From: JenR13 Date: 4 Oct 1998 20:26:46 GMT Subject: NEW: "Wishful Thinking" by Jen & Lauren (01a/11) TITLE: "Wishful Thinking" AUTHORS: Jen and Lauren EMAIL: JenR13@aol.com (Jen) and JRDG1013@aol.com (Lauren) SPOILERS: A mention of Die Hand Die Verletzt and (very) small mentions of episodes up to and including Detour (if you would like a timeline of this story, assume it takes place before "The End" in Season 5) RATING: PG-13 CLASSIFICATION: XA (Yes, it has a plot) KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully UST, Muldertorture ARCHIVE: Sure, why not? :-) SUMMARY: Wishes can't come true, or can they? DISCLAIMER: Well, we have all heard it a million times, but here goes: Don't worry Chris, we only _borrowed_ your toys, and our mommies taught that borrowing means _you have to give them back_. So, although Mulder is bit damaged (but Chris, when is he not? ), we hand all your characters back into your hands. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Happy 2nd story to us! :-) This is the second story that we have written together, but certainly not the last! :-) And as it has to be said, if you find some minor mistakes, please don't write us countless letters about them, because we already know they exist :-). We, like the rest of the whole world, are not perfect, especially when it comes to proofreading 158 pages! "Wishful Thinking" By Jen and Lauren 1998 Part 01a/11 The crowd cheered as 14-year-old Sarah Martin finished her piano piece. her sister, Katie, thought sarcastically as her sister stood up for another bow. And Katie was only 12. Katie watched her sister Sarah get congratulated by her family, friends, and her piano teacher. Besides Sarah's piano skills, she also had a 4.0 GPA. Katie always heard her parents say: "Why can't you more like your sister?" God, she hated that. So, what if she didn't have the best grades or fantastic music skills? So what if she wasn't as pretty or popular? So what if she didn't turn the heads? she thought She turned back to her sister. Her parents came up to her. "Katie, aren't you proud of your sister?" her mother asked. Katie smiled. "Of course, Mom. Of course." But Katie was thinking the opposite. she thought in the same way every kid thought of their over-achieving sister. But this time it was different. Katie watched her smiling sister walk toward her. Sarah suddenly stumbled and fell to the floor. People started running toward her. "She's not breathing!! Someone call an ambulance!!" Katie watched the scene unfold before her eyes. She half heard the cries behind her. She was only focused on one thing in the room: her sister. "I didn't mean it," she whispered, tears falling from her eyes. "I didn't mean it." J. Edgar Hoover Building Washington, D.C. 8:30 a.m. "Earth to Mulder." Fox Mulder jumped and looked up from the file he was reading. His partner, Dana Scully, stood in front of his desk. "I've been calling your name for the last three minutes. What has you so involved?" she asked, walking around the desk to get a better look at the folder. "This." Mulder handed the folder up over his shoulders to Scully. She walked around to the front of the desk again, flipping through it as she walked. After a minute she shut it. "Why don't we save time and you tell what is in here," she said, indicating the folder. "Thought you would never ask." Mulder picked up a picture off of his desk and held it up. "This is 14-year-old Sarah Martin. A resident of a little town in New Jersey called Rutherford. Not far from the Meadowlands Sports complex," he said with a smile. "Pretty little girl. Quite a piano player, too." Scully took the photo from Mulder's hand and took a closer look at it. The girl in the photo was pretty, with brown hair and brown eyes. "And?. . . ." "And she was a happy, healthy, active teenager until two days ago. Now she's a corpse. Collapsed shortly after playing in her piano recital. In front of 200 people. The cause of death, well, that why this file made it way down to the basement, Scully." "And the cause of death would be?. . . ." Mulder got up, walked over to Scully, and opened the folder in her hands. "I believe you will find it on page 9." Scully raised her eyebrows and looked at the folder. "Strangulation?" "Yep. With the signs of it around her neck. Sarah, apparently, fell to the floor, at her recital, in front of 200 people remember, gasping for air. She was dead by the time the ambulance arrived. Not one of the people there saw anyone close to Sarah in those seconds before she collapsed, never mind close enough to strangle her." He walked back his desk and opened the drawer. Scully's skepticism shot up at once. "Mulder, that's not possible. Maybe there was a mistake in the autopsy." Mulder looked up her. "Look at those photos, Scully. I don't think that is a mistake. But I did arrange for you to look at the body when we get there. So you can check it out for yourself." He put two airline tickets on the desk. "Our flight is at noon. We lucked out. An hour flight." Scully sighed. "I guess I better go home and pack." Flight 456 On the runway 12:27 p.m. Scully tapped her fingers on her arm rest. They had been stuck on the runway for the last half an hour. She took her fingers off of the armrest and was now playing with them on her lap. "Impatient, Scully?" Mulder asked as he sat down in his seat next to Scully. "I just wish we would get this over with," Scully muttered. She wasn't fond of plane rides. She remembered the first plane ride she took with Mulder. The plane had dipped and while she had grabbed her seat, Mulder acted like nothing was happening. she thought. "Well, I just talked to one of the flight attendants. She said there was a long line for take-off. We should get going in a minute," Mulder said, settling down in his seat. "Which flight attendant, Mulder? The blond one?" Scully teased. "Of course, who else?" he answered with a grin. The plane started moving then. The seatbelt sign flashed on and Scully buckled her seatbelt. It was a calm peaceful ride for about 10 minutes. Mulder was sitting in his seat with his eyes closed. Scully thought with a smile. Suddenly turbulence hit. The plane jostled. Scully gripped her seat so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She turned toward her partner. He was looking with her, with a sly grin on her face. With the plane still in turbulence, Mulder said, with a straight face, "Scully, I've never seen someone grip something so tight. Your boyfriends must be very satisfied." Scully thought, still holding her seat. Mulder noticed that and gripped her hand with his. They looked at each other. "Dare me to hit on that flight attendant now?" Mulder said with a smile. Scully had to smile at that. The turbulence subsided then. "Thanks for the distraction, Mulder," she said softly. "Aw Scully, I'd offer to hit on any flight attendant for you," he answered and settled into his seat and closed his eyes again. Newark Airport Newark, NJ 2:39 p.m. Mulder rubbed his eyes as he walked up to the rent-a-car. "What's the matter?" Scully asked. "The flight too short for you this time?" she thought "Maybe," he said and gave their names to the people at the desk. She then handed him a key and pointed toward the parking lot. They walked in silence to the parking lot. "Give me the keys, Mulder," Scully said simply when they reached the car. Mulder looked at her. "You're tired and I want to drive. That too much to ask for?" Mulder handed the keys over to her without a word. On the Highway 3:15 p.m. As Scully kept her eyes on the road, Mulder took the opportunity to look over the case some more. "You can do your autopsy whenever, Scully," he said. "I want to talk to the family." "And I wouldn't? Where is this motel, by the way?" she asked, as she turned off of the highway. "There, Scully." Mulder pointed to a small motel sandwiched between houses and a Burger King. The sign outside proudly announced "Free HBO." "We even get free HBO, Scully. Guess the perks just don't stop." Scully parked the car on the street, not seeing a parking lot. "This is the only motel in Rutherford?" Scully asked, still gazing at it through her window. "Well, no. Actually Rutherford doesn't have a motel. We are about 50 feet from Rutherford in Lyndhurst." "Didn't know you knew so much about New Jersey, Mulder," Scully remarked, as she climbed out of the car. "See, Scully, I do my homework. Let's get checked in." He headed for the motel. Scully sighed and followed. Motel Lyndhurst, NJ 4:03 p.m. Scully quickly rummaged through her suitcase for a more comfortable pair of shoes. She had just spent a half hour on her feet as Mulder tried to get a room in the motel. They had arrived at the clerk's desk and found no one there. Mulder had tracked down two maids, but no manager. Finally the guy arrived and they got to check in. And it was 4 o'clock. Scully sighed as she found another pair of shoes that (fortunately) matched her outfit, put them on, and walked next door to Mulder's room and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" came the reply from within. "Mulder, it's me," she replied, knowing that Mulder would instantly know who it was. "Scully, come in, the door's open." Scully walked in to an empty room. Mulder's suitcase lay open and the contents lay spawled out on the bed. she thought. "I'm almost ready to go," Mulder said as he peeked his head out the bathroom door. Scully noticed something different about him. True to his word, Mulder was out of the bathroom two minutes later. Scully immediately eyed him. Mulder felt Scully's eyes on him as he grabbed his badge and gun from the dresser. "Do I look that good today to have the pleasure of being ogled?" Scully ignored that comment and walked up to him and fingered his tie. "Your tie! It's...it's..." "It's what?" Mulder was clueless now. "It's nice and......normal." Scully dropped his tie. Mulder looked down. "Yeah, well, I kinda spilled iced tea on my alien one on the plane," he said and walked toward the door. Scully stood there for a moment. "Scully, are you coming? You said you wanted to come to the Martins' with me." Mulder looked at her oddly. Scully shook her head. "Yeah, I'm coming." Since when did her partner's tie bother her? On the Road 5:17 p.m. Scully drove again. "I never said I knew New Jersey well. You did, remember?" Mulder was saying. Scully slouched in the driver's seat and mumbled something incoherent. "Hm?" She glared at him. "I can't believe you got us lost." "We're not lost. I know exactly where we are... we're at," He turned to read the sign. "Bobby's Bar and Afghani cuisine and gift shop." He opened his door and jumped out. "Maybe Bobby's got a map or at least an employee with a sense of direction. And Scully? It wasn't my fault we got lost, it was that woman at the gas station who convinced us to turn left when I said right." "Uh huh." She had past him and was inside Bobby's. "Phew," she said when a blast of smoke hit her full in the face. She walked up to the counter where a bored looking lady was smoking a cigarette and simultaneously chewing gum, a feat which Scully figured must take some talent. "Excuse me, can you direct us to Partrick Rd... in Rutherford?" The lady eyed Scully. "You're on Partrick." Scully felt an overwhelming urge to pull out her badge and flash her officialness in the rude lady's face, but instead she dug the toe of her shoe into the scuffed tile floor. "All right, I'm looking for number 47." "Congratulations." There was a long pause. Scully glanced longingly over her shoulder to locate Mulder; she found him reading Hallmark cards across the room. She turned back to the lady. "Look, what number are we on Partrick." The lady took a moment, apparently trying to come up with a smart-alec remark but, finding none, replied, "Forty-three." "We're two houses down from forty seven?" She nodded and rubbed her cigarette out on the filthy counter top and popped her gum. Scully glared at Mulder. "Thanks a lot," she told the lady. On the way out she tapped her partner on the arm. She drove the full 20 feet to the Martins' house then got out of the car and moved quickly up to the house, still not saying anything to Mulder. "Hey," He had caught up with her in a few long strides. "What's up with--" The door opened and cut off his inquiry. A middle aged woman, most likely Mrs. Martin, stood before them, wearing a moo-moo and her hair in a loose bun. "Hello?" Scully asserted, pulled out her badge. "Hello, I'm Agent Scully, we spoke on the phone earlier." She acknowledged Mulder. "And this is Agent Mulder." "Yes, yes," she gave a warm smile. Scully wondered. "Please come in, my husband should be home any moment now." They entered a dimly lit living room area; a floral print couch was in the middle and Scully and Mulder sat there while Mrs. Martin went to the stairs. With one hand on the banister she leaned up and called, "Katie. Katie, come downstairs, I need you to talk to some people." There was a silence then a Scully heard a voice call, "Okay." and a minute later a young girl came down the steps, jumping from the third to the bottom to land with a thud on the uneven wooden planks. "Katie, these are Agents Mulder and Scully. Will you sit with us for a few minutes to talk about Sarah?" Her voice softened when she said her older daughter's name. Katie looked hesitant but stepped over to the armchair, draped in another floral print, and sat, arms wrapped around her pulled up knees. She watched the agents carefully, waiting for one of them to speak. "Katie--" Agent Scully started. She cut her off. "Yes?" she replied abruptly. "Uh," Agent Scully smiled. "How old are you, Katie?" "Twelve," she replied faster than she had meant to. She realized she sounded nervous then realized she was. Agent Scully began speaking quietly to her mom so she turned her attention to Agent Mulder. He was apparently listening closely to the other adults' conversation, he had his long legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles and his eyes flicked from her mother to Agent Scully and back again, depending on who was talking. she realized. Katie suddenly realized the agents were standing up to leave. That was strange... they'd only been here a couple minutes. "...we'll be calling you in a couple days, Mrs. Martin." Agent Scully was saying. She smiled politely and they left. In the driveway, Scully was accepting the keys from Mulder. "You really are tired, aren't you?" she asked. "What's the matter?" He shrugged and got into the passenger's seat. "I dunno. Nothing, I guess." She frowned. "You hardly said anything in there. Mulder!" "WHAT??" He flinched, alarmed. She was staring at his chest and he too looked down. "What?" "Your tie! It's..... bright!" she said. He pulled it away from his body to get a closer look and sure enough it was. "Mulder, it looks like Walt Disney threw up on it." He dropped the tie and gave a little laugh. "C'mon Scully, let's go back." She stared at it one more time, wondering how he had changed ties without her noticing and stuck the key in the ignition. Mulder hardly said a word all the way back to the motel. Scully was getting worried. Mulder was usually never this quiet. She glanced at him, hoping he wouldn't notice. No such luck. "What are you looking at?" Mulder asked, sounding annoyed. "You're so quiet. Are you okay?" Scully asked her eyes turning back to the road. "I'm FINE," Mulder said, quiet loudly, and in the same way Scully had said that line over and over again when she was sick. Scully got the hint. Whatever problem Mulder had, he would tell her when he was ready. Though sometimes when he was ready happened to be too late. Scully pushed the thoughts out of her head. She pulled up at the motel without another word from Mulder. As they walked to their rooms, she saw Mulder yawn out of the corner of her eye. "I'm going to grab something to eat, then head out to the medical examiner's office and take a look at Sarah Martin's body," Scully said, and she watched Mulder nod slightly. Then she added, "Mulder, you look beat. Get some sleep." She braced herself for another outburst, like in the car, but was greeted instead by a simple, "Ok, Scully." Scully sighed and watched Mulder walk into his room. She headed to the lobby to see if she could get something to eat. End part 01a of 11 ---------- Part 01b of 11. Medical Examiner's Office 6:15 p.m. The place was almost deserted when Scully arrived. She spotted a man in blue scrubs and guessing him to be John Jacobs, head medical examiner, and walked over to him. "Dr. Jacobs?" Scully asked when she reached him. "Yes?" He looked up from the chart he was looking at. "I'm Special Agent Dana Scully from the FBI. You were holding the body of Sarah Martin for me to look at?" Scully said, an air of question to her last remark. "Ah, yes, Dr. Scully. I was expecting you. This way." He led her to the back and to an autopsy bay. "It's all yours. I'll be reviewing cases at the main desk if you need me." Scully thanked him and watched him walk away. Then she got to work. Medical Examiner's office 6:45 p.m. Scully sighed. When she had first seen the body of Sarah Martins, she had seen the cause of death was apparent. There was major bruising on the neck and further examination confirmed strangulation as cause of death. But Scully was puzzled as to how the strangling took place. There had to be an explanation. She took off her latex gloves in frustration. There was nothing else to learn from this autopsy. So she just cleaned up and headed back toward the car. "Find anything new?" Dr. Jacobs asked, as she passed him on the way out. Scully shook her head. "I didn't think you would. It's just a puzzle." thought Scully as she headed out the door. Now she understood Mulder's fatigue. She was beginning to feel a little of it herself. Motel 7:35 p.m. Scully shook her head as she turned the key into the lock of her room. Just as she was about to enter it, she was interrupted by a scream. She turned her head and noticed it had come from Mulder's room. "Sam! NO!!!!" she heard him scream, loud. She knew it was another dream. He had many of them. She instinctively went for Mulder's door and turned the handle. Surprisingly it was unlocked. She walked in and found the lights out and Mulder tangled in the covers of his bed, in a white T-shirt and boxers, twisting and turning. "Sam--don't!!" Scully walked toward him to wake him when his cries changed. "Scully--don't take Scully!! You already have Sam, don't take her too!" he mumbled. Scully stood back at that call. Her? Why was he dreaming of her? Mulder tended to believe that everything was his fault. Her thoughts were cut off by Mulder muttering something else, unrecognizable. She walked over and turned on the lamp next to his bed. "Mulder," she said gently, shaking him. Mulder mumbled something else. "Mulder. Mulder." She shook him a little harder. Finally hazel eyes greeted her. A look of confusion crossed them, then a look of relief. "Scully, you're here....," Mulder whispered. Scully noticed the beads of sweat that covered his face. She would have dismissed it as normal, because of the nightmare, but she also noticed his cheeks were flushed a light red. She frowned in concern. Mulder focused a bit more on his surroundings. He had been surprised to see Scully's face looking into his own; but he felt relieved. Then he watched her mouth turn into a frown, a look he knew a little _too_ well. He pushed the covers away; then he noticed that he had already pushed most of them away in his sleep. He got up out of the bed and escaped Scully's gaze and frown. "So what did you find out?" he asked, as if the nightmare he just had had not occurred. Mulder watched Scully's frown lessen. "Nothing much. She was strangled. How? I don't know," she admitted. Mulder grabbed his clothes and walked into the bathroom. "So did you eat?" he shouted from the bathroom. "Yes, but only a little," Scully said. "I'm up for something else now." Mulder appeared two minutes later fully dressed, straightening the same outrageous tie Scully had noticed in the car. "Let's go find a decent restaurant around here," he suggested as he grabbed his badge and gun from the dresser, something Scully had watched him do only a few hours before. "Mulder, couldn't you at least wear that tie that you wore to the Martins'? _Before_ you changed it?" Scully urged. Mulder broke into a grin. "Well, Scully, the funny thing about that is, that tie, was misplaced." He walked toward the door. Scully followed shaking her head. Someday she would get him to wear a normal tie for more than five minutes. _Someday_. McDonald's Rutherford, NJ 8:03 p.m. Scully watched Mulder sink his teeth into a Big Mac and grin widely so she could see the contents of his mouth. "That's disgusting, chew with your mouth closed." Scully couldn't help but smile a bit too. She had long finished her salad but Mulder was already into his second Big Mac. "I thought you said a decent restaurant, Mulder." "Thith ithn dethen?" he asked around a mouthful. He finished off the burger. "Think I could get another one of these?" He stood and walked to the counter, not waiting for her response. "Keep that up, you're gonna make yourself sick," she said when he came back. He shrugged. "Mulder, do you have any idea where we're going with this case?" He cocked his head in inquiry and she continued, "Sarah Martin was a healthy teenager when she was killed. She was in a room full of people, someone would've noticed if anyone had come up and.... and strangled her. She...." Scully struggled for a way to put this. "Mulder, her death is impossible. There was no one NEAR her, and..... and how do you explain the strangulation marks? Huh?" He was licking grease off his fingers. "That's why it's an X-File, remember?" Scully sighed, opened her mouth, then shut it again. "Look, I'm tired. I just did an autopsy while you were napping." Remembering the terror he was in while "napping", she immediately regretted bringing it up. "I'm going back to the motel. I recommend you do too." "Actually, I want to check out the crime scene." Mulder had stood up and was shrugging into his trench coat. "I'll drop you off at the motel." He held the door open for her and she slipped under his arm and out into the cold night air. "All right, but, Mulder?" "Mm?" "Don't stay out too late. You need all the sleep you can get." She thought he would argue but instead he smiled. "Yes, Mom." Motel Rutherford, NJ 9:00 p.m. Scully had just showered and changed into her pajamas and was now sitting on the corner of the bed, brushing out her wet hair and taking advantage of the free HBO. The end of Contact was on. She'd never seen it before so following the plot when watching from the end took a bit too much concentration so she clicked off the TV with the remote and sat back. Pulling her book off the bedside table, she flipped on the small lantern light by the bed and opened her book. A glance of her watch, it was 9:23. She read a few chapters then, yawning, looked down at her watch again. 10:04. Where was Mulder? she thought, not believing a word of it. Her hand groped on the wall for the light, found it and switched it off. She slipped under the covers, yawning, and, though she was tired, she couldn't fall asleep. 8:39 p.m. Mulder paced the hall, thinking. He had come to the scene of the crime, the piano recital hall. He had gotten their just as the director of the studio, Jenna Hall, was leaving. She kindly let him to explore and showed him how to lock up when he was done. So now , it was just Mulder and the empty studio. He walked to the piano and looked around it. There was no places for a person to hide there, at least without being seen. The piano was at the north end of the room, with a huge window behind it. You could watch someone play easily from outside, Mulder noted. He yawned then and tried to push his fatigue aside and concentrate. Something was bothering him; it was in the back of his mind, his couldn't quite grasp it. He remembered how Sarah's sister, Katie had acted that afternoon. She seemed nervous, then again, her sister did just die. Mulder knew that was a frightening thing, his mind returning to his dream. He shook his head. He didn't think that he would be getting any sleep tonight. Mulder sighed. He wished he had brought Scully. Then he would someone to bounce ideas off of. This was frustrating. He checked his watch. 9:15. Had he been here that long? Mulder got up to leave when a sparkle of gold caught his eye. He bent down and picked it up. It was a simple gold bracelet with a simple K engraved on it. Mulder thought as he looked at it. In fact, he had remembered Katie wearing a similar bracelet when he and Scully were at the Martin's. Mulder held the bracelet up to the light, when he caught a shadow creeping up behind him. He turned to see what it was when he felt something hard slam into the back of his head. As darkness threatened him, Mulder looked up and saw nothing. Darkness cut off Mulder's thoughts. 10:26 p.m. Back at the motel Scully laid awake in her bed, listening to every sound that she heard. She had heard cars pass by, but not one of them turned toward the motel. No sign of Mulder. Scully was growing worried. She had seen him over 2 hours ago. she thought. But it was that "or something" that bothered her. "That's it," Scully muttered. She threw the covers off and grabbed her coat. She wouldn't be able to sleep until she saw him. And then, she would kill him for worrying her. Piano Studio 11:55 p.m. Since Mulder had the car Scully had to call a cab. It took _forever_. Scully was growing more worried by the moment. Luckily, the cabby knew where the studio was. Scully ran out of the cab and saw a light on in the studio. she thought. That meant Mulder must still be here. Or at least someone that might know where Mulder went would be there. She rushed toward the door, hoping it was unlocked. It was. Scully opened the door, found the stairs, and went up to the room where the light was on. "Mulder!" she cried when she walked in. Mulder lay in a heap by the piano, with a gold bracelet laying beside him. She saw a broken footstool at his feet. Two situations came to mind. Either Mulder 1) tripped over the footstool, or 2) he was hit over the head with it. Scully hoped it was one, but had it a feeling it was two. She crept beside Mulder and felt his pulse. At least that was strong. She touched the tickle of blood that was coming from a spot near Mulder's hairline. He groaned at her touch. "Mulder? Mulder, can you hear me?" Mulder groaned again and wondered what Scully was doing here. And why did he have such a headache? Mulder tried to open his eyes, but found it difficult. When he was finally able to open them, all he saw was a dizzying tangle of lights. "Mulder?" Scully asked again, concern in her voice. Mulder blinked his eyes again and was able to focus. He saw Scully knelt down next to the piano. Then he remembered. "Some-thing hit....me," he mumbled, not quite sure of the words. He started to sit up, but both a strong pain and Scully pushed him back down. "Stay down, Mulder," Scully said, reassuringly. "Do you think they are still here?" she asked, grabbing for her gun. Then Mulder remembered what he had seen right before he passed out. "There was no one," he mumbled, then got a strength on the words. "I was able to turn around before I blacked out and there was no one there." "You sure?" Mulder nodded, regretting that move when pain radiated from his head. Scully relaxed a little and Mulder tried to sit up again. Scully tried to push him back, but he pushed her hands away. But he regretted sitting up as soon as he did it. The room went back to being a dizzying circle of lights. He closed his eyes again and when he opened them, things were in focus, and Scully was in front of him, frowning. "How long where you out?" she asked. Mulder himself frowned. "When I last looked at my watch it was 9 something...." He couldn't remember the time exactly; his brain was still fuzzy. Scully's frown deepened. "It's midnight now, Mulder. You've been out at least 2 hours, probably more. Mulder, I want you to get checked out at the hospital." But as soon as she had said those words Mulder was shaking his head. "Mulder, you could, hell, with your track record, you probably have a concussion. Plus that cut on your head is going to need a couple of stitches," Scully pointed out and was getting her cell phone out. Mulder clapped his hand over the cell phone. "Please, Scully, you take care of it. Wake me up every two hours if you have too. I don't want to go to the hospital." His eyes were so pleading that Scully sighed. A 24-hour observation period could put a damper into their investigation. Plus, Mulder was pretty lucky when it came to head injuries. She sighed again. "Ok, Mulder. You win. No hospital. But you _are_ going to listen to me, right?" Scully warned rather than asked. Mulder nodded. "Now can you get up?" Scully asked and she helped him to his feet. He swayed a lot when he got there, though. Scully put her hand around him and led him to the car. She sighed for the third time in five minutes. Couldn't Mulder ever survive a case without injury? End Part 01b of 11. Part 02a of 11. Motel Rutherford, NJ 12:17 a.m. After stopping by the local drug store in search for some painkillers for Mulder and finding it closed, Scully returned to the motel with a pretty much zoned out Mulder. "C'mon," she said and gently shook his shoulder. In an action of half-leading/ half-carrying her six-foot partner back to the motel, Scully managed to unlock the door and step inside just before the rain started to fall. Sheets of gray rain pounded incessantly on the tin roof. After just a few seconds, it was beginning to give Scully a headache and she couldn't begin to imagine what Mulder was going through. He had collapsed on the bed, fortunately the one in his room, because Scully wasn't sure if she would be able to get him up anytime soon. She sat at the edge of his bed, a few wet tissues in hand, and dabbed at the cut on his head. She spoke softly. "This isn't as bad as I thought, no stitches. But we still have to be cautious with that concussion." He didn't respond to that. Louder, she said, "Mulder, think you can get out of your suit? Do you have anything... any sweats, maybe?" He gave a barely perceptible nod. Scully smiled and patted his hand. "I'll go look in your suitcase. Be right back." When she returned, he had his eyes clenched tightly shut, forehead scrunched against the headache. He was curled up, head thrown back, one hand held loosely onto his collar as if it had been trying to loosen it but had given up in the effort. Scully pushed his hand away, careful not to disturb him, and undid the knot in his tie. She managed to pull it off without him noticing but when it was time for the suit jacket to come off, she needed to move him. "Mulder," she whispered. "Mulder," she said a little louder. "C'mon, sit up for me." His eyes opened, he licked his lips and sat up, his movements slow and lethargic. Still moving slowly, he shrugged out of the suit jacket and messed with the buttons on his shirt. However, he was exhausted and some of his usual coordination was lost with the concussion so Scully ended up helping him with the rest of his clothing. When he was clad in black sweatpants and a gray FBI T-shirt and safely under the covers, Scully turned off the light by his bed. "Goodnight," she said, knowing he was already asleep. She began to walk backwards, watching him warily in the sliver of light coming from under the door, nervous about leaving him. Just as she reached the door, the light glinted on something in his hand. Scully moved back to the bed and found the source of attention; a small, golden bracelet, the one she had found by Mulder in the studio, held in his fist, loosened and relaxed with sleep. Carefully, she nudged apart his fist and pulled the bracelet out. her tired mind said. She pulled her sleeve over her hand and held the bracelet in it, as to not wipe away potential fingerprints on it. Then, returning to her room, she dropped the evidence in a plastic bag and went to bed for the second time that night. This time, she slept well. Motel 9:57 a.m. Scully had woken up early and dropped the bag with the bracelet off at the local crime lab to be examined for fingerprints. She was now sitting restlessly in her room, getting bored of the free HBO and waiting for Mulder to wake up. So far she'd watched the end of Ferris Beuller's Day Off and most of Parenthood. She was laughing at Steve Martin in Parenthood when she heard a crash from the next room. Reaching for the remote, she turned down the volume a bit so she could hear better what was going on in the next room and waited for Mulder to appear at her door. When she heard nothing more after several minutes, she began to get worried. She turned off the TV. and walked through the door joining her and Mulder's room. She found him sprawled on the floor near his bed, hair sticking up in thirty-five different directions, looking confused. Scully knelt by him. "Hey. How you feeling?" Before he answered she noticed he was squinting. "Head hurts, huh? I'll go out and get you some pain killers in a couple minutes. Do you want some breakfast first?" He was staring at her face, still not fully awake, slow at answering, "Breakfast?" "Yeah, you want some?" His mouth turned in a frown. "Uh uh." Scully had stood and was trying to pull Mulder up with her. She succeeded and let him drop onto the bed then sat next to him. "Are you nauseous?" she asked gently. He swallowed sluggishly. "I dunno." "All right." Scully pushed him down. "Stay here, I'm going into town. I'll be back in a couple minutes." While she talked, Mulder had managed to lift his head, a difficult task, to see her better, but now he dropped it. "Why?" "To get you medicine." She was already out the door. The day was frigid. A light rain still fell, but nothing compared to the downpour of the previous night. Scully drove into town, picked up a package of extra-strength Tylenol, the strongest thing the drug store carried. Realizing she was close to the lab, she stopped by there too. A young man who reminded her a bit of Pendrell, even though his coloring was opposite, greeted her. "We got the results back, Agent Scully. There were three sets of fingerprints on the bracelet; Katherine Martin's, you partner's--" Scully interrupted him. "Agent Mulder found it yesterday. He was holding it and was in a situation where he didn't have gloves for proper--" "I understand." The lab technician smiled warmly. "But there was a third set of prints that..." He pulled out a sheet of paper with a picture of a young girl on it as well as several lines of information about her. "matched this. Her name is, I'm sorry, WAS, Joanna Wasserman. She lived in Texas--" "Why the past tense?" "Well," His eyes narrowed. "That's the thing. Joanna was killed in 1993 in a hit and run while she was visiting Rutherford." He frowned. "Nobody seemed too devastated by her death, not even the parents. She was something of a trouble maker." Scully extended a hand. "Can I have that sheet?" "Sure." He gave it to her. "One minute, uh...here." He had picked up a folder from the cluttered countertop. "This gives details on her death... as well as her LIFE. Joanna was... well, not an ordinary child. She caused alot of stir around Texas." Scully accepted it. "Thank you. I'll return this by tomorrow." "No, no." He waved it off. "Keep that as long as you want." A mischievous smile lit his face. "Actually, I've been interested in Joanna's death since the case came in years ago. We don't really have that many hit and runs around here. Hardly any. And when her fingerprints show up in THIS case, well..." Scully smiled. "Thank you," she said and left. Motel 10:31 a.m. Holding the information about Joanna in one hand, Scully opened her motel door with the other. She was greeted by complete silence, a silence that worried her a little. She dropped Joanna's file on her dresser, grabbed her medical bag and the Tylenol she had bought at the drug store and headed into Mulder's room, not even pausing to knock. She found Mulder sitting up in bed, his glasses on, his journal sitting face down on his lap. A pen was in his hand, indicating Mulder had tried to write something, but Scully doubted he succeeded. Even now, his eyes weren't focused, something Scully knew Mulder could do to zone out when the pain got bad. "Mulder," Scully said gently, taking the pen out of his hand. Mulder blinked and swallowed, turning his head slightly toward Scully. But as soon as he turned, he shut his eyes against the pain of the movement. thought Scully as she watched him. Mulder opened his eyes and looked at her. "You were gone more than a few minutes," he said, and Scully was glad he wasn't as confused as he had been a hour ago. "Well, I stopped by the lab to pick up the bracelet I found in your hand last night. I had it dusted for fingerprints." Mulder squinted again and Scully got out her penlight. "I remember that bracelet," Mulder said slowly, "It looked like the one I saw Katie wearing." Scully shined the light into Mulder's eyes. He closed them against the light. "No, just stay still," she said, and he opened his eyes again. "The one and only. It had her fingerprints and yours all over it." She shut off the light, satisfied with what she saw. "Sorry about that," Mulder said sheepishly. "It's okay, Mulder. I understand. Follow my finger," she said, holding one finger in front of Mulder's eyes, and moving it back and forth. She took her finger down. "Good," she said shortly. "Is that all you found out from the bracelet?" Mulder asked. He was interested in discovering why it was there. Scully, who had been opening the Tylenol bottle, stopped. "Well, there was something else," she said carefully. "What?" "There was another set of fingerprints on the bracelet. A Joanna Wasserman's." Scully paused and looked thoughtful. "And?" "And, the thing is Joanna was a resident of Texas who did visit Rutherford." "Why the past tense Scully?" Mulder forgot the pain in his head for a second and just waited for Scully's answer. "The past tense, because she was killed in 1993 in a hit-and-run. I have the police report as well as a record of Joanna's life in my room. She was twelve years old when she died." The last sentence peaked something in Mulder's mind. "Just like Katie," he said thinking. "Can I see those reports, Scully?" He straightened up more, but grimaced when he moved his head. Scully went back to opening the Tylenol bottle. "Maybe you should wait awhile, Mulder. I mean, you can't move your head without pain, never mind reading small print. I know you tried writing before. From the looks of it you weren't successful." Mulder looked down at the book on his lap. "Yeah, well....." "I thought so." She handed him two pills. "Tylenol is the strongest thing they had without prescription. I'll get you some water." She went into the bathroom and reappeared a minute later with a glass of water. Mulder eyed the pills. "Without prescription?" he repeated, looking up at her. "Mulder, you have had enough concussions to know that you can't get any pain killers stronger than that because it could mask the symptoms of a serious head injury, even if I did write a prescription." Mulder sighed. He had already known that. "Okay," he said simply and downed both pills. Scully sat on the edge on the bed. "You must be really hurting if you are asking for a stronger pain killer," she said, gently, looking at him concerned. Mulder saw the look of concern. "Scully, I'm fine. Just a headache." "I'm sure it was just a headache when you fell out of bed this morning and could hardly remember your name," she said, not believing him for a second. Mulder just glared at her. She took the glass from him and put it on the nightstand. "How about just resting a little while longer, then I will let you see those files. You can't think with that headache now anyway." Mulder nodded. He remembered how he tried to write some case details into his journal, but how the words just swam in front of his eyes. Scully was right, maybe in a little while. But just a little while, because Mulder knew he had a theory in the still fuzzy brain of his. He just needed to put it together. Motel 12:24 p.m. Scully frowned as she glanced at the information once again. But it didn't change. "Twelve-year-old responsible for school fire," she read from a newspaper clipping that had been included with Joanna's file. "Twelve-year-old Joanna Wasserman reportedly admitted to being involved in the fire that burned Kendlebridge Middle School to the ground last week. The fire was a four alarm blaze, ripping through the building in seconds, injuring over 50 and killing 2, a teacher, Kerry Brooks, 32, and a student, Pete Robinson, 12." Scully took her glasses off and put the article down. She found it highly unlikely that a twelve-year old could be responsible, single-handedly, for such a huge fire. But it was in black-and-white, and this was not the only incident that Joanna had been linked to. Scully had read through half a dozen other articles that Joanna was mentioned in. And not one of those articles regarded her very highly. Even in the article about her death, the press seemed to mention the bad things Joanna had been involved in. Scully was beginning to realize why no one had real remorse when she died. Scully got up from the bed and walked over the dresser, where she had placed the bracelet Mulder found. Sealed in an evidence bag, she just looked at it. Scully hoped Mulder was feeling better soon. She was even up to listening to some of his theories. At first, Scully had thought that maybe Joanna had known Katie, those 5 years ago. But no such luck. The Martins' hadn't even lived here then. They moved in May 14, 1993. Joanna had been killed May 13, 1993. But the closeness in dates was enough to give Scully a shudder. She returned to the bed and spread the articles out one by one, and looked at them. She was so involved, she didn't hear Mulder approach her. "Scully?" Scully almost jumped when Mulder said her name. She turned to him. "Sorry, Scully. Didn't mean to scare you." He walked toward her, but put a hand to his head when he reached her. Scully touched the cut on his head. It had started to bleed again and looked a little red. "Feeling any better?" she asked. Mulder winced as she touched his cut. "I would if you would stop touching that spot," he answered. "Sorry, Mulder." She frowned. "Like I said last night, if you remember," she added, "That cut doesn't need stitches. But I'd like to close it with some butterflies, Mulder. You don't want to get an infection." For once, Mulder nodded and he sat on the bed. "So what's with the articles all spread out?" he asked as she approached him with some gauze in hand. "Just reading up a little on Joanna Wasserman." "Ouch, that stings," Mulder said as she dabbed antiseptic on his cut. "Sorry about that, Mulder, but it can't be helped." She paused a second, going back to cleaning his cut. "So what was she like? She must have been something to be mentioned in all of these articles," Mulder commented. "Yeah, she was something. Something bad. Not one of those articles regards her highly, not even the one about her death. Seems she was some kind of a young terror." "Like Carrie at the prom?" Mulder said with a smile. Scully smiled. "I guess you are getting back to normal." "So what we need to find out now is how her fingerprints got on the bracelet." "Yep," Scully said, finishing up with the cut. "There's probably a logical explanation." "Don't start me on that logical explanation crap, Scully. Sarah Martin's death doesn't have a logical explanation." "It could." Mulder let out a breath. "Normally I would love to argue logic with you Scully, but today it is giving me a headache." Scully bent down a little, so they were eye level. "Okay, Mulder." "I want to talk to the family again. Katie particularly." "Why Katie?" "She seemed a little nervous last time we saw her." "Her sister just died, Mulder." Mulder got up off the bed. "Yeah, but something about her is still bothering me. I have a pretty strong hunch. Humor me. Some of my hunches have worked." Scully smiled. "Ok, but if we turn up nothing, which is my bet, you owe me dinner. In a _decent_ restaurant." "McDonald's not on your list of decent restaurants anymore?" he teased. "Not when I watch you eat four Big Macs in one sitting." "It's quality food, Scully," he argued with a smile. "Yeah, quality food that spends quality time in your arteries." Mulder just grinned at that. He grabbed a folder. "Now I'm going to spend some quality time with these files. Want to call the Martins' and ask them when we come back?" "Ok," Scully agreed. "But, Mulder?" "Yeah?" he said turning around. "Go easy. If the words swim in front of you, stop reading. And tell me." Mulder smiled. "Yes, Doctor," he said as he headed back to his room. End part 02a of 11. ---------- Part 02b of 11. On the road Rutherford, NJ 2:31 p.m. "Mulder, put that down, you're starting to give ME a headache." Scully took her eyes off the road for a minute to study her partner; he was leaning forward, eye buried in the file, one hand absently rubbing his forehead. He didn't respond. A few minutes passed and Scully found herself going in circles around the town area. "Hey Mulder, I don't know about you but I'm starved. Could you put that down for a minute and help me find a restaurant?" Slowly, he looked up. "What?" "A restaurant." She stared at Mulder. "Are you sure you're up to this? We can interview them tomorrow if you want." She realized after she said it that "if you want" was not the right phrasing. "I mean--" "I know what you mean. Look, I'm ready. We can eat wherever you want, just let's get to the Martin's before 3:30." When she shot him and inquiring look he added, "I want plenty of time before Mr. Martin gets home. I saw his statistics in Sarah's file, they had her mother and father's vitals and all. Mr. Martin, Samuel "Buster" Martin, is six foot three, two hundred fifteen pounds, former high school boxer," Mulder recited. "I just don't wanna piss off Buster if that's okay with you." Scully smiled. "Okay, we'll get there early enough to avoid a run-in with ole Buster." Satisfied, Mulder closed the file folder, tipped back his seat and closed his eyes. Ten minutes later, when Scully found a decent looking restaurant called The Village Gourmet, and a parking space, her partner was breathing steadily. Scully walked out of the car, circled around to Mulder's side and lay a hand on his upper arm. "Mulder," she whispered. "C'mon, time to wake up, we're here." His eyes slowly drifted open, focused on her face. He squirmed under her touch and, yawning, stretched best he could in the cramped space of the car. She stepped aside so he could get out. "Let's get something to eat then go see Buster and friends." "Right," he mumbled. Inside the restaurant was heated, a nice contrast to the gusty November that reigned outside. Mulder and Scully seated themselves in a booth overhung by flowers and other greenery and Mulder leaned over the table to whisper in her ear, "This is gonna be healthy isn't it?" "I'm afraid so." Mulder groaned and settled back in his side of the booth. A perky waitress by the name of Leanna took their order. Scully got a grilled chicken sandwich with a variety of green things she called vegetables and Mulder referred to as "torture devices in third world countries". Mulder requested an extra bread basket and the wine list. "No wine, Mulder. You do not need wine. Order some real food." Mulder glared at her but didn't move to order anything. The waitress stood tentatively, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, then smiled politely and left. Mulder had brought the file along. "Scully, listen to this." "No! We're eating lunch. Can't you give me a few precious case-free moments a day? Just a few?" She felt bad as soon as she saw the look of pain that crossed Mulder's face. She knew he must still have a headache that would incapacitate any normal man and didn't need to be yelled at by her. "But... the bracelet..." "We had it analyzed already." He carefully studied his fingernails. "But... we haven't considered... why it was there. We know Katie didn't go up to the piano or anywhere near there. Everyone saw her sitting in her seat a few rows back. There was no way she could've gotten up without people noticing. Also, have you considered that Katie possibly visited the crime scene AFTER the time her sister was killed? And left her bracelet there by accident THEN?" Nothing was fitting together and he was frustrated and his head was pounding. "We just.... we need to consider....." He paused. "I just think we need to think about this more." Thinking was the last thing he wanted to do. Sleeping was number one on the list.. in the comfortable hotel bed. Mulder had never held beds in high respect but at this moment he wanted nothing more than a bed and a couple pillows and a blanket. Scully placed her hand over his. "Don't worry. Let's eat and we'll discuss this later." Mulder grimaced at the thought of eating. His stomach was already doing flip-flops. Katie Martin's room Rutherford, NJ 3:00 p.m. Katie scowled at her homework. "This is so stupid. I KNOW these answers, I KNOW how to do them... it just takes forever to write them all out." She gazed out the window and absently chewed a fingernail. She tried something. "I wish my homework was all done so I could talk on the phone." She squeezed her eyes closed. "I wish it was done, I wish it was done." She looked down at her paper. Twenty neat rows of number greeted her eyes. Alarmed, she sucked in a deep breath. "I wish I had long, blue hair." She leaned over to look in the mirror. "Shit! Change it back, change it back!!!! Uh, I wish I had my old hair back." She breathed a sigh of relief. "All right... I wish those stupid FBI agents and their boring clothes would leave us alone." The Village Gourmet Rutherford, NJ 3:04 p.m. Mulder had been zoning out. He suddenly gasped for air, sharply jerked his head up. "Scully," he whispered. Looking up from her chicken sandwich, Scully stared at him. "Yeah?" "Let's go back," he said breathlessly, and struggled clumsily to get into his trenchcoat. "Hey, hold on their a minute, G-man. I'm still eating, remember." She eyed him worriedly. "What's the matter? I thought you were so desperate to get to the Martin's." He shook his head wildly, then tried to push aside the stabbing pain. Scully frowned. "All right. Let me just finish up." Mulder looked around the restaurant quickly. His breathing seemed to be coming in short gasps. Scully immediately dropped her chicken sandwich and looked at him. "Mulder, are you all right?" she asked, trying to get a good look at his face. "What?" Mulder said turning around, distracted. He seemed on edge about something. Scully noticed a red flush in his cheeks, not unlike the one she had seen after his "nap" the day before. She frowned and reached out to touch his hand. It was unusually warm. She frowned. "What, Scully?" Mulder repeated. He shook his head again and scrunched his eyes against the pain. "You're right, Mulder. Let's go." Scully dumped some cash on the table and motioned for Mulder to get up. "To the Martins'?" he asked hopefully. "No back to the motel. You have a fever. I can tell from your eyes." Scully knew Mulder would argue at that. He didn't disappoint her, though it was a weak argument. Mulder shook his head. "I'm fine, Scully." Scully just glared him. "We're going back to the motel," she said in her best 'doctor's orders' voice. Scully was shocked to see Mulder stand up and say, "Ok." He started to walk back toward the car. Scully frowned even more, and stood there for a second. Then she picked up her purse and followed Mulder out. 3:23 p.m. Scully pulled up to the motel and glanced at her partner. He had fallen asleep in the five minutes that the drive back to the motel had taken. She turned the ignition off and quietly laid a hand on his forehead. Mulder stirred but didn't wake. He was warm, but not too bad. she thought, "Mulder," she said as she tapped his shoulder. "What?!" Mulder woke alarmed, ready to grab his gun. "We're here." Scully frowned again. "I want to get you into bed. I should have never let you come out today." Mulder looked out at a spot that Scully couldn't identify. He didn't seem to be paying attention. Scully pulled on his shoulder and he got out of the car and followed her to his room, without saying a word. Scully wished he was arguing because she was getting really worried. Mulder turned the key and opened his room and went to the bed and collapsed on it. He laid there with his eyes at half mast. "Scully, I never thought I'd say this, but, I'm glad I have this bed instead of my couch at home." Scully sat on the edge of the bed. "That doesn't sound like you," Scully said quietly. "Stay here. I'm going to get my thermometer and some aspirin." Mulder immediately rose up and that remark. "I'm okay, Scully. Just a little tired. Just a little nap and I'll be ready and raring to go. Then we can go to the Martins', regardless of Buster," he said, forcing a small smile. Scully couldn't help smiling a little. That sounded more like Mulder. She shook her head. "You are not going anywhere besides this bed," she ordered in her 'doctor's orders' voice again. "The Martins' can wait till your fever breaks." She threw his sweats at him. "Change into these, and when I come back you better not be anywhere else but in that bed, or you better pray I don't have my gun." Scully walked into her room the find her thermometer. Mulder watched Scully walk into her room. He took his suit jacket off. Scully returned a couple of minutes later, happy to see Mulder in his sweats and more importantly, in bed. "See, it's not that hard to listen," she said, smiling cheerfully. A little too cheerfully for Mulder's taste. Mulder yawned but still glared at Scully. He shivered and burrowed deeper into the covers. Scully took that opportunity to put her thermometer into Mulder's ear. He stared at her and frowned until it beeped. "101. Not too serious. It's probably your body telling you to get your ass into bed and stay there. God knows I am." She handed him two more aspirins and went into the bathroom and came back with a glass of water. Mulder sighed and downed the two pills in one gulp. He laid back down. Scully tucked the covers around him. "Don't worry, I'm sure it will be down by tomorrow," Scully reassured him. "It's not that Scully. I get the feeling that something is trying to get us off this case." "Mulder, you're being paranoid, as usual." "No, Scully. I'm sure of it. I got this feeling today th-" Scully cut him off. "I'll listen to your feelings later, Mulder. Now you are going to sleep." She shut the light off and walked to her room, closing the door behind her. Mulder closed his eyes, but didn't sleep. He knew something was trying to stop them. But what? And why? The Martin's House Rutherford, NJ 5:08 p.m. Much to Katie's relief, the FBI agents didn't return today. What scared her, though, was that she thought she had something to do with it. "Katie-- dinner." "All right," she called back. "Hmm..." She smiled mischievously. "I wish I could eat my dinner in the living room and watch TV. "Katie, honey? Would you like to eat in the living room tonight?" She raised her eyebrows, feigning surprise. "Uh, sure, mom. Why?" There was a long pause. "I don't know, honey. I just thought it would be nice." "Okay, I'll be right there." Katie sank back on her bed, confused. Her newly found "power" was nice... but she wasn't sure the extent of it. She lay back so her head was at the foot of her bed and her feet were on the pillow and studied the cracks in the paint on the ceiling. "Who's doing this?" She asked aloud. On second thought, "I wish I knew who was doing this." JOANNA the walls whispered. The walls whispered? "Joanna who?" Katie asked. "I wish I knew Joanna who." The rhyme made her shudder. JOANNA IS ENOUGH "I wish I knew why the walls were talking to me," she said and whimpered. "I wish I understood this all. I wish I knew who killed my sister." YOU DID YOU DID YOU DID "I did not," she said through clenched teeth. DID TOO "DID NOT!" "Katie, sweetie, who are you talking to?" Her mom said. "Uh.. no one, mom." She could picture her mom's frown. "Okay," she said. Katie thought. "Honey, dinner's getting cold." "Right, mom," Katie said. "I wish I could see you... Joanna." She ended in a whisper. YOU CAN'T. The voice was taunting. "Why not?" JUST BECAUSE. And then a silence filled the room. Motel Rutherford, NJ 6:00 p.m. From the next room Scully could hear retching. She grimaced and stepped through the conjoining doors. "Mulder?" she said gently. She found him on the bathroom floor, shivering in earnest. "Hey, c'mon." Scully knelt by him. "Let's get you back to bed." She lay a hand on his cheek, felt the heat radiating off him. The Martin's Rutherford, NJ 5:58 p.m. Katie was back in the privacy of her room. "I wish that FBI agent would die. The one with the boring tie, I wish he would die." NO YOU DON'T the walls taunted her. "Yes I do." THAT WOULD MAKE PEOPLE SUSPICIOUS THOUGH Katie frowned. "You think they're suspicious, now?" A pause then YEAH "Oh. Well." Katie fiddled with her sweatshirt, bringing the zipper up, then down, then settling on it somewhere in the middle. She fixed the hood, pushed it down, then to the sides, and finally solved the whole mess by pulling the sweatshirt over her head and throwing it on the floor. "I hate you," Katie said. YOU HATE YOUR SISTER "Do not. Did not. I DUNNO. You're the one who started this whole mess." YOU WANTED IT "Wanted," Katie reminded her. "WANTED. Past tense. I want Sarah alive now." I CAN'T BRING PEOPLE BACK TO LIFE. KILLING HER WAS YOUR CHOICE, YOU DEAL WITH THE AFTERMATH NOW. "I am," Katie said and sulked. After a couple minutes the walls suggested LEAVE THE FBI AGENT ALONE. HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING Katie glared at the walls. "Katie! Phone call!" Katie took one more glance at the walls. "Coming Mom," she called and walked out of the room glancing at the walls again. She'd leave the FBI man alone. For now. End Part 02b of 11. ---------- Part 03a of 11. Motel 6:09 p.m. Scully frowned as she looked at the thermometer in front of her. 103. She blinked. It didn't change. she thought, as her medical mind tried to come up with a cause. Mulder looked miserable. Scully thought, This was it. Scully placed the thermometer on the nightstand and went for Mulder's coat. She placed it next to him and sat down on the bed. She wiped some hair out of his face and spoke softly. "Come on, G-Man. We're going to the hospital." Mulder shook his head, wincing at the shooting pain it sent through his temples. "Please, no hospital," he croaked weakly. "Mulder, you have a temp of 103. You need to get checked out." She spoke gently. But Mulder shook his head again. Fever bright eyes met Scully's. Just like in the piano hall his eyes pleaded silently. Scully just shook her head. "The sooner you feel better, the sooner you can go back to your files. And you will feel better after a trip to the ER." Scully's own eyes pleaded. Her eyes softened. "Please, Mulder." Mulder just reached weakly for his coat. "Good boy," Scully said and handed it to him. ER 9:12 p.m. "Well, Dr. Scully, I'm not sure what's wrong with him. We'll know more when the test results come back. But there is good news, his temperature dropped a degree." Scully turned toward Mulder, who was laying down, with his eyes closed. He hadn't protested since Scully brought him here, except for the "look" he gave Scully every time a nurse approached him with a needle. "That's good to hear." Scully shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "How much longer do you think it will be for the bloodwork to come back?" "Maybe another 20 minutes or so. Meanwhile, I've want to start a course of IV antibiotics while we are waiting for the results," the doctor continued. Scully nodded. "Mulder won't like that. He _hates_ IVs." The doctor smiled. "Don't worry I've had patients like that before. I'm going to check on that bloodwork." The doctor walked away. Scully approached Mulder just as the nurse approached with the IV equipment. The nurse reached for his arm. Mulder promptly pulled his arm away. "No," he said and looked up at Scully. "I came. I gave blood. I let the doctor poke and prod me. But I'm not going to give in to an IV." Scully just raised her eyebrows and placed one hand over her gun. Five minutes later the IV was in. Mulder just frowned and looked at Scully with the same "look" he had been giving her all evening. Scully smiled a little. If Mulder was complaining, he must be feeling better. "I've got the results of the bloodwork, Dr. Scully." Scully turned to see the doctor holding a piece of paper in hand. He walked over to her and Mulder. "It looks like a virus. Of what origin, I'm not sure. I'd like to keep him overnight, have him on fluids. There are signs of mild dehydration." As soon as the doctor said "overnight" Mulder's eyes widened and pleaded with Scully. "Actually we've on a case and need to get back. Since I am a physician, I think I could care for him back at the motel. Monitored closely, of course," Scully added. The doctor nodded. "We'll pump him full of antibiotics here, and I'll write you a script for orals. They should be taken for 10 days. That should kill the infection." He handed Scully the prescription along with another. He pulled her away a little and spoke softly. "This one is for a sedative." Scully opened to her mouth to ask how he knew, but the doctor just smiled. "I've had patients like him before. He's exhausted, but I'm willing to bet my pension that he's isn't a good sleeper." Scully nodded. "Make sure he takes one tonight. A good night's sleep will help out the infection." Scully nodded again and thanked the doctor. She walked to Mulder and smiled. "Doctor says as soon as they get a good amount of antibiotics into you, we can go back to the motel. Good news?" "Thanks, Scully," Mulder said gratefully. "Anytime partner." Anytime seemed to more frequent then Scully would like, but with Mulder, what could she do? Motel 10:23 p.m. Scully sat on the edge of Mulder's bed, holding a glass of water in one hand, and two pills in the other. Mulder eyed the pills. "I thought I was supposed to take only one pill," he said suspiciously. "What's this other one?" Scully eyed him and replied calmly, knowing he would protest as soon as she said it. "It's a sedative, Mulder." Mulder shook his head strongly. A dull ache remained from the concussion. "I knew that doctor was letting me off a little too easily," he muttered. "I'm not leaving until you swallow both pills," Scully said firmly, feeling as if she were a mother trying to coax her child to take cough medicine. Mulder eyed them again. "Don't make me get my gun, Mulder," Scully teased. Mulder slowly took the two pills from Scully's hand and swallowed them. He laid back on the pillows. "I still want to talk to the Martins' and Katie," he said, his eyes straying to the files on his dresser. "There will be plenty of time to do that. But first you get well. If I bring you back damaged one more time, Skinner's going to be pissed at the insurance premiums you're costing the FBI. You think you expense reports are legendary," she said with a smile. Mulder just nodded. The sedative was taking effect. Mulder closed his eyes. "Good night, Scully," he whispered. Scully shut the lights. "'Night, Mulder." Scully laid a hand on Mulder's forehead before she left. It felt much cooler. She was still puzzled on how quickly Mulder had gotten sick, but now she was puzzled as how much better he seemed. she thought as she closed Mulder's door. Motel 8:04 a.m. "Rise and shine, Mulder." Scully was overly cheerful on a dreadfully overcast morning. When that go no response she shook his shoulder roughly. "C'mon, partner, we've got work to do. C'mon-- wake u-up." A groan emitted from the heap under the covers that was Mulder. He muttered something Scully recognized as, "Too early." "Nah, it's after eight." That earned her another groan. "Hey, I thought you wanted to talk to the Martins'." Mulder buried his face in the pillow. "I was just kidding." "Ooooh, I don't think so." She yanked the covers down. "Get up and take a shower, Mulder. Then we can get some breakfast and you can take your pills!" "Oh joy." With the covers gone and Scully's voice echoing in his once again pounding head, Mulder sat up. He ran a tongue over his teeth; they were sticky and dry. "What time did you say it was?" "Um... eight-ten." "Scu-lly," he whined. "Katie's at school, there's no point in going over." He dropped back on the bed, fully prepared to go back to sleep. "Nope, you see Mulder, it's a special day of the week called Saturday where the children don't go to school and the grown-ups-- the grown-ups with normal jobs-- don't work. It's a family time for love and play and--" "Oh, shut up." Mulder threw a pillow at her and stumbled into the bathroom. Scully heard the water running then a minute later a yelp. "SCULLY! You used up the hot water!" Scully grinned, knowing he couldn't see her. "Sorry!" She shrugged. The Martin's Rutherford, NJ 8:50 a.m. Samuel Buster Martin could hear his youngest daughter's voice from all the way downstairs. Buster stared down at his hands. He wasn't a sensitive man, but the thinking of Sarah still caused him to shudder. How could she have died just like-- "I wish they were dead." A pause. "Yes I do!" Pause. "I'm not taking this... why don't YOU fuck off?" Buster frowned. "Katie?" He walked down the hall and to the foot of the stairs. "Katie, come down, what are you doing?" She appeared from the door of her room, her face flushed, hair tousled. "In a minute dad," she said. He stood there, a confused expression glued to his face, listening. A minute later the heated conversation picked up once again. "Listen, I don't want to KILL him.... I just... will you let me FINISH?? I want to incapacitate him for a little bit. Yeah I know I... you... whatever, already have. Yes I'm perfectly aware this is an butt ugly sweater. I have to wear it cause Aunt Martha made it and it's polite to...." She sighed. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I won't wear it to school." Buster was so intrigued with his daughter's conversation with herself he didn't hear his wife come out of the kitchen. She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "What're you doing, honey?" He turned around as best he could in her grip. "Just listening to Katie." "Hmm?" "Oh, nevermind. Honey, you know that sweater you're sister made Katie last year? Do you like it? Cause..." Restaurant Rutherford, NJ 8:40 a.m. "Mulder, may I remind you that just last night you were dehydrated?" He shrugged. He had swallowed his pills dry on the way to the restaurant, despite Scully's objections, and was now refusing to eat or drink anything. Scully sighed and tried a different approach. "Plus, this is the second time in two day you've gone to a restaurant and not ordered anything. In some places they kick you out for that." That earned her another indifferent shrug. "Fine," she said and returned her attention to her coffee. Across the table, Mulder was having a blast exploring straws and water. He dipped his plastic straw into the glass, squeezed with his third and fourth fingers and covered the top with his pointer. He then lifted the straw, pulled his pointer finger away and eased the vice that squeezed it shut. The water flowed out and back down into the cup in a single curved, fluid, graceful motion. Mulder then repeated the process, bringing the straw up a little high every time to see it he could get it to a point where the water missed the cup, or spread out of the neat traveling line. "Will you stop messing with that?" Scully pushed away her plate. "C'mon, let's get to the Martins' while it's still early." They walked through the parking lot, a thin layer of rain dampening their hair. "Hey, Scully?" "Mm?" She turned around. A cold wind picked up his hair in a cow lick. "Think we'll get to meet Buster?" Scully smiled. "Could be." The Martin Household 9:30 a.m. Scully sat on the floral printed couch. Mulder sat beside her. "Would you like something to drink?" asked Mrs. Martin. "Coffee?" "That would be great," Scully answered. Mulder just looked at Buster. He was a _very_ well built man. Mulder gulped. Mulder reminded himself. He put a hand to his head, still feeling the remains of last night's headache. Scully had told him that his fever had broken at about midnight last night. Not that he remembered. After he had gone to bed, the night was kind of a blur. "Are you all right, Agent Mulder?" Mulder looked up to see Mrs. Martin looking at him. She held out a cup of coffee. Mulder took it gratefully. "I'm fine," he said, but Scully put in her two cents in. "Agent Mulder's just nursing a cold," she explained. Mrs. Martin smiled knowingly. Mulder opened his mouth to start asking questions, when he was interrupted by a yell from upstairs. "You SAID you'd incapacitate him for awhile!! but.....yeah, he's h-" Mulder turned his head to the stairs, to see if that was where the noise was coming from. He frowned. Buster sighed. "Not again," said Christina Martin. Buster immediately went to the stairs. "KATIE!" he yelled, "What IS going on up there??" Some more muffled words followed. Then Katie appeared, at the top of the stairs, and looked down at her father. "Nothing, Dad. Sorry about the noise." Katie saw the two agents and her eyes narrowed, partically on Mulder. As soon as Mulder saw Katie Martin, his suspiciousions were confirmed. He knew she was hiding something. his tired mind told him. He needed to solve this case, but the fact that all he wanted to do was crawl into his bed and sleep till next week was _not_ helping him. "Katie, come downstairs please," Christina instructed. "Yes, Mom." Katie walked down slowly, not taking her eyes off of Mulder. Mulder watched Katie watch him as she walked down the stairs. Suddenly the room begun to spin. It swirled. Mulder blinked and shook his head, awakening a new bolt of pain Mulder thought he had seen the last of. He reached up to his head gingerly. The room suddenly got very dark at the edges of his vision. He squinted. "Katie, Agent Mulder wants....to you......nice." The words seemed to fade in and out, like an echo. Mulder felt himself start to teeter. He watched as everything went by in slow motion. He saw Scully rush to him, then nothing. End part 03a of 11. ---------- Part 03b of 11. Hospital 12:38 p.m. "Doctor Smith please report to emergency. Doctor Smith please report to emergency." The sharp antiseptic odor was the first thing Mulder was aware of. It was a smell he was growing _very_ tried of. "hmmm.." He tried to open his eyelids but they wouldn't cooperate. "Mulder?" Mulder pried his eyes open. He was greeted by a circle of swirling lights. In the middle of those lights was a blob of red. Mulder blinked his eyes a few times and was able to focus on the woman in front of him. "Hey," she said and smiled. "Hey." His voice sounded rusty. His mind tried to recall what had happened. He was in a hospital. But why? He remembered being at the Martins'.......then what? He must have looked confused, because Scully gripped his hand and smiled. "You collapsed at the Martins' and got treated to a first class ambulance ride," she explained. Then Mulder remembered. He was at the Martins' when he felt dizzy. In fact right before he passed out he remembered Katie looking relieved. Mulder frowned at that. "Katie...was.." He couldn't phrase it. It was a feeling he couldn't express. "Don't worry about talking to the Martins now, Mulder," Scully said gently, and was going to say more, when Mulder's door opened. The same doctor that had treated Mulder in the ER the night before walked in. "Looks like someone's awake." He paused at Mulder's bedside and opened his chart. "How are you feeling?" "I've been better," Mulder answered. "When can I get out of here?" Scully knew that would be the first question out of Mulder's mouth, and apparently, so did the doctor. "You just collapsed. I'm afraid you won't be going home tonight. We still don't know what triggered your collapse, Agent Mulder. The virus I treated you for last night seems to be in check. I'd like to keep you overnight for observation. If all checks out, you leave first thing tomorrow morning." "Tomorrow morning? Look Doctor--" Mulder looked at his tag. "Dr. Andrews. I have things to do. A case to investigate." "The case can wait, Mulder." Scully pushed him gently back into the bed. Mulder was still weak; he didn't put up much of a struggle. "Listen to the doctor. A night in the hospital could do you some good." Scully had used her own 'doctor's orders' voice. The voice Mulder usually backed down to. Today was not an exception. "One night," he said, "One night." "Good," the doctor said. "You also seem to be dehydrating again, Agent Mulder. The best thing to do when you are sick is drink liquids." He looked down at Mulder. "I'm figuring you weren't doing that, right?" Mulder shrank back down in the bed. "No he hasn't," Scully answered for him. "Well, then, you just earned yourself an IV, Agent Mulder. I'll send Peggy in to set it up. I'll be back to check on you later." Mulder looked at Scully, his eyes taking on the familiar pleading look. Scully shrugged. "Sorry, Mulder. One night won't kill you." "Yeah, right," he muttered. This was the day from hell. The Martin's Rutherford, NJ 11:34 Katie lay face down on her bed crying. "It's not fair!" She pounded her fists on the couch. THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED "But it's not ME," she told the walls. "The Katie I know wouldn't do that. The Katie I know wouldn't--" She broke off sobbing. YOU WANTED THE FBI AGENT KILLED. I TOLD YOU NOT TO BUT... She looked up suddenly. "He's not DEAD, is he?" NOT YET "Yet?" Katie sniffed. "I changed my mind, I don't want him dead. Make him okay." IT'S UP TO YOU. LISTEN. YOUR PARENTS THINK YOU'RE A PSYCHO TALKING TO YOUR ROOM. WE NEED A NEW WAY OF COMMUNICATING. I WANT YOU TO TRY THIS. TELL ME "I AM KATIE" "I am Katie," said Katie, very softly. NOW, SAY IT THE NEW WAY. THINK IT REALLY HARD. THINK "I AM KATIE" "I am Katie," Katie said again. NO, NO, NO. THINK IT. DON'T SAY IT. YES!!! RIGHT! NOW, THINK SOMETHING ELSE TO ME. WELL... I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT RIGHT NOW. I TOLD YOU. JOANNA. A pause. JOANNA WASSERMAN. AND NO, I'M NOT ALIVE. I DIED IN 1993. I KNOW CAR. HIT AND RUN. I THINK IT WAS DELIBERATE BUT... I DUNNO. Katie thought. The walls were silent for a minute, then they said very softly. I JUST DON'T KNOW. Hospital 1:35 a.m. Mulder was struggling desperately to keep his eyes open. They had given him a sedative what felt like hours ago-- looking at his watch he saw it was only twenty minutes ago-- but so far he'd managed to stay awake. Scully was back at the hotel and the nurses had FINALLY left him alone so he planned to get up at 2:00 a.m. when he knew nobody would bother checking on him. He knew Scully had left the case file on the chair across the room, so he'd have to dislodge the IV first, but then he could turn on the light and get some work done. He pressed down the Indiglo on his watch again. 1:42. He yanked on his IV line until it pulled out and left it dangling, dripping onto the floor. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he had to rest his head between his knees for a minute so he wouldn't pass out. Taking a deep breath, he slid down to the floor, finding it smooth and cold under his bare feet. He shivered and quickly made his way over to where his bag with his clothes was. She had left him jeans and a T-shirt. Mulder grabbed a tissue from a convenient box on the window sill and pressed it up against the spot where his IV had been. He quickly changed into the jeans and T-shirt and made himself as comfortable as possible in the impossibly uncomfortable visitor's chair. Spreading the folder in his lap, he rummaged in the bag, found his glasses, slipped them on and stared down. "Oh no," he groaned. The words swam before him. He squinted, tried to focus his eyes, to no avail, the words were barely there now, just dark blurs on a white surface. He then had to squeeze his eyes shut when his body threatened to either pass out or throw up... or both. Mulder whimpered as pain shot through his head and he felt like melting into the upholstery and disappearing. His shoulder's slumped and his head fell back to the top of the chair. The Martin's Rutherford, NJ 2:03 a.m. Katie couldn't sleep so she talked to Joanna. She could almost see Joanna's frown. I'M SORRY... I CAN'T TAKE THINGS BACK. Katie sat up. OH, YEAH. Joanna reassured her. I JUST GAVE HIM AN INTRICATE VIRUS THE DOCTORS WON'T BE ABLE TO TREAT SO HE'LL JUST HAVE TO... ROUGH IT OUT, I GUESS. I'D SAY TWO-- THREE WEEKS Katie groaned. SORRY. Hospital 8:35 a.m. "He what?" "Apparently he pulled out his IV, got out of bed, got dressed and tried to read this." Dr. Andrews held up a brown folder. "Damn," Scully muttered, grabbing the folder. "I knew I left it here." She sighed. "So what exactly happened after that?" "The night nurse found him collapsed in the chair. Most likely the combination of the Valium, exhaustion, and the illness he seems to be suffering from. Of course, I don't know the real story. He's still unconscious. But I did order a strong dose of Valium so he'd sleep last night. He sure can fight that stuff off." Scully nodded in agreement. "So, how is he health-wise?" She looked up to face Dr. Andrews. "Well, he started to run a temp last night. Nothing major. About 101. It went down to 100, but there's no way I'm discharging him this morning. And I'm telling him that as soon as he wakes up." Scully glanced down the hall toward Mulder's room. He wasn't going to like this. "He'll put up a fight, but it's for the best. Have any idea what's causing this?" Dr. Andrews dropped his eyes down and shook his head. "Nope. Tests are showing it's a virus, though it's different from the virus I treated him for the other night.. This one I've never seen. I've started him on a course of IV antibiotics. Hopefully they should help." "I hope so, Dr. Andrews. Mulder's insurance premium is high enough." Dr. Andrews held up a stack of papers. "So I've heard." They both laughed. Hospital 8:55 a.m. "mmmm." Mulder turned his head, sending a sharp pain from his head down through his spine. His head hurt. His eyes hurt. Hell, everything hurt. He laid with his eyes closed, afraid of what the light would do to them. So instead he tried to remember what happened. The last thing he remembered was going to the chair to read the file. He remembered tearing his IV out, changing and getting his reading glasses. He had to know what was going on. He struggled to open his eyes, blinking against the light. Finally his eyes adjusted and he looked around. His hospital room. He looked down at his arm. The IV was back. He glanced down at his chest. The nurses had obliviously exchanged his jeans and shirt for a hospital gown. Mulder groaned again. The only thing that perked his spirits was his remembering Dr. Andrews said he could leave today. Speak of the devil. Dr. Andrews chose that moment to walk in, holding a stack of papers. Scully followed behind. She had been talking about him to the good doctor no doubt. "Morning, Mulder," Scully said, sitting at the edge of the bed. Dr. Andrews had placed the papers down on the table next to Mulder's bed and had grabbed his chart. "Care to explain what happened last night, Agent Mulder?" Dr. Andrews said, opening the chart and making some notes with his pen. "Would you believe that I couldn't sleep?" Mulder deadpanned. "Haha, Mulder. Very funny." Mulder was sure if Scully had a pillow she'd throw it at him. "I don't appreciate patients who are under strict orders to rest, taking things into their own hands by ripping out their IV and deciding to do some late night studying." Mulder looked toward Scully. "Don't look at me Mulder, I agree with the man." "Great, gang up on me," he mumbled. "So what time am I getting out of here today?" Dr. Andrews closed Mulder's chart. "You're not." "What?" Mulder asked. He _had_ to get out of here. This was slowing turning into the case from hell. "I'm not discharging you today." Scully eyed Mulder and excepted an outburst. But Dr. Andrews beat Mulder to the punch. "I'm not discharging you because you developed a fever last night. There are signs of the virus I diagnosed you with the other night in the ER. Looks like the antibiotics were a temporary fix. Hopefully we can find the right one. Then when your fever breaks, and only then, can you go home. Hopefully that will be within the next 24 hours." Mulder opened his mouth to protest, but Dr. Andrews waved him off. "Doesn't matter anyway, Agent Mulder. I signed you off active duty and talked with your Director. I'll check back later." And with that Andrews left the room. "I think he's the worst yet," Mulder said under his breath. Scully just shook her head and looked him in the eyes. "Did he really talk to Skinner?" he asked Scully. Scully nodded. "Afraid so, Mulder." "But who gave him the number?" Mulder looked at her suspiciously. "Sorry about that, Mulder. But you need the rest. Skinner agreed I could handle the investigation for a couple of days." "But, Sculleee," Mulder started. "I can handle it, Mulder. It's not like we are getting anywhere, anyway. The case will probably still be unsolved in two days." "Can I at least read the file?" Scully sighed, but handed over the file. "Fine, but you better stay out of trouble." Mulder was already reaching for his glasses. "Yes, Mom." The Martins' Rutherford, NJ 9:00 a.m. The Martins studied their breakfast intently, fully expecting it to get up and start reciting the Constitution at any moment. Buster finally broke the silence. "Katie--" His wife cut him off. "Katie, we're worried about you. First you're sitting in your room all day talking to no one and now you haven't said anything but you keep staring at the walls. What's happening?" she rambled. she begged her breakfast. She looked up at the wall. YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN NOPE, JUST YOU. DON'T WORRY, IT'S OKAY. JUST MAKE UP SOMETHING. "Katie, what's going on?" Buster demanded. He put down his fork and gave his daughter a glare that said no one was leaving the table till she started talking. Katie bit her lip. "Uh... well, you see, I have a big Geometry test." "Geometry." Her father repeated. "Geometry," she said. "Sweetie, I thought you took Algebra," her mother chimed in. A look from Buster silenced her. "Is that it?" Buster said. She nodded vigorously. "Mm hm." Buster and his wife exchanged looks. Hospital 12:07 p.m. Scully entered the room to find her partner asleep. Just not in the conventional position. He was sitting cross legged on the bed-- he had somehow acquired a pair of sweats and lost the hospital gown fashion statement-- various folders and papers spilling out of his lap, a pencil poised in hand, reading glasses on his nose. She stepped over and looked down at his notebook. He had scribbled down several barely legible notes which she struggled to read. Connection Joanna Wasserman-- Katie Martin. Do they communicate? Look up on Joanna Wasserman, full history. Ask Scully... She couldn't read anything after that. He must've been half asleep by that point. She looked at him and frowned; his face was death pale besides the crimson fever spots on his cheeks and ears. Laying a hand on his forehead, she gasped. She marched quickly down the hall and stopped at the nurse's station. "Excuse me, where's Doctor Andrews?" she asked breathlessly. One nurse looked up. "Down the hall, there..." Scully had already run down the hall and into a room with a patient with a broken leg. "Doctor Andrews, may I have a word with you?" He looked up. "In a minute, Doctor Scully." Scully waited impatiently by the wall until he was ready to leave. "Doctor Andrews, have you been in to see my partner this morning?" The doctor frowned. "Not since you left... Is he responding well to the new medication?" "Hardly. His fever's spiked, come see this. And why did you let him work? His head is killing him as it is--" "I'm SORRY, Doctor Scully," Andrews said brusquely. "We do have other patients and I wasn't even aware you had left." "Yeah, well, I had to do an interview." She snorted. "The Martin's youngest daughter's gone nuts. Oh, but don't tell Mulder, I don't want him worrying about that now.... and believe me, he'll be out of bed in a second if he knew there was something wrong with Katie." The Doctor gave her a strange look and she waved her hand. "Nevermind, let's just go see him." Andrews clucked when he saw his fever bright cheeks. "Damn, you're right, we need to try a new medication. Let's get all those folders off of him then I'll check him out." It took several minutes to get the various files and folders and notebooks of him, but pretty soon they had him lying down on his back. He was oblivious to them. Doctor Andrews frowned when he read the thermometer. Scully looked over his shoulder. "One oh three point four," she said softly. "Let's get him off this medication. Then I'll have to do some more tests and find something different." "He won't like that." "I know. Let's get him more comfortable." He directed Scully to take off his sweatshirt and went into the small bathroom to dampen a washcloth. When he returned, Mulder was shirtless and Scully had pulled a chair over-- the same one Mulder had escaped to the previous night-- and was sitting by his side, brushing his damp hair with her fingers. Andrews handed her the washcloth and she gently bathed his face, arms and chest, then left it on his forehead. Andrews put a hand on Scully's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Doctor Scully. I'm going right now to try to find some new medication. But..." "What?" Scully looked up. He sighed. "I'm not sure if I'll have any success. We still don't know what this virus is, these first two medications we used were simple guesses, but I have a feeling we're not even close. I just..." He sighed again and left. End Part 03b of 11. ---------- Part 04 of 11. The Martin's Rutherford, NJ 1:00 p.m. THE LADY FBI AGENT CAME TODAY Joanna said. OF COURSE. I HAD TO LISTEN TO YOU MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF TALKING TO HER. On second thought, She added quickly. I DUNNO. I GUESS YOUR PARENTS CALLED HER UP AND SAID THEIR DAUGHTER WAS ACTING STRANGE AND SHE SHOULD COME AND INTERROGATE YOU. BUT... I THINK IT'S THE MALE AGENT, AGENT MULDER, WE SHOULD REALLY BE WORRYING ABOUT. EXACTLY. YOU DON'T THINK PEOPLE WILL SOMEHOW CONNECT YOU TO AGENT MULDER? WELL... I DO. OF COURSE. YOU WOULD BE TOO IF YOU HAD BEEN KILLED WHEN YOU WERE 12. After a minute, she said slowly I KNOW. Hospital 2:04 p.m. Mulder woke up around two. He was confused and thirsty and wanted to know where Scully was. "Hey," She squeezed his hand. "I'm right here, G-man." He blinked his eyes several times. "Scully," he said hoarsely. "Water." She found the Styrofoam cup of ice chips and held out a spoonful of chips and brought them up to his lips. He shook his head, wincing. "Water," he demanded, his voice gravely. "Try this first." Scully pushed the spoon into his mouth. He closed his eyes and let them melt slowly in his mouth. "Now water." Scully shook her head. "Take it slow, Mulder." She spooned him more ice chips. He leaned back, exhausted. "I feel like shit," he said slowly. "Yeah, I know." "How could you?" he said. Despite the ice chips, his throat was painfully dry again and he began to choke. "Whoah, shhh." Scully quickly gave him more ice. He closed his eyes. "Doctor Andrews is trying to get some new medicine for you. The old one wasn't any good." Mulder didn't respond but sank back down in the bed. Scully watched Mulder sink back into the pillow, his eyes at half-mast. He looked up at her, and she could see him battling to stay awake. She brushed his bangs aside. "Go to sleep, Mulder," she said gently. Mulder just nodded and closed his eyes. After making sure Mulder was asleep, Scully got up and her eyes strayed to the folders that she and Dr. Andrews had moved to the window sill. She picked them up and one fell out. It was the same paper Mulder had scribbled his notes on. Scully didn't know about the connection between Katie and Joanna, but one thing Mulder wrote did make sense. She should go find out more about Joanna's death. Glancing at Mulder one last time, she backed out of the room. She left her cell phone number at the nurses station so she could be reached and left. Police Station 3:15 p.m. "Yeah, I remember Joanna Wasserman. Here one week and already causing trouble. I caught her shoplifting at the candy store." Scully had come to the police station, hoping to find someone that would remember Joanna and her death. She hit jackpot with Detective Linda Parks, the officer in charge of that investigation. "I read about that," Scully answered. "What about the day she died?" Detective Parks nodded. "I remember that. Poor girl was just crossing the street. She got hit dead on. Driver fled the scene. Still haven't found him." She shook her head, then stopped in thought. "What?" Scully asked. "It was just a shame how her parents didn't really get too upset at the news. In fact they seemed kind of relieved. I even got a little suspicious, but turned up nothing. Joanna may have not been an angel, but still...." Scully nodded, writing things in her notebook. "Think I could talk to Joanna's parents?" Parks walked to her desk and shuffled some papers, finally producing one for Scully. "Here's their number in Texas." "Thanks." Scully put the number in her pocket and started to leave. "Agent Scully?" "Yes?" She turned around. "I thought you were investigating Sarah Martin's death. What does that have to do with Joanna?" Scully just smiled lightly. "I'm not at liberty to say." Parks nodded. Scully breathed a sigh of relief as she walked out. That detective just looked a little too much like Detective White. The car 3:35 p.m. Scully was just about to put her key into the ignition when her cell phone rang. She put the keys down and flipped it open. "Scully." "Dr. Scully?" Scully immediately recognized the voice as Dr. Andrews. She sat up straighter, worry furrowing her brow. "How is he?" she asked immediately, her voice trembling a little as she spoke. "His fever spiked up to 104. And his breathing is a bit labored. I'm afraid that the infection may have spread to his lungs. We were able to get his temperature down half a degree, but now he's awake and won't let us touch him anymore until you get here." Scully sighed. "I'll be there right away." She hung up and placed her cell phone on the seat beside her. Then she put the key into the ignition and sped off. Hospital 3:55 p.m. "Where's Scully?" It was the hundredth time Mulder had asked that question and he still wasn't getting a straight answer. The nurse who was poised to draw some blood just shrugged. "She's on the way, Agent Mulder." Mulder looked up and saw Dr. Andrews walk in. "How about letting us draw some blood then?" Mulder just shook his head. He knew they had already poked and prodded him while he was asleep. And he wasn't happy to wake up and find, in addition to the IV, he also had an oxygen tube under his nose. He felt like shit and wanted everyone to leave him alone. But most of all he wanted Scully. "Mulder, stop being a pain in the ass and let them draw blood." Mulder smiled. He'd know that voice anywhere. He looked toward the door and saw her standing there, not looking very happy. Mulder reluctantly let the nurse take his arm. Dr. Andrews wrote some more on Mulder's chart and left. Five minutes later, the nurse left as well. "You're not happy till you have pissed off every hospital in the country, are you?" Scully sighed and sat on the bed. "Where did you go?" Scully sighed again. She wouldn't tell him about Katie, but she could tell him that she went to the police station. "I went to the police station. Talked to a detective who investigated her death." Scully also failed to mention the likeness she had to Detective White. Mulder laid back on the pillows and looked at her. "Guess you read my notes." "The ones that were legible, yes." Scully smiled. "I found nothing out of the ordinary. She was hit while crossing the street. Though her parents did not seem to saddened by her death. Because of that they were investigated. Came out clean." Scully conveniently left out the fact she had the Wassermans' phone number. Tell that to Mulder and he would be on the phone in a moment. And all she wanted him to do was rest. "I'm surprised to see you fighting back," Scully admitted. "Doctor Andrews says your fever went up a degree." Mulder grimaced at that. Obviously he had been told that. Scully noted the oxygen cannula under his nose. She knew Mulder hated those. She could also hear him breathing a little heavier after each time he spoke. He didn't need a long discussion now. She walked over to him, sitting next to him on what was coming to be known as "her spot" and tucked the blankets around him closer. "Listen. This is tiring you out. Fighting the doctor is tiring you out. We can talk later." Mulder looked up at her. For a minute he didn't speak. Then he nodded. "But one more thing," he said, then pausing to take a breath. "What?" Scully asked, hoping it wasn't about Katie. No such luck. "Did you talk to the Martins' since I've been here? To Katie?" "No," she lied. "Go back to sleep." She watched Mulder's eyes slip closed. She felt bad about lying to him, but she had to. She just had to. Hospital Rutherford, NJ 4:17 p.m. Scully sat by Mulder's side for a while, to make sure he wouldn't wake up again, then went downstairs in search of a decent cup of coffee and a pay phone. She found the coffee-- well, it was ALMOST recognizable as coffee-- without much trouble in the cafeteria, and though it wasn't exactly eligible to be called "coffee" she drank it all and felt a little better. Pulling a chair up to the phone booth, she sat down and, pulling out the slip of paper with the Wasserman's number, dialed in the numbers and charged it to the Bureau. Well, Mrs. Wasserman was not the happiest thing running around on two legs. "What do you want?" she greeted Scully cordially. "Ah, yes. I'm Agent Scully with the FBI--" She was cut off. "We already answered all the questions that needed to be answered for the Rutherford Police. No, we had no part in the death of our daughter and yes, we are devastated by her departure." She spat out the last word. "Mrs. Wasserman, I understand that and believe me you have my condolences on the death of--" "Oh, get on with it." Scully cut to the chase. "Recently, we found a piece of evidence in the study of a murder case, the murder of a Sarah Martin, a bracelet, and we found Joanna's fingerprints on it. Now--" "Oh right, so now you think she's ALIVE. Am I responsible for that, too?" Scully cleared her throat, trying to keep her cool. "Ah, no, Mrs. Wasserman. I was just wondering if you know if your daughter ever met or had a relationship with a girl named Katie Martin." "Are you now suggesting my daughter was a homosexual?" Scully ground her teeth. "Not that kind of relationship." "Is your husband home?" she said. "Don't bring my husband into this. You know what? I don't have to talk to you. I have to go. I'm going now, goodbye." she said brusquely. "GOOD-bye to you too," Scully said. When Scully entered the room, a crowd had gathered around Mulder. "What the...?" Scully pushed through and saw Mulder thrashing around on the bed. "Clear out, people. Give the man some air." Doctor Andrews looked like he was either directing traffic or herding cattle. He looked up pleadingly when Scully came into view. "I don't know what to do with him; he's pushing away everyone. He's gonna hurt someone." "He's sleeping, damnit," Scully said between clenched teeth. She pushed past Doctor Andrews and the few remaining nurses and doctors and sat on the edge of Mulder's bed. Gently grabbing his wrists, she held them together, noticing he had dislodged the IV. "Mulder," she said. "It's just a dream. It's okay, shhhh." He had started to whimper and still wasn't responding to her. His legs began trembling, then his whole body, until she could barely keep her hold on his wrists. "Mulder, Mulder. Shhhh, it's okay. C'mon Mulder, wake up now. It's Scully, I'm here." As soon as she said her name his eyes shot open. "Scully." His voice sounded awful, rusty and sore. "You're here Scully. You left." "I know, shhhh." He was still shaking uncontrollably. "Relax, it's okay. It was just a dream. It was--" "Joanna," Mulder said. "She's it." "What?" "Joanna," he said again, then gasped for breath. "Okay. Relax, I'm going to get the doctor." Scully watched him warily as she walked out of the door. Doctor Andrews was standing right outside of it. "His breathing is getting worse. He needs to calm down," Scully said quietly to the doctor. Andrews simply nodded and walked toward the nurses station. Scully walked back into the room. Mulder was still breathing hard and gasping. Scully went back to her place on the bed. "Shhhh, Mulder. Relax. The doctor is going to give you something to help," she whispered gently. "No more," he rasped, and paused to take a breath, "sedatives." Scully just looked at him and stroked his face gently. The action was simple, but it made Mulder feel a hundred times better. His breathing relaxed a little and he found himself just staring into Scully's blue eyes. He lost himself in those eyes. Scully just whispered "it's okay" over and over. She walked Mulder calm a bit and saw Dr. Andrews walk in behind her, a needle in his hand. Mulder didn't seem to notice, he just stared at Scully, as if she was the only thing there. Scully motioned with the back of her hand for Andrews to give her the needle. Scully keep her eyes on Mulder and whispered, "it's okay" as she reattached Mulder's IV and injected the contents of the syringe into the line. "Joanna," he whispered, as he closed his eyes. Scully just pushed some hair out of his face and nodded. Martin Household 7:15 p.m. Scully had waited by Mulder's bedside for awhile, just watching him sleep. Mulder still tossed and turned, even in a drugged sleep. Scully didn't want to leave him, but Doctor Andrews insisted she should get something to eat and that he would be fine for a couple of hours. Scully had reluctantly left Mulder's side and grabbed a bite to eat at the McDonald's she and Mulder had dined in their first night, then had headed to the Martins'. Why she headed there, she didn't know. But when Mulder had said "Joanna" she had to admit, she got chills. So she was going to prove to herself--as well as Mulder that there was nothing going on with Katie. Christina Martin welcomed her in warmly, asking her to sit down. Buster sat down on the chair across from her. He had a serious expression on his face. "Agent Scully," he began, "We're glad you came. Katie's been acting strange." "My poor girl's talking to walls and taking geometry now," Christina muttered. "I see," Scully said, choosing her words carefully. "Can I talk to Katie?" "Of course." Buster walked to the stairs. "KATIE!" Katie heard her father call her from her bedroom. YES, BUT DON'T WORRY. DON'T WORRY I'LL TELL YOU WHAT TO SAY. "Coming Dad!" Scully heard the "coming dad!" and then Katie bounded down the stairs, landing on the last one quite loudly. Katie stopped it front of Scully and smiled. "Yes?" she said innocently. "Agent Scully wants to talk to you, Katie," her father said. Katie nodded. "Shoot." Katie directed at the walls. YEP, it echoed back. Scully launched into the easy questions, like "What happened when Sarah died?", and "Where were you?" and questions like that. Katie relaxed until Scully asked her last question. "Katie, have you ever heard of a Joanna Wasserman?" Katie paused and looked at the walls. SAY YOU HEARD OF ME FROM THE NEIGHBORS. JUST TALK. "I heard of her. From the neighbors. Just talk though," Katie said smoothly, crossing her fingers behind her back. Scully noted that Katie had her hand behind her back. "Just talk?" Scully repeated. "Just talk." Katie looked toward the walls. IT WILL. Scully opened her mouth to ask about it further, when she was interrupted by her cell phone. "Excuse me," she said as she got it out. "Scully." "Doctor Scully, I think you ought to get down here." Scully sighed. "What happened?" Scully heard Dr. Andrews sigh as well. "Agent Mulder is awake and well, let's just say, my nursing staff is threatening to quit on me." Scully again, louder. "Okay, I will there soon. How is his health faring?" "Not well. Fever's down to 102, but his breathing seems to be getting worse. His lack of cooperation is not helping." "I'll be there in ten minutes." Scully disconnected the line. As soon as she did she could swear she heard something say "I told you so." Hospital 7:50 p.m. As soon as she walked out of the elevator, Scully knew Mulder was being a pest. "No! Leave me alone!" she heard from the direction she knew Mulder's room was in. It didn't take brainpower for her to know it _was_ Mulder. She entered the room and found Mulder thrashing about on the bed. He looked terrible. His face was sheet white, with the exception of the red patches that resided on his cheeks. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. He had managed to dislodge his IV again and she saw Dr. Andrews trying to reattach it. Scully would never forget the look of relief that Andrews gave her when she reached Mulder's bedside. Scully just smiled in return. Mulder's face light up when he saw her at his bedside. Scully took the IV equipment from Andrews hand and said "Allow me." Andrews shot her another grateful look and left her and Mulder alone. "I thought he'd," Mulder wheezed, "never leave." "I'm sure he wanted to Mulder. You're not actually the world's greatest patient." She heard him gasping and noticed he had removed the oxygen cannula and it was sitting in his lap. "Mulder, you shouldn't take this off," she scolded as she picked it up. "Scully, I hate those things," he protested. Scully just raised her eyebrows in the look she had perfected long ago. She repositioned the oxygen cannula under his nose and pulled out the IV on his hand. "Yeah, Scully, now you're thinking," Mulder said grinning. She looked up at him. "You wish. You pulled on it too much. I'll have to start a new one." Mulder grimaced as she slid the new needle in. Scully attached the IV and then looked at him seriously. "I don't know if I can ever leave you alone again," she said. Mulder suddenly found a part of the wall very interesting. A few minutes of silence passed between them. Finally Mulder mumbled something Scully couldn't make out. "What did you say?" she asked innocently. He turned to her. "I said, I'm sorry for being such a pain in the ass. Really." "Does that mean you will behave?" Mulder's fever-bright eyes twinkled. "I'll try." "Yeah, well, try hard." She got up and walked toward the window and looked out at the sky. She didn't see any stars. Not even a tiny little sparkle. she thought ruefully. "How's the case?" Mulder voice brought Scully out of her own thoughts. She turned to him. "I don't know if I should talk about it," Scully said matter-of-factly. "I'll be good," Mulder promised. A few couched escaped him then. Scully looked on concerned. Mulder laid back down on the pillow. "I'm ok," he reassured her. "How about the case?" "Mulder, the case is doing just about as well as you are." More silence passed between them. "Well, I do have theories. But since the nurses seem to be coming with needles a lot, I haven't really been able to think long enough. At least with a clear head." Then he reached the hand without the IV up to his head gingerly. "That isn't pounding." "That's okay Mulder. I don't know if want to hear your 'theories' anyway," she teased. Then her face turned serious. She had to tell him something so that he would relax a little. "I talked to Katie today," she said quietly. Mulder picked his head up. "And?" he asked and winced when a pain ran through him, forcing him to put his head down. "And, she was acting a bit.....strange," Scully admitted, hoping this won't affect his health. "How so?" He asked, shutting his eyes against another pain. "Before I go on, I'm going to remind you that you are off active duty. By order of the AD." "I know, Scully." "Just keep it in mind. She was answering quickly. When I asked her about if she had heard of Joanna, she glanced at the walls, put her hand behind her back, and said she had heard about through neighbors. 'Just talk' were her words." "I was right-" Mulder started, when he suddenly gasped. He looked at Scully. "Scu.." He couldn't even get her name out; he didn't have enough air. Scully bolted out of the room calling for the doctor. The Martin's Rutherford, NJ 7:55 p.m. "What do you mean you're just gonna deprive him of air for a couple minutes???" MIND SPEAK!!! Joanna reminded her. YOUR PARENTS THINK YOU'RE CRAZY ENOUGH AS IT IS. Her voice calmed, WELL, JUST TO STOP THAT PARTNER OF HIS. SHE KNOWS TOO MUCH AND SHE'S ABOUT TO TELL IT. RELAX, I WON'T KILL 'IM I WON'T. HERE, YOU WANT HIM TO BREATHE? YOU GOT IT Hospital 7:56 p.m. Doctor Andrews was running around flustered when Mulder started coughing. Scully had remained at Mulder's side the whole time, trying to convince him that breathing couldn't be THAT hard. The doctor had checked and there was nothing blocking his passage and nothing he had choked on, but he wasn't able to take a breath for some reason. Almost like his throat was squeezed to a point where no air could get through. So when he started hacking and gasping for air and his face lost the sickening blue tinge, it was a relief for Scully. "Deep breaths," she cooed, rubbing his back to try to cease the ceaseless coughing. The Martin's Rutherford, NJ 7:59 p.m. THERE. DONE WELL, NOT FULLY HEALED. HE'LL PROBABLY PASS OUT IN ABOUT A MINUTE FROM THE LACK OF OXYGEN FOR SO LONG YEAH, BUT MY HANDYWORK ALWAYS HAS SOME.... UH, AFTERMATH Katie leaned back against the wall. NO, NO, NO. I'D NEVER DO ANYTHING PERMANENT. WELL, NOT UNLESS YOU ASK ME TO. JUST ENOUGH TO STOP THE TRUTH FROM GETTING TO HIM "The truth..." Katie said aloud, quietly. Hospital 8:04 p.m. After several terrible moments of hacking and gasping to get his air back, on the verge of hyperventilation, Mulder passed out. It was probably for the best. Doctor Andrews and Scully fell back, exhausted, in the visitor's chairs. "Doctor Scully, I don't know what to do," Andrews admitted. "I've never seen anything like it. I think..." He took a deep breath then puffed it out in slow intervals. "I think we're just going to have to tough it out, wait for it to pass. It doesn't seem to.... well, yes, it IS getting worse, but any medication I try just makes his fever spike. I just don't think--" Scully put a hand over his. "It's okay. I have a feeling this virus is a bit... out of the ordinary." She leaned back in her chair, squinting intently at the wall, and appeared to be in deep thought. End Part 04 of 11.