TITLE: XENOPHOBIA AUTHOR: DONNILEE E-MAIL: DONNILEE@SNET.NET CATEGORY: Langley/Other - MSR RATING: NC-17 SPOILERS: Within, Without SUMMARY: The mystery child is born. AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a sequel to "X is for Xenogenic". You do not have to have read that one to understand this one, but I would love it if you did. Within and Without happened, but the rest of Season 8 didn't! Krychek is still alive. THANKS!: To my beta reader, Shannon Kizzia for her gentle guiding hand and preventing my from tripping over my ... well, you get the picture! DEDICATION: A few people requested this sequel, but I believe the most recent was Orange Tabby Cat. Since I like to make her purr and knead her claws, this one is for you OTC. Hope it makes you purr! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX PART 1 (PG-13) SAMANTHA MULDER'S APARTMENT ALEXANDRIA, VA July 28, 2001 The phone was ringing. I shook my head blearily and looked at the clock, noting the time. It was 2:00 AM. I groaned as I rolled over and yanked the receiver out of its cradle. I croaked into the handset, "Yeah?" I heard just three words, "Langley, it's time." I was instantly awake. I answered him with three words of my own. "On our way." Samantha was already wide-eyed and sliding out of bed. Damn, but she was a light sleeper. I took a moment to admire her nude body as she stood in the pale light from the window, red streetlights reflecting off her skin. "You're beautiful," I said simply. Her kinky hair hung almost to her waist and she smiled at me and said, "Get dressed you slacker." I grinned, finally replacing the receiver in the cradle, which was now buzzing loudly in my ear from the broken connection. I slid out of bed, stumbling to the dresser and yanking out a pair of jeans and a tee shirt along with some clean underwear. XXXXXXXXXX DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT GEORGETOWN, D.C. July 28, 2001 2:30 AM We arrived to find Mulder in a mild state of panic. He had Scully's arm over his shoulder, stooping over and walking her around in circles in the living room. He had a look of helplessness that I've seen on his face many times when it came to helping his partner. This situation was new, but his conviction that he was nothing but a detriment was written plain on his face. Samantha took over immediately with the confidence and diplomacy of a trained professional. We all knew this was her first time being a midwife, but you'd never have known it from the way she breezed in and took the situation in hand. Mulder and Samantha helped Scully back to the bed amongst a flurry of questions. "When did her water break?" "Two hours ago," Mulder replied. "And you just called me now?" Samantha asked, sounding slightly exasperated. Mulder shrugged helplessly, and Scully spoke up. "I told him to wait. I knew it would be a while yet, but now the contractions are getting more severe and I couldn't walk on my own. Samantha nodded and let it go. Over a month ago, she had gotten a hold of a cart on wheels that she had loaded up with supplies in anticipation of the happy event. It was now rolled to the bed from its home in the corner of the bedroom. "Did you put the sterile sheets on the bed?" she asked Mulder. He nodded. "As soon as her water broke and I got her cleaned up." Sam had purchased sterile sheets and other materials, packed in sealed plastic bags for the event. Samantha then shooed us out. Mulder gave her the death stare and she laughed at him, not making the situation better. She finally said, "Don't worry, I won't let you miss anything. I need to examine her and I'd like some privacy." Mulder scowled. "She hasn't got anything I haven't seen before," he stated. Samantha smiled. "Fox, please, just give me ten minutes and you can come back in." He sagged in defeat, looking to Scully for reassurance. She smiled. "It's all right, Mulder. I wouldn't mind a little privacy for this." He nodded, looking hurt, but turned when I touched his arm and led him back into the living room. He flopped into the chair in the living room and I whisked by him into the kitchen. I figured it was going to be a long night, and we'd all want coffee. I knew where everything was now and proceeded to fix a pot of coffee. When it was brewing, I went back out and sat on the couch. Mulder sat forward in the chair, his face in his hands, looking like he was going to break apart any minute. "Want to talk about it?" I asked quietly. He scrubbed his face with his hands and looked at me, sighing loudly. "I don't know. I'm just so worried. I wish she were in a hospital." "It's going to be all right, Mulder. I'm sure Sam wouldn't put your baby in danger. If she wasn't completely confident of this setting, she wouldn't do it." "I know, but what if something goes wrong?" "Then we'll call an ambulance and take her to the hospital. You know why we have to do it here, if at all possible." "I know, but it doesn't make it any easier." An agonized wail sounded from the bedroom and I watched Mulder as every muscle in his body tensed. "You've got to calm down, dude, or you're just going to make it worse for Scully." He gave me a dirty look. "Easy for you to say. Wait till you're in my shoes," he stated in a hostile voice. I grinned. "I know I can't really relate, but Samantha says that whatever moods we have will be picked up by the baby. We need to try and be as relaxed and calm as possible." He sneered, "Samantha says, Samantha says ... that's all I hear from Scully too. Do you know how fucking sick I am of hearing that?" Whoa. He was really bugging out. I knew it was the tension talking and hoped Sam hadn't heard him. Calmly, I said, "I know, Mulder. It's hard, but she did tell me that she was prepared to take Scully to the hospital if there was the slightest indication of trouble. She told me she has no intention of trying to be a hero." He swallowed harshly. Softly he said, "You know I didn't mean it, right? I'm just frustrated. I hate feeling so useless. And suddenly, it's like everybody's a fucking expert, but me!" I nodded. "I know. Talk to me, Mulder. Maybe it will help." He pressed his lips together. I could see the wetness in his eyes, the fear. "I want this for us ... so badly." He paused. "I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?" I nodded, not wanting to interrupt if he was going to start talking. He looked at the bedroom door. "I want to be in there with my wife, Langley. I can't stand to let her out of my sight for two minutes." "Is she complaining?" I asked carefully. He nodded in the affirmative. "I know I'm driving her nuts." "So things are status quo?" I quipped. He flashed me a grin that clearly said, 'Fuck You.' I just laughed. "She's tolerating me, but I know the last couple of weeks I've been an extra special pain in the ass," he admitted. "I know I'm the last guy to be giving advice on relationships," I began. He looked at me and said, "What? Just say it." "Be careful not to smother her, Mulder. She needs you, and she loves you. You don't need to doubt that. And I think she's become much better at asking for help than she used to be. But she's still an independent woman, and you don't want to make her feel ... like she can't do anything for herself anymore." He hung his head. "I know that ... intellectually." "But emotionally?" I prompted. "I can't reconcile the two. That's always been my problem. My head rarely agrees with my heart. I live in a constant state of turmoil." "Time to do some Chi meditation, dude," I offered. He grunted and looked amused. "Emotionally, ... I panic when she's out of my sight for too long, or I don't know where she is or who she's with." "You've got a bad case of ... " I cut myself off before I said something I'd regret. "What?" he asked. "Forget it, none of my business, Mulder." "No! What were you going to say?" I looked at him for a long moment. "You're a control freak, Mulder. So is Scully. Two control freaks do not a healthy relationship make sometimes." "What are you trying to say?" "Don't misunderstand me. You two were made for each other. I believe that with all my heart. I also think ... in my opinion ... that you both need to let go of the reins a little bit sometimes." He sat looking at me, seeming to contemplate what I said. He didn't look angry but I knew with Mulder it was hard to tell sometimes. When he didn't respond, I decided to continue. "You want to control her environment all the time. You want to know where she is and what she is doing and who she's doing it with, all the time. It's not good, Mulder." "It's only because I love her so much and I worry." "Stop worrying about things that haven't happened yet," I offered. "A French philosopher, Motaigne, said, 'Much of my life has been filled with horrible tragedy ... most of which never happened." "You're mighty quick with the advice there, Langley, but it's easier said than done." "I know that. It takes a concerted, conscious effort to change behavior like you two have that's been ingrained into you. But my point is that if you're going to worry all the time, you might as well have all the worst things happen. I mean you're going to put yourself through the emotional pain anyway. It's a waste of time." "How do you do it?" "Start by reminding yourself when she is out of your sight ... that you trust her and she is a strong, capable woman." "I know that. We also know that doesn't mean shit when it comes to these ... these Planka or whatever the hell they are." "Sam is sure they have no plans to take her or the baby, or you. They want to observe only. They'll get any medical data or reports they need from Sam." "Is she really sure? They could tell her anything." I contemplated him for a moment, wondering what I could say to ease his mind. I wasn't really sure and neither was Sam, but I knew that it was a waste of time to chew on it constantly. It was out of our hands to a large extent. "We forget sometimes that Sam is half Planka too and we say it like it's a dirty word. That hurts her, you know." "I don't mean to hurt her. Scully and I have just had so many bad experiences with them. It's hard for us to believe they don't have nefarious motives or hidden plans, Samantha notwithstanding." "Mulder, I don't know what else to say. You're right, they could lie to her. But why? They've always taken what they wanted in the past. They weren't devious about it. They were always clear and unremorseful about what they wanted. They didn't feel a need to trick anyone because they know they are superior in nearly every way. They don't need to trick us. If they want it, they take it." He was watching me. "Man, all I'm trying to say is that you don't do yourself or Scully any good if you live your life based on fear." "How am I supposed to NOT live in fear, Langley? After all we've been through!" "I didn't say it was easy, but I think ... maybe if you tried living a little more in the moment, it would be easier." "What do you mean?" "I mean, live for today. Try to stop spending your time lamenting the past and worrying about tomorrow. You know what they say, don't you?" "No, what?" "If you've got one foot in today and one in yesterday, you're pissing all over today." He chuckled then but his amusement faded quickly. "I want to do it, I just don't know how. I've been afraid for so long. I'm so tired." I cleared my throat. "Well, when I find myself drifting into next week or something, I ask myself a question." "A question?" "Yeah, I stop and ask myself, 'What am I doing, RIGHT NOW?'" "What am I doing, RIGHT NOW?" he repeated. "Is there an echo in here?" I asked. He smiled. "Explain that more." "That question brings me back into the moment and I say something like, 'Oh, I'm doing the dishes.' And I proceed to do the dishes and then move on to the next thing." "The dishes, Langley?" he asked, sounding a trifle disappointed. "You know what I mean, it could be anything, whatever I'm doing right then. If I focus on it, the other stuff slips away. Like ... I don't know. I'm not good at explaining this." "You're doing all right, keep going," he encouraged. "I've heard it said that God won't give you any more than you can handle in one day." "God?" I made a face at him. "You know what I mean. I'm not a bible thumper, but I do believe there is something bigger than me out there. I don't claim to be a damn Zen Master or anything. I can only tell you what works for me. I can share my experience with you. That's all, for what it's worth." "And?" "And if I live one day at a time and live in the moment, several things happen. One, I'm not living in the past or the future, which I believe is a waste of time and energy. And two, I can handle whatever I'm doing at the moment without a lot of fuss and bother. It's when I start trying to handle next week, next month or examine all the possibilities, that I get all jammed up." "And you think that's what I'm doing?" "You've always done that. But the reality is that we can't possibly plan for every eventuality. At some point, we just have to let things happen and trust that we are going to land on our feet, no matter what." "And if we don't?" he asked. "You're such a doomsayer. If we don't, then we deal with that too. Cross that bridge when you come to it, that's what I'm trying to say, man. Don't try to cross it now. It's not here yet. It's not in front of you today, so let it go." "So I shouldn't make plans and guard against these creatures taking my family away from me." "I didn't say that. What I mean is you make plans, but you need to be flexible and not too attached to the outcome, you know? Because if you think you've planned for every eventuality, which, by the way, you can't ... then sure as hell fate will throw you a curve ball. When you're plans are dashed, now you're all in a quandary because you don't know what to do. You thought things were going to work out one way and they went in the other direction and you're left dangling in the breeze, fighting for control again. Making plans and worrying about the outcome are too different things as well. Remember that." "And all this means, what?" I sighed. "It means that you make plans, but you don't put all your eggs in one basket. Make the plans, then let it go and let things happen, staying in today. It's easier to do that if you have a plan in place, sure. You can relieve your mind a bit knowing you've taken some precautions. But, you have to remain flexible and that requires acceptance." "Acceptance?" "It's all about acceptance, my friend." "You've lost me now. Just when I thought I was catching up, too!" he joked. I laughed. "You have to accept who you are, where you are and what hand you've been given, regardless of what your plans were." "Accept it?" "Yes, then and only then can you work with it and make plans to change the parts you don't like." "You don't think I accept things?" I laughed heartily now. Mulder was one of the least accepting people I knew. He scowled at me laughing. I swallowed my mirth and looked at him again. "Sorry, dude, couldn't help it." "What's so damn funny?" "Mulder, not only do you NOT accept your lot in life or your character defects, you even have trouble accepting the good things in your life! Look how long it took you to believe that Scully was really in love with you? You're so sure that your whole life is a disaster and you don't deserve anything good, that when the good things do come along, you can't even enjoy them. Why? Because you're too busy looking for the ulterior motive. Or you think you must being tricked! Jesus! You're about to have a baby with the woman you love and all you can do is fret about all the things that COULD or MIGHT go wrong!" I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Do us all a favor and try to enjoy yourself for once, would you?" This was about ten times more than I had intended to say when I started out. But the man drove me nuts sometimes with his low self-esteem. God, the man was a hunk, had a beautiful wife that loved him and was about to give birth, and all he could do was drive himself nuts with worry. I held my breath, waiting for the explosion. He made a sound of disgust with his tongue. But then he surprised me when all he said was, "Give me an example of acceptance." I thought about that for a minute. "Well, you need to accept the fact that you are a control freak and stop pretending your something you're not." "I'm not ..." he trailed off. I raised my eyebrows. "Living in denial is a sure way to ensure that nothing ever changes. I know you've been to hell and back. That's more reason to enjoy the things you have today. You have things you never thought you'd ever have. You're such a fucking victim, Mulder," I concluded quietly. He sounded peeved and I couldn't really blame him. "O.K., Dr. Langley, so I accept that I'm a control freak. Now what?" I chuckled again, despite my efforts to remain serious. I ignored the sarcastic, Dr. Langley comment. "It's not that simple and it is that simple. Saying it, admitting it, is one thing. Accepting is another." I touched my chest. "In here, Mulder. You have to accept it in here and really believe it, not just give it lip service. Meditate on it." He scowled again. "O.K., so if I do this and I come to accept it, then what?" "Then you make plans to change it." "How?" "Well, you could start by planning absences from one another where you don't tell each other where you are going." I saw him tense at the mere suggestion of letting Scully take off and not tell him where she was going. The fact that he'd done it to her more times than I could count seemed to totally escape him. "I don't know," he said. "It's hard. I know. But you have to trust her." "This isn't about trusting her, Langley!" he nearly shouted. "This is about not trusting those shape shifting bastards that are way too interested in our baby!" I sighed. "I know that, but if you're going to live a life that isn't dictated by fear, you have to let go of her a little and ... hope for the best, take it as it comes. What's going to happen is going to happen. Once you do things separately a few times and no tragedies occur, it will get easier. You'll be more relaxed each time. I think things work out the way they are supposed to, regardless." Who was the fucking psychologist here, anyway? I thought. "Regardless of what?" "Regardless of the plans we make to manipulate them. Things happen, dude, the way they are supposed to. And everything happens for a reason. I don't always know what that reason is right away. Sometimes I never know, but I believe that there was one and that makes it easier to accept." "So even if I make plans, they are all a waste a time, because things are just going to work out the way they are supposed to anyway?" he asked, sounding incredulous. "Sort of. If you stick your finger in it and try to direct the play, it still works out the way it's supposed to ... it just takes longer and it's a lot more painful. You do the footwork by making plans. But then you let go of the outcome." "Then what's the point of making plans?" he asked. "It gives you some peace of mind to know you've done everything you could have and you've taken action. But then you have to turn it over to fate, or whatever's out there that's bigger than us." He stared at me then for a long while. I realized we had been out here much longer than ten minutes. There were no sounds coming from the bedroom. I was surprised he hadn't stormed the door once the ten minutes were up. Sam appeared in the living room and said, "She's resting, almost asleep. I told her to holler if she needs us." Mulder made to rise from the chair but Sam restrained him gently with a hand on his arm. "Let her rest, she's going to need her strength." "I just want to look at her." Sam shook her head in exasperation. "She's fine. If you go in there, it'll wake her up and she'll feel like she needs to talk to you and reassure you. I want her to rest now. She's doing great. She's only 4 centimeters dilated, it's going to be a while. Chill out now." He sank back into the chair, puffing his cheeks out in frustration. I really did feel bad for him. I couldn't relate to his situation, but I could sympathize. These two had a knack for getting themselves into the most unique situations. It was like a gift they had ... or a curse, depending on how you looked at it. Sam came over and sat next to me on the couch and I draped my arm over her shoulders. I was very happy with our relationship. It was only about three and half months old, but so far, so good. We hadn't had any arguments or anything. She was extremely intelligent and we often talked long into the night about a variety of subjects. She was nearly as good a hacker as I was, and I feared, soon, she would zip by me. She had a mind that was both abstract and linear when she needed it to be. It was amazing to watch her work. She'd done wonders for the Lone Gunman. Our sales had doubled in three short months. She was thirsty for knowledge since her arrival and read every free moment she had and searched the net on other obscure subjects. She was a walking encyclopedia now. The rate at which she absorbed information was truly astounding. And like her ... brother ... she had a photographic memory. Yes, I really had come to think of her as Mulder's sister. She was trying very hard to be that for him. She wanted it too, a family. She loved having a brother and a sister in law. She was an interesting mix of homebody and adventuress. And she was, after all, made from the real Samantha's DNA. I had ceased to think of her as exotic and alien. I know thought of her as just ... the woman I was in love with. Besides the intellectual exchange, she was insatiable when it came to sex. She'd pursued me with a determination and passion that rivaled Mulder's. She wore me out on a regular basis. I tried to keep up but sometimes I just couldn't. She'd bought several vibrators and toys for those times when I was just too wiped out to participate any longer. I never thought a day would come when I would admit to being too tired for sex, or not wanting it all the time, but that day had come. Don't get me wrong. I did all right, if I do say so myself. We generally hit the sheets on the average of twice a day. Pretty good for a guy my age, I thought. She was multi-orgasmic in the extreme and that did wonders for my ego, even though I knew it was probably due to her own make up. She was pretty much a nymphomaniac. Too much was not enough. I wondered if Mulder knew what a sex pot his sister was. It was one topic he'd never asked me about. I don't think he wanted to know about our sex life. And I had no particular desire to share it with him either. It would just be too weird. I was still a little blown away that she was so attracted to me. Let's face it. I'm not Mel Gibson over here. But she couldn't keep her hands off me and that's all I cared about. I was in seventh heaven most of the time. We all had a cup of coffee, sitting mostly in silence and making small talk. There was a moan from the bedroom and Samantha and Mulder both leaped to their feet. Mulder wouldn't be dissuaded this time and they both strode into the bedroom looking like two tall, chestnut bookends. I picked up the book I had brought with me and began to read, knowing it was going to be a long night. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX PART 2 (NC-17) DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT GEORGETOWN, D.C. 8:00 AM Scully's labor began in earnest about an hour ago. I'd fallen asleep on the couch but was awakened by her wailing as her contractions became severe. I didn't even want to know how Mulder was holding up. Hearing her scream like that must be driving him insane. I picked up the phone and called Frohike and Byers to let them know that the Uber-Mulder was about to stage an appearance. They whooped and hollered like idiots and I promised to call as soon as anything happened. An hour later, a perfectly healthy, 7 lb., 6 oz., baby girl was born. Once cleaned up, Mulder brought her out for inspection, smiling so hard I thought his face would crack. She was crying up a storm, which I guess is a good thing. He cooed to her and she quieted down. He went back in when Sam hollered to him to bring the baby back so Dana could breast feed. She was finished delivering the afterbirth and Sam had helped her change the sheets and change her night clothes again. When everyone was settled, Sam asked what they were going to name her. Scully smiled a broad smile and said, "I think we should name her Seena, what do you think, Mulder?" Mulder grinned and nodded. "Sounds good to me," he replied. I caught Sam up in my arms as she broke into tears, overwhelmed by the sentiment that they would name the child after her. She didn't use her former name anymore. She was truly Samantha now, but naming the child Seena was a big nod of acceptance into the family Mulder for her and she was touched more than she could express. "What about a middle name, Mulder?" she asked. "Maybe Teena after your mother?" she asked, a tease in her voice. "Seena Teena?" he asked. "I don't think so," he said curtly, with a sour look. We all laughed. "How about Melissa?" he suggested. It was Scully's turn to cry as she nodded and looked down at her bundle of joy. I was slightly embarrassed when her nightshirt slipped and I could see Scully's breast. I turned away and mumbled something about leaving them alone and slipped out of the bedroom. I could hear snickering behind me. I went to the phone and called the boys to tell them the news. They were going to race over but I told them it would probably be better to wait until tomorrow and let them get settled. Scully finished breast feeding and then Seena held the baby for a long while, seemingly in a kind of trance. I reentered the bedroom. She had been working with Mulder and Scully, trying to teach them to meditate and develop their latent skills. Mulder was doing well. He seemed to have gained some insight and abilities during his captivity. Scully wasn't doing so well, but she was trying. Her natural skepticism and logical beliefs were holding her back quite a lot. She was getting better though. Sam was sitting on the bed with the baby laying on her legs, it's head near her knees. She was holding it's little hands in her fingers, her eyes were closed. The baby was cooing to beat the band and we were all grinning like idiots watching the silent show. I don't know how long we stayed that way. Finally, Sam opened her eyes and smiled at Mulder and Scully. "She's very happy and content right now with her belly full, but she wants her mommy again." She handed her back to Scully who was beaming the biggest smile I'd ever seen. She whispered, "I need to call my mother." Mulder said, "I'll do it." He left the room slowly and went to call Maggie Scully. Sam looked at Scully and said, "She is a very gifted empath. She will need help as she grows, so that she is able to block out the static and noise." Scully asked, "When will that happen?" "I'm not sure. I figure I should check her at least once a week to see how she's doing. In the meantime, if you note any signs of distress, let me know and I'll be here in a flash." She smiled. Scully smiled and reached over with her free hand, taking Sam's hand in hers. "I probably don't say it enough, but ... I really appreciate everything you've done." Sam smiled and I saw her squeeze Scully's hand. "It was my pleasure and will continue to be. You may find your own lessons paying off, now that she is here." "What do you mean?" "I mean that she may try to communicate with you. If she does, you may feel it and it might open up the blocked channels that you have now. She is your blood. The bond will be stronger than your bond is with me." Scully sighed. "I've almost given up being able to learn this." "Don't give up. You're coming along." "Not good enough," she said, and frowned. Scully was such a perfectionist. Sam replied, "You're doing fine, you have more obstacles than Fox does." She nodded, having had all this explained to her before. She'd never admit it but I think she felt a little inferior to Mulder and Sam sometimes. They shared some abilities and understandings that left Scully out of the loop. And while she was certainly happy for Mulder and didn't begrudge his relationship with Sam, I think she felt left out sometimes. I knew the feeling. Sometimes, I felt like I was eating their dust. We had some killer conversations, but Mulder and Sam could launch into some pretty esoteric territory where I just couldn't follow. I'd have to share my thoughts and feelings on that one day with Scully to let her know she wasn't alone. Maybe it would help. Sam said, "This isn't a contest, Dana." "I know that. I just get discouraged." Sam patted her hand. "Don't be. We have lots of time." Scully smiled, looking reassured and rocked the baby gently. Sam said, "We're going to get going now and let you rest. Sleep well. Call me for absolutely any little thing." "I will." We exited the bedroom, meeting Mulder on his way back in. "Later, bud," I said, giving him a high five. Our palms smacked in the silence of the living room and he grinned. He stepped forward and gathered Sam into his arms, whispering into her ear, "Thanks, sis. I'm sorry I was such a pain in the ass." She chuckled, patting him gently on the back. "Don't mention it. You're going to be sick of me in no time now with me checking in all the time." "Never," he replied. They disengaged and smiled at each other. Mulder gave her a quick peck on the forehead. We waved and left Chez Mulder to head back to our place. It was technically Sam's apartment, but I pretty much stayed there full time now when not working with the boys on the paper. XXXXXXXXXX SAMANTHA MULDER'S APARTMENT ALEXANDRIA, VA TWO MONTHS LATER At 5:00 AM, Samantha sat straight up in bed, gasping for breath. She choked and I was awake in a flash, grabbing her arms and crying out, "Sam, what's wrong?" She scrambled off the bed, saying, "The baby. Get dressed." I didn't ask any questions. I knew better. I raced into my jeans and tee shirt, sans underwear and jammed my feet into my black high tops without socks. She wore jeans and was still pulling a light sweater over her head as we opened the door and barreled down the hall. I drove like a maniac all the way to Georgetown. I asked one question, "What's happening, Sam?" I didn't like how pale she was. Her only answer was, "Fox, I heard him. Someone's after the baby. I can still feel the baby. She's in a panic." "One of yours?" I asked carefully. She shook her head. "I don't know! I don't think so." "Shit." That was the extent of our conversation. She was leaping out of the car as I pulled up to the curb before I'd even made a complete stop. I didn't bother with the keys or locking it. I just jumped out and followed her. We ran up the stairs rather than take the elevator. I was winded as hell when we reached the third floor. Sam wasn't even breaking a sweat. She careened around the corner and into the open apartment door. The scene that greeted us made my heart skip a beat. I felt fear rise up in me like an unwanted guest and felt my insides shift as I felt light headed. Scully was on the floor with her back to the couch, hunched over the baby. The baby was wailing like a siren. I was surprised none of the neighbors had called the cops. Maybe they knew that the Mulders were FBI agents and didn't bother. The horrifying thing was seeing Mulder's situation. On the other side of the living room he was in the middle of a full blown fist fight with none other than Alex Krycek. His face was swollen and bloody, one eye swollen completely shut. Krycek had a gun but apparently hadn't used it, choosing instead to use the butt of it to smash Mulder's face. Before I could stop her, Sam let out a shriek that could only be described as a battle yell. She moved so fast, it appeared that she flew across the room. They heard her yell and turned to her, but were too late. As Krycek swung his pistol around, she caught his wrist in one hand the other going to his throat. Giving a blood curdling yell, she lifted him clean off his feet and tossed him into the air away from Mulder. He crashed into the wall, causing a framed picture of Mulder and Sam to fall to the floor. He was clutching his throat with his good hand, his prosthesis having been knocked askew by his landing. Sam was now holding his gun which she handed to Mulder. She must have taken it from him at some point, although I didn't see it happen. Mulder sucked in noisy breaths and winced as he straightened and groaning, turned pale. But still, he managed to point the gun at Krycek. I raced to Scully and fell on my knees, wrapping my arms around her and the baby all at once. I didn't know what else to do, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Sam stalked to where Krycek lay sprawled flat on his ass. She grabbed his fake arm and gave a yank. It came loose and she tossed it behind her. I'd never seen this look on her face before. She glanced at Mulder, at me and then back to Krycek. Her eyes were wide pools of black as she bared her teeth, barely breathing hard. She hadn't taken time to restrain her hair in its usual pony tail and it was framing her wild, angry face like a shroud. Krycek was wide eyed, obviously not knowing what had hit him. I knew she was incredibly strong, or could be. But I'd never witnessed it before. It was scary as hell. My God, Krycek had to be 200 pounds and she'd just tossed him like he was a pot roast. She grabbed his wrist with her hand and brutally yanked him to his feet. One hand restrained his arm against the wall. The other went to his throat. He choked but could obviously still breath. She ground out through her teeth, "Tell me why? Who sent you?" He tightened his lips in a gesture of defiance. We all knew what was happening when he groaned suddenly, closing his eyes, his head flopping onto his shoulder. She was penetrating his mind, and she was not being careful. He raised the stump of his arm which now only boasted a bicep. His eyes blinked slowly and he looked stupidly at his arm, seeming to wonder why he couldn't reach his head with it. He groaned again and his body spasmed. She let go abruptly and he slid to the floor in a heap, gasping and using his now free hand to clutch his throat. "It's true," he muttered. Sam squatted down in a deep knee bend and put her face into his. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you." She paused. "And make it fast." "I won't bother them again. I swear. My employers can go to hell. I'll tell them its useless." He groaned and his head snapped back, smacking the wall with some force. Scully shouted, "Sam, don't kill him!" She hadn't touched him. The force of her mind slamming into his had caused his physical reaction. I couldn't even imagine how painful that had been. He sank back down, his body folding in on itself as Sam turned to look at Scully. Her eyes were still sparking with an unnatural sheen, but her face was more composed than before. She nodded and stood up. She nudged his thighs with her foot. "Can you stand up?" she asked without a bit of sympathy. He nodded and clumsily pushed himself to his feet. He immediately swayed and leaned back against the wall to support himself. Sam turned and picked up his prosthesis, jamming it none to gently into his good hand. She stood, arms akimbo and got in his face again and issued her final warning. "You see me again and you better run in the other direction. Go back and tell them. Do NOT FUCK with my family. I see your face again, for ANY reason, anywhere ... and you're a dead man. Do I make myself clear?" He nodded once sharply. "And if you threaten that child, my brother or his wife ever again ... even from a distance and I find out about it, there will be no place you can hide." He nodded again. She tilted her head slightly to side as if gauging if she'd gotten her point across. She nearly spit in his face, "Get out of here before I change my mind." He stumbled away from the wall as soon as she stepped aside. He glanced at his gun as though he was going to ask for it. He took a look at Sam and decided retreat was the better part of valor. He turned and made his way to the door with a clumsy gait, obviously in a hurry. Mulder sank to the floor on his knees, the gun falling from his hands. Sam was sinking to the floor beside him in an instant, wrapping him in her arms. He fell sideways into her lap and she cradled his shoulders in her arms, rocking him gently. He started to cry and she cooed to him. "Shhh, it's all right now. He won't be back." Mulder hiccupped and rasped out, "He'll never quit, no matter what he told you." "Then he will die," she said and I shivered, hearing the iron coldness in her voice. "Oh, Sam!" Mulder cried, reaching up to return her embrace. His head suddenly flopped to the side as he passed out. She looked at me and must have sensed my fear. Her expression softened and I felt a wave of tenderness flow over me. I smiled hesitantly. She looked down at Mulder and maneuvered him so he was laying on his back on the floor. Scully made a small sound of distress and levered to her feet and approached them, sinking down beside Mulder, still holding the baby. Seena had stopped crying now but was still fussing. I followed and took up a place on the other side of Mulder. I asked, "Should I call an ambulance, Scully?" Sam shook her head. "No." Then she proceeded to lay her hands on his face and gently but slowly drew them over his forehead, eyes and down over his nose and onto his neck. His injuries disappeared as if by magic and Scully and I both gasped. She'd told us she could heal, but neither of us had ever seen her use that ability yet. She proceeded to rake her hands over both his arms, then spent a little longer on his ribs. He began to breathe easier. Another thirty seconds or so and his eyelids fluttered and he opened his eyes, peering up at Sam. "Hi there," he whispered. She smiled at him. "Hi there, welcome back." He raised his arms and she bent down to hug him. He turned his attention to Scully when she placed her hand on his ribs. He sat up and gathered her and the baby into his lap. I mimicked him and pulled Sam into my lap. We sat that way for a long time before I noticed the door was still open. I gently set Sam aside and got up to go close the door. That accomplished, I took up my job as chief cook and bottle washer and went into the kitchen to rustle up some coffee and mugs. It was going to be another long night. I returned to find them all sitting on the couch. I sat in the opposite corner and Sam crawled back into my lap. She laid her head on my shoulder. I was feeling strange. I was torn between conflicting emotions. I was elated that she had been able to save Mulder and Scully from harm, not to mention the baby. I was also trying to digest the fact that the woman could kill me in my sleep and I wouldn't even have time to issue a whimper. I had been terrified of her in that moment. She had not been the Samantha I was in love with. She had been a creature of strength and rage, a purely alien being. It was at odds with the slender woman, relaxing now in my arms, brushing her cheek gently on my chest. She looked up at me and I braced myself for her to crawl into my head. I don't know why. She never did it without my permission. I must have winced slightly. And suddenly she looked hurt. Her eyes filled with tears. She cupped my cheeks and whispered, "Oh No! Don't be afraid of me." I shrugged. "I'm ..." I had started to say, 'I'm not.' But that would have been a lie and I knew better than to lie to her. "I'm sorry. It was just a bit of a shock. I'll get over it." She nodded, frowning. "I love you. I would never hurt you." I nodded and pulled her head gently to my chest again. "I know." Mulder finally spoke. "Sam ..." She turned to him, her head remained on my chest. "What?" "Thank you," he said simply. "If it wasn't for you ..." he trailed off and stared at her, seeming like he wanted to say something else, but not sure how to say it. Finally, he asked, "How did you ..." Sam cut him off. "I heard you," she said, answering his half spoken question. "You heard me?" he repeated. She nodded. "I heard your mind scream - 'You won't take my baby, you bastard!' It was so strong, it woke me out of a sound sleep." Scully asked, "How can that happen, all the way across town?" Sam looked at her. "The closer the bond, the longer distances the communication can travel. Plus, I'm a very sensitive receiver to anyone I've bonded with. I'm close to Fox, mainly because we share genetic material, the bond is easier. You don't have that advantage. But right after I heard him, I heard the baby crying. It was a panicked cry. She was picking up on your panic." Scully asked, "Mine?" looking guilty. Sam smiled. "Don't worry, and don't feel guilty. It's a good thing. The baby reaches me easier than you do." Scully nodded, obviously feeling a slight twinge of resentment over that. Sam, being the perceptive being that she was, immediately said, "I'm sorry. But that's the truth. I won't lie to you." Scully nodded. "I know. It's all right. I just feel ... " "I know," Sam replied. "It gives me motivation to work harder," Scully said. Sam smiled. "Good, can't have too much motivation." Mulder asked, "Who is he working for?" "CGB Spender. That's not a surprise. Not just him though. He's also working under orders from some man named Strughold. Do you know that name?" Mulder nodded and said, "Why? What do they want to do? What did you get from him?" She sighed. "They want to study the baby, for science sake but also to see if it's immune to the virus. Guess it never occurred to them to just ask, huh? The Planka are no longer dealing with them. They are angry about being cut out of the loop. The Planka no longer need them." "So they cut them off without a word?" Scully asked. Sam shrugged. "This, I do not know. But you are probably right." Mulder spoke up again, "I woke up to see him bending over the cradle. I don't even know what woke me up unless he made a sound. I think he was just going to snatch Seena and run. That's when my mind shrieked what you heard." She nodded. "What then?" "He heard me jump out of bed. I shouted and it woke Scully. We started to fist fight. I didn't know he had a gun. Scully grabbed the baby when I dragged him into the living room. I had the upper hand for a few moments, with my adrenaline and all. But then he pulled out his gun from a pocket inside his coat. He overpowered me quickly after that. He used it to beat me." He reached up, touching his formerly broken nose and cheekbones, looking amazed that there was no pain. Sam said, "He was going to take the baby. You were right about that. But he had orders to kill you or Scully if he had to." "If he had to?" Scully asked. Sam nodded. Then she added, "Funny, but he could have killed you, Fox. But his feelings were mixed over what he was asked to do. He didn't want to kill you. I think that's why he beat you instead of just putting a bullet in you." Mulder nodded. "Almost died anyway, even though he didn't fire the gun." Sam sighed and Scully shuddered. "Thank goodness. That's one wound I can't heal if it hits your heart." "A bullet?" Scully clarified. "Yes," Sam confirmed. "I could heal any damage to tissue or bone done by a bullet. Depending, I can even heal internal organs if the damage is recent. But the heart ... no. The circumstances would have to be just right and even then ..." Mulder said, "Thank you again, Samantha. You saved us all." She smiled. "I'm just glad we got here in time. Thank him," she patted my chest. "He drove Moch Two with his hair on fire." We all chuckled. "I need a shower and then I need to go to bed. I still have blood on me," he said, as if he'd just noticed. Scully was still clutching the baby who had amazingly fallen asleep again. Mulder sighed a tired sigh. "I'm exhausted, can we finish this in the morning?" I said, "Of course. Let's go, Sam." "Why don't you stay here? This is a pull out couch," Scully replied. Sam looked at Mulder and then at Scully. "Are you just being polite? We don't want to intrude." Sam was nothing if not blunt. Scully smiled. "No, actually, I'd feel better knowing you're here tonight." "He won't come back," she said with confidence. Scully nodded. "Still ... we are both still in shock. I'd feel better if you stayed." "All right, then," Sam replied quietly. Mulder, Scully and the baby retreated to the bedroom. We stood and pulled out the couch which was already made up with sheets. She must keep it that way. We stripped down to our underwear and crawled in. XXXXXXXXXX I woke when I felt Sam shift beside and raise up on one elbow. She had her ear cocked to the bedroom. I whispered, "What is it?" She turned with her finger over her lips, indicating silence, then pointed at the bedroom. I trained my ear in that direction, and heard a soft grunt then a moan from Mulder. I closed my eyes, shaking my head and whispered, "You shouldn't be listening," I chastised her, knowing what was going on in the other room. Guess they weren't that exhausted. She gave me a look that said, 'Don't be such a prude.' I smiled, chuckling silently. Just then I heard Mulder's voice, soft and low. He was obviously trying to whisper. "Oh yeah, Scully. Oh, suck me." I felt my dick harden and then shook my head in the negative as Sam slid under the covers and rolled her body between my legs. "Sam!" I whispered, trying not to be heard. She slid her hand into my boxers and grasped me by the root. She pulled me out through the fly and slid her mouth over me. I bit my lip to stifle the groan that almost belched out of me. I cupped her shoulders. As good as this felt, I didn't want to do this here. For God sakes, we were in her brother's living room! She was not budging. And her mouth felt so good. I didn't hear anything, but Sam must have because she gave a final hard suck on the end of my cock and let go. I sighed in relief, hoping she would leave it at that and let me try to deflate by thinking of gross things. No such luck. I heard Scully whimper and then moan out, "Oh God, Mulder." His answer was, "Your turn to be sucked." Scully whimpered again and Sam stuck her now naked breast in my face. She was following their lead! While I'd been closing my eyes and listening to the action next door, she'd been getting naked. Her bra and panties were gone. She was straddling me; her hands came down and her finger nails scratched lightly on my hipbones. That always drove me nuts and she knew it. I moaned softly and gave in, determined to keep quiet. She yanked my underwear down my legs. I stretched slightly and sucked her hardened nipple into my mouth. She grunted and bit her lip, sliding her wet sex over my shaft where it still stuck out from my boxers. I felt pretty dumb with my underwear still tangled around my knees, but I wasn't about to make a fuss. I knew her well enough to know she wasn't quitting until she was satisfied. I just hoped I could make this quick and dirty and we wouldn't get caught. I gave in to the situation. I knew Sam was listening to the other room as well. It seemed almost sacrilegious to listen in for any reason, but especially after the night we'd had. By now, though, I was too aroused to care. If we were caught, Mulder would just have to forgive me for fucking his sister in his living room. And I needed this. After my fright tonight, I needed to be with MY Sam. I needed to know she was still in there, and I needed to connect with her again. Scully's sounds were becoming slightly louder. I wondered if they knew their bedroom door was slightly ajar. They were talkers all right. We were too, but not tonight. I heard Scully gasp out, "Oh yeah, little faster. You feel so good, Mulder. Shit, you're so hard!" I swallowed a moan as Sam mounted me quickly and began riding me up and down. Her inner muscles undulated along my shaft and I switched nipples, sucking hard again. Her nails bit into my shoulders where they rested, supporting her weight. She slowed and arched back, one hand behind her on the bed for support. The other went between my legs behind her back and fondled my nuts. I gritted my teeth as a keening holler wanted to erupt from my throat. Mulder wasn't quiet either. "So good baby. Oh, I've missed this so much. So tight. You're always so fucking tight." I realized they probably had just started having sex again since Scully gave birth. Scully gasped, "Make me feel alive, Mulder." I heard him grunt as his pace increased. Their bed squeaked quietly as he thrust into her at a rapid pace. I could tell by the rhythm of the squeaks that he was hitting her hard and fast. I heard Scully say in a hushed tone, "Oh, I'm coming, Mulder!" Sam squeezed her muscles extra tight and I grunted in surprise, accidentally biting into her nipple. She groaned, out loud and began to orgasm, her legs vibrating against my thighs. I released her nipple and gritted my teeth again, risking a quick, "Shhh!" She drew in a ragged breath and grinned playfully. I bucked harshly and rolled her onto her back, never leaving the warmth of her still grasping tunnel. Her legs wrapped around my waist and I sped up, plunging my now aching cock into her as fast as I could, but taking care not to impact her too hard or make the bed squeak. I covered her mouth with mine, kissing her deeply in an effort to keep her quiet. A few strokes later I heard Scully gasp, "Oh God, I'm gonna come Again!" Way to go, Mulder, I thought. Then I returned my attention to my own aching cock. I slid my hands down and cupped Sam's ass, one cheek in each hand and squeezed hard as I thrust into her, pulling her cheeks apart with every stroke. That's all it took and she spasmed again, me right behind her. I kept kissing her, feeling the vibration of her groan travel into my mouth and through my body. About two seconds later I heard Mulder, "Ohhh, Scully, here it comes! Oh I love you. Ohhhh, yeeeaaahhh!" All was silent after that. We lay panting and I carefully rolled off her. I pulled her over to lay her head on my shoulder and said in a whisper, "That's it, now. Behave." She giggled and burrowed into my body, cuddling up tight. I wondered what Scully would think when she found these soiled sheets. I was too tired to care and was asleep in moments. XXXXXXXXXX The next morning, we rose and showered before the rest of the house woke up. We were both early risers. I made coffee and Mulder joined me in the kitchen just as it finished and I was pouring a cup. I held up my mug. He nodded and I reached into the cupboard for another mug, pouring him his share. I held it out and he took it, sipping carefully and looking at me over the rim with an odd look on his face. He stuck his tongue into his cheek and said, "Langley, I know my sister's irresistible. She's a Mulder after all." I barked out a burst of laughter, knowing what was coming. "But did you have to do the wild thing in my living room?" I hung my head, unable to look at him. "Sorry, Mulder." I paused. "You started it." "What?!" he exclaimed. "She heard you two going at it. Woke her up or she was still up, I don't know and then she woke me up ... uh ... mimicking the action." Mulder blushed. "Oh shit, I thought we were quiet." He didn't seem upset, so I looked him in the face and said, "You were, but I think your door was open a bit. In any case, it was her idea. I tried to stop her." "Sure you did," he said, smirking at me as he took another sip of coffee. "I did!" I protested. "But she's hard to put off once she makes up her mind. Must be that Mulder gene thing again." He laughed now. "I should probably be a pissed off brother, but she's a big girl and all I can think of is how funny this is. It's not like I don't know you two go at it, I just didn't expect you to do it HERE." "Yeah, who'd ever think we'd have this conversation?" He smiled. "I know. Still ... it was a bit distracting. I don't think Scully heard it though." "Good." "Couldn't turn her off, huh?" he teased. "She's a Mulder," I said, grinning. "She doesn't have an OFF switch, Mulder." He laughed. "You can say 'No", though, can't you?" "Can you tell Scully, 'No'?" I countered. He grinned. "Not easily, no." I nodded, "Well, there you have it. She was insistent and I'm only a mere mortal, you know?" "Let's forget it, all right? I'm not upset." "Yeah. I'll talk to her about never doing that again. I know it wasn't right." "Don't worry about it." The girls emerged, Scully from the bedroom and Sam from the bathroom to join us. Mulder and I sat while Scully scrambled eggs and Sam made toast and got more coffee for everyone. After we ate, the girls announced that they were going shopping and taking the baby with them. They left in flurry of coats and diaper bags and the apartment was suddenly very quiet. Mulder and I retreated to the living room and sat down. He looked longingly at the door. I said, "Samantha's with her. She couldn't be more safe." He nodded. "I know," he said quietly. He'd been trying to let her go off on her own. And they'd been getting better. Scully was less cranky and Mulder was relaxing a bit. This episode was going to set him back drastically. I finally broached the subject I knew I was going to have to talk to someone about. I just couldn't share my relationship with Sam with the boys. It was too private and although they knew all about her ... there were some things I thought it best to keep to myself. Only Mulder and Scully would understand. I cleared my throat and said, "Mulder, I'm glad we're alone for a minute actually." He looked at me. "What's up?" "I need to confide something to you." He was instantly attentive, putting down his coffee mug. "What's the matter?" "Nothing really. I just need to get it off my chest." I paused. "Everything all right between you two?" he asked. 'Yes! But ... last night ... she scared me." I met his gaze, watching his tongue worry the corner of his mouth. He nodded and said, "Scared me a little too, but Krycek scared me more." "I mean, Krycek scared me too. That scene we walked in on was no picnic." He sighed. "I was terrified he was going to use that gun either on me or Scully. Our weapons are in the closet on the top shelf. I didn't have time to get it. He took us by surprise. I knew he wouldn't kill the baby. But I was equally terrified of him taking her. I knew if he got past me, the baby was history. Scully's strong, but she would be no match for Krycek without a weapon. I don't care what she says." "I know. You looked barely conscious when we got here." His lower lip trembled. "I think panic and adrenaline were the only things keeping me standing. I was hanging on by a thread." He paused and swallowed. "Look, Langley, I know it's a hell of a thing to see. Maybe I'm less shocked because I've seen them in action before." I nodded, "I'd never seen her like that before. I knew she could be strong, but ... Jesus!" "Even though I've seen it before, I'd never seen HER in action before. She's told us things, but hearing and seeing are two different things." "Know what you mean," I mumbled. He sighed and sat back in the armchair he was perched on. "Langley, I don't know what to tell you. She's my sister. I really feel that now. I really do. She's part Samantha genetically, but it's more about how she acts that makes me accept her as my sister. I know she's only been here for a few short months. But I've felt that way for a while now. I was amazed how easily she slipped into the role of my sister. To me, she really is my sister." "I know, me too." I met his gaze again. "I love her, Mulder. Don't think I'm having second thoughts." "She loves you too, Langley. She's told me so, but I've also seen it in the way she looks at you. She'd never hurt you." "I know, but seeing her like that ... I'd be lying if I said it didn't effect me. For a moment there, when she looked at me ..." I took a deep breath. "She wasn't Samantha just then," I said quietly. "She was something ... different. I felt danger and rage from her. She was ... all alien in that moment." We were silent for a few moments. "You need to talk to her, Langley." "I don't know if I can. She looked so hurt last night when she thought I was afraid of her." "You have too. If you don't, it will come between you later on. If I've learned nothing else from my relationship with Scully, it's that you can't hide your feelings from your mate. They will always come back to haunt you. You have to be honest with her." I nodded. "I know you're right. I just don't want her to think that ... I don't love her ... ALL of her, the human part and the Planka part. I mean, it's a paradox, but one of the reasons I love her is because she IS so unique, and different. Yet, ... sometimes she's SO different ... like last night, that it unbalances me. I can't lie about that. I was afraid anyway, but then ... I was afraid of her." We looked at each other for a few minutes, not saying anything, just sharing a quiet communion of understanding. Finally, he said, "Talk to her. She'll put your fears to rest, I'm sure. I know she loves you and you are never in any danger from her. She's crazy about you, Langley. She'd give her life for you." "I wouldn't want that." "I know that. It's that way for Scully and I too. We hope and pray that it never comes to that, but we both know that it's true. I would give my life for her or my daughter, in a heartbeat. If it's between them or me, I'll go gladly into the fire. That's one thing I HAVE accepted," he said, alluding to our conversation about acceptance from a couple of months ago. "You proved that last night, not that you needed to," I replied. "I was prepared to save them, Langley, or die trying. Scully and I have an understanding since Seena was born. No matter how much we want to help each other, Seena comes first. That's why Scully didn't put her down or go for her weapon. And if she had gone for her gun, he probably would have shot me anyway." "I know. I guess I never thought I'd find myself in a situation like this, where ... unbelievable things and extraordinary people would be a regular part of my life. And Samantha's beyond extraordinary. I don't know how to handle it sometimes." "I was prepared to die last night, Langley. And I have to tell you, if you guys hadn't shown up ... I don't think I would have made it. Eventually he would have used that gun. I owe you both thanks. I thanked her, but you got her here in time. I meant to thank you too, Langley." I looked at him. "I'm glad we got here in time." "Me too. She saved my life last night, Langley. Maybe Scully's too. I don't know. But I KNOW she saved mine, first from Krycek, then from my injuries. My ribs were broken and I think I'd punctured a lung. I was having trouble breathing and staying conscious. "If I had any little lingering doubts about her agenda, her loyalties, or whether she was on our side, I don't have them anymore. She proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she will protect us with everything she has." I nodded. "And she HAS a lot more than the rest of us, doesn't she?" He smiled then. "Yeah, she sure does. But she'll use her abilities to protect us. She'll never use them to harm us. I believe that." "I'll get over it, being scared I mean. It was just a shock and I wanted to share it with someone. There's not exactly a lot of people I can confide in when it comes to Sam. I can't talk to people about her special abilities, who she is ... what she is." "I know the feeling. At least I have Scully." I nodded. Without warning, not even knowing why I said it, or that I was going to say it, I blurted out, "I want to marry her, Mulder." I brushed my hand over my face and steeled myself to look at him. I raised my face to his and found him smiling at me. He asked, "Even though she scares the shit out of you?" We laughed then, sharing the irony. "Yeah ... maybe because she scares the shit out of me. I don't know. But ... I'm so far gone. Despite all the complications, or maybe because of them ... I love her so much." He grinned. "Are you asking permission?" "I don't know. I didn't even know I was going to tell you that." He laughed then. "Well, you have my blessing. Not that you need it. As you said, she has a mind of her own and she gets what she wants. She wants you. She's never made a secret of that. There's no accounting for taste," he teased. I grinned. "She really does ... want me. I still can't believe it sometimes." "Neither can I," he deadpanned. We laughed again. "I value our friendship, Mulder. I wouldn't ever want to do anything to upset that." He smiled at me now, shaking his head a bit in amusement. "You won't. If it matters to you, I whole-heartedly approve. I can't think of anyone I'd rather see my sister with than you." I was embarrassed to feel tears sting my eyes, but I blinked them back. My voice was hoarse when I said, "Thanks, Mulder. That means a lot to me. Not that she needs me to, but I'll take the best care of her, love her the best way that I know how. I promise." "I know you will. I trust you, Langley." I swallowed around the lump in my throat. "Thanks," I croaked. Trust from Mulder was a rare and beautiful thing. This, coming from the man that trusted no one, until Scully came along. He trusted me, not just as a friend, but with the sister he'd fought all these years to find. Even though she wasn't the original, she was indeed a sister to him in his heart, the only sister he would ever have. "I want to marry her, but ... it's not time yet," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I excused myself to use the bathroom, before I went all mushy on him. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX PART 3 (NC-17) THE MALL WASHINGTON, D.C. 20 MONTHS LATER Seena tottered along beside Sam, holding her hand. She scuffed her shoe and stumbled, falling to the ground, her knees scrapping on the cement. Sam fell to her knees as Seena began to cry. She flopped onto her diapered rear end and put her hands over her knee. Her little lips were quivering back and forth. I felt my heart turn over in my chest. She was the cutest little kid I'd ever seen. She'd gotten the best of both her parents. Her thick chestnut hair fell in loose, large waves down her back to her waist. She had her father's eyes. They were almond shaped. They were Mulder all over. But their color was sky blue like Scully's. Fortunately, she did not inherit her father's nose. She had a perky little nose, that was going to be like Scully's aquiline proboscis. She had her mother's rosebud mouth, and slightly pointy chin. I stood waiting patiently while Sam fished a tissue out of her purse. Then I heard her gasp. "Sam, what is it?" I asked. She gently pried the child's hands away from her skinned knee. You could see a couple patches of dried blood but the skin was completely healed. I gasped, meeting Sam's gaze. "What the hell?" "Hell!" Seena said, pointing at me. "Bad word, Unca Langy!" I chuckled. "Yes, it is. I apologize, young lady." She nodded curtly as if settling the matter. Sam asked, "Seena, how long have you been able to do that?" The little girl shrugged, seeming perplexed by the question. "I dunno," she said. "We need to go home and have a talk, Seena." "'Bout what, Anta Sammy?" "You will need to be careful when you do that." "What you mean?" "What DO you mean," Sam corrected. Seena did not reply. Sam said, "You can't let anyone see you do that." "You saw. Unca Langy saw." "It's all right if we see, or Mommy and Daddy, but no one else, all right?" "How come?" "That's what we need to talk about," Sam replied cryptically. "More special kid stuff?" she asked, standing up and brushing her little pink dress off, then her knees. "Yeah," Sam replied. "More special kid stuff. Let's go home now." "You promised i-ceem!" she protested. I chuckled, "Snagged," I whispered. Samantha gave me a wide grin. "O.K., ice cream first, then home." "Deal," she said, happy with the arrangement. It sounded like, 'Dee-wool.' We were only babysitting for the day, giving Mulder and Scully a break. Parenting this little fire cracker was exhausting on a good day. She was precocious and curious and smart as a whip. She talked like a four year old already and was unhappy with the vague answers you would normally give a child her age. She was only hugging two years old and she was already a handful. Sam had worked tirelessly with her and Mulder and Scully, developing their empathy and telepathic communication skills. They were coming along, as usual, Scully lagging behind Mulder. Seena, of course, was a force to be reckoned with. It was hard to reconcile sometimes that she was just a little girl, not even two years old yet. It could be disconcerting sometimes. Mulder and Scully were already looking into nursery schools for gifted children. When this kid went to school, the sparks were really going to fly. I was glad she wasn't my responsibility. We got our ice cream cones and piled back in the car to head home. Sam had given Seena a mini history lesson on the United States Government as we'd toured the mall. I'd proposed to Sam about six months ago and she'd said yes. We hadn't set a date yet. Seena had called me Uncle Langley since the beginning and I must admit, it gave me warm fuzzies sometimes. I'd never experienced the affection of a child. Sam and I were afraid that she would never get pregnant. She was supposed to be able to, but so far, it wasn't happening. We never used protection and now were talking about going to a fertility clinic. I'd had my sperm checked and I was fine. I wasn't shooting blanks. But Seena was reluctant to go to an OB/GYN. As much as she knew about herself, some of her genetic make up was unknown to her. She wanted to talk to her superiors first, fearing that they'd made a mistake in telling her she could successfully mate with a human. Of course, Scully's experiences with rogue clinics made a us a little gun shy, but I was sure the boys could ferret out a legitimate clinic. We were taking it slow. But we didn't know how many child bearing years she had left. Being part Planka, her fertility years could be much greater than regular women. If I thought Seena was a handful, what would a child of Sam's be like? It was a daunting thought, but I shook it off. I wanted a family. Seeing how happy Mulder and Scully were, I wanted it more every day. And let's face it, I wasn't getting any younger. XXXXXXXXXX SAM/LANGLEY'S APARTMENT ALEXANDRIA, VA LATER THAT NIGHT After depositing the wild child with her parents and imparting our new found knowledge of her healing abilities, a serious talk ensued over dinner about how to handle it. After working out the details, Mulder and Scully agreed to talk to her that evening and Sam would follow up. The kid hadn't had so much as a sniffle since she was born, but obviously she could still get hurt. We arrived home, feeling good but tired. We stripped leisurely and got into bed. I was about to doze off when I felt her body sliding along my side as she sidled up to me. Her hand came down to torment my chest, pinching my nipples and making me moan with excitement. She sucked on my neck and fondled my balls until I was going crazy with arousal despite my languid state of tiredness. I rolled her onto her back, kissing her deeply and slid between her long thighs. I suckled first one nipple and then the other until she was whimpering. I rubbed my now erect shaft up and down through her wetness and over her clit, making her gasp in pleasure. I latched onto her nipple and bit down gently, feeling her arch and hearing her cry out as her first orgasm stole over her. Her breasts were so sensitive. She often had quick, intense orgasms just from having her breasts played with. I loved that I could do this to her. Her lazy green eyes met mine and she smiled that predatory smile I knew so well. God help me, she was just getting started. She rolled me onto my back and mounted me quickly, supporting herself with her hands on my chest. Her thumbs teased my nipples sending jolts of excitement to my cock as she rode me at a steady pace. I raised one hand to pinch her nipples. She loved that. I'd been amazed at how hard she liked it. Once she was wet and excited, I almost couldn't pinch them too hard. The other hand slid down to brush my thumb over her pleasure center, locking it against my shaft as she slid up and down. I felt her walls convulse around me as she threw her head back so far, her long hair was tickling my thighs. She was gorgeous, towering above me. I rolled her onto her back again and pushed her knees up to her shoulders. She grinned evilly, grasping the back of her knees to help out and spreading her legs wide. I looked down to watch my cock slide in and out of her reddened sex. Her chestnut curls were glistening with moisture. I wrapped my arms around her slender thighs, sliding my hands up to cup her shoulder blades, leaning my weight on my elbows, bending her in half. I began to pump into her in earnest, slamming her against the mattress hard enough to make her bounce. She liked that too. Her chant of , "Hoo, Hoo, Hoo!" told me she was close again. I sank into her grinding my pelvis against her mons with each stroke before retreating and slamming into her again. She began to orgasm for the third time, this time sending me over the edge. I shouted, "Oh, Sam, Oh Sam, gonna come! Oh God, Awwwwww!" My cock spasmed as I emptied into her, feeling her grip me like a fist. I collapsed onto her feeling like a dishrag and gently lowered her arms, rearranging our limbs so we could rest this way. She laid silently under me, her hands brushing my sweaty hair back and her tongue licking my neck. I swear she was purring. My flaccid cock began to slip out and her hands raked down my back, gripping my buttocks and holding me fast against her and inside her. She began rhythmically clenching her inner walls around me and I groaned, sensitive from my orgasm. I kissed her, knowing what she was doing. No woman had ever been able to do this to me. She could clench her inner muscles so tight and then roll them along my shaft. It was like having my cock messaged, waves of pressure running up to the top and back down. Within minutes, I was growing hard again, moaning and placing little love bites on her neck and shoulders. I didn't know if her ability to shape shift had anything to do with how hard she could squeeze me. I'd never asked. Didn't really care. I only knew that it was an incredible sensation that I was sure was unique to her. A couple more minutes and I was fully erect again. She didn't seem to be in a hurry. Guess three orgasms had taken the edge off! But she wasn't finished with me yet. I pulled back and out of her. She squealed in protest, but I swung around with my back to the headboard. She smiled and climbed aboard as I bent my knees, placing my feet on the bed for better leverage. Her hot sex slid over my cock once again. She kept up her muscular assault as I pumped in and out of her, nipping the flesh of her full breasts. When I slid my hand down and swirled my middle finger over her anus, not entering but just applying pressure, she came again. That was her fourth one in under an hour. She was always like this. I cupped her rear end, one cheek in each hand and began slamming into her, thrusting up as fast as I could. She picked up my urgency and gripped my shoulders, riding me hard and fast. I don't even think she was aware of the fact that she was whimpering, "One more time, just one more time. Need to come, one more time, just one more time." "Ah fuck! God Sam!" I shouted. She grunted riding me so hard she was bouncing back up the length of my shaft. She hissed out, "Suck my nipple!" I leaned forward and captured her nipple, pulling her turgid nub into my mouth and sucking as hard as I could. I breathed heavily through my nose and kept increasing the suction until she was crying out. She nearly screamed, "Yes! Hard as you can!" I wanted to make her come again. I always wanted to please her and right now, what she wanted was to come again! Ironically, it was a selfish act. Pleasing her always put me in a state of euphoria, feeling her quake around my shaft. So it was to my advantage to do all I could to satisfy this insatiable woman. "Suck ... HARDER!" she wailed. I took a deep breath through my nose and sucked for all I was worth, reaching up and viciously pinching her other nipple, and tugging at it. She screamed as she came "Ahhh, haaa, Ahhh, haaa, Ahhh, haaa!" Number five! Every once in a while I would get a hard on that would last and last, even if I came. Maybe it was biorhythms. It happened every month and half or so. Samantha loved those nights. By the feel of my oddly sore but also numb cock, this was going to be one of those nights. I was beyond engorged, feeling a slight ache in my over inflated shaft. The sounds of her coming were music to my ears. I was wild now, somewhere having caught my second wind. I let her breast go with a loud pop, flipping her over. I came up on my knees, sliding my thighs under hers. My arms came down between her legs, one hand on each breast and I thrust forward as I knelt there, lifting her pelvis off the bed with the force of my thrusts, her thighs bouncing in the air as I hit home. Her head tossed back and forth on the pillow, her hair fanned out behind her. My hands gripped her breasts harshly, knowing I would probably bruise her but unable to stop myself. I was just shy of fucking her brutally. I needed the harshness to feel the sensations through the slight numbness. She came again, and I felt my low back stiffen, my balls heave and I began to empty into her in stinging squirts that left me breathless. As I suspected, my cock did not deflate this time after my orgasm. I pulled out quickly and roller her over onto her stomach, jamming a pillow under her hips. I dove into her backside, burying myself again, making us both groan. Damned if I wasn't wide awake now! She kept her legs tight together as I pounded her, loving the sound of my hips smacking into her nicely rounded derriere. She groaned and shouted, "Oh baby! Yes! Fuck me! Awww, you fuck me so good!" She'd learned to talk dirty from XXX films and as crude as she was sometimes, I was still turned on by it. I'm really a pig at heart. A sensitive pig, but a pig nonetheless. I took my weight onto my knees and slid my hands up to her sides and slid underneath to cup her breasts. Their fullness spilled between my fingers and over the sides of my hands as I gripped them viciously. I growled, "Come for me, Sam. Come on, lucky seven!" Yeah, I count, so what? I told you I was a pig! She hiccupped as she laughed and moaned at the same time. She grabbed at the sheets as she began to come again, shouting, "Oh fuck, yes! Oh yeah! Crush them! My boobs, so good, squeeze! Squeeze hard!" I spread my fingers and squeezed her tits as she convulsed through a long, drawn out orgasm. Her spasms died as I gritted my teeth and asked, "More?" I could come again now if I relaxed. But I could hold off too. "Yes! More!" she answered. God, she couldn't get enough. I pulled her up on all fours and she grabbed the headboard. I began pulling all the way out and diving back in! "So deep," she shouted. "Oh, fuck me hard!" I continued to thrust at a fast but steady pace and felt the most incredible sensations as she worked her inner muscles around me, clenching her ass repeatedly. It felt like a million little fingers squeezing the life out of me. I groaned and sped up, unable to stop myself. We were both shouting inarticulate cries and wailing in between pants and thrusts. She gripped me extremely tight and I realized she was coming again. I felt like the King of the World, as she came three times from my backward assault before I lost it, dumping my hot seed deep inside her ass as my cock throbbed and stung as I found my release in a mind blowing orgasm that left me limp and sated. It was a new record. She'd come ten times. No toys. Yup, I counted. When I collapsed this time, falling backwards and dragging my flaccid penis with me, I was done. I panted heavily and said, "Woman, you're going to be the death of me." She giggled. I crawled up, righting myself on the bed and flopped onto my back. We were silent for a few minutes and she said, "That was wonderful." I hummed in agreement. "I'm tired," I mumbled. She chuckled. She curled into my side saying, "You've never done that before." "I know," I said, thinking she was referring to lasting that long. "No, I mean before, getting all rough with me, the way you squeezed my breasts." "Did I hurt you?!" I asked, suddenly concerned. She smiled. "No, silly. It was wonderful." "Whew." I said. "Go to sleep, lover. You certainly earned it tonight!" I grinned and closed my eyes. "Mmm, I will. Sweet dreams." "You too." "I love you, Samantha." "I love you too." She chuckled and said, "I think I should get your dick bronzed." I hooted with laughter which was squelched by her kiss. Then she settled in and I drifted off into a deep sated slumber. EPILOGUE (PG-13) ONE YEAR LATER MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON, D.C. The doctor stood as Samantha and I entered the room. Today, he looked like a man in a sixties, white hair, blue eyes. He morphed into the hunter, the face that they all wore when they were *themselves* on the planet. "Seena," he greeted her. "Samantha," she corrected. His tight lipped smile showed no amusement, only tolerant acceptance. Otherwise he didn't respond. He gestured to a chair in front of the desk that he occupied. Sam sat down and I stood behind her. This was only the third time that I had accompanied her to these meetings. I was still nervous and liked to be on my feet in case I needed to make a speedy exit. As with the previous two times, he did not even acknowledge my presence with so much as a nod. It was as if I didn't exist. To him, I was probably so insignificant, that to him, I didn't exist. Only if I were to make a nuisance of myself or threaten his pet project would I become interesting enough to notice. His baritone, bland voice spoke into the silence of the room. "What have you got for me today?" Samantha removed a hand held device from her bag and handed it over. It looked like a tiny, futuristic tape recorder. He took it from her extended hand and opened the desk drawer. He handed her one identical to it. From being told, I knew that these were her diaries that she handed over to them regarding the progress of the *girl child* as he called her. He would take her *reports* and give her a blank recorder. "Any problems?" he asked. "No, everything is going well. She is almost three now and well above the normal intelligence for her age. You know we discovered her healing ability almost a year ago now. She is still refining that. Small injuries are no problem. Larger ones she cannot do completely but I'm confident she will be able to within another year or so." "What about internal injuries?" Samantha made a face. "She hasn't had the opportunity ... to test that skill and ... judging by the skill of her lesser healing abilities, she isn't ready for that anyway." "I will want to know." Samantha nodded. "When the time comes, I will find a way to test it." He nodded. "And her telepathy." "Very good with her father. Still rough with her mother. Nearly flawless with me." She paused. "Difficult with my husband." The full force of his regard landed on me then and I felt it like a blow. I gripped the back of her chair tightly, grinding my teeth in an attempt not to show my disquiet at drawing his attention. Sam had not told me that she was going to divulge to him that I was joining in the Mulder family experiments, as we'd come to call them. His head tilted as he regarded me, but he did not address me, as though it would be beneath him. Maybe it was. He returned his gaze to Samantha. "This is your chosen mate," he said. It was a statement. She nodded. "Does he have the integrity we desire for this project?." Meaning, could I keep my mouth shut? I thought. Samantha smiled. "He is perfectly trustworthy. He has known since the beginning and has been nothing but helpful from the start." He frowned slightly. "I did not know this." Another bland statement that I was sure carried a much weightier meaning than I would be able to gather. Sam smiled again, not intimidated by the man's manners. "I needed help to establish myself as Fox Mulder's sister. He provided all the resources I needed. Without him, my entire installation might have failed before it began. I owe him a debt for that. You should too, I would think." She'd said this with straight face and solemn voice. Even so, I didn't like this drawing of attention to my participation. I didn't like the use of words like *installation* as though she were a spy. In effect, I guess she was. But she was working with the knowledge of all parties involved. Of course, the Planka did not know that Mulder and Scully knew all about Samantha. They believed she had successfully presented herself as Samantha Mulder returned and was reporting without the knowledge of Mulder and Scully. We wanted to keep it that way. They would lose trust in Sam if they knew otherwise. Because she'd given them no reason not to trust her, they did. This meant that they did not interfere and they did not check up on the information she gave them. They took it for gospel, so to speak. They'd seen the results of trying to directly interfere in the past and found that Mulder and Scully were not cooperative subjects in any way, shape or form. Finally, he said, "You have done well so far." Samantha smiled wide, obviously flattered by his praise. That bothered me a little that she placed value on what this alien thought. Then again, I tended to forget sometimes that she was half Planka. I know that sounds ridiculous, but when you live with someone every day and love them, you don't focus on the things that are different about them, only on the things that you love about them. "Thank you for your confidence in me," she stated solemnly as though responding to the Pope. I silently added, *Your Eminence* at the end of her sentence in my head. "Would you like a reward?" Sam sat up straighter in her chair. I didn't need to see her to know that her eyes were wide. "Do you wish to give me a reward?" she asked, playing it safe. "It is time for a reward," he stated simply. "I do not wish for you to tire of your assignment or begin to think that there are no benefits to continuing. You have proved yourself reliable and valuable and you deserve a reward. Three years is a long time with no reward, but you continued to do well even so. But it wasn't solely my decision. I've given all positive reports to the elders on your performance. Everyone is pleased." "Thank you." He nodded. "What would you like?" "I'm not sure what my options are," she stated quietly. "Do you want a child?" We both gasped and I uttered the first word I'd ever uttered in his presence. Simultaneously, we said, "Yes!" He reached into his draw and extracted a small metal box with hinges. Flipping it open, he carefully removed a vial with maroon liquid. "We held off until we knew we could trust you and that you would succeed." He handed her the vial. He opened another drawer and took out a smaller version of his metal case and handed it to her. She opened it, finding little metal brackets inside to hold the test tube. She carefully placed the vial inside. She looked up at him expectantly. He smiled that closed lip smile and then said, "Drink it three hours before you wish to conceive. It will dissolve the blocking hormone we placed in your reproductive system." She swallowed and nodded her head. Her voice was a whisper, "Thank you." "Of course, we will want to know about your child too. It will be the first mating between a human and a hybrid." She nodded. I felt nervousness wash over me. What were we getting into? We were placing ourselves willingly into the same situation Mulder and Scully found themselves in. But I loved her and I wanted to have a child with her. I was never going to love anyone else, so I guess I had to go along for the ride. I wanted this life with her, whatever it entailed. I was fully committed now. In for a penny, in for a pound, I thought. THE END.