TITLE: ARMISTICE (1/11) AUTHOR: CAROLINE O'CALLGHAN E-MAIL: caroline.o@virgin.net Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Up to Small Potatoes (in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened). IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. Fox Mulder's office Washington D.C. July 1st, 1997 1.05a.m. Mulder crushed the piece of paper, on which he'd been scribbling random notes, into a ball and threw it in the direction of the bin. It missed by a few good inches and he sighed. His mind was full, but not of the reports he'd received a couple of hours ago from the police department at Martha's Vineyard. He was still struggling to focus; his thoughts on the woman he had left at her apartment five hours ago. He looked across the room at the space she normally occupied. Her desk. He smiled, but it was bittersweet. It wasn't really her desk, it was just the spare desk that had been there long before she had. After the Ed Jerse fiasco he had made an obvious effort to treat it like it was hers. He no longer used it as extra storage space for himself, and Scully had tidied it up and filled it with her things. He got out of his chair and wandered across to it. It was tidy. The blotter clean, the computer screen without dust, the pens and pencils stored in a tub. He sat down in her chair and studied a framed photograph that sat in prime position. Scully wasn't really one for clogging up the workplace with personal items, but she'd made room for this picture. She and her mother, theirs arms around each other smiled at the camera. Maggie's face was split into a broad grin, whilst Scully's was a little more restrained and self-conscious. He reached out with his forefinger and touched the image of her face and then laughed at himself. "What are you doing Mulder?" The ring of his telephone made him jump a little and he crossed the room to answer it. "Mulder." "Mulder why don't you go home and get some sleep." He sat down in his own chair with a smile. Her voice was full of drowsiness and he pressed the receiver close to his ear, eager for it to work its magic on him. "I think you need to take some of your own advice Doc, why are you still up? You looked like you were in bad need of some zzz's when I left you." He heard her yawn, and imagined her in her pyjamas, an arm stretching lazily over her head. He wanted to see it, to be with her. "I've had a few hours. I just woke up and somehow knew you'd still be at the office. Go home Mulder." "I got reports from the Vineyard Scully, I think we should take a trip up there." She paused, and it was enough for him to sense her reluctance. "Something wrong?" She paused again. "No...I." "I could go on my own, if there's a problem." "No Mulder. We'll go together. We're partners." He nodded, and then wondered why. It wasn't as if she could see him to acknowledge it. "How are you feeling Scully?" He noticed his voice slip into a softer tone as he spoke. She sighed. "I'm fine. I was a little tired that's all." "Are you in bed?" "Yes." He hesitated. He wanted to ask to come over, but it was all still new, still fragile. He was swimming in uncharted waters. After her treatment Scully had joined him in the waiting room of Holy Cross Hospital looking woozy and exhausted. He hadn't said much, just helped her on with her coat, taken her car keys from her and driven her home. She'd fallen asleep during the drive and he'd had to wake her when they reached her apartment block. She'd leaned against him as he helped her up the path, opened her door and ushered her inside. She'd gone straight into the bathroom and begun to run a bath. He'd stood nervously at her bathroom door and asked whether he should go or stay. She'd given him a soft, small smile and he'd nodded his understanding as he prepared to go. He'd wanted to force the issue, to find some reason for staying, but had felt too uncomfortable to do so. He was on 'Scully territory'. He'd felt like an invader in her sanctuary-like apartment with its soft pastels, comfortable furniture and feminine touches, and so he'd accepted her decision. 'I should have kissed her' he reprimanded himself. He should have cemented the words he had spoken earlier with actions. He had taken the terrifying plunge and decided he wanted to be with her in every way possible, and he had been filled with blessed relief when he'd discovered she wanted the same, and then he had stood like a tenth grader at her bathroom door; shuffling his feet and mumbling his goodbye. He'd practically run out of her apartment. "You still with me Mulder?" "Huh? Yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking. Would you like me to come over?" "Mulder. There's no need." "No, but..." "I'll be asleep as soon as I hang up anyway." He knew that, but he still wanted to crawl into bed beside her. He knew what she'd be wearing. She'd want to feel comforted tonight, after her treatment, so she'd have slipped into those blue, jersey pyjamas, that looked so soft to the touch. He wanted to snuggle up behind her sleeping form and press his nose between her shoulder blades, drape his arm around her waist, breathe in her soapy scent. But she didn't want him there. He prayed to God she wasn't having second thoughts about changing the nature of their relationship; a small voice told him that it might not be such a bad thing if she were, but he swept it aside. He reminded himself that she had called him; that she had wanted to talk to him, and that even after cancer therapy that must make her feel weak and sickly, she had been worried about him. "I'll pick you up in the morning." He heard her sigh. "That's not necessary Mulder." "I think it is Scully, I have your car." "Oh, right. Of course." "Eight a.m?" "Fine. Should I pack for the Vineyard?" "Why not? Your finest debutante clothing Scully." "Taking me to the country club?" "They won't let me in there Scully. Not since I tried to look up Jackie O's dress, when I was eight." "You're kidding me Mulder?" He chuckled. "I'll see you in the morning." "Mmm." Her voice was soft and low and he didn't want the conversation to end. "Sleep well." "You too. Go home now." "I will." He replaced the receiver, a second after she did, both of them recognising that it was time to hang up, even though they hadn't exchanged a formal goodbye. He looked hard at the phone for a moment and then got to his feet and collected his coat from the stand. The phone rang again and he snatched it up quickly. "Okay Scully, I'm leaving. I swear." "Agent Mulder?" He froze slightly at the sound of the voice. "Yes." "I have something you might want to hear." Marita's tone was cold and hard. "Yeah well I'm afraid I'm a little busy at the moment. I don't have time to fly to New York to lap up the little snippets you've deigned to throw me." "You sound bitter Agent Mulder. Don't you want to know what I have to tell you? I assure you it concerns a matter that seems to be close to your heart." He spoke through gritted teeth. "Maybe I've decided to seek my own answers, instead of relying on others, from whom information seems to come only when I dutifully perform for it." "I'm on your side. I will help whenever I can, but you have to understand that everything comes at a price." "I'm not sure that I'm willing to pay anymore." "If that's your decision, very well, but I warn you, you may never hear from me again, all contact will cease." He considered for a while. He couldn't trust her. He didn't have faith in Marita Covarrubias, the way he had in Deep Throat and X, his previous 'informants', but he couldn't ignore what she had to say either. His need to know outweighed the growing dislike he felt for her. "I can't come to New York right now." "I'm in D.C. The Watergate Hotel." Mulder almost laughed at the irony. The leaker of information staying at a hotel named after the biggest leak of all time. "I'll be there in forty minutes." He replaced the receiver again, none too gently, snatched up the files that lay on his desk and left his office. Room 1121 Watergate Hotel Washington D.C. July 1st, 1997 2.02 a.m. She opened the door dressed in a white robe, a scotch on the rocks in one hand. She said nothing, and stepped back from the door to let him enter. Shutting the door behind him she went to a table on the far side of the room and sat down in a chair next to it, crossing her legs to reveal a shapely thigh. Mulder couldn't help but look. "Won't you sit down." "I wasn't planning on staying very long." "Can I get you a drink?" "No thanks. Like I said, I'm not stopping." "Somewhere you have to be?" "Anywhere but here." "I get the feeling you don't like me very much." He began to pace slowly. Trying not to look at her. She was attractive, no doubt about that. Tall, slim, high cheekbones, blue eyes, but it was all false, all coiffured and pampered. Too perfect. "What I don't like is being jerked around." She nodded and took a sip of her drink. "I know. I've never tried to do that. I've tried to give you what you required." "So why am I thrown a few crumbs at a time. Why don't you just tell me all you know now." She stood and crossed over to him. Standing so close that he could smell her perfume. "Because I probably know even less than you do. I'm just a messenger." "For who?" She bowed her head and stepped away. "I don't know." Mulder gave a sad laugh. "So what is it this time?" "You're looking into cases in the Martha's Vineyard area, concerning children who were taken and then returned to their parents." "How do you know that?" "They've been waiting for you to ask the police department for those records for years Agent Mulder. It was an obvious area for investigation, they're amazed you never looked before. They have friends everywhere. They were alerted, and then they sent me to you." "Who is 'they'?" His voice betrayed his exasperation. She looked up at him defiantly. "I've already told you. I don't know." "So what do they want you to tell me?" She walked back to the table and picked up a folder that lay on it. She held it out to him and he took it warily. "What is this?" "Virginia wasn't the only laboratory. There were others, some are still in operation. That's an address." He opened the folder glancing at the page of type that lay inside it. "The Vineyard." "Its tightly secured, almost impossible to penetrate." "And I suppose 'they' expect me to achieve the impossible, do their work for them?" "You might have much to gain if you do." He nodded, and turned to leave. "Well, its been delightful as always." He reached the door when she caught him by the arm. Her eyes gazed into his and a hand came to rest on his chest. "Mulder, I always thought it was delightful. Has something changed?" "Yes. Me. I've changed." He removed her hand and left. Watergate Hotel car park Washington D.C. July 1st, 1997 2.35 a.m. Mulder got back in the car, but didn't start the engine, instead he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialled a number. His call was answered with a gruff hello. "Good evening Sir." "Mulder. It isn't evening, its morning, and you'd better have a damn fine reason for waking me up at this hour." "I want to request permission to follow a lead in a case, up to Martha's Vineyard." He heard Skinner sigh. "What kind of case? You haven't been assigned anything?" "No sir, I have a lead into possible illegal experiments being conducted on civilians, at a Government laboratory." "I have to say Mulder, that I'm surprised you're bothering to inform me. Its not like you to follow procedure." Mulder ignored the sarcasm in Skinner's voice. "I want to take Agent Scully with me." "I see, and you didn't want her to be reprimanded for not filing a 302?" "Yes sir." "I have to tell you Mulder, that I'm sometimes not inclined to let you follow your instincts. At times you've acted rashly and put lives at stake." "I've made mistakes in the past I know, but.." "I'd prefer it if you presented this case to me tomorrow in my office." "I don't want to waste any time sir. This lead, it might shed some light on what happened to Agent Scully while she missing." He could almost hear the battle that he knew was raging in Skinner. He was placing the man in a difficult position, but he knew that bringing Scully into the equation would help to persuade Skinner to grant permission. He had long thought that their boss had an admiration and respect for Scully that influenced him when making decisions on the X Files. He wasn't sure what Skinner's feelings for her we're; whether he viewed her simply as a good agent, a friend, as the daughter he'd never had, or even as a possible lover. The last possibility made him recoil a little, but it wasn't so far fetched. Hell, he'd fallen for Scully's many charms, so there was no reason why Skinner shouldn't have. Mulder was pretty positive that Skinner would do almost anything for Scully; just as he would himself. "Okay Mulder. I'll make sure its officially recorded that you requested permission, and that permission was granted. Just try not to make me regret my decision." His superior hung up before Mulder could thank him. He put the phone back in his pocket and was about to turn the key in the ignition when a sign caught his eye. 'Parking is reserved for staff and guests of the Watergate Hotel'. He smiled. He'd been here before. When Scully and he had been separated, when the X Files had been closed, they'd met here. He had been filled with despair and she had given him new hope, with supportive words and a kind hand that had brushed gently and quickly through his hair. He suddenly became angry at himself for sitting immobile, staring into space like a lovesick jerk, while there was work to be done. He started the engine and pulled out of the car park with a squeal of tires. Dana Scully's apartment Washington D.C. July 1st, 1997 2.10 a.m. After talking to Mulder, Scully had replaced the receiver and fallen quickly asleep again, but now she was awake once more. Unsure what had disturbed her, she stared up at the ceiling, listening carefully, but there was nothing, not a sound. She sighed and yawned. It was a cool night and she pulled the covers up right under her chin. She almost regretted not asking Mulder to stay with her. His body would have been warm wrapped around hers. He had offered his presence, but something within her had rebelled at the idea. Two nights lying by his side would have been too much, after four years of sleeping alone, with only a deeply buried, secret desire for him, to keep her company. She was still having trouble accepting that last night had actually happened. She needed time for it to become a reality; time away from him to begin believing in it. She also hadn't felt up to entertaining anyone. She'd just needed to wash and sleep. Talking, or any other activity, had been beyond her. And if she was honest with herself, she would have to admit that she was still a little afraid of what changes the altering of their relationship would bring. She was worried that Mulder might begin to look at her differently, and was concerned that it might damage them, rather than bring them closer together. With a lazy smile, she remembered the night before, surely nothing that good could be wrong, it had to be right. Her body tingled a little when she relived, in her mind, the feeling of his skin against hers. She groaned quietly, knowing that sleep wouldn't come easily again; now that her mind was beginning to traverse all kinds of highways. She threw back the covers and quickly reached for the robe that she'd discarded. Shrugging it on, she padded out into the kitchen, without bothering to turn on the lights. She knew where everything was, and there was enough light shed from the moon, through her window, in order for her to make some hot milk. She opened the refrigerator door and as she reached down for the milk carton, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She took a deep breath. Suddenly, she knew what had awakened her. Someone was in her apartment. She felt it, and whoever it was, was staring at her back. She forced herself to speak, hoping that it was who she thought it was. "Mulder?" She turned slowly, the milk carton in hand. "Mulder, trying to scare me is not funny." "I think its hysterical." She flinched at the voice, knowing that she knew it from somewhere, but that it wasn't Mulder's. Her heart pounded as the living room lights came on. When she looked up towards the direction of the light switch by the front door, and saw the intruder's face, she let go of the milk carton in shock. It hit the floor and the creamy liquid splattered everywhere. She gazed dumbly down it, and then up again. Her voice was no more than a stunned whisper. "Krycek?" "Nice to see you again Agent Scully." He waved a small automatic weapon at her by way of greeting. Scully was desperately running through her options. Where was her gun? She'd been so tired when she'd got in that she just dropped it where she'd been standing. It must be in the bathroom. Krycek smirked at her. "I have your sig in my pocket. But don't worry, you won't be needing it, I'm just here for a nice friendly chat. Come out here and take a seat." He waved his gun and pointed towards the living room. Trying to remain calm, she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room and sank into her armchair. When Krycek took a seat on her couch she noticed the artificial limb he wore and her eyes shot up to look into his. His gun was still pointed at her and he gave a little nod of his head. "Thank you for your sympathy. You're a very kind person Scully, you know that. I spied on your partner, I assisted in your abduction, I was there when your sister was shot, and here I am breaking into your apartment, and yet you still manage to look at me with compassion." She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Don't try and deny it, I saw it in your eyes. It must be wonderful to be such a good person Scully. No wonder you sleep so easy at night." He sighed. "I don't sleep very well, too much on my conscience." She was shocked to realise that he was speaking sincerely. "I didn't think you had a conscience Krycek. What do you want?" His gaze dropped to her bathrobe and for a moment she was filled with fear. He must have noticed a change in the tension in the room because he looked back up into her face. "Don't worry Dana, I'm not here to ravish you." He smiled in a way that made Scully want to smack his mouth back into place. "I'll leave that to Mulder." She licked her upper lip, unsure of how to answer. He spoke instead. "I've been following you for a couple of days. That was a pretty hot scene outside the motel." Scully felt herself blushing and the knowledge made her more angry. "Just tell me what you want and get the hell out of here." "I want to apologise." She raised her eyebrow at him in disbelief, an expression she had used on Mulder a thousand times in response to his more 'way-out' theories. "For which of the particular crimes that you've committed are you saying sorry for?" "All of them. Well, all of them that affected you. You were innocent Scully. When I heard what...what they'd done to you... I was just following orders, I had no choice." Scully swallowed hard and fingered the tie on her robe nervously. "You played a part in my abduction?" "I stopped Mulder from getting to you in time." "I see, and you knew what they were going to do to me?" "I had an idea, but they never really explain anything properly. I know that what they did to you, the procedures, gave you cancer, like it did with the other women they took." Scully remained silent and looked down at her fidgeting hands. Krycek spoke in a saddened tone, as if he already knew the answer to the question he was asking. "Are all the other women dead?" Scully looked up, memories of Penny Northern penetrated her mind and she willed herself not to cry in front of this man, who had once seemed so evil, but now seemed so contrite. "Yes." Krycek nodded. "The treatment you're receiving Scully, it won't do any good." Her heart missed a beat. "How do you know?" "They gave it to you. They're the only one's with the cure." Scully looked around her apartment walls, trying to gather her thoughts, and then back at her captor. "Why this change of heart, Krycek?" He got to his feet. "As a man gets older, as things happen to him." He touched his prosthetic hand with his real hand and Scully shivered slightly. "He begins to reassess his life." He moved towards the door and Scully felt a sense of relief wash over her. He stopped and turned. "You understand the significance of you being the last one, don't you Scully?" "You mean that I'm the only evidence left?" "Yes, and they always like to get rid of the evidence. Remember also that you've managed to survive far longer than any of their other victims. That may be interesting to them. Watch your back." He moved the gun into his false hand and opened the door with his other hand. "Oh, and tell my old friend Mulder that he's close. Closer perhaps than he's ever been." With that, he left, closing the door quietly behind him. Scully looked down at the place he'd occupied on her couch and noticed he had placed her sig on the cushion. She grabbed it quickly and ran to the door, flinging it open, she ran into the corridor. All this took her no more than 30 seconds, but he had already disappeared. Breathing heavily she went back inside her apartment, slammed the door shut and leant against it. Her legs gave way and she sank to the floor, where she sat for a long time, hugging her knees and gripping the handle of her sig sauer. Office of the Lone Gunmen Washington D.C. July 1st, 1997 4.35 a.m. Mulder yawned and leaned back in his chair. He looked over at Langly and Frohike who were bent over a computer screen, which they were viewing with intense expressions. "You guys better be looking up the laboratory. If I find out you've been checking out the Playboy web site for the past two hours, while I've been cooling my heels, there's gonna be trouble." Langly looked around at Mulder, a smirk crossing his deceptively boyish face. "Unlike you Mulder, we don't have to get our kicks from exploitative, 12-inch-high, bit-mapped images." Frohike shot him a defensive glare. "Yeah, you should try real women for a change Mulder. You never know you might like it." Mulder smirked back. He had tried a real woman. A very, very real woman. "That's rich Frohike, from someone who's spent the last four years mooning over my partner and is still scared to do anything about it." Assessing what he'd just said he decided to change the subject. After all, he was accusing Frohike of doing exactly what he was guilty of. Well, what he had been guilty of, until last night. "So did you find anything?" Frohike and Langly made some space for him between them at the terminal and Mulder joined them, looking down at the screen. "We hacked in. There's a few records, lists." "Can you print them out for me?" Frohike clicked on the items and sent them to print. Langly looked up at Mulder. "Dr Scanlon's name is mentioned." Mulder looked at Langly, his surprise showing in his expression. "The Doctor at the hospital in Allentown? The one who murdered the other abduction victims?" Langly. "Yep, the same one. He would have done the same thing to Scully." All three men swallowed silently. "While pretending to cure her." Frohike spoke with hatred in his voice, and Mulder patted his shoulder. Clearing his throat Mulder tried to focus his mind. "Anything else of interest in here?" Langly shrugged. "Hard to tell. A lot of its in code, and some of it is password protected." "Is the code Navajo?" Both men shook their heads at his question. "No. Its something we've never seen before." "Print it anyway." He shrugged. "You never know. What about the password stuff? Can't you get past it?" Langly gave Mulder a grave look. "It would take quite a while. We might have to run several programs, and if we stay in here for too long we might get noticed. We need to hit and run here Mulder." "Okay, print what we can and shut it down." Frohike tapped away furiously and Mulder gathered the sheets of paper from the printer. He picked up his coat and prepared to leave. Frohike looked up at him as he exited the laboratory files. "Give my regards to Scully. Tell her she's still my pin up girl." Mulder rolled his eyes, and then looked at Frohike's computer in amazement, as the screen saver came up with an image of Scully on it. He shook his head at the little man. "I don't know how you got that picture. But if she ever comes here you'd better ditch it fast. I can personally attest to her proficiency with a firearm." He heard Langly laugh as he left their office. Back in his car, he switched on the interior light and scanned the printed pages. He was looking for a name that was dear to him and he quickly found it on a list labelled 'acquisitions'. He sucked in a breath as he read the entry. August 1994 Scully, Dana Katherine Under each month heading were approximately five or six names. Wondering if the 'acquisitions' were still continuing, he turned to last page. What he saw there made his heart stop and his lungs crash. July 1997 Scully, Dana Katherine. Managing to breathe again, despite being struck with fear, he jabbed the key into the ignition, started the engine and began what was to be the fastest drive of his life, towards Scully's apartment. Continued in Part 2. Armistice (2/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to atxc - already been there Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Up to Small Potatoes (in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened). IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. Dana Scully's apartment Washington D.C. July 1st, 1997 5.05 a.m. After Krycek's departure, Scully had sat silent and still for a long time, trying to calm her turbulent thoughts and shaking body. She didn't know what scared her most. The thought of the consortium eradicating her as they did other 'evidence', or dying slowly from a cancer for which there was no cure. She had put such faith in the experimental treatment she'd been having. She'd had no choice, it had been her only option; but she had looked upon it positively, hoping that it would produce a miracle cure, where she knew conventional treatments would fail. She had fought the temptation to call Mulder; wanting to get past the worst of the mental pain first. She needed to have her control back by the time she saw him again. She didn't want him to see her with her defences down. She was afraid that he would consider her too disturbed, or too weak to work, to travel with him, to watch his back. Her mind had been screaming 'I'm gonna die', 'I'm dying', 'I don't want to die', but she had spent long minutes breathing deeply and quelling her fears, and then she had got up, got dressed, packed, thrown up, tidied her apartment, made coffee, and now she sat quietly on her couch just waiting for Mulder. He'd be three hours yet, but she'd just sit and wait. The knock on her door made her jump in surprise, but she reacted quickly, whipping her gun from the holster at the small of her back and pointing it at the door. "Scully, its me." Her brow creased in confusion. Mulder sounded frantic, and he was early, far too early. Her heart was beating furiously as she remembered that she had once been fooled into opening the door to Mulder before, when it hadn't really been Mulder at all, but an enemy with the ability to take on his shape. "Scully, are you in there please? Open up." He was banging on the door so hard it was rattling on its hinges. She licked her upper lip and spoke hesitantly. "Mulder?" She heard him exhale in what she thought was relief. "Thank God. Are you alright, are you okay? Let me in Scully." She went to the door and looked through the peephole. It looked like Mulder, wearing the same clothes he'd had on last night, but she couldn't be sure. Keeping her gun pointed at the door, she undid the locks quickly and stepped back. When Mulder entered her apartment he was greeted with a small automatic weapon pointed at his head, and Scully looking like she was just waiting for the right moment for him to blow him into his next lifetime. He put his hands up, palms out, in a defensive gesture. "What's going on here Scully?" "Don't move". She clicked the safety off and Mulder began seriously fearing for his life. But then, instantly, he understood. "Its okay, its me. Trust me." Their breathing was the only sound in the apartment, while he watched her trying to make her decision. "Jesus, Scully, if you keep pointing guns at me all the time I might start to think you don't like me." That did it. Her face crumpled and her firing arm dropped. She threw herself at him and he enveloped her in his arms. He noted the trembling of her body as he rubbed her back to soothe her. The front door was still open and he used his foot to kick it closed, relieved that their exchange hadn't woken any enquiring neighbours up. "Why did you think it wasn't me Scully, what's happened?" She shook her head against his chest, indicating that she couldn't tell him now, and he understood. He ran a hand over her hair. "You're a frightening woman when you want to be, you know that? I nearly peed my pants for the first time since I was four." He felt her smile but couldn't see it, her head was still leaning against his right shoulder blade. He took a moment to enjoy the feel of her in his arms. Her little body crushed against his, her thighs rubbing his lower thighs, her breasts distinguishable where they touched him, even through her heavy suit jacket. He felt the beginnings of arousal and decided to shift a little. His shirt was growing moist, and he became aware that she was crying, silently. For the first time he noted that she was dressed, and that her packed bag was sitting by the door. Why was she ready so early? She loosened her grip on him and turned away, bringing her hands up to her eyes to dry them. "Do you want coffee Mulder? I know I could use some." She walked into the kitchen briskly, holstering her gun on the way. He sensed, as he wandered in after her and took a seat at her kitchen table, that she had regained control of herself again. He wished she hadn't. He wanted her to be able to lose some of the tension that was packed into her small frame and was visible on her face. "Scully, are you gonna tell me what's happened?" She shot him a brief, tight-lipped smile as she set a mug in front of him and poured his coffee. "Why don't you tell me why you were trying to break down my door at five o'clock in the morning?" She poured herself a mug full and sat opposite him. He winced at the briskness of her movements and the way she avoided eye contact with him. She was like a tightly- coiled spring just waiting to unravel. Her tears at the door had exercised some of what was bothering her, but he sensed there was still much more she had to let go of. He sighed and pulled the computer print-outs that Frohike had given him from his inside pocket. "Since we spoke on the phone I've gathered some more information." He shoved the lists across the table and she took them and started to read. "What are these?" "I had the guys at the Lone Gunmen hack into the files of a top secret Government laboratory up in the Vineyard. This is what they retrieved. Some of it is in code, but there are lists with names of civilians on." Scully nodded, flicking through the sheets of paper. "Your name is in there Scully." She didn't even flinch and for a moment he thought she hadn't heard him. "Where?" "The list labelled 'acquisitions'. You're listed under the date of your abduction, and...also...under this month." Again, she didn't flinch, didn't react at all, and for some reason it scared the hell out of him. "That's why I raced over here Scully. I was afraid that..." He didn't finish the sentence. Scully downed almost half a cup of coffee in one swallow and got up from the table, snatching her mug, and his, before he'd even had a chance to take a single sip. She threw the black liquid down the sink and rinsed the mugs, when she turned back to him he was looking at her, his mouth hanging open in surprise, and his eyes wide. The expression almost made her laugh. "You're afraid that I'm going to be taken again?" He nodded mutely. "Well, maybe." She leaned over to switch the coffee pot off and walked out of the kitchen and grabbed her coat from the back of couch where it had rested. "Let's go then, I don't want to wait around here like a sitting duck." Route 27 Washington D.C. July 1st, 1997 6.02 p.m. Mulder slammed the wheel of the car in frustration, but saw little point in honking the horn as he glared at the bumper-to-bumper traffic in front of him. "Where is everybody going? Its six o'clock in the morning?" Scully didn't answer and when Mulder looked around at her, she was gazing out of the window, seemingly lost in some kind of trance. He ran a hand through his hair. They were making their way, slowly, to the airport, after they'd stopped quickly at his apartment to grab him a few changes of clothes. Scully had barely spoken five words in the last hour. In his apartment, she had stared long and hard at his fish tank, which hadn't contained any fish for as long as he could remember. Then she'd walked over to the window, gazed out of there for at least five minutes, before resting her eyes on his photograph of Samantha. He had the feeling that she hadn't actually been looking at any of the things that she'd gazed at. He did honk the horn then and Scully jumped a little in surprise. "Earth to Scully." "I was listening Mulder. If you want an answer, these people are likely to be all going the same place we're going, the airport." "Sometimes I think it might be quicker to drive. By the time you buy tickets, wait for the plane, get on the plane, get off the plane, hire a car..." "All of which takes around three hours, max. Driving would take around six hours, maybe more." He snapped suddenly at her cool tone, signalled, and pulled off the freeway and into the parking lot of a small roadside diner. Scully glanced at him in surprise. "What are you doing?" He swung the car into a parking place, put the brake on and switched off the engine. "We're not getting far anyway, and I'm hungry, I want breakfast." He gave her a final glance before snapping his seat belt off and getting out of the car. "And you need breakfast." He was already at the diner door before she caught up with him. He strode to a booth and sat down in it with a thud. She sat opposite him carefully, trying to gauge his mood. He looked pissed, he sounded pissed. He slid a menu across the table at her. She glanced at it briefly, but her stomach lurched and when the waitress approached them, she asked for coffee. Mulder glared at her as ordered. "Bacon and eggs, toast, orange juice." The waitress grinned at him. "Will that be all?" "Yeah, but I want it all twice." Scully watched the waitress leave, before pinning Mulder with a 'what the hell was that about?' look. "You need to eat Scully, when was the last time you ate?" Her mouth hung open. "What exactly are you trying to say Mulder?" Silences between them were often friendly, companionable, the one that developed now was the complete opposite of that; it was downright unpleasant. Eventually Mulder shrugged and looked away, unable to take the intense, crystal blue glare of her eyes. "Nothing, forget I said it." She was going to let it ride when he spoke again. "You're as thin as a rake Scully. You need to eat to keep your strength up. You have cancer." Her face displayed the gamut of emotions that went through her as his words sank in. Hurt, confusion, anger, sadness. He saw them all. She placed her palms on the table and used them to lever herself up. She spoke in low, warning tones. "Thank you Mulder. I'm well aware that I have cancer, its something I live with twenty-four hours a day. I don't need reminding." With that she left the booth and he watched her graceful strides as she walked towards the ladies room. He admired the way she held her head up. He felt about two feet tall. He slammed a hand against his forehead, just as the waitress appeared with their order. She gave him a quizzical look and he smiled politely at her to let her know she wasn't dealing with a lunatic. When Scully came back, he was still trying to decide what to say to her. She took her seat, without looking at him and turned her nose up at the greasy food in front of her. Then, to his surprise, she stabbed at a piece of bacon and shovelled it into her mouth. He watched her face in fascination as she chewed it. When she'd swallowed, she looked at him levelly. "Happy now?" "I don't..." He looked around the diner to avoid her eyes, because he thought if he looked into their depths he might actually cry, such was the pain. "I don't know how to handle it Scully." She understood, because she always understood. She dropped her fork and reached across the table to take his hand. "Its okay Mulder, neither do I." Feeling more in control of himself he looked at her again. She gave him an unexpected, full-blown smile. He couldn't remember if he'd ever seen her grin properly like that; enough to show him a row of perfect, small white teeth. Her eyes were shinning and it shook him to the core. She squeezed his hand. "We'll just make the rules up as we go along. You're good at that." She let go and took up the fork again, popping another piece of bacon in her mouth to chew. "You want something else Scully? Its not really you're kind of meal." "Its fine. To be honest Mulder I can't really taste it anyway. Its the treatment, the drugs, they've dulled my taste buds, and I don't have much of an appetite either." She sighed. "Which is probably why I've been losing weight." When he looked at her he tried to keep the pity out of his eyes. Scully didn't accept anyone's pity. "Do you forget to eat sometimes?" She reddened a little. "I suppose I do." "Okay if I nag you about it when you do?" She took a sip of orange juice and looked at him over the glass. "Sure. As long I can nag you about your awful choice in neckwear, your partner ditching tendencies and the fact that you don't get enough sleep." Her head cocked to one side as she examined his face. "Did you sleep at all last night?" "Did you?" She set the glass down. "For a while. I had a visitor." Mulder looked at her curiously. She tried to say the words calmly, knowing that Mulder was likely to explode when he heard them. "Alex Krycek came to see me." Mulder's jaw clenched and she quickly interjected when his mouth opened to speak. "He didn't harm me, or threaten me in any way. He came to talk." Mulder's voice, when he found it, was an angry whisper. "Why the hell didn't you tell me? Call me." She swallowed. "There was no need." "No need..." He sighed and his tone became a little softer. "What did he want?" "To warn me." "About what?" "The same thing you warned me about. That whoever took me the first time, might be back for seconds. Or, worse, that they may try to eliminate me." Mulder now understood why she hadn't been surprised by his news that morning. Her gaze drifted away. "They could just pick me off any time, Mulder, I could just be walking down the street and..." He reached under the table and grasped her knee, bringing her eyes back to his. "No Scully, they don't want to kill you, at least not yet. Those files from the lab prove they have other plans." She gave a sad little laugh. "Is that supposed to make me feel better Mulder?" He stroked knee he held. "I hope you realise I'm not letting you out of my sight for a second." She reached under the table and put her hand on top of his. "There might have been a time when I would have objected to a statement like that Mulder, but at the moment, it sounds like a pretty good plan." "What else did Krycek say?" "Nothing." Her gaze floated towards her unfinished breakfast "You're a terrible liar Scully." He was a little stunned when he saw tears form in her eyes. Scully didn't cry easily, and now she was on the brink of it for the second time in the space of as many hours. "Tell me Scully." He stroked her knee again, and she squeezed his hand. "He said the treatment I've been receiving won't help me at all." She blinked back the tears from her eyes. "Mulder, all that pain, the bruising, the sickness from the drugs. It was all for nothing." She looked like she wanted to hit something and her grip on his hand made him wince a little in pain. "I don't know what to say Scully. Except I believe... I've always believed, that together, we'll find a way to beat this." She withdrew her hand and moved her knee so his hand fell away. "But its not you that's dying Mulder." He nodded, a thousand answers formed in his mind, 'but if you die Scully, I'll die too' was among them. Instead, he said nothing. A minute's silence ensued before she turned to him again, looking deep into his hazel eyes. "I'm sorry Mulder." "It's okay. You can take it out on me any time you want." She gave him a brief, barely there, smile, before becoming business-like again. "So what do we do when we get up to the Vineyard?" He shrugged. "Play it carefully. Talk to a few parents, and abductees. Try and gain access to the laboratory by flashing our i.d.'s. Of course, we'll get turned away. So we might have to explore other avenues." "By other avenues, you wouldn't mean breaking into Government property would you?" "Who me? As if I'd do such a thing." He took a few spoonfuls of breakfast. "We'll play it nice and easy at first Scully. Pretend we've lost interest for a few days, do a little sight-seeing, play tourist, before we make any kind of move." "Speaking of making a move. We should get going." He nodded and swallowed most of his orange juice in one gulp. Scully caught the waitresses eye and asked for the check. They drank their coffee without words and wandered out into the parking lot. Scully was walking in front of him when Mulder caught her by her coat collar and spun her around. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but her words were taken away by his kiss. She pressed her lips against his eagerly, and he returned the passion, slightly disturbed by the effect, even this simple kiss, was having on his body. His hands went through her hair, and he felt her arms go around his waist, sneaking under his suit jacket and overcoat, as his tongue delved into her mouth. She made a small sound, that could have been born either from contentment, or arousal. He pulled away and planted a kiss on her forehead. She leaned against him and he held her head against his chest. "What took you so long Mulder, I've been waiting for that." He smiled down at her. "The truth Scully, is that I'm a little scared." "Of me?" "Of us." She looked up at him and planted a kiss on his chin. "Me too, I know its terrifying Mulder, but I want this. I'm sure of that. I thought we'd decided it was what we both wanted." "I just don't understand." "What?" "Why you want me. You know that I could easily make things worse between us, rather than better. I'm terrible at relationships Scully." She inched away from him and grabbed him by the lapels of his coat to bring his face down to hers. "We've been in a relationship for four years Mulder, and we've done okay so far, we we're together long before we..." She felt herself blush a little, "Before the other night." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, before turning and walking to the car. "Come on, we have work to do." His mood brighter, Mulder walked ahead to open her car door for her. Before she got in she looked at him, and then at their surroundings. "Parking lot Mulder. Why do you always kiss me in parking lots?" "You think I might have a fixation?" "I think its a definite possibility." "It would interesting though Scully. Think about it, we could traverse the country, stopping to neck at every parking lot we see." She shook her head at him and sank into the seat. Scanlon Bed and Breakfast West Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 1st, 1997 2.47 p.m. Scully watched Mulder run into the bed and breakfast as she leaned against the hood of the car taking in the scenery. It was beautiful, lush and green, and the sun was high in the sky. She closed her eyes and turned her face towards it. Her mind was reeling a little. So much had happened, in the last twenty-four hours, some good, some bad, and she was still processing it all. She felt some despair, some hope; much happiness, much sadness. On the flight to Boston, Mulder had insisted she tell him all about Krycek's visit. Word for word. He had threatened to shoot Krycek on sight, the next time he met him, just for scaring her. They'd discussed whether what he had told her was the truth, but had come up with no plausible explanation for why he would want to lie to her. Then they'd both fallen asleep. Her head on his shoulder, a hand resting lightly on his thigh. On descent they'd woken together, smiling softly at each other, sharing a gaze that was so intense and so laden with promise of things to come, that Scully had had to look away, embarrassed at the direction her thoughts were taking. And on the drive down to the Vineyard, and the trip over to the island on the ferry, she'd had to force herself to stop touching him. She wasn't a 'touchy' person, but every couple of minutes she had felt the need to reach out and brush his coat sleeve, straighten his hair, or remove imaginary fluff from his trousers. She'd done a pretty good job of restraining herself, but there had been a few times when her hand had moved seemingly of its own accord, and when it did, its reward was always a smile from Mulder, which would send shivers down her spine. There lay the hope, the happiness. The sadness lie in the fact that she was now aware; there was no more denying it, that she may not have long to revel in the joy of being by Mulder's side as more than just his partner and friend, but as his lover. He came bounding back from the bed and breakfast, a definite spring in his step that she hadn't seen in years. He dangled a key to indicate that he'd managed to book them in. She nodded and leaned into the car to pop the trunk open. Mulder lifted their bags and she locked the doors. The two of them moving as a team, doing what needed to be done, without any confusion as to what should be done and who was going to do it. She surveyed the building as they approached it. "Pretty nice Mulder. Not your usual taste." He just shrugged and she knew then that he had chosen it because he thought she might like it, and the knowledge filled her with warmth for him. "If it would make you feel more at home Scully, I could find somewhere with friendly roaches and peeling wallpaper." She shook her head. It was only three stories high and Mulder led her to the second floor and down a corridor. He stopped in front of room number six and dropped the bags, fishing in his pocket for the key. He opened the door as she held out a hand for her key. He looked down at her outstretched hand and Scully believed she actually saw him blush. Realising her mistake, she pulled her hand away. "I...uh, only got the one room...." She interrupted a little too quickly. "Its fine." "It was presumptuous, I...." "Its okay." "I can get another room..." "Mulder, shut up." She brushed past him and into the room, with a slight smile that she hid from him. He followed her in and put the bags on the four-poster bed. He had seen Scully eye the bed and then move quickly to the window. "Its lovely Mulder." She gave him a quick glance before walking to the bathroom. It was a beautiful room. Lush furnishings and ornate fittings, a real fireplace and a spectacular view. He had often driven past, or walked past, the bed and breakfast in his youth, and had always wondered what it would be like inside. Now he knew. He had wanted to please Scully so much; take her somewhere nice. Although doing so had made him feel a little foolish. He felt like he was back in high school and trying to impress a girl on whom he had a crush. He watched Scully walk back into the room, drinking in the way she moved, her every expression. Yes, he had a crush, an enormous crush. He cleared his throat, still a little embarrassed at assuming that she would want to share a bed with him. "It'll be easier for me to keep an eye on you if we're in the same room, and there's safety in numbers." She gave him an unreadable look. There was still so much about her didn't know. She was often a complete mystery to him. He knew he was babbling a little, but he couldn't keep quiet. "...though I won't be offended, if you want to get another room. If it makes you uncomfortable ..." He faltered in the sentence as Scully sat down on the edge of the bed and gave it a little bounce. "On the contrary Mulder, it feels very comfortable." She glanced slyly up at him, and he realised that she was playing with him. Teasing him the way he sometimes teased her. He smiled. "Come on Agent Scully, lets go see a few witnesses. " Jacobs Residence East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 1st, 1997 4.28 p.m. Megan Jacobs cradled her four month old son in her arms, and looked at the two very-formal, very stern looking FBI agents who were sitting across from her. The tall, dark-haired man was asking most of the questions, whilst his companion; a pretty, petite, auburn-haired woman, sat mostly in silence, gazing around the room now and again, but her eyes falling mostly on the infant in his mother's arms. Megan interrupted the man's questions with one of her own. "I just don't understand what this is about. I don't remember much about what happened to me." The man nodded. "I appreciate that Mrs Jacobs, but we need you to remember anything you can. Its very important." "Why? All this happened ...years ago" Mulder cleared his throat a little and leaned forward. "We have reason to believe that you may have been subjected to..." Scully interjected before Mulder had a chance to mention Government cover-ups, alien connections, or clones, knowing that it would be most people's inclination to freak out and clam up at the suggestion that they were part of a grand conspiracy against the American public. "Mrs Jacobs. The FBI has noticed that around the time you were taken, several other children disappeared too. All we're returned to their parents unharmed. We're just looking into the case as a formality. We just need to establish that nothing untoward happened to you so that we can stamp the cases closed." She felt Mulder giving her a 'cut the bullshit' glare, but ignored it and pressed on. "All we need you to do is to tell us anything you remember at all from the time you we're abducted." Megan thought carefully. "I don't remember being taken as such, just waking up in a bright room." Scully leaned forward. "Can you describe it all?" "There were lights that made it hot. I'd been dressed in a hospital gown, but I was aware that I wasn't in hospital, although there were men there, dressed as doctors." "Can you describe any of the men?" She shook her head. "Not properly, they all wore masks, but I think one of them might have been Japanese." Mulder watched Scully carefully and admired the way she hid any kind of reaction to Megan's last statement. He wondered how close Megan's experiences were to Scully's partial memories of being taken, but he was still somewhat agitated at his partner for taking over an interview that he'd been conducting. He knew why she had, but that just made it seem worse. Why did she feel like she had to protect people from him? Megan continued. "I remember them giving me an injection, and me screaming. As a child, I hated needles." She sighed. "And I'm afraid that's it, oh apart from the fact that I was aware there were other children there too, one of them comforted me. I knew the name, but it escapes me now." Scully got to her feet and nodded. "Thank you." Mulder stood also and walked past Scully and through the door, without bidding their witness goodbye. Scully could tell he was pissed at her for taking over the questioning, and prepared herself for any disagreement that might follow. Megan seemed not to notice Mulder's rudeness. She smiled and got to her feet, gazing fondly at her son, who had drifted into a peaceful slumber. Scully looked down at the infant and then back at the mother. "He's beautiful, how old is he?" "Four months." Megan looked into the FBI agent's eyes as she answered and swore she saw a hint of jealousy in them. Scully went towards the door. "Sorry to have taken up your time Mrs Jacobs." "No problem." Scully stopped, and turned, gripping the door handle. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but did you have any trouble conceiving?" Confused, Megan shook her head before she had time to wonder at the strangeness of the question. "No, none." Scully nodded again and walked into the hall. Mulder had left the door open, and she bid Megan goodbye as she walked through it and out to the car. When she settled herself in the passenger seat beside Mulder, she tried to ignore his clenched jaw. He glared at her, but she shot him a cool 'we'll discuss it later' look. He started the engine and was about to pull away, when he noticed Mrs Jacobs coming out of the house, waving to them to stop. He rolled down the window and she approached the car, leaning down to speak to them. "I remembered the name. The one who comforted me. It was Samantha." Continued in Part 3 Armistice (3/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to atxc - already been there Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Up to Small Potatoes (in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened). Particular reference to Nesei and 731. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. Outside the Jacobs Residence East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 1st, 1997 4.42 p.m. Mulder stared at Megan Jacobs like she had slapped him. The woman looked confused and Scully leaned over to appease the situation. "Thank you Mrs Jacobs, you've been a big help." Megan nodded, gave them both another wary look, and turned and walked back into her house. Scully glanced at Mulder, who was now gazing at the windshield, seemingly a million miles away. She gently touched his arm to bring him back and he turned to her, a face full of wonder. "She was here all the time Scully, right here in the Vineyard. I looked everywhere, and she was right here." "Mulder you don't know that. It might be a coincidence, maybe she's talking about another Samantha." Mulder gave her a look that she read as 'c'mon Scully, cut the crap'. She wanted to pull his head to her chest to comfort him, but she settled for stroking his arm lightly. "I can guess where were going now, but take it easy Mulder, don't let them know what you know." "Give me a little credit Scully." She pulled her hand away, aware that his harshness and restrained anger, were not meant for her, even if they were directed at her at the moment. "Okay, let's go." J.E.M. Laboratory West Tisbury Martha's Vineyard 5.20 p.m. Mulder pulled the car to a stop, and looked quickly at his partner, who was gazing at the building with a troubled expression . He was eager to try and gain access to the laboratory, but took a moment to see if everything was alright with Scully. "Something wrong?" She cleared her throat and shook her head. "Deja Vu." "You've been here before?" "No, I don't think so, it just felt like I'd seen or done this before." The tension that had been present at the start of the journey had eased slightly with each mile, as he came to regret being harsh with her outside the Jacobs residence. Now, more than ever, he needed Scully by his side. He leaned over and peered into her eyes. "Scully, is that you? My real partner would never admit the possibility that her cognitive mind had conjured up a false memory so strong that it had felt like a real occurrence." His face was just in front of hers, she could see every pore; the whiskers of his five o'clock shadow; his full bottom lip. It was too much to resist and she leaned in and kissed him, quickly, but not chastely. He looked at her, his expression betraying surprise and pleasure. "There's a logical reason for Deja Vu Mulder." He smiled. "That's better." "Although I've never been to this place before, I've probably been somewhere very similar, under similar circumstances, but the memory is so dormant..." He cut her off by giving her a kiss in return. When he pulled away she licked her lips, capturing the lingering taste of him. Caffine and sunflower seeds. She reached out a hand to pull him to her again, but he pulled back to his side of the car. She tried to ignore the small pang of rejection that entered her heart and slipped to her stomach. She understood Mulder's retreat, they were here for work, not play. And work came first, Samantha came first; Mulder had warned her of that. Even so, a part of her wished that he didn't find it so easy to resist her. He reached over and pushed a strand of errant hair behind her ear. She gave him a look that she knew was full of longing and he smiled. "Oh Scully." He sighed. "You'd better stop looking at me like that. We're probably on Candid Camera." He gestured up towards the security camera on the perimeter fence of the building. She sighed. "Great, they're really going take me seriously, now they've seen us......" She gestured with her hand, unable to find the right word. He made a similar gesture with his hand and got out of the car. Scully followed him and they walked towards the gate of the laboratory together. "We're not being very discreet Mulder." He gave her a side look, but he was becoming more focused on the task at hand now. She continued. "The parking lot this morning, sharing the same room...now here in..." She looked around and realised they were in another parking lot. Mulder must have been listening more closely than she had thought and the realisation dawned on him at the same time. He grinned. "Must be the smell of gasoline or something." She shook her head at him. "You have any other fetishes I should know about." "Only my one for women who carry firearms and handcuffs." "Seriously though Mulder, don't you think we ought to be a little careful?" "We'll talk about it later Scully." She started to speak again, but he put a finger to his lips. She obeyed his request when she saw the security guard appear at the gate. He gave them a questioning look up and down. "Can I help you?" "We'd like to see Mr Nolan, I understand he's the director of this facility." "Do you have an appointment?" Mulder exchanged glances with Scully and they simultaneously pulled out their FBI badges for inspection. "We're here on an investigation, we don't need an appointment." The Guard nodded politely, but he seemed to be hiding a sneer. "This is a high-level security, Government facility. Even the president would need an appointment." Scully noted how the two men we're squaring up to each other now. Mulder stood with his hands on hips, jacket pulled back to reveal his firearm. "I'd ask Mr Nolan if he would like to see Agent Scully and I personally if I were you. I doubt that decisions about visitors to this facility are yours to make." The Guard sucked in a breath, making his chest look even wider than it was. "And if I were you Agent Mulder, I'd leave and not come back till you have an appointment." He looked down at Scully with a leer. "I'm sure you'll find something else to do." Mulder glanced at Scully to gauge her reaction. She met the Guard's look with a cool gaze and a sweet tone. "I'm sure we all have other things to do. So why don't you please ask Mr Nolan if he'll see us. If he says no, we'll go away. Fair enough?" The request was put so nicely, in such a non-threatening manner, that the Guard seemed to not know how to react. He bustled a little, nodded, and walked over to a security hut at the gate and picked up an internal telephone line. Mulder looked at his partner in surprise. "Manners cost nothing Mulder." "I'll have to remember that. Maybe that's where I've been going wrong all these years." Five minutes later they were met at the gate by Nolan's assistant and driven into the laboratory. Mulder and Scully scanned every inch of the property on the way in, looking for any piece of evidence that would help them in their quest. They were shown to Nolan's office. He stood to greet them. He was a odd-looking man with bulging eyes, a broken nose and a head that seemed too big for his body. When he stood to greet them, Mulder noted that Scully, in her heels, was a good few inches taller than the director. His thoughts wandered at the observation, and for some reason, conjured up an image of Scully in nothing but her heels, which he filed away in his mind for later, under 'I' for 'Inappropriate at this time'. Nolan spoke in a ridiculously squeaky, high pitched tone. "Now, what possible reason could the FBI have for coming to this facility?" He looked at Mulder for an explanation, but it was Scully who spoke. "We're investigating a case. Its come to our attention that several children on the Vineyard, over a certain time span in the late 1960's and 70's, were taken and later returned to their parents. During the time they were missing, they all have memories of being held in a laboratory and experimented upon. Nolan laughed, reminding Mulder of a leprechaun. He was really starting to hate the man. "You don't think the J.E.M. facility had any thing to do with these cases surely? Look around you Ms Scully, its patently obvious that this building is only a few years old." Mulder interrupted. "What was here before it was built?" The man shrugged. "I have no idea. Why don't you check the local library? This meeting is starting to sound like a waste of my time." "What kind of work are you carrying out here?" "That's classified." "Can you tell us what Government department finances your work?" "No, I'm afraid I can't." Scully leaned forward. "Then I suppose a tour of the laboratory is out of the question?" Nolan looked at Scully as if she were stupid, and Mulder saw his partner bristle with restrained anger, but she said nothing. He admired her control, he was losing patience fast. He was on the verge of standing up and shouting. 'Where's my sister you son-of-a-bitch?' followed by 'What the fuck are you covering up you little toad?' "Sir, you are hampering our investigation." Nolan got to his feet to indicate he was about to show them the door. "I would have thought the FBI had better things to do than disrupt important Government work because a few hysterical people imagine they were experimented on by aliens." Mulder exchanged a look with Scully, before glancing back at Nolan. "I never mentioned aliens Sir." "Well that's what you two do, isn't it? Chase aliens?" Scully stood and shot a fierce look at Nolan. The man almost recoiled from it. "No, that's not what we do. But you've obviously heard of us, can I ask how?" The man chuckled, but Mulder noticed that he'd suddenly become nervous and his mouth twitched as he spoke. "You're the laughing stock of Washington, that's how I know you." Mulder stood, knowing their time was up. "Spend a lot of time in Washington do you Mr Nolan?" "I have enough contacts there to make sure that your ass is grass if you try to come here again and make accusations about me or this laboratory." Scully shot him another withering look before moving to the door. "Accusations. I don't remember making any accusations, do you Mulder?" He shook his head. "No Scully I don't." Nolan reached over his desk to press an intercom button. Mulder waved a hand in the air. "Don't bother calling security, we're on our way out." He joined Scully at the door and opened it, but before they exited he shot one last question at Nolan. "Your contacts in Washington Mr Nolan. Any of them smoke?" The director looked at him in open-mouthed astonishment. Mulder nodded as he and Scully left the room. They didn't speak until they were sitting back in the car and Scully was pulling on her seatbelt while Mulder started the engine. "So Mulder, what happened to playing it cool and not letting them know too much?" He shrugged. It could have been a criticism, but he knew Scully didn't mean it as one, she just wanted to know what was going on his mind. "Change of plan." "Oh, you mean you actually have a plan?" To her surprise he reached over and squeezed her hand. "We'll talk back at the room." They didn't speak as he drove them along the quiet lanes of the Island. Each was comfortable with the silence, lost in their own thoughts. Scanlon Bed and Breakfast West Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 1st, 1997 7.05 p.m. Back in their room, Scully yawned, sat wearily on the bed and waited for Mulder to gather his thoughts. He was pacing and she watched him move. "Did you see his face when I mentioned Cancer Man? Nolan definitely knows him." Scully nodded. "He was defensive from the first moment we were in there, he's obviously hiding something." "What do you think goes on at that laboratory Scully?" She shrugged. "I honestly don't know Mulder, and I wouldn't like to surmise anything. Although its unlikely that building was the same laboratory the children were taken to. Like Nolan said, its only been there a few years." Mulder ran a hand through his hair and sat on the edge of the bed, a few inches away from her. "What if the original laboratory was underground, like the one in Virginia? What if this building has been built on top of the original? There may still be evidence underneath. Maybe there are tunnels leading to it, like there was in Breakspeare." Scully sat up a little and gave him a questioning look. "Mulder, what are you suggesting?" "That there's another way in. Just because we can't get in the front door...." She gave him another stern look. "You want to go searching the surrounding undergrowth for tunnels that may not even be there?" He shrugged. "Yes." "Tonight?" He nodded. She sighed. "I don't think its a good idea. We've alerted them now Mulder. They know were here and they'll be expecting us to make a move. I think your original plan was better. We should lay low for a few days, play tourist..." He cut her off and got to his feet. "What if there's no time for that?" Scully knew why he wanted to speed things up. Samantha. His driving force. Tomorrow wasn't good enough where his sister was concerned. She knew, when he had booked this room, that he had done so with the intention of making love to her in it, and she had looked forward to the coming of the evening with a thrill. Now she was to be denied that. Instead she had to go trawling through trees and bushes in search of secret passages, like some heroine out of a children's adventure book. She almost laughed at herself when she realised she was jealous. Jealous of her lover's sister, who may or may not be alive, and who hadn't been in his life since he was twelve. As much as she wanted Mulder to find Samantha, or what had happened to her, sometimes she couldn't help but hate the search for her that controlled Mulder, and sometimes influenced his actions to the point where he seemed to be acting in madness. She got to her feet and began rooting through her luggage. Mulder came to stand over her. "Scully, can I count on your help?" She found her sleepwear and stood up to face him. "Of course you can, always Mulder." He looked as if he might kiss her but she stepped backwards. "I'm going to change, and grab a couple of hours sleep. Everything that's happened, and the travelling ...well I'm tired. Wake me up later and we'll go." He nodded and she went into the bathroom to change. He noted that she locked the door. He wondered if it was habit, shyness, or whether she was withdrawing from him. He shook the anxiety from his mind and forced himself to concentrate on the job in hand. He sought out the lists from the laboratory and sat down in a chair to peruse them again, in case anything had been missed. When Scully came out of the bathroom, Mulder felt his mouth go dry, his heart constrict and another part of his anatomy harden. She wore a deep blue, silk, nightgown that fell to just above her knees. She shot him a quick, unreadable look as she walked towards the bed. He watched the way the silk played around her body, showing her curves and dips to such an effect that he couldn't take his eyes off her. He noted the elegance in her neck and shoulders, revealed by the thin spaghetti straps and the delightful way the material hugged her breasts. He shifted in the chair and wondered whether she had worn the wonderful piece of clothing to drive him crazy on purpose. 'Take that Fox Mulder, this is what you're missing'. She laid down, pulling the covers up and shutting her eyes. ************ end of part 3a continued in part 3b ************ Armistice (3b/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan *************** Scanlon Bed and Breakfast West Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 1st, 1997 9.05 p.m. Scully awoke to an unfamiliar sound and a strange feeling. A snoring Mulder, draped over her. A leg between her legs, face buried in her neck and hair, and a hand lightly resting on her left breast. She lay still, a quiet smile on her lips, enjoying the moment, despite a thick fuzziness that seemed to be occupying her brain. He snored louder and she nudged his leg with one of her own, hoping to disturb him just enough to quell the sound. He shifted and she felt his arousal brush her thigh through the material of the sweat pants he had changed into. Her body tingled with the knowledge that he wanted her, and sparks of desire flew through her when he tightened his hold on her breast. She resisted a moan of pleasure, but gloried in the thought that she had the ability to turn him on. His head lifted up and his eyes opened. His hair was poking out in all directions and his eyes were dark as they met hers. She felt herself melt a little. He smiled sleepily at her and then must have realised where his hand was because he pulled it away sharply. "Sorry...I" She kissed him. "There's nothing to apologise for Mulder. Decided to join me for a nap huh?" "Well you looked so cosy in here, I couldn't resist." He touched the strap of her nightgown and she sucked in a breath. "This is nice." "My mother bought it for me, I think she was hoping it might encourage me to find someone I could wear it for." She wondered whether Mulder thought she had worn it for him. The truth was that, with him dragging her off at the last minute all the time, she hadn't had much time to do laundry lately and it had been the only clean nightwear she'd had to pack. He shifted his legs a little, so she wasn't able to feel his erection anymore. He probably thought she hadn't noticed in the first place. She remembered suddenly an important conversation they had postponed. "Mulder, what happens if the Bureau finds out?" He shrugged. "Scully I'm paying for this hotel, not the Bureau. It won't go through expenses, they won't know we played roomies." "But should we be, you know....displaying our... feelings for one another out in the open? I mean..." He cut her off with a kiss. "I don't care who knows, I'm not going to hide it." "But it could give them a justified reason to separate us as partners, maybe even dissolve the X Files." "Scully, I hate to break this to you, but most people in the Bureau already think we're sleeping together." Her eyebrow arched up and he did something he had wanted to do for the longest time. He kissed it. "They do?" "They think we've been at it like bunnies for years. I'm sure even Skinner suspects we're involved." "Suspecting and knowing are two different things Mulder. As much as Skinner purports to be on our side, if he had actual evidence that we're sleeping together, he might have no choice but to take action." "Scully, I'm not going to try and take you on the reception desk of the Hoover Building or anything." The words conjured up an image which he struggled to put aside. "We won't be obvious, but I'm not going to hide in the shadows either." He kissed her, deeply, loving the softness of her lips. She sighed, opened her mouth to him and his tongue sank inside, glorying in her taste. Scully kissed him back with fervour as they lay on their sides. She thought she knew why Mulder felt so reckless about their relationship. Because he knew they didn't have much time left anyway; he knew that they would be separated soon, either by her death, or this case, which felt like it would solve many of the answers they had been seeking for so long. The whereabouts of Samantha, the nature of the 'tests' that she and other women had been subjected too. Much was likely to be revealed, and who knew where it would leave the two of them when it was. They kissed for a long time, tasting, nibbling, sucking, and inevitably hands came into play as Scully sneaked hers under his t-shirt to feel his chest and his moved lower, past her waist and onto her backside where they stroked and then pulled her towards him so that her stomach was against his arousal. She managed to disentangle their mouths long enough to work his t-shirt over his head and then she dipped her head to his chest, running a tongue over his nipple, he ran a hand through her hair and ground his hips towards her. Her right hand moved devilishly downwards and took a tight hold of him. When he gulped for air she kissed his adams apple and released him just long enough to sneak the hand inside the sweatpants. She smiled against his chest when no underwear barred her way. She wasn't wearing any either. She ran her hand along his length in slow, tight strokes and pulled her head back to look at his face, just to assure herself that she was giving pleasure, not pain, because she couldn't tell either way from the groans she was eliciting from him. His face was screwed up, but he was definitely enjoying her touch. His hips began to thrust into her hand. Her name was a choke. "Scully." The hand that had been in her hair moved down between their bodies and sneaked between her thighs. Her own voice was deep and hoarse with desire "Yes Mulder." She didn't know whether he'd been asking permission, but she'd given it anyway and shifted her position so her legs fell open. When his fingers found her she groaned loudly and struggled to keep up the rhythm she had found in stroking him. The kissed deeply as their lower bodies moved desperately. Each thrusting into the other's hand as fingers played, danced, stroked, gripped. Scully smiled against his lips, reminded of early sexual experiences when she hadn't dared have actual intercourse, but had wanted the physical contact. The memory of the back seat of a car, a nervous hand inside her underwear fumbling with her, while she struggled with a stubborn zipper. But then suddenly, Mulder touched her just there, right where she longed to have him touch her, and two fingers slipped inside her, and all other thoughts were lost. There was nobody else but Mulder. Nothing else but the feel of him, the taste of him, the smell of him. She increased her pace on him and he groaned. "Scully." The fuzziness in her head began turning into an ache, and she knew that she was unlikely to get total satisfaction from his lovemaking, even though he was doing everything right and giving much pleasure. She let go of him and pushed away the hand that had been stroking her. His eyes sought hers to ask what she wanted. She made it clear by kissing him and pushing his sweatpants down by the waistband. He kicked them off, and grabbed the edge of her nightgown, but she shook her head. "I want to see you. I don't care about..." She cut him off with another kiss. She hated the ugly, treatment-induced bruises that covered her back, didn't want them to be revealed and hoped he wouldn't force the issue. He didn't. He kissed her forehead, snaked his hips between her thighs and pushed up into her with a loud moan. Scully caught her bottom lip between her teeth. God, he filled her so well, so completely. A perfect fit. He wasn't too large, and he certainly wasn't too small. Just right. He rocked them slowly at first, gazing down at her with intensity, then quickened the pace to fit his growing need. Scully's fingers pressed into his behind, pulling him back in when he withdrew. Her hips rushing to meet every thrust. Mentally Mulder knew he ought to slow things down. Scully hadn't come and didn't look as if she were just about to either, but his body betrayed him, quickening the pace despite his concerns. It was too glorious, being inside her, being enveloped by her. Watching the wonderful expressions that lit up her face as he began to pound in and out of her, increasingly faster. His blood was rushing, his heart beating frantically. "Scully ..." She understood him, even though he couldn't find the words. "Its okay Mulder. Come for me." He went wild then and she stopped trying to match his pace because it became impossible. The ache in her head was now a searing pain and she cursed it, for if it hadn't been there she would be enjoying the friction to the utmost, and reaching high points of pleasure in Mulder's arms. With a smile she thought about how his frantic pace was going leave a lasting impression on her body. She probably wouldn't be able to walk straight for the next few days. He exploded inside her with a yell and his body collapsed heavily on top of her. She held him to her and stroked back his sweat-soaked hair. He gasped into her ear. "Scully." "Yes I'm here." He gripped her tightly and her heart swelled. He raised his face to look into her eyes. "You okay?" "I'm fine. Although you're a little heavy." He grinned and left her. Rolling over so that he lay next to her on his back. "Sorry." She regretted saying anything, wanting him back inside her, now that he was gone. He stroked her hair and watched her closely. "I'm sorry, you didn't..." She put a finger to his lips and he kissed it. Her voice was soft. "Don't worry about it." "But I do. Its kind of a blow to my sexual ego Scully." She shook her head at him. "Nothing to do with you Mulder. Don't go getting performance anxiety on me will you?" "I want to pleasure you every time." She kissed him. "Its a lovely thought, but I've never been one of those women that it happens easily for. It usually takes a lot for me to...well...you know." She lay on her side and boosted herself up on her elbow to look down at him. "In fact the other night, with you. That's the first time that its ever happened twice for me, in one night." He looked a little proud of himself and she hid her smile from him behind her long fringe of hair. "Don't expect that that's going to happen every night." "Ahh, but Scully..." He looked over at the clock. "This particular night is still very young, and I think we have a little time to see just what can be accomplished when we set our minds to it." He pushed her onto her back and laid over her again. "Already Mulder. That's fast re-loading." He smiled down at her. "'Fraid not Scully, but there's more than one way to make love to a woman." He kissed her neck first and then began working his way down, nuzzling her breasts through the silk material of her gown. When he reached her stomach, he pushed it up and kissed the flesh around her belly button. Scully lay back, enjoying the sensations. The pounding in her head was subsiding slightly and her body came alive at the thought of what he was going to do to her. His mouth was nearly there; just a couple of inches lower. Mulder looked up, eager to see what kind of expressions were crossing her exquisite face. He froze. "Scully." Hearing the concern in his face she sat up. "What?" "You have a nosebleed, Scully." "Oh." Her hand flew to her upper lip and she pushed him roughly off her, got out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. She shut the door firmly. Mulder got up and found his sweatpants, pulling them on as he went to the door and knocked lightly on it. "Scully. Is there anything I can do." "No. Its okay. Well, there's some tablets in my medical kit, in a green bottle, could you get them for me?" "Sure." When he found the bottle he frowned at the label, recognising the medical term for what were essentially pain-killers. He opened the bathroom door and walked in, ignoring the fact that she had shut him out. She looked at him accusingly, then her expression softened when he held out the pills, which she took from him. "Pain-killers Scully?" She was dabbing at her nose with a flannel. The blood had almost stopped. "I have a headache, that's all." "Must be a pretty bad one if you don't think Asprin will cure it." "Could you get me a glass of water Mulder." He did as asked and watched as she swallowed the pills down. She handed the glass back to him. "I guess we should getting ready to go." He laughed in amazement and shook his head at her. "The only place you're going is the emergency room Scully. That's two nosebleeds in three days, and now you have this headache." She raised her voice. "Its just a headache. You're not ditching me, I'm going with you." The glared at one another for a long time. Silence echoed around the small bathroom. Mulder gave in first. "I'm just concerned Dana, I think you need to get yourself checked out." Hearing her first name fired her temper. She hated the way Mulder used it when he thought she was feeling vulnerable. He used it as a weapon, to get to her; to try and persuade her. "No, what I need is to go with you and find out why this is happening to me. I need to fight back, take some action. Sitting in a waiting room or hospital bed is not an option, I don't have time for it." She sighed heavily and leaned against the sink. "This case might give you some answers, but it could also give me some." When she had finished she lifted her chin in defiance, and he had half formed an argument in his mind when he noticed that her eyes were secretly pleading with him. He was helpless against their appeal. "Okay. I can't make you do anything. Its your choice. Let's get ready." Woods outside the J.E.M. Laboratory West Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 1st 10.58 p.m. Mulder cursed when he stubbed his toe on a felled tree trunk. His partner shot him a sympathetic glance, which was tinged with a look that screamed 'that's what you get for walking around woods in the middle of the night'. "Why are you so sure there's going to be another way in?" He shrugged. "I'm not sure. Let's just say I have a big hunch." "I thought we already took care of your big hunch." He laughed, then looked at her in shock. "What Mulder? You think I've worked with you all these years and not learned a little about the art of innuendo?" "Well its nice to know I've taught you something." They'd worked their way to the top of a hill that looked down over the laboratory. Mulder pulled out his binoculars. Scully looked up at him expectantly. "Something going on down there?" "Yeah. It looks like they're moving house." "What?" She grabbed the binoculars herself and looked through them to see men at the back entrance of the laboratory loading large boxes into removal trucks. She noted the name on the side of the trucks before looking back up at Mulder. "You don't suppose our visit freaked them so much, that they've been forced to move premises do you?" "Nolan was pretty uptight about us being there, but I can't see us as that much of a threat. This is a pretty big operation. Moving it would take a lot of planning, maybe they've been arranging this for a while and our arrival was a coincidence. Perhaps that's why Nolan was so edgy, he was afraid we'd see this, all his secrets in transit." He looked down at her, eyes full of excitement. "We have to get in there before everything disappears Scully. Its a good thing we came tonight instead of waiting." "The question is how. Look at the security they have. There must be fifty guards down there, and dogs and cameras." Mulder reclaimed his binoculars from her and raised them to look down at the laboratory grounds. He was quiet for a long time and she jumped when he eventually spoke. "I can't believe we didn't see it before." "What?" "Rail tracks. There are rail tracks. They go from one outbuilding to another, and then..." He pocketed the binoculars and grinned down at her. "Then they disappear." She looked up at him doubtfully. "Railtracks?" He nodded eagerly. "A tradesman's entrance." "But you said they disappeared." "Disappear from view Scully." "You mean you think they're underground?" "A tunnel. Which would make sense, I mean we're on an island. If the track is connected to the mainland, it would have to go under the water." He headed quickly off in a direction east of the laboratory. She struggled to catch up with his movement and his thoughts. "Mulder. I don't understand." He turned and stopped. "Don't you see Scully? They have their own railroad. I've travelled on it before, and so have you." She suddenly remembered being shown a train car fitted out like an operating theatre in Perky, West Virginia, and knowing that she had been in it before. She also recalled Mulder jumping onto a moving train, convinced that it was transporting an alien life form. "My God, Mulder..." "All the time Scully, when I was looking up at the sky, I should have been checking out the choo-choos. I'll bet there was a track in Virginia and one on Skyland Mountain where Duane Barry took you. They were just very well hidden. Better hidden than this one probably is." He rushed into the trees again. She paused briefly before she followed. They found it within thirty minutes. The track surfaced for about half a mile before it disappeared into tunnels, one heading into the laboratory grounds and the other heading away, in the direction of the mainland. Mulder paused at the edge of the tunnel and looked down at his partner. They both wore black jackets, sweaters, jeans and boots. She provided the only colour around. Her hair looked like fire in the night sky, her eyes were flashing an extraordinary blue, and her lips were cherry red. He took a moment just to study her; to commit this particular image of her to memory - utterly gorgeous whilst scurrying around train tracks in the middle of night, looking like a pint- sized member of the S.A.S. Scully shone her flashlight down the tunnel and then gazed up at him with a sense of foreboding. "Mulder this tunnel has been built just wide enough for a train." He looked at her blankly and she sighed at his lack of practicality. "What I'm saying is, that if we go down here, and a train comes. We're hamburger." "You have such a nice way of putting things Scully." "I suppose you still want to risk it?" "What are the chances of them sending a train down here now? I mean, you saw them, they're packing up. They're not expecting any more deliveries." He put a hand on her arm. "Scully, I just feel that we're so close..." "Okay, okay." She gave him a shove towards the tunnel. "Lead on MacDuff." He walked eagerly into the damp, dark, brick tunnel. Scully followed more warily, consoling herself with the thought that at least if she were to get mowed down by a train, she was with Mulder, and he was wearing that black leather jacket and jeans outfit that did wonderful things for him. She'd die, but at least her last view would be of Mulder, and he was looking damn fine. ************ Continued in part 4 Armistice (4a/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to atxc - already there Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Up to Small Potatoes (in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened). Particular reference to Nesei and 731. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. ********* Train tunnel heading into the J.E.M. Laboratory West Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 1st, 1997 10.58 p.m. They didn't speak as they walked, Scully following carefully behind Mulder. She knew they were walking into dangerous territory. Even putting aside the fact that they could be mowed down by a train at any moment, there was still the possibility that they would be caught and killed to ensure their silence. Scully cursed every sound they made in the dark, dank tunnel; their footsteps, and even the breaths they took. They walked for around half a mile before they saw the the end of the tunnel. As they approached it, Mulder looked around at her in an 'are you ready for this' kind of way. She nodded, and they put their backs against the tunnel wall as they edged into an outbuilding with a makeshift train platform. Hearing no voices or activity, Mulder shone his torch around and whispered to his partner. "Looks like were alone." She whispered back. "They've must have finished packing here. Do we go on?" Mulder licked his dry lips. "Yes?" "Mulder..." She let the sentence trail off, knowing he didn't want to hear her warnings; her telling him that they should be careful. He was searching for the truth now and nothing or no-one was going to stop him. They followed the track through the empty building, until they reached the grounds of the laboratory. The track went on, but there was no tunnel, if they wanted to go further they would have to walk across in plain sight. Scully could hear voices in the distance and peeked out of the building to see groups of men, about a hundred yards away, still loading the trucks. She shot a look at Mulder. He was looking down the train tracks to the building across the way. If they were going to make it there, they'd have to dodge the security and removal men. She tossed her head in the direction of the men and Mulder shrugged his shoulders. "We'll run for it." She sighed and switched off her torch, tucking it into the waistband of her jeans whilst removing her gun. She clicked the safety off, deciding that if she was caught, she at least wanted some form of defence. "On three?" She found Mulder's eyes in the moonlight. Her heart was beating with excitement and the adrenaline was flowing. Mulder must have recognised it, because he suddenly grinned at her. She frowned at him. "Did I ever tell you I think you're amazing Scully?" She grinned back. "Let's do it Mulder." She thought for a moment he was going to throw a suggestive comment at her in reply but he merely nodded, and then they ran. The fear of getting caught must have increased her normal sprint capabilities because she beat Mulder across the yard. Although, she was panting furiously when she reached the other side and flung herself against the wall; whilst Mulder was barely out of breath and joined her a moment later. The tracks disappeared behind huge double doors. Mulder looked everywhere for a way to open them, before sighing heavily and shrugging at Scully. "They must open from the inside." After glancing nervously at the laboratory personnel who were carrying on their tasks, oblivious to the intruders, she looked back at Mulder. "Then let's find another way in, I'm not going back empty handed after risking life and limb getting this far." They walked slowly around the main laboratory building, keeping close to the wall and in the shadows. Nevertheless, three minutes later they were caught. A tall, broad figure stepped out of a doorway and pointed a large automatic weapon at them. "Hold it." They both stilled instantly. Their captor looked them up and down and then, to their surprise, lowered his weapon. He spoke roughly to Mulder. "What are you doing out here, why aern't you helping with the loading?" Mulder didn't dare look at Scully, afraid any movement might give them away. He realised that the man was dressed in roughly the same attire he was. Black jeans, black t-shirt, black leather jacket. It was obviously some kind of uniform, and his clothes looked so similar in the dark that he had been mistaken for a member of the security team. But what the hell was the man going to think when he saw Scully? She definitely wasn't big enough to be mistaken for anybody's paid gorilla. The guard's eyes shifted towards her, narrowed and then turned on Mulder. "Why is she out here? She should be ready for transportation by now." Mulder thought quickly, his brain running on over-time, he just prayed that Scully hadn't shown too much of a reaction to the question. Mulder cleared his throat. "She was restless. I was asked to take her for a walk. I'm taking her back in again now." The guard looked at Mulder, as if he might interrogate him further, but then calmly stepped aside and opened the door for them. Mulder took Scully by the elbow, as if she were his prisoner and practically hauled her through the door. Once it was shut behind them and the guard out of sight, Scully breathed again for what felt like the first time in five minutes. Mulder looked around the brightly-lit corridor, which was empty with the exception of a few boxes and themselves. He loosened his grip on Scully's elbow and tried not to be too affected by the small face that was looking up at him with a mixture of confusion, terror and relief. "I say we look around and then get out of here before he realises that we're not who he thought we were." He began to move off down the corridor, but Scully stopped him with a hand on his forearm. "Mulder, he knew me." "They may have test subjects held here Scully, he probably just thought you were one of them." "No Mulder. He looked right at me. And he knew me." He cupped her face with both his hands and looked down at her pleadingly. "I know Scully. It was strange, I admit, but we don't have time to think about it now. We have to get in and out of here quickly." Regaining her composure a little, she nodded and jerked her face away. Mulder went ahead and after passing by several locked doors he was beginning to lose hope of finding anything significant. The corridor came to a stop eventually and another one crossed it, leading left and right. He hesitated, looking to make sure no-one was around and then chose to go left. Behind him, he heard Scully stop and he turned to see if there was a problem. "Its the other way Mulder." He looked at her incredulously. "What?" "Trust me, its the other way." She jogged off and he had no choice but to follow her, and wonder at how on earth she knew where she was going. After a few hundred metres she stopped again, her attention focused on a set of double doors to her right. She looked at the doorknob desperately, as if she were almost afraid to see what lay beyond. Mulder reached out and turned it for her. To his surprise, it opened and together they walked into what seemed to be an operating theatre. It was in darkness, and most of its fixtures and fittings had been removed. Mulder shone his torch around at Scully, only to see her blinking furiously, holding back tears that threatened her composure. He walked across and laid a hand on her arm. "Scully, do you remember this place?" She nodded, her voice cracking as she spoke, fighting to form her words. "It wasn't de ja vu this morning Mulder. It was my memory coming back." "Your memories from your abduction?" "Yes. This is where..." She faltered, but then found the strength to go on. "This is where they put the microchip in my neck. Right here. There was an operating table. I was awake when they did it. I couldn't move, it was like I was paralysed, they must have given me some kind of drug, but I could see everything. Once they'd inserted it, they tested it, to see if it was working. There were rows of computer monitors, all along this wall." She walked over and started at the now featureless wall. Mulder came up behind her. "Scully. Before, you said that everything had happened in the train car, and now you're telling me things happened here..." She whirled around to face him. "I was experimented on in the train car, while I was brought here...on the way here. I think they were testing me to make sure I was healthy. Some of the tests were very ordinary, like a medical exam, and others...." She closed her eyes. "You don't have to remember everything now. You can tell me the rest later, but is there anything we should see, before we leave?" "Oh Mulder, there's so much more." She walked to the back of the room and found a door controlled by an electronic key pad. Mulder looked at the security device and then at Scully. "I don't suppose you remember the number do you?" "No, but you might." He looked at her quizzically, before smiling; remembering another keypad, when he had been locked inside a train car that was just about to explode, and Scully reading out the code over the phone, that she had discovered by watching a video of the consortium's activities; his alien autopsy video. If the number was the same, it was going to be well worth the $29.99 he had paid for it. He shut his eyes, forcing his near-eidetic memory to recall the code. Scully watched him anxiously. "One, zero, one, three, three, one." "You sure Mulder?" He shrugged. She tapped the number in and they were both a little shocked when the automatic door slid open. The stepped through cautiously. Looking around for any signs of security guards. They walked into a long, dark corridor and Mulder saw Scully shiver. The place wasn't cold; he knew why she was shivering, because her mind was suddenly being assaulted with bleak, cruel memories. He let her go ahead of him. This was her journey, not his. "It seems so deserted." She flicked on her flashlight. "Yeah, well, we're watching a evacuation operation. Most people are probably gone." "Its strange. Its different, but the same. This was all lit up. There were so many bright lights...." Her voice trailed off when they heard faint conversation from afar and saw a light in the distance. Light coming from a window. They approached it cautiously, putting their backs against the wall and looking through it with side glances. They were looking down into a huge convention room, which must have been in the heart of the building. A meeting was taking place. The soundproofed window blocked any chance of them knowing what was being said, but it looked to Mulder like some kind of de-briefing. Around fifty people stood listening to a man in a neatly-pressed grey suit. "I know that man Mulder. He was the one who warned me when I thought you were dead. The one who told me that I might be killed." He nodded. "He looks like he's in charge here." She saw Mulder's jaw stiffen as he focused on one of the faces in the room. She followed his gaze. "Krycek. I thought he wasn't working for them anymore?" "Well, you know Krycek, he sells his soul to the highest bidder." "When I saw him last night, I thought maybe he regretted the past." "He can never be trusted Scully, and neither can she..." Again, she followed his gaze. It was resting on a tall, ice-cool blonde. "Who is that Mulder?" "Marita, my informant." She listened to the inflection in his voice and studied his face. There was suddenly something she wanted to ask him about Marita, but she'd save it for later. She looked around the room again. Her jaw dropped when she saw yet another face she recognised. "I don't believe it." "What Scully?" "Oh God. Please tell me its not him. Please don't tell me he's gone to the other side." Mulder was looking around the room frantically. "Scully, who? Where? "Skinner." Mulder's eyes fell on their boss at the same time his partner said the name. He turned back to Scully. "There may be an explanation for him being here... it doesn't necessarily mean that he's turned on us." "An explanation..." She looked at him with such disappointed eyes. He knew that Scully had always had respect for Skinner, and considered him an ally. It was painful to watch her faith in him withering away. They were disturbed by the sound of boots coming along the corridor and looked at each other in desperation. Mulder became aware that whoever it was, was approaching from the same direction they had. Their escape route through the laboratory was blocked. Scully took off in a light jog, hoping that their feet wouldn't make too much noise, and that Mulder would follow her. She wasn't sure if it was instinct or memory that told her where to go, but she found what she had been subconsciously looking for. A metal gate to their right, which swung open noiselessly. She practically hauled Mulder in after her, and they both pressed their backs tight against the wall as they watched the security guard walk past the gate and on down the corridor. When he was out of sight they both sighed. "We're having some pretty close calls tonight Scully." He looked around him. "Where are we?" "Holding cells." Anybody but him would have thought she was speaking dispassionately, but he knew her so well that he heard the ever-so-slight tremor in her voice. "Where they kept us." That was all Mulder needed to know. He walked along to find that she was right. There were eight by ten cells. Badly lit and unheated. In them were cots with thin mattresses, tiny skinks and a single shelf. He didn't dare look at Scully right now, for he was afraid of showing his anger at the men who had kept her, locked up like a criminal, for three months. He could imagine her when she had first arrived. Curled up in a corner, holding her knees to her chest. Terrified of what they had done to her, what they might do to her in the future. He couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through her mind. He suspected she was recalling it in vivid detail. He shuddered. "Come on Mulder, let's get out of here. The guard is gone, we can try and go back the way we came." He nodded, still not able to meet her eyes, and was about to move away with her when he heard a noise from the end cell. He walked to it quickly to see a figure huddled up on the cot. He could tell it was a woman, but her hair hid her face. "Scully get over here. There's somebody here." She crossed to his side immediately, and they both jumped when the object of their gaze sat up and hissed at them. "Get away from me, no more, I can't take anymore." Mulder tried to speak soothingly. "Its okay, we're not here to hurt you." She eyed them both suspiciously, and pushed her hair back from her face. "Who are you?" "We'll try and get you out of here. Okay?" He began looking around the area for a key. Scully put a hand on his arm to stop him. "What are you doing Mulder?" "We have to take her with us. We have to save her." "Mulder, you can't touch...." He put his hand on the bars of the cell, at the same time as heard Scully telling him not to. It was too late. He made contact with the cold metal and all hell seemed to break loose. Bells started ringing and a yellow light started flashing on and off above their heads. Scully had her hands over her ears and seemed to be in some kind of pain. He wasn't sure if it was physical, mental or emotional, but her face was screwed up tightly in a way that he had never seen before. He grabbed her hand, giving the trapped woman a last regretful look, knowing that it was too late to try and save her. He had to get Scully out of here, and fast, before those bells alerted the security forces. She wouldn't move at first. She seemed to be struck dumb and immobile in a kind of terror trance. He considered throwing her over his shoulder, but as light as she was, he knew that would slow him down too much. He did the only thing he could think to do. He raised his other hand and slapped her face. Hard. She came too and shot him a furious look, realising that he had struck her, but then she seemed to know why, and when he pulled on her hand again, she followed him, and they both raced out of the holding cells, and back out into the corridor. Praying that they had enough time to make it out before someone came to check on the raised alarm. As they made it to the laboratory door they heard someone behind them. "Hey you two...stop." But they didn't, they kept running. Through the lab, down the corridor, through the main door and out into the night air. All the while hoping that their pursuer, who seemed to be gaining on them, didn't just draw his weapon and decide to gun them down. They sped across the yard and into the outbuilding, back the way they had come, following the train tracks again. Down into the tunnel. A shot ran out and they both ducked a little, and then glanced at each other to make sure they were both still standing and unhurt. They pressed on. Another shot rang out. It was fortunate that the shooter was firing into the blackness, otherwise he probably would have hit them. As it was he was just firing at the noise of their boots on the tracks, and he thankfully missed again. Mulder knew they were almost there. He could almost see the end of the tunnel. Once they were out in the open, they could probably find something to duck behind and return fire if they had to. Until then, they'd just have to keep running. And he did, until he saw and heard the train. He stopped, and so did Scully. They both stood, mouths agape as they watched the train bear down on them. The warning Scully had given him earlier, raged through his mind. 'What I'm saying is, that if we go down here, and a train comes. We're hamburger.' They were mere moments from becoming hamburger. Even if the train saw them it wouldn't be able to stop in time. It was way too fast for them to outrun it by heading back the other way, and Scully was right. Even if they held themselves against the wall and breathed in, there was not enough width in the tunnel for the train to pass them. He looked at her in desperation. "I'm sorry Scully." "For what Mulder?" She threw herself to the ground, in between the tracks, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket so her fell with her. She was just in time. As he fell, he realised what she was doing and ducked his head, and the train began to pass over them. The noise was deafening, but they still heard the scream of the guard, and a thump as the train hit his body. Mulder looked for Scully's eyes, even as the tonnes of lethal machinery rattled over them, they were shinning brightly. He realised that he loved her. It wasn't a sudden, shocking epiphany, more of a quiet acceptance of something he hadn't allowed himself to admit before. He wondered if he should say it out loud and realised that she probably wouldn't be able to hear him, and even if he did, it perhaps wasn't the right moment to tell her; while cheating death, under a moving train. It seemed like the train would never pass over them completely. It seemed to go on forever. When it did, and rumbled on its way down the tunnel, they both got shakily to their feet. He grabbed her hand and they ran out of the tunnel and into the forest. He stopped behind a tree, and gathered her to him, hugging her fiercely. His chin resting on her head. "What would I do without you Scully?" "You'd be somebody's Big Mac Mulder." He grinned. "I think we're safe. They probably think we're dead." She pushed a little at his chest, to part them slightly, so she could look up at him. "There's something I have to tell you Mulder. Back there, in that cell. That was Samantha." He looked at her incredulously, and swallowed hard. "What? That woman?" She nodded and he noted that tears were brimming in her eyes. "I'm sorry Mulder. I'm sorry we had to leave her behind." "You're sure about this Scully?" "I remember her. I remember everything." Another question formed in his mind, but he never asked it, because she collapsed in arms. Her eyes shut, her legs gave way and she slumped against him. Feeling panic rise in his chest, he lowered her to the ground and began trying to rouse her by touching her face and speaking softly to her. "Scully, come on, wake up." He shook her shoulder gently and realised with a lurch in his stomach that she hadn't just fainted. She was unconscious. *********** end part 4a continued in part 4b ************* Armistice (4b/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan ************ St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 2.20 a.m. Mulder rubbed his eyes as he slumped against the wall of the cold, clinical, hospital corridor. He'd been waiting for two hours now, ever since he'd strode in the A&E department with a still unconscious Dana Scully in his arms. He'd briefed the doctors about her tumour, and was then relegated to the corridor, while they went about assessing her immediate condition. He was trying to convince himself that this was just exhaustion, that it wasn't related to her cancer, but it was increasingly difficult for him to do so. He hated the fact that a large part of him wanted to forget that Scully was somewhere in this hospital undergoing tests, and race back to the laboratory to see if he could get inside again to see his sister. Samantha. That was what his life was about wasn't it? So what was he doing sitting around here, while she languished in a cell, under the control of heinous men and women. Scully. His life was about her also, wasn't it? He was aware that somewhere along the line she had become as an important part of his existence as Samantha was. Yet it was so hard to have to chose between them. Perhaps once he had news of Scully's condition, his attention would be back on Samantha, yet he felt so torn. Around his head floated questions. Skinner, Marita, Krycek; were they all in on the 'project'? And, why had the security guard recognised Scully? It was the waiting that was destroying him. If he could act on something he wouldn't have to think. He saw a tired and harassed doctor approach him and he stood a little straighter. "Mr Mulder?" "Yes." "My name is Doctor Warren. I'm an oncologist. I've been examining Miss Scully. Are you family?" "No, I'm her partner." He saw the man nod, and realised that the Doctor thought he meant 'partner', as in 'life-partner' rather than 'work- partner', but he felt no need to correct him. "We're running a few tests and we've requested her medical records to be sent down from Washington." "How is she? Do you know why she collapsed?" "She's still unconscious, and I really don't want to try and guess at why she's had this collapse until I get the results of the tests back. Are you her next of kin?" The words frightened the hell out of Mulder. "No, her Mother is." The Doctor looked at him sympathetically. "Then I suggest you contact her. Or we can if you wish?" "No, I'll call her." "Okay, I'll inform you if I have any more news." "Thank you." Mulder watched the Doctor walk away, before he turned and wandered over to the payphone. Margaret Scully answered on the third ring. Mulder felt like puking. "Hello Mrs Scully. Its Fox Mulder, sorry to disturb you." "No, that's okay, I was up, I couldn't sleep." Her tone changed and Mulder could almost hear her mind stepping up a gear. "Oh my God. What's wrong Fox. Where's Dana?" "She's in the hospital I'm afraid. We're on the Vineyard ...Martha's Vineyard, on a case...and she just kind of... well, she's had a few nosebleeds, and a headache, and she's unconscious now." He tried to stop himself babbling, but couldn't. "It might just be a set-back I don't know, but they asked me to call you...the Doctor asked me to call you." "Is it the cancer, the tumour?" "I think so." He heard Maggie give an anguished sigh. "I'm coming up there Fox." "Okay. Do you want me to make any travel arrangements for you?" "No, my son Charlie is here. He'll probably fly up with me." "Okay. I'll see you when you get here then." "Fox. Just look after her...take care of her till I get there will you?" "Of course. Goodbye." He heard Mrs Scully put down the receiver and he did the same. St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 8.15 a.m. Mulder awoke with a start when he heard her call his name. He was instantly alert and leaned forward in the chair beside her bed to look into her eyes. "Hey sleepyhead." She looked pale and frightened. He ran a hand over her hair to soothe her. "Where am I?" "In hospital." Her lips twitched in an almost smile. "I guessed that." "Still in the Vineyard. St Mary's Hospital. I called your Mother, she's on her way. And I spoke to the Doctor who's treating you, he seems okay." "What happened?" "You passed out. They've run some tests. Doctor Warren said he'd tell me the results as soon as he had them." She made a move to sit up, but he stilled her with a firm hand on her arm. "Just lay still, you have an IV in." She twisted a little instead, to get herself more comfortable. "Am I allowed to drink?" "Sure what can I get you? Scotch on the rocks?" She chuckled weakly. "Glass of water." He looked at the pitcher of water that sat on the bedside table and realised it had been sitting there all night, probably gathering all sorts of germs. He decided he'd get some fresh water for her. He picked up the pitcher. "I'll be back in a second okay?" She nodded, and he leaned in to place a kiss on her lips. He broke it off quickly when he heard the door behind him open. He turned to see Maggie Scully in the doorway, with an unreadable expression on her face. "Mrs Scully, hi. She just woke up." Maggie brushed past him to go to her daughter. She leaned down and stroked her cheek. "How are you feeling honey?" "A little strange. Not sick. Just weird." Mulder moved to the doorway with the pitcher of water, only to find it blocked by a huge pair of shoulders, attached to a face and body that screamed 'Scully' at him. The man nodded at him in greeting and gave him a wary look. Mulder nodded back. "You must be Mulder?" "Yes. Charles?" He nodded again, and for a moment Mulder was fascinated by the man's small roman nose, his bright blue eyes, and deep red hair. He looked more like Scully's twin than just a brother. "Charlie." Mulder gulped at the sound of Scully's voice. So soft, so gentle, so delighted. Charles brushed past him and moved to his sister's side. "Yeah. Good to see you again D, just wish it was under better circumstances." "Me too Charlie." "What did the Doctor say?" "He hasn't been yet." He kissed his sister's forehead. "Well, I'd better go make a fuss so we find something out then. I'll be back in a while." Charles left and Mulder made a little coughing noise and went about his mission to get fresh water. Maggie Scully sat on the edge of Dana's bed. "So, what happened to 'we're just good friends' and 'its not like that with Mulder and I?" Scully smiled. "I guess you could say things have changed." "I see." "Mom. You sound like you don't approve." "No, I... If he makes you happy..." "I thought you liked Mulder." "I do, its just that...Oh, I stopped by your apartment to get you fresh clothes. Do you know how much laundry you have to do? I couldn't find any clean pyjamas, so I bought some on the way." "Thank you." "It was nice that Charlie was home, so that he could come with me." "Yeah. Mom..." "Dana, it doesn't matter what I think. We'll talk about it another time." Scully lay back and resigned herself to the fact that she wasn't going to get her Mother to open up any more than she already had. St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 8.45 a.m. Mulder was refilling Scully's water jug when his cell phone rang in his pocket. A passing nurse gave him an accusing look as he answered it. "Mulder." "I have news. I need to meet you." Mulder bristled at the sound of Marita's voice. "That's not possible at the moment. My partner is sick." "I know. I also know that the two of you broke into the laboratory last night. You were caught on the security cameras." "Hope they got my best side." "Mulder. Do you know that your sister is being held by them?" He hesitated before answering, not wanting to give anything away. "I know that you were with them willingly." "I understand if you don't trust me. But I have information for you. Meet me in your room at the Bed and Breakfast in thirty minutes." "I am so sick of this. If you're jerking me around again..." "I've never jerked you around, at least not intentionally. If you want Samantha back, meet me." She hung up. Mulder stared at his cell phone and barely resisted the urge to throw it all the wall. He finished filling the jug and strode back to Scully's room. Her Mother was fussing over her when he burst through the door. They both turned to look at him. He slammed the water down. "I'm sorry. I have to go..somewhere...I'm sorry." Scully opened her mouth to demand an explanation from him, but he was gone before she had a chance to voice one word. ****** Continued in Part V Armistice (5/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to atxc - already there Rating: NC-17 Category:MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Up to Small Potatoes (in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened). Particular reference to Nesei and 731. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 9.15 a.m. Scully lay down on the flat hospital pillows, trying to resist scratching at the itchy patch on her right arm where the I.V. had been inserted. Her mind worked feverishly against the thick, pain- killer, induced fog that surrounded it. 'What's happened Mulder, where have you gone? Gone to find Samanatha?' She almost wished she hadn't told him she remembered his sister, but that would be unfair. Yet, she knew how rashly he could act sometimes when he thought he was close to finding her. She prayed he hadn't returned to the laboratory. That would be downright foolish after their narrow escape last night. Memories of her time trapped there were still assaulting her now. She remembered being strapped down to an operating table, a needle injected into her, and her ankles being raised into stirrups, ready for a Japanese-looking doctor to perform some kind of gynaecological procedure on her. She twisted a little in the bed and her Mother was instantly at her side. "Okay sweetie?" "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Her brother came back to the room with a Doctor in tow. "Dana, this is Doctor Warren. He's been up all night running some tests on you." She and the Doctor exchanged an appraising look and she nodded her hello at him. "Nice to see you awake Doctor Scully." "Dana's fine. Or just Scully. I don't use my title very often." "Really. What's your speciality?" She really didn't feel in the mood for small talk. "I cut up dead people." "Uh, huh." Her Mother spoke to admonish her. "Dana." Doctor Warren smiled at her Mother. "Its okay. Doctor's make the worst patients." "She's not usually this bad. I think she's in a grouchy mood." "Maybe its because people keep talking about me like I'm not here." Her Mother glared at her, and she tried to look a little apologetic. "So Doc, going to hit me with the bad news?" He looked at her carefully, ran a hand through his floppy blond hair and sat on the corner of her bed. "I haven't received your medical records from Washington yet, but our MRI shows your tumour pushing into your brain. You must have been having symptoms for a while?" She heard her Mother gulp back what might have been an hysterical sob. Her own voice shook a little as she spoke. "Increased nasal bleeding, headaches, nausea, dizziness." The Doctor nodded and she suddenly regretted being so tough on him, he looked truly sorry for her and so...young. She felt so old. Charlie came up beside the bed and took her hand while bending down to kiss her forehead. The Doctor was speaking again. "I'm afraid the blood-work doesn't look good. The cancerous cells seem to be multiplying at an accelerated rate." Dana blinked, willing herself not to evaporate into self-pity and give in to tears. 'Mulder. I need you Mulder, where are you?' Charlie's voice was surprisingly calm, and Dana remembered that he was no stranger to death. He had seen many die, her little brother. "Is there anything you can do, radiation or chemo?" Doctor Warren shook his head. "I'm afraid its too late. We'd be putting Dana through a lot of pain and sickness for nothing." Scully found her voice again. "So...how long...?" Her Mother let out a frightened squeal and jumped from her chair and ran out into the corridor. "We can't be sure until we have your records. Till we can see just how much the growth has accelerated by. We should know later this morning." Dana nodded, thanked him, and he left the room. Charlie took his place on the edge of the bed. "So D." "Yeah. So." He gave her a weak smile and sighed. "So tell me what's going on with this Mulder character." Scully found herself smiling back at him, and she couldn't think why. She had no reason to be happy, other than someone she loved wanted to listen to her talk about Mulder. "Later Charlie. You'd better go and check on Mom first." "No she needs some time to compose herself. We'll just wait till she comes back. In the meantime tell me about Mulder the magnificent." "What makes you think he's magnificent?" "Well I think he must be quite a guy if he manages to make old poker-face smile at the mere mention of his name." "Don't call me that." "What, poker-face? I always call you that." "No, I meant don't call me old." Charlie chuckled and leaned on an elbow. "So, come on, I'm listening." Scanlon Bed and Breakfast West Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 9.25 a.m. True to her word, Marita Covarrubias was in his room, perched on the end of the bed that he and Scully had made love in the night before. He didn't bother asking her how she'd known where he was staying, or how she'd gotten inside the room. He really didn't want to know. There were more important things to discuss. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it. "This had better be good." She gave him a cool glance. "I sometimes wonder about your priorities. You told me nothing matters to you except the truth and your sister, and yet you're so reluctant to be dragged away from Agent Scully's bedside." She lifted up the night-gown that Scully had discarded on the bed. "Although I'm beginning to see why." He walked forward and snatched the silk from her grasp. "She has cancer." "Yes, but you're sister doesn't. You'd do better to concentrate on her." "Don't tell me what to do? I'm not the one who changes sides every five minutes." "I've never changed sides. I know who my enemy is." "Well I wish I could be sure who mine is." Mulder moved back across the room and locked the door from the inside, then he dragged a chair in front of it and sat down facing Marita, who watched him carefully. "We're not leaving Marita. Not until I know everything." She licked her lips. "I'll tell you about Samantha. What I learned last night. I can't tell you everything about the project and my part in it. Not yet, not until I know you can be trusted." Mulder nodded. "Okay." "Your Father was the appointed administrator of a project begun almost thirty years ago. A cloning project. The technology was still in its infancy, so it was top secret, even the President had no knowledge of it. They took children from their homes and extracted the necessary genetic material. It didn't harm the children. Almost all we're reunited with their parents." "Samantha was one of those?" "No. Not at first anyway, but things began to go wrong with the experiments. They didn't achieve the results they wanted, and as you've already discovered, a child died at the lab in Virginia." "Lisa Mendhlesson." "Yes. Back then, some of the men actually had a little human compassion, and when things started to not work out, they threatened to withdraw the funding. Your Father panicked, his reputation was on the line. To try and convince his superiors that it was a safe project, he decided to put one of his own children through the test. Originally, he intended to use you, but for some reason I'm not sure of, he used Samantha instead." Mulder stared at her dumbfounded, unable to believe that he was finally hearing the truth he had been seeking for so long. "And?" "And nothing. She underwent the tests and was returned to your home. Your Father told your Mother that he was taking the child away for a few days and he returned with your sister safe and well." "I don't understand....Samantha disappeared..." "I haven't finished." "Okay. Please, go on. I have to know." "It was then that your Father discovered that there were sinister reasons for the experiments; that he wasn't working for the good of mankind. As he became trusted by the men you label the 'consortium', he gained access to their secrets. He didn't like what he heard and saw. He threatened to expose them and they did something that ensured his silence." "They took Samantha." Marita nodded. Mulder let out a self-depreciating laugh. "All this time, I believed she was taken by some extraterrestrial force." "Its understandable. You thought you saw bright lights and her floating in the air. What you probably saw was headlights and torches, and someone lifting her up and out of the room. You were probably paralysed by fear, and blamed an uncontrollable force because you didn't want to believe that you had let somebody just walk away with her. Your false memories are most likely guilt based." "So, they've held her captive all these years. To keep my Father quiet?" "They decided he couldn't be trusted. He was demoted until he was little more than a paper pusher and Samantha's life was threatened every time they thought he might step out of line. Strangely enough, it was Samantha's genes that provided the breakthrough. She was their first success. A series of clones was made using her DNA." Mulder recalled the silent little girls that Jeremiah Smith had shown him in Canada. "I've seen them." "They weren't a complete success. No emotions, both deaf and dumb, and once they reached the same age of the children from whom the DNA was extracted, they stopped growing. They were useless to the consortium, who found no use for them except as workers. In the hive they are merely drones." "Bees? There were bees there." "I can't tell you about the hive, not yet. Please don't ask. I don't know all the details, and I could compromise myself. But I will tell you that for a long time Samantha lived a safe and happy life. She was kept from your family, but placed with members of the consortium who reared her well. She attended school and college, and gained a job as a librarian at the University of Maryland." Mulder gulped for air. Maryland! So close. She'd been so close. All this time, a couple of hours drive away. Maryland? Wasn't that where Scully had gone to school? He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "But they have her again. I saw her. Last night she was in the laboratory." Marita nodded. "She was taken again for a later phase of the cloning project." "The same phase that Agent Scully and the Mufon members were taken for?" "I believe so." "And now she's there again. Why? More experiments?" "No. This time she's there in case they need to deal with you. You're getting very close to the truth Mulder, and she's a powerful bargaining tool." Marita stood up to leave. Mulder withdrew his gun and pointed it at her head. She stilled. "I've told you all I can for now." He clicked the safety off. "And what if I stick this gun in your mouth and demand to know everything?" "Blow my brains out if you wish. But then you'll never know anything." "You'd be prepared to die?" "Yes. I wouldn't be involved if I wasn't." He lowered the gun, knowing he was defeated and got out of the chair and pushed it away. He unlocked the door. Marita brushed past him, reached for the doorknob, then paused. "You'll have to make the kind of decisions I made Mulder, and soon. I had to sacrifice everything." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I have one last question. You said Samantha doesn't have the cancer that Scully has, why not?" "She was a control subject, not strictly part of the tests, she was used as a comparison." "Is there a cure for the cancer?" "That's two questions Fox." He gripped the shoulder he held and she winced. "Answer me." She moved her arm quickly, throwing his hand away from her. "I'm sorry, I don't know the answer. But I will say that if she dies, she won't be the only one who has laid her life down for the cause. She will be remembered, and will be said to have died an honorary death. The work you've done will be appreciated. There's a chance for you to do even more. If you want that, contact me." She pulled a card from her suit pocket and pressed it into his hand. She reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek before he had time to pull away. She left, and the door closed with an ominous click. Parking lot St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 11.35 p.m. As he left his car and headed for the hospital entrance, Mulder heard Skinner call his name and almost turned round, gun drawn, to shoot the bastard. Instead, he stopped wearily and looked at his AD. Who strode towards him like the ex-marine he was, full of determination. "Mulder, how is Agent Scully?" "I'm just about to find out. I suggest you stay away from her." He shot the man a glare and began walking again. Skinner stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Something wrong Mulder?" "I don't like the company you're keeping lately." Skinner sighed. "You saw me last night when you were in the laboratory." "Its funny, everybody seems to know where we were last night. I don't know why Scully and I bothered to sneak in. Why didn't we just knock on the door? Cancer Man might have invited us in for coffee." "Mulder I had to be there. I'm under orders. They have me by the balls. I want to see Scully well again, and for that I have to go along with whatever they want." "What do you know?" Skinner shook his head. "Not a lot. Nothing that would help you. I'm just a lackey." "In all honesty Sir, I'm beginning to think you sold yourself out for nothing. There is no cure." "But what if there is?" Mulder shrugged and began walking again, leaving Skinner behind. He had expected him to follow, to check on Scully, but the A.D. stood in the parking lot and watched him go. He reached Scully's room and was surprised to find her on her own. "Scully." Her face turned towards him, and as he regarded her a chill went through him. Her face was expressionless, fixed in porcelain beauty, but her eyes were dark, full of sadness and anger. He approached the bed carefully and sat on the edge. "You decided to come back then?" "There was something I had to do." "Well I guess your day wouldn't be complete unless you managed to ditch me at least once." He took her hand and squeezed it, but she didn't respond. "I could hardly take you with me when you're not well." "I'm dying Mulder." He looked at her carefully. "There's a lot of life in you yet Scully." "There's about two weeks actually." He looked at her in horror and prayed he had misheard her. "What?" "That's what the Doctor says. Better start planning my eulogy." Tears swam in her eyes. "No." "Yes. Why weren't you here when he told me Mulder? I needed you here." He pulled her to him and cradled her against his chest as he heard her begin to sob. "I'm sorry Scully. If I'd have known, I'd have been here." "But you weren't." "I know, I'm sorry. But I won't leave again. I'll be near from now on." The pain he felt as he held her was far worse than any physical pain he had ever known. His body began to shake and his chest contracted. "I was looking for the truth Scully. Remember when I told you it would save you. I still think it can, and I'm so close." She squirmed against him and pushed at his chest, wanting him to release her. He felt her anger rising. "Let me go Mulder." "No, never again." She began hitting him in any place she could reach. "Fuck the truth. It doesn't matter to me. Its useless. Fuck it." "Scully stop it." She flailed around faster, fists connecting as hard as possible with him. "Scully, stop it. You don't know what you're doing." "Don't tell me what to do Mulder. I gave my life to you. Everything. I gave you everything I had. So selfless for so long because I thought it would be worth it in the end." She sobbed and continued her tirade. "You used me. You used me to help you. I'm only important when you have nothing else to do. All the humiliation I've been through. People laughing at me, people laughing at you and me having to defend you. And Melissa....Oh God Melissa... and you, you couldn't even come to her fucking funeral." He winced, but let her continue. "And what was it all for? Tell me. All for nothing. So I could lay in a hospital bed dying, while you go running off in search of something that isn't there. Something that you can never find." He took her face between his hands and held it fast, so she had no choice but to look him. He despaired at what he saw. Her face streaked with tear stains. Her eyes full of pain, her mouth shaking with sobs. "Scully..." "You can't save me now Mulder. Its too late." "Don't believe for a second that I don't realise how much you've given me Scully." Her sobs began to subside a little and as she looked into his eyes and saw the truth in what he said she let out a small wail. "I'm sorry." "No, don't be sorry. You're angry...I understand." He couldn't find any more words to console her with. There were so many words in his head. So many apologies, and reassurances, words of love and of pain, but he couldn't speak them, so instead he kissed her. They kissed for a long time. Not in passion, but chastely. Small pecks of comfort. He kissed her tears until they stopped and her nose and her forehead, exactly on top of where he thought her tumour might lay. Eventually she calmed in his arms and he drew her out of the bed and slid her onto his lap, where he cradled her like a baby. "So where did you go?" "Later." "No. I want to know now." He sighed. "To see Marita. The woman from the UN. Although I'm pretty sure that's just her day job." Scully stiffened a little in his arms but he ignored it and carried on. "She told me some things I needed to know. About Samantha, about my Father's role in the consortium's project. I'll discuss it properly with you later, I can't talk about it now. Maybe when I've processed it myself. But you were right Scully. I should have listened to you more. There were no little green men involved in my sister's disappearance." "That doesn't mean you should discount any of the evidence of extraterrestrial life that you think you've seen." He smiled warmly down at her. "Thank you." Her brow furrowed in confusion. "For what?" "For trying to give me back my beliefs. For encouraging me to trust in something you don't subscribe to yourself." "I would believe Mulder. I just need...." He cut her off. "I know. You need proof." "And you have to keep trying to get it for me Mulder. Even after I'm gone." "There's still some hope that you're not going anywhere. There are people other than me searching for a way to save you. Time may be short, but nothing is impossible. I haven't yet given up on Marita. She knows more than she tells me. I just have to find a way of getting her to talk." "Marita..." Her voice trailed off. Mulder looked down at her questioningly. "What about her?" "How long have you been sleeping with her Mulder?" His throat went dry as she looked at him with a face that begged him to be honest with her. "How did you know?" She looked down at her hands. "I didn't, you just told me." "Its was just a couple of times. I was lonely..." "Don't give me any crap." "I'm not. I...it meant nothing. It was just sex. Some gratification." "You haven't since you and I though...Mulder, you haven't have you?" "No. I wouldn't betray you Scully. I swear." "I believe you." She shifted from his lap and lay back down on the bed. She spoke softly, in a detached voice. "Can you leave me alone for a little while please?" He nodded, recognising that she had decided she wanted to be by herself, and that he had little hope of changing her mind. "I'll be back soon." She watched him go, a thousand different emotions running through her as she fingered the material of the pillowcase. She felt betrayed. She felt angry. She felt nauseous. She shouldn't care. It shouldn't matter that he had 'relieved' himself in the arms of another woman, and she was sure that had been it all it was; just light refreshment, an act of desperation. He hadn't loved her. 'Does he love me?' she thought. Even if he did, Mulder would probably never say those words to her. They wouldn't slip easily from his tongue like the wisecracks and cynicism did. He wasn't that type of man. Marita. The name ran through her head. 'Marita'. 'Marita'. 'Marita'. Tall, blonde, glamorous. She had run a profile on her when Mulder had asked her to get an address. She remembered the uneasy feelings she'd experienced when the woman's computer generated imaged filled the screen. 'Jesus Dana. You're dying. The last thing you should be worried about is whether or not Mulder enjoyed screwing Marita Covarrubias'. She couldn't help it though. She suddenly saw an image of Ed Jerse in her mind. Of her asking him to join her in the bedroom. She shook her head to clear it. The door opened and Scully turned, hoping it wasn't Mulder. She wasn't prepared to speak to him yet. Her eyes widened when she saw who her visitor was. "Hello Sir." "Hello Agent Scully." Cafeteria of St Joseph's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 12.35 p.m. Mulder asked around at the nurses station and had been told that Dana Scully's relatives had gone for something to eat. When he approached their table, Maggie and Charles both looked up at him and then back at their untouched plates of food. Mulder sat down in the empty chair, aware that all three of them probably wore the same expressions of grief and despair. "Mrs Scully. I'm so sorry." Maggie Scully glanced at him and he saw a flicker of anger pass over her face. He'd never seen her look so fierce, normally she was so placid. "Did you talk to the Doctor?" "No I went to talk to Scu....Dana. What has the Doctor said?" Charles spoke; his voice commanding, straightforward. "He's seen her twice. The second time he told her she probably has about two weeks left. There's been a rapid growth in the tumour. She's going to start deteriorating fast now. She may lose some mobility, possibly her sight, before the end." Mulder swallowed hard. "Mrs Scully. I hope you know that I'd have done anything I possibly could to have prevented this." Maggie's expression softened and she covered his hand with her own. "I'm sorry. Ever since you called last night. I had a feeling it was going to be awful news, and I wanted someone to..." Her voice trailed off so Mulder finished the sentence for her. "Someone to blame?" "Yes. I suppose so, and you were the easiest person. I kept thinking that if she hadn't gotten so attached to you all this wouldn't have happened to her." "You're right. Its my fault." "No Fox. I realised that you would never intentionally hurt her or put her in danger, and you certainly didn't give her cancer. You care for her deeply, I know that." He nodded. "Yes I do." She smiled softly and he suddenly had an idea of what Scully would be like in twenty-or-so-years time, if she lived that long. "Listen, why don't you finish my food. I can't eat and I'm sure you haven't had anything for ages." "I don't think I could Mrs Scully." "Force it down Fox. You need to stay strong. Charlie will get you some coffee and then we'll go back upstairs and see Dana again." He nodded. "Okay." St Joseph's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 12.52 p.m. After wolfing down the food Mulder, Maggie and Charles rode up in the elevator together on their way back to Scully's room. Mulder stood next to Charles and decided that he was starting to like the guy. He was a lot like Scully. Calm, resolute, strong minded, non-judgemental. He spoke only when necessary and was comfortable in silence. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor and they all got out. Doctor Warren was standing at the nurse's station, saw them and approached; a grave look on his face. Maggie Scully saw the expression and spoke with an edge of fear in her voice. "Doctor. Is there something wrong?" "Yes. I'm afraid that when I went to add a few things to Dana's chart...well...she was gone." Mulder saw Maggie turn white and Charlie put a hand on his Mother's arm, obviously worried that she might faint. "But you said she had two weeks. It can't have happened that quickly." The Doctor shook his head. "No. I'm sorry Mrs Scully. I didn't mean she'd died. I mean that she's disappeared." End of part 5 Continued in part 6 ***** Armistice (6a/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to ATXC - already been there Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Up to Small Potatoes (in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened). Particular reference to Nesei and 731. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. ************ St Joseph's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 12.54 p.m. Mulder stood rooted to the ground. Struck dumb. Charles Scully asked the questions he should have been asking. "Did she leave of her own will? Was there any signs of a struggle? Surely somebody must have seen something?" The Doctor shrugged and Mrs Scully sat down on a plastic chair in the corridor, with a 'whatever next?' expression on her face. Charles strode purposefully towards Scully's room and Mulder managed to get his brain to make his feet work as he followed him. He swallowed hard at the sight of the empty bed that greeted him. His mind screamed at him. 'God not again. No, not again'. At least this time there was no answerphone message to haunt him. No nail scratches on a glass table. Even so, it was frighteningly familiar. Charles turned to him. "Okay Fox. Before we go into full alert here, I'm going to check the hospital grounds and get security to check each floor. Knowing Dana, its possible she just decided she wanted to be on her own for a while and went for a walk." Mulder nodded but he was sure that they wouldn't find Scully wandering aimlessly about. She was gone. They had come for her, again. Charles dashed from the room, nearly knocking over Maggie on his way out. Scully's mother came to him and put a hand on his arm. "They took her again, didn't they Fox?" "Yes." "I knew it. I had the dream again last night. Just like the first time." Train car Martha's Vinyard July 2nd. 1997 1.25 p.m. Scully came out of a forced sleep to the sound of voices. "How much did you give her?" "Not much. 5 Mils. She should wake up anytime soon. I didn't want to give too much. I don't know anything about medicine." "Its okay. You did good." Scully thought she recognised one of the voices, but she couldn't place it in her drugged state. She didn't know what she'd been given. Something that would knock her out temporarily, no doubt. She couldn't get her eyes to open. "What do you want her for? Why was I ordered to bring her here?" "You ask too many questions." "I have a right to ask questions. I've risked everything. My job...." "...You are nothing. You are a worker. A drone. You have no right to ask questions of us. You sold yourself willingly to us, and now must do as you are told without hesitation." "Is she going to be cured?" "What makes you think we can cure her? Or that we want to." "Then why put her through this? Why not leave her to die in peace, with her family?" "You are so sentimental. She is interesting to us at this time. We can compare her, study her, and see if we have made a good job." To Scully, the words were jumbled and confusing. They made no sense. Strangely, she felt no panic; which might have been because of the chemicals floating around her system, or it might have been that the whole scenario was familiar. She could tell by the noise and motion that she was on a train car again, and once again tests were being performed. She felt something gripping her right arm and knew her blood pressure was being taken. She concentrated extra hard on willing her eyes open and her effort paid off as she stared up at the bright light above her head, and then gasped in pain as it scorched her sleepy eyes. "She's awake." She turned her head towards the voice and gasped again. It was Skinner. Suddenly she remembered him coming to see her in the hospital. She had been wary of him, remembering that she had seen him with other members of the consortium the night before, but she had allowed him to approach her bed, and then she had blacked out. He'd injected her with something. She heard a muffled female scream to her right and turned her head in its direction. On an examination table across from her lay Samantha. She felt a needle press into the skin on her upper right arm and before she passed out once again, she called out "Mulder"; even though she knew he wouldn't hear her cry for help. St Joseph's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 2nd, 1997 1.48. p.m. Sitting on the hospital bed, Mulder lifted the pillow to his face and inhaled. Her scent was there; fresh, clean, flowery, mingled with the antiseptic hospital smell he so despised. A full search of the hospital had been conducted. Not a sight of her. Gone without a trace. Police and FBI had been called in, but he expected them to discover little, or do much to help find her. Charles had taken his Mother to a nearby hotel because the poor woman was near to collapse. Mulder was left alone with his guilt, remorse and not a clue as to how to begin to look for his partner and lover. He threw the pillow down and began to sort through her belongings in the night-stand beside the bed; all the while trying not to remember how she had taken him into the comfort of her arms the night before, and how her body had yielded to him; closed around him; causing feelings so sweet they had been almost painful. The drawer was full of essentials that her mother had brought down for her. Toothbrush, hairbrush, shampoo. He wanted to examine each article in turn. To smell them, touch them, as she had touched them, but he knew it would be torturing himself. His riffling eventually happened upon several scraps of paper, filled with notes in Scully's elegant, distinctive handwriting. He sat down to read them carefully, wondering if he held another journal, which would contain similar thoughts to the one he had discovered at her bedside in the hospital in Allentown. He almost hoped it was. Scully gave so little of herself away in person that any clue to what was really going on behind her composed facade and professional manner was welcome. Although another part of him wasn't sure he could bear to read her innermost thoughts. Especially when she had recently discovered his liaison with Marita, and had been angry with him for leaving her in hospital while he went to meet his informant. He doubted that Scully would be as generous about him in these words as she had been in her previous writings. He smoothed the pages out, bracing himself for what he was about to read, and digested her scribblings. After he had taken them into his mind, he sat in serious contemplation for several minutes before quickly getting to his feet and walking quickly from the room and out into the corridor. Police and suited FBI agents looked at him striding towards the elevator, but the determination in his step prevented any of them from stopping him to ask him where he was going. He was unlocking his car door in the parking lot when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He whirled around, ready to defend himself against attack and sighed when he saw Charles Scully. "Going somewhere Fox?" "Its Mulder." "Whatever. What's going on?" "I have an idea where Scully may be. I'm going to look for her." "Where?" "Virginia." "Whereabouts in Virginia?" Mulder shrugged. He didn't know. Charles Scully walked around the car to the passenger side. "I'm coming with you." "No. Its best I go alone. You don't know what you could be getting involved with. Its dangerous." "I'm a Navy Seal. There's not much I don't about dangerous situations. I've lived half my adult life in war zones." Mulder was a little surprised. He'd heard that Scully's older brother was in the Navy, but he hadn't known that the younger one was as well. "I work better alone." Charles gave him a wry grin. "Yeah? Is that why you depend so much on Dana? I think you need some back-up. She's my sister and I'm going with you." "What about your Mother?" "I'll call her from the road. Let's go." Mulder sighed knowing he was beaten for the moment. He got in the car and unlocked the passenger door for Charles, reminding himself that he could always 'forget' his travelling companion at a rest stop along the way if he needed to. As they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway, Charles threw Mulder a look. "So why Virginia, what's there?" Mulder shook his head. "I don't know. Yet." He took the notes Scully had made from his pocket and gave them to her brother. "What's this?" "Scully must have been doing some thinking this morning. During our investigations into her abduction two years ago, and my sister's abduction many years ago, we've discovered all sorts of information. I've always concentrated on what we discovered, but this morning Scully was thinking about where we discovered it." He looked over at Charles to make sure he was following and then continued. "Your sister discovered a computer chip in her skin. She traced the chip back to a facility in Perky, West Virginia." Mulder was somewhat surprised that Charles didn't look dumbfounded that his sister had had a tiny piece of micro technology surgically imbedded in her. "Mulder. Dana told me a lot about your work. I found a lot of it fantastic, but I know my sister well enough to know that she doesn't exaggerate or confabulate." "I didn't think you were that close." "Not in miles. I was often away. But we wrote long letters to each other." Charles chuckled softly. "I think it was therapy for both us. To tell each other about the stresses of our work." Mulder nodded. "Anyway. Other things happened in Virginia. In Quinnimont, I saw what I suspected to be an alien life form being loaded onto a train car. We found deserted mines with secret tunnels housing thousands, maybe millions of files. And when your sister was abducted, she was taken from Skyland Mountain, which is in Warrenton, West Virginia." "So what do you plan to do, revisit these places and see if she's being held at any of them?" "Whenever we returned to the scenes, all evidence had disappeared, but the state itself seems to house a lot of our enemies activities. Maybe its their headquarters. Its my only lead at the moment." Charles stretched in his seat, preparing himself for the long journey ahead. He looked at Dana's notes again. "What's this address at the bottom of the list?" Mulder looked around at him briefly before turning back to the road. "I don't know. Its the only location I don't recognise. That's our first port of call." Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 2nd, 1997 8.45 p.m. When she woke this time, she didn't feel so calm or light-headed. She was cold, and the searing pain in her head was enough to bring tears to her eyes. The painkillers she'd been given at the hospital had clearly worn off. She felt something wet on her upper lip and brought her hand up to wipe away the blood. She stared at it on her fingers for a while before pulling the thin, scratchy blanket she'd been left more tightly around her. She sat up slowly to take in her surroundings. She was in a holding cell, but not like the one in the Vineyard. This was dark and it smelled badly of urine. The furniture consisted only of the cot she sat on. There was a tiny sink against the wall. She got shakily to her feet and walked over to the bars on the front of the cell that encased her. Around two hundred yards away, behind another metal gate, stood a guard with his back to her. She considered calling out to him and asking for food and water. She was both hungry and thirsty, but she decided against it. She wanted nothing from these men. Another row of bars lay between her cell and the one next door. It was empty and she thought of Samantha. What had happened to Mulder's beloved sister? Was she still alive? Was that cell for her? Oh God Mulder. She could only imagine the state he was in. She was already exhausted just from her five yard walk, and every bone in her body ached. She remembered that she was dying. She shuffled back to her cot and lay down again. Closing her eyes, she brought forth an image of Mulder to comfort her back to sleep. In her mind he was on top of her, inside her. Pulling in and out steadily, his eyes dark with desire, and sweat on his bow. She could imagine his weight above her. His thickness imbedded in her. Life was cruel. For her and Mulder to have found each other, to have joined together intimately and found such pleasure in one another's arms, only to be pulled apart again, that was too cruel. 1100 Parthea Street Mountain Falls Virginia July 2nd, 1997 9.18 p.m. Mulder looked at Scully's handwriting, at the house across the street, and then at Charles. "I thought it would be a lab, a warehouse, or something." Charles shrugged and got out of the car. Mulder got out too and they both headed towards the modest suburban house. "It must mean something Fox, Dana wouldn't have written it down for nothing." "Its Mulder. Not Fox." "Fine. Whatever." "Let me do the talking." "I wouldn't dream of interfering. This is your show. I'm only here because Dana's my sister." They'd reached the porch and Mulder rung the bell, wary of what he would find. He didn't expect the elderly, white-haired, frail woman who eventually answered the door. She eyed them both carefully and Mulder drew his I.D. from his jacket. "Sorry to bother you this time of night Mamm, but we're with the F.B.I." Her eyes brightened and she stepped back to wave them in. "Oh. You're here about Samantha." Mulder's felt his heart stop and restart. His breath rushed out of his body and he gasped to bring it back in again. Charles spoke when he couldn't. "Yes. We are." He followed the woman into her house and Mulder went in after them, closing the door behind him. Mulder found his voice as they all sat down in comfortable chairs in a tidy, old-fashined little sitting room. "Sorry Mamm. We know little about the case. Our boss forgot to brief us. He just sent us down here without any information. I wonder if you could fill us in." The old lady composed herself and sat demurely in the chair with her hands clasped as she began to speak. "My Samantha has been missing from her apartment in Maryland for a week now. I reported it as soon as I realised she wasn't there, but the Police didn't take me very seriously. They said she might have just taken a week off to go somewhere with a boyfriend, or something. But I know Samantha, she calls me every night without fail. Has done since she first went to college at eighteen, and she hasn't got a boyfriend. She tells me everything, you see. If she'd met somebody I would have known. So that's why I called the F.B.I. But I must say, I didn't expect a response. The young man I spoke to was quite dismissive, and yet here you are." Mulder nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name. We were just given your address." She looked at him slightly suspiciously, but then she seemed to accept his explanation. "Elaina Hicks." "I see and your daughter is Samantha Hicks?" Elaina nodded. "Yes. Its not the first time she's been missing you know. Its happened before. That's why I'm so worried." "What happened the other times?" "Two, maybe even three years ago now, she went missing for thirteen weeks. Then she just showed up one day. We asked her where she'd been, but she couldn't remember. It was so distressing. For her and us." "I'm sure it was Mrs Hicks. Tell me is your husband around?" "He passed away eight years ago. Its just Samantha and I now." Mulder swallowed hard and tried to form a line of questioning that would tell him what he wanted to know. "Your daughter is a librarian at the University of Maryland, is that right?" Elaina Hicks nodded and Mulder stared at her for a long time before he continued. "Was your daughter adopted Mrs Hicks?" "Why yes? How did you know that?" Mulder lied. "Its on our records at the Bureau." "Oh I see. Of course, it wasn't a usual adoption. My husband worked for the Government. He was involved in a project and one of his co-workers died in a car crash with his wife. The little girl was orphaned and Jeremiah brought her home to me to look after her. You see we married late in life and I was past the age of childbearing. She was around nine when we took her in. Poor little thing, she couldn't remember her parents at all, so she became very attached to us very quickly, and I tell you even though I didn't give birth to that child, I love her like I did." Mulder was on the edge of his seat, his eyes silently begging her for more details. About Samantha Hicks, formerly Samantha Mulder. He had found his sister, he was certain of that. "I'm sure you do. Do you have a picture of Samantha?" Mrs Hicks got up to cross the room, but had trouble steadying herself. Charles was on his feet in a flash and held out his hand to help her. She smiled up at him, obviously charmed. "I knew you'd want a picture so I sorted a few out." Mulder smiled sadly as he watched Charles escort Elaina across the room. He was so like Scully, so willing to help; courteous, polite. Mrs Hicks gathered her pictures up and crossed the room again to give them to Mulder. Mulder took the pictures and gazed down at his sister. Her face wasn't a surprise to him. After all, he had already seen her in person the night before. It was somewhat comforting that she was smiling in all the photographs, somewhat shyly, but she looked happy, healthy. Charles had settled Elaina back in her chair and now held out a hand for the photographs. Mulder passed them to him, reluctant to let them go, but not wanting to make a fuss. Charles gazed down at the image of the pretty young woman. She had warm hazel eyes, long dark hair. Something about her reluctant, careful smile moved him. He glanced up at Mrs Hicks. "She looks like a lovely young woman." Mrs Hicks nodded, and her eyes grew moist. "She is." Mulder cleared his throat. "You said she doesn't have a boyfriend, but has there ever been anyone in her life?" Elaina chuckled. "No. We gave her as happy a childhood as we could, but I think she's always felt a bit alienated and disorientated in the big wide world. She's quiet and withdrawn, almost painfully shy I'm afraid. The only place she really feels comfortable is with me at home. She comes here a lot at weekends. There were a few friends in high school and college, but I think she's been very lonely these last few years." "Why do you think she's so shy?" "I'm not sure. Perhaps she felt she wasn't like other people, because she had no memories of her parents. She couldn't recall anything of the time before she was brought to our house. She would say sometimes that she faintly remembered a brother, but Jeremiah said there was no other siblings. Maybe it was wishful thinking, you know like some kids have imaginary friends?" Mulder smiled but he really wanted to yell at the top of his voice that he was real, not a false childhood memory. "Didn't she ever try and trace her family?" "There was no family. Except the mother and father. We took her to see the graves, but it didn't seem to settle her unease." "What was the name, of her parents?" "Malden." Mulder felt sick to his stomach. So close to her real name. He could imagine Samantha seeing what were likely false names carved on headstones, and knowing by gut instinct that what she was seeing wasn't real, but knowing no different, and having to accept it. Mrs Hicks brow furrowed. "Why is this all important anyway?" Charles interrupted. "We just like to know as much as possible about the people we're looking for. Sometimes even the smallest detail about their lives can help. But, I think we've taken up enough of your time. We'll borrow one of these pictures if that's okay and if we can have your telephone number we'll call you as soon as we have any news." The old lady recited her number and Charles wrote it carefully on an old envelope he pulled from his jacket pocket. He put the picture of Samantha in the envelope and headed for the door. Still in a daze, amazed by what he had learned, Mulder got to his feet. Mrs Hicks stopped them from leaving by calling out. "Oh, I didn't get your names." "I'm sorry its Mulder. Agent Mulder, and this is Agent Scully." He gestured at Charles, thinking how strange it was to be calling her brother by her title. "Scully? I know that name. Now how do I know that name? I haven't met you before have I?" Charles, standing in the doorway, shook his head. Mulder's instinct took over. "Dana Scully. Do you know a Dana Scully?" Elaina grinned at him. "Yes that's it. Dana. Of course." Charles came back further into the room and pulled out a wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. He sorted through it until he found what he was looking for and gave his picture of Dana to Mrs Hicks. "This Dana? Is this who you know? She's my sister." She smiled at the picture and nodded. "Really? Goodness me, what a coincidence. Dana was a friend of Samantha's when she was in college. She was so nice to her. Sammy found it so hard to make friends at Maryland, but Dana took her under her wing and introduced her to some of the people she knew. She came to stay with us once one weekend and Samantha was so pleased that she had a friend to invite home. We all had such a nice time the together." Charles took back his picture and looked at Mulder whose face was drained of colour, and then he turned back to Elaina. "Did they lose touch?" "Yes. After college. At first they would write to each other, but Samantha moved apartments a few times, so perhaps Dana's letters would get lost, and she thought Samantha wasn't replying, so she stopped writing. And then Dana moved and Samantha didn't have an address for her. It was a shame because they got on so well. I'd never known anyone get as close to Samantha as Dana did." "Well we'd better get going." Charles moved to the door and was grateful that Mulder followed him, because for a moment he was worried the man might collapse on the spot. Mrs Hicks bid them both a warm goodbye and told him to say hello to Dana for her. He assured her that he would "the next time I see her." And he and Mulder walked across to the car they had rented. Mulder watched as Mrs Hicks went inside and shut the door, and then he leaned heavily against the car. "Are you okay Fox?" "Mulder." "Sure, whatever. How you holding up? I gotta tell you man, you don't look too good." "I'm just....I don't know." "I take it Samantha Hicks is really Samantha Mulder?" Mulder nodded. "Listen. I need to hear this whole story. You have to tell me everything, but first I think we should get a motel and crash out for a couple of hours." "We have to find them." "No offense pal, but at the moment I don't think you could find a tree in the woods. Get in the car and we'll find somewhere to stay." ******** End of part 6a continued in 6b ******* caroline.o@virgin.net Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 18:57:52 +0000 From: Caroline Subject: Armistice (6b/11) Armistice (6b/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan ************* Room 9 Motel 6 Mountain Falls Virginia July 2nd, 1997 10.52 p.m. Mulder lay on one of the beds. His whole body was shaking and he couldn't get it to stop. In his hand was the card that Marita had given him earlier that day. Charles sat on the edge of the other bed, towel-drying his hair after the shower he'd just had. Mulder was glad he hadn't dumped Scully's brother, because quite frankly he was a nervous wreck at the moment and it felt good to be around somebody; especially somebody who reminded him so much of his partner. Charles got to his feet and pulled his jeans on over his shorts and then tugged his sweater over his head. When he was dressed, he sat down again and faced Mulder. "Okay, I think I deserve to be filled in a little. Why don't you start at the beginning?" Mulder licked his lips and sat up. "My father worked for a secret Government project that conducted illegal experiments on children. He rebelled and threatened to expose the project to the public. To ensure his silence my sister was taken. She must have been stripped of her memory, and placed with the Hicks. They raised her, sent her off to college, where she obviously met your sister. But Scully knew her as Samantha Hicks, she didn't realise when she came to work with me that her old friend Samantha, was my Samantha. She'd lost touch with her by then, and there was no reason for her to even think it." Charles nodded. "But..." Mulder interrupted "When Scully was abducted, by the agency who were still conducting illegal experiments, She found Samantha Hicks again, who was also there to be experimented on. It was there that she must have realised that she was in fact my Samantha. Samantha Mulder. Only when Scully was released, she had no memory of the time she was held captive." Mulder got to his feet and began to pace. "Then last night we broke into a lab on the Vineyard, where she saw Samantha again. Scully's lost memories came back to her. This morning in the hospital, she must recalled going to the Hicks' house; visiting with them, and she remembered their address and wrote it down." "So all that stuff Mrs Hicks told us about the car crash and the graves was made up the project people?" Mulder nodded. "I think Mrs Hicks believes it. But her husband was obviously part of the experiments in some way." Charles let out a soft laugh. "What are the odds on that? That you get partnered with someone who knows the sister that you've been searching for all that time?" Mulder laughed as well, despite himself. "If this were a movie you wouldn't believe it." "I'm not sure I do believe it. I mean, wiped memories, its not possible to wipe someone's memory." Mulder laughed harder. "God you really are a Scully aren't you?" Charles wasn't quite sure what Mulder meant by that remark, but didn't bother to ask for clarification, instead he got to his feet. "I'm going to get us something to eat. We need to refuel. I'll be back in a while." Mulder lay back down on his bed. Charles stopped at the door. "And don't even think about taking off without me. I'm trained to track people down, you wouldn't get half a mile before I found you." Mulder nodded and Charles left. He stared at the ceiling for a while before looking back at Marita's card. He grabbed the motel phone from the night-stand and dialled the number quickly. She answered with a terse hello. "Its Mulder." "Agent Mulder. I hope you're not calling to make any foolish demands for information." "No. I'm ready to make the choices. The decisions you spoke of this morning, I'm willing to face them." "Is this because they have Agent Scully?" "Yes." "You're ready to sacrifice everything?" "Yes." "Maybe even your life?" "If that's what it takes." "Okay I'll meet you in the morning. Where are you?" "Motel 6, Mountain Falls, Virginia." "Virginia. That's a coincidence. I'm quite close by." "That doesn't surprise me. This state seems to be the centre of activity lately." Marita hung up on him without a goodbye The trill of his cell phone made him jump. He grabbed it out of his suit jacked on the end of the bed and answered it. "Mulder. Its Skinner." "Well hi there Walt. What can I do for you?" "I know you don't trust me too much at the moment." "You took Scully didn't you? You bastard. You did their dirty work for them." "Yes I did. But now I may have a way of getting her back. Your sister too. Where are you? We have to meet." Mulder sighed. He had little choice. Any slim hope was worth chasing. He gave Skinner the address of the motel. "Okay sit tight Mulder. I'll be there in the morning." Mulder switched the phone off and threw it across the room. He had two visitors to look forward to in the morning. Marita and Skinner. He wondered who would show up first. Perhaps they'd arrive at the same time. That would be interesting. Charles arrived back with the food twenty minutes later and threw a greasy bag at Mulder. Mulder caught it and pulled a hamburger out. Surprised at how hungry he was. "I take it back Charles. You aren't that much like your sister after all. She'd never willingly buy this crap for me." Charles chuckled. "So Fox." "Mulder." "Fine. Whatever. Forgive me if its none of my business, but the last letter Dana wrote me, she was still talking about you like you two were just friends. When did it change?" "Our last case." Charles nodded. "You're a lucky guy, you know that. My sister is very special." "I know that." They ate in silence for a few moments, till Mulder became curious about his companion. "So Charles, you have anybody? Girlfriend, wife?" "No. Being in the service, its hard to meet people. Especially the Seals. I hardly get any leave. I have to keep a lot of my work secret. Most of the time we're not allowed to tell people where we are. Its hard to find a woman who'd put up with that." "I wonder why Scully puts up with me." Charles laughed and Mulder looked at him. "What's so funny?" "I'm sorry. Its just when you say Scully, I keep thinking you're talking about me. Don't you ever call her by her first name?" Mulder smiled. "Hardly ever. Its a habit now. She's Scully to me." Charles finished his burger and pulled his sweater off again. "I'm going to get some shut eye. I suggest you do the same." Mulder nodded. When Charles pulled off his jeans he fished his wallet from the pocket and pulled out his photograph of Dana. He handed it to Mulder. "You keep this." "Thanks. You know its funny. All these years I've known her and I don't have a picture." Charles shrugged and got into the other bed. "Well you do now. But put it away and go to sleep. This barracks is shutting down for the night." Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 2nd, 1997 11.05 p.m. Scully awoke again, cursing out loud at the pain in her head. She opened her eyes carefully and looked around her, noticing that she was still in the small cell. Her eyes widened further in surprise when she saw the man who was standing on the other side of the bars in front of her. She looked over at the cell next to hers. It was still empty. No Samantha. She turned her gaze back to Cancer Man. Her breathing quickened when she realised he was blurring now and again as she stared at him. Another symptom of the tumour. Her sight was beginning to fail. "Good evening Agent Scully. How are we feeling?" "Well I don't know about you, but I feel like shit." He chuckled and she sat up on the cot. "Why am I here. Why didn't they just leave me to die?" He blew some smoke through the bars. "You have no idea how important you've been to us do you? You've made such a contribution that we've grown really rather fond of you. We like having you around." "I wish I could say the feeling was mutual." A security guard came through the larger gate down the corridor and hurried to Cancer man's side. "Sir. We've had a security breach. The chip's gone." Cancer man's expression hardened, and his voice betrayed his fury as he confronted the guard. "What are you talking about. The chip? It can't possibly be gone. It was under maximum protection." "We think its been taken by someone on the inside. We're not sure who yet. They managed to temporarily disable the power supply in that part of the building, so we have no video recording and the lasers were off." Cancer man threw his cigarette down in disgust, and glared at Scully. "I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up in the hands of Agent Mulder. What do you think Dana?" She refused to show any emotion at the mention of his name, and kept a firm silence. He turned to the guard. "Why don't you go and get me merchandise number nine-two-five. I think we may have found a use for it." The guard nodded and hurried off. Cancer Man paced until the guard returned with a small, petite woman in tow. Scully's sight blurred at her first glance, but when her vision cleared she gasped. "Come here Dana." Scully got shakily to her feet. Willing to do as her enemy bid her for once. She needed a better look to believe it. Cancer Man laughed. "What do you think? Did we do a good job?" Scully stared at the woman, who stared blankly back at her. She closed her eyes, hoping it would go away, but when she opened them she was faced with the same thing she had seen before. Herself. She was staring at herself. An exact replica of Dana Katherine Scully. ************** end of part 6 ******* Continued in part 7 Armistice (7a/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to ATXF - already there Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Lots and lots - all the way up to Small Potatoes (although in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened.) IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. Room 9 Motel 6 Mountain Falls West Virginia July 3rd, 1997 6.02 a.m. Charles awoke, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and took a moment to remember where he was. He lifted his wrist out from under the covers and checked his watch. Two minutes after reveille. His internal body clock woke him at around the same time every morning, even when he wasn't on duty. He looked across at the other bed only to find it empty, but he was pleased to note that it looked like it had been slept in. At least Mulder had gotten some shut eye. After a quick trip to the bathroom, he climbed into his clothes, ran a hand through his hated, short, red hair, and stepped outside into the bright morning sunlight. Mulder sat on the edge of the walkway between rooms. Charles noted that the man was staring at the picture of Dana he had given him the night before. He sat next to him; not speaking, waiting to sense his mood. Mulder coughed a little. "You know what I promised her? Just two days ago I said I wouldn't leave her alone for a second. I knew she might be taken again and I promised to protect her." Charles squinted into the sun. "Don't beat yourself up Mulder. Nobody can be with somebody twenty-four-seven. Even if you had been with her, there might not have been anything you could have done; and besides, she's usually pretty good at protecting herself." Mulder let out a sad half-chuckle. "Yeah, nobody knows that better than me, but this time Charles, she was truly terrified, she took comfort from me being with her, and I let her down." "Let's concentrate on getting her back." "What if its too late? She's dying. She could be...already ..." Charles' voice and glare betrayed his calm anger at the words "Don't even think about that. The Doc said we have two weeks. Fourteen days to get her back. I don't care if I'm only getting her back for her to leave us again. I have to see her. I have to say goodbye properly." Mulder nodded. "I understand. Ignore me, I just..." He sighed. Charles shifted uncomfortably. "Do you really think that we're wasting our time? You don't honestly think she's already dead, do you?" There was a long silence before Mulder answered. "No. I think I'd feel it...be certain of it, if she was..." He stood up to end the conversation, not wanting to have to explain the connection between him and Scully, or how he'd know, just know, if she had left his life forever. He knew that he'd feel her absence from the world. He and Charles both looked up suddenly when a car pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop. They watched as Skinner got out, nodded to Mulder and approached. Mulder addressed him with the word "Sir", but it was dripping with sarcasm. Skinner nodded at Charles. "Who's this?" "I'm Charles Scully. Who are you?" "Walter Skinner." Charles recognised the name from Dana's letters. The mysterious assistant director. He'd got the impression that Dana had trusted him, but Fox was looking as if he wanted to kill the man. Skinner pointed to the room. "Shall we go inside gentlemen?" They filed into the room, Charles sitting on the edge of the bed, Mulder slumping in a chair and Skinner standing stiffly by the bathroom door. "Don't make me endure your presence any longer than is necessary Skinner. Say your piece." Skinner stuck his hands in his pockets and glared at Mulder. "You misjudge me. Everything I've done, I've done with Scully's best interests at heart." Charles was confused. "What did he do?" Mulder smirked at the assistant director. "He took Scully from the hospital and handed her over to them." Mulder saw Charles jump from the bed and reacted quickly, putting a hand on his chest to stop him from going for Skinner's throat. "Calm down Charles. He says he has something that may help us, we have to hear him out." "Says who?" "Believe me, I want to kill him as much as you do, but they'll be time for that later, if necessary. We have to concentrate on getting her back." Charles took a couple of deep breaths and nodded. Sitting back down on the bed. Mulder turned to Skinner. Looking a little relieved that Charles had been restrained, Skinner reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial. He walked to the table by the door and placed it there. "What's that?" "That's what I almost got myself killed for last night when I stole it from their headquarters. It was under the highest security." Mulder walked over and picked up the vial. Inside it was a tiny black dot. It looked a lot like the complex computer chip that had been removed from Scully's neck. "It contains vital information about the project. It lays out their master plan in full. If you let them know you have it they'd willingly trade Scully and your sister to gain repossession." Charles got to his feet again in excitement. "Well that's it. That's what we do. We make a deal, right Fox?" Mulder held the vial tightly in his grip and sank back into the chair, deep in thought. Charles looked at him quizzically. "Fox?" He held up the vial. "This is the truth." Skinner nodded. "Yes Mulder. Its your Holy Grail. You have it, but surely its worth sacrificing for Scully and Samantha?" "Couldn't we retrieve the information from it first?" "It wouldn't be that easy Mulder. We'd have to find someone with the right technical expertise. Its very advanced, it might take weeks, or even months, for them to decode. Its not like downloading a computer disk." Charles threw up his hands in frustration. "What's the matter with you? I thought you loved the woman. If that's true, you'd be willing to give up everything for her." Skinner made an intake of breath and Charles realised he had just exposed something. This man obviously didn't know about the nature of his sister's and Fox's relationship. He glanced furtively at Mulder to apologise, but Mulder didn't looked bothered. Charles sighed. "Fox, answer me. You're surely not going to risk Dana's and Samantha's lives when you have the chance to save them?" Mulder jumped out of deep thought. "No. No, of course not. I was just wishing..." "Well thank God. You had me worried for a minute there." Mulder stood up. "We'll get in touch with them. Let them know we have this." He held up the vial. "..and arrange a trade." He looked at Skinner. "Do you think they'd throw in a cure while we're at it?" Skinner shrugged. "I was led to believe there was a cure, but I'm beginning to think that was just a false promise made in order to buy me." Charlie ducked, and Mulder and Skinner both reached for their guns when the door suddenly flew open and two figures in combat fatigues entered, brandishing automatic weapons. "Put the guns down guys. We have double the firepower here." Mulder blinked several times when he realised that one of the rifle holders was Marita. The other was a tall, broad- chested man with a huge scar down the side of one cheek. "Drop it Mulder." She nodded at Skinner. "You too." Another combat-gear-wearing, rifleman entered and after a resigned look at one another. Mulder and Skinner threw their guns onto the floor. Marita looked at Charles for a moment before dismissing him as harmless, and then turned her attention back to Mulder. "I'm here for the chip." Mulder had transferred the vial from one hand to the other when he had reached for his gun and it was still gripped in his slightly sweaty palm. He wished he'd had time to stash it somewhere. "What chip?" Marita smirked. "Don't waste time. It went missing last night. The level of security is such that it could have only been taken by someone on the inside." She motioned towards Skinner. "And look who's here? Hand it over." Mulder stepped forward and she aimed the weapon directly at his chest. "You spoke about me having to make choices. What happened to my choices? I thought you were offering me a chance to get Samantha back." "But now you have the chip. That changes things. If we have that, we don't need you. We'll have won the fight." "What fight? The fight against the project? What are you guys, some kind of resistance?" Marita blinked and for a moment Mulder thought she was about to tell all, but she held out her hand instead and shot him a cool glare. "I don't have time for this Mulder. Either hand it over or I'll shoot you and your friends dead." "You'd do that? After all we've been through?" He cocked his head to one side and tried to appeal to her through his eyes. "I have a better idea. Why don't you recruit us into your little band of merry men and we'll all work together." She licked her lips. "We're fighting for different things. You're only concerned for two people. I'm trying to save millions. Your sentimentality would interfere with the struggle for the greater good. Unfortunately, my superior is right, you can't be trusted, your feelings would betray us." "Don't you have feelings Marita?" She shook her head. "No I gave them up when I decided to dedicate myself to the fight. If I take the chip from you, Agent Scully will die. Possibly your sister will as well, but don't you see that they would be small losses compared with what this world could lose? Now hand it over before I get bored with this little chat." He sighed and opened his palm. She took it from him, but then all hell seemed to break loose. Squeals of tyres could be heard outside, car doors banged and shouts were heard. Marita moved to the door, only to duck quickly back inside when she was fired at. Bullet upon bullet rained upon them as semi-automatic weapons were aimed at the room. Shooting out the window and ripping the hardboard front of the room full of holes. Mulder, Charles and Skinner were all on the floor. Mulder eyed his gun a few feet away but he would have to move closer to the firing line to get it. Marita and her two gunmen were firing back now, and the noise was deafening. "Fox." He looked around at Charles who had called his name. He whispered. "Bathroom Mulder. There's a back way out." Mulder shook his head. "They probably have it covered." "Its worth a try. Better than lying here waiting for them to kill us." Mulder nodded and looked around at Skinner who had also heard Charles. Skinner indicated with a jerk of his head that he was willing to run for it and all three men got quickly to their feet and ran to the bathroom. The window was open and Mulder saw Charles hurtle himself through it, just as he heard a strangled cry behind him. He turned to see Skinner slump to the ground, blood pouring from his chest. He wanted to stop, to check on the man, to try and help him back up and through the window, but he knew if he delayed any longer he would be shot too. He scrambled out of the window and landed hard on his backside. Charles grabbed him under the arm and looked up at the window. "Forget it. He's down. Took one in the chest." Charles nodded, and as Mulder got to his feet he looked around him, amazed to find that there were no gunmen waiting for them on this side of the building. The two men took off across the street and ran into an alley, where they clambered over a fence, through someone's yard and down another street before they burst into an empty MacDonald's. The counter staff didn't even look up as they headed for the bathroom where they went into the same stall and locked the door. They leaned against opposite sides of the small space and panted hard, trying to get their breath back. "Think we made it?" Mulder nodded. "Probably still shooting the crap out of each other. It'll be a while before they realise we're gone." "So who was that woman?" Mulder shot him a wry grin. "G.I. Jane." Charles let out a weary chuckle. "And who were the one's trying to kill her?" "The consortium's trained monkeys. They've probably realised that she's not one of them." "So she's a double agent?" Mulder nodded. "Well, she was. Seems like her little game's been rumbled though." "So what now?" "Well we can't make the trade anymore. Looks like we're back to square one." "Why can't we trade?" Mulder was surprised that Charles hadn't realised that they'd lost their bargaining tool. He'd seemed like a pretty smart guy so far. "We lost the chip." Charles pulled something from the pcoket of his leather jacket and held it up for Mulder's inspection. "What chip? This chip?" Mulder's face split into a grin. "How the hell...?" "G.I. Jane dropped it when she was getting shot at." "You know Charles I'm beginning to like you almost as much as I like your sister." "Well as long as you don't try and kiss me." "Right, and on that subject let's get out of here before people start talking about us sharing a cubicle in the men's room." Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 2nd, 1997 7.58 a.m. Scully awoke coughing because of the blood running down her throat. She sat up quickly to make it travel down her nose instead, and wiped it on the short sleeve of her hospital gown. A female voice spoke her name and she looked in the direction it had come from. She felt anguish when she realised that everything around her was becoming a blur. She had to concentrate to get her limbs working, as she got up and edged slowly towards the bars that separated her cell from the one next door. At least her voice and hearing were still working fine. "Samantha?" "Yes. Oh God Dana. I thought you weren't going to wake up. You look awful." Scully smiled wryly. "Thanks." She could she Samantha's pretty features now that she was close enough. She also saw her hand gripping the bars and closed one of hers around it. Samantha squeezed her fingers in return. "Dana what are we doing here? I couldn't believe it when I saw that you were here too. What's going on?" Scully sighed and realised that Samantha had been in such a state at the laboratory on the Vineyard that she hadn't recognised her when she and Mulder had broken in to it two nights ago, but perhaps she would remember their earlier abduction. "I'm not sure. Do you remember last time? We were held together like this before. With a woman named Penny Northern?" Samantha shook her head, terror in her eyes. "Two years ago Samantha, you went missing for a period of time." Samantha nodded. "I woke up at my apartment one day and when I called Mom she burst into tears, saying I'd been missing for thirteen weeks, but I don't remember where I'd been, or anything. Are you saying I was here?" "Not here exactly, but somewhere else like here." "I don't understand. What do they want?" Scully thought about trying to answer honestly. 'Well, they want to see if they can clone us. They want to steal our ovaries for a genetic engineering project. They want to implant chips in our necks that can read and document our every thought. They want to give us cancer, erase our memories and send us home to die'. She settled upon "I don't know. Some kind of test." Samantha let out a small wail and Dana gripped her hand tighter. "Listen Samantha. You trusted me back in college didn't you?" "Of course I did. You were such a good friend to me Dana." "Then you have to trust me as your friend now, when I tell you that you must not give up hope. Your bro.... Someone is out there looking for us. Someone that I trust, and he'll go to any lengths to find us." Samantha nodded but she still looked terrified. Scully suddenly felt faint. "I have to sit down." "Okay but don't go to sleep again soon will you? Keep talking to me Dana." Scully walked back over to the cot and lay down. "Sure, what do you want to talk about?" "Tell me a story from college. Remind me of some of the things we did." Scully smiled and began talking, still slightly bemused that she had known Mulder's sister for so long and yet had been searching for her as if she were a stranger. All those times when Mulder had pined for her, she could have so easily have given her to him, yet she'd had no idea that Samantha Hicks was really Samantha Mulder. Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 3rd, 1997 2.25 p.m. "Scully." Somebody shoved her and she came awake. She didn't remember falling asleep. She must have nodded off while talking to Samantha. She opened her eyes to see who was manhandling her. He was close by, but it still took her a while to focus on him and she cursed her eyesight. "Krycek." He was kneeling in front of her, a tray of food in his hands. "Lunch is up. You better eat. You look like you're not holding up too well." She sat up and pulled the short gown down to cover more of her thighs. She tried to glimpse into the other cell, but no amount of squinting helped. She asked Krycek instead. "Samantha?" He shrugged his shoulders. "She's gone. More tests I think." He put the tray down next to her and she gave it a distasteful glance. "I hope you're not the chef." He gave her a grin. "No just the delivery boy. I don't have a lot of use around here now. They give me all the grunt work. Everybody else is in a major panic at the moment." "Because of the missing computer chip?" Krycek looked a little surprised that she knew about the security breach, but then nodded. "They think Mulder has it." "Knowing Mulder, I wouldn't be surprised if it had fallen into his hands somehow." "You're probably right. But that's good news for you. He'll probably use it to gain your freedom." Scully shook her head. "Not if he's fooled into releasing it first. This may sound crazy Krycek, but they have some kind of copy of me here." "It doesn't sound crazy at all. I know. I've seen it." Of course Krycek had seen it. Everybody here had probably seen it. Back in Martha's Vineyard a guard had mistaken her for her own clone. The thought almost made her laugh. "I'm worried that this clone...or whatever the hell it is, may persuade Mulder to hand the chip over to her, and then he'll never see Samantha again." "Or you." "He probably won't ever see me again anyway. I'm dying. I don't know how much longer I'm going to last." "I'm sorry about that Scully. I really am. I meant what I said the other night in your apartment." She took hold of his remaining human hand and squeezed it. "If you are really sorry you'll go to Mulder for me. You'll warn him." He shook his head. "Please Krycek." "No. I don't even know where he is. He's probably in hiding somewhere." "You could find him. I know how resourceful you are." "Even if I did. He'd probably shoot me on sight." "I could tell you how to approach him so he'd trust you. I'll tell you what to say." He shook his head again. "I'm sorry Scully. I can't." He backed out of the cell, locking it behind him. He was gone a few minutes when Scully received her second visitor. A doctor in scrubs. A doctor that she recognised. "Hello Dana." She sighed heavily. "Dr Scanlon." He was followed into her cell by another two men, also dressed in scrubs and wheeling a gurney between them. She looked at it in panic and realised that they had come to take her for more testing. Her heartbeat began to accelerate and she shook her head fiercely. "No." "Come on Dana. Be a good girl." "No. You bastard." She backed herself up into the corner of the cot, against the wall, but his assistants advanced on her. "Get away from me." Doctor Scanlon looked at her in dismay. "It'll be a lot easier for you if you come without any fuss. We don't want you to get hurt." She screamed and kicked out when one of the men took hold of her right ankle. Her foot caught him in the chin and he recoiled for a second, but came back for her. This time grabbing both ankles while the other man grabbed her wrists. She fought all the way, kicking and screaming with all her might, but eventually they wrestled her onto the gurney and placed her hands and legs in straps while Dr Scanlon administered some kind sedative into her upper arm. As they wheeled her out of the cell and down the corridor, she could already feel herself losing consciousness. ********** end part 7a continued in part 7b ************* Armistice (7b/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan ************* Stay n' Save Motel Front Royal West Virginia July 3rd 6.42 p.m. Mulder peered through the motel window as he heard a van pull up outside. It was black, undecorated and had out-of-town plates. He tensed for a moment and reached for his gun before reminding himself that it was no longer on his hip and that he had left on the floor during their hasty exit from the last motel. He was relieved and even allowed himself a slight grin when he saw his three friends climb out of the vehicle. Byers, Langly and Frohike, looked carefully around them before knocking on his door. He opened it for them and they all piled into the room, Frohike hugging him briefly on the way. "Thanks for coming guys." Langly took a seat on the edge of one of the beds. "Sounds like its gonna be too good for us to miss out on." Frohike checked the bathroom before coming back into the main part of the room. "So where's the Scully brother?" He went to dump the car he stole. Frohike's sweaty brow creased. "A Scully stealing a car? I always thought they were such moralists." "Yeah, well, they're also very resourceful when they need to be. You should have seen how quick he hotwired it. So is everything set up?" Byers nodded and paced as he spoke. "We've set up a roving e-mail address and sent the message to the address we found on the found on the files we hacked into on the laboratory in Martha's Vineyard." Langly interrupted. "Cool message Mulder, listen. 'Anyone want a chip for their dip." Mulder laughed despite himself. "That's cute. What next?" Byers coughed and continued. "We've already shut down the original reply address, which we obviously opened under a false name." Mulder nodded. "Of course." "And asked them to post their reply in code on a governmental conspiracy theorists newsgroup that we use. We gave them a time limit of ten o'clock tonight." "I guess we just have to wait and see if they've been checking their e-mail." "Oh they will, its probably how they expect me to get in touch." Charles Scully entered the room and shot Mulder a nod of greeting before carefully examining each of the men in turn. Mulder made the introductions. Frohike shook Charles hand. "Fine sister you have." "Erm...thank you...I think." He looked at Mulder who just shrugged. "So what's going on?" "We've initiated contact and given them a time and location when we'd be willing to exchange. We've demanded both Dana and Samantha to be returned safely." Byers turned back to his colleagues. "Come on guys let's get the stuff from the van." All three gunman trailed out. Charles watched as they got into the vehicle and began rummaging around. Mulder saw him watching his friends. "Something wrong Charles?" "No..I just..are you sure these guys are reliable..I mean they look like.." "It doesn't matter what they look like. They're the best, and they'd do anything to help your sister, remember that." Charles nodded. Operating theatre Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 2nd, 1997 7.19 p.m. Scully felt like somebody had been hitting her over the head with a hammer. She couldn't move a muscle, not even the ones that controlled her eyelids. So she lay still. The operating table she lay on was uncomfortable, but she made no noise to protest against it; instead she fought the pain in her head. Voices drifted within her earshot and she listened, recognising Doctor Scanlon's and Cancer Man's. "Have you finished the procedure we asked you to perform?" "Yes. I'm not sure it will work. She's very sick." "It has to work. Desperate measures may be called for." "So the chip hasn't been recovered yet?" "No we're arranging a meeting now. We expect it to be back in safe hands by tomorrow." "I heard that Walter Skinner took it." "He's a foolish man. He knew to take it was certain death and yet he did so anyway, and for what? For this woman? She was just an employee to him. It makes no sense. He could have had a bright future if he'd stayed on our side, and so could you Scanlon." "That's not what I hear. I hear they're increasing their presence. That we have no control anymore, that the experiments haven't worked and that we won't be ready when the date comes." "Then you heard wrong. Excuse me doctor, I have a lot of business to attend to." Scully heard the door bang behind Cancer Man as he left the room. Stay n' Save Front Royal West Virginia July 3rd, 1997 8.36 p.m. Mulder lay prone on one of the beds, to outward appearances calm, but on the inside he was in turmoil. He glanced around the room. Charles Scully had found a deck of cards and was playing patience. Langly and Byers had hooked up their computer and were scanning the newsgroup every five minutes. Frohike was watching CNN with the sound turned down. Mulder's plan was simple. Give back the chip. Get Scully. Hold her to him till it was time to lay her to rest. He felt tears stinging the backs of his eyes. Byers must have noticed his misty gaze for he looked over sympathetically. "Thinking what its going to be like to get Samantha back huh?" Mulder looked at him blankly and just nodded, but the question filled him with tremendous guilt. Samantha. He hadn't been thinking about her hardly at all. His mind was obsessed by the idea of finding Scully so he could spend one more night lying next to her. He wondered if, and when, she had become paramount in his mind, even above Samantha. It wasn't right, he had been looking for Samantha for so long. That was what he had devoted his life to. Hadn't he just warned Scully a few days ago that that his sister came first with him? He wanted to smack his head against the wall and curse himself. He supposed it was love. He'd admitted to himself that he loved her when she'd saved him from getting crushed by the train. And the sex had been so powerful, so intense. He'd felt so glorious inside her; as her soft, hot, wet inner flesh had gripped around him. Sex was powerful, love was powerful, but together they made a dangerous combination. It was enough to make a man forget that he had a purpose, a mission to fulfil; a sister to find. "Hey Mulder look at this." Frohike turned the sound up on the t.v. and a reporter was speaking from outside a local hospital. Mulder listened to the facts of the news story. Assistant Director of the FBI, Walter Skinner, found with a bullet hole to the chest in a nearby motel. Paramedics and police were called to the scene after a gun battle broke out. Police suspect terrorism. Assistant Director Skinner in critical condition. Two dead men also found at the scene. Their identities unknown. Charles let out a whistle. "He's alive." Mulder found himself smiling. "Take more than a measly bullet to get the better of Skinner. He's as tough as old boots." "That's not what you said this morning Mulder. You thought he was dead for sure." "Yeah well, I temporarily forgot that it would take a direct hit with a nuke to see him off." Frohike switched the t.v. off. "Don't forget they said critical. He's not out of the woods." "He'll make it. Notice they only said two men dead Charles?" Charles nodded. "G.I. Jane must have got away." Langly jumped up from in front of the computer screen with a half-terrified, half-excited look on his face. "We got it. They've agreed to the exchange." Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 2nd, 1997 8.51 p.m. As she was wheeled back to her cell on the gurney, Scully began to detect the return of movement in her limbs. The gurney stopped and two strong pairs of male hands lifted her onto the cot. She couldn't open her eyes still, but felt it was more because of a pressure placed on them, rather than the lack of muscle movement. She raised a hand to her head, but Doctor Scanlon spoke to her in a soft warning. "No Dana. There's a bandage over your eyes. We've been messing around with them all afternoon. They need to be protected from the light for at least a week. You musn't touch the bandage." She managed to get her voice in gear. "You almost sound like you care." "Please understand, I do what I do because I believe in the cause. Its my life." "You killed all those MUFON members." "Yes. I was ordered to." "Would the cancer have killed them anyway?" "Yes. In time. I never wanted to hurt anybody, but I believe its necessary to make sacrifices sometimes. They were a threat to the secrecy of the project. I'll leave you now, there's a guard here if you need anything." "Scanlon. What was done to me. What procedures?" "I can't say, but I'm sorry. So terribly sorry. Excuse me." She listened as he and the orderlies shuffled out the room. Scanlon called to the guard to lock the door, and the guard replied with a smart. "Yes sir." When the key turned in the lock she called out to him. "Krycek. Is that you?" "Yeah Scully." "I thought so. You're on guard duty now?" "Yes." "Is Samantha next door?" "Yes. She's asleep." She heard him unlock the door he had just locked and sensed his presence as he came to kneel by the side of her cot. He whispered to her. "They're making the exchange tonight. That's why they have me guarding you. All their normal security guys are out going over the location." "Exchange?" "Mulder does have the chip. He's using it to free you and Samantha." Scully was quiet for a while and Krycek was about to leave before she spoke quietly to him. "I can't let him do it." "Are you crazy. Don't you want to get out of here?" "Yes, but this chip has information on it right?" "I'll say. Just about every piece of information there is." "Its his truth. Its what he's been looking for. I can't let him give it up." "This isn't just about you Scully. Samantha needs to get out of here too." "I know. That's why I'm asking you to get us out." "What?" "Please Krycek. We could get out of here. You're the guard, you're the one whose supposed to raise any alarms that we're missing, but you wouldn't be here to do it. It could be hours before anybody realises were gone." "Its too risky. And you're not well enough to travel." "I'm well enough to get back to Mulder, and if Samantha and I get back to him, he won't need to surrender the chip. He could expose them Krycek. Didn't you say once that was what they feared most? Come on, let's beat the bastards for once. Show them they can't play around with people's lives anymore. You owe them no loyalty, they tried to kill you once, and another time they left you for dead." Krycek let out a laugh of amazement. "You know I'm actually considering this. You could probably sell ice to the eskimos Scully." She smiled. "You know Krycek when you came to my apartment that night you were looking for redemption. Well here's your chance to earn it. Do something truly good for a change. Be on the right side." "Okay. Shit, yes, I'll do it. Give me twenty minutes to get a truck. Wake Samantha up while I'm gone. ************* end part 7b continued in part 8 ************** Armistice (8/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to ATXC - already there Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Lots and lots - all the way up to Small Potatoes (although in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened.) IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 3rd, 1997 11.00 p.m. Cancer man stood in the control centre of the project, surrounded by banks of computers and technical operatives. He watched the well-manicured man approach, and spoke with sarcasm. "Nice of you to join us." "I was on a golfing holiday." "Meanwhile all hell was breaking lose here." "Is it my fault, you and my colleagues are incapable of handling even the most simplest situations." Cancer Man blew out a puff of smoke. "You shouldn't be smoking in here. Don't you know how delicate this equipment is?" He blew another puff of smoke, smirked and said nothing. "Why don't you tell me what's been happening?" "Walter Skinner stole the chip. He's given it to Fox Mulder who is using it to secure his sister's and Dana Scully's freedom." "And what if he hands over a false chip in exchange?" "We'll still have Dana Scully to bargain with." "I thought she was part of the deal?" "We'll hand over the clone in her place. By the time he's realised he hasn't got the real Scully, we'll know whether the chip is real. And, if necessary, we'll re-negotiate." "I heard that Marita Covarrubias isn't on our side after all, that she's one of them." Cancer Man nodded. "Some of her compatriots were killed this morning when we tried to recover our property. She managed to escape." "Well, we know it takes a lot to kill them." A security man rushed breathlessly into the room. "Sir, we went to collect the prisoner from her cell like you asked, but she was gone." Cancer Man glared at his subordinate. "What?" "The cell was empty Sir, both of them were." "I don't believe this. Who was guarding them? Bring him to me." "It was Alex Krycek Sir, and I'm afraid...well, it looks like he's gone too. Our man on the gate waved him through in a truck about 90 minutes ago." The Well-Manicured Man studied his fingers, before glancing back at Cancer Man. "Another desertion? Krycek, Skinner, Marita...these were all people who were supposed to be under your control. I'm beginning to believe you're not entirely proficient in such matters." A young man who was seated at a computer monitor turned to them. "Sirs, I think you better check this out. We're getting readings from all over the skies. Hundreds of them." The Well Manicured Man moved to behind the man's chair and read the information on the screen. "This is bad news. We're not even remotely ready for them. How long before they arrive?" "One hour, maybe two." Route 231 Etlan West Virginia July 3rd, 1997 11.02 p.m. Krycek negotiated the small road carefully in the black of evening; his headlights on half-beam so as not to throw off too much light. He had been surprised at how easy it had been to sneak Dana and Samantha out of the lab. He had walked calmly through the building gripping Scully by the elbow and keeping his gun trained on Samantha, to make it seem as if he were just transferring the prisoners elsewhere. He had snuck them out of a side door and told them to lay flat on the back of the truck he had appropriated, and then lain a blanket over them. He'd grinned at the guard on the gate, telling him he was off to buy pizza and then they were on their way. He glanced over at Scully who was now sitting beside him in the truck. Samantha was squeezed up against the window, and hadn't spoken a word to him since their escape. He got the impression she was extremely timid. It was hard to tell if Scully was awake or not, with the bandage covering her eyes. She leant against the head rest so comfortably that he thought she might have nodded off and so he jumped a little when she spoke. "Where are we now?" "Nearly at the mountains. I don't know where else to go. Listen Scully, I've been thinking about your little plan, and I'm not so sure its going to work." "I know what you're thinking. That our escape might not necessarily stop Mulder giving back the chip. That they may just hand clones over to him in exchange." Samantha stared out of the windscreen in horror. "Clones? What are you talking about?" Scully licked her lips. Not being able to use her eyes to communicate with people was frustrating to say the least. She tried to calm her friend with words instead. "They have the technology to make walking, talking replicas of us. I know they have one of me. I think they've had some of you in the past. Krycek?" "The first clones that didn't grow beyond eight years old were all killed when they destroyed that part of the hive. The second batch turned against their creators, they tried to rebel and were extinguished in an explosion." "That explosion nearly killed Mulder too." "Whose Mulder?" The question made Scully swallow hard. "He's my partner, in the Bureau." Krycek continued. "I haven't seen any more clones of Samantha, at least not in that lab." Scully coughed. "Well then, at least we've bought some time. Mulder won't release the chip without Samantha, and maybe we can get to him before they churn out another replica of her." "Why would your partner be so concerned about me?" Scully sympathetically listened to the concern in Samantha's voice. "Because he's...because he's the kind of person who's concerned about everybody." Scully coughed again and Krycek looked at her in concern. "You doing okay?" "I'm fine." "I'm not sure that you're fit enough to traipse around looking for Mulder. I think I ought to hide you somewhere and go get him myself." "I thought you were concerned about him shooting you on sight?" "So I'll take Samantha with me. Then he'll have to at least hear me out. She's in a lot better shape than you are Scully. Come on, let me get you somewhere safe?" Scully considered her weak limbs, her non-existent eyesight and the pounding ache in her head. She also felt incredibly warm, even though she still only wore a hospital gown and it was a cool night. Perhaps she was running a fever. Krycek was right. He'd be quicker if it was just him and Samantha. "Okay, where were you thinking of taking me?" "I guess hospital, or the FBI are out of the question?" "Yes. We don't know who we can trust, or where they're watching. Are we anywhere near Breakspeare?" "Its a few miles down the road, why?" "I know someone there who might be able to help. Take me to the Sheriff's station in Breakspeare." Blue Ridge Nightclub Front Royal West Virginia July 4th 1997 1.10 p.m. Mulder looked at his watch for the second time in thirty seconds and sighed. He looked over at Frohike who was torn between watching the exits for any, sign that the deal was going down, and watching the gyrating hips of the tall blonde in front of him who seemed to be celebrating July 4th with great gusto. The nightclub was packed and the music so loud it made his head hurt. Staging the exchange here had been the Gunmen's idea and Mulder had agreed that he thought it a pretty good one. Their enemies wouldn't be able to make any rash moves here. They wouldn't be able to open fire on a crowd of people celebrating Independence Day. Things were more likely to go smoothly, and the crowds meant that they had a better chance of slipping away safely once it was over. He wanted it to be over. He wanted to kiss Scully's full, lush mouth and sit down with Samantha and tell her how wonderful it was to know she was alive and well. But it wasn't over, and they were late. Ten minutes late, in fact, and his body was beginning to sweat as much as the young nubile ones who had been dancing to the pounding beat for hours on end. A brunette in a tight red tank top stared at him with a measure of interest and a seductive smile while she swayed to the music. He shot her a menacing glare and she returned to her dancing after shooting him a 'you weren't worth it anyway' look. He saw a flash of red hair and his heart rate quickened but it was simply another clubber. He wondered briefly if Scully ever went to nightclubs and the thought made him smile. He really couldn't see her in this sort of place, but with Scully, anything was possible. He really didn't know her half as well as he pretended too, and he'd always suspected their was a deeply- hidden, but very strong, wild side to her. Charles came up beside him, interrupting his musings. "Eleven minutes late. Something's wrong." Mulder tried to shrug it off with humour. "Maybe they got stopped by the doormen. Too menacing looking, or something." "No, you said these guys were like a secret military. Take it from me Fox. Military people are never late." "Mulder. Its Mulder." "Yeah sure." They both looked up in interest as Byers came into the club. He'd been stationed in the van outside. He was tugging at his tie anxiously. Mulder approached him. "What's up?" "They've posted another message. The deal's off. They say they don't require the chip anymore." Mulder raised his voice. "That's such bullshit. They were willing to kill for it earlier today." Charles ran a hand through his hair. "Do you think they're bluffing?" "I don't know." Mulder strode away angrily. Charles called out to him. "Fox. What happens now?" He stopped, turned and glared at Scully's brother. "I have no fucking idea. Leave me alone. I don't have all the answers." He ran up the stairs of the club and stormed out the door. Frohike walked over to Charles and Byers, looking up at them expectantly. "What's happened?" "Nothing. Nothing is going to happen either. No deal." "Damn. That's bad. I guess we'll have to go plan B then." Charles looked confused. "What's plan B?" Frohike shrugged. "We'll know when we invent it." Byers smoothed down the lapels of his suit. "I suggest we go find Mulder. We're fish out of water here." Frohike stroked his stubble. "Speak for yourself. I was doing okay with blondie over there." Charles slapped his back. "Hate to tell you this pal but I think she was looking at you in shock rather than lust." Frohike made a disgruntled sound as they made their way out of the club. Charles was surprised to see Mulder sitting in the van with Langly. He had assumed that he had taken off on his own in anger, but was pleased that he had realised he could use help from his friends. Once everybody was inside. Langly pulled out of the side street and began the short drive back to the hotel. All of them were too pre-occupied with wondering why the deal had been called off to notice the very similar, unmarked black van that followed them at a discreet distance. Sheriff's Station Breakespeare West Virginia July 4th, 1997 00.15 a.m. Sheriff Emily Watson yawned at the small television she had set up on the counter to relieve her boredom. Nothing exciting was on but she didn't switch it off because she welcomed the noise it gave to the dark office. Normally the Sheriff's Station wasn't open through the night, but after the kidnapping of Molly Turner the residents had organised a public meeting and suggested that they'd feel safer if the local law enforcement was available twenty-four-hours a day. Emily had tried to reason with them. Assuring them that Molly's kidnapper had been found and that the Sheriff's office didn't need to remain open, and that she'd still be on call even when it wasn't, but it hadn't appeased them and so she'd agreed that she and her deputy would work shifts. She was hoping that in a couple of weeks the hysteria would die down and things would go back to normal, because she'd really had it with the night shift. Although it wasn't as if she had anything better to do. She admitted that she had no social life, and had neither the time nor the inclination to go looking for one at the moment. A comedy show began and one of the characters was a petite red-haired girl. She smiled. She was pretty, but not like Dana. Dana Scully had been beautiful; with her classic features and noble air. She sighed. She really had to get over her fixation. The woman was straight, and in love with that lanky partner of hers, who probably didn't deserve her. She sighed again. That wasn't fair. He was a nice guy. A little screwed up perhaps, but a good guy, nonetheless. She became alert when a truck pulled up sharply outside. She switched the t.v. off and put a hand on her holster as she moved to the door. The man who got out of the drivers side walked quickly towards her and she tensed. He was wild looking, dark and dangerous. As she opened the office door to greet him warily she noticed his false limb. "Can I help?" "Are you Sheriff Watson?" "Yeah. Something wrong?" "I was hoping you might be able to help me. Well actually I was hoping you might be able to help the person I have with me. She needs protecting." Emily tried to look around him at the truck but it was too dark to see much. "Who are you?" "It doesn't matter what my name is, but I have Dana Scully with me." Emily almost gasped. "Is she in some kind of trouble?" "She needs somewhere to hide. She needs to be taken care of. She's not well. She's gotten worse on the drive. She's so hot and I can't rouse her. I think she's in a bad fever." He walked back to the truck and Emily followed eagerly. He opened the door for her and she climbed in next to Scully. A woman sitting on the other side of the truck nodded at her. "Hi." "Hi. Who are you?" "Sam. Samantha Hicks." Emily took a deep breath and examined Dana more closely. Her fever was high and sweat gleaned from her body; her lips moved noiselessly. Emily looked around at the man who was standing on the street looking up and down. "What's this bandage for over her eyes?" "Some kind of operation. It can't be taken off for a week. Please don't ask more questions, there isn't time. Will you help her?" Emily nodded. "Of course. We'll take her to my place. Its just at the back of the office. Drive the truck around to the door and I'll lock up here." Emily Watson's house Breakspeare July 4th, 1997 1.30 a.m. Emily dipped the cloth back in the bowl of cool water she had placed by the bedside, rung it out, and wiped Dana's face again before she settled the cloth on her forehead. She looked up at Samanatha and Krycek who hovered at the end of the bed. Krycek motioned towards Scully. "How's she doing?" Emily got to her feet. "Still feverish, but she seems to be sleeping now." Samantha looked as if she were about to cry. "Do you think she's going to be okay?" "I'm no doctor, and since you guys won't let me call one, there's not a lot I can tell you." Krycek moved towards the door. "You can't tell anyone she's here. Keep her hidden till either Mulder or I come back for her. Come on Samantha, you have to come with me." Samantha looked a little stricken, but did as she was bade. Emily sighed. "I don't suppose I'm going to get any clue as to what's going on here." Krycek looked at her with a plea in his eye. "The more you know, the more you're in danger." "Listen. For all I know you two are responsible for Dana being like this. If I was doing my job properly I'd arrest you right now." "Her life is under threat, but not by us. If anyone knows where she is...just protect her...please." Krycek disappeared through the door, dragging Samantha along after him. Emily heard the door bang and slumped back into the chair she had just vacated. "Mulder." When she heard Scully's voice her head whipped round to look down at her unexpected house guest. She took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Mulder's not here Dana. Its Emily Watson, remember me. I'm just taking care of you, you're not well." Dana was quiet for a while, as if she were trying to piece together the information and remember recent events. She nodded slightly and licked her lips. "Thirsty." Emily smiled. "Well that's a good sign. I'll just be a second." She hurried downstairs and quickly filled a glass of water and rushed back to the bedroom where she lifted Dana's head from the pillow to help her take a sip. Scully settled back into the pillows with a slight moan. "Has Krycek gone?" "Yes. He took Samantha with him. Is that okay?" Scully nodded. "They've gone to find Mulder. Thank you Emily." "For what?" "For taking care of me." Emily found herself blushing a little and was relieved that Dana couldn't see it. "Hey. The pleasures all mine. I never thought I'd get to see you in my bed." Scully's mouth lifted into a half-smile. "You're wearing my p.j.'s too, but don't worry I let Samantha change and wash you down. I didn't trust myself not to take advantage. What's happened to you Dana?" "Its a long and highly unbelievable story. But...you should know that I'm dying...I have cancer." Emily was quiet for a moment whilst she digested the painful information. "Emily. I know I don't have long...but I...I need to see Mulder again. Please...I need...things I haven't told him...doesn't matter...Marita...Sam, I know Samantha. Hicks." Emily recognised that Dana was still a little delirious from the fever and gently stroked her hand. "Okay calm down. You're gonna see Mulder again. That guy's gone to get him for you. He'll bring him back here. Its all going to be alright." Scully nodded, quietened down and in a few minutes, much to Emily's relief, she was asleep again. Room 2 Stay n' Save Front Royal West Virginia 2.15 a.m. Mulder paced the room, a picture of barely restrained anger. Charles sat quietly on the bed, studying the vial that contained that chip The Gunmen were in the room next door. Desperately searching their databases and calling in all their favours and resources to try and find any information that might help. Mulder pulled the card that Marita had given him earlier from his pocket. Charles looked up. "What's that?" "My last lead. G.I. Jane's phone number." "You honestly don't think she's going to be of any help do you?" "You got any better ideas?" "Maybe we could go see Skinner in the hospital." "Too dangerous. He's probably being watched." Charles sighed. "I guess you'd better call the number then." Mulder moved to the phone, but stopped short when he heard a knock on the door. He and Charles exchanged a look and Mulder pulled out the gun that Langly had gotten for him as he moved to answer it. His heart pounded and he couldn't believe his eyes when he opened the door, only for Scully to fall into his arms. He held her tightly against him and thanked whatever, or whoever, had brought her to him. He dragged her limp body into the room and kicked the door shut. "Christ Scully. I thought I was never going to see you again." He blinked back tears as he held her away from him, so he could look down carefully into her eyes. "Are you okay?" She nodded. "Just a little out of breath. I've been running ever since I escaped." "How did you get here?" "It doesn't matter. I'll tell you later. I'm exhausted. I need to lie down." "Where's Samantha?" "Still with them I'm afraid. I can help you find her though." Charles got up from the bed and crossed the room. "Hey D." His heart stopped for a moment as his sister looked at him blankly for a while before recognition came to her and she smiled at him. "Hi Charles." She broke away from Mulder for a moment to kiss her brother's cheek and hug him briefly. She looked back up at her partner. "Where's the chip?" "How do you know about that?" "There was uproar in that place when they found out it was missing and that you had it. I escaped so that you wouldn't have to hand it over to them." He gently took her hand. "Scully there's still Samantha. I have to see if I can buy her freedom. I may still have to surrender it." She looked confused for a moment. "Of course. Yes." "I want to tell the Gunmen you're back. I won't be a second. They're just next door." She didn't release his hand. "No. Don't. I don't want you to leave me yet. Charles, why don't you go?" Her brother nodded, keen to spread the good news. He headed for the door and as he was about to leave Dana called out to him. "Charles. Could you stay in there for a while? Fox and I could use a little time alone." Mulder was a little surprised at the use of his first name, but quite frankly, he'd allow her to call him anything she damn well wanted to, as long as he could have her near him. Charles smiled his agreement. "Sure. I understand. Young love and all that. Give us a yell if you need us." When her brother had left, Mulder wrapped a hand around Scully's neck and pulled her mouth to his. He was surprised that she was unyielding at first, her lips remained hard under his, but with his perseverance she softened and moulded her body to him, opening her mouth at the insistence of his tongue. Mulder wondered briefly why she tasted a little different, and for that matter, smelled a little different. He supposed it was being in that place, where they'd done God knows what to her. His fingers wound their way through her hair as he backed her against the bed and lowered her onto the soft mattress. He groaned her name as he kissed her neck and pushed his groin into hers. "Fox." He didn't understand Scully's sudden propensity for wanting to call him by his first name, but he decided he quite liked the way it sounded on her soft alto. In fact, it only increased his desire. He was already rock hard, with a primal need to sheath himself inside her. After their last sexual encounter, he had sworn to himself that he wouldn't take her again without ensuring her pleasure first, but at the moment all thoughts beyond the need to enter her were banished. He undid the button on her suit jacket and slipped his hand inside to cover her breast through the silk and lace of her blouse and bra. "Fox I..." He cut her off with a kiss, unable to stand any more uttering of his name. It was driving him crazy. His hand left her breast as he continued to kiss her. He rolled slightly off her to undo the button and zipper of his jeans and sighed in relief. Wanting her to touch him, he grasped her hand and brought it onto his hardness. She squeezed him lightly through his boxers. "Oh God Scully." He searched for the catch on her suit trousers, but was stopped when she released him and put a hand on his chest to push him away. "Fox. Take it easy, there's no rush." His eyes met hers a little guiltily. "I'm sorry. I just need to connect with you." She smiled softly at him and he wondered at the colour of her eyes. He'd never seen them turn exactly that shade before. "Its nice to know you want me so much, but there's plenty of time." "No there isn't. I have to start looking for Samantha again soon." He kissed her again, hoping to persuade her. She accepted the kiss but pushed at his chest again. "Why don't you take a nice shower first?" He looked at her quizzically. "A shower?" "Yes. You smell strange. Like smoke." He sniffed his arm and shrugged. "Its that damn club. It really bothers you?" She turned her nose up and nodded. "Yeah. Please. Take a shower for me." Willing to do anything that would make her happy, he rose from the bed and nodded. "Okay. I'll be ten minutes." "I'll be waiting." He went into the bathroom, a little bemused by her behaviour, and began stripping off. He winced as he pulled his boxers down over his erection and as he stepped into the shower cubicle and switched the water on, he couldn't resist giving himself a few soothing strokes. His need was bad. Scully could make him desperate with just a few kisses. He reached for the soap and began to wash himself free of the smoke. As he lathered up, his mind began asking himself questions. How had Scully known where to find him? Why was she wearing a suit? She'd been wearing a hospital gown when she'd gone missing. Had she escaped and gone back to Washington before coming back here? He supposed it was possible. As he pondered, he heard the door of the cubicle open. He turned to see Scully standing there with a syringe in her hand. "What?" Before the word had even left his mouth she had plunged the needle into his right thigh. He grappled for the offending item, and succeeded in knocking her backwards, but it was too late, his vision was already blurring and the strength had left his muscles. He plunged to the floor of the shower, naked and helpless. The world went black. Room 3 Stay n' Save Front Royal West Virginia 2.52 a.m. Langly was speaking on the phone, Byers was still hunched over his computer monitor, and Frohike and Charles were playing cards when they heard the second thump from the room next door. Langly covered the receiver and tittered. Frohike raised an eyebrow and Byers turned round from the screen with a stiff smile on his face. Finishing his phone call, Langly got up. "Well at least someone's having fun tonight, but do they have to make so much noise about it?" Byers coughed. "I would have thought more modern motels like these would have better sound proofing." Frohike sighed. "That Mulder's a lucky dog." Charles spoke sternly. "Cut it out guys. That's my sister. I'm trying not to pay any attention, or even think about what may be happening next door." Langly picked up the phone again and began to dial. "Sorry." "So how do you think she found us?" Charles laid down his beaten poker hand and looked at the little man across the table. "What?" "How did she know how to find Mulder? We haven't told anybody where we are." Charles thought about it for a moment, but couldn't find any answer. Another thump was heard, followed by the sound of a banging door and a couple of seconds later they heard a car speed away. All four men got to their feet almost simultaneously and ran from the room. Mulder's door was wide open and they approached with caution. Charles stepped over the threshold and carefully into the room. It had been ransacked. The mattress hung halfway off the bed, the drawers all hung open, the bedside lamp had been smashed and a picture ripped. He looked around at the Gunmen in disbelief. "What's happened here?" Langly's mouth hung open. "Someone's been searching, probably for the chip. Do you still have it Charles?" He nodded and pulled it from his pocket. He walked to the bathroom, just to ensure it was empty. "They're both gone." Langly took off his glasses and cleaned them on his Megadeath t-shit. "You don't suppose Scully's ...well...gone to the other side, do you?" Charles pierced him with a glare. "My sister would never betray her country, or treat people like those bastards do. Somebody must have taken them both. Maybe they followed her here." They all jumped in surprise when a cell phone began to ring. It was Mulder's. It lay discarded on the floor. Charles bent and picked it up, pushing the button to answer it. "Hello." The voice on the other end of the line was male. "Is this Fox Mulder's phone?" "Yes." "Put him on." "He's not here at the moment. Who are you?" "Where is he?" Charles became more forceful. "Who are you?" "My name is Alex Krycek. I have his sister, and I know where Dana Scully is. She gave me this number. I need to speak to Mulder." "Okay...Krycek...let's meet." ******** continued in part 9 Armistice (9a/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to ATXC Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Lots and lots - all the way up to Small Potatoes (although in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened.) IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 4th, 1997 6.04 a.m. The smoke woke him. The stale, musty smell of Morley's. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a small, dank cell. Rubbing a hand through his hair, he sat up and looked around, knowing who he would see. Cancer Man nodded at him. "Agent Mulder. How are you feeling?" His enemy seemed downcast, strangely melancholy. His usual smirk missing. Mulder got up, taking with him the blanket that covered his otherwise naked frame, and walked to the front of the cell where he spoke to Cancer Man through the bars. "A little under-dressed." "Sorry my associate didn't feel there was time to stop for clothes." "Your associate. You mean that thing? That poor imitation of Scully? Is it even human?" "I'd explain what it is Fox, but science was never your strong point." "I suppose it was looking for the chip. You must have been pretty pissed when you realised I didn't have it, especially after all the trouble you went to." Cancer Man looked down at his feet and let out an ironic chuckle. "The events of the last few hours have made the chip seem rather insignificant." "Where's Scully? Where's my sister?" "I haven't got the faintest idea." Cancer Man opened the cell door and walked away. Mulder realised he was meant to follow and walked quickly to catch up. His feet freezing on the cold floor. They walked out of the cells and into a corridor, which was thriving with activity. Men with heavy weaponry rushed back and forth. People in lab coats were packing boxes and stacking them in rows. Mulder's brow furrowed. "What's happening?" Cancer Man gave him a resigned look. "They're coming, but we're not ready for them." "Who?" "Them Fox." Cancer Man pointed a long, yellow finger up at the ceiling. "Them. The project has failed." Dee's 24-hour Diner Front Royal West Virginia July 4th, 1997 6.17 a.m. Langly, Byers and Krycek sat around a table poking at their food with forks. Silence prevailed. The talking; the explanations had already taken place. Charles and Samantha sat at another table across the restaurant. "I always knew that I had a brother, I mean I didn't know, but I felt it, somewhere inside me was a sense that there was someone..." Charles looked up at the pretty woman opposite him, when she failed to finish the sentence. She spoke softly, her head ducked in shyness. "He's been looking for you since you were taken. Dana told me that finding you is the only thing that matters to him." "I just hope we get to meet." Charles smiled softly and covered her hand with one of his. "You will. From Dana's letters I gather he's something of a survivor. He may come back battered and bruised, but he'll come back." Samantha smiled back, although she covered her mouth self-consciously. "I just keep thinking how strange it was that Dana and I knew each other. If we'd have stayed in touch after college, I probably would have found out about Fox sooner." "You don't remember anything about your childhood?" "No, not really. Not memories. Feelings perhaps. When you told me my real name was Mulder and that I had a brother, it seemed right, not strange. Like it was what I'd been expecting to discover all along." Charles nodded and took a sip of his coffee. He was enjoying Samantha's company, despite the strange circumstances of their meeting in the early hours of that morning, and his concerns for Dana. As if she had read his mind, Samantha broached that subject. "Are you going to go and see Dana now? You must be worried about her." "Yes I am worried, but she's in safe hands, and I feel that I ought to do something to help Fox." "Can we exchange that chip thing for him?" "Fox's friends over there sent a message to say that we'd be willing to, but so far we haven't heard anything. There was a number that Mulder had, a contact of his that might help. I was thinking of calling her. Other than that, I don't really have any idea what to do." Across the room Langly, Byers and Krycek were indulging in an animated conversation. "Krycek man, you know where their headquarters are, I say we try and get in there and rescue him." Krycek shook his head. "You have no idea of the security there." Byers cocked his head to one side. "Well you managed to sneak Scully and Samantha out okay." Alex had to concede. "Yeah, but only because they thought I was on their side." "Whose side are you on?" He glared at Byers. "Mine." His face softened as he considered further. "And Scully's. I got her involved in this, it was me who... I kept Mulder from getting to her in time." He looked around and ducked his head. "I was there when her sister was shot." Byers considered for a moment, still not sure whether or not to trust Alex Krycek. Mulder had told him of the awful heinous crimes that the man had committed as a pawn of the consortium. On the other hand, however, he had brought Samantha to them, and she claimed that he had helped Scully and herself break out of the laboratory. If he could possibly assist them in finding Mulder, it was worth the risk his help carried with it. Langly interrupted his thoughts . "How about we try and disable their computers or something? Hack in and bring 'em all down?" "That's been tried before. By a group with technology far superior to yours, and it didn't work." Frohike came running into the diner on stubby little legs, his face betraying his excitement. "Guys I've just been on to all the local UFO networks. You wouldn't believe their figures for last night. Sightings all over the place. The skies were alive." Byers shrugged. "We were out last night. We didn't see anything." Frohike wasn't deterred. "Most of it was about forty miles away." The placid tones of Langly calmed him slightly. "That's cool dude, but we have a more pressing matter were trying to deal with here." They all looked round as Charles got up from his table and crossed to the payphone, where he pulled a card from the back pocket of his jeans and began to dial. Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 4th, 1997 6.24 a.m. Mulder couldn't help but be completely fascinated by the sights that surrounded him in the control room of the laboratory. The banks of computers were manned by young men who all looked incredibly alike, with only subtle differences to tell them apart. They were beginning to sweat profusely as the tension in the air increased. If he was reading the monitors right, they seemed to suggest that some kind of invasion had taken place. Video-captures of strange craft kept flashing up on VDU's, bleeps and alarms sounded, struggling to be heard over the shouted numbers. "One-hundred-and-forty-two now sir." The Well Manicured Man nodded and hung his head. "What should we do Sir? The last unit of men we sent out have all been killed." He shrugged. "There is nothing to do but sit and wait. They'll come to us. I'll be in the conference room. When they ask you to take them to your leader, you'll know where to find me." With his weak joke, he left the room, not even sparing a glance at Mulder, who stood shivering in his blanket, despite the heat. Cancer Man sat calmly in a chair. Mulder moved to occupy the one next to him. Blocking out the noise and activity and focusing on the man who had been his chief demon for so long. "You know in really bad crime movies, as he's about to die, the bad guy gives in and reveals to the good cop what exactly happened." Cancer Man actually smiled at him. "You've been looking for the truth for so long. All I can offer is an explanation." Mulder nodded. "We started out with good intentions in Roswell. When we discovered they had the capability to infiltrate our world, we began to formulate a strategy for protecting ourselves. There were some good men involved. Clever men, who meant only to save mankind from a very real threat to its existence." Mulder thought of his father and the man he had only known as Deep Throat, as he listened to Cancer Man speak. "We studied them and tried to learn from them. We watched the skies, and as they landed we captured and experimented on them. We found that they had become so advanced because they had a harsh system of elimination. The accepted only the strongest, fittest and brightest in their world, anybody lesser was terminated without sympathy." "Like the Nazi's?" "Yes, I suppose. They would have had a lot of respect for Hitler. What the men in our group determined was that in order to survive any attacks on this planet we needed to weed out those who were not up to the challenge of making it better and stronger. Keeping only the good genes. We tagged everybody, through small pox vaccinations." "How did you decide who to keep and who to reject?" "Medical records, I.Q. tests, other methods." "How did you plan to rid the world of those who didn't make the grade?" "Bees. Specially bred bees." Mulder nodded. "The bees know who to attack?" Cancer Man laughed. "No. But those who had a special serum injected into them with their small pox jabs wouldn't have fatal reactions to the stings. Others would." "Why the experiments on the Mufon members? Why the clones?" "Every hive needs workers. Our plan would have left us with too many chiefs and no indian's. Imagine all those wonderful brains that would be left, none of whom would want to do the grunt work. So we'd create controllable clones. Much more manageable than people. Or so we thought. We did too good a job Mr Mulder, they began to think for themselves." "Kurt Crawford?" "Among others." "And he was created from the ova you stole from those women?" Cancer Man nodded. "Any more questions Fox?" "The cancer?" "Created simply to destroy the women that were no longer any good to us, and whose stories about abduction and being taken away by little green men were becoming annoying." "Is there a cure?" Cancer Man shrugged. "We were working on one. Scanlon performed a procedure on Agent Scully yesterday. Its never been done before, and quite frankly, I think the man is not entirely competent. So please don't expect any miracles. She and your sister escaped from this facility last night, aided by Alex Krycek. She may be dead by now. She didn't seem too good the last time I saw her." Mulder looked away from the man, trying to hide his emotions from him. He wasn't sure whether to be hopeful that Scanlon might have hit upon a cure, or be filled with fury at the knowledge that they had once again been experimenting on Scully. How dare they play with her like she were some kind of toy, and not the glorious, wonderful human being that she was. He swallowed hard as Cancer Man's words reverberated around his mind. 'She may be dead by now'. Suddenly all the computer's were silent and all screens blacked out. The nervous young men all looked at one another and Cancer Man got to his feet. "Well, somebody has disabled our systems. It looks like they're here. Fox, why don't you come and witness the truth?" Residence of Emily Watson Breakespeare West Virginia July 4th, 1997 6.48 a.m. Emily watched in frustration as Dana Scully tossed, turned and kicked in her sleep, moaning unintelligibly. She was obviously in the grip of high fever and other than keeping her cool by wiping her face and neck with a cool flannel, Emily didn't know how else to help her. Her instinct was to call for an ambulance, but the people who had brought her here had been so insistent that she shouldn't, that she'd resisted the urge. She would only do so if her patient's condition became critical. She stifled a yawn and looked up at the clock. Up all night, and who knew how much longer she would have to keep vigil? Outside the Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 4th, 1997 7.10 a.m. Charles rubbed his sweaty palms against his black jeans and looked over at Alex Krycek, who sat with a controlled expression on his face. Also in the van with him were the three Lone Gunmen. He had sent Samantha to his mother with instructions not to tell anybody Dana's whereabouts until he had told her it was safe to do so. Marita had never answered the phone. They had only one option left. Direct confrontation. "You're crazy. These guys aren't playing at soldiers you know, they're deadly serious." Charles nodded at Alex. "So am I. When all attempts at getting in the windows and the back doors fail, your only option is to go right up and knock on the front door." All five men took deep breaths, got to their feet, checking the weaponry they had gathered. An assault riffle, a Smith n Wesson, a semi-automatic machine gun, a sig and a 9mm Baretta. Not bad at such short notice. Charles was the voice of authority, and in Mulder's absence, had become something of a leader. "No time like the present. Let's go." "Wait, wait." Charles' let go of the door handle at Frohike's warning. "What? Something wrong?" "I'm not sure, come and look at this." Langly had set up a surveillance camera on top of the van, that was throwing pictures of the front of the laboratory, onto his monitor. Charles went to stand over his shoulder. "Who are those people?" The pictures showed a relative army of a few hundred bodies, which was descending in perfect marching formation on the laboratory building. Frohike shrugged and Byers looked steadily at Charles. "Maybe we ought to wait and see how this unfolds?" Charles nodded and returned to watching the screen. His blue eyes widened as he saw the laboratory guards simply throw back the gates and allow the mass presence easy entry. Once inside, twenty or thirty of the party sought and gained entrance to the building, whilst the others hung back to patrol the grounds. The laboratory security forces threw their weapons down and allowed themselves to be gathered into a group. *********** continued in 9b Armistice (9b/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan ************** Conference Room Laboratory Warrenton West Virginia July 4th, 1997 7.22 a.m. Mulder was filled with the same kind of awe he had experienced as a child when he had watched Apollo 11 land on the Moon. He knew he was watching history being made. He was witness to an astonishing moment. Cancer Man and the Well Manicured Man stood with other members of the consortium in a row; their backs to the wall behind a large oak table, as the huge double doors of the conference room were thrown open and an invading force from another world marched in. Although, it was hard to distinguish them as being from a planet other than earth, because they looked as human as he was. Marita led their approach to the table and Mulder was completely aware, and not in the least surprised to realise who, or what, she was. Her army stopped behind her and she went on. Eventually meeting the Well Manicured Man, who nodded in greeting. She spoke in a voice that was quiet, but which at the same time reverberated around the room for everybody to hear. "You are a weak and foolish people. Your attempts to resist domination are pathetic." The Well Manicured Man looked at his shoes. "You cannot blame us for trying to defend ourselves." "And how did you chose to do that? By destroying your fellow men, by keeping secrets from them? "Isn't that how your race have survived?" Marita merely smirked. "No. We have survived by discovering other's secrets, not by having our own. We know your plans, your project." "You know nothing. Unless you have the chip." "Forget the chip. We have no use for it. We could simply annihilate your planet if we wished. But it is not our wish. We're tired of playing games with you. We have come to ask for peace." "We will always see you as a threat. It is human nature to fear those who are in some way different." Marita nodded. "We will end our visits, our experiments, if you agree to end yours. What would you call it? A treaty for peace; an armistice?" "How long would this last?" "As long as the conditions were obeyed, forever. We have gotten all the information from your planet, and your race, that we require, we have no wish to return here." "But we have not learned all that we desire to know about you." "Which is exactly the way we want it." "You will remove all your spies?" Marita noted the sarcasm in her opponents voice. "Every last one. They are being recalled and will leave with us." "What if we do not wish an armistice?" "Then we can only assume that you wish for war. And you are aware that you are not yet strong enough to contend with us." Cancer Man and the Well Manicured Man exchanged glances, as did other members of the consortium. "You leave us no choice but to agree." Marita nodded in satisfaction. "Then we will leave soon." Cancer Man's voice rose in the air, along with the smoke he exhaled. "After you kill the people in this laboratory?" Marita tensed. "That's what you intend to do isn't it? We're so close to copying your technology, but we haven't shared the results of our hard work with anybody outside this building. Destroy us and you'll put the human race back to almost the same point it was when you first began to take an interest in us." He glanced at Mulder before continuing. "Maybe our mistake was to keep secrets, if we hadn't, then it wouldn't be so easy so destroy all our work. Once we are dead, the evidence and information is dead. The people of the world will have no reason to believe that your presence was anymore than shadows, lights and overactive imaginations." Marita strode back to her silent army. "Yes, you will die. But your deaths will bring peace for millions of people. A continuation of the race, isn't that what you were always working for anyway?" Cancer Man threw his cigarette aside. "Kill us all then. I'm willing to make the sacrifice. But let Fox Mulder go." Marita glanced around the room and her eyes settled on Mulder. She hadn't noticed his presence before. Her expression softened. Cancer Man's voice was pleading. "He really is harmless, you know. He's been searching for what he calls the truth for four years and never discovered anything that he could use to inform the people of the world what was happening in secrecy, behind their backs. Everybody who knows him thinks he's mentally ill. If he related the events of this meeting to anybody, they'd probably institutionalise him." Mulder merely looked dumbfounded. Knowing that Cancer Man was trying to save him by insulting him. If he came to his own defence he was as good as dead. Marita's expression hardened again and he knew he would be killed. She nodded at her troops and stepped out of their line of fire. The members of the consortium were picked off one by one. The weapons used to kill them made no sound and seemed to emit no bullet, but the men fell anyway. When their attention focused on Cancer Man, the last in the line, he turned to Mulder and smiled enigmatically. Mulder watched him slump to the floor with a mixture of feelings. There was some elation at the fact that the man who had caused he, Scully and Samantha such pain was no longer, and some despair at the thought that perhaps now he would never know the answer to the question that had plagued him for some time now. Had the man been his Father? He had no more time to ponder, for now the task force had their concentration trained on him. He took a deep breath and prepared to meet whatever lay beyond this life. He said his goodbyes. An image of Scully raising a challenging eyebrow at him on their first meeting flashed into his mind. He closed his eyes so that he could better concentrate on it. A crashing sound made him open them again and he looked over to see Langly, Byers, Frohike, Krycek and Charles Scully being accompanied into the room by several more of Marita's troops. Mulder grimaced in pain. Now they were dead too. Marita spoke to one of the troops in a language he had little hope of understanding. They conversed for several minutes, and then she turned and ordered her firing squad to lower their weapons, which had been aimed at Mulder's chest. Then she crossed to Charles Scully. "You have the chip?" He nodded. "Yes. I can give it to you. If you let Mulder go." Marita smiled. "You really don't have a lot of bargaining power you know? I could just kill you and take it from you." "I'm armed." Mulder used his eyes to try and beg Charles not to argue with Marita, but the man was refusing to look at him, as if he knew that Mulder was trying to deter him and he didn't want to be dissuaded. Marita smiled again. "A few little guns really aren't going to stop us. The chip is evidence that we feel it would be best to destroy. Give it to me and I may let you and your friends go, but Mulder must die. He has seen much here today." Charles straightened his shoulders and pushed out his chest. "The chip has been placed with someone who is under strict orders to release it to people who can make it public unless Mulder is returned safe and sound." Marita considered for a few moments before holding a hand out to one of her troops, who relinquished his weapon to her. She carried it over to where Mulder stood and aimed it at him. "Tell me its location, or he dies this instant. You all die this instant" Charles swallowed hard. His bluff hadn't worked. Marita knew that he had it in his possession. He pulled the vial from his pocket, placed it on the floor and kicked it in Marita's direction. She watched it roll towards her and picked it up when it stopped at her feet. Then she turned her attention back to Mulder. A finger on the trigger. "No." The cry came from Alex Krycek. Who pushed his way past Charles, drew his handgun and blasted a shot at Marita. She fell to the floor, and seconds later so did Krycek, as he was picked off by her firing squad. Mulder's gaze was torn between the body of Alex Krycek, and that of Marita, who lay in a pile of green liquid. Her men were now crowding around her. Looking at her in distress, and speaking to one another in their own language. To his surprise they did not choose to immediately kill all the other men in the room. Instead, two of them lifted her decaying body and they all walked quickly through the doors, fussing over their downed leader. Mulder, and the Gunmen watched in fascination. Charles put two fingers to Alex Krycek's neck. "He's dead." Langly shook himself out of his stupor. "Mulder. What, who...what, were they?" He pointed upwards. Mulder nodded without looking at him. "Yes." Frohike stared at Mulder in amazement. "But, they looked so normal, so like us." Mulder licked his lips. "I think they can be, or look like, whatever they want." Charles passed a hand over Krycek's eyes to close the lids in respect, and moved to Mulder's side. "Why do you think they didn't kill us?" "She was their leader. They couldn't, not without her permission. They're a very ordered people. It was okay to shoot Krycek, because he had harmed one of them directly. They've taken her to see if they can heal her." Charles realised that Mulder was shaking. "You okay Fox? I think we ought to get you to a hospital." Mulder turned suddenly to look at him, really noticing him for the first time, as if he had been talking to him before from a dream. "Scully, Samantha?" "Samantha's safe and well. Krycek looked after them. He took Dana to stay with someone called Emily Watson. He told me we could find her at the Sheriff's station in Breakespeare, but he said she wasn't doing too good when he left her. Do you think its safe to go to her now Fox?" Mulder nodded. "Its all over." Frohike walked towards the door and then stopped and turned. His hand on the heavy wood. "You sure?" "Yes, they've gone." Mulder looked around at the felled members of the consortium, before moving towards the door himself. "Its finally all over." St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 4th, 1997 6.45 p.m. Fox Mulder walked briskly up the hospital corridor, his bare feet slapping on the sterile floor. His clothes consisted of a Beavis and Buthhead t-shirt and jogging pants that came to an end half way up his calves, both were borrowed from the Lone Gunmen. Maggie Scully stood when she saw him approach, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Mrs Scully...where...?" Emily Watson, who had been sitting beside Scully's mother interrupted. "I was supposed to be taking care of her but she got so sick Fox, that I had to get her to a hospital. I'm sorry if..." He shook his head. "No, its okay. It doesn't matter if people know where she is now. Its safe." Charles Scully came running up the corridor behind him and embraced his mother. Emily continued. "I took her to my local hospital, but they don't have an oncology department there. I told them who she was and they called the FBI in Washington who suggested she be transferred back here, where they had her records and she'd been treated. They transferred her this afternoon and they're examining her now." Mrs Scully looked up at her son. "Where have you been Charlie?" He smoothed her hair and held her close. "Trying to make things better, for Dana. We would have been here earlier today, but it took us ages to find out where she was. We went to Breakespeare first." Mulder shook off the hand that Emily Watson had placed on his forearm, and turned to Mrs Scully. "Where's Samantha?" Her voice was heavy with emotion. "Back at the motel. She's fine but exhausted. She called her mother who's on her way here." "Our Mother?" "No Fox. Not your Mother. Mrs Hicks." She saw Mulder close his eyes in pain and spoke to him soothingly. "She's very close to her Fox. As she will be to you in time, I'm sure." He shook his head. "Its just that I realised I'm going to have to tell her soon. My Mother, I'll have to let her know." His face was set in face concentration for a moment and then his gaze swept down the corridor, before his feet set off in the same direction. Charles caught him by the shoulder. "Where you going?" "I have to see Scully." Emily Watson ran to stand in front of him, to block his path. "The doctor said he'd come and let us know when we can see her. He said to wait here." Mulder tried to step around her, but she put a hand on his chest and Charles grabbed his shoulder again. "You don't understand I have to see her, just for a second...I have to..." His eyes filled with tears, and his mouth quivered as he began to sob. Maggie Scully brushed both Emily and Charles aside and opened her arms to Mulder. His head fell against her shoulder, and his arms encircled her waist, as his body shook with the effort of crying. St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 4th, 1997 8.19 p.m. He watched her chest rise and fall with each breath she took. He examined her pale, pretty features for even the smallest sign that she might wake. He tended to concentrate on her lips, because her eyes were still obscured by bandages. Her lips remained silent. He had kissed those soft lips when he had seen her; he had leant down over the bed, muttered a soft hello and told her how wonderful it was to see her again. He sat by her bedside now with her mother. The doctors had pronounced Scully unresponsive, but not comatose. The high fever had broken and now she slept on, despite their attempts to rouse her. They could think of nothing else but to connect an I.V. to her hand and wait twenty-four hours to see if she recovered consciousness. So they waited. Mulder took a deep, shuddery breath. Still slightly embarrassed that he had broken down in the corridor. "You know Fox. It might have been better if you gone back to the hotel with Charles, you could have seen your sister." "I know she's safe and well. I just wish I knew the same about Scu..." He corrected himself. "Dana." "The doctor said he'd have more results from their tests soon. That should tell us more." "What if it tells us something we don't want to hear." She ran a hand along his back in comfort. "Whatever it is, we'll cope." "I couldn't cope with.... If he told us she was dying. I...don't think I could stand it...deal with it. She can't leave me alone." "You wouldn't be alone." He nodded. "Yes I would. I'd have people around me, but I'd still be alone. And that's unbearable." "You'd manage Fox. We think we can't cope with those we love dying; that we'll shatter into a million pieces and never recover, but something inside of us allows us to go on. Trust me, I know. Its hard, perhaps the hardest thing ever, but you find the strength from somewhere and you...survive." He nodded. She took his hand. "But we're not going to think about that now are we? We're going to think positive thoughts. Dana's alive, let's not start burying her yet." The door opened and he swivelled around to see his sister enter the room, followed by Charles Scully. His eyes met Samantha's and they merely drank each other in before she averted her gaze in shyness. He knew no such reticence and moved towards her quickly, engulfing her in his arms and pulling her towards his chest. He could think of only one word to say. "Samantha." She chuckled, half-delighted, half-embarrassed. "Hello Fox." ******************* Continued in part 10 ******************* Armistice (10/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to ATXC Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Lots and lots - all the way up to Small Potatoes (although in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened.) IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 4th, 1997 11.53 p.m. Mulder sat with his sister's hand enclosed in his, as they kept vigil beside the still unresponsive Scully. "She's such a good person. She doesn't deserve to have all this happen to her." Mulder nodded, encouraging his sister to keep talking. "When I first went to college I was so shy." Mulder smiled. "Seems to me like you still are." Samantha laughed. "Maybe, but nowhere near as bad as I was back then. I found it so difficult to make friends, that I could have gone through my entire course without ever socialising. But Dana was in my German class, and she just decided I needed befriending. When I tried to retreat, she'd pull me back into her circle." "We're you close?" "As close as I've ever been to anybody." "It seems so ironic. Scully helped me try and find you for such a long time, and yet, she had found you so long ago." "I hope that now we've found each other again, she'll get better, and we can be friends once more." She squeezed his hand. "I want that for you and I as well Fox. I wish I remembered more from our time together as brother and sister..." "Sam, it doesn't matter. Just knowing that you're alive and well is enough for me. We've got plenty of time to work on the sibling thing." Mulder stood up abruptly when the doctor entered. He nodded at them both. Mulder stepped forward. "Is there any news?" The doctor ran a tired hand through his hair. "Yes. Some startling news actually. The rather large tumour that was occupying Ms Scully's brain a few days ago has..." He shrugged, clearly dumbfounded. "Disappeared." Mulder felt a smile twitch at the corner of his mouth as he looked around at his sleeping partner. "Completely?" "I can't explain it. I thought perhaps it was an anomaly, but all the scans from every angle show no sign of the cancer. We double-checked our equipment, but its working fine. We also ran blood tests, and there is not one single cancerous cell in the sample." "She's cured. She doesn't have cancer?" "None that we can we find, but what I'm trying to say here is..." Mulder nodded and cut him off. "That its impossible; that it can't be so. That nobody gets rid of cancer overnight?" "Yes. Not unless a tumour is removed. But there are no signs that she's undergone any surgical procedures." Mulder motioned towards the bandages over Scully's eyes. "What about these? Why are they there?" "The Sheriff who admitted her was given strict instructions that they were not to be removed for a week." Samantha stood up beside Mulder. "That's right. She told me that the doctor in that place said that to her." Doctor Warren looked sharply at Samantha. "A doctor treated her?" Samantha shrugged. "If you want to call it that. I'm not sure what he did." The Doctor looked at her in confusion and seemed as if he wanted to question her further, but he must have changed his mind, as he turned back to Mulder. "The bandages are coated in a substance. We drained a little of it to test it. We have no idea what it is. We've concluded that it might be better to leave it for a week, before we attempt to remove them." Mulder pinned the young man with a glare. "What if its hurting her? Destroying her eyesight?" Samantha interrupted once more. "Her eyesight was failing, when we were in the place. Maybe this is a cure for that." Doctor Warren gave her an incredulous look. "Are you telling me that some strange doctor cured her cancer and has attempted to restore her eyesight?" Samantha shrugged. "Well, whoever this genius is, I'd like to meet him. He seems to have developed treatments that the medical fraternity are currently predicting are ten years into the future, if not more. The type of cancer that Ms Scully had was not treatable. ..." Mulder held up a hand. "Listen to me Doctor Warren. The men who took Agent Scully from this hospital and subjected her to treatment are now dead. Investigations into their deaths are being conducted, and any information the FBI or police uncover will be considered classified, unless its within the public interest to make that information known. We're talking about a top secret operation here, do you understand what I'm telling you?" The Doctor nodded slowly. "That you'd prefer it if I didn't make the details of Agent Scully's tests and case history public knowledge." "Yes. That's exactly what I'm telling you. I can't stop you of course, but there are others who may decide to impede you if you try and turn Agent Scully's cure into a subject for discussion of medical phenomenon." "Well there's not much to discuss with my peers, seeing as I have no idea, or no evidence as to what was done to her. I want to know what happened, but I guess I'll have to chalk it up to a miracle." Mulder smiled at the doctor. "Yeah, that's good. Call it a miracle. Scully believes in miracles; in divine intervention. So why is she like this? Why isn't she waking up?" "I think that it may be a stage of recovery, but a dangerous one." Mulder cocked his head to one side in question. "After the fever, she lapsed into a sleep akin to coma. I think it's a designed part of the treatment, to allow her body to rest, until she's strong enough again." "Why is it dangerous?" "When I say it's akin to coma, I mean that it might be as hard a state to break out of as coma, or that it might become coma. Her heartbeat and pulse suggest that she's in a very deep sleep; her vitals are low enough for it to be coma, and that is a medical status that we have little knowledge of. We'll just have to wait and see if she wakes up or not." "There's nothing you can do?" "No." He glanced at Samantha. "I don't know what was done to her, and I have no idea how to treat her. I can only assure that she is properly looked after and monitored." Mulder nodded. "Okay, thank you." He watched the young doctor leave and shrugged at Samantha. "He might have asked us if we wanted the good news or the bad news first." Samantha laid a hand on his arm. "She'll come out of it. She has a lot to come back to." He looked at her questioningly. "You love her. She'll fight her way back to be with you." She laughed. "That sounds stupid I know." He shook his head. "No. It doesn't. Listen Sam. I'm so glad that you're here, but I'd like to...I haven't had a chance to be alone with her yet. Do you think....?" She nodded. "Charles is still outside. I'll get him to take me back to the motel. I'll come back in the morning and see how she's doing. But if anything.. happens in the night..." "I'll call." Samantha left the room and Mulder perched carefully on the bed, beside Scully's right arm, careful not to disturb the medical equipment she was hooked up to. Charles entered, nodded at him and went to his sister. Bending over, he kissed her cheek. "Goodnight D, see if you can wake up bright and early tomorrow for us huh? You've had enough sleep, you wouldn't want people to start thinking you were a lazy bones would you?" He stroked her hair and Mulder smiled at the sight. Charles was such a good man. A loving brother, a man who possessed the same attributes that he found so wonderful in Scully; integrity, honesty, loyalty. He stuck his hand out to Charles who shook it firmly. "Look after her Mulder. I'll see you tomorrow." "Tell you what Charles. I'll look after your sister if you look after mine." Charles grinned. "Deal. See you later Fox." "Mulder." "Yeah. Whatever." Mulder smiled after him as he left. He looked down at Scully's prone form. "Hey Scully. I think your brother has the hots for my sister, think I should kick his ass?" No response. He took her hand gently in his. "We've been here before Scully. You've been like this before, and you came back to me. Remember that? You beat the odds and fought your way back so that we could continue together. You have to do that again Scully. You have to fight back, but this time, not because we have more work to do, but because we have the chance to start living again." He used his other hand to stroke her cheek. "You know what day it is today? Independence Day. Its my independence day. I'm free, you're free. Free from the search for the truth, from the quest. I can be whole again now Scully, but I won't be if you're not there. What I saw and experienced today won't count for shit unless you come back to me. I have to tell you all about it." He groaned in tiredness and let go of her while he got up and sank into one of the chairs beside the bed. "There are things I once wanted, but didn't dare allow myself to dream of. I could have those things Scully, but I need you...I need you to show me how to have them, and keep them." He leaned in close to her ear and whispered. "You're my life. It's all gone, if you're gone." He looked up at her face again, hoping for some kind of movement. He chided himself. It was na‹ve to think she'd wake up if only he poured his heart out to her. He let out a sad chuckle. "Tell me I'm nuts Scully. Say, 'Mulder you're crazy'." Then, he heard her speak. "Mulder what... you babbling about?" He thought he'd imagined it at first. The soft, tired rasp of her voice. He studied her mouth and his body jolted as if an electric current had gone through him when he saw her tongue dart out of her mouth to whet her lips. "Scully?" "Never shut up...always talking. Yap, yap." He laughed out loud. "Scully. Jesus Scully." He was on his feet in a flash, his hands grasping the emergency call button beside her bed. He pressed it firmly and stroked her hair back from her face, noticing the soft smile on her lips. He started to worry however, when her forehead creased into a frown. "Can't see...I can't see." She twisted on the bed, trying to bring her hands up to her eyes. "Calm down Scully. You're going to be fine." "Everything's dark Mulder. I can't see. Help me." He held her arms down, scared she might damage herself, or dislodge the I.V. needle during her panic. "You're going to be okay. You have some medical dressing on your eyes." She didn't respond to his explanation and started to try and wriggle free from his grasp. He held her more firmly. "Listen to me Scully. It's important that you listen." She seemed to hear him and stopped thrashing. "You're in hospital, something was done to your eyes, and they're covered up. It's okay though. I'm here." She let out a little sob, a noise that he didn't think he'd ever heard from her, and knew it was born from fear. He hated to see Scully so scared, she was normally so fearless. He stroked her hair again as the duty nurse arrived. He spoke calmly to the woman, not wanting to raise his voice in front of Scully. "Get hold of Doctor Warren, tell him Ms Scully has woken up." The woman nodded and left the room at a run. He kissed Scully's forehead. "I'm here Scully, and I'm so glad you came back to me." Rideway Motel East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 5th, 1997 11.42 a.m. Charles Scully smiled at Samantha as he saw her emerge from her room. She gave a small wave of greeting and walked over to his car, where he'd just pulled up. He got out and leaned against the door. "Hi." "Hi. You just been to see Dana?" "Yes." "Good news isn't it, about her waking up?" "Yeah, I can't tell you how relieved I am. The doctors say she's going to be fine. Well, they're still not sure about her eyesight, but at least there's nothing life threatening." "Is Fox still there?" Charles rolled his eyes. "You couldn't drag him away. How's your Mom?" "Fine. A little confused about everything. I've explained as best I can, but finding out that my birth mother is still alive is a big shock to her." "Obviously. Are you going to see Mrs Mulder?" "Yes. Fox promised to take me to her as soon as we know that Dana is okay again. She doesn't know anything that's happened yet. I'm a little nervous about meeting her to be honest." Charles nodded. "Of course you are. That's only natural. Samantha. I don't know if...I realise that things are strange for you now, and probably will be for some time to come, but I was hoping...I have a new job within the Navy. I'm going to be a paper pusher over at the Pentagon. I'll be in Washington from now on...and well, I was just wondering if... I understand if you don't want to...but, I'd like it if we could get together sometime, for dinner, or something." He swallowed hard and watched as she bent her head to study her shoes. "Oh." Charles rubbed a hand over his mouth. "It's okay. Forget about it." She looked up at him. "No, no that sounds nice. I just was a little surprised, that's all." "I didn't mean to sound pushy or anything." "No. You weren't being. I'd like that...I mean I'd like to have dinner with you." Charles expression brightened and he smiled at her. "Really, that's great. Well, I'll guess I'll call you or something, when we get back there." He reached into his pocket. "Oh, I have a card." He handed it to her. "If you need to call me, or anything." She took it from him. "Thank you. I was just going to get a cup of coffee, in the diner across the street, do you want to come with me?" He grinned at her. "Sure." St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 5th, 1997 2.23 p.m. Mulder gathered another spoonful of pasta. "Okay, two more and we're done." Scully opened her mouth obediently, surprised to find that she was actually enjoying having Mulder feed her. She scooped the food from the fork and chewed it thoughtfully. "Has Emily gone home?" "She left last night. I called her to let her know you were doing fine." He wiped a dollop of sauce off of her chin with a napkin. "I think I might call her too." "What for? Don't tell me I'm so bad in bed that you've decided to switch to the other side?" She directed a smile at him. Unfortunately, it bypassed him and flew over his left shoulder. He didn't care. "Haven't we had this conversation about your bedroom technique before Mulder? I seem to remember that I specifically asked you not to go all 'performance anxiety' on me." "Open. Last one." He spooned the food in, and wiped her face with the napkin again. "Geez, you're a messy eater." Her face formed into a little frown and he regretted the comment. He tried to lighten things again. "Even when you can see." She gulped the food down. "Mulder, what if...when they take these things off. What if I'm blind?" He kissed her lips briefly. "Then, we'll cope. It'll take some readjustment, but we'll deal with it. You're the strongest person I know. You'll learn to live with it, and I'll help you in every way I can. But I believe Scully, that you're going to be fine." "When I was in that place, my eyesight was going rapidly. The tumour must have been pressing on my optical nerves. Its impossible to repair damage like that." "They managed to remove the tumour, what's a little optical repair? Stay positive until we know for sure, okay?" "Mulder, the eternal pessimist telling me to be optimistic?" He put the bowl and fork down on the bedside table, and laid his head down next to hers on the pillow. "First time for everything." She shifted a little to accommodate him so that he could lay alongside her. She used her hands to find his lips, feeling her way along his cheeks, jaw and nose. When she found them, she replaced her fingers with her lips. "I thought I was never going to be able to touch you again." "Ditto." "Is it really all over?" "Yes Scully. It's finished. Do you believe that what I've told you actually happened?" "I believe that you believe it." "I'm just sorry that you weren't there with me, when I found the truth." "So what now?" "I guess they'll be some kind of investigation by the Bureau. I should imagine they'll file all those deaths away somewhere secure. Or perhaps, label them as some kind of cult mass suicide." "No, I mean with us. You and me." "Oh. First you get well. Then, we have fantastic sex again. Then, we make the rest up as we go along." Scully turned away, it wasn't quite the answer she'd been hoping for. St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 10th, 1997 8.45 p.m. 5 DAYS LATER Charles opened the door to his sister's hospital room. He was surprised by her non-reaction to his presence. Her hearing seemed to have been compensating for her lack of sight lately, and she could normally tell if she had a visitor the moment they excited the elevator and started to walk along the corridor. Perhaps she was asleep. He moved closer and smiled when he saw why she hadn't heard him. He tried to remove the small headphones from her ears gently, but she still jumped in surprise. "Sorry D, didn't mean to scare you." She smiled in the general direction of his voice. "S'okay." He waved the headphones around. "So what's with this?" "What?" He felt ashamed when he realised that she couldn't see what his question referred to. "The personal stereo?" She felt for the small tape player and switched it off. "Oh. Mulder's idea. He got me some talking books." "Where is he anyway? I thought he'd taken up permanent residence here?" "I sent him to get a few things for me. To be honest he's driving me nuts. He's been pacing up and down all day. I think he's more concerned about tomorrow than I am." He touched her hand. "We're all concerned." "I know. I'm just sick of the waiting. I want to get this stuff off my eyes and know one way or the other." "Only a few more hours. One more night." She nodded. "So...uh...how's Samantha?" "She's great, and you're nosy." "I can't help it. I'm curious, and I have very little to occupy my mind at the moment. So, how's it progressing?" "Slowly." "Give it time Charlie, she's just needs to get used to you; to the idea of dating. I don't think she's had many guys in her life. I only remember her having one date, the whole time we were at college together." "That's what I like about her so much, you know. She's not brash, or defensive. She's so trusting and sweet. It's like she lives in a different world to the rest of us. We're so jaded and cynical..." "Speak for yourself." He chuckled. "I have to go. I just popped in to see how you are. I'll be back tomorrow." He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Okay. Night Charlie." He went to the door and stopped. "Dana, are you scared?" "Witless." "Whatever happens. We'll be here for you; Mulder, and your family." She nodded. "I know." St Mary's Hospital East Tisbury Martha's Vineyard July 11th, 1997 9.28 a.m. Mulder and her mother were the only other people in the room, apart from a nurse and Doctor Warren. Charles and Samantha were outside in the corridor. Mulder was gripping her hand tightly. She tried to concentrate on what the doctor was saying. "Okay Dana. I'm going to take these bandages off slowly. Don't panic if things are a little dark, we've pulled the blinds and left the lights off, so it's not too bright for you at first." "What if everything's black, can I panic then?" She felt and heard him snip at the tape that held the eye coverings in place. "Sure." There was silence in the room as he carefully removed the layers of bandage. Mulder swallowed hard as the doctor pulled off the last of them and Scully's long lashes and eyes were exposed to him once again. The dark room seemed brighter as her eyelids fluttered open and the brilliant blue of her eyes could be seen. She made a little sound of pain and her right hand flew up to her face to cover them once again. He saw Doctor Warren smile and realised that it was a good sign. "Sorry Dana. I guess it's still too bright in here." Mulder leaned forward. "Scully?" She removed her hand, and turned to look at him, blinking rapidly. He held up his thumb and first finger. "How many fingers Scully?" "Sixty four." She smiled at the confused expression on his face to let him know she was kidding. "That's a really disgusting shirt you're wearing Mulder." He laughed out loud in sheer joy and leaned forward to kiss her. Her mother interrupted before their lips could meet, by hauling her daughter into her arms. Mulder backed off and let Maggie hug her. There'd be time for him to show his affection and relief later. Flight AM604 Skies above Washington D.C. July 25th, 1997 4.12 p.m. TWO WEEKS LATER "Dana, I wish you'd stop fidgeting." Scully looked around at her mother in surprise. "Sorry, I didn't realise I was." "I don't know what's making you so jittery, but can you calm down? You're making me nervous and I'm not even sure what it is I'm getting worked up about." She huffed a little and settled back in her seat, trying to sit still. She felt like a child again, receiving reprimands from her mother. Unable to help herself, she shifted again. Maggie let out an audible sigh. "What is bothering you?" "Nothing." "Come on, out with it. You might as well tell me everything, rather than sitting there, making this journey a misery for me, by shuffling constantly." She glared at her mother. "You know I'm perfectly capable of getting on a plane on my own. I didn't need you to come with me." She sighed, remembering all the running around her Mother had done for her while she'd laid recovering in the hospital on the Vineyard. Doctor Warren had kept her there and run every possible test he could think of, before he'd eventually decided to give her a clean bill of health and discharge her. "Sorry, I don't mean that. Thank you, for the way you've looked after me the past couple of weeks." Maggie patted her arm. "You're welcome. Now what's wrong? Tell me, before I have to drag it out of you." "I'm not sure what it is." "Do you feel okay?" "Yes, I'm fine. I just...I have no idea why, but, I'm a little anxious about...well, Mulder." "About seeing him again?" Scully nodded. "Why on earth would you be worried about that?" "I'm concerned that he...what if he's changed his mind? What if we're getting into something he can't handle, and doesn't want?" Maggie looked at her incredulously. "You think he doesn't want you?" "No. Not exactly, but...Mom, Mulder and I were just partners until a few weeks ago. He knew I was dying and maybe he thought it would make me happy if...we were more intimate. What if he just got involved because he..." She trailed off and glanced out of the window. "You think he started sleeping with you because he felt sorry for you, because he thought he was granting you a dying wish?" "Something like that." "That's ridiculous. He genuinely cares for you Dana, and if you can't see that I don't know what to say to you." "I'm not saying he doesn't care about me. I'm saying that maybe things went further with us, because of certain circumstances, than he intended they should go. I mean, he was happy to be just my friend and partner. He never gave any real indication that he wanted more. And now, well, maybe he doesn't know how to tell me that he's made a mistake." "Dana, Mulder's more direct than that. If he wanted out, you'd know by now." "Its just, the past few weeks, since the day I got my sight back, he seems to have been pulling away from me." "He had things to do. He had to take Samantha to meet her real mother, and then he had to go back to Washington to face that committee." "What about last weekend? He could have come up to visit me then." "Samantha moved to D.C. He wanted to help her find an apartment. Dana, he's called you every day." Scully nodded. "Only to ask me how I am, and to talk about work." Maggie waved a hand in the air. "This is ridiculous, I'm not going to talk about it anymore. The man loves you." Scully swallowed. "Really, then why has he never told me that?" Maggie arched an eyebrow at her. "Have you ever told him?" **************** Continued in part 11 **************** Just in case you get the overwhelming urge to comment I can be found at: caroline.o@virgin.net Armistice (11a/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan caroline.o@virgin.net Do NOT post to ATXC Rating: NC-17 Category: MSR/adventure/mythology Summary: Mulder discovers clues to the circumstances behind his sister's disappearance, whilst Scully battles fatal illness. Disclaimer: Oh, do I have to? Okay - nobody belongs to me - nuff said! Spoilers: Lots and lots - all the way up to Small Potatoes (although in this universe Gethesmane has not yet happened.) IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a continuation of an earlier story 'The Lure of the Fox' in which Mulder and Scully became lovers. Dana Scully's apartment Washington D.C. July 25th, 1997 6.26 p.m. Mulder adjusted the cutlery on Scully's kitchen table for the twentieth time and looked around him, just in case he'd left anything out of place. The whole apartment looked spotless, but he was well aware that Scully was somewhat house proud. What looked fine to him, could look messy to her. He knew he was nervous about her homecoming. He'd tried to keep his anxiousness at bay by keeping busy, but when Maggie had called from the airport to tell him they'd landed safely and were on their way back, he'd gone into panic mode. He'd taken a shower, despite having only had one that morning. He'd checked on the dinner twenty times and had vacumed the carpets until he'd started to grow concerned that he was making them threadbare.. He had hated having to leave her in hospital on the Vinyard, but he'd had so many other things to do. The reunion between his mother and Samantha had been somewhat strained, with his mother refusing to accept that her daughter had returned so suddenly. Then, the FBI had announced an inquiry into the shooting of Assistant Director Skinner and he'd been called back to testify, and then Samantha had arrived in D.C. wanting to rent an apartment close by his so that they could get to know each other better. Although, he had his suspicions that there was another man that Samantha also wanted to be close to. He had done what was expected of him, but at the same time, he had yearned to be with Scully. He'd wanted to help nurse her back to health, see her get stronger every day, and drive her crazy by hovering over her every minute. He heard a car pull up on the street outside and went to the window. He saw Scully climb out of a cab, and smoothed his shirt down before going to the door. He waited in the hall until he saw Scully climb the last of the stairs and turn the corner. She smiled at him and he knew he was grinning like an idiot back at her. Maggie was behind her daughter, carrying the few belongings that she had brought from the Vineyard in her carry-on bag. "Hi." "Hi. This is a surprise, I didn't expect you to be here." Mulder winked at Maggie. "Well, your Mom and I agreed that you should have someone to welcome you home. But I'm not the only surprise." "Oh no." "Nope. Close your eyes." She did as instructed, but he put his hand over them as well, anxious for an excuse to touch her; to assure himself that she was safe, well, and back with him. He guided her in through the open apartment door, concerned for a moment that she wouldn't appreciate pretending to be blind, so soon after the loss of that sense had almost been permanent for her. She didn't seem to mind though. He pulled his hand away when he'd led her into the middle of the living room. "Okay, you can open them now." "I'm not sure I want to. What does a Mulder surprise entail?" She opened them anyway, and looked around the apartment expecting to see someone or something she didn't recognise. When everything seemed in place and there was no-one to be seen, she turned to him, hoping for a clue. "So what do you think?" Not sure what to do, she wandered over to the dining area. "You cooked. That's wonderful Mulder, thank you. The table looks great." He waved an arm in the air. "Well, Samantha cooked, I just slipped it in the oven. I meant what do you think of this place Scully?" She looked around again, hoping to spot something she'd missed on her first inspection. "Well, it looks a lot cleaner than I left it." He sighed. "Sorry Mulder. You're going to have to help me out here." He looked a little embarrassed. "I decorated for you. You know, before we got tangled up in that case in Brakespeare with the little girls, you were going to decorate? Seeing as I dragged you away before you got the chance, I figured I'd do it for you." "Oh." Her hand flew up to her face to stifle a smile. Mulder looked around at Maggie, who was standing at the door watching them, but she merely shrugged. "What's so funny Scully?" "Mulder, when I said I was going to decorate, I meant that I was going to have a something different. Not just re-paint it." "Ah heck, I'm sorry." "No, it's okay. I just decided I like it fine like this anyway." He shook his head and she knew that he felt like he'd failed. "I should have asked you. I just assumed..." She went over to him and laid a hand on his arm, looking up into his face. He gazed down at her, warmed by the enticing dark blue of her expressive eyes and fascinated, as always, by her soft, full mouth "Mulder. It was a really nice thought. Thank you." He nodded. Maggie put Dana's bag on the couch. "Well, I'd better be going. The cab's ticking away." Scully went over and hugged her mother. "I'll see you later?" Nodding, Maggie patted her back. "I'll come over tomorrow and see how you're doing. See you later Fox." "Bye Mrs Scully." "Don't keep her up till late, she has to rest." Scully rolled her eyes as she saw her mother out. Maggie kissed her and left. Leaning against the closed door, Scully looked up with a mixture of anticipation and awkwardness at Mulder. "Did your mother just tell me to get you into bed?" She smiled and shook her head. "I'm not sure." Mulder recognised the tension in the room, and he wasn't sure how to break it. He could either drag her into his arms and kiss her, or try to his best to make her comfortable. Before he could make up his mind, she shrugged off her jacket. "So when's dinner?" "30 minutes." "I have time to take a bath then?" "Sure." She nodded and he watched her make her way past him towards the bathroom, trying not to focus on the way her hips swayed in her jeans, or the snug fit of her t-shirt around her breasts. "Hey Scully, don't forget to slip into something more comfortable." She didn't respond and he began to sense that something was wrong. She was troubled for some reason. He just hoped that it wasn't because of him, or anything he had done. Dana Scully's apartment Washington D.C. July 25th, 1997 6.50 p.m. She watched him from the entrance to her kitchen, as he ladled the rich sauce over the dinner. Taking in the long lean legs, the neat backside and the skinny waist that spread out to a broad chest. She sighed to herself, knowing that she had things to say to him, and that she hadn't yet worked out how to say them. Afraid, in all the scenarios that she had configured in her mind, that he would react badly. If she blurted out simply that she loved him, would he turn and run, afraid of her feelings and of the intimacy? If she asked him where their future lie would he be frightened that she wanted a commitment he couldn't give? If she asked him how he felt for her, would he ruin her promised happiness, by telling her that he was 'fond' of her, or that she was his 'friend'? She sighed heavily, and the sound must of surprised him because he jumped and turned. She smirked and crossed to him. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." He turned and smiled down at her. "Quick bath." She nodded, wanting to wrap her arms around him, but feeling strangely reluctant to do so. He bent forward and kissed her forehead. "How you feeling?" She chuckled and bent her head. "If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked that question recently I'd need never go back to the FBI again." "Sorry. I just want to know how you are." "I know, but I'm okay. I really am. Still a little tired at times, and I sometimes find it hard to believe that I've been cured, but I'm getting there." He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Yeah." He bent his head to kiss her and she accepted it, despite the doubts that still clouded her mind. The first kiss was chaste, the second more passionate and the third didn't seem to end for a long, long time. She revelled in it, the taste of him, and the feel of him as she ran her hands up the front of his chest and gloried in the heat that was emanating from the skin underneath his shirt. He pulled her even closer, his hands on her ass and she felt his erection through his jeans. To hell with her fears about the future, she suddenly wanted nothing more than to enjoy the present. She broke the feverish kisses and looked up into his eyes. "Will it keep?" He looked at her in arousal and confusion. "Huh?" "Dinner?" He nodded. "We can heat it up later." She kissed him quickly and took hold of his hand, to lead him into the bedroom. He held back. "Scully, you just got out of the hospital." "Mulder didn't I just get through telling you I was fine?" Mulder followed her into her bedroom. It was dark, apart from the light that filtered in from the living room. She surprised him by kicking down the sweatpants that she'd been wearing and then lifting her t-shirt over her head, and standing in front of him in nothing but her underwear. He couldn't move for a long while whilst he drank in the sight of her. All the dips and curves that made her so female and so desirable. His desire eventually drove him onwards and he stepped closer to touch her. She backed away and climbed onto the bed. "Why don't you take off a few clothes Mulder?" He smiled at her, realising that she had bared her upper torso to him for the first time. That she no longer was frightened of him seeing her back, and that the bruises she had worn must have faded. His jeans became painfully restrictive and so he undid the zipper and button and pulled them down, noticing that Scully was sitting cross-legged Indian style on the bed watching him. He grinned at her as he pulled his socks off and threw them aside. "Enjoying the view Agent Scully?" "Oh yeah." He pulled his t-shirt off. "You've seen me naked before." "Seeing someone naked and seeing them strip for you are two entirely different things." He followed her gaze down to the tight jersey boxers he wore. He considered them an annoying barrier. He didn't want anything next to his skin but her. He tucked his thumbs in the waistband and drew them quickly off, throwing them at her. They landed on her face and she threw herself back on the bed, laughing. He delighted in the sound and climbed onto the bed, covering his body with hers. She drew up a hand to toss his shorts aside and then brought his mouth down on hers by tugging the back of his neck. His erection was pressing against the supple flesh of her thigh and he couldn't help but grind his hips into her. But he remembered the promise he had made to himself. Last time they had made love, she hadn't climaxed and he'd sworn that the next time he took her in his arms he'd make her whimper, moan and cry out for a release, that he'd give to her selflessly, ignoring his own needs, until hers had been met. He shuffled his hips so that he was no longer against her, and began to plant kisses down her throat. Her hands sought their way along his back. He drew away and caught her wrists. Surprised, she stared into his eyes for an explanation. "Just let me, Scully. I want to...this time is about you." She shook her head. "No. It's about us." "Please. There's things I want, I need to do to you, for you." He didn't wait for her acquiescence, but placed his mouth on her right breast. Flicking his tongue across her nipple, through the material of her bra. Scully suddenly regretted having left her underwear on, she wanted to be rid of it. Now. She squirmed under his ministrations and was glad when he left her momentarily to undo the front clasp on the bra and spread it aside so he could suck her nipple into his mouth. She gasped in pure delight and sucked in another breath when one of his hands came up to capture her other breast. She didn't know how many times she had dreamt or fantasised about Mulder touching her in this way, but she knew that the reality was far better than any dream had ever been. Then, his mouth travelled further down. Licking and kissing his way south over her ribcage and onto her stomach. He circled his tongue around her belly button and she smiled up at the ceiling before her eyes drifted shut. "Oh Lord." Mulder replied in an incredibly bad English accent. "Yes m'lady." She chuckled. "I wasn't talking to you." He continued to plant light kisses on her stomach as his hands moved down to stroke her strong thighs. "So, if you start shouting 'God' later, that won't be directed at me either?" His thumbs were drawing circles on her inner thighs, getting closer and closer to her apex. She sucked in a breath. "Keep doing what you're doing and I might rise you to the position of my own personal deity." "You're already my deity Scully, and you don't have to do a thing, just let me worship you." "Mmmm." He left her suddenly and her eyes flew open. "Turn over." "Mulder please." "Turn over." She did so reluctantly, cursing that he had stopped doing what had been giving her so much pleasure, but also in sweet anticipation of what else he might have in mind. He kissed her between her shoulder blades and then ran his tongue down the length of her spine. His hand ran over the lace that covered her ass and then he stopped. She froze too, instinctively knowing what had halted him. He was studying her tattoo. She held her breath, coming down from the high he had placed her on, and sinking in fear. He voice was wary, high-pitched. "Mulder?" "I never saw it properly before. Just photographs." She remembered that the two times that they had made love, she had kept her back covered, because of the ugly bruises that had adorned it. She almost wished she had done the same now. "Mulder. It wasn't about him. He's not why I had it done. It was about me, and about you in a way. He was just there at the time." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "It's okay Scully. I was hardly a monk either." "I didn't sleep with him." His eyes flew up to hers and she hoped he recognised the truth in them. "No?" "No, but..." She looked down at the pillow again. "I wanted to. He stopped it. I'm not sure whether it was because he recognised he was acting violently and was afraid he'd hurt me, or perhaps he saw that I would have been using him. That I didn't care for him. That he would have been a substitute for someone else." He laid his body on top of hers. His penis pressing into her behind and his mouth alongside her ear. "A substitute for me?" "No, for Mel Gibson." She turned her head and rolled her eyes at him. "Of course for you Mulder." "That's all Marita was as well." "So what was it like making love to an alien Mulder?" He caught the playful tone in her voice and was relieved to find that she didn't think any less of him for falling into his informant's arms. He amended her slightly. "I think you mean, what was it like having sex with an alien? Well, it was, like....Having sex with an alien." He left her again and stripped her off her last remaining item of clothing and then came to lay on top of her again. Pressing himself against her so that his erection lay in the groove of her backside. For a moment he forgot his original intentions and considered just raising her up onto her knees and pushing into her from behind. Somehow, he managed to reign in his desire and settled for a quick thrust of his hips against her ass. She made gave a small muffled moan into the pillow. "I like your tattoo Scully." She was aroused to the point of dizziness and wondered how long she could keep up her half of their bizzare conversation. "You do...ah." She moaned again as he pushed himself against her soft flesh once more. He nodded and nuzzled her neck. "Am I too heavy?" "Nope you feel...just fine." "Good. Yeah, I like your tattoo. In fact I think you should get another one." "Hmm?" "Yeah. I think you should have 'property of Fox Mulder' stamped on your wonderful rear end." "I think you have a thing about my ass Mulder." He wiggled his arm underneath her to grab her by the waist and he turned onto his side, taking her with him so she lay flush long his chest. "I do, yes. It's one of my favourite parts of your body." "Got any other favourite bits?" Her hair had fallen across her face during his manoeuvre, but she couldn't make her arms function enough to brush it back. He did it for her and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, I got a fondness for this part." His hand slipped boldly down her front and slid over the curls at her apex and then onto her wet centre. She gulped in a huge lung full off air and all efforts at talking were abandoned as he began to stroke her with two strong fingers. Her hips were torn between pushing forward into his hand or backwards against his hard flesh. They did both, rocking back and forth between the pleasures. Mulder heard her begin to moan and slipped his hand further down between her thighs, asking her to open her legs, which she did willingly. He slid two fingers into her hot wetness and felt her contract around him as he pulled them in and out of her slowly. All the while, rubbing the ball of his palm against her most sensitive spot. She was breathing heavily and whimpering. He smiled at the knowledge that he had the power to make the indestructible Dana Scully helpless with pleasure. She grew hotter and tighter around his fingers. Her hips thrust furiously and he struggled to concentrate, recognising that he might well come himself, if the soft skin of her rear continued to rub against him so deliciously. Scully was stuck on a knife edge of pleasure. Writhing against his fingers, hand and erection, begging her own body for release. It wouldn't come. She couldn't come. She knew she was trying too hard, wanting it so much that it refused her. She cried out Mulder's name in frustration, not knowing whether or not her body could withstand the onslaught much longer without a climax to turn the sweet pain into bliss. He stroked his fingers harder and she felt herself gradually beginning to slip into the better state of being she craved, and then he left her. His fingers pulled away and he was on his knees. Her eyes fluttered open in time to see him grasp her by the shoulders and lay her on her back. "You...bastard. I was.." The words were lost when he spread her legs and his mouth descended on her. "I...take that...back. Oh my God." His lips kissed her and then they parted, to take the small bundle of nerves where her pleasure was concentrated, into his mouth. He sucked hard and her hips left the bed as she began to pant. "Mulder....yes." His tongue stroked down to her entrance and worked its way inside, slipping in and out, whilst he brought his hand up to play on the part of her that his mouth had abandoned. It was hard to maintain a rhythm while she writhed and thrust against his face, but he managed it by using every single ounce of concentration and mental strength he possessed. She came at last, while crying out to 'Jesus', 'God', 'Mulder' and anybody else who would listen. He grinned as he felt the contraction against his tongue but he didn't stop his ministrations. Instead, while she was revelling in orgasm, he swapped positions and pushed his fingers up into her and began seriously indulging her clitoris with his tongue. "Mulder." She grabbed a fist full of his hair, but he ignored the pain, knowing that she was telling him that he could stop, but he didn't want to. Scully wanted to drag him off her, but she couldn't get him to halt what he was doing. She had come, but he seemed to want to take her there again. She wasn't sure if she could handle it twice. The first had been so intense, a second could be too sweet to bare. But her lips were rocking again anyway, giving in to him; moving of their own accord. She thrashed her head to the side, hoping to clear her mind. The room was spinning wildly. Mulder's mouth seemed to be everywhere, all over her body, but she knew that, in reality, it remained in one place, licking and sucking. Her body was experiencing things she was sure it never had before. Had she ever once felt like she was going to explode and shatter all at the same time? If she had, she didn't remember it. Mulder was taking her somewhere she hadn't been before. She was soaring towards it. She heard a sob float up into the air and realised faintly that it come from her own throat, and then she was there. Right there, but not anywhere. She recognised it, welcomed it and bathed in the light. For a moment, Mulder was there, but then he wasn't and it was all about her. She felt herself slipping away from it, so she cried out, and it brought her back. It was a wonderful place and the next time she began to leave it, she went willingly, but not without regret and an intense feeling of peace. Mulder's mouth was on her again, but this time on her face. He was kissing her face, her cheek, her nose, her mouth. Her eyes fluttered open. He looked a little frightened and the part of her mind that had begun to function again wondered why. "Mulder?" "Why are you crying Scully? Are you okay?" She put a hand up to her face, noticing how heavy her limbs were, and felt her wet cheeks. "I just, I'm..." She was going to say 'fine', but it didn't, in any way, describe what she was feeling. "I think I passed out." He chuckled and kissed her lips. "You didn't pass out. I know you didn't, I was paying close attention. If you had, I would've been really worried." He lay on his side and pulled her to his chest, she noticed he was no longer hard, and looked up into his face. "Mulder?" "I lost it about the same time you did." "I'm sorry." "Don't be. It was pretty pleasurable for me too." She pushed her face into his chest, enjoying the feel of the soft downy hair against her nose and cheeks. "I always thought it was a myth." He lay with one arm around her and the other draped across his forehead. "What?" "Multiple orgasms." He looked down at her until she felt the weight of his stare and looked up at him. He was speechless. "You. I..." She grinned. "Well, I'm not entirely sure, not having had the pleasure before, but that's what it felt like." He looked intensely pleased with himself. "Good huh?" She kissed his left nipple. "Like you wouldn't believe." "Well that's okay then. Because I hope you realise that I wore myself out and that I probably won't be able to summon up the strength to go anywhere near you for at least a month. So that'll have to last you." "I'm hungy Mulder." "Jesus Christ Scully...." She laughed. "Don't panic. I meant that I want something to eat. The other kind of hunger has been entirely sated." ******** Continued in part 11b ********* Armistice (11b/11) by Caroline O'Callaghan ************ Dana Scully's apartment Washington D.C. July 26th, 1997 2.05 a.m. Scully stood by the window in her living room, staring out at the darkness. Clad only in the t-shirt Mulder had discarded earlier, she wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the night chill, and leant her forehead against the window pane. She shouldn't have done it. Given in to the baser desire to have Mulder inside her. She had wanted him so much, she knew, because she had feared it might be the last time. However, it had been wrong to go to bed with him, without first having untroubled her mind and spoken to him. She jumped in surprise when she felt a pair of arms slip around her and pull her backwards. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong Scully?" She shook her head, leaning back against him, despite herself. They'd had such a wonderful evening that she had been reluctant to ruin it with serious talk. They'd eaten dinner and gone straight back to bed to make love. Despite his earlier protests that he hadn't the strength. The image of his hair falling into his dark eyes, as he moved within her desperately, was still strong in her mind. The feeling of him filling her completely, when he had buried himself inside her, was too glorious to forget in a hurry. "Nothing Mulder. Everything's fine. We'll talk tomorrow. Let's go back to bed." He turned her around and stared deep into her eyes. "No. Something's worrying you tonight, so we'll talk tonight. Come on." He took her hand and led her to the couch as if she were a small child. She sat a few inches apart from him, but he shifted to close the gap, and kissed the top of the head. "Spit it out, Scully. Don't forget that I've found new ways of torturing you until you scream." "That kind of torture I can live with." "Tell me what's on your mind." She sighed. "I don't think I can put it into words. I can only tell you what I'm afraid of." He put an arm around her shoulders and held her close. "I didn't think Dana Scully was afraid of anything." She let out a small laugh. "Just of you, and of myself." "Explain." She sighed. "When we first got involved like this Mulder, I was dying. I didn't know how long I had left, and neither did you." He nodded. "What I'm saying is that I think when we got more ...intimate, we weren't thinking as we'd normally be thinking." "So it took possible death to bring us together. What's wrong with that? As long as it was meant to happen, who cares how it happened?" "Mulder. I want you to be honest with me. Don't be afraid of hurting my feelings." "I'd never willingly lie to you Scully." "Okay, then tell me. Would you have taken me to bed that night if I hadn't had cancer?" He tilted his head in curiosity at her. "What are you saying?" "That maybe you've taken our relationship further than you would have had, out of sympathy for me." He laughed out loud. "I can't believe you're saying this after tonight." She stood up, not wanting the distraction of his body heat. "This isn't about sex, its about us. It's more serious than that. I can't help remembering that you told Emily Watson I wasn't your type." "But Scully, that's what I tell everybody about you." Her brow wrinkled in confusion. He stumbled on, eager to assure her. "It's my way of explaining us to other people, or at least, it used to be. I would say that because I didn't want people to think that you stayed with me because we were sleeping together. I wanted them to realise that our partnership was more than that. That you were with the X Files out of respect for the work. I didn't like people thinking you were some kind of lovesick moron who'd do anything for spooky Mulder because you were sharing his bed. It was insulting to you, to your integrity and good reputation. So when anybody asked me whether we were involved, I would say you weren't my type. It seemed to satisfy people." Scully ran a hand through her hair. "But Mulder, when I look at the other women who've been in your life, I'm not in any way similar to them." He grabbed one of her arms and pulled her onto his lap. "No. You could never be. You're unique Scully. You're not like anybody else." Her forehead was still creased with worry and he knew he wasn't saying whatever it was that would ease her concerns, but he didn't know what she expected of him. "Mulder. I'm better now. I'm not dying. The project has ended, we're not in the kind of danger we were in before." He nodded. "That means, that I have a future, and so do you. What I need to know is whether you think our future is together." She took a deep breath. "Because if I go into this with you, I'm going in hard. No half measures. You're either with me all the way or nothing at all." "Scully..." She put a hand up to stop him. "A few weeks ago when we talked about us, you told me that I came second to the search for Samantha. That I'd have to know where your priorities lie, and I understood that. I respected it completely. But Samantha is back with you now. That changes things. Do you remember Mulder, the conversation we had when you dragged me out on that stupid lake to search for Big Blue?" He nodded, a little bemused. "You spoke about how you had always wanted a peg leg, because then people wouldn't expect so much of you. Well, what you don't realise Mulder is that I've granted you allowances because of Samantha. She was your peg leg, and I've allowed you treat me badly in the past because of her. But you don't have that disability now." "So, what are you saying? That I'd better shape up or ship out?" "Something like that. I can't afford to fall for you if I know that you're going to remain the same Fox Mulder that I knew in the past. I'm not expecting you to change overnight, but I want...need more from you." "I can only promise to try my best. My feelings for you are real though Scully, don't doubt them. I wouldn't degrade you by taking you to bed if they were any lesser than I proclaimed them to be, whether you were dying or not." Her eyes met his at last, and his body sagged in relief at the knowledge that he was finally getting through to her. He kissed her forehead and held her tight against his chest. "I'm going in hard as well Scully. No half measures here either." He considered making some kind of sexual innuendo about just how hard he was going into their relationship, but decided against it. "I have all the same fears that you do, believe me, but I don't want to let them get in the way of what we might have. Trust me, please. Trust me on this like you've trusted me in the past and I'll try not to let you down." She buried her face in his neck, knowing that she was close to tears. "Let's get some sleep Mulder. We've got a big meeting tomorrow." He surprised her by standing up with her still in his arms and carrying her towards the bedroom. She arched her eyebrow at him on the way. "Last time I checked I was still in possession of two working legs." "Yeah I checked your legs recently as well Scully. They seem to work fine. But humour me here, I like doing things for you." She kissed his chin as he set her down on the mattress and looked up at him with a glint in her eye. "I like the things you do for me Mulder." "When did you get such a dirty mind Scully?" He laid down on the bed beside her. "It's been in the gutter ever since I met you." He pulled the covers over them and she snuggled up against his chest. He fell asleep almost instantaneously, a rare event for him, but then the kind of peace and contentment he felt was rare for him too. Outside Walter Skinner's office FBI Headquarters Washington D.C. July 26th, 1997 9.36 a.m. Mulder couldn't take his eyes off her, as she sat primly next to him, reading the morning paper with a look that suggested that butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. He knew better. He knew just where that mouth had been that very mourning, when she'd knelt in front of him in the shower and fulfilled one of his more prominent fantasies. He wanted to touch her, and resisting the urge was killing him. His concentration should have been elsewhere. He knew he was going to be facing Skinner any moment to argue for the continuation of the X Files. He noticed that Scully hadn't turned the page of the paper in over ten minutes and wondered if she was having as hard a time keeping her mind on the job as he was. He was relieved when Skinner's secretary eventually looked over at them and requested they. "Go on in." Even so, he still found himself admiring Scully's shapely form, barely hidden by her crisp business suit, as she walked in front of him. Skinner nodded at them both, but he spoke to Scully. "How are you feeling?" "Probably better than you are Sir. I hear that it was a close call." He sat down with a grimace, and Mulder and Scully took chairs opposite him. "It didn't hit anywhere major, thank goodness. I must have a guardian angel when it comes to getting shot because of the X Files." He looked steadily at them both. "I won't beat around the bush. You both know why you're here, and let me tell you that I came back to work several weeks before I should have done to argue for the future of your department." Mulder leaned forward. "And?" "I presented them with the evidence of your case solve rates and fortunately, I'm not the only one in authority in the Bureau who believes that your work is valuable and worthy, and that the two of you make a wonderful team." Scully leaned forward as well. "The X Files are still open?" Skinner nodded. "Yes, but I had to...it wouldn't have been professional of me to argue your case without presenting the full facts. One of the facts is that the two of you have a relationship that goes beyond partnership. Am I right in thinking you're involved?" Scully looked around at Mulder, fearing his response. Would he lie to keep his beloved X Files open? Mulder coughed. "Yes Sir. I know that it's against Bureau policy to have people who are...involved working together. I want to say now that I don't want the X Files without Scully. We work too well together. I couldn't have anybody else work those cases with me. If you're saying that I can have them back, but not our partnership, well then I don't want them back. They wouldn't seem the same to me. If that's the case, transfer me elsewhere and give the department to someone else to run." Skinner looked a little shocked. Scully was speechless and openly stared at Mulder, not caring what Skinner might think. A smile played around the corners of her mouth. She considered getting out of her chair, throwing her arms around him and kissing him senseless. Skinner eventually managed to form a response. "Agent Mulder. I've managed to convince others that you and Agent Scully are professional enough to keep your working lives and your personal lives apart. There's no question of the two of you being forced apart. I think you'd give me far much more trouble than you already do if you didn't have someone of her strength to keep you on a vaguely straight path." Mulder grinned. "Yes Sir, you're probably right about that. So we can go back to work then?" "From next Monday. I want Scully to take some more time off." She snapped out of her Mulder-induced stupor to giver her boss a defiant look. He held up his hand. "Just a week Scully, that's all I'm asking. You're recovering from cancer, give yourself some time. Meanwhile Agent Mulder I want you to report to the VCS temporarily, where they need someone to put together a profile on a particularly nasty sicko, who seems to get a kick out of planting bombs in shelter's for the homeless." Mulder nodded, happy with the situation. He silently agreed that Scully needed further time off, and was glad that he hadn't been the one who'd had to ask her to take it. He glanced at her and was relieved to see that she looked resigned about it. He stood and shook Skinner's hand. "Thank you Sir." "You're welcome Mulder." Scully managed to haul herself out of the chair, still feeling a little shell shocked. She shook Skinner's hand also and he smiled softly at her. It wasn't till they were in the elevator that she managed to say something to Mulder. "I can't believe you did that." "What?" "You would have given it all up, if you couldn't be with me, and have people know that you're with me." "I told you quite a while ago Scully that I wasn't going to hide us from the world. And I meant what I said last night. I know I'm not perfect, but I'd rather shape up, than ship out." She smiled at him. "I want to kiss you." He looked at her in surprise. "Stop it. You're making me blush." The elevator reached the garage and for the first time she realised he was taking her to her car. She stepped out and walked towards it. Feeling light-headed and happy. Mulder may not have professed his undying love, or promised to be with her forever, but what he had done meant so much more. "Mulder, I really want to kiss you." He waggled his finger at her and she wanted to suck on it. "Now, now Agent Scully. You heard what the boss man said. He thinks we're capable of separating our private and professional lives. We have to prove him right or they might drum us out of the Bureau altogether." "It's a parking lot Mulder. Don't you remember how you get in parking lots?" He grinned. "It's still Bureau territory." "Then let's get out of here." "No you have to get out of here. I have to go see the big cheese in the VCS." She pouted and rummaged in her coat pockets for her keys. Finding them, she unlocked the door. She threw her briefcase over to the passenger side and got in behind the wheel, but before she could close the door, Mulder knelt beside her and put a hand on her knee. "I want to ask you something." She nodded. "I was thinking maybe I could move into your place?" He almost laughed at the shock that registered on her face. It took a lot to catch Scully off-guard. "Samantha is looking for an apartment. She could have mine, if I moved in with you, and well, at the moment I don't think I want to spend a night away from you. What do you think? Say no, if it's too soon for you." "Too soon? After nearly five years with you Mulder, I don't think anything could be considered 'too soon'. I'll go to your place and pack your stuff." He looked around the garage to make sure they were alone and kissed her. His heart lifting at the contact. He broke it with slight regret, but in the knowledge that he would be seeing her in a few hours. She smiled at him and he couldn't remember ever seeing such a sweet expression on her face before. He got to his feet and closed the door. Patting the hood of the car. "Drive safe Scully." He turned and walked towards the elevator to go back to work, but glanced around to find her still sitting in the car staring after him. "Oh, Scully, at my apartment, if you find any of those videos that aren't mine..." She nodded. "I'll dispose of them as I see fit Mulder. I can assure you that you won't have any further need of them." He grinned as he watched her pull away and drive out of the garage. One thought running through his mind like a mantra. 'Jesus Mulder, don't screw this up'. ************** End ************** Armistice - Epilogue Out in the woods in Warrenton, Virginia, a man with a Russian accent looked through the remains of the laboratory, while ordering his men to scour the empty building. They looked for anything that might be of use to their own project. The Americans had failed, they had been discovered and exposed. He considered that it was their lack of discipline and foolish sentimentality that had been their downfall. They had refused to kill their opponents. If they had taken care of the rogue FBI agents years ago and had not had to spend so much time trying to deter them, they might have had better success. Still, their inability only meant that his mission was made easier. He had no illusions that the world was safe from the outside invaders. He would aspire to make an army that could defend his country, even if the rest of the earth's populace died because they failed to take precautions against the coming of dark forces. ************** Okay, that's it - I'm pooped. Phew! I thought it would never end. I know you're all dying to let me know what you thought, so don't be shy and drop me a line at: caroline.o@virgin.net