulder a look so nasty that the deputy was about to ask Mulder to keep his mouth shut. But Mulder only met his gaze with an indifferent glance. Scully stepped in. "Mr. Shi, I have Gini's medical records here and according to this she spent a good deal of time in the hospital. Would you care to elaborate on that?" For the first time Josh seemed a bit nervous. "She was clumsy," he spat. "Hey, the only reason I reported this was because I don't want to be married to some smart-ass woman who's gonna bail out on me when the going gets tough. When can I get officially divorced?" "Bail out? Don't you think the circumstances surrounding your wife's disappearance were a bit too odd for her to plan it herself?" asked Mulder. "She's no idiot, I'll give her that," replied Josh coldly. His tone of voice made it clear that he had no doubt in his mind that Gini orchestrated this entire thing. Scully glanced up from Gini's medical files. "But we have two other couples who have experienced identical kidnappings. Doesn't that sound like more than a coincidence to you?" Josh was becoming angrier by the minute. "Dammit, I don't have to take this." And he stood up to leave, but Deputy Jeffries placed a hand calmly on his shoulder, signaling for him to sit back down. But Josh just backed harshly away. "Sir, there is more than enough evidence causing us to believe you were abusing Mrs. Shi. Until we can get this straightened out, you'll be spending your time in jail." Quickly Mulder and Scully left the interrogation room, leaving Deputy Jeffries and his assistants to handcuff a furious Josh Shi. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Back in the front lobby of the sheriff's office, Mulder and Scully quietly talked while Josh was being dragged to his cell. "Mulder, something doesn't seem right. This case is nothing like the others. If I didn't know about the other couples, I would just assume that Gini had left Josh because of the abuse." said Scully. "Yeah," said Mulder quietly, almost to himself. Before he had time to say anything else, one of the deputy's assistants signaled them both frantically over to the desk where he held a phone up to his ear. "It's Mrs. Autrey," he said. "She says her husband came home this morning." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX And when they arrived at the Autrey's house, there was Maureen and Eric standing side by side in the door way, smiling like they had just won the lottery. After an interrogation, Mulder and Scully found Mr. Autrey's story similar and almost identical to Kim's. The same ritual, ending with him being stabbed in the chest and dying. And then the small blonde girl standing in a halo of light, pressing her hand against the stab wound. Even the girl's words were the same as Kim's experience. "You have someone to go back to." There was only one difference.... "What happened after the little girl told you this?" asked Scully. Mr. Autrey sat across from her and Mulder at the dining room table. His wife was beside him. "Well, I was speechless. It was such a beautiful sight. I blinked. Only for a second. And then she was gone when I opened my eyes again." There was a tone of complete awe in Eric's voice. "I got up and looked behind ever tree and bush. But it was like she just vanished." "How did you get home, Mr. Autrey?" Mulder inquired. "I recognized the part of the woods I was in. My father used to take me there when I was a little boy. The nearest road was only about a mile away from where I was. So I found it and hitchhiked the rest of the way home." The deputy was standing behind Scully. "Could you show us the exact place in the forest?" Eric nodded. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX They had been searching the woods where Eric was taken for hours. No evidence had been found giving them the smallest hint at who had abducted him or Ms. Kauffman. Scully's feet were sore and she was growing impatient. "Mulder, we've looked everywhere around this part of the forest. This isn't getting us anywhere." Mulder sighed. She was right. They had searched the entire area, including everywhere within a one mile radius around the spot that Eric had shown them. "Maybe they kidnappers took Kim and Gini somewhere else," she suggested. But Mulder's mind was focused elsewhere. In the leaves, the sun shined off of a small metallic object. A ring. Mulder approached it and kneeled down. "Muld..." Then Scully saw what he was looking at and joined him. The ring was on a hand. Pushing back leaves and twigs, they uncovered the rest of the arm. Then the shoulder, then the neck, and then the face. The dead open eyes of a young girl stared up at them. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 3 Title: Qualcuno 3/3 Author: Erin aka ScullyClone XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX WHAT JUST HAPPENED..... "Maybe they kidnappers took Kim and Gini somewhere else," she suggested. But Mulder's mind was focused elsewhere. In the leaves, the sun shined off of a small metallic object. A ring. Mulder approached it and kneeled down. "Muld..." Then Scully saw what he was looking at and joined him. The ring was on a hand. Pushing back leaves and twigs, they uncovered the rest of the arm. Then the shoulder, then the neck, and then the face. The dead open eyes of a young girl stared up at them. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX A few hours later the body had been officially identified as Ms. Gini Shi. Her wrists were red, probably from being tied behind her back for a long period of time. She had died of a knife stabbed through the heart. After Scully had examined Eric Autrey, she concluded that the two surviving victims had the same kind of apparent scratch marks over their chest in the same spot where Gini had been stabbed. Later that night, after a day filled with confusion, Mulder and Scully were going over the details of the case in Scully's hotel room. "It doesn't make sense that three victims should be taken in the same manner, but only two of them returned. There should be a pattern here but the Shi case puts everything out of perspective." Scully was sitting cross-legged on top of her bed, surrounded by photographs taken during Gini's autopsy. Mulder sat at the small table by the window looking through Gini's autopsy report, trying to find some answer there. He found none. Mulder put down the folder and looked Scully in the eye. "But the Shi's case was completely different from the other two. Maureen Autrey and David Miller both wanted the victims back. Josh never wanted to see Gini again. Their relationship was completely based on hate, unlike the other two." Scully met his gaze. "That fact only complicates things more. It makes the differences even bigger. What are you getting at?" "I've been thinking about what Kim and Eric said the little girl told them. 'You have someone to go back to.' In Gini's case, she didn't." "You don't actually believe they saw an angel, do you, Mulder?" "Well, I didn't use the word angel. Maybe it could be something similar and along those lines." Scully raised an eyebrow. "Look, Scully," Mulder continued, "remember the case about the so called 'Miracle Man'? Remember Jeremiah? They both could heal people with their hands." "Yeah, so you're thinking that someone else out there has the same ability. But what about the people in black robes? What do they have to do with all this." "The girl could've been saving Kim and Eric from those hooded figures and..." "Gini wasn't saved because she didn't have anyone to go back to," Scully said, finishing Mulder's thought. Mulder nodded. "Exactly." Scully sighed. "Mulder that theory is..." Now it was Mulder's turn to finish Scully's thought. "Bizarre? Out there? Highly improbable?" Scully smiled. They did know each other way too well. "Take your pick." "But admit it Scully. That does seem to fit everything together." "But....." She had run out of ideas. "Mulder, it's been a rough two days and I've hardly slept or eaten. I can't think right now." And with that she stood up and started gathering the pictures together and putting them in a large brown envelope. "Hey, if that's a case there's a pizza shop right down the street. Want me to order something for us?" Mulder offered. Scully gave Mulder a suspicious look. "What?" Mulder laughed. "It's just not like you to give up on an idea like that so quickly, Mulder. Aren't you going to constantly remind me of it until I give in?" Scully asked, jokingly. Mulder grinned. "Now do I ever do that?" Scully opened her mouth, clearly about to contradict him but Mulder beat her to it. "I'll wait until you eat and are able to put up a good argument before I do that," and he continued grinning as he picked up the phone book from the bedside table, flopped down on Scully's bed, and started searching through the yellow pages. "OK Mulder, but order anything remotely weird on that pizza and I'll never let you buy the food when we're on a case again," she said, smiling. "Hmm, since when did I say anything about actually 'buying' the pizza? I just said I'd order it," he joked, and raised his own eyebrow. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX An hour later, Mulder walked into Scully's room with the pizza. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells," Scully said. "Don't worry Scully," Mulder said sitting it down on the bed. "I checked the delivery guy for fangs and I don't think he was a blood sucking vampire like last time." Scully cringed briefly at the memory of that case and sat cross-legged on the bed. Mulder leaned up against the headboard and made himself comfortable. They each took a slice of pizza. "So what do we do about this case now, Mulder," said Scully in between bites. Mulder shrugged. "Well, all the victims have been accounted for. We still don't have a clue as to who kidnapped them though. So I guess we still have some searching to do." "Where do we begin?" asked Scully somewhat hopelessly. "We've covered everything." Mulder paused thinking. "Maybe right now we should just eat." He answered. Scully smiled slightly, and took the advice. "Hey Mulder, stop dripping cheese on the bed. I have to sleep here you know," Scully reminded him. "You could always sleep in my bed," said Mulder slyly. Scully just rolled her eyes and Mulder grinned and took another bite of his pizza. "Mulder, move over," Scully instructed as she got up and situated herself beside Mulder, leaning up against the back of the bed like he was. "Gee, Scully, we could just use your bed but can you wait until I'm finished eating?" said Mulder sarcastically. Scully punched him lightly on the arm and he pretended to be in pain. "I'm only trying to get comfortable." She leaned slightly against his shoulder. Mulder finished his pizza and draped his one arm around Scully's shoulders. Scully gave him a surprised look. "I'm only trying to get comfortable," he mimicked. "Whatever Mulder." But Scully smiled in spite of herself. Just then, someone in the room beside them turned on their stereo full blast, startling them both. Mulder's arm flew off Scully's shoulder as he jumped slightly. "Ow!" Mulder winced slightly. "What?" Scully inquired, a bit loudly so as to be heard over the loud music. "My head!" Mulder moaned, pressing a hand against the right side of his head. "I banged it against the bed post." The music was turned a bit lower so they didn't need to shout anymore. "Here, let me see," Scully said, taking his head gently in her hands and turning it toward her. "Mulder, that little bump?" "Well, it doesn't hurt that much." Mulder seemed a bit embarrassed, but he smiled anyways. She laughed. Then a few seconds later she became aware of where he hands were. "Oh, ummmm..." She quickly replaced her hands in her lap and cleared her throat. She had also realized just how close Mulder's face was to hers. It wasn't like her to be so shy. She had given Mulder medical attention before. But now the circumstances were much different. The air between them seemed almost as though it were electrically charged. Mulder broke the awkwardness by giving Scully a relaxed smile which she returned gratefully. "Mulder, I think..." started Scully, but she was interrupted by Mulder's lips on hers. It happened so suddenly that it took a while for Scully to focus on what was going on. It was as if it was a dream. By the time she had fully comprehended that Mulder was actually kissing her (and she was unknowingly kissing back), the soft sound of footsteps broke them apart. They hurriedly got to their feet only to be blinded by a harsh, white light coming through the window. Scully reached for her gun which was sitting on the table beside the bed. But just before her fingertips could touch it's surface, her hand froze. In fact, her entire body froze. No matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn't move a muscle. She could only watch, horrified, as half a dozen shadows, drifted through the walls, their beady eyes glowing a violent red. Mulder was in the same state, standing inches away from the dresser where his gun had been laying. He knew all too well what was happening. As the shadows grasped him it was if they had broken some kind of magic spell and he was able to move again only to be restrained by the dark figures. As the intruders dragged Mulder out the door all Scully could do was watch horrified as he fought in vain to free himself. Then the shadows and Mulder disappeard into the night. Scully slowly drifted into a state of unconsciousness and fell to the floor. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Deputy Jeffries was woken late that night by a ringing phone. Rubbing his eyes, he picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Deputy, it's Scully." She sounded frantic. "Ms. Scully, wha..." "They have Mulder. The shadows. It was exactly like David and Maureen said it was." There was the soft sound of a car in the background. The deputy was completely surprised. "Agent Mulder? When?" "I lost consciousness right after they left about an hour ago. I just came to." She was definitely panicking. "Deputy Jeffries, I'm on my way to the clearing in the woods now. Meet me there with back-up." "No! Wait..." but she had already hung up the phone. He silently cursed and quickly dialed the number for the sheriff's office, and at the same time, started pulling clothes out of the closet. Scully was taking a huge risk going on alone... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ten minutes later, the deputy and three other police cars, pulled up next to the forest. With guns at hand, the officers ran toward the clearing. Once there, they slowed. The only human in sight was Agent Scully standing alone and looking completely lost. Deputy Jeffries approached her. "Ma'am?" "They're not here. Where else could they have taken him?" She held one hand against her forehead as though she had a horrible headache. The deputy turned to the other officers. "Spread out!" he shouted. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX After hours and hours of searching without stop, Scully had to be convinced by the deputy that Mulder wasn't anywhere near. She choked back the tears and drove with Jeffries to the sheriff's office to file a report and answer questions. Now that she was in the same chair and in the same interrogation room Mulder and her had questioned Maureen Autrey in, she realized the distress and pain that the victims had gone through. She bowed her head silently as if ashamed of something. She knew it wasn't her fault Mulder had been taken but deep down she silently wondered if there was something she could have done to save him. "So that's exactly how it happened?" the deputy asked for the fifth time. "Yes! I told you before! That's what happened." She was getting annoyed. "Shouldn't we be out there searching for Mulder?" "We're not sure where to start. I have some officers out questioning the surrounding neighbors but so far we have nothing to go forward on." Scully saw pity in his eyes. She didn't like it, she didn't like anyone to feel that sorry for her. It made her feel as if she were a little kid but she didn't feel like confronting him about it. There was more important things to think about now. "Umm, Agent Scully?" The deputy seemed a bit confused about how to ask his next question. "What were you and Mulder doing before this occured?" This brought painful memories back to her. She imagined Mulder's soft kiss and holding back her tears seemed almost impossible, but somehow she managed. All those years she had waited for that and to be interrupted so suddenly just wasn't right. "We were eating dinner," she said carefully. "Mulder had ordered pizza and we were going over our notes." She really couldn't tell Jeffries exactly what had happened, could she? It would be risking too much. Her job and when Mulder returned their partnership. If Mulder returns, Scully painfully corrected herself. The deputy sensed the uneasiness in her voice and didn't believe her. "Well, I guess what I'm really trying to ask is..." Here he cleared his throat softly. "Were you and Agent Mulder involved?" A small space of silent awkwardness filled the room. Then Scully spoke. "You mean romantically? No, not really?" "Not really?" "We were very close, but never that close," lied Scully. "Never?" Deputy Jeffries found that hard to believe. "Does that surprise you?" He lowered his eyes then met hers again. "Off the record," he whispered. "If you two had been involved that means he could just return like the other two who had, ummm....'someone to go back to.'" Scully thought it over. "Off the record." It was more a demand than a statement of fact. "We had never really expressed our emotions physically until last night. It was only a kiss...and..." Not knowing how to continue, she gave a confused shrug. Jeffries really did feel sorry for her. "I swear, that fact will not leave these walls unless you say otherwise." "Thank you." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Days past without a single lead in the case. Scully was losing hope fast. Mulder had someone to go back. He did. She loved him. So why wasn't he being returned? If only she had told him. She was in the sheriff's office pacing. It was an entire week since Mulder's kidnapping and they had nothing. Not a single shred of evidence. The woods had been checked over and over. Still no sign of anything wrong. She went over every aspect of the case in her head. There had to be something. She stopped in her tracks. Her hands were at her sides and shaking slightly. Suddenly her cell phone went off. She grabbed it out of her trench coat with lightning speed and before it even had a chance to ring a second time she spoke anxiously into it. "Yes?" "Scully? It's me." It was Skinner. "Any news on Mulder?" Her heart sank and she swallowed. "No Sir, not yet. But we can't stop looking." Skinner prepared himself for what he was about to say. "It's been a week. The forests have been searched many times." "Are you suggesting that we give up on him?" Scully had a hint of anger in her voice. Skinner paused. "I'm sure the local law enforcement can handle it. Right now, you're needed back in DC. There's paperwork to be filled out and people to answer to." Skinner had always sensed a special connection between Mulder and Scully and he knew his words and this entire ordeal was having a terrible effect on her. But she couldn't look forever. Scully didn't speak. For the first time she was realizing that most likely Mulder would not return. The others had been returned in the space of three days. Could she really leave? Could she face an empty basement office alone? "Agent Scully?" "Yes Sir. I understand." And she hung up and for the first time since Mulder had been abducted she let a few solitary tears fall from her eyes. Maybe he didn't have someone to go back to. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX She took the next flight home and arrived in her apartment early the next morning. She stayed only long enough to shower and clean herself up. There were dark circles under her eyes. As she walked through the FBI hallways to Skinner's office she braced herself for the questions. She swore to herself not to cry. As she walked into the office she saw that not only AD Skinner was there. A couple other men and one woman she couldn't remember were seated around a table. "Agent Scully, please take a seat," Skinner informed her. She did so slowly, almost mechanically. As if she were on auto-pilot and didn't have control of her body. A dark-haired man across from her spoke up. "We know the disappearance of Agent Mulder has been very hard on you so we'll try and keep this brief." She only nodded. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX At the very same moment, a car pulled swiftly up to the FBI building, and with one quick motion, jumped into a parking space. The driver got out. His hair was a mess and mud stained the bottom of his black suit pants. A small red stain covered the pocket of his white shirt. He ran into the nearest entrance and made his way to the lonely office in the basement. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "Now, Agent Scully, about the x-files. Will you be willing to continue on them yourself?" She couldn't believe this was happening. There was no way she could answer that question. "I...." Her voice was beginning to fade. "I can't deal with this right now." And she abruptly stood and walked quickly out of the office. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Finding the basement office empty, the dirty strewn figure made his way to the assistant director's office, ignoring the curious glances thrown his way. The man barely missed Scully as she entered the elevator and made her way to the parking lot. Without acknowledging the surprised look on the secretary's face, he walked right into Skinner's office. The people gathered at the desk jumped from their seats in surprise upon laying their eyes on who they thought was a dead man. "Agent Mulder?!" exclaimed one of the men. Mulder only answered with an out of breath "Yes." His eyes scanned the faces of each person in the room. The man continued. "I believe you have a lot of explaining to do about...." "Mulder," interrupted Skinner. Mulder met his gaze. "She just left. Try the parking lot," the assistant director continued. Mulder's eyes lit up and her left, quickening his pace. The man who had been doing the questioning gave Skinner a somewhat annoyed glare. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX As Scully approached her car, she grabbed the keys out of her pocket and searched through them trying to find the right one. She had to get out of here. She didn't notice Mulder emerge from the stairway door. As he jogged up to her, he slowed. Now that he finally found her, he didn't know what to say. He watched silently as she tried to find the right key. There were tears running down her face. "Who died?" he asked in a low tone. Scully jumped suddenly, dropping her keys, which were now forgotten. Was she hearing things? She bit her lip and closed her eyes. It was impossible. As she turned slowly to face the voice she held her breath. Mulder was holding his too. She was only an arms length away. Scully opened her eyes and let out the air from her lungs in a relieved gasp. "I..Is it really you?" As if to confirm this, he smiled and embraced her. Scully, still at a loss for words only managed to choke out, "But...how?" The words were muffled by his shirt. Mulder pulled away a little, letting his hands rest on her waist. He whispered softly, "I had someone to go back to." Scully relaxed in his arms. Her eyes were no longer frantic. She raised her hand to brush the dirt away from his brow and leaned in closer so that their noses were only centimeters apart. Both were completely silent. His right hand left Scully's waist and gently took hold of the hand which had been stroking his forehead. He held it in his grasp as if never willing to let it go again. And quite possibly he never wanted to. As he leaned in to kiss her they lowered their intertwined hands to their sides. Mulder's other hand softly came to rest in her hair. And their lips met. Softly at first but then the kiss escalated into something so passionate they were at a loss for breath. The door to the elevator opened and out stepped Skinner. But they weren't going to be interrupted again and remained oblivious to his presence. As their lips finally parted, they kept their faces close together and perhaps would have continued if AD Skinner hadn't loudly cleared his throat to gain their attention. The two turned to face him, still in each other's arms. "Agents, there are some people up there who are in need of answers to all this." Scully opened her mouth to explain. "Sir...." Skinner cut her off. "I didn't see anything." And with that he turned and returned to the elevator. As the doors closed he offered them both a slight smile. After all it was bound to happen sooner or later. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX After things had settled down and Mulder and Scully had rejoined the conference, Mulder explained everything. The only difference from the other stories was that he told his with an air of authority. As if he were reciting a report. The reason that he had returned so late was because of his lack of knowledge of the forest. He had been lost in them for several days, but eventually he had found a stream and followed it into town. "I took the flight after Scully's and arrived here," he finished. The man with the dark hair removed his wire-frame glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Upon replacing them on his nose the disbelief practically shone from his eyes. "Agent Mulder, that is quite an incredible story." "Yes Sir, but it's the truth." The phone on Skinner's desk rang. "Excuse me," he said and answered it. "Skinner." A pause. "Yes hold on a second." He held it out to Scully. "It's for you." She took the phone. "Yes?" On the other end, Deputy Jeffries spoke in a victorious voice. "Scully! It looks like this case is solved." By the tone of voice Scully knew he was smiling. "What? How?" "Early this morning, a teenage girl by the name of Jennel Good arrived at the sheriff's office. She told quite an elaborate story about how her and a group of young people from a neighboring town started their own cult." "A cult?" "Yes. It appears a group of five bored teens had been researching witchcraft on the internet. They weren't a very mentally stable group and had problems ranging from substance abuse to suicide tendencies." "So they decided to perform their own rituals." Scully concluded. "Exactly. But Jennel here, cracked under the guilt and confessed about everything giving us a complete list of the members involved. But..." Here his voice lost the exuberant tone it once had. "We failed to turn up Agent Mulder. I'm sorry, Ms. Scully." Scully laughed. "Don't worry deputy. That's been taken care of." "You found him?" He was clearly surprised. "He found me actually. He arrived here about a half hour ago." "Well I sure am glad to hear that." "But Mulder and the other victims reported six abductors, deputy. You said there were five," said Scully confused. "There was no little blonde girl in these ranks," he said as if that would explain everything. "I see." Scully didn't know what conclusion to draw from that. An angel? A fairy? Maybe they would never know. "Thank you for all your help." Scully said, and it was clear that she was indeed thankful. "Your welcome." And he added quickly before hanging up, "Oh, and Scully?" "Yes?" "Good luck to you and Mr. Mulder." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Scully drove Mulder home that night. The car in the parking lot had to be returned to the rental company. On the way to Mulder's apartment, Scully addressed something she needed explaind. "So Mulder, about that kiss..." "What about it?" Mulder's head leaned comfortably back on the passenger seat as he gazed at Scully. "Well," she said, keeping her eyes on the road. "Just how do we go about it now?" "How should we go about it?" Mulder asked cautiously. "I'm not sure." She glanced at Mulder briefly and smiled slightly. "You know," Mulder started, "relationships between partners aren't exactly against Bureau policy. As long when we're on duty everything sticks to business..." "Oh, well as long as it's not against Bureau policy. We always follow the rules don't we, Mulder?" Her smile grew. "Oh course!" Mulder said jokingly. Scully looked across at Mulder as if deciding on something. "What?" he asked innocently. Scully took a left turn and smiled coyly. "Uh, Scully. My apartments in that direction," Mulder said indicating with his thumb behind him. He grinned though because he already knew the reason why she had turned the wrong way. "Yes, it is Mulder. But my apartment's in this direction." Mulder leaned closer to Scully and whispered in her ear. "Hmmm, well how can I argue with that?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX THE END Finally! It's finished! Longest fanfic I've ever written. Please! I'm down on my knees and begging you. I need feed back!