Yet Still We Meet
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Title: Yet Still We Meet
Author: Kelly J. Thompson
Rating: PG-13
Category: MSR, AU, A, What if story, WIP
Spoilers: None
Summary: In this story, Scully never joined the FBI.
Samantha did not go missing, but has recently died.
Mulder has inherited her baby...or has he?"
Disclaimer: Carter, I'm just keeping them occupied
while you're not using them. Please don't sue, I
know they're yours.
Feedback: This is my first WIP, so I'm gonna need
a lot of encouragement. Please send your comments
good or constructive to:
foreverkel@zoominternet.net
Archive: You want it you can have it. Just keep it
in the same condition you found it in.
Authors Notes: To my good friend, Bear, I have
absolutely no idea how I'd even finish one part of
this without you. Thank you for your support, ideas,
and beta, you really truly rock. And, also some more
thanks go to the ladies who helped me out at the
MSR Preservation Society.
Location Note: I've never been to the DC or Baltimore
areas, so I made up a town and gave it a name from
a somewhat similar town here in Western PA. Any
similarities to an actual town in that area is purely
coincidence.
******************
Yet Still We Meet
Part One/?
******************
Children's Health Center
Special Agent Fox Mulder glances around the bright
waiting room watching the various children. Some
are obviously sick, while the others he assumes, must
be there for check-ups, or whatever else healthy
looking kids visit the pediatrician for. As he watches
the children and their parents, he feels very out of
place, even as he glances at the infant sleeping
soundly in the carrier at his feet. He's not a parent.
He should be at work chasing down serial killers, not
here waiting to take his three month old niece to see
her new doctor.
He fights his irrational anger at his sister Samantha
for leaving him in this situation. Just one short
month ago, when he was about to head home from work for
the evening, he had received a call from the hospital
informing him that his sister had just been killed by
a drunk driver.
The weeks that followed were some of the hardest
he'd ever been through. Besides from the grief of
losing not only his sister but his closest friend, he
was made baby Grace's legal guardian. He had never
really entertained the thought of having children of
his own, and to have this sweet, innocent little human
being thrust solely into his inexperienced hands is
something he's having a hard time adjusting to. And
he's not very confident with the job he's been doing
so far.
"Grace Mulder?"
He is brought out of his contemplations by the nurse's
call. He stands gathering the diaper bag and baby and
follows the nurse into the exam room. He's told to
strip the baby to her diaper, which he does, then
leaves the nurse to the task of the preliminary exam,
answering her questions as best he can . When she
finishes, he's left alone, holding his squirming,
almost naked niece in his arms.
The nurse has barely left the room when the door
opens again. He looks up to see a very pretty
diminutive redhead, in a white lab coat, standing at
the door. "Mr. Mulder?" He nods and stands as she
walks over, shifting the baby to one arm, and shakes
her hand. He has a passing thought of how soft her
hand is as he shakes it. "I'm Dr. Scully." She flashes
him a smile, and turns toward the baby. "And this
must be Grace?"
He catches himself staring at the beautiful doctor, as
she greets his niece, thinking that if his doctor
looked like this one he might actually go when he needed to.
He shakes himself out of his train of thought. "Um...
actually, she prefers to be called Gracie."
He watches Dr. Scully's eyebrow raise upward and an
amused expression crosses her pretty face, as she
turns to face him once again.
"Is that so?"
He smiles at her skeptical expression. "Yes, whenever
someone calls her Grace when they're talking to her
she gets this blank expression on her face. But, call
her Gracie and she'll flash you her biggest brightest
smile. Sometimes you'll even get a giggle." He lifts the
baby up to his face as he says, "Isn't that right,
...Grace?" The baby just stares at him, so he tries again. "Isn't
that right, Gracie?" As predicted the baby smiles
widely at her uncle, and throws in the giggle for good
measure. He glances at the doctor, an I told you so
expression on his face. "See?"
The doctor laughs, watching the handsome man work
his charm on the infant, admiring him, his athletic
body, chestnut hair, and all around good looks. "Well,
Mr. Mulder, if you could just lay Gracie on the table,
we'll get the exam started."
He puts the baby on the table, and she with proceeds
the check-up, listening to her heart, and checking her
ears. "Everything looks and sounds good. She's going
to need some immunization shots, but first I need to
clarify a few things the nurse wrote in Grace's
chart."
She moves to the small desk in the corner of the room
and sits down. "In the family history, you filled out
for Grace you left the information regarding your family
history blank, while you filled the mother's
information. Was that a mistake?"
"No, it wasn't. I'm not Gracie's father. I'm her
uncle. My sister, Gracie's mother, died about a month ago. I
was given legal guardianship."
"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss." She gives the man a
gentle smile conveying her condolences. It's then she
notices the sorrow and insecurity in his hazel eyes.
She gets an unreasonable urge to hug the grieving
man, but manages to fight it off.
"I'm sorry I can't tell you anything about Gracie's
father, Samantha never disclosed that information,
not even so much as a first name," he explains
apologetically. There's a note of bitterness,
frustration and confusion in his voice
"That's quite all right. While, it's nice to have that
that history, it's not an absolute necessity." She
goes on and asks the perfunctory questions, stands up to
leave and walks to the door.
"Dr. Scully?" She hears the uncertainty in his voice,
and turns back around to face him. "Gracie is okay,
right? I haven't inflicted any damage to her, have I?"
She steps closer to him giving him a comforting
smile, and lays a reassuring hand on his arm. "You're
doing fine, Mr. Mulder. Try not to worry so much."
She watches his eyes lose some of their insecurity
as he smiles back.
"I'll try, but I'm finding that I'm really good at
it."
She chuckles at his attempt at humor and gives his
arm a squeeze as she open the door. "I'll be right
back to give Gracie her shots, then you can go."
She walks out the door closing it behind her, smiling
and shaking her head as she does.
"Appointment go well, Dana?" Startled, she jumps
putting her hand over her heart. Looking up she sees
the smiling face of her nurse and good friend
Stephanie.
"Geez, Steph, are you trying to give me a heart
attack? she gasps out.
"I'm sorry," Stephanie laughs. "I didn't mean to
startle you."
"That's okay. Did you prepare the syringes for
the Mulder baby?"
"Yeah, I have them right here," Stephanie replies,
holding up the needles. "I'll go in and give them to
her right now." She reaches for the door knob,
preparing to enter the exam room.
"No, I'll get this one," Dr. Scully quickly says, to
keep the nurse from entering the room.
The nurse turns back toward the doctor, with an
amused expression on her face. "Ahh, I get it. You
wanting to do what is usually my job is because of
the hottie in there, isn't it?"
"Stephanie," she warns.
"Aww, come on Danes, admit it, you think he's
sexy. It's not a crime to think so," Stephanie urges
mischievously.
"As much as I'd like to stand here and discuss Mr.
Mulder's finer points, I need to give his niece
those shots, so we can move onto our other patients."
Stephanie smiles and hands her friend the syringes.
"Sure, doc, whatever you say," she says emphasizing
this with a wink.
Dana watches the nurse walk away. She turns back
to the door and opens it. She's greeted with the sight
the handsome man talking softly to his niece, the
baby just smiling at him in admiration .
"Uh, oh, Gracie, the doctor's back," he whispers
conspiratorially to the infant, who sucks on an
apparently very tasty finger in reply.
"Okay, Mr. Mulder, we need to get Gracie back on
the table."
"This isn't going to hurt her too much is it? he asks
as he places the baby on the table.
"Not anymore than what it feels like when you get
an injection, but most likely she won't like it. Be
prepared for some crying." The doctor goes on to
prepare the injection sites. "Okay, Mr. Mulder you're
going to have to hold her down for me."
He moves his hands into place to hold Gracie down
and turns his head the opposite direction. "Okay,
Doc, do your worst."
"You squeamish, Mr. Mulder?" she asks as she
gives the infant the first injection.
He looks up at her still avoiding looking at the now
crying baby. "No, in my line of work I couldn't afford
to be. It's just that... I don't want Gracie to look
at me like I betrayed her."
She looks up from her task of preparing the next
injection, making eye contact with him. "In a few
seconds, when I'm done and she's safely in your
arms, she won't even remember why she's upset."
"Yeah, I always have that effect on women," he
says in a sarcastic tone.
"I'm sure you do," she mumbles under her breathe.
As the thought of how nice it would be to be held in
his arms quickly zips through her mind.
"What was that?" he asks, even though he heard
exactly what she said.
She shakes her head to clear her thoughts as she
feels her cheeks redden. "Umm... you might want
to turn your head again. Here comes the last one."
"Oh,...okay," he smiles at her cover-up, then turns
his head quickly, and she administers the last shot.
"There, all done." She says putting a tiny band-aid
over the injection site. "You can go ahead and get
her dressed now." He starts getting the baby
dressed, while she explains to him the possibility of
fever and not to worry unless it gets too high. He
nods nervously as he loads his now fully dressed
niece into the carrier.
As he goes to leave the room to go to the reception
desk to handle the bill, Dr. Scully approaches him
with a small card. "This is the number where you
can reach me, in case of an emergency."
He hides a small grin, fighting back a desperate
urge to ask whether "emergency" constitutes a
lonely or broken heart, so to speak, and manages
to gracefully thank her before heading out of the
office with his precious cargo.
Somehow, they both have a feeling this isn't the
last time or only place they'll meet. And, they're
not the only ones.
****************
Just across the street an old man watches as Fox
Mulder leaves the building. Cigarette smoke
billows around the man as he too turns to leave.
*****************
Yet Still We Meet
Part 2/?
*****************
Super Market
Two Days Later
Dr. Dana Scully finds herself at the supermarket on
a busy Friday evening, walking down the crowded
aisles carrying a hand-basket. She contemplates the
bad day she had just weathered at the office, the
screaming children, getting bitten , getting vomited
on, the bickering parents, and that was just one
family! It's days like this I really hate my job, she
thinks to herself.
These past few years, she's given herself over
completely to her work. The success of her practice
has been her number one priority. Lately, though,
she's finding that she's ready for something else. She
hasn't had so much as a date in over a year and a
half, and romance has been on her mind.
Maybe that's why she can't stop thinking about Fox
Mulder. She's never been one to pine over a man,
especially one she hardly knows. His niece's
appointment was two days ago, and yet she can
remember almost every moment of that one, while
usually her routine appointments all seem to run
together.
She continues her shopping, moving from aisle to
aisle in search of what she needs, barely paying
attention to anything around her, concentrating solely
on her tasks. While lost in her thoughts, she doesn't
notice the tall man in front of her pushing a cart.
Suddenly she walks right into him.
"Whoa," she hears as the contents of her basket
scatter onto the floor. The man turns around to
see what's going on.
"I'm so sorry," she says as she looks to her groceries
laying on the floor, never once looking up at the
poor guy she collided with.
"Dr. Scully?"
She looks up from the mess on the floor to see
none other than Fox Mulder standing in front of her.
She can tell by the amused look on his face he isn't
upset by her trying to run him over.
"Mr. Mulder, right?" she asks trying to sound as
nonchalant as she can, not wanting him to catch on
that he has been in her thoughts for the last two
days.
"Call me Fox," he says, then cringes at the sound of
his dreaded name. He mentally kicks himself for his
slip. "On second thought. . . just call me plain old
Mulder."
Dana smiles at him. "Don't like your first name much
do you, plain old Mulder?"
"I abhor it. To this day I can still hear the people
at school calling me Foxy Loxy and asking me if I liked
green eggs and ham." He shivers for effect and
smiles.
"Sounds horrible," she laughs and then bends down
to retrieve her groceries from the floor.
"Here. . . let me help you," he insists bending down
as well. Together they quickly gather everything,
putting it all back in her basket.
"Thank you," she says, both of them still crouched
on the floor.
"No problem."
Their eyes make contact and remain locked for a few
seconds. Suddenly, a shrill cry rings through the air.
Mulder mutters a quiet "Damn," and quickly stands
up. Dana stands as well and watches the man
unbuckle his niece from the baby seat on the cart,
and lift her into his arms, and bounce her gently
trying to soothe her.
"I don't think I'm ever going get used all this
having-a-baby stuff, " he mutters as he turns to face
Dana again with the now quiet baby.
"You seem to be doing a good job so far. She
calmed down almost immediately after you picked
her up."
He smiles, feeling that if she thinks he can do this,
maybe he really can. "No, this is just how we act in
public. I pretend to know what I'm doing and she
pretends to like me."
"Mr. Mulder, I think you are underestimating
yourself."
"Hey, Doc, I thought I asked you to call me
Mulder?" He smiles kindly at her, letting her know
he really didn't mind.
"Sorry, it's just strange to call someone by their
last name and not put 'Mister' in front of it."
They're interrupted by a quiet "ahem" by a small
elderly woman, wanting to get to the cans of soup
they seem to be blocking. They both move out of
the way giving the woman their apologies.
"Well, Mulder, I should let you get back to your
grocery shopping," she says almost reluctantly
not really wanting to leave his company.
"Dr. Scully, wait."
"Call me Dana," she says quickly and with a smile.
He smiles back at her . "Okay, Dana, would you
like to have coffee with me."
"Now?" she says surprised at his request.
He suddenly gets an I-can't-believe-I-asked-her-
that look on his face. "I'm sorry, you probably
already have plans."
"No, no, I don't. I'd love to have coffee with you."
*****************
After they both pay for their groceries, they make
their way to the store's dimly lit coffee shop. Mulder
puts the baby carrier before him as he slides into the
booth. He looks at the redhead sliding into the seat
across from him, still reeling from the fact that this
beautiful woman agreed to have coffee with him.
A waitress comes and takes their orders, and then
they are left alone. "So," she says after they spend
a few moments in silence.
He smiles and says "so" back to her.
"How long have you had Gracie?"
"A little over a month, but I've only been on my
own with her for two weeks."
"Why's that?"
"My aunt was helping me out until I got everything
at work taken care of so I could take some
vacation time to spend with Gracie so she and I can
*bond* as my aunt put it. Then she went back home
to the Vineyard."
"It must have been hard on you when she left. Do
you have anyone around here to help you out now
that she's gone?"
"No, but Aunt Flo is looking for a place close to me
so I have someone to look after Gracie when I have
to go back to the Bureau."
"Bureau? You mean the FBI?
"Yeah, the Violent Crimes section."
"Oh, so that's what you meant about not affording
to be squeamish in your line of work."
He smiles and nods the affirmative. He thinks about
how she had not remembered exactly who he was
when they had first bumped into each that day, yet
she remembers this comment he made two days ago,
and laughs.
She's just about to ask him what was so funny when
the waitress brings them their coffee.
Long after the waitress has left, as they nurse their
coffees, Dana decides drop the question and continue
the conversation where they left off. "I had thought
about going into law enforcement at one point, but
then my younger brother had lost his battle with
leukemia. I felt so helpless at that point I decided
that I'd rather stay in medicine."
"I know what you mean," he says, giving her a soft,
sympathetic yet grief filled smile.
They go on like this this for quite awhile, talking
back and forth, the conversation flowing naturally from one
subject to another, while the baby sleeps quietly in
her carrier.
"So, your mother died when you were twelve?" she
asks as she listens to him recount past events in his
life.
"Yeah., she was. . ." She watches his eyes get a
cloudy, haunted look as he tenses and takes a deep
breathe.
"It's okay. You don't have to give me details,"
she reassures him as she reaches out and puts her
hand on top of his.
He turns his hand over and grasps her small hand in
his larger one, giving her a sad smile. "No, it's
weird because I don't usually tell people about this, but I
feel like I can tell you," he says as a shy smile
appears on his face.
"You don't have to," she repeats as she gently
squeezes his hand.
She listens intently as he recalls how he, his mother,
and his sister were kidnapped out of their car on the
way home from an outing one night.
"This car just came out of nowhere and pushed us
into a ditch. I remember my mom's head was all
bloody, she was moaning, Sam was crying, and I
just couldn't move. All the sudden this guy came
and dragged us out of the car one by one, and put us
into his. Last thing I remember was the man telling
us he was taking us to the hospital, then waking up
two days later in a field all bloody and sore with
paramedics all around me."
She finds herself smoothing her thumb over the back
of the hand she still has in her grasp. She wishes
like hell she could do something to take away all the
pain this man seems to have had in his life. The last
time she felt this way was when Charlie was dying.
She didn't like the feeling then and doesn't like it
now, especially since they're brought on by a man she
barely knows but with whom she already feels an
intense connection with.
"Were your mother and sister there as well?"
"No, my mother and sister weren't found until two
days later. Samantha was found fifteen miles from
where they found me. She was dazed and couldn't
remember anything, but she hadn't even had a scratch.
And my mother..." He pauses and takes another
breath, hopeful it will keep unwanted tears at bay.
"My mother was found in an abandoned cabin thirty
miles from the main road. She had been shot in the
head, execution-style."
When he looks up, he sees that it is Dana who is
crying. "I'm very sorry, Mulder. I can't imagine what
that would be like, to lose someone so suddenly like
that."
"Because of your brother?" Mulder asks her very
gently, almost in a whisper. He takes his turn at
squeezing her hand in reassurance.
Dana suddenly realizes that she is about to tell this
man she just barely knows something she has never
even told her parents as she nods in the affirmative.
"Watching him suffer, grow so pale and weak and
become a thin, weak shadow of what he once was. . .
sometimes it almost made me wish that, if we were to
lose him, it would have been something very quick
and painless, such as a heart attack or a car
accident."
"But you had time to adjust to the fact that he
wouldn't be there forever," he assures her. "It wasn't
a sudden vanishing from your life."
"That's true," she answers softly. "Although both
ways make you realize just how precious life is."
"Good point," Mulder says finally pulling his hand
from hers immediately missing the contact and sips
the last of his coffee. "Joni Mitchell put it best:
you don't know what you've got till it's gone."
"Yes, indeed," Dana sighs. "So did the police ever
find the man that killed your mother?"
"They think they did," he says with a sneer.
"But, you don't think they did?" she asks with
curiosity.
"No, Samantha and I both knew that the man they
arrested was not the man who took us. No one
would listen to us, though, saying we were too
young and traumatized to remember correctly."
"That had to have been terrible, being disregarded
like that."
"It was," he nods. "That's probably why I jumped at
the opportunity when the FBI made the offer for me to
join."
At that point, his statement is punctuated by the
fidgeting Grace, who moans faintly with impatience,
as Mulder suddenly looks uncomfortable at realizing
that his impromptu date is coming to an end, whether
he likes it or not.
Dana takes the hint from Grace, saying, "Well, it
looks like someone else would like a dinner date with
you for the night. I better let you go on your way."
As they help each other gather their bundles and head
out of the store, Mulder asks her, "I don't suppose
you would be free for dinner tomorrow night? For a
*real* date, of course. Just the two of us- that is,
if I can find a sitter," he adds with a sly yet slightly
embarrassed grin.
Dana smiles just a bit more than she intended as she
realizes the possibility of her love life actually
picking up steam. She decides to take a chance, and hopes
she won't regret not being her usual careful,
cautious, skeptical self. . .at least for now. "That sounds
great!" she replies, hoping she doesn't sound too cheerful.
"Great! How about that Italian restaurant on M street
at eight o'clock?"
"That sounds good. I'll meet you there."
"Okay, terrific! See you tomorrow night, then, and
you have my number, right? Just in case anything
comes up?"
"Oh, of course. You are indeed in our records, Mulder.
By the way, do you still have my number?"
"Thankfully, I remembered to tag it to the
refrigerator door. It's stayed up there, though a few times I
nearly knocked it off trying to get Gracie's bottle," he adds
sheepishly.
"Well, I'm glad it's still there," she says with a
reassuring chuckle.
As they say their final goodbyes and confirm the date
once more, they are both oblivious to a figure sitting
on a nearby bench just outside the door.
When they are out of sight, the man in sunglasses,
partially hidden behind a newspaper, pulls out a cell
phone. In a response to the cryptic hello at the other
hand, the man replies simply, "There's been an
unexpected development in the Mulder situation."
********************
Yet Still We Meet 3/?
********************
Mario's Italian Eatery
The dark haired man sits in a dark car across the
street from the small Italian restaurant with only the
streetlights for illumination. He watches as couples
and groups come and go, waiting for one couple in
particular. As he waits, he thinks about this wasted
Saturday night that he could be using to live his own
life instead of being stuck in this beat-up old car
watching other people live theirs.
If only I hadn't messed up with the whole Samantha
Mulder project, I'd be one of those people out there
on a date-- maybe even with Samantha herself, he
disparagingly thinks to himself.
The man smiles softly as he remembers the time he
got to spend with his beautiful assignment, her smile,
her laugh, the way she said his name. But his smile
fades as he remembers how dangerously close he got
to her. How his guilt led him to tell her the truth
about his involvement with her. How that truth
inevitably caused both their lives to be ruined, hers
in death, his in shame both personally and professionally.
And now he's obligated to making sure Samantha's
brother doesn't find out the truth he should have kept
hidden from the man's sister.
His thoughts are interrupted as he spots a pretty,
petite redheaded woman dressed in a simple but sexy
black dress, exiting her car. "Well, there you are,
Dr. Scully. Now where's your date?" he asks out loud for
only himself to hear. He watches the woman prance
up to the restaurant's entrance with a seeming air of
confidence, claiming a waiting area on a bench next to
the door. As the minutes go by the woman checks her
watch several times, her body language showing the
tell-tale signs of frustration and hurt.
After waiting a few more minutes, he watches the
woman look to the left and smile brightly as a tall
man in a dark suit emerges from his car.
*******************
The first thing Fox Mulder notices as he steps out of
his car is how sexy his beautiful date looks in that
little black dress. The next thing he notices is that
she's smiling at him, which in his opinion improves
her look tremendously. He returns her smile as he makes
his way over to her, thanking his lucky stars that she's
smiling at all. Especially considering the fact that
he was over fifteen minutes late.
"Dana, I'm sorry I was so late. My neighbor's teenage
daughter said she'd babysit, then two hours ago she
up and cancelled on me. So, these last two hours have
been spent not only in a mad dash to find someone to
watch Gracie, but to make the both of us presentable
to be seen in public."
Dana smiles in understanding as she takes in what she
perceives to be a great job in making himself
presentable. "Well, I don't see her anywhere, so I guess
you found someone to keep her huh?"
"Yeah, I did, although I'm not all together confident
in their babysitting abilities."
"Their?" she asks as he leads her into the restaurant.
"You found a group of people to watch Gracie?"
"You need more than one person with these three
guys, believe me," he says with a laugh.
"Ah," she nods, trying to hide her puzzlement.
"Friends of yours from the Bureau, I take it?" He
suddenly looks curiously uncomfortable.
"Well, not exactly, but they've been known to help
me out with a case or two. I guess you could call
them computer geeks who take a certain interest in
crime-fighting."
She nods again, as curious as ever, but deciding that
perhaps she's asked too many questions too soon and
that she should simply wait for him to volunteer the
subject. By this point, as their waiter has made an
appearance and leads them through the romantically
dim candle-lit restaurant to a small circular table,
it is no longer really an issue.
A few moments after they settle into their seats,
looking up from his menu, Mulder glances up at Dana
take in how amazing she looks. "I didn't get to say
this when I first got here, Dana, but you look very
beautiful tonight."
"Thanks," she says. "You don't look too bad yourself,"
she adds, as she brings her menu over her face, hoping
to hide the blush she feels grow over her cheeks. She
curses her pale complexion, and the fact that this man
can make her feel like she's stuck in junior high.
He smiles as she hides behind the menu, amazed that
such a simple comment could induce such a reaction.
They go on and make small talk until the waiter
comes and takes their order, her order interrupted by
the ring of a cell phone. Both check to see if theirs
is the offending phone.
He looks up at her with a sheepish smile. "It's mine.
I think it's the guys."
"The guys? The ones watching the baby?"
"Yeah," he mumbles to her as he brings his cell to his
ear answering it with a clipped, "If you guys dropped
that baby . . . so help me, your dead, Gunmen."
She listens to the strange one-sided conversation with
rapt attention, all the while wondering why Mulder
trusted these guys with Gracie, and why the hell he
referred to them as *gunmen*.
"Frohike, if she stinks, she needs her diaper changed.
You can't get much more straight forward than that.
And, no Langly, babies don't get B.O."
She can't help but start to laugh when he looks at her
with his eyebrows creased as he flashes her a brief
smile of mortification.
"Look, guys, if that was the big problem, I'm going to
hang up now."
He doesn't even give them time to respond before
he ends the call and turns back to Dana.
"I swear they'd be ten times more comfortable with
Gracie if she had a hard drive," he mutters in her
direction.
She smiles at his comment and simply asks the
question she's been wanting to ask since he spoke the
word: "Gunmen?"
A semi-surprised look crosses his face as he answers.
"You caught that, huh?" She nods the affirmative, and
he goes on to explain to her about the newsletter they
publish called the Lone Gunmen.
"So they call themselves the Lone Gunmen as well,
then?"
"Yes, I'm pretty sure they think it makes them sound
tough," he adds amusedly.
It's at this point that their waiter serves them their
meal. Still curious about the men Mulder trusted to
babysit his niece, she continues the conversation even
as they dig into their food. "Why the Lone Gunmen,
though? I'm sure there's a story behind that," she
states with genuine curiosity as she stabs at her salad.
He leans towards her, almost mysteriously and
conspiratorially in her mind. "Let's just say that
these guys don't exactly trust our government. Their
newsletter reflects those views. So they picked a name
coming from the Kennedy assassination which many
people view as one of our nation's biggest
conspiracies."
"And you left the baby with a bunch of paranoid
anarchists?" she says stopping her fork in midair to
ask the question, her eyebrow almost meeting her
hairline.
"I don't know if I'd call them anarchists exactly," he
chuckles, "but yes, they are paranoid. They're great
guys, though."
"I'll have to take your word for it."
After the evening of a delicious meal progresses,
accompanied by more date-worthy conversations and
more talk of his friends, they sit sipping glasses of
champagne. It is in the middle of one of Dana's
childhood stories that Mulder's cell phone rings
again.
He checks the caller ID confirming that it his hapless
babysitters once again. With a look of utter annoyance
he answers the phone. "This better be important,
guys."
She watches a small look of concern creep onto his
handsome face as he listens to what is being said on
the other end.
"You've tried feeding her and changing her diaper,
right? . . . And, she's still crying? Did you try her
pacifier? Okay, I'll be by to get her as soon as I
can.
With a look of disappointment, he ends the call. "Uh,
Dana, it looks like I'm going to have go. The guys
can't seem to get Gracie calmed down."
"That's okay, I understand, I hope she's all right,"
she says looking disappointed herself.
He smiles at her putting his hand on top of hers on
the table top, gripping it lightly. "She's probably just
cranky and making the guys overreact. She did that to
me a lot after Aunt Flo first went back home. But, I'm
really sorry that I have to cut this evening short
just the same."
She smiles back, enjoying his comforting touch. They
continue to gaze at each other for a few seconds
before he removes his hand to summon the waiter
over for their check.
After paying the bill, they head back out to their
cars.
When she turns to him to say goodbye, he takes her
hand and pulls her to his car. He unlocks his door
and reaches in turning on the ignition and starting
the radio.
"Dance with me," he pleads, puppy-dog face and all.
"Here, now, don't you need to pick up the baby?" she
asks incredulously.
"Yes, here, where else? Let the guys sweat it out for
a few more minutes. They're big boys."
Noticing her skeptical look he decides not to wait for
an answer, he completely takes her by surprise by
sweeping her into his arms as they start swaying
slowly to the soft music drifting from his car.
"I'm sorry, but you were going to be a chicken, and I
couldn't let that happen," he whispers softly into her
ear.
She shivers a bit at his close proximity, but decides
to just go with the moment he has created. Wrapping
her arms around his neck she begins swaying with him.
They stay that way until the song ends. But he's
reluctant to let this amazing women go just yet. As
they stand still in one another's arms there in the
parking lot he slowly inches his head towards hers.
He's moving too slowly, she thinks to herself as she
gently pulls his head down farther, bringing her lips
to his in a sweet kiss that's full of promise. They both
pull away, smiling shyly, yet still within their
embrace.
*******************
From where he sits across the street, he watches what
is happening between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
"This is not good," he mumbles out loud. He pulls his
cell from his pocket as he listens to the couple make
plans to see each other again. He dials the number he
needs, then waits for an answer.
"Sir, this is Krycek. The Mulder and Scully problem
is getting worse."
*******************
Yet Still We Meet 4/?
*******************
Fox Mulder's Apartment
Three weeks later
As the baby naps in the bedroom, Fox Mulder bustles
around his apartment, picking up various articles of
baby paraphernalia. He hopes to get the place in
order before Aunt Flo comes over to get Gracie. She had
called last week and asking to take the baby for a
couple of days to show off to some friends of hers.
Of course, even though he knew he would miss Gracie,
he was very happy to oblige his aunt's request.
It's been three weeks since his first date with Dana
Scully, and they've been seeing each other almost
every night since. Though most of their dates have had
Gracie as a tag-along, he feels the relationship is
going well. Because of Gracie, they've spent a lot of time
here at his place, but tonight he's finally going to
her place. He's not completely sure what she has planned
for the evening, but he's looking forward to it just
the same.
He hears a knock on the door and a familiar voice
declares, "Fox, open up! I want to see that baby!" He
smiles as he hears his aunt's voice. He remembers
how she had raised Sam and himself after his mother's
death, and his father's subsequent depression, and
how she's now going out of her way to help him with
Gracie. He truly can't imagine what he'd do without
her.
He opens the door with a smile for the tall, slim,
salt-and-pepper haired woman, her shoulder-length hair
clipped high on her head, wearing a baggy white
t-shirt that proclaims, "Senior Citizens do it with
Medi. . . Care!" paired with bright red jeans.
"Fox!" she beams, smiling back at him as she pulls him
into a hug. "You're looking pretty good, considering!
Everything's going well, I gather?"
"As always, Aunt Flo, you guessed right." He pulls
away from her, still smiling. "So, are you going to
come in and talk to me, or are you just here to take
off with my baby?"
She grins as she hears him refer to Gracie as "his
baby," recalling that when she first left to get
things ready for her own move here, his behavior was very
odd about having to keep Gracie. She knows that
leaving was the right thing to do, now that she takes
in his smiling, relaxed face, and can senses that he
has adjusted to the situation.
They move into the living room and settle onto the
couch. "Oh, wait!" he says, jumping right back up.
"Can I get you anything, Aunt Flo?"
"No, Fox," she laughs. "Just sit down, I can't stay
long."
"Gracie should be waking up soon," he comments as
he sits back down beside his aunt.
"I can't wait to see her. How's she doing?"
A look of almost paternal pride settles over his face.
"She's great!" he replies cheerfully. "She's laughing
all the time, and growing like a weed. Dana says she's
grown two inches and gained a couple pounds since
last month."
She notices his smile get bigger as he mentions Dana,
and has to ask him about her. "Dana-- that's the woman
you've been seeing, right?"
"Yeah, that's her," he answers as his smile grow even
wider.
"From the look on your face, I'd say that things are
going well with the two of you."
"Better than well," he informs her. "We've barely gone
one day without seeing each other since our first
date. She's beautiful, funny, loving, and she's great with
Gracie."
"But, is she great with you? "she inquires with a hint
of concern. "I don't mean to sound suspicious, but I
know some woman get enamored with a man's child
and stay in a relationship just so they can be near
the child."
He smiles reassuringly at his aunt, feeling her
concern. "Dana's not like that. I honestly believe that
had we met under different circumstances, the outcome
would've been the same. Of course," he adds with a
slight hint of mischief , "the fact that she happens
to be a pediatrician doesn't hurt matters, so I guess you
could say this relationship helps me in more ways
than one."
He says this so earnestly that she can't help but
believe him. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Fox, and I
hope for her sake you're not in it to find Gracie a
new mom because that wouldn't be fair to either of you."
Mulder looks at his aunt with an amused expression
on his face. "Oh, Aunt Flo-- believe me what I feel
for Dana Scully has absolutely nothing to do with the
baby," he replies reassuringly. "As corny as this may
sound, I feel like I found my other half. She just
kind of fills in all the gaps, you know, and every time she
leaves I practically count the minutes until I see her
again," he huffs at what he has just said. "Oh, God, listen to
me. I sound like a romance novelist."
"Well, Honey, I have to admit you have got it bad,"
she answers with a laugh and a wink.
"I must, hearing an expert tell me that," he adds with
a chuckle.
"Hey, now, let's not dredge up the past, Fox Mulder,"
she mockingly scolds. "Just because I've been married
a few times is no reason to tease me."
"Five times, Aunt Flo, five times!"
"I'll have you know I loved each of my husbands
very much. . . until I married them, of course. Then
it would all go to hell."
Just then a cry interrupts them, and Aunt Flo jumps
up before he can, insisting that she'll get Gracie. He
waits on the couch while she attends to her great-
niece. As she returns shortly carrying the freshly
diapered and smiling baby, she declares, "You know I
think she's gotten even more beautiful since I left.
You must really be doing something right," she adds
sarcastically.
"I don't have to let you take her this weekend, you
know," he reminds her.
"Oh, but you will. You know it. How else will you be
able to take your new girlfriend to bed this weekend?"
She takes in his surprised expression, and laughs.
"Oh, come on now, don't give me that look. I may
technically be considered a senior citizen, but I
remember what's it's like at the beginning of a new
relationship. You want some time alone-- no crime in
that."
He puts on his best straight-faced expression and just
stares at his aunt. "Okay, okay," he smiles. "Maybe,
just maybe, you're right."
"No maybes about it. I know how you'll be spending
the weekend," she declares with a wink. She watches
her usually unflappable nephew blush and squirm
nervously in his seat, and smiles. "Now, help me get
Gracie's things together. I've got to go, and you have
a woman to make love to."
She can't suppress the mischievous grin at her
nephew's embarrassed sputterings of "Aunt Flo-o!"
**************************
Dana Scully's Apartment
Same Day
It's been an exhausting day at work, followed by a mad
dash back to her apartment for dinner and preparations
in anticipation of what she hopes to be a romantic
evening with Fox Mulder. Plopping down on her couch
with a sigh, Dana glances around the romantically-lit
apartment to make sure everything is in its place, and
that it all looks appropriate.
She lies her head back on the couch and takes some
deep breaths as she tries to ease her nerves. She's
hoping to make the most of this full evening without
Gracie. Since it's been so long since she's been in
any kind of romantic relationship with a man, she's
terrified she's going to do something wrong. She's
especially afraid that she may act too needy and scare
him away.
Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door.
She quickly glances at the clock. "Damn it, Mulder
you're early," she mutters to herself as she heaves
herself off the couch. Glancing down ruefully at her
yet-to-be-removed work clothes, she hastily pulls on
her blouse and straightens it as she hurries to the
door.
All the while she wishes that she could've had the
time to change, but at the same time she's glad that he's
here.
With one last check of her clothes and a pat down of
her hair, she opens the door with a smile. The smile
soon fades, however, when she's greeted by the sight
of a taller red headed woman in a long floral dress
standing outside her door.
"Melissa," she mutters, trying in vain to mask her
disappointment.
"I take it you were expecting someone else," she
replies coyly, peering around Dana into the apartment,
and taking in the romantic lighting and the delicious
smell emanating from the kitchen.
"Yes," Dana sighs. "I am."
"Well, Sis, are you gonna leave me in, or what?"
"Do I really have a choice?" she asks as she
reluctantly steps aside to let her sister in.
"No," Melissa answers, perching inside.
"Melissa, what are you doing here anyway? I know I
told you about my plans for tonight when we talked
yesterday."
Dana watches her sister lightly smack her forehead
as if she just remembered the previous conversation
they'd had. Of course, she can tell by her sister's
act that she did indeed remember.
"Sorry, Dana, I completely forgot."
"Yeah, right," she snorts as she rolls her eyes. "And
I'm the Queen of England."
Melissa breaks into laughter in response. She tries to
calm herself when she sees Dana's eyebrow shoot up,
standing there with her hands on her hips and her foot
tapping impatiently.
"I'm sorry," she chuckles. "I just had this mental
picture of Prince Charles calling you mummy, and
couldn't help myself."
Dana smiles in spite of herself, nodding her head and
relaxing her stance as she takes in the smug look on
Melissa's face.
"So, seriously, Missy, why did you come here knowing
that I had plans this evening?" she asks with a sigh.
"Okay, you caught me. I wanted to meet the man who
has gotten my sister out of her 'I'm too busy working
to get a real life'-kick she's been in for the last
couple of years," she replies with a shrug.
"Missyyyy," she whines. "Couldn't you have picked
another time to do this? I'm nervous enough as it is--
I don't need you telling me what color his aura is! And
speaking of which, surely you must be psychic enough
to realize the tension of your presence is already
altering my already-tense aura or . . . whatever."
Melissa chooses to ignore Dana's last comment,
instead observing her younger sister's current attire.
"Please tell me you're not planning on wearing that
tonight."
Dana looks down at her clothes "I wasn't going to, but
now you've shown up and thrown me off schedule. So
I doubt I'll have the time to change."
The taller woman grabs her wrist and tugs her down
the hall to the bedroom. Releasing Dana's wrist, she
throws open the closet doors and begins rummaging
through all the clothes hanging there.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asks, watching in
dismay as her sister clutters the nicely organized
closet.
"I'm trying to find you a decent outfit," Melissa
shoots back. "However, I have to tell you I'm not coming
across any seduction-worthy clothes in here."
"With all due respect, Missy," Dana huffs. "I think
I'm perfectly capable of picking out my own clothes."
"Oh, I know you can," she says over her shoulder.
"It's just that I'm afraid what you'll pick out. "
As Dana watches her sister continue to root through
her closet, she starts to worry herself that she
doesn't have anything appropriate to wear. Even so, a more
troubling thought occurs to her.
"I'm not going to wear anything that'll make me look
like a tramp," she declares
"I'm not even going to dignify that statement with a
answer. Besides, I doubt you have anything that
could in any way be construed as trampy."
"You know, Missy, I really don't think it'll matter
much to Mulder what I'm wearing," Dana muses. "If
his thoughts are anywhere near where mine are,
clothes are going to be the farthest thing from his
mind."
"In that case you can go out there naked, "Melissa
replies mischievously, turning from her task for a
second. "You know--get straight to the main event,"
"It's just that I don't think I need to wear something
that screams 'Here I am, Baby take me!'" Dana
sighs. "I'm pretty sure he has an idea what's on the
agenda for tonight without it."
"I'm sure he does, but it never hurts to give him a
little hint, just in case." Just as Melissa turns back
to the closet, she sees something that catches her eye.
"Oh, God! what if I screw this entire night up? What
if he notices just how nervous I am, dubs me a loser
and walks out on me?" Dana wonders out loud as she
sits herself heavily onto the bed.
Melissa hears her younger sister's worried thoughts,
and pulls the pale blue cotton sundress off the
hanger. She moves to the bed and sits beside Dana.
"That's not going to happen," she coos reassuringly.
"If any of the vibes I've been getting about this new
relationship of yours are correct, wild horses aren't
going to tear him away."
"You know, for the first time in my life, I want to
believe you're actually clairvoyant," Dana answers
with a smile.
"Well, hey, even if I'm not he'd be crazy to walk out
on a woman like you," Melissa insists. "You're
beautiful, smart, caring, and you're a doctor to boot.
A man can't do much better than that."
Dana listens to her older sister's words and she feels
her confidence somewhat return. Even though she still
has butterflies in her stomach, she feels she can get
through the night.
Melissa smiles and pats her sister's knee. "See,
you'll be all right. Plus, I found you something to wear."
She hands Dana the blue dress. "It's not too straight-
forward, so it should do, right?"
"Yeah, it will be fine," she replies smiling.
Missy lifts herself off the bed and smiles down at her
sister. "Well, I think I'm gonna go. As you said
before, you really don't need me horning in on your
evening. You go ahead and get dressed--I'll show
myself out."
Dana watches Melissa head to the bedroom door.
"Oh, hey, Miss?" she calls causing her sister to turn
around and look at her quizzically. "Thanks."
"Anytime," her sister mumbles with a smile, hurrying
out of the bedroom. Just as she opens the door to
leave, a tall, dark-haired man stumbles in with his
hand in a fist ready to knock.
Once he regains his balance, he looks at the woman
standing in front of him.
"Uh, I'm sorry," he stammers hastily. "I must have the
wrong apartment."
"Are you Fox Mulder?" Melissa asks, as she sizes up
the man she assumes her sister is expecting. She
chuckles inwardly as she notices that the polo shirt
he has tucked neatly into khaki slacks is almost exactly
the same shade of blue as Dana's dress.
"Yes," he answers with uncertainty.
"I'm Dana's sister, Melissa," she replies smoothly
extending her arm to shake his hand. He tentatively
takes it and does so. "Dana is putting on the
finishing touches; she'll be right out. You should go
ahead and have a seat," she encourages with a hand on his
shoulder, taking him back a bit with her rather direct
physical contact. "I, on the other hand, must be
going."
With a shout to her sister that her date has arrived,
and a soft murmur in Mulder's direction about 'good
vibes,' Melissa walks out the door. Smiling as the
door closes behind her, she knows that the man that
she just met is going to be in Dana's life for the
long haul.
***********************
Mulder just stares at the door after Dana's sister
leaves, shaking his head in bewilderment at the
obvious differences in the sisters. He makes his
way to the sofa and sits down, waiting nervously for
Dana to come out.
He glances around the apartment, soaking in the
atmosphere that she has scrupulously created. If he
wasn't nervous enough before, he's even more nervous
now, seeing all the candles and smelling what's he's
guessing is lasagna or some other kind of fancy
Italian dish.
He remembers the few times they had actually gotten
to spend a few stolen moments on his couch making
out before inevitably being interrupted by Gracie. But
now knowing that such an interruption won't be
happening is causing the butterflies in his stomach to
twist and turn at full force, and the thought of
'This one's special, don't screw it up' incessantly runs
through his mind.
Deeply engrossed in these thoughts, he doesn't hear
Dana step out of her bedroom and into the living
room.
Noting that he seems lost in thought, Dana studies the
handsome man a few moments before clearing her
throat to get his attention. She laughs as he jumps
off the couch with his hand over his heart.
"Geez, Dana, you scared me!" he gasps.
"I'm sorry, Mulder, really," she assures him, moving
closer to him.
As he calms his breathing, he takes in the beautiful
woman standing before him. "You look amazing."
"So, you like the dress?" she asks with curiosity,
waving her arms down her body. "It's not my usual
style," she adds self-consciously. "My sister threw it
at me."
He nods as he gently takes her into his arms brushing
his lips gently over hers. "Yeah, I like it," he
whispers against her lips. "It brings out your eyes."
"Mmm, did you happen to notice that we match?"
she inquires with a hint of humor in her voice, as she
moves farther into his embrace.
He steps back taking her hands in his and looks her
over again, then at himself. "Well, how about that?"
he responds with a smile.
"Maybe my sister sent out vibes to you, making you
wear that shirt," she laughs
"Now that you mention it, I did feel something when
I picked it out, but I just figured it was gas," he
deadpans.
She removes one hand from his grasp and slaps him
playfully on the shoulder. "Are you trying to ruin
the mood?"
"I don't know. What mood would that be?"
"If you can't tell, I must be doing something wrong."
"Oh, no I'd say you were doing pretty well," he
replies, squeezing her hand.
"Come on," she smiles pulling away, tugging his hand
leading him toward the elegantly-set table. "Have a
seat. I'm going to get the lasagna."
"That's what I thought that delicious smell was," he
says as he takes a seat at one end of the table.
Dana brings out the salad and the lasagna, and takes
her seat across from Mulder. The meal, the wine, and
the conversation flow smoothly as they exchange
family tales - he of his aunt, and she of her sister.
From his descriptions, Dana surmises that Aunt Flo is
a very protective, strong woman she would love to
meet sometime, though she's a bit concerned about
measuring up to her standards.
Fox, for his part, is bemused over Melissa's seeming
mission in her sister's life to see to it that, as
Dana puts it, she *has* one, and is simultaneously
fascinated by and frightened of her.
He wonders out loud if Melissa would ever pursue
work in the FBI, as he has heard rumors of a great
deal of unsolved cases, many of which have to do with
the supernatural. "You know - alien abduction cases,
UFOs. . . the type of thing that other people think of
as ridiculous."
Before Dana can help it, she laughs aloud. "The FBI
has files like that?"
"Well, yes," Fox blushes, "but of course, there's not
a great deal of interest in them. Your sister just seems
like the type who would get off to that sort of thing,
that's all."
"I doubt it," she muses. "Melissa's never been very
big into guns or governmental control. She would also be
driven nuts by all of the tangible evidence and proof
demanded, and ask her would-be superiors to look
beyond their 'rigid science,'" she adds with a snort,
suddenly ducking to narrowly avoid a spray of ricotta
cheese and tomato sauce resulting from Fox's vain
attempt at controlling an instant guffaw.
Once he recovers with the help of a sip of wine, he
muses, "So you think she'd have us doing meditation
to help us get into the minds of the criminals, huh?
Maybe even convince them to pursue more legal
behavior?"
"Something like that," she replies with a grin and a
roll of her eyes.
***********************
Later on, they settle on her couch, each with a glass
of wine that seems to make the smiles come as easily
as ever.
Mulder looks over at Dana , sipping her wine as they
sit in a comfortable silence. He puts down his glass.
"Dana?" he says breaking the silence.
"Yeah?"
"Come here," he says opening his arms to her as he
slides back on the couch making room for her.
She smiles and sets down her own glass, and settles
back in his arms, her back to his chest. He wraps his
arms around her pulling her even closer, and remain
they that way for quite a while.
"This is heaven," he murmurs as he nuzzles into her
neck.
"Mmm, I think you're right," she sighs contentedly,
turning her head to look at him. Their gazes lock
as they lean into each other. Their kiss is sweet and
almost shy at first, but gains intensity. She pulls
away from the kiss and turns in his arms, to face him,
resting her forehead against his.
"Would it be overly presumptuous of me to ask if we
could move this into the bedroom?"
He doesn't realize that he was holding his breath in
apprehension until she spoke those words and felt the
air rush out of his lungs. Quickly recovering, he
takes her face in his hands and caressing her cheeks with
his thumbs.
"No, not if that's what you really want," he replies
in concern, not wanting to rush her into something she
may not be ready for.
"It's what I really want," she assures him pleased at
his concern, kissing him deeply in confirmation.
Once they get into the bedroom, more kisses and
soft caresses are shared. Clothes are removed
slowly with trembling fingers, as they each laugh
at their nervousness, and whisper reassurances to one
another until they are standing bare in front of each
other.
In the dim light of the bedroom they move to the
bed, each finding comfort in the other's embrace and
light touches. Their coming together is even more
powerful than either of the new lovers expected, like
souls reborn and joined as one.
Afterward, they lie together, bodies and minds sated,
Dana's upper half resting on Mulder's chest, her
fingers running through the sparse hair there, as his
hands trace circles over her bare back.
"Dana?" he whispers into her ear.
"Hmmm?" she hums into his chest, her exhaustion
preventing her from doing much more.
"Would it scare you if I told you that I'm falling in
love with you?"
She lifts herself up so she can look into his eyes,
examining his face for signs that he's telling her the
truth. Once she finds it, she moves a hand to his
face lightly tracing his features.
"Would it scare you if I said the same?" she asks,
smiling brightly.
"Not at all," he answers, smiling back, pulling her
back down into his arms and moving them so that he's
spooned behind her. They fall asleep that way, secure
in the realization that this night is only the
beginning.
***************************
Unknown Location
Early the next morning
The two men stand in the smoky office watching the
image of the couple making love on the screen. The
smoking man turns the tape off and returns to his seat
at the desk.
"I think it's about time to aggressively do something
about this situation. Don't you, Alex?" the man
declares taking a long drag from his cigarette.
"What do you suggest we do, Sir?" Alex asks, fearing
the answer that the other man will give him. "Break
them up?"
"From what I just saw on that tape and observed
myself these past few weeks, I think that may be
hard to do," the smoking man declares, stubbing out
his cigarette and lighting another one. "I think the
key here is to take away the one thing that will arouse
the most suspicion and even confirm it."
"And how will we do that?" Alex replies, not even
having to ask what 'thing' the old man is speaking of.
"It's surprises me that you don't know the answer to
that already, Alex, though maybe it shouldn't. My
colleagues all believe that you've gone a bit soft
after your involvement with Samantha Mulder, but
I was kind enough to defend you. Of course, your
involvement with her was actually helpful in that
regard."
"Let me see if I'm understanding you correctly here.
You want me to use my relationship with Samantha
to take what we need?" Alex inquires already knowing
the answer, feeling his anxiety goes up yet another
notch.
"Ahh, correct. There may still be hope for you yet,
Alex," the man practically hisses through an evil
smile. "I hope you're up to the challenge."
The old man turns around, signaling that he's said all
he has needed to say.
As Alex leaves the office, his thoughts are focused on
what he's just been told to do, and just how much he
doesn't want to go through with it. However, although
he has reservations he knows if he doesn't do this it
will cost him more than his job.
It would cost him his life.
******************
Yet Still We Meet
Part 5/?
******************
He finds himself walking down a lengthy, unfamiliar
hallway. Hearing the baby cry, his pace quickens as
he opens door after door, each revealing nothing.
Frantic now, as the baby's cries grow louder, he
throws open every door, screaming "Where is she?"
at the top of his lungs.
Suddenly a female whisper of "She's in here, Fox,"
seems to float through the air. Calming a bit at
hearing the soft voice, he slows down, continuing to open one
door after another, relentlessly searching for the
screaming infant. Finally he comes to the end of the
long corridor, spotting a door there with light softly
streaming from the bottom.
The crying stops as he hesitantly opens the door.
Afraid of what he might find, he cautiously steps into
a brightly lit, cheerfully painted nursery, toward
the pale pink circular crib in the middle of the room.
He parts the white muslin fabric hanging around the
crib. . . revealing it to be empty.
Feeling his panic renew itself, his eyes search the
room for any signs of Gracie. Suddenly, the words "I've got
her, Fox," in the same soft voice as before, float
into his ears. It's then he that spots the wooden rocking
chair in the corner, containing a mysterious occupant
facing the wall . Seeing a small arm flail past the
shoulder of the person sitting in the rocker, he tries
to run to his niece. However, his feet seem to have a
mind of their own, moving him at a snail's pace toward
the chair.
When he finally reaches the chair, he places his hand
on the person's shoulder. He drops his hand and gasps
as the familiar face of his sister turns towards him.
"S-s am?" he stammers in disbelief, trying to swallow
the fact that his dead sister is sitting right in
front of him holding her daughter.
"Hello, Big Brother," she says, smiling brightly up at
him.
"What are you doing, here? How are you even here?
Where is here for that matter?" he rambles non-stop,
his anxiety overwhelming him.
Samantha just smiles at him, not answering his
questions. She turns her attention back to Gracie,
fingers playing with the infant's small hands.
"She's so beautiful. I can tell that you've been
taking good care of her. Thank you."
He feels tears well up in his eyes as he watches
Samantha hold Gracie and listens to his sister talk.
"I'm just doing what you asked me to, Sam."
Her smile fades as she hugs the baby closer, and she
stands up abruptly. "You can't let them take her from
you, no matter what they say. Don't let *anyone* have
her. She's yours, Fox-- you have to keep her safe,"
she implores, as she gently transfers the baby from her
arms to his.
"What do you mean? I don't understand," he states in
puzzlement, as he stares at the trembling woman
before him.
"Not everything is as it seems," she whispers as she
turns away and begins walking toward the darkness
beyond the door.
He lurches toward his sister, holding Gracie tightly
in his arms. "Samantha, wait!" She stops, standing there
with her back to him. "Tell me what you mean." he
pleads.
To his shock, when she turns around, it is not the
face of his deceased sister he sees, but that of Dana
Scully.
"Not everything is as it seems," she murmurs, then
she continues forward, disappearing into the darkness.
************
His eyes pop open as he wakes out of the troubling
dream, his arms wrapping tightly around the naked
woman draped over his own nude body. Feeling
Dana shift slightly, he realizes he's awakened her.
"Mulder?" she asks sleepily as she lifts her head to
look at him.
"Hey," he murmurs, kissing her forehead yet
maintaining his embrace.
"What's wrong? You're heart's pounding," she points
out gently, resting a hand over his heart.
In an attempt to cover up the fact that the dream he
has just had is causing this reaction, Mulder tries
a nonchalant tone. "What can I say? You just have
that effect on me," he answers seductively, his
hands roaming over her bare back.
She lifts herself up for a closer look at his face,
his tone of voice and the lost and confused look she
finds in his eyes alerting her to the fact that he's
hiding something. "Tell me what's wrong," she pleads,
reaching her hand up to caress his cheek.
He sighs, and leans his face into her touch, feeling
the comfort she's offering him wash over him in waves.
"Just a funky dream about my sister-- that's all.
Nothing for you to worry about."
To Dana, the phrase 'It's nothing for you to worry
about' is an open invitation to do just that, and she
is determined to find out what is bothering him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she inquires softly,
running her fingers soothingly through his hair.
"It was nothing, really," he sighs. "Just Sam telling
me to take care of Gracie. I've been having similar ones
since the day she died."
"But this one was different, wasn't it?"
"Like I said before," he pauses, raining kisses over
Dana's face, "It was nothing." As he works his way
down her neck he continues, "And I'd rather not talk
about it. I'd rather spend the rest of this baby-free
weekend doing something more enjoyable then
discussing a bad dream."
"Mmm, so now it's a 'bad' dream as opposed to a
'funky' one?" she murmurs, closing her eyes and
tilting her head to the side, giving him a greater expanse of
neck for his ministrations.
"You're not going to give up, are you?" he mutters
against her skin.
"It'll take more than a few kisses to distract me, Fox
Mulder."
"Is that so, Dr. Scully?" he asks looking up at her
with a smile.
"I'm afraid so," she answers, smiling back.
He sees the challenge in her eyes, daring him to try
something else to distract her. Taking the unspoken
challenge, he quickly flips her unto her back,
settling himself on top of her.
"Is that the best you can do, Macho Man?" she laughs
trying to wriggle free from him.
"Nope," he states, simply covering one of her breasts
with his hand and massaging it gently as he kisses
down her neck. He smiles at her reaction when she
moans and arches her back into his touch. He knows
then that he's succeeded in his plan to make her
forget about his dream--at least for the time being-- and
proceeds to distract her and himself some more.
****************
After their morning activities, they decide to spend
the afternoon in the beautiful small city of Volant, just
outside Baltimore. They spend much of the day
walking hand in hand, window shopping and browsing
through the somewhat busy, tree-lined streets, filled
with quaint little shops.
Dana can tell by the extent of Mulder's silence since
they got here that something else is on his mind.
However, every time she asks about it, he brushes her
off, telling her it's nothing. She can't help but
wonder if it has anything to do with that 'funky bad dream'
he had the night before, in her arms. A part of her brain
she immediately dismisses as being irrational briefly
wonders if her presence somehow subconsciously
planted that dream in the first place.
They come across a small cafe, where they decide to
have lunch. After they finish their meal, she decides
it's time to try to get him to tell her once and for all
what's been bothering him.
"Why won't you tell me what's on your mind,
Mulder?" she implores putting her hand on top of his
on the table. "You're not having seconds thoughts
about our relationship, are you?"
"God no!" he exclaims, locking his eyes with hers,
taking her hand in his and squeezing it in reassurance
"You're the ONLY thing I feel sure about right now."
"Then tell me what's wrong. Why have you been so
distant today, especially after what happened last
night?"
"Dana," he sighs, "it has nothing to do with you. I
can't even begin to tell you how much this thing
we have going on here means to me."
"You have a funny way of showing it," she says gently
with a slightly wounded voice.
"I know, I know," he mutters as he lowers his head
and removes his hand from Dana's grasp, running his
fingers anxiously through his hair. "It's just that
damn dream I had. My psychologist's brain won't stop trying
to analyze it."
So it *was* that dream she thinks to herself. "Have
you figured it out?"
"No," he snorts. "The more I think about it, the more
it confuses me."
"Then tell me about it," she implores softly. "Maybe
that would help."
"I will," he confirms with a hesitant smile as he
walks to Dana and extends his hand to take hers. "But not
here-- let's walk and get some fresh air, I think
we're going to need it," he adds with a sigh.
She starts to take his offered hand, then pauses,
"This isn't another distraction, is it?" she asks
suspiciously.
"Do you have a problem with my diversionary tactics?"
he asks, smiling down at her.
"The method? No," she replies with a smile. "The fact
that you felt the need to distract me in the first
place? Yes."
"I promise no 'dirty' tricks this time, okay?" he
responds, offering her his hand once again and smiling
lasciviously at his pun.
She finally takes his hand, allowing him to help her
up. They make their way out of the cafe and down the
street, as he tells her about his dream.
After he finishes relaying the dream, they stop in the
middle of the sidewalk. "So, let me get this straight--
your sister told you that things aren't what they
seem, and then turned into me?"
"Uh. . . yeah," he answers coming to a stop along
side her
"And, you have no idea why you dreamed it?"
"I have several, but none I'd actually say I agree
with."
"I have an idea," she declares, taking his hand and
pulling him forward. "There's somewhere I want to
take you. Maybe there's something there that
could help you."
He lets her pull him towards their destination,
wondering where on earth she could be dragging him.
After they have walked for about five minutes, they
come to a stop in front of a small bookstore a sign
hanging in the front proclaiming 'Beyond Words'.
He eyes the sign and peeks in the window into the
uniquely decorated room of light-colored bookshelves
filled with a mix of what appear to be antique books
and new ones. The window appears to be draped with
a starry, celestial pattern, and the window itself is
decorated with golden stars, as are the dark blue
walls, reminding him very much of the view from his
telescope. From where he is standing, he notices
several crystals hanging everywhere. . . some looking
a lot like the one Dana's sister was. . .
He turns towards Dana, who sheepishly ducks her
head. "This is my sister's business. She specializes
in literature and goods related to the abnormal and,
well, the occult."
It's all he can do not to smirk as he senses her vain
attempt at suppressing a skeptical roll of the eyes.
He is fascinated and amazed both by the vast differences
in the sisters, and by the stark contrast in this
place with the town in which it is planted.
He glances at Dana to the store then, back. "You're
adopted, right?
"Nope," she laughs as she drags him inside. "Believe
it or not, we are indeed biological sisters."
"I see," Mulder muses with an evil glint in his eye.
"You come from the same womb, but you just come
from different planets."
"Melissa and I have proposed that theory ourselves on
more than one occasion ," Dana snorts in reply.
As they enter, the antique bell over the door jingles,
alerting the red-haired woman at the front counter of
their entrance. Melissa looks up from the book she's
reading to greet her customers, and is surprised to
see her sister and her new boyfriend standing by the
door.
"Dana?. . . What are you doing here?"
"Mulder and I were in town and we just thought we'd
drop in and say hi," Dana replies, not really wanting
her sister to know the real reason they stopped in.
"That's never really brought you in before," Melissa
replies skeptically, with a raise of her eyebrows.
Watching the couple approach the counter, she knows
there's a specific reason that Dana 's not telling
her.
"Well, maybe I wanted to introduce you to Mulder,"
she replies casually.
"Dana, I met him last night," Melissa reminds her with
a slight frown.
"Yeah, I know, but not properly," Dana adds with a
look toward Mulder, who seems to be fidgeting
nervously as he listen to the two sisters banter back
and forth.
"It's nice to meet you again," Mulder states, jumping
into the conversation, offering his hand to Melissa.
"You have a very interesting store."
Melissa smiles and shakes his hand. "I hope you mean
interesting in a good way?"
"Of course," he answers, smiling back, and removing
his hand from hers as he puts that arm around Dana.
"So, I take it that everything went well last night?"
Melissa asks with a waggle of her eyebrows. She
watches with a a secret malevolent delight as both her
sister and Mulder blush profusely, and has to laugh at
Dana's admonishment of "Missy!" and Mulder's
simultaneous sheepish reply of, "Ummm, I think I'll
just look around a bit." He gives Dana a quick peck
on the lips, then wanders on into the shop.
"Why must you always embarrass people, Melissa?"
Dana asks as she watches Mulder's retreating form.
"Because it's fun," Melissa replies with a mischievous
smile.
"You know, I don't think I'll ever understand you,"
Dana declares, shaking her head.
"That's good because I live to keep you guessing,"
Melissa retorts. "So, come on, tell me what really
brings you here?"
"I thought Mulder would enjoy your unique selection
of books."
"Okay, fine-- don't tell me. However, I know that
something is bothering the both of you, and I can't
help you find what you're looking if you don't tell me."
"I think we can find what we need by ourselves,
thank you," Dana snaps coarsely.
"Well, don't say I didn't offer to help," Melissa
retorts defensively.
"I know, and I'm sorry I jumped down your throat,"
Dana soothes gently. "But, this is something that I
think should remain between Mulder and myself."
"You know I have a book or two that could help you
out," Melissa mentions in a conspiratorially low
voice, and continues on at her sister's puzzled look. "Or he
could always use Viagra."
Dana rolls her eyes at her sister's jibe, and
continues the conversation with a change of subject for a few
minutes before excusing herself to find Mulder. She
discovers him in the UFO section, poking through a
volume entitled 'Little Green Men and Other Great
Secrets of Our Time.'
"Hey, I thought you'd be looking at the dream books,"
she admonishes, coming up behind him and slipping
her arms around him.
"I got sidetracked," he confirms, looking at her with
a smile as he relaxes back into her embrace.
"I can see that, but if we hurry and find what we're
looking for, we can go back to my apartment and
continue making the most of the weekend," she says
seductively, emphasizing her point with a kiss on the
back of the neck.
Mulder returns the book to the shelf and turns around
and wraps his arms around her. "I like the way you
think," he murmurs softly as he presses his lips
against hers. "You know. . . we could blow this joint right
now and get to the good stuff sooner."
"As tempting as that sounds, I want you to come to a
conclusion about that dream first, because I can't
have you getting distracted during the act," she
responds, pulling away from him.
"Okay, I get it," he laughs. "You go ahead and start
looking, I'll be right there. There's a book I found
I'd like to buy, and I need to locate it. I'll catch
up to you in a minute."
"Don't take too long," Dana replies with a wink as
she walks away.
Mulder watches her saunter away then finds the book
he wanted. As he makes his way to find Dana he
brushes past a woman with dark, curly hair. The
woman drops a book as she rushes past. He bends
down and retrieves the book.
"Miss?" he calls out softly, only to find that the
woman is nowhere in sight. He studies the title of the book
the woman has dropped and is struck by its proclamation:
'The Secret Truths in Dreams.' Realizing that it was
the kind of book that Dana wanted them to peruse, he
opens the book and in it he finds a small handwritten
note saying 'Not everything is as it seems.'
*******************
Yet Still We Meet 6/?
*******************
E-Z Sleep Motel
Three Weeks Later
Fox Mulder walks into the shabby motel room that's
been his home for the last four days. He tugs his tie
loose and pulls it over his head, throwing it on a
nearby chair. Collapsing onto the bed, he thinks to
himself how grateful he is that this was a quick case.
He's only been back to work for two weeks, and has
tried hard to work on this case without having to
leave home, but it didn't work out. So now he's
missing the women in his life terribly and can't wait
to get home.
In his experience, four days have never seemed so
long before. He was surprised that he was even able
to come up with the correct profile as much as his
mind had been on Dana and Gracie
At that point, his mind shifts to the latter of the
two women in his life.
Gracie is just starting to crawl and has been babbling
almost non-stop. She's gotten two teeth, and her hair
is growing in little golden curls.
Dana has practically moved in with him and Gracie
these past three weeks, having only gone home twice
during that time: once to get clothes, and one time
after a small argument. She has taken to Gracie more
than he ever thought possible-- she plays with her,
changes diapers and even takes turns with him getting
up with Gracie. Sometimes the baby even to seems
prefer Dana over him.
His thoughts are interrupted by the shrill ring of his
cell phone. He hops off the bed, finds his abandoned
jacket, and grabs the phone from the pocket, hoping
like hell the call isn't concerning the case.
"Mulder," he answers gruffly into the phone.
"It's me."
He smiles widely as he hears Dana's familiar voice on
the other end of the line.
"What's up?"
"I just called to see how your case was going."
"We just wrapped it up. I should be home tomorrow
morning. I have a flight home in just a couple hours,
so I should be able to take you out for lunch."
"I like the sound of that. So you'll be able to make
it to my father's birthday party, then?"
He winces at the mention of the party. As much as he
misses Dana, in the back of his mind he was hoping
that the case would keep him away until after it had
passed. Not that he's against meeting her family, but
he's just not sure how much he wants to meet them
all at the same time.
"Uh. . . yes I guess I will be," he sighs.
"Mulder, I know you're apprehensive about it, but
I really want to introduce you to my family.
"I know, and I'll be there, I promise."
"And you'll bring Gracie too, right?"
"Of course, I've been missing her like crazy, so I'm
planning on keeping her with me. Plus, it will be nice
to have a relative of my own there with me."
"If I were you, I wouldn't count on her actually being
with you that much," Dana laughs.
"Oh, yeah? Why do you say that?" he asks, wondering
what she could mean.
"She's five months old, Mulder. My mother and my
aunts will have a field day with her."
"O-ohh, okay!," he exclaims in understanding. "As
long as they don't hog you as well, that shouldn't be
too bad."
"No, they won't. I'm no fun."
"That's what they think," he retorts lasciviously.
"You're incorrigible," she laughs.
"I haven't seen you in four days. What do you
expect?"
"Is that your way of telling me that you miss me?"
"Of course," he answers honestly.
"Well, I should let you go so you can ready to
leave. I can't have you missing your flight.
"So you miss me too! I knew it!" he exclaims into
the phone.
"Yes, I do, so hurry home, okay?"
"Okay, I will."
"I'll see you around noon tomorrow, then?"
"Definitely."
"I'll see you then."
At that they hang up, and he goes about gathering his
things, more ready than ever to get home. Just as he
finishes up, his cell rings again.
"Mulder," he barks loudly, again hoping that this
isn't regarding the case.
"Mr. Mulder?" the unfamiliar woman's voice replies
"I have information regarding your sister's death."
"What? he asks rather harshly. "Who is this?"
"I used to work with Samantha."
"What kind of information do you have?"
"I can't tell you on the phone. I need to give it to
you in person. Can you meet me somewhere?
"This is a bad time. I have a flight in three hours,"
he explains.
"I know, but this can't wait."
"Okay, where?
"The Rusty Nail Lounge in a half an hour."
"I'll be there."
"Don't be late."
Before he can say anything else, the line goes dead.
He contemplates calling Dana and Aunt Flo to tell
them that he may be late, but decides against it,
figuring that whatever this woman has to say
shouldn't take too long. If it does, he'll call then.
With that decided, he takes his luggage out to his
rental car and drives to his meeting.
**********************
Children's Health Center
Next day
Dana Scully paces in the waiting room of her office,
repeatedly checking her wristwatch. She's been
waiting for Mulder for almost twenty minutes now.
She tries his cell for what feels like the hundredth
time only to get the standard customer out of area
rigmarole. She slaps her phone closed, and sits down
heavily.
She doesn't know whether to be angry or worried.
This is so unlike him; with the exception of their
first date, he's usually on time, and if he runs late,
he calls to let her know.
She gets so lost in her thoughts that when her cell
phone rings, she doesn't hear it at first. "Finally,"
she mutters aloud, assuming that it's Mulder on the other
end.
"You better have a good explanation as to why you're
so late," she angrily huffs in the phone.
"Um, Dana, this is Florence Mulder."
Dana can't fight the wave of disappointment that
washes over her as she hears the voice of the older
woman. They've met only once the day she and
Mulder helped her move into her new apartment.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Flo! I thought you were Fox."
"So I take it that you haven't you haven't heard from
him either?"
"No, not since last night. Why?"
"Well, he called me last evening and told me he'd pick
Gracie up at nine this morning, but he hasn't shown up
yet."
"Maybe he got held up with the case he was on?"
Dana offers, hoping that that's all it is.
"I thought of that. I called all the numbers he left
me. They told me that the last they saw of him, he was
leaving with the rest of the team early last evening."
"Did you try his friends, The Lone Gunmen?" Dana
asks, her concern escalating.
"No, I thought I'd try you first. I thought maybe he
was with you and lost track of time."
"As I said before, I haven't heard from him since last
night."
"Did he sound okay?"
"Yes, he was his usual wisecracking self," Dana
replies thinking back onto last night's conversation.
"He didn't say anything that might give us a clue
where he could have gone?"
"No, just that he had a flight out in a couple hours
and that he'd pick me up for lunch today."
"I have to be honest with you, Dana-- I'm worried.
While he's been away on this case, he's called at
least four times a day to check up on Gracie, so I just
know something's wrong."
"I'm starting to feel that way myself," Dana replies,
the concern in her voice evident. "I'm going to check my
schedule and see what I can do about getting off
early."
"You don't have to that, Dana ."
"Yes, yes, I do," Dana replies with conviction. "I
need to help somehow. He's important to me."
"Okay, well, I'm at his apartment so you can just meet
there."
"You'll call if you hear anything before I get there?"
"Of course."
"Okay, then I'll let you go."
"Bye, then."
"Bye," Dana says, clicking the phone off, and quickly
makes her way to look at her schedule. She finds
that she actually has a meeting that she could easily
beg her way out of starting at three, and a
surprisingly slow day otherwise.
Pressing hands to her temples, she is torn between
hopes for his well-being and wanting to strangle him
for causing such anxiety. If he had gone off for an
all-night-booze-fest with 'the boys' and didn't tell
her. . .
No, she tells herself. He wouldn't do that, Just
concentrate on finding him, and worry about that
once he's found.
If he's found.
No. When he's found.
*********************
Fox Mulder Apartment
Later That Evening
It's been at least eight hours since Flo first called
about Mulder, and they've yet to hear from him. Dana sits
on the couch and watches as Gracie plays on the floor,
laughing, oblivious to the worries of the two women
watching over her.
"I hate sitting around like this," Dana mutters
jumping up quickly.
"It's all we can do right now, Honey," Flo replies,
referring to the mini-search they'd embarked on two
hours ago but had to abandon. They really had no
clue where to look, and between that and a cranky
baby, they soon came to realize that the search would
be best left to professionals.
"I know he's out there, Flo," she states with
conviction, pointing at the window. "I can feel it, I just don't
know if he's okay."
"I have the same feeling, Dana," Flo confirms from her
seat on the couch.
Dana walks to the window, staring out at the night
sky, searching her brain for some kind of clue as to where
Mulder might be. She feels something at her feet and
looks down, seeing Gracie there smiling at her,
showing off her new teeth. She leans down and picks
up the baby who's come to mean almost as much to
her as her uncle has.
"Hey there, Kiddo. What were you doing down there,
huh?
In reply Gracie just places her chubby little hand on
Dana's nose and squeals happily, causing Dana to
laugh.
"Babies are wonders aren't they?" Flo declares, taking
in the sight before her. "It's amazing how they can
make you laugh when that's really the last thing you
feel like doing."
"Yes they are," Dana answers as she gazes at the baby
who's now studying her face seriously. "He loves her
so much. He wouldn't just not come home to her."
"He loves you too, Dana. He wouldn't leave you high
and dry either."
"I know, and I can't stand not knowing where he is,"
Dana proclaims. Feeling tears threaten, she quickly
changes the subject. "Well, I think this little girl
needs a diaper change. Don't you, Sweetie?"
"I'll do that, Dana," Flo offers standing up.
"No, I'll do it. It will give me something else to
focus on for a little while," Dana answers, walking toward
Gracie's nook in Mulder's bedroom.
"Okay, Dear," Flo answers, following Dana.
Dana lies the baby in the changing table, while Flo
brings over the diapering supplies.
"You know he really needs to get himself a bigger
place," Flo points out a few moments later as she
glances around the room.
"The Social Worker said the same thing when she
came over last week, Dana replies.
"So I guess Fox will be apartment-hunting soon, huh?"
"From the way he's talking, I think he's going to look
for a house," Dana answers, finishing up her task and
picking up the freshly diapered baby.
"Oh, and will you be moving in with him?" Flo asks
with a raise of her eyebrow.
"I doubt it," Dana retorts. "He hasn't even asked."
"And what would you answer if he did?" Flo inquires
with curiosity.
"I really don't. . ." Hearing a clatter from outside
the bedroom, Dana stops and looks around. "Did you hear
that?"
"Yeah. . . do you think it's Fox?" Flo whispers.
"Maybe, but we can't just run out there."
"Tell you what," Flo proclaims, walking toward the
closet and grabbing a baseball bat. "You take this bat
and go see who's out there, and I'll stay here with
Gracie."
"Okay," Dana murmurs, handing Gracie over to Flo
and taking the bat.
Shouldering the bat, Dana makes her way to the door,
opening it as quietly as she can. Stepping out into
the living room, she spots a shadowy figure near the front
door.
"Mulder?" she calls, hoping like hell that she didn't
just make a grave mistake.
She watches the figure as it lifts it's head. Then she
hears "Dana?" whispered softly . As soon as she
recognizes the voice as Mulder's, she drops the bat
and runs to him. The minute she reaches him, she takes in
his haggard appearance.
"Oh my God, Mulder, where have you been?" she asks,
taking him into her arms.
She hears the gentle, soft sounds of his breathing,
followed by a rather ominous declaration in light of
the circumstances leading up to this moment.
"I. . .I don't know."
**********************
Yet Still We Meet 7/?
**********************
Dana sits down heavily onto the couch after escorting
Flo to the door and putting Gracie to sleep. She rubs
her temples as she listens to the spray of the shower,
a signal to her of Mulder scrubbing off the remnants of
his experience. Exhaustion is what washes over her as
the events of the day finally fall into place.
Her thoughts turn to his comments of a mysterious
informant, with whom he met with - comments that
apparently turned out to be his final memory until
this very moment. She can't ignore the feeling that he's
hiding something from her and Flo, that he remembers
more than he insists he does. Giving the benefit of
the doubt, however, she consoles herself that perhaps it's
just a memory that was genuinely gone, and will
resurface with time.
After pondering the situation a while, she notices
that the shower has stopped, and without hesitation she
decides to go check on Mulder. She finds him wearing
only a pair of worn sweats, standing over Gracie's
crib, caressing the downy hair on the top of the infant's
head
"She should be here with her," he murmurs softly,
sensing Dana's presence.
"Who?" Dana asks, already knowing the answer as
she walks up behind him, wrapping her arm around his
waist.
"Sam," he answers sadly. "I should have known
something was wrong, Dana. She was my sister. . .
my best friend and I didn't have a clue."
"A clue to what?" she inquires, worried by his
rambling.
"Sam was murdered," he whispers quietly.
"But you said she was. . . "
"Killed by a drunk driver," he interrupts in a huff,
as he turns to face her. "I know. That's what everyone
said, what the police report said, but it was a lie, a
God-damned lie!"
The baby stirs at the raise in Mulder's voice, so Dana
ushers him to the bed. She sits him on the edge and
kneels in front of him, placing her hands on his knees
and rubbing gently, in an attempt to calm him.
"Is that what you met with the informant about?" she
asks.
"Yes," he whispers softly, putting a hand on top of
Dana's.
"Who was she?"
"She said she was one of Sam's co-workers at the
research facility where she worked."
"What did she tell you?"
"She said she came across a file with Sam's name on
it. Having known her, she was curious, so she read
it."
"What was it, Mulder?" she implores tenderly,
squeezing his hand for comfort. "What did it say?"
"It was a coroner's report," he says, his voice
breaking as he grasps Dana's hand tighter. "It said . . .
It said. . ."
"You don't have to tell me yet," Dana soothes, running
her other hand through his hair.
"No, I have to. . . I want to. It's just hard," he
sighs, dropping his head.
"Well, just take your time."
He lifts his head slowly, and nods. "I'm so tired."
"Why don't you lie down?" she implores lovingly,
her concern for him showing on her face.
"Will you lay with me?" he asks in a small childlike
voice.
"Of course," she replies, catching his gaze and
smiling softly.
They settle into the bed, facing one another. She
feathers back his hair as he relaxes into her loving
embrace.
"The woman-- I think she said her name was Mary--
showed me the report," he announces abruptly,
breaking their comfortable silence.
"She had it with her?" Dana asks with curiosity.
"Yes, she said she stole it so she could show me
proof."
"And what did the report say?" she asks, still feeling
that she's pushing him too fast in his distraught
state.
"It said that Sam was dead prior to the accident, from
some kind of drug overdose," he declares in one
breath, trying to say it all out loud while he still
had the courage.
"Oh, my God, Mulder! I'm so sorry!" she exclaims in a
whisper, feeling overwhelmed herself, hearing his
startling information. She gathers him more tightly in
her arms, rubbing his back gently as he seems to try
to burrow his whole body into hers.
It is as her hands are feeling their way upward that
her left hand brushes a rather odd bump on the side of his
neck. As the mental alarms sound in Dana's brain, she
cautiously glides her fingers across the suspicious
area and localizes the odd interruption of his otherwise
smooth, even skin with the careful attention of a
doctor rather than a lover.
Immediately noticing the change in her demeanor,
Mulder suddenly sits up in alarm, groping for the
nearby lamp. Scully's other hand gently tenses and
restrains him. "Careful, Mulder. I just need to see
something."
The lamp on, her worst suspicions are confirmed as
Mulder tenses, knowing somehow what she is about to
say. "Dana, what's wrong? Is it. . ."
"It looks like an injection."
"An injection?" he asks in disbelief.
"Yes, it is," she confirms, moving around to look at
his face. "Do you remember this happening?"
"No I don't," he declares, shaking his head.
"What's the very last thing you do remember?" she
inquires with curiosity, trying to help him recall
what happened to him.
"I was trying to get more information from the woman
when two men approached our table," he states,
then pauses as he closes his eyes. "Then everything
went fuzzy, and the next thing I remember was waking
up in an alley across the street."
"I think I should take you to the hospital and have
blood work done, so we can see exactly what you were
injected with.
"I'm too tired to go to the hospital tonight, Dana,"
he complains in a whisper.
"Mulder, I don't know how long this drug will stay in
your system, or what the long-term effects may be."
she emphasizes with concern in her voice.
"Dana, I have a doctor right here. One I am quite
familiar and comfortable with, in more ways than one,"
Mulder insists firmly. "And of course, if that doctor
is willing to make a temporary house call, at least for
the night, I would be more than happy to accommodate
you. If anything. . . well, happens that you think
might indicate a problem, then I promise I'll go to a
hospital. That is, if you didn't have any plans for the evening.
None I've managed to ruin with my impromptu
scavenger hunt for clues, anyway."
Biting back a chuckle at his innate ability to sling
innuendo under the most improbable circumstances,
Dana's alternative sense of hearing Mulder's voice
automatically translates what he *really* wants to
say, but is avoiding. <Dana, I'm scared. The last thing I
want is to be poked and prodded by a bunch of
strangers right now. Please stay here and save me.
Save me from what I know, and what I don't know.
Save me from my fears. Save me from myself.>
Sighing with seeming resignation and frustration
betrayed by a gaze flowing with love for this man,
Dana declares, "Okay, Mulder. I promise I'll spend
the night and stay as close as I possibly can. But I
warn you - I hear so much as a suspicious-sounding cough
and I'll be rushing you to the nearest hospital before
you can say 'Tempus Fugits.' Okay?"
This final word decidedly more gentle than the stern
declaration preceding it, coupled with a caress of his
jaw, it almost instantly soothes his anxieties. He
buries his head into her stomach in relief.
"Thanks, Dana," he breathes as he feels his body
relaxing into hers. "You're the greatest. One in five
billion"
"I know," she replies with a tiny grin, amazing
herself with her ability to joke after everything that has
happened. An hour or so later, after she feels his
body drifting off to sleep, she places a careful hand on
his back and silently prays for their well being.
For their survival.
And she wonders if she ever imagined herself praying
such a prayer in her life for such a man.
**************************
Unknown Location
Same night
Alex Krycek walks into the dimly lit room, filled with
gray haired men in fine suits. He sits down in a
chair, knowing he's to be questioned about the events of the
day.
"So, Mr. Krycek, were you able to take care of our
information leak? a burly man with the soft voice
inquired.
"Yes, we were able to administer the serum to Mulder,
and the woman--the leak-- has been neutralized,"
Krycek confirms.
"You did this yourself? another man asked.
"No, I couldn't risk Mulder seeing me, if our plan is
to succeed."
"But you said he was given the serum." The burly man
states incredulously.
"Yes, he was given the serum, but we were not entirely
sure how he would react to it," Krycek defends
adamantly. "The memory loss could have been
permanent, or last a mere fifteen minutes for all we
know." There's no guarantee he would have reacted
to it the same way she did so long ago, he muses
to himself bitterly.
"Do you have any idea how our leak obtained the
information to begin with, Alex?" says the smoking
man, looking directly at him as if to bait him into
admitting he had a part in it.
"No," Krycek responds plainly, looking the man
straight in the eye, knowing he's treading lightly
here. Just one small slip and he's a dead man. He knows
slipping the file to Mary was the right thing to do if
he's to keep Baby Grace away from the project. He
hated having to sacrifice an innocent woman but it was
the only way to insure his safety so he can continue
to keep the baby from harm.
"Really?" the smoking man says through a cloud of
smoke. "I was certain you'd know."
"As I said before," Krycek states emphatically, "no, I
do not."
Seeming to be satisfied with his answers the smoking
man sits back in his chair with a smug expression,
leaving Krycek to ponder what exactly the man knows.
Some of the other men jump in, asking questions of
their own. As the meeting draws to a close the
smoking man asks Krycek to say behind.
"I must say, Alex, that you put on quite a show," the
smoking man announces with a snarl.
"Just what is the supposed to mean?" Krycek barks
angrily.
"Oh, come now-- stop being ignorant. You know that I
know it was you who gave that file to our leak!" the
smoking man retorts calmly.
"Then why did you not tell the others?" Krycek
inquires, unsure of the evil man's reasoning for not
sharing his knowledge with his cohorts.
"I think your little escapade may actually work out
for the project." the smoking man smugly announces.
"How so?" Krycek asks with a mixture of dread and
curiosity.
"Well, I assume Mulder may initiate a investigation
into his sister's death," the smoking man states.
"How exactly would that help the project?"
"Once Mulder finds that baby Grace isn't what he
thinks she is, I think it might be easier for him to
hand her over to you," the smoking man proclaims.
"Yeah, I'm sure he will," snorts Krycek sarcastically.
"You don't agree, Alex?" the smoking man inquires in
amusement.
"I guess we'll have to wait and see," Krycek replies
with a shrug.
"You can go now," the smoking man announces,
waving Krycek away.
Krycek turns away with a slight smile on his face,
thinking, *I can't wait until this plan of his bites
him in the ass. Then the whole world will know what an evil
son of a bitch he really is.*
"Oh, and Alex," the smoking man adds, causing Krycek
to turn to face him once again. "If you pull another
stunt like that, you will be a dead man."
*You don't have to tell me twice,* he thinks to
himself. For the benefit of the smoking man, he decides that a
simple "Yes, Sir" before he takes his leave will do.
He finds his way out, a map of a forming plan for the
future and the more recent narrow close call battling
for primary attention in his mind.
************************
Yet Still We Meet 8/?
************************
Fox Mulder's Apartment
Next Morning
Fox Mulder bolts upward as a nightmare wakes him
from a fitful sleep. After feeling for Dana on her
side of the bed, to no avail, he anxiously glances around
the dark room searching for some sign of her. His
search proving fruitless, he abruptly rushes to
Gracie's crib. . . and having once again searched in
vain for the person in question, fights an irrational
fear that his family has been stolen. He stops a
moment when the thought crosses his mind, smiling
softly at such a notion, realizing they're most likely
still in the apartment.
With fear still somewhat niggling somewhat at him, he
makes his way to the living room, spotting Dana and
Gracie on the couch. Dana speaks softly to the infant,
who's staring at her attentively, sucking on her
pacifier. The last bits of his anxiety lifts as he watches the
two women in his life safely nestled in their little
cocoon.
"You have to stay quiet, Sweetie," Dana whispers
to the baby. "We don't want to wake your uncle."
The baby spits the pacifier out of her mouth and
answers with a loud "Bah!"
"Oh, you don't think so, huh?" Dana inquires with a
smile, leaning down until her nose touches Gracie's.
"Bah!" Gracie repeats, reaching out a tiny hand and
gently pulling Dana's hair.
Dana chuckles as she picks the baby up and places
their foreheads together. "What are we going to do
with you?" she whispers. "Your uncle has had a bad
day and we need to let him rest."
"Too late," Mulder announces, stepping out of the
shadows. "I'm already awake."
Dana jumps as she looks up at him, and the baby
squeals in excitement as she too spots her uncle.
"Sorry," he soothes, walking to Dana and sitting
beside her. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"That's okay, I just wasn't expecting you to be up
yet," she answers softly. "I hope we didn't wake you."
"No, it wasn't you," he replies simply, reaching over
and taking the baby from Dana. "You weren't that
loud," he coos to the baby. The infant laughs as he
speaks softly to her and tickles her gently.
Dana watches the man and child interact, noticing the
differences that a few hours of rest have made in his
condition.
"How are you feeling?" she asks with concern.
"Physically, I feel fine," he confirms. "Mentally, on
the other hand, I'm not doing too well."
"Still thinking about your sister?" she asks, placing
a hand on his knee.
"Yes," he answers softly. "You know, I had that dream
again."
"The one where Samantha turns into me?"
"Yeah. . . only it was different this time," he
whispers softly, looking away from Dana and focusing on the
baby on his lap.
"How so?"
"When I walked into the nursery. . . well you
remember, how in the first dream, Sam was standing over the
crib," he answers, turning to look Dana in the eye. I
know it was her because of the hair . . . I saw her
hair, and I thought for certain it was her, because of
course it had been her in the other dreams. But when she
turned around. . . it wasn't her."
"Who was it?" she asks gently.
"It was you. And at that moment, that mane seemed to
change-- morph-- into yours."
Scully's eyebrows shoot up in curiosity, urging him to
continue.
"This time around," he continues after a deep breath,
"you were the one holding Gracie in your arms, in very
much the way I saw you hold her just now. The only
thing was that I couldn't quite see her face this
time. And when you, in my dream, turned around. . .
well. . ."
His arms are reaching out now, in a vain attempt to
grasp a more tangible hold what has come. What has
put him on edge, and what he is still trying to turn
over and over in his head, even at this very minute.
A gentle hand on his knee somehow helps him with
that intangible, seemingly impossible grasp. "In your
dream," she prods gently. "I turn around, and what
then?"
His next words are exhaled in one breath.
"You turned into Gracie." At her shocked expression,
he continues, "Gracie, just as she appears now, only
in your voice declaring that not everything is what it
seems."
Dana quickly recovers, and slowly nods, almost to
herself. "Mulder, perhaps I shouldn't be the one to
suggest this-- after all, dream interpretation isn't
necessarily my area. However, I'm thinking that we
should get down to the bottom of these new
revelations about your sister. Perhaps you should call
those friends you've mentioned. Besides," she adds
with a grin, "I must say that I'm rather interested in
meeting them."
"Now that's a good idea!" Mulder exclaims as he
stands, hoisting Gracie into his arms. "Besides,
they're quite eager to meet you as well. So, well, consider
yourself warned."
Dana can't help but worry a bit as to what exactly he
means by *that* last statement as Mulder balances
Gracie on one arm, juggling the phone and dialing
the Gunmen's number with his free arm.
As she watches him waiting for the phone to answer,
she notes that he seems to mumble something, almost
in fair. To her, it sounds like "Mvnwme?"
She raises her eyebrows in question, and his eyes meet
hers as he whispers the question more loudly. "Move
in with me?"
She just stares at him a moment not able to speak. The
fact that they practically live together already,
motivates her to say yes, but at the same time thinking it maybe
too soon to make that kind of commitment.
"Mulder. . . " she responds softly.
"Shh, don't answer yet," he whispers reassuringly,
putting a finger to his lips. "Just think about it, okay?"
She nods and offers him a nervous smile. He smiles
back and nearly drops the phone as takes her hand in
his, missing Langly's greeting of "Lone Gunmen. . .
hello?. . . hello?"
The phone nestled between his chin and shoulder now,
Mulder catches himself and declares, "Yeah, Langly,
hi! Listen, I'd like to ask a favor. . ."
All the while, their eyes stay fixed to one another's
and their hands tighten their grasp.
***************************
Lone Gunmen Headquarters
Early Afternoon
They stand in front of a non-descript warehouse, with
dark windows. Dana looks around, wondering just
how paranoid these friends of Mulder's really are.
He's told her about them and, judging by the invisible
fortress they've had to tread through so far, he hadn't been
exaggerating.
"Mulder, how long is this going to take?" she asks,
hoping that she'd kept the whine out of her voice. "I
would like to make it to my father's party sometime
today."
"I know, I know," he grumbles, once again pressing
the buzzer. "Come on Frohike! I know you guys are in
there."
Mulder can't figure out what was taking the guys so
long this time. He knew they were expecting them. He
had called almost as soon as he woke this morning
enlisting their help into his unofficial investigation
into his sister's death. He had given them as much
information as he could remember, hoping they could
hack into the research facilities data bases to find
out more about his informant.
Suddenly, the door bursts open, surprising them and
causing the baby sleeping in the carrier next to her
uncle to awaken with a shrill cry. The short, haggard-
looking man who opened door looks at them
apologetically.
"Oh, Man, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wake the
munchkin," Frohike placates quickly.
"Frohike, what the hell took you so long?" Mulder
asks impatiently, ignoring the apology as he picks up
the baby and pushes passed the eccentric older man.
Dana tentatively smiles at the man as he steps aside
to lead her in as well.
"We just got onto the database," a bespeckled man
with unruly blond hair states, sitting at a computer.
"Have you found anything yet, Langly?" Mulder asks
as he removes the crying baby from her seat, rubbing
her back with a calming hand.
"No, man," Langly replies. "When I say we just got
onto the database, I mean we *just* got on it."
Mulder goes on, talking to Langly, watching over
the man's shoulder as he pounds the keys in his search
to find answers for his onlooker.
"We haven't been properly introduced," the old man
states to Dana, holding out his hand for her to shake.
"I'm Melvin Frohike. And, you must be the
infamous Dr. Dana Scully."
"Infamous?" she inquires with curiosity as she shakes
Frohike's hand.
"You've been a huge topic of conversation with the
G-man these last couple of months," Frohike proclaims,
looking her up and down, all the while not letting go
of Dana's hand. "And now I can see why."
She's just about to reply when Mulder comes up beside
and sends a glare in Frohike's direction.
"Is this old fart bothering you, Dana?" Mulder
jokingly asks, placing a gentle hand on her upper arm.
"No way, Man!" Frohike exclaims defensively, pulling
his hand from Dana's in a defensive gesture. "I was
just telling Dr. Scully that I understood why you like her
so much."
A suited, bearded, gentle-eyed man shoots Frohike a
skeptical glance Dana can relate to all too well, and
offers his hand to her in greeting, offering a sweet,
shy smile. "And Dr. Scully, I'm John Byers. I must say
that it is good to finally meet the special new person in
our good friend's life. We had been concerned for his
welfare for some time, especially since the unfortunate
incident with his sister," he adds quietly with a frown, as his
sensitive visual search respectfully fall to the
ground.
Dana nods sadly in understanding, and finds herself
liking Byers almost immediately. However, she is
puzzled by the immense contrast of his personality
with that of his other two friends, a silent communication
that Mulder almost immediately senses and
appropriately translates. He smiles at Byers and
quietly slides up to Dana" taking her hand and leaning
slightly out of earshot of the others, immersed in the subject
of Langly's progress.
"He used to work for the FCC, and was at an
electronics convention that these two were
participating in several years ago," he explains into
her ear in a whisper. "I chased a suspect into the
convention, and. . . well, let's just say that the
suspect more or less got away, but a newspaper - and unlikely
friendship -were born." At her expectedly puzzled
look, he adds, "It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
With what Mulder judges to be terrific timing, Langly
declares, "Okay, Man, you guys are *definitely* going
to want to see *this*!"
They all rush over to Langly, crowding around him to
see what he's found.
"What the hell is that?" Mulder incredulously asks,
looking at the screen full jibberish.
"It's your sister's personnel file, which appears to
be encrypted," Langly replies.
"What do you mean encrypted? Mulder shouts angrily,
upsetting the baby in his arms. "Why would a
personnel file be encrypted?"
Scully puts a soothing hand on Mulder's shoulder
and asks softly if he wants her to hold Gracie. He
hands the baby over to her to calm the infant, and
Dana gently bounces the crying baby in her arms as
Mulder turns back to the computer.
"Look there, Mulder," Langly announces pointing to
the screen.
There on the screen are the only three discernable
words: "project," "pregnancy," and a word that he
doesn't quite understand, "Krycek."
"Rat boy?" Byers questions in puzzlement, breaking
the silence. At the sudden mass stare of confusion, he
explains, "I studied Russian in high school. It was
something of a hobby of mine. 'Krycek' means
'Rat boy' in Russian."
"So there's something about a project, and something
about a pregnancy," Frohike mumbles. "Now, I can
definitely see what a *pregnancy* can do with your
sister, but the whole thing about a *project*. . .
well. . ."
"Perhaps the 'rat boy' could have something to do with
the project?" Langly offers. "I mean, she *did* work
in a lab, so she's probably seen her share of rats,
right?"
"I guess so." Mulder replies softly. "I would assume
so, anyway - Samantha never really talked about her
work. But perhaps I should find out for her sake now."
With that said he takes the baby back from Dana and
tucks her into her carrier, taking Dana's hand and
leading her out as she reaches for the Gunmen's
printouts of the files.
Dana handles them with care, keeping them safe for
her lover as she bids her farewells to his three
unusual friends. It is then that the true tension of the
situation hits her. The deciphering of these files could either
free them to take the next step in their relationship,
or end it altogether.
**********************
Yet Still We Meet 9/?
**********************
Scully Residence
Same Day
Mulder pulls into the driveway of the home of Dana's
parents. He throws the car into park, and sighs loudly
as he leans his head against the seat. His gaze drifts
in the direction of the woman sitting next to him.
"We're here," he sighs.
"You don't have to come in, Mulder," Dana
announces, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "I can go
myself. I can even take Gracie if you want to be
alone."
"No!" he answers abruptly, turning to look at her. "I
don't want to be alone right now. I feel better when
you and Gracie are with me, anyway."
"Well, I know you were apprehensive about this
before," she placates gently. "And I don't want to
make you do this after what's happened over the last couple
of days."
"After what's happened, this party with your family
seems like such a petty thing to worry about, you
know?" he proclaims, offering her a weak smile.
"Yes, I guess you're right," she replies softly,
returning his smile.
"Then I guess we should go in," he mutters softly,
opening his door.
"Mulder, wait!" she pleads, causing him to turn back
toward her. "Are you really all right?"
"I'm fine," he soothes gently, placing a hand on her
cheek. Noticing her look of disbelief, he adds a
quick "Really."
"I love you," she sighs, leaning into his touch.
"See? Now hearing that, I can face anything!" he
proclaims with a bright smile.
"Okay, then let's do this," she declares, placing a
kiss to his palm.
"Just promise me one thing?"
"What's that?"
"That when your father kicks my ass, you'll patch me
back up," he announces, using his best deadpan face.
"You're awful," she laughs as she playfully slaps his
shoulder.
"That's what they all say," he mutters, rubbing his
shoulder as he exits the car and opens the back door
to get Gracie.
"Seriously, though, I don't think you have anything to
worry about," she announces, meeting him on the
other side of the car and retrieving the diaper bag.
"I know," he affirms, hoisting the baby up onto his
hip.
She smiles and takes his hand, leading him to the
door. She knocks on the door, squeezing his hand as the
door opens.
"Dana!" an older, dark-haired woman exclaims, pulling
Dana into her arms. Despite several wrinkles here and
there, Mulder can't help but note that she still looks
quite young to be Dana's mother. "I haven't seen you
in weeks, Honey! How are you?"
"I'm good, Mom," Dana answers, giving her mother a
one-armed hug while maintaining her gasp on
Mulder's hand.
Dana's mother pulls away and focuses her attention on
Mulder and Gracie. "And who do we have here?"
"Mom, I'd like you to meet Fox Mulder and his niece
Gracie," Dana replies, gesturing between them.
"Mulder, this is my mother, Margaret Scully."
"Nice to meet you," they both reply at the same as
they shake hands.
"Now, come in!" Margaret orders. "It's too chilly to
be standing out there with that baby!"
"Oh, I know!" Dana exclaims. "Especially for early
October."
Mulder ushers Dana in first and steps in right behind
her. He takes a moment to look around the cozy little
home, while Dana makes small talk with her mother.
Spotting a small group of people in the living room,
he feels his apprehension come back with a
vengeance.
"Are you going to take your jacket off and stay
awhile?" Melissa's voice interrupts as she suddenly
appears behind them.
"Oh, uh, yes," he replies in a flustered voice. "Dana,
can you take Gracie?"
"I'll take her," Maggie offers, reaching for the baby.
Mulder looks to Dana for reassurances, feeling wary
of the idea of allowing someone he doesn't really know
take the baby. She nods at him with a smile, as the
infant leans toward the older woman.
"Don't worry, Mr. Mulder," Margaret placates gently.
"I had four babies of my own, and I can assure you
that I know how to hold one."
"It's okay, Mulder," Dana soothes with a gentle hand
on his upper arm. "Gracie wants her anyway."
"Umm, okay," he replies unsurely, smiling nervously
and hands the infant to Margaret.
Mrs. Scully takes the baby, speaking softly to her
before looking back up at everyone else.
"Well, come on, you two! The Captain's been waiting
to see you!" Margaret announces, starting into the
living room.
"Captain?" Mulder asks Dana, taking her hand.
"My father," Dana whispers in his ear, leading him
into the living room.
"Oh, yeah," Mulder murmurs back.
"So, Mulder," Melissa interrupts from behind them.
"Feeling nervous?"
"Melissa!" Dana scolds. "I wish you wouldn't do that."
"Do what?" Melissa inquires innocently. "I was just
asking him a question."
"You know what you were doing, Melissa," Dana
retorts.
"Now, girls," a man's voices intercedes. "Aren't the
two of you a bit old for that kind of bickering?"
They all turn around to see the stately regal figure
of Dana's father. Mulder studies the man as hugs and
greetings are exchanged. To him, the man appears as
almost a steely Santa Claus, sans beard. His thoughts
are interrupted by Dana's voice calling his name.
"Mulder, I'd like you to meet my father, William
Scully, "Dana introduces, looking back and forth
between the two "Ahab, this is Fox Mulder."
"Mulder, you say?" Mr. Scully inquires, reaching over
to shake Mulder's hand. "You wouldn't happen to be
Bill Mulder's boy, would you?"
"Umm, that depends, Mulder hesitates, shaking the
older man's hand. "Would it be like my telling Mr.
McCoy I'm Mr. Hatfield's son?"
Mr. Scully leaves out a loud chortle and loudly pats
Mulder's shoulder. "No, son! He and I worked together
briefly a long time ago."
"Oh. . . I hope that's a good thing?" Mulder asks
with curiosity.
"Yes, it was," Mr. Scully affirms. "He persuaded me
to focus on my career in the Navy, for which I'm very
grateful. I eventually became a Captain. If I had
stayed working on the other project I doubt that would have
happened."
Mulder nods politely, wondering why his apparent
cryptic reference to "the other project" is suddenly
making him feel uneasy. He dismisses it as a case of
jumbled nerves and smoothly hides his feelings with a
polite smile.
"So how is your father these days?"
Mulder cringes at the question, not wanting to tell
the father of the woman he loves how his father really is.
He doesn't think he'd be overly impressed to hear that
good 'ole Bill Mulder is currently residing in a
nut-house, where he was placed a few years after
the death of his wife.
"He's doing all right," Mulder answered, looking at
Dana for moral support.
Dana squeezes his hand and offers him a smile,
knowing that discussing his father isn't something
he's overly fond of.
"Dana, Great Aunt Deirdre is here." Margaret
interrupts, sensing the tension her husband's
question has caused.
"That's great!" Dana exclaims, glad that her mother
changed the subject. "I haven't seen her in years."
The group makes their way to where the other guests
have gathered. As introductions are made all around
Dana stays as close to Mulder as she can, making
sure he's okay. Gracie makes the rounds around the
room, smiling and cooing the whole time, with her
uncle keeping an eagle eye.
Her mom is finally able to pull her away from Mulder
when he finds a buddy in Dana's cousin Keith. So, in
the midst of their predictions on what teams are going
to make it to the this year's Super Bowl, she makes
her way to the kitchen.
"It's too bad Billy couldn't make it." Dana states,
helping her mother with the food.
"No, it's not," Melissa intercedes, helping as well.
"Melissa!" Mrs. Scully admonishes. "It's not polite to
talk about your brother like that."
"You know he'd be out there interrogating poor
Mulder if he were here."
"Mulder," Margaret huffs. "Why on earth do you call
him by his last name?
"He hates his first name, Mom," Dana replies, as she
carefully arranges vegetables on a tray.
"Well, I just think it's strange to call your
boyfriend by his last name whether he hates his
name or not.
Dana blushes at her mother's reference to her
*boyfriend* and fights the urge to correct her.
"Boyfriend" seems like such a juvenile term to her,
but that really is what he is to her. Besides, she doesn't
|
feel comfortable referring to Mulder as her lover to her
mother.
"So, how are things with your *boyfriend*?" Melissa
inquires, looking at Dana expectantly, as if she's
going to tell her all the intimate details of their
relationship.
"Very well, thank you," Dana retorts, not about to
let them know what had happened the day before.
"Is that all?" Melissa asks, knowing from the look on
her sister's face that there's something she's not
telling them.
"He's asked me to move in with him," Dana blurts out,
sensing that Melissa has caught onto her evasion, and
decided to share with the lesser of the two evils.
Her mother abruptly stops her bustling about the
kitchen and just stares at her as if she's grown
another head.
"He asked you to move in with him?" Margaret asks.
"Yes he did, Mom," Dana replies, trying to not leave
her mother's incredulous look shake her up.
"Oh, Dana," Melissa excitedly interrupts, rushing over
to give Dana a hug. "That's wonderful!"
"Thanks," Dana replies, accepting her sister's hug.
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Honey?" her
mother asks with concern. "You haven't been seeing
this man very long."
"Come on, Mom!" Melissa implores, staying by
Dana's side. "It's fate! They belong together! You
heard what Dad said out there-- he knew Mulder's
father from a long time ago. Our families have a
history. It's a sign!"
Just as Dana and Margaret are about to respond to
Melissa's claim the kitchen door opens and a very tiny
elderly woman enters carrying Gracie.
"Aunt Deirdre!" all three woman exclaim in surprise.
"Dana, dear," Deirdre states, walking over to Dana.
"Your baby needs a diaper change."
"Aunt Deirdre, she's not my. . ." Dana replies, taking
the baby from her Aunt as the scent makes it way to
her nose. ". . .wow, she really does need a
changing."
"You know she looks just like you did at that age,
Honey," the old woman acknowledges with a smile.
*********************
In the midst of his conversation with Keith, Mulder
suddenly notices that Gracie isn't anywhere in his
sight.
"Hey, Keith!" Mulder intercedes, I better go track
down my baby!"
He walks away and wanders into a small darkly
colored room he assumes is a study by all the books
and the desk in the middle. A framed picture on
the wall catches his attention. He picks it up and
looks closely at the family of five. Dana looks to be
about seventeen with a taller albeit younger boy
hugging her tight from behind.
"That photo was taken just before Charlie came out
of remission," Dana announces, walking into the study
with Gracie on her hip.
"Oh, hey!" Mulder replies, jumping a bit at the
unexpected interruption. "I was just looking for
Gracie and I wandered in here."
"That's okay," she answers walking up to him and
putting a hand on his back. "I have her."
"Yeah, I can see that," he affirms, turning around.
"Were you looking for me?"
"No, my aunt brought her to me telling me that *my*
baby needed to be changed, and all the supplies were
brought in here," she replies.
"Uh. . . *your* baby?" Mulder asks, his eyebrows
lifting in surprise, then suddenly wrinkles his nose
as he gathers Gracie into his arms. "Whew -- she may
have been wrong about whose baby she was, but she
wasn't wrong about her needing to be changed!"
Dana shrugs. "She insists that she looks just like I
did when I was Gracie's age."
Mulder nods, struggling with the squirming baby atop
a fresh new set of Huggies. "Well, as soon as we get
done here, maybe we should do a little investigation."
"An investigation?" Dana inquires as she helps fasten
the diaper, hoping the preoccupation in his voice is
merely due to his concentration on the task at hand
and suddenly unsure of the cold feeling that has
washed over her.
"Yup," Mulder replies, as he pulls Gracie into his
arms. "Does your mother have any baby pictures?"
"Yes," she replies reluctantly. "But why is that
necessary? My aunt is just an elderly woman who
thinks Gracie is mine. It doesn't mean anything."
"I know," he counters with a smirk. "Maybe I just
want to see what you looked like as a baby."
"Mulder," she chastises. "I'd rather not."
"Oh, come on," he pleads. "Just humor me, okay?"
"Okay," she mumbles, turning away and walking to
the book shelf, retrieving some photo albums.
He lifts the baby up into his arms and walks to the
brown leather couch where Dana has settled with
the albums.
"Well, let's see them," he says, sinking down beside
her.
"I still think this is silly, Mulder," she replies
opening the book.
"Come on. It will be fun."
"I think this is the wrong album," Dana proclaims,
starting to close it.
"No! wait," he implores, reaching out to still her
hand as he catches a glimpse of a picture of her as a
teenager.
"What?" she asks, opening the album once again.
"This one is cute," Mulder states pointing at a
picture with her giving bunny ears to a boy seated in front of
her. He looks to be the same young man from the
photo hanging on the wall. "Is that Charlie?"
"Yes," she answers softly, running a finger over the
picture. "This was taken the same day as the one you
were looking at earlier."
"The two of you seemed close," he declares, holding
back an excited Gracie who grabs at the book.
"We were," she wistfully replies. "He was one of
the greatest people I've ever known. He went through
so much and he kept on smiling right to the end. When
we found out that I was a match for a bone marrow
transplant, I thought I could save him, you know?"
"At least you had the chance to try," Mulder soothes,
running his free hand through her hair.
"The procedure was hard on me, she says softly as she
leans backwards into his shoulder "Did I ever tell you
that?"
"No. . . no you didn't," Mulder replies gently.
"I had a severe adverse reaction to the anesthesia
and was in a coma for two weeks."
"Just from the anesthesia?"
"Yes," she sighs. "For awhile, the doctors didn't
think I was going to make it, and were preparing my parents
for the possibility that they might lose two children
instead of just one. But Charlie seemed to actually
do better, at least for a couple of days, and even
read to me a few times during the second week. I can
still remember him reading to me all of the articles
on boys and fashion from Seventeen. I would have loved
to be able to see his face as he read that," She adds
with a chuckle, then takes a deep breath. "His was the
first face I saw when I woke up. I remember that he
was smiling like a Cheshire cat, telling me that he
was obviously the tougher one of the two of us, and
thanking me for saving his life. And on the day that I
was told I was going home, Charlie was. . ."
She fights back the forming tears as Mulder rubs her
back, encouraging her to continue.
". . . he was too tired to get up. By that point he
was almost as white as the sheets, but I was at his side,
just as he had been for me. He smiled that great smile
and told me to go get 'em, and I tried to tell him
that he had to fight it. When he closed his eyes and never
opened them again." She manages to hold back a
potential sob. "Three hours later, the doctor told us
he was gone."
"That sounds horrible," Mulder sympathizes. "I'm
sure that was hard on all of you."
"Yeah, well, at least *I* got better," she replies
with a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"I'm sorry, Dana," he placates, grasping her hand "I
do understand. I know what it's like to lose a sibling
myself, remember?"
"It's kind of hard to forget," she retorts, looking at
the infant sucking her fingers on his lap.
"Speaking of which," Mulder adds, following her gaze
and releasing her hand. "Let's continue our
investigation, shall we?"
"Yes, let's," Dana replies, smiling gently as she
closes the album, willing to do anything to get away from the
subject of their loved one's deaths.
She opens another albums and flips through the pages
until she comes to the photos of herself. She can't
hold back the gasp that comes from her mouth as she
gets a better look at the pictures.
"Damn!" Mulder exclaims in surprise, before he can
catch himself for Gracie's sake, examining the
pictures as well. "Looks like your aunt was right. Gracie does
look a lot like you."
*********************
Mulder's Apartment
Later that night
They walk into his apartment the exhausted infant
asleep in her carrier. He walks into the bedroom and
deposits the baby into her crib. He gazes at her as
she sleeps, thinking about the revelations made today.
Suddenly his mind flashes back to his dream - the
one where Gracie's face had actually just turned into
Dana's.
"Not everything is as it seems." He seems to hear it
whispered in the wind. He looks around the room,
thinking that Dana has followed him in and made the
declaration, and shakes his head when he sees no one.
"What are you thinking about?" Dana asks, suddenly
appearing and leaning against the door jamb.
"Just that I'm glad that you thought of putting the
sleeper on her before we left," he answers, turning to
face her.
"No you weren't," she replies going to him.
"You're right. I wasn't," he responds, taking her in
his arms. "I was thinking about my dream in correlation
to finding out how Gracie resembles you."
"That's just a coincidence, Mulder," she sighs.
"Is it?" he retorts, stepping away from her and
walking to the window.
"What else would it be?"
"How the hell should I know?" Mulder snaps. "I don't
know anything anymore! Nothing seems to be how I
remember it now."
"I think you need to rest," Dana declares, rubbing his
back gently.
"I'm sorry," he mumbles, placing his forehead against
the cool window. "Maybe you're right,"
"I know I am," she soothes, slipping her hands under
his shirt and kissing between his shoulder blades.
"Mmm, Baby, if you keep that up I won't be resting
anytime soon," he replies huskily, leaning back into
her touch.
"Don't get too excited, Lover Boy," she chuckles,
removing her hands. "I doubt you're up to it."
"It's been almost a week," he replies seductively,
turning to face her once again, pulling her against
him. "I'm up to it."
Just as they meet in a passionate kiss there's a knock
on the door.
"Damn it!" Mulder grumbles, pulling away from Dana.
"This better be good."
He stomps out into the hallway, leaving an amused
Dana behind. He pulls open the door to reveal
a dark-haired man.
"Fox Mulder?" the man asks.
"Yes," he replies, feeling wary of the stranger in
front of him. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, you can," the man answers, holding his hand out
for Mulder to shake.
"I'm Alex Krycek."
*************************
Yet Still We Meet 10/?
*************************
Mulder's Apartment
Same night
Mulder stands there staring at the man, as the words
listed on Samantha's personnel files immediately
pour out of his memory.
"Rat Boy," Mulder mumbles under his breath,
remembering Byers' words from earlier.
"Excuse me?" Krycek asks.
"What do you want?" Mulder inquires tersely.
"It would be much easier to talk if I could come in."
"I'd like to know what you're here for first," Mulder
insists, blocking the man's entry with his arm.
"It's about your sister and her baby," the man bluntly
replies, keeping his gaze on Mulder.
"That's none of your business!" Mulder retorts, as
he begins to close the door.
"It *is* my business," Krycek rejoins, catching the
door before it slams in his face. "That baby in there
is mine."
"You're lying!" Mulder exclaims in anger.
"If you just let me come in, I can show you proof,"
Krycek calmly replies.
"Mulder?" Dana asks, joining him at the door. "Who
is it?"
"He says his name is Krycek," Mulder says turning
toward her. "He claims he's Gracie's father."
Dana gasps and turns her attention to the man at the
door. "Your name is Krycek?"
"Yes, it is," replies Krycek.
"But that was a word in Samantha's file," she states,
turning back toward Mulder.
"I know," Mulder affirms, glaring at Krycek.
"Mulder, I think you should let him in and listen to
what he has to say," Dana softly whispers to him,
nudging his arm.
"Dana," Mulder pleads with his eyes as well with
words. "Stay with me, please?"
"Of course," she answers, taking his hand and pulling
him away from the door, thus enabling the other man
to come inside.
They all make their way to the living room, Mulder
and Dana both dreading what's to be said here. As
Mulder sits on the couch and Dana sits close to him,
Krycek takes a seat in the chair across from them.
"So," Krycek states, trying to break the tension while
keeping up appearances. "Mulder, Samantha told me
a lot about you."
"That's funny," Mulder snorts. "She never told me a
damn thing about you."
"Calm down," Scully soothes gently, taking Mulder's
hand.
"Well, it's true!" Mulder snaps, glaring at Krycek.
"I know," Krycek answers, making eye contact with
Mulder. "And I'm sorry. I know I didn't make it easy
for your sister."
"I'd say so," Mulder mutters. "I mean, if you are who
you say you are, you left her high and dry."
"Look -- it was a complicated situation. We worked
together, and our relationship had to be kept as quiet
as possible," Krycek explains, taking note of Mulder's
unsatisfied demeanor. "I'm not very proud of how I
handled the whole thing, I can assure you."
"I'd like to know your reasons before I can accept any
of your assurances, Mr. Krycek," Mulder replies with
a stone face.
"Our professional reputations made the idea of having
a personal relationship awkward, to put it mildly. So
when Corporate Chemicals, the plant where we
worked, received word that Samantha and I were
involved in an intimate relationship, we were both out
on our asses, so to speak." He chuckles
self-consciously in what both Mulder and Scully
determine to be too much of an effort to be friendly.
"So then you just left my sister pregnant and alone?"
Mulder retorts with contempt.
"I had no idea she was pregnant when I left. If I had
I would have never taken the job I was offered in
Colorado!" Krycek explains, feeling guilty at the lies
he has to spread. He hopes the reality of his feelings
aren't that transparent, knowing if they are, it could
very well cost him his life. "By the time I found out,
I was already settled, and foolishly told her I wasn't
willing to leave."
"You know," Mulder hisses through barely clenched
teeth, "if I believed you, I'd kick your ass for what
you did to her."
"Anyway," Krycek continues, ignoring Mulder, "I
didn't find about Samantha's passing until about a
month ago. I tried to find the baby right away, but it
has been quite difficult without the resources of
Corporate Chemicals, even with the Internet. And of
course, going to the police was out of the question."
"So, then you decided to hunt down her brother and
see what he knows, right?" Mulder shouts, frustrated
by this man's story. "Well, now that you know
Samantha's baby is safe and sound here with me you
can go back to your life in Colorado."
"Mulder, calm down!" Dana soothes rubbing his arm
gently. "You'll wake Gracie if you keep shouting."
Mulder turns his head toward Dana and gives her a
pleading look that makes her want to boot this Krycek
man out of the apartment and tell him to never come
back. However, she knows she can't do that, because
of the possibility that this man could very likely to
be Gracie's father no matter how much either one of them
fight it.
"I think you both know I'm not going to just leave,"
Krycek affirms calmly.
"You don't just expect me to hand my child over to
you, do you?" Mulder asks incredulously. "I don't
for one minute believe your story."
"I can see that," Krycek sighs, knowing that this will
be much harder than the men in charge thought it
would be. He wonders if maybe his semi-manufactured
story is that easy to see though or if Mulder's just
that suspicious. "But she is *my* child."
"No, she's not, you son of a bitch!" Mulder bellows as
he stands up and rushes at the interloper.
"Mulder, stop!" Dana pleads, quickly grabbing his arm
and holding him back. Their gazes lock and hold for
what seems like an eternity as she reads the dread and
uncertainty in his eyes. A shrill cry from the other
room turns their attention toward the door. "You should go
get her, Mulder. You both need to calm down."
"Okay, " Mulder sighs, squeezing her hand as he steps
away.
Dana watches as Mulder's wary form disappears into the
bedroom, then turns back to Krycek.
"Look, I can see this is upsetting him," Krycek
states, standing up. "I think I should go and give him
some time to digest all of this."
"Why *are* you doing this, Mr. Krycek?" Dana asks
with curiosity and a slight hint of her own suspicion,
studying this man who had willingly decided not to be
involved in the life of a child he claims to be his
own, yet seems so suddenly interested in reclaiming it.
"She's mine," Krycek responds simply.
"You keep saying that, but what proof do you have?"
"These prove that I had a relationship with Samantha,"
Krycek replies, walking up to Dana, handing her an
envelope. "The rest I guess we'll have to wait for a
DNA test prove."
Dana opens the envelope and looks at the photographs
that were inside. She studied the happy faces of the
couple apparently enjoying a day at the beach. The
faces were indeed that of Mulder's sister and this man
Krycek. She looks up to say something to the man
only to see the door close with Krycek nowhere to be
seen.
Mulder emerges with Gracie in tow, peering around
the room in silent relief. "Let me guess. Daddy had to
leave early?"
"He thought it would be best if he left," she
explains.
"Just like that?" Mulder asks, sitting down heavily on
the couch. "What about his so-called proof?"
"He left these," she responds, holding up the pictures
as she walks to the couch, sitting close to him.
"What are they?" he asks, juggling the infant into one
arm as reaches for the photos.
"Pictures of Mr. Krycek and your sister," Dana
replies, handing them to him.
She watches Mulder as he studies the images, his
investigators eye looking for some kind of evidence
that they're fakes.
"So, it's true then," he proclaims after a few
moments, looking up at her and throwing the photos onto the
coffee table.
"It still doesn't mean that he's Gracie's father," she
placates, placing a gentle hand on his thigh. "He
still has to go through a DNA test."
"I can't lose her, Dana," he vows, hugging the
now-sleeping baby close. "Especially not to that man.
She's not his to take! She's mine."
"Mulder," she pleads gently. "You don't know for sure
that he isn't her father. These pictures prove he and
Samantha had a relationship."
"I won't believe he's Gracie's father! I just won't!"
"The DNA may prove he is."
"No! no, it's not!" he proclaims emphatically. "Don't
you see that this is what those dreams are warning
me of?"
"Those were just dreams! They weren't real!"
"But they aren't just dreams!" Mulder exclaims in
defense, startling the baby but not waking her. "Don't
you remember that note after the first dream? The one
saying not everything is as it seems?"
"I don't know what that was," Dana replies, watching
him soothe the baby. "But I don't believe that it was
your dead sister making contact with you."
"It doesn't matter. *I* know she was telling me not to
trust this guy!" he exclaims, standing up and turning
his back on Dana. "And I'm sure as hell not going to!"
"I know this is hard," she admits, walking to him and
placing a hand on his back.
"What am I going to do?" he sighs, his shoulders
sagging as his head falls.
"Right now we're going to go to bed," she announces
firmly, rubbing circles over his back. "We'll worry
about the rest tomorrow."
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," he mumbles,
turning toward her.
"You have to at least try," she urges, reaching up and
running her hand through his hair.
"Okay," he agrees, as Dana takes his hand and leads
him back into the bedroom. He stops by the crib and
deposits the infant into it, covering her with a
blanket. He stays by the crib gazing at the baby, his hand
cupped over her tiny head.
"Come on, Mulder -- let's get into bed," Dana says
from where she stands near the door.
He leans down and places a gentle kiss on Gracie's
head, and slowly makes his way to the bed. Dana
watches as he sits down, elbows on his thighs as he
drops his head into his hands. Dana moves in front
him and pulls him into her embrace.
"I can't lose her," Mulder repeats in a sob, wrapping
his arms around her and burying his face in her
stomach.
"You won't," she soothes, running her fingers through
his hair. "And if your instincts about Mr. Krycek are
right I'll help you prove it, I promise."
********************
A Car Just Outside Mulder's Apartment
Alex Krycek flips a switch turning off the audio and
sits back in his seat. "I'm counting on you to prove
Mulder right, Dr. Scully," he mutters to himself. "It
could save us all."
************************
Yet Still We Meet 11/?
************************
Jacob's Grille
One Week Later
"Dana!" Melissa Scully calls from the far corner of
the brightly lit restaurant, waving her over.
Dana battles her way through the busy lunch-time
crowd, making her way to her sister.
"So, what was important enough to call me at four
in the morning, beseeching me to have lunch with you
this afternoon?" Dana asks, taking a seat across from
Melissa.
"I've been worried about you," Melissa answers.
The waiter interrupts, before Dana has a chance to
reply. As they order, she wonders what has her sister
worked up. 'It's not like I've told anyone about
what's going with Mulder and Gracie,' she thinks to herself.
"Why would you be worried about me?" Dana
inquires, after the waiter leaves their table.
"I know something's going on with you," Melissa
states plainly. "I can feel it."
"Missy," Dana sighs. "I'm fine."
"Dana!" Melissa exclaims. "It's more than just a
feeling. It doesn't look like you've been sleeping well."
"Look, I'd rather not talk about it."
"Well, I do!" Melissa insists. "I've been seeing
things-- even having dreams about you, Mulder, and that
baby."
"Not more dreams," Dana mumbles under her breathe.
"What do you mean not more dreams?" Melissa asks,
her curiosity piqued.
"Mulder's been dreaming about his sister," Dana states
plainly, not really wanting to talk about something so
personal to him.
"Not everything is as it seems!" Melissa exclaims.
"Missy?" Dana inquires, in bewilderment. "How did
you know about that?"
"In my dream, you turned into Mulder's baby, and you
said that in your regular voice," Melissa explains.
"That sounds similar to Mulder's dream," Dana
confirms. "I just don't see how that's possible."
"Can't you see that this child is related to us
somehow?" Missy pleads. "I mean what else could a
dream like that mean?"
"Melissa, that's crazy!"
"No, Dana! It's not!" Melissa exclaims vehemently,
pulling out what appeared to be an old photograph.
"Look at yourself in that picture and tell me you
don't see a resemblance."
Dana picks up the picture and studies it, even
though she and Mulder had already noticed the
resemblance last week at her father's party.
"It's just a coincidence," Dana sighs. "To say that
Gracie is related to us is ludicrous. Next you'll
suggest the Bill Jr. had an affair with Mulder's
sister!"
"No, Dana, I don't believe it's that simple,"
Melissa states emphatically. "I think it's something
much more sinister and dangerous."
"What do you mean by sinister and dangerous?"
Dana asks, thinking of the feeling Mulder had
about Alex Krycek's claims of paternity.
"I think you know," Melissa replies simply, meeting
her sister's gaze.
Dana's eyes link with Melissa's, and a shiver runs
down her spine. She knows what Melissa is asking of
her.
************************
Mulder's Apartment
Later That Day
Dana uses her key to enter the apartment, stepping
into the living-room. She spots Mulder sitting at his
computer, typing with one hand and holding onto the
fidgeting Gracie with the other.
"What are you looking at now?" she inquires stepping
behind him, glancing at the screen.
"I'm not trying to get into the Corporate Chemicals
database or anything if that's what you're asking," he
replies tersely, looking back at her.
"I never said you were," Dana sighs, knowing that her
protective nagging over this past week has been
irritating him. He's just been hell-bent to find
something to prove that Alex Krycek isn't Gracie's
father, that he's been taking worrying risks. They'd
only heard from the man once since that night to set
up a time for the DNA testing.
"I was just doing a bit of house-hunting," Mulder
states, pointing to the computer screen.
"Find anything you like?" she asks, hoping to stay on
this subject instead of getting into an argument. She
leans down, sliding one arm across his chest as her
other hand grabs hold of Gracie's.
"I don't know," he replies with a shrug. "I'm not
even sure what to look for."
"What do you mean?" Dana asks, brushing a gentle
kiss against his ear.
"Well, you never did tell me if you decided to move
in with me."
"So much has happened this past week," she replies,
standing back up and moving away a bit. "I wasn't
sure if the offer still stood."
"I know I haven't exactly been easy to get along with
lately," Mulder answers, rising and placing Gracie
into the playpen next to his desk. "Your putting up with
my shit this week means a lot to me, and of course I
still want to make a life with you."
"Mulder," she sighs with a smile, walking back to him
and wrapping her arms around him, placing her head
on his chest, "you know there's no place I'd rather
be."
"So, is that a yes?" he asks, pulling back slightly,
smiling brightly. "You'll move in with me?"
"I think there's some things we should discuss first,"
she answers, stepping away from him, taking his hand
and leading him to the couch.
"Okay, now I'm nervous." He states, sitting beside
her.
"Um," she starts tentatively, flashing him a small
smile in reassurance, "you know that I had lunch with my
sister today."
"You're going to tell me she had a premonition that
your father and brother would maim me if we move in
together, right?" he jokes to cover his nervousness,
though he can see in her eyes that what she has to say
is no joking matter.
"She thinks we should run Gracie's DNA against
mine."
"Why does she think that?" Mulder asks in surprise.
"I mean I know Gracie resembles you and all, but
where's a connection?"
"She's been having dreams very similar to yours,"
Dana replies. " Plus, she's had a feeling that
something sinister is going on.
"Well, that I can agree with!" he exclaims. "I feel
that too, but testing Grace's DNA with yours
doesn't make sense."
"To Melissa, it does. She thinks that Grace's turning
into me and vice versa in those dreams means
something, "
"And what do you think?"
"She scared me, and there's a part of me thinking
she's onto something," Dana reluctantly admits.
"Yeah, I'm starting to feel that way myself," he
agrees, grasping Dana's hand.
"So, do you think I should be tested against Grace?"
"It couldn't hurt. Gracie already has to be tested."
"Okay, so when we take Grace in for the test next
week, I'll get tested as well."
"You have to do the tests yourself!" Mulder exclaims,
jumping up in excitement and begins to pace. "I don't
trust anyone else."
"You know, a lab will have to do Mr. Krycek's test
for it to be legal," she answers, standing up as well.
"True, but you can run your own test too, right?"
he inquires, walking back to Dana.
"It's not my area of expertise, she declares. "But
yes, I believe I can."
"It's set, then?" he asks, folding Dana into his arms.
"Yes, I think it is," she answers, looking up at him.
"I doubt the tests will show anything, though."
"I don't know," he murmurs into her hair. "I'm getting
to the point where I don't know what to believe
anymore."
"We will figure this out," Dana affirms, holding him
closer.
"So does this mean we're not going to discuss living
together right away,?" Mulder asks, pulling away a bit
and smiling gently.
"Mulder," she replies with a smile just as they hear
the familiar 'You've got mail' message coming from
the computer.
"That's probably the guys. They said they might have
found something earlier and that they'd get back to
me," he states. "But it can wait until later."
"No, go ahead and check it out now," she assures
him, pulling away. "Get it off your mind."
"Okay," he answers, walking to the computer, he
reads the message and gasps.
Dana hears his reaction and joins him at the screen
for a glimpse the message.
"Krycek, Alex - Fertility Experimentation
Mulder, Samantha - Fertility Experimentation
File Attached
Eyes Only -- Confidential"
Dana's stare drifts to Mulder's shocked features. Just
what on earth are the implications for Grace?
**********************
Yet Still We Meet 12/?
**********************
Mulder's Car
A Week and a Half Later
Mulder sits in his car, just another link in an
impossibly long chain of rush hour traffic.
Impatiently tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he thanks
God he had the good sense to leave Gracie at Flo's.
The ringing of his cell phone turns his attention to
the offending object lying on the passenger seat.
"Mulder," he barks into the phone after bringing it to
his ear.
He can't help the smile that appears the second he
hears Dana's familiar "It's me" sighed into the phone.
"Well, hello me," he answers. "What's up?"
"I was just wondering where you are?" she inquires.
"The test results will be done at any minute."
"I'm on my way, but with this damn traffic it might be
tomorrow before I get to the hospital," he complains,
staring at the seemingly endless line of motionless
cars ahead of him.
"I figured as much. You weren't here when you said
you would be, and the last time that happened you
showed up with absolutely no idea where you had
spent the previous twenty-four hours."
"I know," Mulder sighs. "But this time I know where I
am and where I'm heading. Especially since I don't
appear to be going anywhere any time soon," he adds
ruefully, gazing at the stagnant traffic.
"Okay, but you'll be here as soon as you can, right?"
he hears her inquire as traffic starts moving once
again.
"I'd say ten to fifteen minutes tops," he responds.
"I'll be waiting in the lab," Dana replies
"See you there," he says, then presses the end button
and throws the phone back onto the seat.
Mulder turns his attention back to the road before
him.
He fiddles with the tuner on the car stereo, trying
in vain to find something to get his mind off of Dana,
the DNA test results, and the events of the last few
days. Turning the knob one last time, and then with
growl of frustration he flicks off the radio.
He knows that there is no escaping his thoughts so he
surrenders to them. ~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~Office of the Lone Gunmen~~~~~~~~~~
A week and a half earlier
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Armed with their partially received file, Mulder and
Dana immediately packed up Gracie and traveled to
the Gunmen's place. They were quiet on the way, both
absorbed in what they had just read and what could be
discovered upon their arrival
Dana glanced over at Mulder as he turned off the car.
He made no move to open his door, so she reached
out and laid her hand on his arm.
"There's a part of me that doesn't want to know what
else the guys found out." Mulder admitted, staring
straight out the window.
"Maybe so, Mulder," she stated, gently rubbing his
arm. "But I've gotten to know you quite well these last few
months, and I know that the rest of you is itching to
get in there and find out what your friends dug up for
you."
"You're right I need to know," Mulder confessed,
sending Dana a small smile. "I'm just afraid of what
we may find out."
"I know; so am I," she answered reassuringly. "But
going in there and getting it over with is the only
thing we can do."
"Well let's go get it over with, then," he responded,
opening his door and stepping out into the waning
daylight.
She did the same, watching him as he took the baby
seat out of the car, cooing to the unhappily newly
woken infant. Just as Mulder pressed the buzzer, the
door burst open revealing a frantic looking Langly.
"Shit, man!" he exclaims. "We thought the two of you
were never going to get out of that car!"
Glancing around the building, Dana noticed that
there were very few windows, and those that she did
see were heavily covered. She looked at the blonde
man questioningly.
"The walls have eyes," Langly declared with a smirk,
gesturing toward the a fixture on the wall she assumed
contained cameras. "Come on in! You guys need to
see what else we found!"
Mulder and Dana followed the long-haired man into
the building. They found Frohike sitting at a computer
with Byers standing behind him, peering over his
shoulder.
"What have you guys got for us?" Mulder inquired,
stepping beside the bearded man and peeking at the
computer screen.
"A lot of codes that we're unable to break," Frohike
replied, scrolling down the document and stopping
at some decipherable words. "That is, until this
section. It's a lot of medical jargon about what
appears to be fertility experiments."
"Though it doesn't get really interesting until you
get to the names listed." Byers interrupted grimly,
pointing to the words on he screen. "This is what we sent you
earlier."
Mulder looked at the screen, rereading the information
that they'd sent him just a scant hour before
"That's all we had gotten at that point," Langly
declared, flopping down on the seat next to Frohike.
"But we got more, and you won't believe what it is!"
Mulder proceeded to read the new information. As the
ramifications slowly set in, he let go of a loud gasp.
"Mulder?" Dana asked, stepping up to him with an
armful of baby and laying a gentle hand on his back.
"What is it?"
"Dana. . . I don't know if you should look at this,"
he responded, turning towards her with a demeanor that
sent shivers up her spine.
"I don't need to be protected," she retorted. "If
there's something in those documents concerning me, I have
a right to know what it is!"
With a sigh, Mulder stepped aside to let her take a
look. Passing Gracie to him she leaned over Frohike's
shoulder, She saw the hauntingly familiar words from
earlier:
"Krycek, Alex - Fertility Experimentation
Mulder, Samantha - Fertility Experimentation
File Attached
Eyes Only -- Confidential"
The words that followed were much more disturbing. . .
'Findings on the Mulder-Krycek combination is
incompatible. The findings on the Mulder-Scully
combination is, so far, the only success in program.'
Both Mulder and Dana involuntarily shuddered when
the W. Mulder ominously typed underneath the
paragraph. And, not but a space away was the just as
alarming name of W. Scully ~~~~~~~
*******************************************
Memorial Hospital Lab
One Week Later
Dana sits down heavily on a stool, rubbing her
temples, trying to ease the headache that's been nagging her
for the last few days. The days since what Mulder refers
to as "the e-mail from hell" have been anything but calm.
There was a frantic rush to have the DNA tests
performed along with their desire to research what
those encrypted files meant and what exactly their
fathers had to do with it.
She and Mulder have found no more information
regarding the documents, and have both agreed that
it's best not to confront their fathers on the subject
until after they know what the test results reveal.
She moves to the window ignoring the machine
processing the data she's both waiting for and
terrified of. Knowing she won't see Mulder entering
she searches the crowd for his familiar frame anyway.
Just knowing he's on his way placates her a bit.
She loses track of time as she watches the people
outside. When she hears the whirring of the printer as
the results of the tests begin to print, she turns
toward it and watches the paper gather in the holder. Taking
a step closer, she thinks about going ahead and
looking at the papers. Just as she reaches out, a lab
technician walks in.
"Dr. Scully," The tech says . "There's a Mr. Mulder
here to see you."
"Send him in, Dana replies, feeling immense relief
that he's finally there.
No sooner has the Lab tech left then Mulder comes
loping in with his normal air of confidence, only this
time tinged with trepidation.
"Hey, Mulder," she greets with a nervous smile on her
face.
"Hey," he replies back, staying close to the door,
fidgeting from one foot to the other. "Did you get the
results yet?
"Yes," she answers, slowly walking toward him
"Have you read them?" he asks, his eyes locking with
hers.
"I promised I wouldn't," she affirms. "Besides, I
don't think I can. I hate to admit it, but I'm scared."
"I know, Baby, I know," he acknowledges, closing the
remaining distance between them and taking her into
his arms. "So am I."
They stay in their tight in embrace for what seems
like hours, until another doctor walks in.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" the gray-haired doctor exclaims,
causing the couple to jump apart. "I wasn't aware that
anyone was in here."
"We're sorry Dr. Stewart," Dana answered, blushing
slightly.
"It's quite alright, Dr. Scully," the older man
pacifies. "I'm assuming this is the young man, whose tests
you've been working so hard on."
"Yes, sir," she replies simply.
"Well, then, I'll leave the two of you alone," he
announces with a wink and a wave, leaving just as
quickly as he'd come in.
"He knows what kind of tests you've been running?"
Mulder asks with curiosity.
"Yeah, well, there were rumors going around that I've
been trying to prove that my new boyfriend is not the
father of a set of triplets born a few days ago in the
maternity ward here," she answers with a smirk.
"Damn!" Mulder exclaims with a whistle.
"I know," she chuckles in agreement.
"That's not what you're doing, is it?" Mulder jokes
with a smile.
"You're an idiot!" she laughs, slapping his shoulder
playfully.
"It would be better in a way though, wouldn't it?" he
inquires, turning serious once again.
"Yes, I guess it would be," she concurs, looking down
at the floor.
"Hey," he croons, lifting her chin. "Whatever those
results are, we'll get through them together."
"How can you be so calm about all this?"
"I'm an FBI agent I have practice at patience," he
admits quietly.
"Okay, G-Man," she states, taking a deep breath.
"Let's get this over with."
Mulder nods, taking Dana's hand, and follows her to
the printer where the results lie untouched. Taking
another deep breath to gather her courage, she
reaches over and grabs the paper, reading quietly
until suddenly her whole body sways and a loud gasp
escapes her lips.
"Dana?" Mulder asks in concern, his hand grabbing
her arm to steady her. "What does it say?"
"You were right, Mulder," she announces in a
quavering voice.
"Right about what?" he demands.
"Alex Krycek isn't Gracie's father."
"Then who could it be?" he inquires, fearing the
answer.
"You are," she states plainly, a tear falling from her
eye. "But that's not all."
"Tell me," he mutters quietly, his hand falling from
her arm.
"I'm her mother."