Title:  Hey Alex

Author:  S.A. Spooky

E-Mail:  saspooky@hotmail.com

Summary:  The sequel to Hey Scully - Joined by Steven 
Koskie and Dale Cooper, Mulder chases 'little grey men' and 
becomes a key player in the conspiracy.  To save the world, 
Mulder and Scully are forced to push their trust in each 
other to the limit.  Special Agent Steven Koskie used with 
permission from O&M

Hey Alex

Please go, Fox.  Krycek pleaded with Mulder.  Get her out 
of here.

Mulder was torn.  He sadly took one last look at Krycek, 
then turned and walked away, holding Scully tightly in his 
arms.  Scully didn't say anything, didn't look back, she 
didn't even have her eyes open anymore.  She was just 
letting Mulder guide her out.

Krycek watched as they walked away.  He was trembling, 
tearing up, feeling his life drain away.  He wasn't 
physically draining away; it was his emotional life that 
was slipping out of his grasp.  The life where he had 
friends, a brother, a son and a family.  It was gone.

Mulder and Scully passed through the door and it closed 
heavily behind them.  A resounding slam announced to Krycek 
that yes, his life was over.  Like the banging of a gavel, 
sentencing him to life in this horrible place.  A life 
without his friends and family.  Without his son.

Oh my God, what have I done, he thought.  Please forgive 
me, Cade.  Please forgive me.

Krycek could feel Scully reaching back to him, begging with 
him to not let this happen.  I can't leave you here, she 
kept saying.

Krycek couldn't answer back. He felt in his heart that he 
would never leave this place again.

He knew they were outside now.  They had reached the Ford 
Expedition.  As Mulder turned the key and the car started 
up, 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamond's' blared from the 
speakers.  Krycek remembered that he had been torturing 
Mulder with his infinite wisdom of the Fab Four.

'Listen to that imagery.'  Krycek said.  'How brilliant is 
that?'

'How brilliant do you have to be when you're tripping on 
LSD?'  Mulder had responded.  'Tangerine tree's and 
marmalade skies?  John and Paul were dropping too many 
tabs.'

Had that just been an hour ago?  Krycek wondered.  It 
seemed like a lifetime away.

'...Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain...Where 
rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies...'

For the rest of their lives, all three of them would never 
be able to endure the song again.

Alex.  Scully reached back to him again.  I can't do this.  
I can't leave you here.

Krycek never answered back.  The second he knew they were 
safely on the road and driving away, he shut his mind down.

'I think you made the right decision, Alex.'  Cancer Man 
stood next to him, blowing smoke in his face.  'If Agent 
Scully had stayed here much longer, I'm afraid she would 
have died.'

Krycek didn't respond.  How many wonderful moments did Dana 
miss out on the beginning of Cade's life because she was 
trapped here?  And now he had traded places with her and 
given away the rest.  He thought of all the tests they were 
going to perform, all the tortures he was going to be 
subjected to.  All the while, he'd be trying not to think 
of his son.  How was Cade going to feel, being without a 
father?

Well, that's not entirely true.  Krycek thought.  Fox will 
most definitely be around.

The years dragged out in front of him as he thought of all 
the birthday's he would miss, all the scraped knees and 
running noses.  All the things he'd wanted to show Cade.  
Teaching him to ride a bike, to surf, to play the piano.  
Krycek closed his eyes and hung his head.

Life suddenly seemed way too long to live.

***

The first thing Mulder did when they got out onto the 
highway was eject the St. Pepper's CD and throw it into the 
back seat.  He didn't think he'd ever be able to listen to 
that damn song again.

Mulder kept glancing at Scully as she slept in the 
passenger seat on the way back to Maggie's house, half 
expecting her to vanish in front of his eyes any second 
now.  After driving away from the base, she had pretty much 
cried herself to sleep.  He knew she had to be tired, both 
physically and emotionally.  Leaving Krycek behind was hard 
enough on him; he couldn't imagine how it must have felt to 
her.

'Mulder?'  She had asked softly through her tears.

He looked over at her.  'Yeah?'

Scully stared straight out through the windshield.  'My 
child?'

Mulder suddenly realized that she had never even seen him.  
'Cade.'

'Cade.'  She whispered.  'Christopher Cade.'

'Yes.'  Mulder said softly.  'He wants to go by Cade.  He 
told Krycek there were already too many kids named Chris.'

Scully put a shaking hand over her face and settled back 
into the chair, nestling against the door and resting her 
head against the window. Eventually she had fallen asleep, 
choosing not to talk about anything just yet.

Mulder put his hand on her leg, trying to offer some 
support.  He was glad she was sleeping.  He needed time to 
process.  He had seen some really ugly days in his life, 
but he was sure that this was, without a doubt, the most 
hideous morning he had ever lived through.

Mulder learned that he had been working with the enemy all 
along, as Krycek had warned, part of some hideousness that 
had been responsible for Scully's 'death' all these years.  
Not five minutes later, his brother had murdered his ex-
wife right in front of his eyes.  He had slit her throat 
without hesitation, without regret, so angered at all that 
Scully had been subjected to.

Not only did he feel failure at having to leave Krycek 
behind with Cancer Man; Mulder was ashamed at his own 
uselessness during the whole fiasco.  He usually wasn't one 
to stand idly by and watch the scene unfold, but that's 
pretty much how he had been for the past few hours.  It was 
a good thing that Krycek had decided to make everyone's 
decisions for them because with all the confusion that spun 
through Mulder's head, they'd probably still be standing in 
there.

He was beginning to believe that Krycek had known exactly 
what was going to happen and had taken Mulder just to make 
sure that someone would get Scully out.  Krycek had known 
that they would trade her for him.  He had also known that 
Scully wouldn't have left him there to rot away.

Mulder sighed to himself.  Not like I just did.

He shook his head and moved onto another touchy subject.  
Two years and a month after her funeral, he's bringing 
Scully back from the dead.  How should they handle this 
one?  What should they say?  What should they do?  Skinner, 
the Lone Gunmen, all of Scully's friends and family, not to 
mention Scully's son, all believed she was dead.  Could he 
really just pull into Maggie's driveway, pop out of the car 
and walk inside?

Loved Christmas dinner last week, Mrs. Scully.  Oh, and by 
the way...

***

Scully felt herself climbing out of a foggy haze.  
Confusion dug its claws into her mind and held on.  How 
long had she been unconscious?  Where was she?  Why was 
this pain winding through her skull?  She raised her head 
up and winced as a horrible jolt sliced through her brain.  
She gave it a couple of minutes, then tried again.  She was 
lying on a cot in a tiny room made entirely of metal.  
Steel, maybe.  There were no windows.  There was only a 
door, but no handle on the inside.  It was like being in a 
can.

Scully tried to sit up, pausing halfway to fight off a wave 
a nausea.  Where was she?  She tried to calm down and began 
to sift through fragments of memories that were coming back 
to her...Bellefleur, Oregon...Mulder was gone...She had 
been in the hospital...A vegetarian café and Alex 
Krycek...Her hands flew down to her flat belly as she 
looked down.  The baby.

She was flinging pumpkin innards all over the 
kitchen...Mulder giggling like a kid at the dinner table... 
Langly whipping up a batch of margarita's...Krycek dancing 
around like a fool while the Red Hot Chile Pepper's played 
on the radio...What the hell was going on?

Her Mom was staring at her with concern while she sat on 
the couch, feeling the baby move...Mulder hugging her on 
the beach under a full moon while she cried in 
confusion...Krycek staring sadly down at her in the morning 
sunrise, his surfboard tucked under his arm... The two of 
the arguing over her best interests as she stood in the 
doorway...What the hell?

The pain, cutting into her stomach...The fear of the tiny 
mind within her blasting into her head.  Scully jerked. Oh 
my god, where was her baby?

She remembered Krycek leaping over the bed as she doubled 
over in pain.  She remembered Mulder running out to call 
911.  She remembered being carried up the stairs and laid 
down on the couch.  She remembered Mulder slapping Krycek 
hard across the face while her Mom and the Lone Gunmen 
stood behind the two of them...

She set her feet down on the cold, metal floor and waited 
for the dizzy feeling to pass.

Krycek had ridden with her to the hospital.  He had been 
just about useless.  He kept trying to reassure her, kept 
trying to soothe her and the baby.  But all he managed to 
do was convey his own terror and helplessness.  After a few 
minutes, he pulled his mind away and just held her hand 
like a normal person would.

She had been reaching out to Alex in the hospital, hoping 
that he would hear her.  Something was wrong.  She had 
sensed the deceit, sensed the evil in the operating room, 
even though she was only half-conscious.

'Why don't we just take the child?'  A female had hissed.

'We don't know how strong it will be.'  She recognized that 
voice and it made her shudder.  'If we tell Krycek that 
they are both dead and he senses the child later, 
everything will go to hell.  She has the anti-agent we 
need.  That is enough for now.'

Alex, please help.  She was reaching out to him, hoping 
he'd sense her fear.  She could feel him trying to reach 
back, letting her know that he could hear her, that he was 
on his way.  Scully tried to stay awake through the pain, 
but she was fading fast.  She sensed people moving her way 
and opened her eyes to see Spender and Fowley looking down 
at her.

'Do you think she'll make it?'  Fowley asked.

'Just do what you need to in order to make sure that Krycek 
thinks she's dead.'  Spender blew out smoke and backed 
away.  'And take care of the baby.'

Scully gathered what strength she had left and screamed 
Alex's name with every ounce of her being.

'Scully!'

Mulder was shaking her leg and she jerked awake.

'What?'  Scully was confused.

'You screamed.'  Mulder said softly.  'Almost made me run 
off the road.'

'Sorry.'

He eyed her with concern.  'Bad dream?'

'Bad memory.'  She replied while rubbing her face and 
gazing out the window.  'We going to my Mom's?'

'Yes.'  Mulder said, turning right onto Maggie's street.  
'Cade's here.'

Scully looked out at Maggie's house as they pulled to a 
stop in front of it.  She whispered something intelligible.

'What, Scully?'  He asked her.

She turned to look at Mulder, as she opened the door, her 
eyes wide, her face alive.  'I can feel him.'

Mulder got out of the car and walked around as the front 
door opened and Cade ran out, Maggie not too far behind, 
trying to stop him.

Scully took a couple of steps then fell to her knees, 
unable to walk anymore at the sight of this beautiful, two 
year old boy that was running towards her, and Cade flew 
into her arms.

***

'He just kept telling me that you were coming.'  Maggie 
said, her eyes red and swollen from the tear's she'd shed.  
'He said that Alex was going to bring you home.'

They'd been sitting around the table for hours.  Cade 
wouldn't budge from her lap and she just hugged him, 
resting her head on top of his.  Scully couldn't respond to 
any question about where she'd been or what had happened.  
She was afraid that if she opened her mouth to speak, she'd 
find herself incapable of coherent speech.  She was afraid 
she'd burst into tears all over again.  Her Mom never 
directly asked about Alex, she just mentioned his name 
every now and then, hoping that one of them would 
elaborate.  Neither of them did and that seemed bad news in 
itself.

'Daddy had to go with the bad man.'  Cade said, looking at 
Maggie with his big, blue eyes.  'Daddy had to go so Mommy 
could come home.'

Maggie looked between Mulder and Scully, looking confused.  
'What man?'

Cade looked at Mulder.  'Daddy's a good guy, not like that 
other man.'

Mulder was surprised to suddenly find himself on the verge 
of tears.

'What man?'  Maggie asked again.

Neither of them responded and just stared at each other 
over Cade's head.

'The smoking man.'  Cade said, then turned to look up at 
Scully.  'He's a bad man, Mommy.'

'Yes.'  Scully said softly against Cade's head, her tears 
falling into his hair.  'A very bad man.'

Scully woke the next morning and was confused to find 
herself in the guestroom of her mom's house and not 
surrounded by steel.  Not to mention her surprise at the 
little boy curled up next to her.

She smiled as she stared at him.  At his face, his lips, 
his nose.  He looked so much like Alex, but she could see 
herself too.  She couldn't believe he was hers.  She 
couldn't believe she was a mother.  She couldn't believe 
she had missed out on so much.  His first words, his first 
step, his first birthday.  Not to mention how much Cade had 
missed out on having a Mother.  Now he was missing his 
father.

Cade opened his eyes and looked at her.

'Good morning.'  Scully whispered, smiling at him.

'Good morning, Mommy.'  He replied solemnly.

They stared at each other, Scully basking in the glow of 
her child's love.  Cade seemed sad, which she guessed 
wasn't unusual for a boy who'd just lost his father.  She 
backed her train of thought up.  'Lost' seemed like such a 
permanent word.

'When is Daddy coming home?'

Scully hesitated and swallowed before answering.  She hated 
the thought of what Krycek was going through right now and 
didn't want to cry in front of Cade.  'I don't know, 
sweetheart.'  She said softly.

'You can cry, Mommy.'  Cade said, putting one of his small 
hands on her arm.  'I miss him too.'

Tears hovered in her eyes and threatened to fall.  She 
cleared her throat and attempted to push Krycek out of her 
mind for now.  Any thought of him was destined for 
depression.

'Whaddaya say we go see what's going on out there?'  She 
asked, smiling at her son.  'I can smell the coffee so I'm 
betting that Grandma's up.'

They walked into the kitchen together to find Maggie and 
Mulder sitting at the kitchen table, having a cup of 
coffee.  They both smiled brightly at her and Cade ran over 
to hop up Maggie's lap.

'Morning, Sunshine.'  Mulder leaned his head back to look 
at Scully as she affectionately ruffled his hair on her way 
by.

She gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek before settling 
in a chair across from Mulder and smiling at him.  'Got a 
cup of that for me, Mister?'

Mulder sighed and plodded towards the coffee maker, giving 
her a look over his shoulder.  She smiled back at him 
before picking up a stack of pictures sitting in the middle 
of the table.  They were of Christmas.

'Are these from last week?'  She asked softly, looking at 
her mom.

Maggie and Mulder exchanged a look as he set a cup of 
coffee in front of Scully.

Family pictures.  It was so odd to see Mulder, Krycek and 
Cade with her family.

Bill had that stupid Santa hat on like he did every year 
and Cade was sitting on his lap.  Matthew and Cade, opening 
up presents together.  Her Mom and Mulder, sitting side by 
side on the couch, laughing at something unseen.  Krycek 
and Mulder, sitting on the fireplace, looking at each 
other, both leaning forward with their elbows on their 
knees.  Mulder was saying something and Krycek was smiling 
back.

Scully stared at the picture for a long time, feeling ill.  
There was a whole life here that she'd been excluded from.  
A lot of times spent laughing and observing her little baby 
becoming a little boy.  Times spent with a family she'd 
never really know because Alex was gone now.  She didn't 
know if she'd ever see the way that Cade and his father 
were together.

'I want to see all the pictures you have.'  She said 
shakily.

'Of course, honey.'  Maggie said.  'We have lot's of tapes 
too.'

Scully cleared her throat and spoke softly as Mulder put a 
hand over hers.  'I want to see everything.'

***

Scully stayed with her Mom for another week before deciding 
she wanted to back to Newport Beach.

She knew her Mom was going to be upset about it.  She could 
sometimes feel her Mom's thoughts as clear as she could 
feel her own.  Maggie loved having them there.  Her house 
had been silent and filled with loneliness the past few 
years before Cade's birth had brightened it up.  Having 
Alex and Cade around had somewhat filled the void's left by 
the death of her husband and two daughters.  Now, she loved 
to watch her daughter and grandson interact with each 
other.  She loved that Mulder was hanging around, spending 
time with the two of them, especially after his long 
absence over the past few years.

Scully could feel how concerned her Mom was for Alex.  She 
assumed that her Mom had tried to fill the void left by her 
'death' with Krycek and Cade.  Alex had probably done the 
same by spending all the time he could with Maggie and the 
rest of her family.  Judging by the pictures that she had 
poured over and the tapes she had seen, they had all shared 
a lot of over the past couple of years.

The tape of Cade's first birthday party had really upset 
her.  Her family was there, Charlie and the Lone Gunmen, 
and Skinner had managed to show up, plus a handful of 
people she had never seen before.  She hadn't seen Mulder 
anywhere.  Seeing that house, in a different time, when she 
was supposed to be dead and her son was celebrating his 
first birthday, cut her deeply.  She had spent some of the 
happiest times of her life there, pregnant and waiting the 
arrival of her child and realizing how important it was to 
have friends and family.

She had learned of this 'insane notion' Alex had in his 
head that life was too short to worry about what everyone 
else thought, that you should do what made you happy.  
After awhile, he had started to rub off on her, and she 
began to see a different Dana Scully.  A Dana Scully that 
wasn't concerned with proving herself to her family or 
friends or the FBI, a Scully that didn't care if she lost 
control and let out an emotion every now and then.  One 
that didn't care that she really didn't know how to dance 
but danced anyway.

One scene in particular had caused her distress and she 
didn't know why.  Whoever had the camera was out on the 
bottom deck of the beach house.  Krycek and Skinner were 
grilling something on the barbecue and her Mom was standing 
next to them, holding Cade.  'Me and Bobby McGee' by Janis 
Joplin was playing and all three of them were singing.

'...Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting for a train...And I 
was feeling near as faded as my jeans...
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained...And 
wrote a song on the way to New Orleans...'

Scully stared at the television in silence.  The surf 
crashed on the shore below, the sun was shining, even in 
late November, and surfers carved the waves in the 
distance.  That had been her home for six months.  It was 
horrible seeing it like this while she had been gone.

Her Mom was swaying back and forth to the music, smiling at 
Cade.  Skinner was fighting with some vegetables on the 
grill, the smoke in his face causing his glasses to steam 
up.  Krycek was leaning over to put his face close to 
Cade's, causing the little boy to laugh and clap.  And they 
were all singing.

'...Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to 
lose...And nothing, it ain't nothin' honey if it ain't 
free...Yeah, feelin' good was easy enough when he sang the 
blues...You know feelin' good was good enough for me...Good 
enough for me and my Bobby McGee...'

Scully had run to the bathroom and thrown up her breakfast.  
She lowered the lid down and sat there on the floor with 
her face pressed against the cold plastic while thoughts 
spun through her mind.

She knew that she and Alex had wanted to raise Cade at the 
beach.  They had wanted Cade to be raised differently then 
they had.  A simple life, growing up with the carefree 
attitude that comes from living next to the ocean.  They 
had wanted Cade to travel, to speak Italian, to see the 
Pyramid's, to play an instrument.  They wanted him to do 
whatever he wanted. Not to be part of the complicated lives 
that the two of them had led, living their lives for 
everyone else and not for themselves.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, she had 
told Mulder that she was going back home.

'Georgetown?'  Mulder had asked with surprise.

Scully shook her head, bracing herself for the unavoidable 
argument.  'Newport Beach.'

Much to her surprise, Mulder nodded.

***

Scully eyed the house warily as they drove up the street.  
From the back seat of the car, Cade seemed somber.  When 
Mulder pulled into the driveway, the three of them sat in 
silence.  Sensing Scully's discomfort, he took her hand and 
glanced over at her.

'You okay?'

Scully looked along the cobblestone walkway, remembering 
the first time she'd walked up it.  This moment didn't feel 
all that different from that time, over two years ago.  She 
closed her eyes and released a breath before smiling over 
at him.

'I'm fine.'

'Of course you are.'  Mulder smiled back before opening his 
door and climbing out of the car.

Scully turned to look at Cade in the back seat.  'You ready 
to do this, sweetheart?'

Cade nodded back slowly, his face solemn.  'Yes, Mommy.'

She smiled back at him for a moment, then unbuckled her 
seat belt and opened her door.  'I don't know if I am.'  
She said softly to herself.  'I guess we'll find out.'

They walked slowly up the driveway, Mulder was waiting for 
them and she silently thanked him again for bringing them 
out here.  He had taken a day to run back to Washington DC 
and run some errands for her.  He also took some time to 
ask Skinner for another week of vacation time.  He didn't 
say why.  They had all decided to keep her return a secret 
for now while they poked and prodded and tried to figure 
out what was going on and what to do about it.

One of the errands she had asked Mulder to do was pay a 
visit to her attorney.  He had returned from there with a 
certified letter that had been sent to her attorney from 
the offices of Edward, Davis and Thompson, one of the most 
reputable law offices in the country.  She had read it 
sitting out on the back deck of her Mom's house and 
remained silent for minutes.  Mulder had asked her if she 
was okay, reached out and touched her shoulder, but she 
didn't respond.  He finally took the letter from her and 
read it himself.  Apparently, a man by the name of Caleb 
Connor had signed his estate over to Dana Scully.

Caleb Connor was an author who wrote under a pseudonym, 
which remain disclosed, of course.  He had made a 
substantial amount of money, was really quite wealthy.  Had 
properties all over the world.  A flat in London, a condo 
in Miami, a house in Seattle, a house on the beach in 
Balboa...

Alex Krycek had covered up the way he made his money very 
well.

Mulder had let his hand fall beside him, had dropped the 
letter and it fluttered to the ground.  He looked across 
the lawn at Scully.  He hadn't even heard her get up and 
walk away.  Krycek had definitely known he wasn't coming 
back.  He had known he'd be trading himself for Scully and 
he'd signed everything he had over to her before he did.

Mulder hated him all over again.

His hate for Krycek wasn't spawned by his normal anger at 
the man.  He hated Krycek for a number of reasons.  One 
reason being because Mulder actually found himself liking 
him, when he was always so desperate to hate him.  Scully, 
Skinner, even the Lone Gunmen had talked about how Krycek 
had changed.  Krycek wasn't evil; Krycek wasn't a cold-
blooded murderer.  He had an uncanny sixth sense, he 
possessed unbelievable powers, he could speak every 
language, play every instrument, he could surf, he was 
Taoist, he danced, he didn't care what everyone thought of 
him, he had a wonderful sense of humor, blah, blah, blah.

Mulder had never figured they'd actually be right and he'd 
be wrong.  That was another reason he hated him.

Two years after Scully's 'death', Mulder had sought him 
out, believing he was finally ready to set eyes on the man 
that had torn down the foundation of his beliefs.  Mulder 
never figured he'd end up liking Krycek as much as he did.  
Then Krycek had found Scully, traded himself for her, and 
saved the day.

Another reason Mulder hated him.  Not only had he saved the 
day like Mulder couldn't, but he'd abandoned Mulder like 
everyone else in his life did.  Just when he'd decided to 
let Krycek in, he left.  What was the point in caring in 
the first place?

Mulder remembered back to the first time he'd made a 
valiant attempt to hang on to his hatred of Krycek.  They 
had been out on the lower balcony at the beach house, just 
getting over a fit of laughter.  They'd been suggesting 
various ways to get the Scully family to hate Krycek and 
really irritate Bill in the process.  They had laughed 
together and had almost felt like friends.

'You know Mulder,' Krycek looked out over the ocean and 
took a drink of his beer.  'You should have fun more often.  
You spend so much time working, running around chasing the 
bad guys, which may or may not be the bad guys, and you 
miss out on what's most important.'

Mulder shrugged.  'Depends on what you think is important.  
I think exposing heinous crimes against an innocent, 
American society is pretty important.'

'But you're alienating everyone while you do it.  You're 
missing your life.  You're missing yourself.'

Mulder shook his head.  'I believe that what I'm looking 
for will explain what I've been missing.'

Krycek looked at him closely.  'I believe that what you're 
missing is in that house, upstairs.  You're life is right 
in front of your eyes and you ignore it.  You're going to 
suddenly find yourself old and all alone and still chasing 
conspiracies.'

Mulder remained silent and Krycek turned to face him.  'You 
know who you remind me of?  Running around, never having 
time for anyone or anything else.  Mindlessly dedicated on 
working for a cause that really has no meaning to anyone.  
You know who you'll turn into if you're not careful?'

Mulder stared back at Krycek, trying not to appear too 
concerned with what he was saying.  'Who's that?'

'Our father.'

That's the biggest reason Mulder hated Krycek.  Because he 
was always right.

Making people laugh was easy for Krycek, making friends was 
easy for Krycek; acting like a fool was easy for Krycek.  
How he got away with making idiocy a personable trait, 
Mulder would never know.  All he knew was that everything 
was easy for Krycek.

'Mulder?'  Scully asked.

'Huh?'  Mulder was jolted out of his reverie.

She looked at him meaningfully.  'What are you doing?'

One look at her face told Mulder she knew exactly what he'd 
been doing.  That he'd been thinking about Krycek and how 
much he'd disliked him then.  Back then?  Maybe he still 
did.  He gave a small shake of his head.  'Nothing, I'm 
sorry.'

Scully looked at him strangely before turning her attention 
to Cade.  He was looking back at Mulder oddly.  She 
suddenly realized with horror that he could probably sense 
everything that Mulder was feeling.

'You okay, Sweetheart.'  She asked him.

Cade nodded, frowning at Mulder.  'Yes, Mommy.'

The kid's lower lip was pouted out just like Scully's was 
when she was unhappy with him. Mulder felt like an ass.  
Cade probably knew everything that went on in Mulder's 
mind.  He was special, after all.  The son of Scully and 
Krycek, the new hope for the future...

A thought suddenly flew into Mulder's head.  A thought he'd 
never had before, something he'd never even realized.  Cade 
was related to him.

Mulder suddenly began to view Cade in a whole new light.

He'd always thought of Cade as Scully's son, as Krycek's 
son.  He'd never even entertained the thought that Cade was 
the son of his brother.  Of course, in order for that to be 
true, he'd have to accept Krycek as his brother, which he 
hadn't, and probably wouldn't.

Mulder eyed the little boy a little more closely.

Cade held onto Scully's hand as they walked into the foyer.  
She took a moment to survey the living room, the dining 
room...She was okay so far and decided to venture a bit 
deeper.

Mulder stayed a good distance behind, wanting to give them 
some space.  Wanting to give himself space after his 
realization.

Scully frowned.  Something was missing.  A small question 
popped into her head.  'Cade, honey?'

'Ashley has Stout.'  Cade responded to a question she never 
voiced.

'The girl next door?'  Scully asked softly and Cade nodded 
in response.

A memory suddenly popped into Scully's head.  She had gone 
out front with Krycek to greet the Lone Gunmen.  He had 
been surfing, and was in his wet suit, soaked in salt 
water.  The girl next door had walked by with her fragile-
looking miniature greyhound, not bothering to hide her eyes 
as they wandered over Krycek.  Even Scully had to admit 
that Alex did look good in a wet suit.

Scully smiled and nudged him.  'Ashley's checking you out 
again.'

Krycek shrugged with a modest look on his face as he 
glanced down at Scully.  'Well, you know, all the girlie's 
say I'm pretty fly.'

'For a white guy.'  She and Langly sang back.

Scully burst out laughing into the silence.  She realized 
that both Cade and Mulder were staring at her.  Regaining 
her composure, she looked over at Mulder.  'You want to go 
next door and get Stout?'

Mulder shrugged.  'Sure.'

'I wanna go.'  Cade said.

'Come on, big guy.'  Mulder held out a hand as Cade walked 
up to him and took it.

Scully watched the two of them walk out of the house before 
slowly venturing down to the bottom level of the house.  
She cast an eye over the silent rec room.  How many parties 
had been held down here?  How many good times had they had?  
How many good times that she wasn't a part of?

Scully ignored that thought and instead walked over to the 
stereo.  Music had always been wafting through the rooms 
and the silence made the place appear sadder than it 
already was.  It just didn't seem like home unless some 
sort of music was occupying the house with them.  She 
turned it on and watched as the CD's spun around in their 
random mode before stopping.

'...They made up their mind, and they started 
packing...They left before the sun came up that day...
An exit to eternal summer slacking...But where were they 
going without ever knowing the way...'

'The Way' by Fastball cranked out and Scully smiled.  She 
and Krycek had joked about that song.  They had listened to 
it on their cross-country trip to California, swearing it 
had been written about the very drive they were taking.  
Eternal summer slacking, yes indeed.

'...They just drove off and left it all behind them, but 
where were they going without ever knowing the way...'

Scully threw open the French doors and walked onto the 
deck.  The same view from so many times before greeted her 
and she welcomed it.  The blues skies, the salty air, the 
ocean breeze, the crashing surf...

'...You can see their shadows wandering off 
somewhere...They wont make it home, but they really don't 
care...They wander the highway, they're happier there 
today...Today...'

Scully smiled.  She was definitely happier now that she was 
home.

She stayed out on the deck until the song ended.  She knew 
she had to wander the rest of the house, but she was 
putting it off.  The CD player rotated again and 
'Comfortably Numb' began to play.

'...Hello...Is there anybody in there...Just nod if you can 
hear me...Is there anyone home...'

Pink Floyd was Krycek's favorite band.  The Wall was his 
favorite album.  She had heard every song on it about a 
thousand times.

'...Relax...I need some information first...Just the basic 
facts...Can you show me where it hurts...'

Krycek had told her that when he listened to Pink Floyd, it 
seemed like they were talking to him.

'...There is no pain, you are receding...A distant ship, 
smoke on the horizon...You are only coming through in 
waves...Your lips move, but I can't hear what you're 
saying...'

Scully sighed and walked up to the second floor, stopping 
in front of her bedroom.  She slowly opened the door and 
stared inside.  It was exactly as she'd left it.  She 
stepped inside, feeling really weird knowing it had been 
over two years since she'd been here.  It felt like she'd 
never left.

This song in particular reminded her of Alex.  He said it 
was how he had felt growing up as a teenager.

'...I can't explain...You would not understand...This is 
not how I am...I have become comfortably numb...'

Scully finally left the doorway and walked over to her 
closet.  The hinges squeaked as she opened the door.  
Everything was still in there, just as she'd left it.  She 
sighed again and made her way over to her dresser.  All her 
family pictures were still there.  The picture of her and 
Mulder at the FBI Christmas party years ago was still 
there.  The picture of Krycek and Langly was still there.  
Scully smiled to herself, remembering when she had taken 
that picture.  It was taken from behind, while she'd been 
standing on the deck.  Krycek and Langly were sitting on 
the sand in wet suits, a surfboard on either side of them, 
staring out at the waves.  Langly was pointing at something 
and Stout was stretched out behind them, basking in the 
sun.

'...Okay...Just a little pin prick...There we go boy...But 
you may feel a little sick...Can you stand up...I do 
believe it's working good...'

She opened all of the windows and the doors leading out to 
her deck to let the room air out.

Cade's room was completely different than the last time 
she'd seen it.  Back when she and Alex were decorating it, 
the theme had been Winnie the Pooh.  Now it was all redone 
in Star Wars.  Scully noticed that the picture of when they 
were first remodeling it was still hanging on the wall.

When everyone had come over for a BBQ during Labor Day 
weekend, they had a decorating party. Her Mom was there, 
and the Lone Gunmen were there.  Bill had shown up.  A 
couple of neighbors that they'd become friendly with had 
offered to pitch in.  They had wanted Cade to see them 
preparing his room for his arrival.  They had taken lots of 
pictures, but this one was by far the funniest one in the 
bunch.

Everyone had painted and assembled furniture and basically 
just made a big huge mess of each other after getting in a 
paint fight like a bunch of kids.  The picture had been 
taken while everyone was smashed against the far wall as 
Krycek ran back to beat the timer on the automatic picture-
taker.  He had practically fallen into the group and 
knocked everyone down.  She had paint all over her face and 
had pressed her left cheek against Krycek's face as he had 
grabbed her arm to keep from falling.  They were all 
laughing hysterically.  That's the reason they chose that 
picture to commemorate Cade's first room.  They were all so 
happy.  Mulder hadn't been there that time, again.  But by 
then, she'd almost been used to it.

Scully walked out of Cade's room to see Krycek's door open 
across from it.  She stared at the doorway, remembering the 
last time she had stood there, listening to Krycek and 
Mulder argue over what was best for her.

'Mulder, you live all the way across the country.'  She 
heard Krycek say.  'You haven't called, you haven't been 
out to visit until now.  It's been six months.  Six months, 
Mulder.  You don't think she hasn't questioned your 
relationship?'

'I did what I thought was right.'  Mulder said softly.

'And I'm doing the same.'  Krycek replied.

Scully had moved closer to the door and looked inside to 
see Krycek throwing things into a suitcase as Mulder 
watched.  'I thought Scully was the only person you've ever 
really cared about?  I thought you wouldn't lose her 
because of me.'

Krycek didn't look at him.  'Things have changed.'

'Things have changed since last night?'  Mulder asked.  
'What happened out there?'

'That's between me and Dana.'

'I don't know, Krycek, but it sounds like it's got a lot to 
do with me.'

Krycek suddenly looked up at him.  'I just want her to be 
happy.'

Mulder sighed.  'It seems like she's happy here with you.'

'I am.'  She interrupted and they both turned to see her 
standing in the doorway.

Scully remembered how angry she had been that they'd been 
deciding how she felt, deciding her future.  She'd been 
confused at the feeling's she'd had of Krycek leaving, even 
if he meant well for her relationship with Mulder.  She 
remembered asking him to stay out of it, that she could 
handle her own life just fine.  She remembered telling him 
that she didn't want him to go.

She remembered the pain that cut through her body.  
Remembered that Krycek had been at her side in half a 
second.  Barely remembered going to the hospital.

She suddenly realized that everything had ended on the 
beach, not when she had gone to the hospital and been 
taken.  The instant that Krycek's mind had wandered and she 
had stumbled across his jumbled thoughts, everything 
changed.  Because of this, he made up his mind to leave.  
He didn't want to interfere with her and Mulder's 
relationship.  That's when everything had gone to hell.  
That's when everything became muddy.  After the argument 
they'd had, nothing would be the same again.

The song was still playing and she slowly roused herself 
back to the present.  There'd been enough of reflecting on 
what could have been done differently.  It was all she had 
done for two years.

'...When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse out of 
the corner of my eye...I turned to look but it was gone...I 
cannot put my finger on it now...The child is grown...The 
dream is gone...I have become comfortably numb...'

The front door slammed upstairs and Scully sensed Stout 
running down the stairs.  She turned and knelt as the dog 
bombarded her, knocking her back onto her butt.  She 
laughed and hugged Stout as he lavished her with doggie 
kisses, all her earlier disenchantment fading away.

***

After putting Cade to bed, Mulder and Scully went out to 
sit on the deck and have a glass of Merlot.  They didn't 
know at the time that they were starting a tradition that 
they would continue to observe for years to come.  They 
stared out at the ocean and breathed in the salty air as 
'The End' by The Doors began to play.

'Mulder.'  Scully said softly.  'I need to say something to 
you.'

The tone of her voice was far too serious, even for Scully.  
He didn't look at her.  'Sure, Scully.'

She sighed and curled her feet up under her as she turned 
towards him.  'It's been bothering me for a long time and I 
feel really bad.'

Mulder took a sip of wine to take a moment to steady his 
nerves.  'Bad about what?'

'When you came back after you'd been 'missing'.  When you 
disappeared and went to work with Diana.'  She quit talking 
and the silence stretched out.

'...This is the end...Beautiful friend...This is the 
end...My only friend...The end...'

'Yes?'  He urged her to continue.

'Mulder, look at me.'

The seriousness of her expression caused his breath to 
catch in his throat.

'I acted horribly.'  She said.  'And I'm sorry.'

'What are you talking about, Scully?'  Mulder asked when he 
could push the words out.

'I was so wrong for the way I acted.'  Her eyes were 
imploring, silently begging for understanding.  'I didn't 
stop to think how it all must have seemed to you.  I 
doubted you.  I questioned your loyalty to me and to the X-
Files.  I was so selfish.'

'It's okay, Scully.'  He said, putting a hand over hers.  
'I was horrible too.'

'No, Mulder.'  She shook her head.  'You came home to find 
me pregnant with Alex's child.  And all I did was defend 
myself.  All I did was berate you for not trusting me.  I 
complained that you wouldn't give Alex a chance.'

'We both screwed up.'  He said.  'You thought I had been 
working against you and I didn't give you much of a chance 
to explain anything.  I had been told that you and Krycek 
had been working together from the beginning.  They were 
playing us against each other and we almost fell for it.'

'I'm sorry.'  She said again.

'It was a long time ago.'  He brushed hair behind her 
shoulder.  'Let's just leave it in the past and move on.  
We should discuss what we want to do about Krycek.  He is 
out there somewhere.'

'I'd rather not talk about this just yet.'  Scully mumbled 
almost too softly for him to make out the words.  'There's 
nothing we can do right now because we'd be risking Cade.'

'Okay.'  Mulder replied softly.  'We can talk about it 
later.  When you're ready.'

Scully was silent, remembering.  Her eyes seemed distant, 
far away.  'I wonder how different things would be if I 
hadn't let Alex into my house that night.'

Mulder traced circles on top of her hand.  'What night?'

'The night after you disappeared.  Skinner took me home 
from the hospital and we'd ordered some Thai food.  We 
talked about that night at the Japanese Bar.'  Scully 
smiled.  'And Alex showed up out of nowhere.  I remember 
how scared I was that he was there.  How evil and horrible 
and cold he had seemed.  It took awhile for me to trust 
him.  I really tried to keep hating him.'

Mulder grinned.  'He makes it pretty hard.'

She returned his smile.  'I know.  That's why I was so 
confused.  I didn't understand how you still saw him in 
such a horrible way.  I was selfish and insensitive.  I'm 
sorry.  I didn't stop to think that the same Krycek you 
knew didn't exist for me anymore.  I don't think I'm making 
any sense.'

'No, you are.'  Mulder said softly.

'You must have thought I'd lost my mind.'

Mulder laughed, nodding.  'I did.  But I mostly blamed it 
on Krycek.  I thought he was manipulating you.  Playing 
games with your mind.'  He paused, then looked down at 
their hands.  'But that's not quite all I thought.'

Scully sensed that he wanted to ask her a question, but was 
uncomfortable.  'Go on, Mulder.'

'I thought you were in love with him.'  He said, looking 
her in the eye.

Scully smiled.  'I was in love with you.'

Mulder stared back for a moment.  He had no idea how to 
respond.

She laughed at the look on his face and turned back to the 
ocean.  She had just dropped a nuclear bomb on him and she 
was enjoying it.  What was it about this place that made 
her so carefree?

Mulder looked out at the waves as well.  He was still 
struggling to reiterate with something...To elaborate...To 
explain...Why was his life always so complicated?

Scully had been happy for the past few hours and the 
conversation they were about to have would be heavy and she 
wanted to wait.  Besides, she could sense that Mulder was 
struggling with a reply.  No need to ruin the evening, 
regardless of how amusing she found his discomfort.  'Tell 
me what you've been doing for the past two years, Mulder.  
Where'd you go in the FBI?'

'I stayed on the X-Files.'  He sputtered out, silently 
thanking her for saving him just now.

'Oh, so you got a new partner?'  She took a sip of wine.

'Yes.'  Mulder tried to breathe, tried to relax.  'I didn't 
like him too much at first.  But at least he isn't a hard 
ass like my last partner.'

'Whatever.'  Scully pushed him in his chair and he rewarded 
her with a small laugh, looking at her.

She smiled back.  'Well?'

'Well, what?'

'You going to tell me who your new partner is?'

***

Steven Koskie made his way through the halls of FBI 
Headquarters, wondering why he was being summoned to AD 
Skinner's office.  For the last six months, he'd been 
serving warrants on jump-out squads.  He must have really 
pissed people off to get that dead-end assignment.

Koskie opened the door to Skinner's small reception area, 
smiling at Kimberly, the AD's receptionist.

She clicked the button on the intercom, waiting for 
Skinner's response.

'Sir, Agent Koskie has arrived.'

Koskie watched her stare at the intercom, as if it were 
speaking to her.

She smiled up at him.  'He'll be with you in a moment.'

Koskie stood up, pacing the room.  Kimberly watched him, an 
annoyed look lingering on her face.

'I'm sorry.'  He grinned.

She gave him an insincere grin before returning to her 
work.

Koskie glanced at his watch every few seconds; playing with 
his hands, and letting his eyes roam the room.

Kimberly huffed.  'Agent Koskie, I believe it is six-
thirty-seven, the same time it was when you checked your 
watch about five seconds ago.'

Koskie smiled, embarrassed and beyond bored.

'My appointment was at six-thirty, wasn't it?'

Kimberly checked her appointment book, her finger running 
down the page.  'Seven.'

'Damn.'  Koskie muttered.

'Have somewhere else you need to be?'

'Yes, I had an appointment at seven; to get a manicure and 
pedicure, my skin is just so dry and unruly and I am such 
the morning person.  Then I figured I would get into work 
unusually early to make sure all those little warrants were 
ready to go.'

Kimberly rolled her eyes at him.

'Do you always get up at this hour?'  Koskie asked, resting 
on the edge of her desk.  'I mean, you were here before me, 
so you must get up at...'

'Agent Koskie, I have work to do.'

Koskie sat for a good two minutes, staring at nothing, 
thinking of nothing, when he heard himself singing out 
loud.

'Cause I've got friends in low places, where the whiskey 
drowns and the beer chases my blues away, and I'll be 
okay...'

'Agent Koskie...' Kimberly stared at him, as if she were 
looking straight through him.

Koskie knew that she had work to do, but being the charmer 
that he was, he knew she would soon have him in Skinner's 
office.  He grinned.  'Don't like Garth, huh?  Yeah, he 
might be a little twangy at times, but...'

Kimberly clicked the intercom, while Koskie serenaded her.  
'Sir, are you ready for Agent Koskie?  Sir, yes, sir.  No, 
sir, that is Agent Koskie you hear singing.'

Kimberly clicked the intercom button and didn't look at 
him.  'He is ready for you.'

Koskie stood, a smile playing on his face and walked past 
Kimberly's desk, and opened the door to Skinner's office.

'Sir.'

'Agent Koskie, please have a seat.'

Koskie sat in the left, black leather chair in front of 
Skinner's desk.

'Sir, if I may ask, what did I do wrong?  Did I not dot my 
I's or cross my T's, or is it the unusual boredom I have 
been displaying during work hours?'

'Agent Koskie, we will be joined by Dale Cooper today.'

'Dale Cooper?'

'Agent Koskie, nice to meet you.'

The voice came from behind and Koskie turned to see a tall, 
slender man extending a hand towards him.  Dale Cooper was 
pale, with big round eyes and slick, jet-black hair.

'I'm Dale Cooper.'

'Yes, I know.'  Koskie said, shaking his head.  'You worked 
that famous case back in Washington state all those years 
ago.  What city was that again?'

'Twin Peaks.'  Cooper replied.  'Best cherry pie I've ever 
had.'

Koskie smiled and nodded, turning back to Skinner.

'So, what is the nature of our meeting today?'  Koskie 
asked.

'Agent Koskie, you were shot in Agent Scully's apartment, 
by an unknown subject, correct?'  Skinner asked Koskie.

'Shot?'  Koskie questioned.

'Shot.'  Cooper repeated, making himself visible out of the 
corner of Koskie's eye.

'I don't recall being shot, but a lot of things happened 
that night.  Who said I was shot?'

'Agent Koskie,' Skinner sighed, 'this is how I operate: I 
ask a question, and you answer as simply and directly as 
you possibly can.'

Koskie began to speak.  'With all due respect, Sir-'

'I've heard all my due respect, Agent Koskie.'  Skinner 
interrupted him before he could dig himself another hole.  
'What I'm interested in now is what happened the night you 
were assigned to protect Special Agent Dana Scully.'

Koskie was mollified.  'I don't remember much of what 
happened that night.'

'It's okay, Agent Koskie.'  Cooper said soothingly.  'Just 
tell us what you do remember.'

'I was in my car.'  Koskie thought back to a night he had 
buried in his memory.  'And someone that looked like Agent 
Mulder forced me into the apartment building.  He wanted me 
to get Agent Scully to let me in.'

'Agent Mulder forced you to do this?'  Skinner asked.

Koskie shook his head.  'No, Sir.  Someone who looked like 
him.  I had been hit over the head when Agent Scully opened 
the door.  I didn't know what had happened until I came 
to.'

'And when you woke up...?'  Skinner urged him to continue 
while Cooper looked on.

'Agents Mulder and Scully were there.  As well as Alex 
Krycek.'  Koskie was lost in the memory, he hadn't thought 
of that night in a long time.  'Krycek told me that all the 
blood on my shirt was from him.  He'd been shot and was 
trying to help me and gotten his blood all over me.'  
Koskie shuddered, reliving that awful moment that he'd 
woken up, unsure of where he'd been.  'Agent Mulder had 
relieved me, told me to go home.  He'd told me that he was 
going to call you and let you know what had happened.'

'Agent Koskie,' Skinner began, 'do you have any idea what 
happened to this man who was imitating Agent Mulder?'

'No.' He shook his head.  'I woke up, I was startled to see 
Agent Mulder.  But Krycek had told me that it wasn't the 
same guy.  I don't know what it was, what exactly happened, 
but Agent Mulder told me to go home.  He is a senior agent, 
so I did.  Sir, may I ask what this is all about?  Why is 
Agent Cooper here?'

'I'm not exactly an Agent anymore, Mr. Koskie.'  Cooper 
said.

'Mr. Cooper is here in an unofficial capacity.'  Skinner 
said.

Koskie gave another small shake of his head.  'I'm afraid I 
don't understand, Sir.'

'You don't need to understand, Agent Koskie.'

'With all due respect, Sir-'

'Agent Koskie, haven't we been over this?'  Skinner's eyes 
were irritated and amused at the same time.  'I ask the 
questions and you provide the answers.'

Koskie paused for a moment.  'With all due respect, Sir-'

Skinner was barely able to contain a small smile  'What is 
it, Agent?'

Koskie smiled, his charm oozing out.  'I still don't know 
what all this about.'

Skinner paused, staring down at Agent Koskie with his arms 
crossed for a few moments.

'I've been summoned to the Assistant Director's office.'  
Koskie said, putting up his hands.  'Dale Cooper is here in 
an 'unofficial capacity' and we're talking about what 
happened at the apartment of Dana Scully's, who is 
otherwise known as 'Mrs. Spooky', apartment.  The partner 
of Agent Mulder, the leader of the 'Little Green Men 
Patrol'.  This happened months ago.  Why should anyone care 
about it now?  What am I supposed to think, Sir?'

Skinner hesitated, thinking, and then continued.  'Agent 
Koskie, between you, me and the fence post-'

'Excuse me, Assistant Director Skinner.'  Cooper 
interrupted.  'I find that highly derogatory.  I do not 
like being referred to as a 'fence post'.  The size of my 
waistline should not be an issue here-'

'Ease down, Chip.'  Skinner waved a hand at Cooper, 
smiling.  'Agent Koskie, we need to take your official 
statement on what happened that night.  I also notice that 
you are due for a reassignment.'

'Oh joy, Sir.'  Koskie smiled.  He had noticed that Skinner 
and Cooper appeared to have a past history and filed that 
away in his mind for future reference.  'Am I being forced 
to show off my marksmanship skills for the tourists 
visiting FBI Headquarters?'

'No, Agent Koskie.'  Skinner said.  'You're being 
reassigned to the X-Files.'

Koskie was silent for a moment.  'The X-Files?'

'Yes, Agent.'  Skinner replied.

'But Agent's Mulder and Scully-'

'Since you've had your head up your ass for the past six 
months, Agent Koskie,' Skinner said harshly, 'Maybe you 
haven't noticed that Agent Scully hasn't been around.'

'I know she had taken a leave of absence, Sir.  But surely 
she'd want to come back if she knew the X-Files were up and 
running again.'  Koskie said, trying to reason his way out 
of the assignment.

'Agent Scully's dead, Koskie.'  Skinner replied bluntly, 
walking around his desk and sitting down in his chair.  'I 
doubt she'll be returning to work on any case.'

Koskie stared back at the Assistant Director, shock clear 
on his face.  He cleared his throat.  'I'm sorry, Sir.  I 
had no idea.'

There was silence for a moment and Skinner sighed and 
leaned forward in his chair.  'Agent Mulder is insistent on 
staying on with the X-Files, so a partner needs to be 
assigned.'

'Sir.'  Koskie tried to speak reasonably.  'I must 
strenuously state that I have no interest in being involved 
in anyway with the X-Files.'

'Well, Agent Koskie.'  Skinner smiled with no hint of 
humor.  'I have no interest in being bald, but sometimes 
you just have to smile and take the shit you're being 
served.'

***

Agent Koskie made his way down to the halls of the 
building, now standing in a full elevator.  He took notice 
of the people in the elevator, all secluded and living in 
their own little space.  Everyone had their eyes straight 
ahead; arms down and clasped in front of them.  He watched 
as each one got off at their respective floors, leaving him 
the last one in the elevator, along with the janitor.  
Koskie looked at his nametag, tracing the grooves with his 
eyes.  Kevin.

'The basement?' Kevin asked, astonished at the fact anyone 
else was going down there.

'Yep.'  Koskie said, rocking back and forth on his heels.

'Why?'

'I was assigned there.'

'Assigned?  What happened to the other two agents?'

'Mulder is still there.  I am taking Agent Scully's place.'

'The cute little red head?  I liked her.'

Koskie smirked as the janitor began mumbling things about 
Scully, and quickly walked off of the elevator in front of 
Kevin.  He listened to the clicking of his heels on the 
cold, hard floor as he neared Mulder's office.  Koskie 
yawned, sure of the fact that Mulder would not be in his 
office this early.

Koskie placed his hand on the cool, metallic, silver knob 
and opened the door of Mulder's office.

'Can I help you?'  Mulder spun around in his chair, 
breaking his staring contest with the poster on the wall.  
'Agent Koskie. Good to see you again. How can I help you?'

'No, how can I help you?' Koskie asked.

'Excuse me?'

'I've been assigned to the X-Files.'

'What?'  Mulder asked, hearing him perfectly well but not 
wanting to believe his ears.

'I'm your new...'

'I heard you, I heard you.'  Mulder mumbled, shaking his 
head.

'So where can I start?'  Koskie asked.

'By turning around and walking right out the door you just 
came in.'

'I don't think you understand, Mulder.'  Koskie said.  'I 
did not request to be put here.  Let me say, it is better 
than double-checking my crossed T's.  Maybe I should be 
thanking them for getting me out of that ass wipe job, but 
if you don't want me along side you, chasing little green 
men, you are going to have to take that up with AD 
Skinner.'

'Grey.'

'What?' Koskie asked.

'Nothing.'  Mulder picked up his phone, dialing Skinner's 
office.  'I need to speak with Skinner.'

Koskie walked around the room, inspecting various objects 
from different X-Files.

'Don't touch that.'  Mulder snapped, his eyes following the 
younger man.

'Listen,' Koskie said, turning to face him, 'I want to make 
this as easy as possible for both of us.  I know the 
situation and I was quite fond of Agent Scully.  She seemed 
to be a very respectable agent.  If you want, I can go 
purchase a red wig and wear cute little outfits, otherwise 
you are going to have to deal with me.  Just like I have to 
deal with you.'

'Don't you ever mention her name again you son of a bitch.'  
Mulder spat, infuriated with the man.  'Why don't you go 
plant yourself on a chair and enjoy the soft upholstery 
against your ass, because you wont ever feel it, or 
anything else for that matter, if you bring her up again.'

'Touchy, touchy.'  Koskie said, primly settling in the 
chair across from Mulder.

'Smartass.'  Mulder mumbled.

'No, my brain tends to rest in my head.  It's so much safer 
up there.'

'Excuse me, Agent Mulder?'  Mulder heard Skinner on the 
other end of the phone.  'Smartass?'

'Oh, no, Sir.  I'm sorry.  I was speaking to someone else.'

'What can I help you with, Mulder?'

'I need to see you about the new arrangement you set me up 
with.'

'Mulder, I don't have time for this, I am very busy.'

'Yes, Sir.'  Mulder said, hanging up the phone.  'I am 
going up to Skinner's.  Don't touch anything.'

'Aye, Aye Captain.'  Koskie said, saluting him.  'Hey 
Mulder, by the way, I didn't mean to..."

Mulder slammed the door behind him before he had a chance 
to finish.

He stormed up to Skinner's office and burst through his 
door, not listening to Kimberly's objections.

'Sir, we have a problem.'

'As I see it, Agent Mulder, it is you who has the problem, 
not I.'

'Exactly.  You have shoved this off on to me.'

'So you agree that you have no idea what it means to follow 
orders?'

'No, sir.  I was referring to our little friend Koskie.'

'Agent Mulder, There is nothing to discuss.  Field agents 
require a partner.  There is no way of getting around it.'

'I don't need a partner.'

'Agent Mulder, I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do 
about it. If you want to stay on the X-Files, I suggest you 
learn to like him.  Koskie will grow on you, he is just as 
nervous about this as you are.'

'I wouldn't call this nervous, Sir.'  Mulder said, glaring 
at his superior.  'I am pissed."

Skinner held out the file and began to explain the nature 
of the case, when Mulder snatched the file out of his hand.

'I think I will do just fine reading it on my own, thanks.'  
Mulder said, as he headed for door.

'Agent Mulder!'

Mulder turned around to see Skinner red-faced, clenching 
his jaw.

'I would recommend you watch how you speak to authority, or 
you are asking for your walking papers.'

'Not a bad idea.'  Mulder said, slamming the door.

***

Mulder drove down the dirt road towards the water until he 
reached a security checkpoint.  He rolled his window down 
and leaned out towards the guard to be heard over all the 
noise coming from the shipyard.

'I'm looking for Dale Cooper.'  He yelled.

The soldier leaned down.  'And you are?'

Mulder held out his badge for inspection and Koskie 
followed suit.

The soldier brought a portable radio up to his mouth, 
reading their names.  'Unit thirteen to Unit six.'

'Unit six.'  The voice immediately came back.  'Go ahead.'

'Agents Mulder and Koskie with the FBI to see Mr. Cooper.'

'Send them back.'

The soldier pointed down the dirt path they were on.  'When 
the road Y's, stay to the right until it ends.  You'll have 
to walk the rest of the way, but just follow the lights.'

Koskie glanced over at his new partner as they continued 
down the path.  They hadn't talked much.  'You got any idea 
what this is about?'

Mulder shook his head.  'You know as much as I do.'  That 
was all he said.

'You know, Mulder, I am your new partner, much as neither 
of us wants me to be, so you might need to start clueing me 
in on a few things.'  Koskie glanced out his window.  'I'm 
not exactly looking forward to watching my career being 
flushed down the drain so don't think you're the only one 
not doing cartwheels over the new arrangement.'

'That's the way to win over your new partner.'  Mulder 
wryly replied.  'Start things off on a good note by 
insulting the importance of his work.'

Koskie smiled, watching the trees pass by.  'I'm merely 
stating the obvious, stagnant momentum of your career with 
the FBI once you burrowed down to the basement, no offense 
meant to you.'

'None taken.'  Mulder replied.

They were silent for a moment before Mulder grudgingly gave 
in.

'There are lot's of fascinating aspects of working on the 
X-Files.'  He said softly.  'You could see some amazing 
things as long as you're willing to keep an open mind.  You 
might even like it.'

'As long as people don't start calling me Mrs. Spooky.'  
Koskie said.

Mulder skidded to a stop in the dirt and slammed the car 
into park.  He turned and eyed Koskie, a weird look in his 
eyes.

'What the hell did you just say?'

Koskie had realized his mistake, too late.  He had 
forgotten about Scully being dead.  Again.  His mouth had a 
tendency to run away on its own.  He made a mental note to 
work on that.

'What can I say, Agent Mulder?'  Koskie turned apologetic 
eyes on his partner.  'I spoke before I thought.  I'm 
sorry.'

Mulder ignored him and slammed the car door as he stalked 
away in the direction of the media lights.  Koskie followed 
behind, glancing up the helicopters circling the area.

He shook his head, muttering.  'Damn reporters.'

They came over a hill and stopped, staring down at the 
scene in front of them.  Dozens of ships, more boxcars, 
even more people.  Helicopter's were circling around and 
every now and again, one would venture too close, only to 
be chased away by military helicopter's.

Mulder and Koskie approached the crowd of military soldiers 
and men in suites milling around.  They made their way over 
to an area cordoned off by crime scene tape tied down to 
orange traffic cones.  They didn't make it far before being 
intercepted by another soldier.

'Agents Mulder and Koskie?'  He asked, stepping in front of 
them.

Mulder nodded, flashing his badge again.  'Supposed to see 
Dale Cooper.'

The soldier turned and pointed towards a group of people 
gathered around a particular boxcar.  'Mr. Cooper's in 
there, he's been waiting for you to get here before 
anything was touched.'

'Isn't it nice to suddenly be so highly regarded.'  Mulder 
mumbled, remembering his words to Scully on their first 
meeting.  If only she could see me now, he thought to 
himself as they ducked under the yellow tape the soldier 
held up for them.

'What the hell is Cooper doing here?'  Koskie said softly 
to Mulder.  'This looks military to me.'

Mulder shrugged.  'Last I heard, Cooper had been recruited 
out of the Bureau by the NSA.'

Koskie looked sideways at his partner.  'Why would the 
National Security Agency be interested in the X-Files?'

'Who the hell knows?'  Mulder grinned to himself, 
shrugging.  'Nothing surprises me anymore.'

'Agent Mulder.'  Cooper approached them, holding a hand out 
and clad in his usual somber black suit.

'Nice to see you again, Cooper.'  Mulder said loudly over 
the buzz of a helicopter, his tie flapping in the wind.  
'I'm not sure how to address you.'

Cooper shot up an eyebrow.  'Your Royal Highness?'

'That would be partly true.'  Mulder replied.  'Because 
you'd have to be really high to think I'd address you that 
way.'

'You can salute me, if you'd like.'  Cooper smiled.

Mulder grinned back.  'Now you're just turning me on.'

Koskie watch the banter with his mouth partly open.  'I 
wasn't aware you two knew each other.'

'We worked together a long time ago.'  Cooper explained.

'An undercover assignment.'  Mulder said.  'When I was 
first with the Bureau.'

Cooper leisurely looked over at him.  'Undergarment 
assignment may be a little more accurate.'

'Don't start, Chip.'  Mulder was grinning, feeling young 
and just out of the academy again.

Cooper was immediately silenced by the nickname.  'Okay, 
boys, if you'll follow me this way...'

'Who found the body?'  Mulder asked, their shoes crunching 
gravel.

'A guard.'  Cooper replied.  'He was making his usual 
rounds and smelled it.'

Mulder nodded.  'How long has it been?'

'Just over three hours.'  Cooper replied, consulting his 
watch.

They reached the opening of the boxcar and the smell hit 
them like a wall.  Koskie wrinkled his nose, believing he 
had never smelled anything quite like it.  He glanced at 
Mulder and Cooper to see them slipping plastic booties over 
their shoes.  He bit back a sarcastic remark; he'd already 
made more than his quota for the week, and followed their 
lead.

Mulder must have seen the expression on his face.  
'Evidence purposes.'

Koskie cocked his head at him.  'No shit.'

'Bit of an attitude.'  Mulder said softly.

Cooper nodded.  'A bit.'

Mulder stepped into the container, sweeping his flashlight 
back and forth.  A decomposing body jumped out of the dark 
and Mulder played the beam of light along it.

'Male.  About six feet.  A hundred ninety pounds.  
Caucasian.'  Koskie was rattling off stats into a hand held 
recorder.

'Oh no.' Mulder said, looking at the small recorder in 
Koskie's hand with dismay.  'Not you too.'

'What?'  Koskie asked defensively.  'It helps me think 
back, later on when I'm writing the report.'

Cooper nodded.  'That was always my argument for Annie.'

'Who's Annie?' Koskie asked.

Cooper pulled his own recorder out of his pocket.  'I never 
leave home without her.'

'Like a damn security blanket.'  Mulder said.

Koskie stared at Cooper for a moment, then looked over at 
Mulder.  'Okay, that is weird.  I've never named mine 
before.'

'Where was this ship coming from?'  Mulder bent over the 
body.

'Ireland.'  Cooper answered.

'Top of the mornin' to ya.'  Koskie bellowed out an Irish 
accent, standing next to Mulder.  'Me poor, poor, fellar.'

Mulder shook his head.  'Koskie, you are one disturbed 
man.'

Cooper joined the two of them, staring down at the dead 
man.  A hole was torn where the man's chest and stomach 
used to be.

'What the hell could have done that?'  Koskie asked softly.

Cooper turned and played the flashlight around.  'Looks 
like an animal attack.'

'Makes sense.'  Koskie shrugged.  'An animal would have to 
eat on the journey over here.'  He shined his flashlight 
around, looking at the walls and ceiling.  'There's a lot 
of castoff on the walls, but not on the ceiling.  You'd 
think there would be more above from the backswing on any 
weapon.'

'Even then,' Cooper said, looking at the walls, 'these 
uniform trails don't look all that uniform.'

Mulder's face was full of dread.  'Was the seal on the 
container broken?'

'No.' Cooper shook his head.  'And it was affixed by the 
foreign shipper.'

Koskie squatted down next to the gaping wound.  'So that 
means that the body was in here before it was sealed?'

Cooper nodded.  'In theory.'

'So then, the animal would still be in here too.'

Mulder stood up, his hands on his hips, staring down at the 
body.  He was chewing on his lower lip.  Cooper joined him, 
taking in his intense stare.

'What are you thinking, Mulder?'

'Just kicking things around.'  He eyed his new partner.  
'What do you think, Koskie?'

'Well, if you look at the skin tearing...' Koskie pointed 
along the outside of the wound.  'If it was from a frontal 
assault, the skin should be pushed in, but it's not.  It's 
pushed out.'  He looked up at Mulder and Cooper.  'It's 
almost like something tore its way out of him.'

In the eerie glow of the flashlights, Mulder grinned.

'I need to get some pictures of the body in situ.'  Koskie 
said, pulling off his latex gloves. 'Has the ME been called 
yet?'

Mulder fought back a bitter sadness.  The snapping sound of 
Koskie's gloves brought back every imaginable image of 
Scully.  It hadn't been even a month since her death and he 
was pushing it away.  Running back to work, running back to 
the Bureau, running back to the X-Files.  Had he just been 
in Southern California last week?  It seemed like so long 
ago.  Being at Scully's funeral, if that's what you wanted 
to the party it had turned into.  Dealing with one of the 
greatest losses of his life was bad enough, but having to 
share his sorrow with everyone else was horrible.  Having 
to face Scully's family, Skinner, the Lone Gunmen.

Having to deal with Alex Krycek.

'Mulder?'

He jerked his head over to see Koskie and Cooper staring 
back at him.

'Dreaming of silky nightie's again?'  Cooper asked, a hint 
of a smile playing across his stoic features.

Mulder stepped over the body and made his way to them.  
'Just don't know when to quit, do you, Chip?'

Koskie began to take pictures of the area as Mulder and 
Cooper spoke in hushed tones; the darkness and silence of 
the boxcar interrupted by flashes and whines from the 
camera.

'What're you thinking?'  Cooper asked him.  'You've got 
that look on your face.'

'This face?'  Mulder looked seriously back at him.

'Not your 'panic look'.'  Cooper said.  'The face where it 
looks like you're having gas pain.'

'Oh, the face I make when all pieces of the puzzle just 
fell together and I don't like they way it's looking.'

Cooper nodded.  'That's the one.'

'Smartass.'  Mulder mumbled as Koskie stepped over to them.

'Someone needs to tell the crime-scene tech's to get in 
here.'

'Has anyone called the ME?'  Mulder asked, stepping out 
into the sunlight.

Koskie and Cooper stared back at him, the former shaking 
his head.  'Must've been a hell of a memory.'

'Huh?'  Mulder looked quizzically at the two of them.

'We've already had this discussion, Mulder.'  Cooper said.  
'The Medical Examiner's on his way and he'll make sure the 
removal service people pick up our guy.'

Something caught Mulder's eye and he moved over to the 
corner of the boxcar.  'I want the body sent to Quantico 
for further analysis.'  He said, bending down to peer at 
something on the ground.  'I want those lacerations tested 
for DNA.'

'DNA?'  Koskie asked as Cooper brought his portable radio 
up to his mouth and began to speak.

'Yeah.'  Mulder said absently.  'Koskie, come here and 
check this out.'

'What's up?'  Koskie tried to take the booties off of his 
shoes as he walked.

Mulder watched the graceful performance, shaking his head 
and grinning as Koskie hopped around on one foot.  He was 
finding himself annoyed that his new partner was so 
amusing.  Damn, Mulder thought, why couldn't I hate anyone 
anymore?  First Krycek isn't the tyrant I want him to be 
and now my new partner is a comedian.

'You okay?'  Mulder pulled a straight face and looked up at 
Koskie as he finally stood next to him.  'You need any help 
with that?'

Koskie rewarded Mulder with a look not too unlike the one's 
Scully gave him when he was dangerously close to getting a 
kick in the ass.  'You wanna tell me what's up or you just 
gonna look at me all day?'

'I don't know, Koskie.  That's a tough call.'  Mulder said, 
pulling tweezers out of his pocket and using them to pick 
something up off the ground.  'You have a mighty pretty 
mouth.'

'What the hell is that?'  Koskie asked as Mulder held it up 
in front of his face and peered at it.

He inspected it for a moment before shaking his head.  
'Damn.'

Koskie squatted down next to him, squinting in the 
sunlight.  'Almost looks like chicken skin.'

Mulder grinned.  'Yeah, but you can't make nugget's out of 
this chicken.'

***

Mulder let go of the rung of the ladder and dropped down 
into six inches of sewer water.  He twisted his face and 
spoke out loud to no one.  'Oh yeah, that's the smell I'm 
talking about.'

He turned on his flashlight and shined it down the tunnel.  
The beam of light stretched forever into darkness, first 
one way, then the other.  The continuous drip, drip, drip 
of water sounded musical.

Mulder strained to hear something, anything.  When Koskie 
practically fell into the tunnel from above, the splash 
seemed as loud as a sonic boom.

'Goddamn motherfucking sonofabitch!!!'  Koskie exclaimed, 
quickly standing up and trying to shake the filthy water 
off of him.

'Is that so?'  Mulder asked softly, walking into the 
darkness.

'You going to tell me what the hell we're looking for, 
Mulder.'  Koskie asked.  'A giant, rubber chicken?'

'I'm not even sure what it is we're looking for.'  Mulder 
said.

Koskie called out to him, looking both ways down the 
tunnel.  'You sure you're going the right way?'

Mulder shushed him, flipping open a map in response.  The 
two of them huddled together, shining their flashlights on 
the paper.

'Straight ahead is north.'  Koskie said.

Mulder stared ahead of them, waiting for the feeling of 
what he should do to enter his head.  'That's the way we 
need to go.'  He said, beginning to walk forward.

Koskie followed behind.  'Are you sure?'

'Yes.'  Mulder said, picking up his pace.

'How do you know?'

'I just do.'  Mulder replied, a memory flooding his brain.

'Spooky Mulder.'  Krycek said, grinning.  'Where do you 
think you got the sixth sense from?'

'Sixth sense?'  Mulder whispered.

'They way you just kinda know, where to go?'  Krycek said.  
'The reason everyone calls you Spooky.  You go in the 
strangest directions, no one else would think of, and it's 
right.  Spooky.  Not so spooky, just alien.'

A sudden image of him sitting on a bench.  Krycek standing 
in front of him in that casual way of his.  Mulder had 
hated him more than anything back then.  He'd wanted 
nothing to do with Krycek, but Scully had wanted them to 
talk.

Mulder shook his head, begging the memory to go away.  The 
more he thought of Krycek, the more he thought of Scully 
and he really didn't need to be thinking of either one of 
them right now.

They walked in silence for awhile, consulting the map 
whenever needing to make a left or right and Koskie would 
chalk the wall to mark where they'd come from.  The last 
thing they needed was to be wandering the New York sewer 
system.  The rumors of what inhabited the network of 
tunnels were worthy of a dozen or so X-Files.

Moss hung from above, the walls were slick with algae, and 
every now and one of them would nearly fall because of the 
slippery floor.  Neither of them was fond of the idea of 
falling into the sewer water and Mulder was reminded of his 
experience with the Fluke Worm guy.  The sound of dripping 
water was almost hypnotic and he found his mind wandering 
again.

Powerless to stop them, the images flooded his brain.

Scully and Krycek, standing covered in pumpkin goo, 
surprise covering both of their faces at the sight of him.  
Krycek handing him a beer and telling him that he was going 
to end up like their father if he wasn't careful.  The 
three of them, laughing like fools at the dinner table.  
Krycek dancing to the Red Hot Chile Peppers.  Scully and 
Krycek, having an intense stare-down on the beach in the 
full moonlight.  Scully, crying in his arms as he wondered 
what the hell had just happened.

Mulder ran into a ladder face first with a resounding bang.  
He shook his head again as Koskie put an arm on his 
shoulder to steady him.  No, he really didn't need to be 
thinking of her right now.

'Look at that.'  Koskie said softly, shining his flashlight 
at the water.

Mulder shined his own flashlight down at the weird 
substance that was caught on the bottom rung of the ladder, 
rippling in the water.

They both leaned down to take a closer look.  Mulder 
grinned up at Koskie and whispered.

'Winner.'

Mulder climbed up the ladder and listened in silence for a 
moment to the heavy thud of bass.  There was music coming 
from above him.  He pushed the grate out of his way and 
hoisted himself up, looking around to make sure he wasn't 
about to be rushed by a giant, rubber chicken.

The hallway was deserted and he stuck his head towards the 
tunnel just as Koskie popped his head up.

They both yelled in surprise as their heads knocked 
together.

'Damnit, Mulder!'  Koskie exclaimed.

Mulder stood up, rubbing his head as his partner climbed 
out of the tunnel.  'Well how the hell did I know you were 
coming up right after me?'

'Did you think I was going to hang around in the sewers all 
alone for the rest of the night?'

Mulder didn't answer.  He saw an odd, slimy substance on 
the ground in front of him.  He stuck his fingers in it and 
brought his hand closer to his face.

'You always stick your hands in weird places?'  Koskie 
asked, leaning closer to Mulder for a better look at the 
strange goo.

Mulder looked at Koskie.  'You always need to crowd me?'

'You always need to argue?'  Koskie asked, looking back at 
him.

Mulder cringed.  'Is that offending aroma you or me?'

'I think it's both of us.'  Koskie answered.

Mulder had been about to crack a joke.  He wanted to banter 
playfully like he used to with Scully, wanted to lighten up 
his heavy mood.  He just couldn't bring himself to do it.  
Him and Koskie reeking of sewer water suddenly reminded him 
of the time he and Scully had been covered in fertilizer.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before 
Koskie grinned.  'We'll laugh about this someday.'

Mulder refused to be charmed by his new partner, regardless 
of how hard Koskie was making it.  He stood up.  'I need to 
tell you something.'

Koskie joined him.  'Oh boy.  Now I get the secrets of 
life.'

'Not exactly.'  Mulder said, shining his flashlight in 
front of him.

'Then what?'  Koskie followed as Mulder began to walk down 
the tunnel.

'That skin you saw.  It's from an extraterrestrial 
biological entity.'

'An EBE?'  Koskie asked, a smile on his face.

Mulder looked at him in surprise.  'Good, you already know 
the lingo.  That much less I have to teach.'

'I feel so complimented.'

'I've only seen it a couple of times.'  Mulder said, 
ignoring him.  'Scully and I have the DNA from its claws.'

'You're serious?'  Koskie asked.

Mulder didn't answer.  He was too busy thinking about the 
first time that he'd seen the creature.  When he'd been in 
all those ice caves.  When he'd gone to find her.  He shook 
his head again.

He really didn't need to be thinking about her right now.

'Yeah.'  Mulder said softly.  'I believe that the alien 
grows inside a human host, using it to survive.  Then it's 
birthed directly from the human.  Tearing it's way out, 
just as you said.'

Koskie was silent for a moment.  'You sure I shouldn't be 
the one addressing you as Your Royal Highness?'

Mulder smiled again.

'You going to tell me anything else about the chicken?'  
Koskie asked as they continued down the hall.

'Not much you need to know.'  The music was louder as they 
approached the end of the hallway.  Mulder drew his gun as 
they stopped in front of a door.  'It's strong, it's fast, 
it's ugly, it has really long claws and it's been in a bad 
mood every time I've seen it.'

Koskie took out his own gun and held it in the ready 
position.  'Sounds beautiful.  But can I ask you a 
question?'

'Ask away.'

'What, exactly, are you planning on doing?'

Mulder seemed confused.  He tilted his head.  'What do you 
mean?'

Koskie gestured at the door with his gun.  'You just going 
to run in there and hope the rubber chicken behaves when 
you pull the gun on it?'

'Other than what?'  Mulder asked.  'Standing out here 
waiting to be invited for a drink?'

'I don't know, Spooky.'  Koskie said, stressing his name.  
'You tell me.'

'If you want me to tell you, why the question in the first 
place?'

'Charging in there like this doesn't seem wise.'

'Charging in like what?'  Mulder asked.

Koskie nodded his head at the door.  'Sounds like there's a 
lot of people in there.

'All the more reason to get in there, before the rubber 
chicken can hurt someone, or worse.'

Koskie hesitated, then shook his head and held his gun back 
up.  'You're the boss.'

Mulder tried the door to find it unlocked.  He looked at 
Koskie to make sure he was ready, then pushed the door 
open.

Music spilled into the hallway.

'...Creeping up the back stairs...Slinking into dark 
stalls...'

A heavy, rhythmic beat flooded their ears as they slid 
around the corners of the doorway.  Mulder blinked in the 
darkness.  The only light was the neon glow of whatever was 
shining under the black lights and the flashing of the 
strobe lights. A blanket of fog created by dry ice hovered 
three feet off the ground.  Hundreds of people were crammed 
into the deserted warehouse, dancing to Siouxsie and the 
Banshees.

So this is a retro rave, Mulder thought to himself.

Koskie looked over at him and set his gun straight down by 
his leg, not wanting to draw attention and create a panic.  
Mulder did the same as they both began to try to weave 
their way through the people.
The crowd was insane.  There were too many people jumping 
around, dancing, and rubbing against the two of them.  A 
thick haze of smoke from cigarettes hung in the air and the 
aroma of marijuana was overpowering.

'...Peek a boo...Peek a boo...'

Mulder caught Koskie's eyes and got his returning nod 
before venturing deeper into the crowd.  They couldn't get 
far because of the wall to wall people.  Mulder caught 
sight of something off to his right, in the corner of the 
dark room.  He tried to see in the darkness through the 
smoke and flashing of the lights.

He slowly moved towards the dim form as the music pounded 
against his skull.

'...She's jeering at the shadows...Sneering behind the 
smile...'

Mulder inched closer, step by slow step.  He was squinting 
his eyes, straining to see the vague form huddled in the 
corner.  What the hell was that?  A person?  Or something 
worse.

The shape suddenly passed by him in a blur, leaving him 
momentarily stunned and frozen.  Warm wetness peppered his 
face as the person on the right of him fell down first, 
then the person on his left.  He blinked in confusion, 
trying to pinpoint the retreating form through the crowd.  
Mulder got his feet moving, raising his gun up by his face.  
He was weaving in and out of people; never losing sight of 
the creature as it slashed it's way through the crowd.

The sound of someone screaming could be faintly heard over 
the music.

Mulder kept his eye on the retreating figure as he chased 
it back the way he'd just come from.  He nearly tripped 
over something and in a quick glance down, saw it was the 
body of a young girl. People began to take notice of him 
and his gun.  They began to glance around in confusion.

Oh god, he thought, please don't let them panic.

Mayhem broke out in the warehouse.

The whole crowd seemed to surge towards the doors on the 
opposite side of the warehouse.  Everyone was yelling and 
shoving, screaming and crying.  Mulder focused on getting 
to the creature, kept moving against the crowd.  He thanked 
whatever god was out there that he was hadn't ventured too 
far away from their original starting point.  He dimly 
thought of Koskie, wondered where he was.

The last of the crowd shoved past Mulder and the rubber 
chicken spun around, facing him.

Mulder froze with his gun pointed towards the creature, and 
stared in awe at his alien.  The gun in his hand was 
jumping up and down due to the shaking of his hands.  His 
eyes were wide as he tried to look over the alien, take in 
all of its features for future reference.

I shouldn't be scared, he thought.  I've been waiting for 
this for years.

Shit, it's tall.

The creature hissed at him and Mulder involuntarily took a 
step backwards.  As if in response, the alien took a step 
forward.

'...Golly...Jeepers...Where'd you get those peepers...'

He and the alien regarded each other for a moment, the 
latter tilting its head to one side.

Mulder's mind was suddenly filled with curiosity.  Fear.  
Incredible sadness.

Tears filled Mulder's eyes.  His whole body began to shake.  
He'd never felt so scared in his life, so alone, and 
wondered if they were his feelings, or the alien's.

Don't do this, Mulder told himself as his resolve began to 
fade in sympathy for the confused creature.

It simply stared back.  Mulder kept getting the same 
feeling from the creature, over and over.  The only 
translation he could maybe understand was, why, why, why?

Mulder's lower lip began to tremble with emotion.  Scared?  
Hell, he was damn petrified.

He tried to assess the weight, the height, the color.  He 
couldn't.  All he could see was the eyes.

'...Peep show...Creep show...Where did you get those 
eyes...'

'Mulder?'

Koskie's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.  The 
alien hissed again and was gone in an instant, breaking 
their contact.  Mulder heard a surprised yell and tried to 
locate the source of the sound.

'Koskie?'

He only got music in response.

'...They're slinking out the back door...She gets up from 
all fours...Rhinestone pools and silver dollars...Curl into 
bitter tears...'

He scanned the layer of fog that filled the room, waiting 
for the alien and several of its friends to pop up and use 
him as a nail file.

'...Peek a boo...Peek a boo...'

'Koskie!'  Mulder yelled louder.

'...Golly...Jeepers...Where'd you get those peepers...'

'I'm okay.'  Came the strangled reply.

'Where are you?'

'Over here.'  Koskie's faint reply came.  'I'm okay.'

That statement alone spoke volumes and Mulder followed the 
sound of his voice, thinking to himself.  Isn't it supposed 
to be; 'I'm fine'?

He kept moving in slow, purposeful steps, scanning the 
haze.  'Where are you, Koskie?'

'Over here.'

'...Peep show...Creep show...Where did you get those 
eyes...'

Something grabbed Mulder's foot.  He let out a yelp and 
spun around, pointing his gun down and the figure on the 
ground.

'I'm okay.'  Koskie said softly.

Mulder cast a nervous glance around the room before 
kneeling next to his partner.  The front of Koskie's shirt 
was covered in blood.

'That doesn't look okay, Koskie.'  Mulder said.  He was 
torn between putting his gun away to check out Koskie's 
wound, and dragging his partner out while keeping his 
weapon at the ready.

'Can you walk?'

Koskie nodded.  'I think so.'

'Let's get out of here and call for backup.'  Mulder pulled 
Koskie up by arm with one hand and kept his gun in the 
other.  He got a closer look at Koskie's face.  He couldn't 
see much in the bad light, but he believed Koskie was in 
shock.  'You sure you're okay?  You look like you've seen a 
ghost.'

'No ghost.'  Koskie replied, his teeth chattering.  'Just a 
giant, rubber chicken with an attitude problem.'

***

Mulder leaned against the back of the ambulance, watching 
the paramedics treat Koskie.  He wanted a look at the wound 
under that shredded shirt.  He took another glance at 
Koskie's pale face and felt a twinge of guilt.  What must 
he be thinking?  Mulder had years leading up to a close 
encounter.  Koskie knew nothing about it and it must have 
been quite a shock to be clawed by an alien.

'You okay?'  Mulder asked for the tenth time.

'I told you, Mulder.'  Koskie snapped.  'I'm fine.'

Mulder sighed, he almost felt better hearing those words.  
Almost.

Three Town Cars sped towards them, kicking dust up into the 
air.

'Uh oh.'  Mulder said.  'Here comes the cavalry.'

Koskie glanced up and leaned out to see the cars sliding to 
a stop.  He grinned.  'Smackdown time.'

Mulder chuckled.  'It'll be my smackdown, don't worry.'

Skinner jumped out of the first car and stalked over to 
them, a stern look on his face.  'What the hell are you 
trying to do?'  He reached the back of the ambulance.  'Put 
me in an early grave?'

'Sir?'  Mulder and Koskie both responded in unison.

'I'm being told that there are several dead bodies in 
there, Agents.'  Skinner was furious.  'Several dead 
TEENAGE bodies.'

'Well, Sir.'  Mulder started.  'We haven't been back in 
there since our escape-'

'Escape from what?' Skinner's face was beet red.

Mulder nodded his head towards his partner.  'From whatever 
attacked Agent Koskie.'

'You were attacked?'  Skinner voice was harsh.

'Yessir.'  Koskie replied.

Skinner narrowed his eyes.  'By who?'

'By what.'  Mulder corrected.

'By whatever did this.'  Koskie said, pulling his shredded 
shirt open for Skinner.

There were four deep gashes across Koskie's chest.  Skinner 
leaned in close to get a better look before turning to 
Mulder.  'What did that?'

Mulder cocked his head at his superior.  'What do you 
think?'

'Don't tell me.'  Skinner said sarcastically.  'One of your 
little green men?'

'We prefer the term 'rubber chicken'.'  Koskie said.

'This the same chicken you were talking about at the 
shipyard?'  Cooper's voice materialized out of nowhere and 
they all turned to see him standing behind Skinner.  They 
all stared at him in silence.

'You found something...' Cooper prompted them.  'You said 
it looked like chicken skin.'

'Oh yes.'  Koskie said.  'Same chicken.'

Cooper turned to Mulder.  'How do we handle something like 
this?'

'I don't know.'  Mulder shrugged.  'I don't know how to 
follow it, unless it's leaving skin everywhere.'

'Damn!'  Skinner exclaimed  'What the hell is that smell?'

'That would be us, Sir.'  Mulder replied.

Skinner was clearly frustrated with everything that was 
happening.  'What happened?'

'We stopped at Nordstrom's on the way over.'  Koskie went 
on.  'Tested a new aftershave.  Eau de Les Sewer.  You like 
it?  Because it's on sale for fifty percent off-'

'Shut up, Koskie.'  Skinner cut off his rambling.

A guy in a suit walked up to Cooper.  'We've set up the 
perimeters, Sir.'

Cooper nodded.  'Has anyone brought in the fans that I 
requested?'

'They're setting them up now, Sir.'

Cooper turned back to the three men.  'If we're going to 
get a jump on the scene, now's the time.'

Koskie hopped down from the ambulance and the three of them 
followed Cooper.

The four of them stepped inside the warehouse and surveyed 
the scene.

It was grisly.

Three people, two male and one female, had been crushed to 
death in the stampede to get out of the building.  As for 
victims of the 'unidentified assailant', there were five 
victims and counting.

The dry ice and cigarette smoke was being blown out the 
doors and now open windows by the industrial fans that had 
been brought in.  It was eerie watching body by body appear 
out of the fog as it was all being blown out the back 
doors.  The sound system had never been stopped and 
'Closer' by Nine Inch Nails was blaring down at them.

Skinner shook his head as he let out a deep breath.  
'Mulder, this is going to reflect badly upon the Bureau.'

'I know that, Sir.'

Skinner turned towards Mulder.  'What am I supposed to tell 
the press?'  They were speaking loudly to be heard over the 
music.

'Well-' Mulder began to speak but Skinner angrily 
interrupted him.

'What am I supposed to tell the Director?'

'Agent Mulder's only concern was public safety.'  Koskie 
interrupted, a hand pressed against the wounds on his 
chest.  'When I displayed hesitance against entering the 
building, Mulder expressed concern for the people.'

Skinner stared back at Koskie.  'You didn't want to enter 
the warehouse?'

'I hesitated.'  Koskie said, choosing his words carefully 
so he wasn't lying.  'But Mulder was afraid that the 
rubber-um, the unidentified assailant was going to attack 
the people inside.'

'Is this true?'  Skinner turned to Mulder.

'Uh...' Mulder wasn't sure how to respond to this.  'I was 
worried...'

Koskie nodded encouragingly, signaling for him to 
elaborate.

'It was my opinion that the 'unidentified assailant' would 
react with hostility.'  Mulder said, trying not to break 
out in laughter at the pathetic attempt he was making to 
explain himself.

Skinner regarded him for a moment.  'You lucky bastard.'  
He said softly.

Mulder raised an eyebrow.  'Excuse me, Sir?'

'Scully was always covering your ass.'  He replied, trying 
to hide a grin.  'Now you've got someone else willing to do 
it.'  Skinner abruptly turned and walked away, towards the 
nearest cluster of bodies.

Mulder and Koskie exchanged a glance before following him.

Skinner reached the nearest body, a girl of around sixteen, 
and huffed as he turned back towards Mulder.  'What am I 
supposed to say about this?'

Mulder looked down at the body.  It was gashed open, the 
intestines hanging out.  'I don't know, Sir.'

'The media will eat us alive.'  Skinner said, turning 
towards Cooper.

'The media doesn't need to know anything.'  He replied, 
staring down at the fallen teenager.

Another body appeared as the fog retreated, then another.

'How do you expect to keep this quiet?'  Skinner asked.

'They cannot see through the walls.'  Cooper replied 
solemnly.

'There were a couple hundred people here.'  Mulder said.  
'I'm sure some, if not all of them, will talk.'

Someone had found the stereo and the music abruptly went 
silent as the disappearing fog revealed yet another slain 
victim.

'Agent Mulder.'  Skinner said.  'You were on this scene, 
which means you are responsible.  Please tell me you 
entered this building after all this was over.  Please tell 
me there was nothing you could have done to prevent it.'

Mulder was saved as Skinner's cell phone rang at his side 
and he snatched it up.

'Skinner.  Yes.  Yes.'  He flipped open a notepad and 
scratched a pen across it, taking a couple of steps away.

Mulder and Koskie glanced at each other, then turned and 
looked at Cooper.

He gave Mulder a small grin.  'Review panel.'

Mulder made a face at him.  'Bite my ass.'

Koskie laughed, then stopped and clutched his wounds.  'Ow, 
don't make me laugh.'

'Bend over and you'll get something implanted on your ass.'  
Cooper shrugged.  'It may not be the indentation of my 
teeth, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it either way.'

Mulder grinned.  'Don't turn me on, Chip.'

'Don't make me laugh.'  Koskie said again, holding his 
stomach.

Cooper pulled a straight face as the Assistant Director 
walked back towards them.

'Yes, Sir.'  Skinner clicked the phone down and glared at 
the two of them.  'There's been another murder.'

'What?'  Mulder and Koskie both asked.

'You heard me, Agents.  I need you out there, the Director 
sounds like someone lit a fire under his ass.'  He eyed 
Koskie.  'You up to this?'

'Yessir.'  Koskie said.

'It's barely been over an hour.'  Mulder consulted his 
watch.  'This is going to be a mess if the chicken isn't 
caught soon.'

'It already is a mess, Agent Mulder.'  Skinner ripped off 
the piece of paper and handed it to Mulder.  'This one has 
the governor nervous.  Get there ASAP, ignore the press on 
the way out, and Mulder?'

Mulder had begun to walk away after he snatched the address 
out of Skinner's hand.  'Sir?'

Skinner yanked a handkerchief out of his pocket and held it 
out towards him.  'For god's sake, wipe that blood off your 
face.'

***

'I can't believe we're going to another scene looking like 
this.'  Koskie said, looking down at himself as they drove 
towards Park Avenue.

Mulder grinned.  'Not to mention smelling this way.'

'I'm fairly certain there's regulations against our 
appearance.'  Koskie sighed and rubbed his eyes before 
looking out the window.  The sun was rising.  'I've been 
awake too damn long.'

Mulder suddenly slammed on the breaks and threw the car 
into park.

'What?  What?'  Koskie looked around.

Mulder turned on the hazard lights and got out of the car.  
'Cream or sugar?'

'What?'

'How do you take your coffee?'  Mulder leaned back in and 
looked at him.

'Black.'  Koskie replied.  He watched Mulder walk into a 
doughnut shop and shook his head.  Guy slams on the breaks 
and leaves his car in the middle of the street to get 
coffee.  Definitely spooky.

A dozen horns blared from behind and Koskie leaned out of 
his window and threw up his hands.  'What, are you friggin' 
blind?'  He yelled back in a New Yorker's accent.  'Can you 
see the hazard lights?  We got us a problem here!  Go 
around!  Go around!'

Mulder heard the commotion and looked outside.  He grinned 
at the sight of his partner; sleep-deprived and filthy, 
throwing up his hands and yelling out the window.  He shook 
his head and grabbed the cups of coffee, smiling his thanks 
at the man behind the counter.

'I see you're making friends?'  Mulder handed Koskie a cup 
of coffee and set his own on top of the car.  He turned 
back towards the angry drivers and flashed his badge.  
'Sorry about the inconvenience.  Official FBI business.  
We're leaving now.'

Koskie grinned as Mulder got in the car.  'Are we trying to 
break every rule and regulation within the first week of 
our partnership?'

Mulder looked over his shoulder and eased out into the 
traffic.  'If so, we're off to a fine start.'

'A damn fine start.'  Koskie took a sip of his coffee.  'Oh 
wow.'

Mulder looked over at him.  'Strong?'

'Bitter.'

'Putrid?'

'Rank.'

Mulder rolled to a stop, as it became apparent that the 
cars stopped in the street were there to stay.  'It's so 
nice to know that two highly educated men such as ourselves 
have such deep and though provoking conversations.'

'It restores my faith in formal education.'  Koskie said.  
'And I'm taking an educated guess by saying this must be 
the place.'

The whole street was blocked off by news vans and police 
cars.  They got out of the car and made their way through 
the mess of people and lights, the ever present helicopters 
buzzing overhead.

Koskie buttoned up his jacket to cover his shredded, bloody 
shirt.  'Damn reporters.'

A camera and a microphone were shoved in Mulder's face.  
'Sir, are you with the FBI?  What do you think of the 
Senator's murder?  Do you have any leads?'

'No comment.'  Mulder said, brushing past the reporter.

An officer with the NYPD stopped them at the crime scene 
tape.  'I need to see some identification.'

They both pulled out their badges and the officer shook his 
head.  'How many of you do they need in there?'

'The FBI is already here?'  Mulder asked.

'No Sir, but ATF is.'

'ATF?'  Koskie asked.  'What the hell are they doing here?'

The officer shrugged.  'I don't know anything standing out 
here.'

Mulder and Koskie ducked under the tape and walked across 
the perfectly manicured lawn.

'The house is on the corner.'  Mulder said.  'Directly 
across the street from the park.'

Koskie followed his gaze.  'Implying the chicken got here 
through the sewers and hit the first house it saw upon 
exiting that drainage pipe over there?'

'I was just wondering how much a place like this would go 
for.'  Mulder replied.

'Agent Mulder?'

They both turned as a man walked up to them, clad in an 
expensive, well-tailored suit.  He didn't offer to shake 
hands.

'That's me.'  Mulder said, instantly disliking him.

'I'm Agent Anderson, ATF.  We've been waiting for you.  I 
got a call from some goon with the NSA, instructing us that 
nothing was to be touched until you got here.  He said 
you've already been following leads pertaining to this.  He 
said you were to take charge here.'

'ATF is here because...?'  Koskie asked him

Anderson eyed Koskie with distaste.  'Who are you?'

'This is my partner, Agent Steven Koskie.'  Mulder said 
quickly, not wanting Koskie to shoot off his mouth and get 
them both reprimanded.

'Senator Fletcher was an avid gun collector.'  Anderson 
said, turning back to Mulder.  'He has damn near close to a 
small armory in his basement.  Illegal weapons.  That's why 
we were called in.  What I want to know is why the NSA is 
getting involved in a simple murder case.'

'I'm sure the NSA told you everything they needed to.'  
Mulder rubbed a hand over his face.

'This is my squad here.'  Anderson said.  'If there's 
something going on, I think I should be aware of it.'

'Of course there's something going on.'  Koskie replied.  
'A man has been murdered.'

'And I'm sure the NSA is concerned with the fact that the 
man was a Senator.'  Mulder said.  'We've been following a 
string of murders, which originated in a naval shipyard not 
too far from here twenty-four hours ago.  You have to see 
where the NSA would be concerned.  There may be a 
connection between a Naval shipyard and a Senator.'

Anderson didn't look convinced.  'The body's upstairs, 
third door on the right.  Now if you'll excuse me, I have 
some calls to make.'

Mulder and Koskie watched the man stomp away.

'That could have gone better.'  Koskie said.

'It's too bad he didn't like us.'  Mulder replied.  'I 
thought he was rather charming.'

'I don't think he liked our refugee-on-the-run image.'

'You think?'  Mulder asked as they began walking towards 
the house.

'Oh sure.'  Koskie nodded.  'It's either that or the cloud 
of stench that's hovering around us.'

Mulder shrugged.  'I thought he was just jealous at how 
quickly I linked the two murders together.'

'At least you didn't squeeze the underground party fiasco 
into your monologue.'  Koskie said.  'He probably would 
have had a melt-down right here.'

They both flashed their badges at another officer as they 
entered the house and made their way up the staircase.  
They took in the immaculate, sterile residence.

'Remember Ferris Bueller's Day Off?'  Koskie asked.

'Surely you're not going to suggest we play hooky today and 
hit a Yankee's game.'

'The way he described Cameron's house.  Like a museum.'

Mulder looked at his partner, wondering where he was going 
with this.  'Yeah.  What about it?'

'That's what this place reminds me of.'  Koskie shivered, 
looking around.  'Blah, gives me the creeps.'

Mulder stood in the doorway of the bedroom, looking at all 
the people inside, his mouth open.

Koskie didn't need to see inside the room to know why 
Mulder was so angry.

'What the hell is going on?'  Mulder asked loudly.  'I was 
told nothing would be touched until we got here.'

'We're about to start stringing.'  A female ATF agent said.  
'No one's been near the body.'

'How do I know that?'  Mulder asked, stepping into the 
room.  'Who's in charge here?'

'I'm in charge.'  The woman said.  'So I can tell you that 
the body has not been touched.'

'Who are you?'  Mulder asked, knowing he was being rude, 
but really too tired and too angry to care.

'I beg your pardon.'  She challenged him back.  'But who 
are you?'

'Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI.'  He said.  'I 
believe you've been informed that I'll be taking charge 
here.  My orders came directly from the NSA so if you or 
anyone else here has a problem with me, you can take it up 
with the Attorney General or the President.  Although I 
don't think either one of them would like to hear their 
phone ringing this early.'

She was silent for a moment.  'You're Fox Mulder?'

'Yes.  Now if you'd be so kind as to tell me who you are, 
we can get started here.'

'Agent Marie Koskie.'

He finally looked at her, confused.

She smirked.  'Steven never mentioned you were such an 
arrogant asshole.'

Mulder looked over the woman standing before him.  She 
looked young, possibly in her late twenties or early 
thirties.  She was a brunette, her hair falling naturally 
past her shoulders.  She was approximately five feet, six 
inches, with beautiful, deep brown eyes. She wasn't too 
skinny, and she had a beautiful smile, which revealed 
striking, white teeth.

Mulder grinned.  'I am sorry to say, that he left out the 
best attribute I happen to possess.'

'So it seems.'

'He never mentioned that he had a sister.'

'Doesn't surprise me.'

'Why is that?'  Mulder asked.

She finally grinned in return.  'You'll find out.'

'Confident, are we?'

'No reason for me not to be, Agent Mulder.'

'I don't see the similarity between you two.'  Mulder said 
sarcastically.

'Well, aren't you a peach.'  She smiled larger and tilted 
her head.

'Fresh off the tree.'  Mulder grinned stupidly.  'You 
aren't too bad yourself, you know?'

'I have been told that a time or two.'

'I wouldn't doubt it.'

'I am sorry, uh...' Mulder suddenly drew a blank and 
couldn't remember her name.

'Marie.'  She said bluntly.

'Yes, Marie.  What-'

Marie cut him off.  'Enough of the chit chat, is there 
something I can help you with Agent Mulder?'

'I was about to ask you the same thing.  I thought if 
anyone needed help, it would be you.  Thought I would do my 
good deed for the day, maybe earn my 'kindness to those in 
need' badge and I think that door to door sales time is 
rolling around.'

'Well, well, well. You possess wit and undying charm as 
well. Is that a package deal?'  She asked, mockingly.

'What have you discovered about the case?'

'Agent Mulder, why don't you take a step inside, and have a 
look at the body.'

'You wouldn't happen to have ordered an autopsy, would 
you?'

'Agent Mulder..." Marie began.  "Please excuse me for a 
moment.'  She walked away, towards a man that had caught 
her attention.

Koskie's voice announced his arrival.  'Hey, Mulder, I 
think I was right.  Agent Anderson does not like our 
fugitive look.  I say we go and grab a pair of shackles and 
hideous orange jumpsuits just to spite him.'

'What?'  Mulder asked, turning around.  'I think the 
outfits are cute. They make me look slimmer.  Did you know 
that no major department stores carry them?  Something 
about hysteria in the streets, I just can't imagine.'

Mulder saw Koskie's eyes fixated across the room, a huge 
smile spread across his face.

'Well, if it isn't Maria Tortilla.'  He said.

'Tortilla?'  Mulder raised an eyebrow at his partner.

Koskie waved a hand at him.  'A nickname from when were 
kids.  Long story.'

'You didn't tell me you had a sister in ATF.'

'Not something that really comes up during normal business 
hours, Mulder.'  Koskie unbuttoned his coat so he could 
examine his wounds.  'Not to mention we haven't exactly 
been playing 'Twenty Questions'.'

'Agent Koskie.'  Marie approached the two of them.

Koskie smiled back and nodded at her.  'Agent Koskie.'

'This is the new assignment you told me about?' She 
gestured her head at Mulder and he nodded in response.

'That it is.'

'Involved with the NSA?'  Marie smiled.  'My, you're 
definitely moving up in the world.'

Koskie laughed and she looked him over.  'My God, Steven, 
what the hell happened to you?'

'Ran into a chicken with an attitude problem, nothing to be 
concerned about.'

'Steven, you're hurt!'  She gasped and opened his jacket to 
look at his chest.  'Must have been one hell of a chicken!'

'It's nothing.'  Koskie closed his coat back up.  'Just 
some scratches.'

'And you reek.'

'Thanks, Tortilla.'

'What's up with your partner?'  She asked, looking over her 
shoulder.

Mulder was examining some scratches in the floor; he began 
to dig with a pen.

'He's a bit...' Koskie searched for the right word.  'Off.'

Marie tilted her head to the side and smiled at him.  
'Off?'

'Don't get me wrong, he's brilliant.  But he's still, off.'

'What is this business with the NSA, Steven?'  She narrowed 
her eyes at him.  'You aren't getting in over your head 
again, are you?'

Koskie grinned.  'Who, me?'

'That's what I thought.'  She replied as Mulder walked up 
to them.  He held up a small, plastic bag.

'Recognize this?'  He asked.

Koskie peered closely at the small object enclosed in the 
clear plastic.  His eyes widened.  'A claw?'  He looked up 
at Mulder in surprise.

'Look familiar?'

'Holy shit.'  Koskie whispered.

'Look like a chicken fingernail to you?'

Koskie smiled up at Mulder.  'Winner!'

Mulder handed the bag to Koskie and pulled out his cell 
phone.  'We need to get back to DC.'

'You going to take that to Quantico for comparison?'  
Koskie held the bag up again and Marie crowded close to get 
a better look.

'No.' Mulder said.  'But I do need the results from the 
body we found in the shipyard so we can compare the two.  
Nice to meet you, Maria Tortilla, see you around.'  He 
smiled at her.

She returned the grin and gave him a nod.  'Count on it.'

Koskie looked over at Mulder as he began talking.

'Heads up, Frohike.  I need to come down ASAP.  Can you get 
some info from Quantico for me?'

Koskie was confused.  'What are you doing, Mulder?'

'I have friends.'  Mulder grinned at him, then walked away, 
speaking rapidly.  'You need the case number?  It's X-
2491573.  We'll be down in a few hours, can you get that 
for me?'

Koskie glanced down at Marie.  'I guess it's time to go.'

She put a hand on his arm.  'Please be careful, Steven.'

'You know me.'  He shrugged.

'Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of.'

Koskie grinned at her.  'I'll call you tonight.'

'Yes, I said, 'we'.'  Mulder held the front door open for 
Koskie as he continued his conversation with Frohike.  'I 
have a new partner, troll-man.  You'll meet him in a few 
hours.'

***

They drove down the freeway, heading to the Lone Gunmen's 
place.  Koskie could not remember the last time he'd been 
so tired.  Mulder seemed fine and just kept sucking down 
the coffee.  Maybe if he had an intravenous feed of 
espresso he'd be okay.  He keep dozing off, kept jerking 
awake.  The last time, his head hit the window and he 
looked over at Mulder to see if he'd noticed.

'Maybe you should take a nap.'  Mulder suggested.

Koskie shook his head.  'I'm fine.'

'We'll be there soon enough.'  Mulder looked over at him.  
'Unless you want me to take you home.  I can go alone.'

'No, no.  I just need something to keep me awake.'  Koskie 
stretched, then leaned over and turned on the radio.

'The Otherside' by the Red Hot Chile Peppers was playing.

Mulder drew in a deep breath as his mind took on a life of 
it's own.  He was suddenly in Scully's apartment, Krycek 
staring sadly at him as images collided in his head.

'...How long, how long will I slide...Separate my side...'

Scully and Krycek were sitting at a table across from 
Cancer Man and his sister, not too far away from a band 
which consisted of a banjo, a piano, a saw, a washboard, 
and someone playing the spoons.  He could smell the 
jambalaya, smell the Morley Spender was smoking; he could 
feel the smooth, cold glass of Krycek's bottle of beer 
against his palm.

The music was not only on the radio, it was inside his head 
as well.

'...I heard your voice through a photograph...I thought it 
up and brought up the past...Once you know, you can never 
go back...I gotta take it on the otherside...'

'Mulder!'

Mulder had no idea where he was.  He didn't know what was 
real.  A small part of him screamed that he was in a car, 
driving on the freeway.  But everything else he saw and 
heard was so far away.

Spender pulled out another chart and laid it on the table 
in between the two.  'This is the DNA of your unborn 
child.'

'...Centuries are what it meant to me...A cemetery where I 
marry the sea...Stranger things could never change my 
mind...I gotta take it on the otherside...'

'Mulder!'  Koskie grabbed the wheel and slowly drove the 
car off the road.

The voice interrupted him.  Mulder realized that he had his 
hands pressed against his face, covering his eyes.  There 
were tears in his eyes.  Krycek had just been told that he 
was going to be a father and Mulder was feeling everything 
he did all over again, for the second time in his life.

He suddenly stood up, in the restaurant, knocking over the 
chair in the process, and hastily walked towards the front 
door.  He could still hear Spender's voice, speaking to 
Scully.  It followed him out to the street.

'If you compare the DNA charts of the two of you to the 
chart of the child, you'll see, the child has both.'

Mulder felt hands on his arms.  He opened his eyes to see a 
freeway.  Cars whizzing past, honking.  On his right, 
Koskie was staring at him, concern in his eyes.

'Mulder?'  Koskie snapped fingers in front of his face.  
'You there?'

Mulder let out a shuddering breath, his voice thick and 
shaky.  'Turn off the radio.'

Koskie punched at the controls until silence filled the 
car.  Mulder began to feel a little better.

'You okay?'  Koskie asked.  'You...I had to take the wheel 
and let us coast off.'

'Sorry.'  Mulder barely managed to croak out the word.

'What happened?'

'I don't know.'  Mulder shook his head.  'I can't explain 
it.'

'Well try, Mulder.'  Koskie replied.  'You scared the hell 
out of me.'

Mulder hesitated, then wiped a hand across his eyes, 
sniffling.  'You know Koskie, you and I are gonna have to 
have a talk someday.  Not now, but someday.'

Koskie stared back at Mulder, at the haunted look in his 
eyes, at the tears on his face.  He felt sorry for every 
bad thought he'd ever had of his partner.  Felt badly for 
every joke he'd ever laughed at, every remark he'd ever 
made about Spooky Mulder.

'I assume it will be quite a story.'  Koskie said, opening 
his door.  'In the meantime, why don't I drive.'

***

'Who are these people?'  Koskie asked, listening to all the 
locks being disengaged.  'You hanging out with a right-wing 
militant group?'

'I have yet to figure out what group to lump them into.'  
Mulder smiled.  'I don't think they can be described as any 
one thing or another.'

Frohike opened the door.  'What's up, freak?'

'Nice to see you too, Melvin.'  Mulder stepped past him.  
'Meet Steve Koskie.'

Frohike glanced up at Koskie, distrust already in his eyes.  
'You prefer Steve or Koskie?'  He asked.  'We normally go 
by our last names around here.'

'Actually, I prefer neither.'  Koskie followed Mulder into 
the room.  'I've always been partial to Sugar Pants, Honey 
Lips, you get my drift.'

Frohike shut the door, already disliking Mulder's arrogant 
partner.  'How about punk ass?'  He growled at Koskie's 
back.  'You've probably heard that one a lot.'

'Oh that's perfect.'  Koskie turned to grin down at him.  
'And I'll call you my little pet bitch.'

'Don't make me get the can out.'  Frohike retorted.

Koskie grinned even larger at the response he was getting 
from the little guy.  'Shouldn't you be following the 
yellow brick road?'

'Enough.'  Mulder intervened.  He held out the plastic bag 
to Frohike.  'Check it out.'

Frohike's eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he held it up 
in front of his face.

'Chicken finger.'  Koskie said out of nowhere.

'Doesn't look like it'd be too good with honey mustard.'  
Langly's voice came from behind them.  'You smell maximum 
real, Mulder.'

'We worked hard at it.  Meet Agent Koskie.'

Langly looked at him, sadness in his eyes.  'You're 
Mulder's new partner?'

Koskie nodded.  'Although after the day we've had, I'm not 
so sure I'll live to see our next case.'

'Life around Mulder tends to be that way.'  He replied.  
'I'm Langly.'

'You CIA?'

'As in my last name, not Langley, Virginia.'

'Bingo.'  Frohike's voice rang out.

'Whatcha got?'  Mulder leaned over Frohike's shoulder.

'This genetic make up.  It's matching on three case 
numbers.  The one you had me get today, and two of your 
earlier cases.'

'How do you have access to all this?'  Koskie asked, 
joining them at the table.

'You can say, it Langly.'  Frohike grinned, looking 
tweaking an image on a monitor.  'I have to say it all the 
time.'

Mulder rolled his eyes at Koskie and said it with Langly.

'My Kung Fu is the best.'

'Okay.'  Koskie grinned despite himself.  'We got us some 
hackers?'

'They cover a far broader range of illegal activities.'  
Mulder said.  'Be careful you don't offend.'

'His smell is already doing that.'  Frohike said.  'This 
claw definitely matches whatever you found yesterday 
morning.'

'You said there were three matches.'  Mulder replied.

'Yes, some of it matches whatever organic material you 
found back in Phoenix all those years ago.  And I don't 
think this other match was from a case.  It's just records 
we have stored.  Medical charts, DNA strands, lists of the 
genetic make up of something.'

Mulder peered closely at the monitor, searching for an 
indication of what it was in reference to.  'Of what?'

'I'm looking for a name...' Frohike's voice trailed off.  
'There.  Gibson Praise.  Mean anything to you?'

Mulder didn't respond.  He was speechless.

'I'll take that as a yes.'  Frohike said, indicating 
Mulder's shocked silence.

'How could the chicken have Gibson's DNA?'  Mulder mumbled 
softly.

'Who's Gibson Praise?'  Koskie looked between Frohike and 
Langly, only to get shrugs and shaking heads.

Mulder tried to keep himself from shaking as he pulled out 
his cell phone and hit the speed dial.

'We're sorry...The number you have dialed has been 
disconnected...Please hang up and try again...'

'Damn.'  Mulder impatiently pushed buttons, dialing the 
number to the house in Newport Beach.  'How long am I going 
to keep calling her apartment?  Newport is 714, right?'

'Hello?'

Mulder grimaced at the voice on the other end.  'It's me 
Krycek, lemme talk to Scully.'

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

'Hello?'  Mulder asked sarcastically.  'You suddenly 
develop swimmer's ear from all that surfing?'

'Fox...' Krycek's sad voice softly floated back to him.

The serious tone of Krycek's normally cheerful voice 
confused Mulder for a moment.  He heard a baby began to cry 
in the background and suddenly he remembered.

Scully was dead.

He had forgotten.  He had automatically gone to call Scully 
to get her explanation on Gibson's DNA.  If anyone could 
have figured it out, it would have been her.  But she was 
dead.  He looked up to see everyone staring at him in 
confusion, pity, sorrow, as Krycek kept talking.

'I don't know what to say, Fox.'

Koskie put a hand on his arm.  The look on Mulder's face 
spoke a thousand words.

Frohike reached for the phone and Mulder gladly released 
it.  Koskie guided him towards a chair and he plopped 
heavily down and put his hands over his face.  Scully was 
dead.

'Alex?'  He heard Frohike's voice talking.  'Yeah, I know.  
I don't think he has either, but he'll okay.  We'll take 
care of him.  I know, Alex.'  The voice retreated as 
Frohike left the room.

'You okay, Mulder?'  Koskie asked.

Mulder tried to block the image out.  One picture always 
popped in his head when he thought of Scully.  It wasn't 
exactly his fondest memory, but it was the happiest he'd 
ever seen her.  Covered in orange slime, squishing the 
pumpkin goop in her hands all over Krycek's face.  She was 
giggling like a teenager, pregnant, her blonde hair grown 
out.  Why that image, he didn't know.  Maybe because it was 
the first time he'd seen the Scully he never knew.

'Mulder?'  It was Langly now and he knew he'd have to do 
something before they all went into Mother Mode on him.  He 
just couldn't figure out what to do.  Scully was dead.  He 
took a deep breath and forced his hands away from his face.  
Both Langly and Koskie were staring down at him.

'You okay, Mulder?'  The former asked.

He slowly nodded, he wanted to speak, but no words came to 
mind.  Scully was dead.  His face showed no emotion, his 
movements suddenly seemed sluggish.

Byers walked into the room.  'Hey Mulder.  When did you get 
here?'  He stuck a hand out in Koskie's direction.  'John 
Byers.'

'This is Mulder's new partner.'  Langly said as Koskie 
accepted his handshake.  'Agent Koskie.'

Mulder ran his hands through his hair, trying to collect 
himself.  His face was pale and his eyes were dazed.

Byers took a closer look at his friend.  'You okay, 
Mulder?'  He got no response and turned to look at Langly.  
'What's going on?  What happened?'

'I'll tell you later.'  Langly said softly before leaning 
closer to Mulder.  'You hear me, Mulder?  You okay?'

Mulder nodded again, finally forcing some words out, the 
only words that came to mind other than Scully was dead.

'I'm fine.'

Byers and Langly didn't say a word as Mulder suddenly burst 
into laughter.

He suddenly understood why Scully had been so fond of those 
words.  They were so easy to spit out when you couldn't say 
anything else.  He put his hands over his face again and 
continued to laugh.  After a few hysterical moments, his 
giggles turned to silent sobs.

Koskie was genuinely frightened for his partner.  Maybe he 
was in need of some Thorazine and a straight jacket.  
'Mulder, what the hell is so funny?'

'I don't think he's laughing.'  Langly said softly.

Frohike walked back into the room and held the phone out 
towards Mulder.  'Alex wants to talk to you.'

Mulder shook his head.  'I can't talk to him.'

'Mulder-'

'I don't want to talk to him!'  Mulder said harshly, taking 
his hands away from his face and glaring at Frohike.

Langly took the phone himself and walked out of the room.

'Mulder.'  Koskie put a hand on his arm.  'Let me take you 
home.'

'I'm sorry.'  He replied softly.  'I don't know what's 
wrong with me.'

'Oh, I wonder.'  Frohike replied.  'You just lost Scully.  
Not to mention all this other crap that's been going on, 
with Spender and Fowley and Alex.'

'Not to mention you haven't slept in over twenty-four 
hours.'  Koskie said.  'Been chasing the chicken through 
sewers.  Hit an underground party on the way.  It's been a 
busy couple of days.'

Byers glanced between Koskie and Mulder, not sure how much 
his new partner was aware of.  'Mulder, if you need-'

'I'm okay.'  He interrupted, forcing the next question out, 
directing it to Frohike.  'How's Krycek?  I heard the baby 
crying.'

'He's hanging in there, Mulder.  He seemed worried about 
you.'

Mulder chuckled nervously to get away from any thought that 
Krycek might care about him.  It was so much easier to 
pretend that Krycek still hated him.  'Why would he care 
about me one way or another?'

Frohike threw a scolding look at Mulder.  'Don't make me 
state the obvious.'

Mulder looked down at the floor, feeling defeated.  Frohike 
was talking about the fact that Krycek was his brother.  No 
one knew except Krycek, Skinner and Frohike.  Scully knew 
too, but of course, Scully was dead.

He reinforced the delusion.  'Krycek can't stand me.'

Byers shrugged and turned to frown at an image on one of 
many monitors before walking over to see what Frohike was 
messing with.  'Maybe he was just being polite, Mulder.'

Krycek had been nothing but nice to him since this whole 
mess began.  He had tried to get Mulder to see his side of 
the story, and when Mulder refused to deal with it, Krycek 
had given him the space that he needed.  He had even told 
Mulder that he needed to pull his head out of his ass when 
it came to Scully.  He had reacted stupidly, jealously, 
sensing that Krycek had feelings for her that maybe he 
wasn't aware of.  Krycek had ignored Mulder, insisting that 
Scully was in love with him so it didn't matter what kind 
of feelings he had.  Krycek pushed him towards telling 
Scully how he really felt, that he was running out of time.  
Mulder never did.  He had hesitated, and now it was too 
late.

He still hated Krycek.  Still blamed everything miserable 
in his life on him.  If Scully hadn't been pregnant with 
his child, she'd probably still be here today.  Not that 
the child was Krycek's fault, but still.  He needed to 
blame someone and Krycek was just as good as anyone else.

Koskie leaned over to speak softly in Mulder's ear.  
'Someday you're going to have to tell me what the hell is 
going on with Alex Krycek.'

'What do you mean?'  Mulder didn't look at him.  He was 
vulnerable and didn't want anyone seeing it.

'Last I heard he'd been killed, ran off to work with the 
CIA, became a double agent for the Russians, the 
British...Mostly I heard that he was your nemesis, that he 
was specifically working against the X-Files.  But the 
night I was watching Scully's apartment, you were all 
there.  And he and Scully didn't exactly seem to hate each 
other.  I just want to know, if I'm going to be getting 
involved in any of this in anyway, what the hell is going 
on.  Doesn't seem fair for me to fight for something I know 
nothing about.'

'I told you, Koskie.'  Mulder said softly, still trying to 
shed the weird soggy blanket that had fallen over him.  
'When the time is right, you'll get your bedtime story.  
Right now I'm more concerned with the chicken.'

'Where did you find this?'  Byers asked, looking at the 
claw and the monitor.

'New York.  It's from an EBE.'  Koskie said, managing to 
maintain a straight face, it sounded so stupid.

'Thus, the chicken reference.'  Frohike said.

Byers glanced over at Mulder.  'Anywhere near where they 
took you after you were abducted?'

Mulder stared back, his mouth open.  He shook his head.  'I 
never even thought about that.'

Koskie sighed, letting his head fall back.  'I'm seeing the 
Manhattan skyline...'

***

They entered the building through the back door of the 
basement.

Mulder pulled out his flashlight and swept it over the 
room, searching out a path amongst the pipes, machinery and 
ducts.

'Mulder, do you have any idea what the hell we're doing?'  
Koskie asked, swatting at a spider as he ran into a web.

Mulder grinned.  'Well, it's got a nice beat you can dance 
to.'

'Always the smartass.'  Koskie said.

'I've reserved that title for you, Sugar Smacks.'  Mulder 
said, ducking under some pipes.  'Watch out for those-'

Koskie ran into the piping and grabbed his head.

'Pipes.'  Mulder finished.

'Thanks, Fruity Pebbles.'  Koskie said, wincing.  'Oh, 
damn, that hurt.'

Mulder stopped and shined the flashlight in his face.  'You 
okay, Cookie Crisp?'

'I'm fine, Captain Crunch.'  Koskie said, holding up a hand 
at the light.  'Get that outta my face.'

'Sorry.'  Mulder mumbled, continuing ahead.  'Grape Nuts.'

'Whatever.'  Koskie replied.  'Count Chocula.'

They walked in silence for a few minutes, sweeping the 
flashlights from side to side.  Koskie suddenly began to 
sing softly.

'When you find your life's in danger, when you're 
threatened by a stranger, when it looks like you will take 
a lickin'.'  He clucked like a chicken before continuing 
on.  'Bok, bok, bok, bok.  There is someone waiting who 
will hurry up and rescue you, just call for super chicken.  
Ba-KAK!'

Mulder picked up.  'Steve, if you're afraid you'll have to 
overlook it.  Besides you knew the job was dangerous when 
you took it.'

'Ba-KAK!'  They both clucked before continuing on together.

'People drink his super sauce and throw the bad guys for a 
loss and he will bring them in alive and kicking.  Bok, 
bok, bok, bok.  There is one thing you should learn, when 
there is no where else to turn, just call for super 
chicken.  Bok, bok, bok, bok.  Just call for super chicken.  
Ba-KAK!'

They continued walking on in silence before Mulder shook 
his head.  'I must be losing my mind.'

They both laughed softly in the darkness as they came to a 
ventilation shaft.  Mulder looked around the room, then put 
the flashlight in his mouth so he could remove the grating.

Koskie shook his head.  'Always sticking your hands in 
weird places...Now you're shoving things in your mouth.  
Whenever will you learn?'

Mulder hoisted himself up into the shaft and reached his 
hands back towards his partner.

Koskie handed him the bag he'd been carrying.  'You're 
insane, Mulder.  You know that?'

'Certifiable.'  Mulder said, squeezing his legs into the 
shaft.  'If we wait too long, we'll never find the 
chicken.'

'Yeah, that's what I keep hoping.'  Koskie said, looking up 
at him.  'You've been running off on suicide missions since 
I was assigned to the X-Files, Mulder.  One of these times, 
you're not going to come back.'

Mulder grinned.  'Yeah, that's what I keep hoping.'

'Oh great.'  Koskie shook his head.  'Partnered with Martin 
Riggs.'

'Koskie.'  Mulder looked down at his young partner, 
uncharacteristic sympathy on his face.  'You don't have to 
come with me.'

Koskie sighed and shook his head, planting his hands on 
either side of the shaft.  'But then who will sing all 
those lovely TV Tune duets with you?  I was hoping we'd 
move onto The Love Boat.'

***

Mulder hesitated before making another right.

'Sewers, chickens, and raves, oh my.'  Koskie said softly, 
shaking his head.  'Now you've got me cramped in a heating 
duct.  What is next?  A harem of cross-dressing Wookies?'

'You made a career mistake when you joined the Bureau.'  
Mulder stopped again at another fork.  'Hallmark was 
probably hiring.'

'The next time you stop like that, I might accidentally 
crawl halfway up your ass before realizing you've quit 
moving.'

Mulder hung his head and laughed softly.  He couldn't help 
it.  'Such a way with words.'

'I care enough to send the very best.'  Koskie said.  'What 
the hell did I just stick my hand in?'

Mulder kept moving, suddenly sure of where he was going.  
The insistent 'you're on the right track' alarm was blaring 
in his head.  Spooky Mulder.  Not so spooky, the words 
entered his mind without his permission.  Just alien.  He 
shook his head.  He hated when Krycek was right.

Thinking of Krycek always led to thinking of Scully.  And 
he really didn't need to be thinking about her right now.

'Hold up there, Speed Racer.'  Koskie said.

'Shhh.' Mulder whispered.  'I think we're close.'

'Close to what?'  Koskie whispered back.

'I don't know.'

They crawled for another minute before Koskie's voice 
drifted up to him.  'The chicken must have a cold.'

'What?'  Mulder asked softly.

'I keep crawling through slime.'  Koskie said.

Mulder didn't stop.  'I don't feel anything.'

'You're probably immune to feeling slimy substances.'  
Koskie said.  'With all the weird places your hands 
regularly visit.'

'Koskie, does anything you're saying have any direct 
importance on what we're doing?'

'It's important to me, considering the new hair gel I'm 
covered in.  I'm starting to feel like Sigourney
Weaver should be running around.'

Mulder stopped at another intersection.  'And that pun was 
entirely on accident?'

'Ass, Mulder, ass.'  Koskie said softly.  'You need to warn 
me before you slam on the brakes.'

'Sorry.'  He muttered.  Mulder tried to think about which 
way to go.  He couldn't.  Nothing came to mind.

He could almost hear voices.  They were faint, but they 
were there.

Koskie leaned over Mulder's shoulder to look down to the 
left, then to the right.  'Where to, Stupendous Yappi?'

Mulder glared at him.

'Ouch.'  Koskie said, shining his flashlight in Mulder's 
face.  'Look at that lovely expression.'

'I hate that guy.'  Mulder said.  'He was rude to me.'

'Oh waaaah.'  Koskie said.  'Did he have poppy pants?'

Mulder stared back at Koskie for a moment.  'I must be 
getting soft in my old age.  I never would have let anyone 
get away with the crap I let you slide by with.'

'Got me shaking in my boots, Mulder.  But you still haven't 
decided where we should go.'

They both shined their flashlights in one direction, then 
the other.

'I'm thinking right.'  Koskie said.

Mulder shook his head.  'I'm almost sure it's to the left.'

They both scooted out into the duct and the bottom gave 
out.  They fell through the vent, through the ceiling, and 
landed on a table, sending it and them crashing to the 
floor.

Mulder tried to sit up and shake his head.  His ears were 
ringing.  He felt someone's hand on his shoulder and knew 
it was Koskie's.

Mulder opened his eyes and looked up to see several men 
staring down at them.  He scanned the faces, some familiar, 
some not, before landing on one man in particular.

'Agent's Mulder and Koskie.'  Dale Cooper said, staring 
down at them.  'Nice of you to drop in.'

Mulder couldn't respond.  How many loops could he be thrown 
for in a year?

Apparently Koskie was at a loss of words too; otherwise, 
several colorful metaphors and clever comments would be 
spewing from his mouth.

'Gentlemen, if you could excuse us, please?'  Cooper said, 
never breaking eye contact with Mulder.

Everyone filed out of the room and Mulder straightened up 
to a sitting position, Koskie behind him.

'Well, Chip.'  Mulder said.  'For the first time in our 
courtship, I'm at a loss for words.'

'That's a first.  I figured you'd at least have some guilty 
comments ready to throw my way.'  Cooper smiled and crossed 
his arms.  The posture reminded Mulder of Krycek's mellow 
slouching and he looked away.

'In order to have guilty comments thrown at you,' Mulder 
said as Koskie pulled him to his feet, 'you would have to 
had done things to feel guilty about.'

'You of all people should know about compromise, Mulder.'  
Cooper said.  'Most people want to do the right thing, but 
sometimes we have to think of the bigger picture.  Means to 
an end, you know.'

'Why am I sensing another diatribe of self-serving 
righteousness masked as what sounds noble and true?'

Cooper raised his eyebrows at him.  'That was quite a 
cluster of words, you just hurled my way, Agent Mulder.  
Have you been waiting to use that somewhere?'

The three men stood staring at each other.  A silent minute 
stretched out.

'I need a bedtime story.'  Koskie suddenly blurted.

Cooper creased his forehead, looking at the younger partner 
oddly.

Mulder shook his head.  'I don't think this is quite the 
time.'

'Well I need some kind of tale.'  Koskie said, glancing 
between the two.  'I'm totally lost.  All I know is there's 
a chicken on the loose.'

Cooper smiled.  'Not anymore.'

Mulder and Koskie stared at him.  'You caught the chicken?'  
The latter asked.

'The chicken came to us.'  Cooper replied.  'We called it.'

Mulder pressed his lips together and nodded.  'Must've been 
one hell of a phone bill.'

'Damn.'  Koskie shook his head.  'ET was probably really 
pissed when he found out you could just phone home like 
that.'

'Oh, the poor little guy.'  Mulder looked at his partner.  
'After all the trouble he went through...'

'It gets ya right here.'  Koskie put a hand on his chest 
over where his heart was.

'Are you ever serious?'  Cooper asked, trying not to crack 
a grin.  'You just fell through the ceiling of a building 
you really, really, really shouldn't be anywhere near.  
Some of the men I was with are probably assuming that I'm 
disposing of you right now, you've been told the chicken's 
here, and all you can do is joke?'

Mulder tilted his head, deep in thought.  'You know, Chip, 
I'm very impressed.  Placing international calls is bad 
enough, but inter-planet calling?  Now that's getting 
tricky.  What kind of area code would you use for something 
like that?'

'NCC-107?'  Koskie asked.

'THX-1138?'  Mulder threw out another one and they were 
both silent.

Cooper cracked a grin.  'Are you finished?'

Mulder and Koskie pointed at each other.

'R2D2!'  They both exclaimed.

***

The three of them sat in chairs around the demolished 
table.

'Exactly how many chickens are out there?'  Koskie asked, 
sipping a horribly bitter cup of coffee that Cooper had 
supplied them with.

'It's really hard to say.'  Cooper replied, grimacing after 
taking a sip of the foul brew.  'Since there's so many 
groups operating independently, there's no way to tell.'

Mulder sighed.  'How many organization's are we talking 
about?'

'It's really hard to say.'  Cooper smiled, repeating what 
he'd already said.  'Since there's so many deals that have 
been made.'

Koskie raised his eyebrows.  'Deals?'

'So many people with divided loyalties.'  Mulder said, 
thinking of Diana, of Spender.  'Not to mention my 
brother.'  He said aloud softly.

'Huh?'  Koskie asked.

Cooper leaned forward.  'I didn't know you had a brother.'

Did he just say that out loud?  Mulder shook his head and 
looked down at the coffee in his hands.  He really needed 
to get to sleep if he was starting to lose it that bad.  'I 
don't...I just meant, man in general, my brothers.'

'Oh come on.'  Koskie said.  'I don't even know you and can 
say that you're not that hokey.'

'Bed time.'  Mulder said, looking at him.

'Well, I'm getting pretty damn tired.'  Koskie replied, 
taking another swallow of the horrid Java.

'I think we're about to get a tall tale from Chip, ol' 
buddy here.'  Mulder looked at Cooper pointedly.  'Whaddaya 
say, Coop?  Wanna sit a spell?'

Cooper smiled.  'Is that your ever-so-eloquent way of 
asking me what is going on?'

'That would be it.'  Mulder nodded.

'What do you want to know?'

Mulder and Koskie glanced at each other.  Koskie shrugged.  
'Have at it, Cocoa Puffs.'

Mulder faced him.  'Who are you working for?'

'The National Security Agency.'

Mulder seemed surprised.  'That's the only boss you have?'

Cooper nodded.

'So, what are you doing here?'

'Oh, a little of this, a little of that.'  Cooper smiled.

'I don't think that's quite the answer I'm looking for.'  
Mulder replied.

Cooper looked meaningfully at Mulder.  'I'm not sure that 
we should talk about this in here.'

'Well.  I really don't care who hears what we're talking 
about.'  Mulder said.  'If they have a problem, they can 
come discuss it with me directly.'

'It's nice that you think so, Agent Mulder.'  Cooper said, 
tilting his head to the side.  'But I have certain 
standards that I am expected to meet.  Certain parties to 
protect.  Certain qualifications to rise up to.'  He 
hesitated, then grinned.  'If you get my meaning.'

'I'm sorry, Chip.'  Mulder said.  'But did you just 
threaten me?'

Cooper sighed, shaking his head and looking down.  When he 
looked back up, Koskie had a gun pointed in his face.

'Because, that would reflect badly on the NSA.'  Mulder 
went on.  'I am, a Federal Agent, merely following up on a 
case that I was assigned to.  I'd hate for anything BAD or 
politically INCORRECT to happen between the FBI and NSA 
simply because I stumbled upon some bad doings of the US 
Government while investigating a series of murders.  In the 
interest of public safety, of course.'

'The NSA and FBI have incredible similarities.'  Koskie 
smiled.  'We have certain standards we're required to meet 
as well.  Certain qualifications to rise to.'

Cooper stared back for a long moment, then smiled.  'It's 
about time to call it a day, gentlemen.  Who wants to get a 
drink?'

***

Slap Happy's was a small, seedy bar that permanently reeked 
of alcohol and smoke.  A pool table in the middle of the 
room fought for space with scattered tables and chairs.  A 
jukebox stood in the corner; a drunken man was making a 
pathetic attempt at hitting on a woman as she searched 
through the lists of songs.  Mulder, Koskie and Cooper 
crowded around a small table in the back corner and ordered 
a round of drinks as 'Far Away Eyes' by The Rolling Stones 
blasted towards them.

'...Much to my surprise, there she was...Sitting in the 
corner...A little bleary...Worse for wear and tear...It was 
a girl...With far away eyes...'

'Here we are.'  Mulder said.  'No bugs.'

'Not the electronic kind, anyway.'  Koskie looked around in 
disgust.

Mulder picked up his bottle of beer.  'And I doubt any of 
your illustrious sidekicks are going to frequenting this 
fine establishment.'

'There you go again with the four syllable words.'  Cooper 
shook his head.  'I think you must do it when you're 
nervous or insecure.'

'Ah, shit!'  Koskie cursed softly and bent down to look 
under the table.  'I think I just stuck my hand in gum.'

'For a field agent he seems so concerned about his 
cleanliness.'  Mulder said.

Cooper smiled.  'Nothing wrong with a little 
Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder.'

Mulder nodded his head at Cooper.  'You planning on 
starting this sometime tonight, Chip?'

He sighed and took a sip of his gin and tonic.  'I could 
never have possibly conceived of the scale of things when 
they brought me in the NSA.  I knew nothing about the 
chickens or the whole colonization mess.  I thought it was 
a project like Paperclip or Bluebook.  You know, just the 
search for extraterrestrial life.  I had no idea that we 
were communicating with them and had been for years.  I 
didn't know they were trying to make deals, trying to fool 
them, trying to lull them into a false sense of security 
while we were down here, plotting their demise.'

'I'm sorry.'  Koskie said, confusion plastered on his face.  
'I'm a little in the dark here.  Can you start at the 
beginning.'

'I was getting around to it.'  Cooper replied.  'I'm trying 
to summarize.  And let me remind you, I don't know the big 
picture.'  Cooper said.  'Just what I've had experience 
in.'

Mulder gestured with his beer.  'Go on.'

'Let me think for a minute.'  Cooper took out a pack of 
cigarettes and Mulder's eyes widened.

'First the gin and now cigarettes?'  Mulder shook his head.  
'The unshakable Dale Cooper only indulges in nasty habits 
when he's really nervous.'

'Nasty Habits, Oingo Boingo, Only a Lad, 1981.'  Cooper 
held the pack out towards Mulder.  'I can spot your own 
disenchantment with the situation.  Don't forget that I 
know you too, Mr. four-syllable-word-man.'

Mulder eyed the pack for a moment, then helped himself to 
one.

Koskie shook his head.  'Damn smokers.'
 
'Oh you be quiet, Koskie.'  Mulder said, leaning into the 
lighter Cooper was holding out.  'In case you haven't 
noticed, our days haven't been whimsical and peaceful.'  He 
blew out smoke.  'I'm allowed a certain amount of self-
destruction.'

'Yeah.'  Koskie crossed his arms and tilted his head at 
Mulder.  'I notice you've been allowing yourself a lot of 
that lately.'

Mulder took a swallow of beer.  'What are you trying to 
say?'

Koskie just shook his head, watching Mulder take a drag of 
his cigarette and blow out smoke.  This was going to be 
bad, Koskie thought.  If Mulder, when Mulder, finally 
cracks, it probably wont be pretty.  He stared back at his 
partner and softly sang along with the music.

'...So if you're down on your luck...I know y'all 
sympathize, find a girl with far away eyes...
And if you're downright disgusted and life ain't worth a 
dime...Get a girl with far away eyes...'

Mulder didn't like the way Koskie's eyes were boring 
through him.  He felt vulnerable again.  Draining the rest 
of his beer, he looked away and turned his attention to 
Cooper.

***

An hour later, Koskie's mind was spinning.  He was 
overwhelmed by everything he'd just heard.

'Let me clarify.'  He said, getting weird looks from Cooper 
and Mulder, as if they'd forgotten he was even there.  Must 
be all that alcohol, he thought wryly to himself.

'The chickens are newborn aliens.'

'The grey ones.'  Mulder said.

'Okay.'  Koskie said.  'The grey ones want to colonize this 
planet.  Obviously we don't want this to happen.  So the 
Syndicate was the organization dealing with the grey ones.  
An organization made up of government officials from all 
over the world.'

Cooper nodded.  'That's right.'

'And there's another alien race.  The Rebels as you so 
charmingly call them.  They're trying to stop the 
colonization because the grey ones are tyrannical, taking 
over the galaxy.  They want to make alliances with us, 
against the grey ones, and stop any more control the little 
grey men are acquiring.'

'Yes.'  Cooper nodded again and Koskie held up a finger.

'The Syndicate breaks in half.  Some wanted to remain in 
negotiations with the grey ones; the others wanted to side 
with the Rebels against the grey ones.  This tearing of 
opinions ultimately leads to the destruction of the 
Syndicate.  So now that the Syndicate is gone, who's left 
to fight?'

'The NSA, the CIA has a group, not to mention what's still 
left of the Syndicate.'  Cooper smiled.  'There's always 
going to be governments within governments.  The Verein, 
which means 'the truth' and is shortened from Verein der 
Wahrheit, has grown fairly strong.  The Verein is a remnant 
offshoot of the Syndicate that has recruited people from 
the FBI, CIA and some highly placed government officials.  
They don't do much in the way of science, no experimenting 
on humans or aliens.  They are more about finding out what 
the grey ones are doing and stopping the unnecessary risks 
the unknowing public is exposed to from the less human 
organizations.'

Mulder hoped that nothing was revealed on his face.  Cooper 
was referring to the group that he was working for right 
now with Diana and Marita.

'Let's talk about the Chicken Run for a minute.'  Koskie 
said.  'The chickens were originally brought here to try to 
create a vaccine?'

'Against the black oil.'  Cooper confirmed.

'This oil is the alien life force?'  Koskie narrowed his 
eyes.  'It chooses where, or who, it wants to hang out in 
and when it decides that this must be the place, gestates 
into the chicken.'

'Apparently, the chicken's blood is the black oil.'  Cooper 
said.  We've lost quite a few scientists that way, not to 
mention the security measure's we've had to develop.  Lot's 
of chickens flew the coop.'

'Which is where the hybrids come in.' Koskie held up his 
hands, pausing to collect his thoughts.  'You create people 
specifically to find the chickens?'

'The hybrids were created for a number a reasons.'  Cooper 
replied.  'Most importantly, we need people who can 
withstand the virus, in order to create a vaccine.  But 
also, it has been suggested by almost all of the parties 
involved that if an acceptable hybrid can be created, the 
colonization can take a very different course.  Some of the 
hybrids can communicate telepathically so it's very 
convenient for us when one of the chickens decides to head 
south for the winter.'

Mulder knitted his eyebrows together.  'What happens if the 
chickens ever reach the grey stage?'

'Apparently, we simply give them to the grey ones.  But I 
don't know for sure.'  Cooper said.  'Most of my job is to 
cover the project's ass.  I try to follow what is going on, 
I report back.  I try to make sure that nothing is getting 
out of hand, I try to catch backdeals and leaks.  I follow 
the project's progress, I find out what else is going on 
outside of the project.  I don't spin anything or kill 
anyone.  I just gather data.'

'For the project?'  Koskie asked.  'Not the NSA?'

'We are a project within the NSA.'  Cooper replied, 
lighting another cigarette.  'We are not mainstream 
knowledge, for obvious reasons.  But we act specifically 
with the National Security Advisor's knowledge and 
approval.'

'Project.'  Mulder repeated.

'Yes.'  Cooper nodded.  'Purity Control.'

'Purity Control.'  Mulder whispered.  'Haven't heard that 
one in ages.'

'And this project is responsible for...' Koskie trailed 
off, waiting for Cooper to pick up.

'The same as everyone else, I'm afraid.'  Cooper smiled.  
'We try to create a vaccine against the virus while trying 
to preserve the natural order of the world.  We want to 
keep our race and our planet as pure as possible throughout 
this.  We try to control as much of the change as we can.  
We need to keep the others from making a mess of our 
ecological system while creating the purest solution we 
can.'

'Aye!'  Koskie jerked his feet up and looked down at the 
floor.  'Cucaracha!'

'Damn OCD.'  Cooper shook his head as Mulder drank some 
more of his beer.

The silence that came with the ending of 'Road House Blues' 
was deafening and the three of them waited until an Eagle's 
song kicked off.

'...All alone at the end of the evening...When the bright 
light's have faded to blue...I was thinking about woman who 
might've loved me...And I never knew...'

Mulder winced at the song.  The lyrics seemed too familiar.  
He didn't have time for this right now.

'...You know I've always been a dreamer...Spend my life 
running around...And it's so hard to change...You can't 
seem too settle down...But the dreams I've seen 
lately...Keep on turnin' out...And burnin' out...And 
turnin' out the same...'

'What about Gibson Praise?'  Mulder interrupted.  He leaned 
closer to the two of them, symbolically disassociating 
himself from the music.

Cooper shook his head.  'I don't know who that is.'

'Little boy.  Telepathic.  Chicken has the same DNA.'

'There are actually several 'subjects' as the Company calls 
them.'  Cooper said, grimacing at his use of words.  'I've 
seen a few.  Their DNA is used to try to create the 
ultimate hybrid.  A human with alien powers or an alien 
with a human thought process.  A couple of them have come 
close.'

Mulder thought of Krycek.  He wondered how many people knew 
that he was half alien.  He couldn't have hid it his whole 
life.  Spender knew, of course, but did anyone know that he 
had such amazing abilities?  Would they have let him loose 
if they did?  And how much did Spender know?  Krycek could 
have kept a lot of secrets.

'They just what, live at the lab?'  Koskie asked.  'Are 
they tested, do they exercise whatever telepathy they have?  
Or do they just stay there...getting blood taken.  I don't 
understand...'

'Neither do I, Agent Koskie.'  Cooper said.

'It doesn't seem, worthwhile, to just keep these people 
wasting away when they could be used for far better 
purposes.'  Koskie said.  'For them to be wasting away in a 
lab, having tests run and blood drawn, when they could be 
communicating with the aliens, gray, rebels or 
chickens...Or even doing something else.  As much as it 
sickens me to think this way, we could be trading them with 
the aliens for time or information or something.  It makes 
no sense.'

'I don't even know how to qualify any answer for that.'  
Cooper said.  'They've been trying to create the perfect 
hybrid, as I've said.  The perfect hybrid can be the 
solution to all of our problems, or the beginning of a 
horrible catastrophic chain of evens.  And I know they've 
come close, but beyond that, I don't know much about the 
dealings of everyone else.  The whole thing gives me a 
headache.  I just try to keep a clear mind of everything 
that's going on while Purity Control tries to find ways to 
keep this as painless as possible.'

'I thought Gibson was the solution'.  Mulder said.  'I've 
always got the impression that he was the child we were all 
waiting for.'  Mulder held up his hands and made quotation 
marks in the air.  'I thought he was 'the one'.'

'Maybe they thought that at one time.'  Cooper said.  'But 
he's not the one.'

Mulder stared back at him, a horrible thought beginning to 
take shape in his mind as Cooper shook his head.

'Not anymore.'

***

Mulder couldn't reply.  Memories were crashing into his 
head.  He and Cancer Man were sitting at the table in 
Scully's apartment.  Spender's soothing, elegant voice 
floating to his ears.

'So then you know why Alex and Scully were chosen to be the 
parents of this child?'

Mulder hesitated.  'No, they didn't tell me that.  I know 
that Krycek is supposedly the perfect alien-human hybrid.'

'And Scully has the perfect genetic make-up to resist the 
virus.  Thanks to the vaccine you injected her with.  The 
two of them are very important to the human race.  They are 
very important in every way.  I have no doubts that Alex 
can care for himself.'  Spender smiled.  'And I don't know 
if you have noticed, but Alex has become very protective of 
Agent Scully.  Which is perfect, she needs all the 
protection she can get, considering what is at stake.  With 
those two DNA strands, the child is the next step in human 
evolution.'

Mulder suddenly stood up from the small table in the bar, 
fatigue, alcohol and memories making the room spin around 
him.

He remembered waking up on the beach, the whole bottle of 
Scotch he'd killed making everything fuzzy and 
disconnected. Skinner in jeans, sitting down next to him in 
the sand and asking him if he really thought Scully was 
dead.

'When all this first started,' Skinner had said, staring 
out over the ocean, 'Alex had said that Scully and the baby 
were very important.  That she wouldn't be safe.  And 
Scully had said that she was warned by Cancer Man that she 
needed to go into hiding, that her physiology was changed, 
that she carried an anti-agent.'

Mulder stared back at him.  'Of what?'

'The virus.'

Mulder walked out of the bar while fumbling his cell phone 
out of his pocket and dialing.

'Hello?'  Krycek's voice sounded tired and defeated.

Mulder couldn't say anything.  He tried to force something 
out, but no words would come.

'Hello?'

Mulder swallowed a lump that had risen in his throat.  
'It's me.'

'Fox?'

'Yeah.'

There was silence for a moment before Krycek broke it.  
'You okay?'

'I'm fine.'

More silence.  'Where are you, Fox?'

The sympathy and pity in his voice caused Mulder to shove 
away any comfort, however slight that came from hearing 
Krycek's voice.  'I'm only calling to tell you that I think 
the baby might be in danger, Krycek.  I've been having a 
conversation with someone from the NSA.  I used to think 
that Gibson Praise was the child they needed, but now I'm 
thinking it's yours.  There was an alien and we followed it 
and it had Gibson's DNA and-'

'Fox.'  Krycek softly interrupted.

'It's killed so many people, Krycek.'  Mulder babbled on, 
knowing that his level of anxiety was climbing as he spoke 
faster and faster.  'It was in a naval shipyard, a naval 
shipyard, Krycek, what the hell would it be doing there?'

'Fox.'  Krycek tried to interrupt again.

'And it killed Senator Fletcher and we followed it to where 
I've been working with Diana and the NSA was there and I've 
been told that Gibson wasn't the one, Krycek.  So I'm 
thinking it's yours.  I'm thinking he's talking about 
Scully's baby.'

'Where are you, Fox?'  Krycek asked sharply, urgency 
evident in his voice.

'I just wanted to make sure you knew.'  Mulder said, 
snapping his voice shut against his rambling.  He took a 
deep breath as the silence stretched out.  He felt his 
emotions spiraling out of control and was powerless to do 
anything about it.  The psychologist in him analyzed his 
actions.  That he would begin to crack while talking to 
Krycek, how very odd.  Detached, viewing himself from far 
away, he thought maybe he felt comfort from Krycek.  Knew 
that Krycek loved Scully too, so he could understand what 
he was feeling.  Or maybe he'd been cracking all along and 
hearing Krycek's voice brought back bad feelings, worsening 
his already thin stability.  More likely, it was a 
combination of both.

The fact that he didn't mind Krycek calling him Fox was 
another oddity all together.  He couldn't begin to explain 
that one.

Mulder reminded himself that this was the reason he didn't 
hang out with Skinner, that he didn't call on the Lone 
Gunmen or Scully's mom, or even Krycek when the strange 
desire to hear the man's voice suddenly popped in his head.  
It was so much easier to ignore the whole thing if they 
weren't around.

'Maybe you should come spend some time out here, Fox.'  
Krycek's voice interrupted the diagnosis he was spinning 
for himself.  'I don't think it's a good idea that you're 
involved in all this right now.  Maggie's still here.  You 
can meet the baby, get a tan, and drink some margaritas.  
It'd be good for you, Fox.'

The offer sounded good. He could hang out on the beach, 
play with the baby in the sand, and visit with Maggie... 
Mulder hesitated.  He was too stubborn, had too much pride, 
and he knew it.

'Fox, it'd be so much easier if you'd just give in.' Krycek 
said softly.

Mulder sighed, head bent towards the ground.  He shook his 
head and stared at a crack in the sidewalk.  He hated that 
Krycek always knew what he was thinking.  That he probably 
knew more about was going on in his head than Mulder 
himself did.  'I don't know, Krycek.'

'We can all get through this together, Fox.  There's no 
need for you to be alone.'

Mulder smiled.  Evil Krycek, the voice of reasoning, the 
picture of compassion.  Krycek was looking out for him, 
worried that he was alone in the big, bad world.  Mulder 
began to shake.  He was alone.

He had made damn sure of that.

'I really don't like the thought of you alone on 
Christmas.'  Krycek said.

Mulder quit breathing for a moment.  Tears suddenly filled 
his eyes.  Christmas?  When was that?  What was the date?  
He was losing it and it scared him.

'Come on, Fox.'  Krycek was making it hard for him to say 
no.  'Go get on a plane.'

The thought of heading straight to the airport and hopping 
on the next flight to California was very appealing.  He 
could leave this cold, icy place and head out to the beach.  
Maybe Krycek could teach him how to surf.  That'd be a 
sight, the two of them surfing together.  They'd be bound 
to get into trouble.  They had misbehaved enough at 
Thanksgiving dinner.  It had been fun, acting like 
children.  Probably because neither of them had ever had a 
brother before.

That thought ended it all.  Krycek was not his brother.

'I can't.'  Mulder said softly, voice trembling as the 
tears threatened to fall.  'I'm sorry.'

'Fox-'

'I just wanted to tell you to be careful.'  Mulder said, 
hanging up before Krycek could say another word.

He turned to see Koskie staring at him, surprise and 
confusion sweeping his face.

Mulder put his phone away, hoping desperately that Koskie 
wouldn't see the tears in his eyes.  'You always sneak up 
on people?'

'Mulder, you ran out of the bar, looking like you'd seen a 
ghost.'  Koskie said, sympathy clear on his face.  'I 
wanted to make sure you were okay.'

'I'm fine.'  Mulder snapped, walking past him back into the 
bar.

'Oh yeah.'  Koskie replied, following close behind.  ''I'm 
fine'.  That was real convincing.  Hearing you talk to 
Krycek about his baby, Scully's baby.  What the hell is 
going on?'

Mulder spun around and pointed a finger in his face, his 
face dark with anger.  'I told you before, Koskie.  Don't 
say her name.  I don't want to talk about her'

Koskie flinched back, this sudden viciousness from Mulder 
totally unexpected.

'Does that make it easier to accept all this, Agent 
Mulder?'  Koskie asked softly.  'If we don't talk about 
her?  If we pretend she never existed?'

Mulder stared back at his partner face, sad with empathy.  
He put his hands over his face and lowered his head.  Keep 
it together, Mulder.  Just keep it together.  Counselor, 
counsel thyself.

Hearing Krycek's voice had definitely not improved the 
situation.  Hearing that compassionate, calm and collected 
voice.  Krycek seemed to be able to express his sympathy 
and sadness with such ease, while Mulder found it difficult 
to think at all.

'Let me take you home, Mulder.'  Koskie said.  'You need 
some rest.  We both do.'

Mulder sighed and hesitated before nodding.  'Let's at 
least finish up with Cooper.  Then we'll go home.'

'Actually.'  Koskie said as they headed back towards the 
table.  'Since we're in New York, maybe we should get a 
hotel.  It's a long drive back to DC.'

'Either way, I don't care.'  Mulder said as he sank back 
down in his chair.

Cooper was returning to the table with another round of 
drinks.

'Must have read my mind.'  Mulder said.  'I'm thinking I 
need to get drunk tonight.'

'Now.'  Cooper said, setting their drinks on the table.  
'Where were we.'

Mulder raised his beer.  'We were about to make a toast.'

Koskie and Cooper followed suit, the latter looking 
surprised.  'And what are we toasting?'

To family, to friends, to the future.  To Scully.  Mulder 
shrugged.  'I was just looking for a salut.'

'Salut.'  The other two said as the three of them clinked 
glasses.

They were silent as they drank and Mulder thought of 
Krycek, of Scully, and their baby that may or may not save 
or destroy the world.

'What is on our table?'  Koskie asked, picking up his 
napkin and scrubbing at something.  'Is that food?'

Mulder smiled before noticing Fleetwood Mac on the jukebox.

'...Time cast a spell on you, but you won't forget me...I 
know I could have loved you...But you would not let me...'

Mulder's smile faded away.  How many chances did they have 
that he decided to throw away?  Because of his pride?  And 
when it counted, when she was pregnant and running away to 
safety, what did he do?  He hid.  Hid in his work, hid in 
the X-Files.  He never went to visit her.  And why?  
Because he was jealous of Krycek?  Because he was wrapped 
up in the Verein?  What a crock of shit.

When he was in California, Krycek had warned him.

'Where have you been, Agent Mulder?'  Krycek asked.  'What 
is important enough that you give up a woman like Dana?'

'I'm not giving her up.'  He said softly.

'But you are.  The more time you keep away, the more she 
doesn't need you.  The more you ignore her, the more she 
questions your relationship.  This is the most important 
time in her life and you are missing it.'  Krycek looked 
away and resumed his cleaning.  'And you are losing her.'

'What would I be losing her to?'  Mulder had asked.

Krycek huffed in exasperation, looking up at him.  'How can 
you be so smart and so stupid at the same time?'

The music kept playing, bringing Mulder back to the 
present.  To the dingy little bar he was in.

'...Time cast a spell on you...But you wont forget me...I 
know I could have loved you...But you would not let me...'

Mulder put his hands over his face, trying to get away from 
the feeling that Scully was speaking to him from the grave.

'...I'll follow you down till the sound of my voice will 
haunt you...You'll never get away from the sound of the 
woman that loved you...'

Scully, blonde and pregnant, covered in orange slime and 
giggling.

'Mulder?'  Koskie asked, placing a hand on his arm.  'You 
okay?'

He nodded in response.

Scully smiling at him in the candlelight as he reached over 
to wipe some marinara sauce off of her cheek.

'Mulder.'  Koskie was insistent.  'Are you okay?'

Mulder didn't take his hands away from his face.  He could 
hide in them.  They were his comfort.

Scully drunk and giggling over a carafe of sake they were 
splitting in a Japanese bar.
 
'Mulder, you're shaking.'  Koskie's voice was far away as 
the music pounded into his brain.

'...I'll follow you down till the sound of my voice will 
haunt you...You'll never get away from the sound of the 
woman that loved you...'

Scully, in a white robe, face drawn and pale in the 
hospital, telling him that Penny Northern has died.

'Mulder!'  Koskie's voice was alarmed, but Mulder couldn't 
respond, the darkness spun around him.

'...You'll never get away from the sound of the woman that 
loved you...'

Scully, frightened and trembling as she threw herself into 
his arms years ago in Bellefleur, Oregon.

Strong hands grabbed his arms as he felt himself falling.  
Koskie and Cooper were saying his name, asking him if he 
was okay.

Mulder grinned through the hazy image of Scully, smiling at 
him and asking, 'Oh, is that what you were extending?'

'I'm fine.'  He whispered before giving in to the 
blackness.

***

'Mulder, what are you doing?'

He turned and looked at her as he walked back into the 
kitchen.  'What?'

She hesitantly walked in his direction, arms crossed.  
'You're not making pipe bombs in there, are you?'

He feigned hurt.  'Why Scully, I'm cooking you dinner.'

She stared at him, not sure what to say.

He smiled.  'How am I supposed to take that?'

'Mulder, I didn't think you knew what the kitchen was 
really used for.'  She said, gesturing towards the 
refrigerator with her head.  'I thought you used it to 
store beer and magazines.'

He stopped.  'Magazines?'

She reached down and opened one of the drawers by the stove 
to reveal a stack of magazines that he probably didn't want 
her to know about.

'Oh those.'  He grinned at her.

'I know, I know.'  She walked over to stir the marinara 
sauce.  'They're not yours.'

He smiled and stood close behind her.  'You know me so 
well.'

Scully tasted the sauce and turned to Mulder, her eyes 
wide.  'You did not cook this.'

'I did.'  Mulder laughed at her surprise.

'You're lying.'

'I'm not.'

She glanced in his trash.  'Where's the jar?  Prego, 
Newman's, Sutter Home, Classico...'

Mulder laughed.  'I cooked it myself.  I made it this 
morning.  It's been simmering all day.'

Scully gave him a look and he nodded in response.  'I used 
the Joy of Cooking book.'

She burst into laughter and he joined her.

***

'Mulder, I cannot tell you how good this manicotti is.'

He smiled back at her.  Really wanting to do something 
about the smear of marinara on her left cheek.  'You didn't 
think I could cook?'

'Mulder, I know you can't cook.'  She said, taking a sip of 
Chianti.  'So, it leads me to wonder where on earth you got 
this wonderful marinara sauce.'

'I made it, Scully.'  He said, glancing again at the spot 
on her face.  'I've been slaving all day and instead of 
praise, I get berated.'

'You have been busy today, that much I'll give you.'  She 
glanced around at his apartment again.  It was picked up, 
clean.  They were having dinner by candlelight.  He had 
even managed to get some flowers for the table.  A 
wonderfully mellow song that was one of her favorites by U2 
was playing.

'...Love is blindness...I don't wanna see...Wont you wrap 
the night...Around me...'

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully over the rim of her 
goblet as she took another sip of wine.

He nearly choked on his food trying not to laugh.  'What's 
that look for?'

'Fox Mulder, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you were 
trying to seduce me.'

He stopped chewing, blinked at her, and swallowed his food.  
She giggled and he grinned in response.

'...Love is clockworks...And cold steel...Fingers too numb 
to feel...Squeeze the handle...Blow out the candle...Love 
is blindness...'

'Miss Scully, I do believe you've had too much of the red 
stuff.'

'You can never have too much of the red stuff.'  She 
replied, holding out her glass so he could refill it.

'I seem to remember a time or two that you've had too much 
of something.'  The wine gurgled out of the bottle.  'And 
it wasn't pretty.  Not that night or the next day.  As a 
matter of fact, you weren't very amiable at all.'

'Four syllable word, Mulder.'  She said.  'Nervous about 
something?'

'Scully...' He leaned back in his chair and grinned at her.  
'Have you ever known me to be nervous?  This is me we're 
talking about.  Sly Fox.'

'Uh huh.  Sly Fox.'  She nodded, mock sternness on her face 
as she lifted the glass up to her lips.  'That's right, I 
must have forgotten.'

'Are you making fun of my high school alter ego?'

'No, not at all.'  Scully shook her head.  'I just figured 
you'd be more the kind of guy that would rather have 
something like Big Daddy Fox.'

Mulder nearly sprayed her with wine.  'And where would you 
get that amazing deduction?'

'Your Oscar-winning movie collection.'

'Really.'

'Oh yes.'  Scully said, nodding seriously.  'All sorts of 
education to be gained by viewing.'
 
'Oh, I never got that impression at all.'  Mulder said 
smiling.  'I guess we'll have to watch them together 
sometime.'

Scully gave him a dirty look and they were both silent.

'...Love is drowning...In a deep well...All those 
secrets...And no one to tell...Take the 
money...Honey...Blindness...'

Mulder reached over, towards her face.  She stared back at 
him, eyes slightly widening.  He brushed his thumb across 
her cheek and grinned at her.

'Marinara.'

Scully released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been 
holding.  She smiled at him as the flickering of the 
candlelight played across her face.

'Tease.'

Mulder smiled.  Ever since they'd gotten a bit closer, she 
was much more playful with him.  The few kisses they'd 
shared, they couple of 'dates' they'd managed to head out 
on, it had been interesting, to say the least.  Their 
relationship was being redefined and neither of them was 
sure if it was good or bad.

'I'll help you clean up.'  She said, picking up their 
plates and walking towards the kitchen.

He grabbed their glasses and the bottle of wine off of the 
table.  'Just leave them on the counter, Scully, I'll get 
it tomorrow.'

They passed each other as she walked out of the kitchen.  
He set the empty bottle of wine and their glasses on the 
counter.  When he turned back, she was two feet away, 
staring up at him.

The silent moment stretched on, feeling like an eternity 
had passed.  It was as if an unspoken signal had transpired 
between them.  She reached her hands up towards his face as 
he tangled his hands in her hair and their lips crushed 
against each other.

She backed him up a couple of steps, until he was against 
the wall.  Mulder put his hands on the small of her back 
and pulled her against him.  Their kiss intensified and 
Scully slid her hands under his shirt, letting them rest on 
his chest.

He smiled against her lips, and walked her in the direction 
of the couch.  She giggled, her sweet, warm breath flooding 
his mouth, and fell back.  Mulder sprawled the length of 
his body on top of her, loving the way her tongue curled 
around his.

MTV popped up on the television and 'Living Dead Girl' by 
Rob Zombie filled the room.

'...Crawl on me...Sink into me...Die for me...Living dead 
girl...'

Mulder pulled the remote out from under her and pointed it 
towards the television.

'Leave it on.'  Scully whispered breathlessly into his ear.

'...Blood on her skin...Dripping with sin...Do it 
again...Living dead girl...'

Mulder smiled down at her, loving that his face was a mere 
inch away from hers.  'You like this?'

She grinned evilly and began to sing along as she threw one 
of her legs over his.

'...Crawl on me...Sink into me...Die for me...'

Mulder dropped the remote.

***

Mulder opened his eyes against the drill hammer pounding in 
his head. Where was he? He turned his head to the right, 
towards a window, and all he could see were trees.  Trees 
and bars.  Bars?  Where the hell was he?  He vaguely 
remembered sitting in a bar with Cooper and Koskie.  It all 
came flooding back and he winced.  He had been talking to 
Krycek.  He mind had overloaded.  He passed out.

Damn.  He was back in the sullen, solitaire present.  Where 
Scully was dead and he was alone.  Could it suck anymore 
than it did?  He wanted to go back to the memory he'd been 
dreaming about.

He tried to sit up, but couldn't.  The thumping in his 
skull wouldn't allow it.  He turned his head the other way 
and his gaze settled on Koskie.  His partner was sleeping; 
head against the back of the chair he was slouched down in.

Mulder tried to whisper, to call Koskie without causing the 
damn elves to tap dance across his forehead.  He squeezed 
his eyes shut and took slow, deep breaths for a few 
moments.  Feeling slightly rejuvenated, he reached his hand 
over to the side table and searched until he found a piece 
of paper.  Crumpling it up, he took careful aim and gently 
flicked his wrist.  The makeshift ball sailed over and hit 
his partner in the face.

Koskie quickly stood up, fumbling his gun out of his 
holster and knocking his chair over.  Mulder couldn't help 
but laugh softly at his partner's amazing display of no 
coordination.  The chuckling only made the elves pound 
harder and he forced himself to stop.

Koskie relaxed and approached the side of the bed.  'I 
guess someone's feeling better.'

'Where am I?'  Mulder asked in a whisper.

'Hospital.'  Koskie said, leaning closer to Mulder so he 
could whisper as well.  'Psychiatric ward.'

'Loony bin?'  Mulder asked, his eyes squeezed shut.

His partner smiled.  'I was trying to be politically 
correct.'

'I guess there's a first time for everything.'  Mulder 
said, trying to clear his head of the pain.  'I should get 
frequent flyer miles or something every time I stop in one 
of these places.  What happened?'

'You passed out.'  Koskie said, pulling the chair closer to 
the bed.  'You put your hands over her face, you swayed, El 
Clunko.'

Mulder raised his eyebrows at Koskie.  'Clunko?'

'You smacked your head pretty hard.'  Koskie said.  'We 
tried to catch you, but still, clunko.'

'Is that the medical term?'

'You have a concussion.'  Koskie said.  'Other than that 
you're physically fine.'

'Good.'  Mulder said.  'Then they don't need to hold me 
that long.'

'You're going to need to speak to Skinner.'  Koskie said, 
not looking at him.  'He's around here somewhere.'

Mulder eyed his partner for a moment.  'Koskie?'

'You know, these hours you keep, Mulder.'  He said, rubbing 
his hands over his face.  'They are going to age me.  I 
need my beauty sleep.  I think we need to set up a schedule 
that's a tad more conventional.'

'What aren't you telling me, Koskie?'

He only got silence in response.  Koskie was staring at the 
floor, chewing on his bottom lip.

'Koskie, don't make me come across this hospital bed.'

'Always joking.'  His partner met his eyes, gave him a 
small smile.  'Defense mechanism?'

Another flash invaded Mulder's memory without warning.

Krycek burst into laughter and Mulder joined him.

'Never thought you'd be such a smartass.'  Mulder said.

'Defense mechanism.'  Krycek said.

Mulder nodded.  'I have that installed myself.'

Mulder shook his head in the present, regardless of the 
pain.  These memories that kept barging in on him were 
probably not a healthy indicator of what was happening to 
his mind.  Not to mention they might be hazardous to his 
health and the well being of those around him.  He nearly 
killed himself and Koskie on the drive back to New York 
because his past decided he needed a refresher course on 
the last year of his life.

He was going to have to do something about this.

'You okay, Mulder?'  Koskie asked.

'You know, Koskie,' Mulder replied, 'I'm starting to think 
that maybe I'm not operating at full capacity.'

Mulder didn't know why it felt so good to tell someone his 
fear that maybe he was losing his mind.  He normally didn't 
confide in anyone.  Except Scully.  A little.  Sometimes.

'That's understandable after all you've been through, 
Mulder.'  Koskie said softly.  'You haven't taken any time 
off to deal with losing your partner.  You guys worked 
together for a long time.  It's fairly obvious you two were 
close.'

He doesn't have any idea just how close Scully and I were, 
Mulder thought.  Poor guy, he's been thrown right into the 
middle of this.  Getting attacked by a chicken only two 
days after being assigned to the X-Files, a dead-end job 
that no one wants.  Dealing with Dale Cooper, the NSA, and 
hearing horror stories about the impending destruction of 
the human race.  Now he has to deal with me, slowly but 
surely losing my mind.  And all he can do is stand there 
and be supportive.

'Maybe you need some time off.'  Koskie suggested softly.  
'Time to rest and think.  Maybe take a vacation and go 
somewhere you've always wanted to.'

'Bad timing, for you, Koskie.'  Mulder said.  'Sorry you 
have to deal with this.'

'With which part?'  Koskie asked, smiling.  'The smelly 
underground tour of New York City?  Or the disastrous rave 
you took me to?  I mean, I know you were trying to impress 
me and I'm sorry it ended so horribly, but you start 
inviting bad elements and you never know what's bound to 
show up.  Take the inter-stellar chicken, for example.  He 
went through great lengths to be here for that little 
soiree and look at what happened to him?  I'll bet he's 
really pissed, came through a couple of galaxies, made a 
trip across the Atlantic, wandered the nihilistic sewer 
system...But I digress.'

'I think I get the point, Koskie.'

'Climbing around in the heating ducts was definitely not 
something I'd choose to do again.'  Koskie went on.  'And 
don't think you're going to get away with taking me out to 
Happy Jack's or whatever the name of that dirty, bug-
infested, hole in the wall was.  You call that a dinner 
date?  I don't think so, Mulder.  I'm talking Filet Mignon, 
Dom Perignon, if you want me to put out, it ain't gonna be 
cheap.'

Mulder stared at Koskie, really not sure of how to reply.  
He'd always been able to win the battle of words.  There 
was only one person he could remember who had ever beat him 
into laughter before he could respond.  Krycek.

'Well.'  Krycek said, turning away from the beach and 
leaning against the railing.  'If you really want me to, I 
can put my feet up at the dinner table and chew with my 
mouth open.'

'That'd be a nice start,' Mulder had responded, 'but can 
you use three foul words in each sentence, maybe give Bill 
the finger every fifteen minutes.'

Krycek nodded.  'I could even try to work in an 
unflattering bodily function every now and then.'

'You'd really do that for me?'  Mulder smiled at him.

Krycek nodded, winking and pointing at him.  'Gotcha back, 
bro.'

Mulder had laughed hard, unable to continue the banter.

'What are you thinking about?'  Koskie asked him.  'You got 
that shit eating grin on your face again.'

'Well,' Mulder responded, sighing, 'That kinda thing 
happens when you're a taco short of a combination plate.'

It was Koskie's turn to mull that statement over in his 
mind.  He finally cracked a grin.  'What the hell?'  He 
asked, beginning to snicker.  'A taco short of a 
combination plate?'

Mulder joined his chuckling and the two careened off into 
laughter as Skinner walked into the room.

'Agents.'  He greeted them, looking surprised at their 
light behavior.  'How are you feeling, Mulder?'

'My head hurts like hell.'  He responded, his laughter 
trailing off.  'With the clunko and all.'

Skinner sighed, hating to bring this up and put a damper on 
Mulder's mood.

'You don't have to say anything, Sir.'  Mulder said.  
'Koskie and I talked and I think it'd be a good idea for me 
to take some time off.  I need to use some of that vacation 
I've banked anyway.'

Skinner thought to himself that he couldn't have been more 
surprised if Cancer Man had entered the room dressed Kiss-
style, silver platform boots included, dancing around like 
Paul Stanley and singing 'I Was Made For Loving You'.

'Take as much time as you need, Agent Mulder.'  Skinner 
said, looking at Koskie in astonishment.  How the hell did 
he manage to spin that one?  Not even Scully had been able 
to penetrate Mulder's thick skull.  'Let's let him get some 
rest, Agent Koskie.'

'I'll be right behind you.'  Koskie replied, watching him 
leave then turning back to Mulder.  'You know, my sister 
and I have a Saturday night ritual.  We call it 'Pathetic, 
Law Enforcement Agents With No Time To Get A Real Life 
Night'.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah.'  Koskie nodded.  'We rent cheesy horror flicks or 
corny comedies, stuff ourselves with pasta and get wasted 
on Sangria.  Marie makes the best Sangria.  From scratch.  
Fruit marinating all day.  The whole nine yards.'

Mulder nodded.  'Sounds perfect.'

'You should come check it out.'

Mulder hesitated.  'I wouldn't want to intrude on the whole 
brother-sister thing.'

Koskie laughed.  'No, no, Mulder.  It's on open invitation 
every week for a lot of pathetic law enforcement agents.  
Sometimes there's just Marie and me other times it's a 
rager.  I'm sure you'll run into some people you know from 
the Bureau.  We all know how wildly popular you are around 
there.  You'll have fun, promise.  Take a break from hiding 
like a mole every now and then.'

'You know who you remind me of?'  Krycek's face popped up 
in his mind again, standing on the deck and drinking a 
beer.  'Running around, never having time for anyone or 
anything else.  Mindlessly dedicated on working for a cause 
that really has no meaning to anyone.  You know who you'll 
turn into if you're not careful?'

Mulder stared back at Krycek, trying not to appear too 
concerned with what he was saying.  'Who's that?'

'Our father.'

Strange, Mulder thought.  For once, he agreed with Krycek.  
Maybe the half-alien is as smart as everyone say's he is.  
Mulder smiled up at Koskie.  'You want me to bring 
anything?'

Koskie returned the grin.  'I think we got everything 
covered, but you can bring whatever you want.  As long as 
its not an eight-foot rubber chicken with a manicure and an 
attitude problem.  I mean, you know how much he loves to 
party.'

'I'll try to break it to him gently.'  Mulder said.  'But 
he will be heartbroken.'

They were silent for a moment, and then Koskie put a hand 
on Mulder's arm.  'Get some rest.  I'll check back in 
later.  Need anything before I go?'

Yeah, Mulder thought, I need a lot of things.  'No, just 
something to get this stupid song out of my head.  I don't 
know where it came from and it's driving me crazy.'

'Driving you crazy?'  Koskie smiled at him.  'Mulder, I 
think wherever crazy was driving, you got dropped off a 
long time ago.'

'Agent Koskie, whatever are you trying to say?'

'Oh nothing, just that whole...' Koskie twirled a finger in 
circles next to his ear.  'You know...Until you find that 
taco...'

Mulder grinned at him.  'Get out of my room, you asshole.'

Koskie made kissing noises at him as he shut the door.

Mulder shook his head, smiling.  The thought that Koskie 
reminded him of Krycek did not escape him.  The sarcasm, 
the causal air that seemed to hover over him, the fact that 
he couldn't stay serious for any length of time.  It was 
probably the reason he'd grown to like Koskie so quickly.

Liking Koskie was the easy way to like Krycek without 
actually having to like Krycek.

And he'd never found himself trusting someone so quickly.  
Not even Scully.

There he went again, over analyzing everything.  Couldn't 
it be that Koskie was genuinely a nice guy who could make 
him laugh?  Mulder smiled to himself.  Koskie was one hell 
of an obnoxious guy who didn't take anyone's crap.  He 
liked that about Koskie.  He liked that about anybody.

Mulder put his pillow over his head, begging the annoying 
song in his head to go away.  He hadn't heard that song in 
easily over fifteen years.  Not to mention there were a lot 
better songs by the band then that poppy, disco rock song.  
He sang it softly into the pillow, hoping to hear it would 
make it would go away.

'I was made for loving you baby...You were made for loving 
me...And I can't get enough of you baby...Can you get 
enough of me...'

What the hell had made him think of Kiss?

***

Mulder stood at the front door of Koskie's townhouse, 
debating for the tenth time in the short walk up the cement 
path whether or not he really wanted to do this.  He was no 
good in crowds, no good at small talk, no good at being, 
well, sociable.  He had never fit in anywhere.  Not in high 
school, not in college, and definitely not in the Bureau.  
It sounds awfully loud in there, Mulder thought.  Maybe I 
should turn around and walk away.  I could go home, drink 
some beer, watch my own damn movies...

You know who you'll turn into if you're not careful?

Who's that?

Our father.

Damn you, Krycek.

Mulder forced himself to knock on the door before he could 
think twice about it.

The level of the noise as soon as the door opened almost 
knocked him back a couple of steps.

'Agent Mulder?'

Mulder found himself face to face with someone who looked 
vaguely familiar.  He put him in a suit, took off the 
baseball cap, took away the slight drunken buzz of the 
man...

'Danny?'  Mulder asked.

'What are you doing here?'  They both asked then laughed at 
each other.

'It's PLEA night, Agent Mulder.'  Danny said, grinning 
lopsidedly at him.

'So I heard.'  Mulder replied, thinking it was almost 
surreal to be standing here informally with a drunken 
Danny.  'You come here often?'

'Yes.'  Danny nodded, then burst into a laugh.  'So I guess 
that would make me really pathetic.'

Mulder grinned at him.  'Don't feel bad, Danny.  You can 
see where I ended up tonight.'

'Agent Mulder,' Danny suddenly became solemn, 'I never got 
to tell you how sorry I was to hear about Agent Scully.'

Mulder took a moment, swallowed the lump in his throat, and 
somehow managed to smile at Danny.  'Thank you, I 
appreciate it.  And just call me Mulder.  We're not at work 
right now.'

'Loser!'  Koskie shouted, pointing at Mulder as he appeared 
behind Danny in the doorway.

Mulder grinned at his partner.  'The one and only.'

Koskie leaned out to look around and clucked a couple of 
times.  'No Big Bird?'

'I don't think Big Bird is a chicken.'

'You never can be too safe with any feathery fowl.'  Koskie 
clapped Mulder on the shoulder and began to spew words in a 
Scottish accent.  'Whaddaya doin' standin' out in the 
freezin' cold, lad?'

Mulder looked at Koskie, feigning confusion as he entered 
the house. 'Maybe you should have done voiceovers for 
cartoons instead of writing cards for Hallmark.'  Mulder 
took a sip of his drink and looked at it.  'Oh my god.  
Damn, that's good.'

'Didn't I tell you?'

'Don't get used to being right, Koskie.  It isn't going to 
happen very often.'  Mulder took another sip as they 
entered the living room where everyone was.

The room grew considerably quiet as half a dozen faces from 
the Bureau turned to see Agent Spooky Mulder not twenty 
feet away.

There were perhaps twenty people crowded around, Mulder new 
some of them from the Bureau.  The rest, he could only 
assume were ATF, maybe some local PD.

Koskie slapped an arm around Mulder and grinned his 
charming smile.  'I think most of you here know Agent 
Mulder.'

Some raised their glasses in a toast to him, others smiled 
his way.

Mulder understood if they were leery of him.  He was, after 
all, Spooky Mulder.  The rebel of the FBI.  The man who had 
more than his share of close encounters, both figuratively 
and literally.  He was the man who had just lost his 
partner.

Mulder smiled back at the curious people turned his way and 
raised his own glass in a toast.

***

'Agent Mulder, it's nice to finally meet you.'  A man 
Mulder didn't recognize was standing next to him.  'I've 
heard so much about you.'

'Don't hold that against me.'  Mulder grinned.

He was surprised at how easy this way.  He was mixing, he 
was talking, he was joking, and he was laughing.  He didn't 
see what the big hold-up was before.

'Agent Mulder.'

Marie was intercepting him from yet another person and 
Mulder grinned down at her.

'Maria Tortilla!'

She knocked her glass against his.  'I'm glad you managed 
to drop in.  Steven speaks very highly of you.'

Mulder choked on a drink he was taking and Marie grinned.  
'You seem surprised, Agent Mulder.'

'Surprised doesn't begin to cover it.'

'Agent Koskie.'

Mulder turned to see his partner standing behind him, 
pitcher in hand.

'Yes, Agent Koskie?'  Marie gave him a serious look.

'They're crying for more Sangria.'  Koskie said, topping 
off Mulder's glass with the remains in the pitcher.

'Well, shit, Steven.'  Marie said.  'This is the last one?'

Koskie nodded.  'Yes, Ma'am.'

She burst into laughter.  'That was like, ten gallons!'

Mulder nearly blew Sangria all over her, trying not to 
laugh.

Koskie's smile was huge.  'We've got one hell of an 
inebriated group here, Agent Koskie.  What are you prepared 
to do about it?'

Marie took the empty pitcher from him and walked towards 
the kitchen.  'I'll improvise.'

'Improvise?'  Koskie grinned.  'With Sangria?'  She ignored 
him and he turned towards Mulder.  'You find that taco 
yet?'

'No taco.'  Mulder shook his head.

There was suddenly a lot of noise in the crowd and Mulder 
turned around to look behind him.

'AD Skinner?'

'Mulder, what are you doing here?'

'Getting rip-roaring drunk, Sir.'  Mulder said.  'What are 
you doing here?'

'About to join you in that.'  Skinner pulled a bottle of 
tequila out of his pocket.  'I brought this because I'm 
assuming that as late as I am, Marie already ran out of 
Sangria.'

'And you'd be correct.'  Koskie said, grabbing some shot 
glasses from a nearby cabinet.  'Even though we were always 
told in the academy that assuming make's an ass-'

'Out of you and me.'  Skinner and Mulder both finished with 
him.

'Come here often, Sir?'  Mulder asked as Skinner poured 
shots of Cuervo.

'Every other week or so.'

'Really?'

Skinner nodded.  'How long's it been Steve?'

Koskie shrugged.  'Hell, maybe a year, I don't really 
know.'

'You knew each other before being assigned to the X-Files?'

'I thought you knew.'  Skinner said, holding out a shot of 
tequila to Mulder.

'Knew what?'

'Jimmy Koskie, Steven's dad, was my older brother's best 
friend.'

Mulder was silent.

'I've known him since I was born.'  Koskie held his shot 
glass out to them.

'I didn't know you had a brother, Sir.'  Mulder said, 
holding his glass out as well.

The three of them clinked glasses and took the shot.  
Mulder was reminded of the last time he'd toasted with 
Skinner.  In a Japanese bar.  He, Skinner and Scully had 
knocked together bottles of beer and gotten too drunk.  
They had been so hungover the next day; he'd fallen asleep 
in a meeting.  The bruises on his legs from being kicked by 
the two of them, one on either side, trying to wake him up, 
had lasted for a week.

'I thought you were conceived immaculately.'  Mulder said.  
'I cannot imagine you having siblings and parents.'

Skinner cracked a grin.  'Are you trying to insult me, 
Agent Mulder?'

'No, sir.'  Mulder shook his head.

Skinner poured another round of shots.  'Have you decided 
what you're going to do with your time off?'

Mulder nodded.  'I'm heading out to England next week. 
Going to visit my old stomping grounds.  Try to ditch my 
nervous breakdown, maybe confuse it a little, if nothing 
else.'

'Walter!'  Marie embraced the Assistant Director warmly, 
pitcher in hand.  'I'm so glad you made it out.'

'Do you need to pour your Sangria all down my back?'  
Skinner asked, grinning down at her.

'I'm sorry.'  She grinned sheepishly at him before 
thrusting the pitcher into Koskie's hands.  'Whaddaya 
think?'

Koskie took a drink from the pitcher and raised his 
eyebrows at her.  'It's fine.  Almost works.  What is it?'

Marie smiled and took the pitcher.  'You don't want to 
know.'  She walked away to refill everyone's glasses.  All 
three men watched her walk away.

'Must be nerve-wracking to have a younger sister in ATF.'  
Mulder said.

'Are you kidding?'  Skinner looked at Mulder in disbelief.  
'She's one of the toughest kids I've ever known.'

'Besides,' Koskie said, 'she's not my younger sister.'

'No?'  Mulder asked, raising his eyebrows at Koskie.

He shook his head in response.  'No.  Marie is four years 
older than I am.'

'Well, damn, Koskie.'  Mulder said.  'You look like shit.  
Maybe you do need that beauty sleep.'

'What are you guys talking about?'  Marie was back in the 
circle.

'You.'  Koskie said, nudging her.

'Figures.'

Skinner handed her a shot of tequila as well and she held 
it up.  'What are we toasting to?'

Koskie held his up.  'To friends.'

'To friends.'  Marie smiled between Mulder and Skinner.

'Friends.'  Skinner held his up as well.

Friends?  Mulder thought.  His only friend was Scully.  And 
she was gone.

You know who you'll turn into if you're not careful?

Who's that?

Our father.

His old life was over.  His whole family was gone.  Scully 
was dead.  He needed to start over.  Try to continue on.  
Try to survive.  It's what Scully would have wanted.

'Friends.'  Mulder said.

The four of them knocked their glasses together.

***

'Well, you were right, Mulder.'

Mulder refilled their wineglasses, not realizing how many 
bottles they'd been through until he set the new one down 
and it clanked against a couple other empty bottles.  He'd 
been completely lost in the telling of time past and was 
surprised to hear classical music.  What happened to The 
Doors?

'Bach?'  He asked, raising his eyebrow.

Scully smiled and shook her head.  'Pachabel Cannon in D.'

Mulder listened for a moment to the somewhat depressing 
melody.  The ocean breeze blew softly against his face and 
the crashing of the surf hypnotized him.  He could get used 
to this.  The music ended and Mulder took a sip of wine in 
the silence as he waited for the next song to be selected.  
A song from his younger years came on; he couldn't quite 
place it.

'What was I right about, Scully?'

'I would want you to go on.'  She smiled sadly and looked 
out over the ocean before taking a sip of her wine.

'...Girl of sixteen...Whole life ahead of her...Slashed her 
wrists...Bored with life...'

Mulder didn't know what to say.

'So, you went to England.  How was that?'

'Really, really, really weird.'  Mulder grinned.  'Met up 
with some old friends, wandered Oxford, hit all the cool 
places in Cambridge.  It was weird, but I'm glad I did it.'

'And you stayed on the X-Files?'

'Yes.'  Mulder nodded.  'But it wasn't the same.  Not much 
conspiracy stuff.  I think Skinner was orchestrating what I 
was doing a little more than before to protect me.  He 
never knew that I'd been working with the Verein.'

'So you and Koskie were just investigating, what?  Witches, 
Jason, Stephen King novels...'

Mulder laughed softly.  'You could say that.'

'And you made friends, Mulder, I'm so proud.'  She teased.

'You're picking.'  He said, grinning at her.

'Just a little.'  She returned the smile.  'You and Alex 
finally bury the hatchet?  I saw the Christmas pictures of 
the two of you at my Mom's.  You guys spend a lot of time 
together?'

Mulder inwardly cringed.  He had hoped that this wouldn't 
come up.  'You want the Mulder answer?'

Scully narrowed her eyes at him.  'I want the truth.'

'...She takes the blame...It's always the same...She goes 
down on her knees and prays...'

Mulder sighed.  'Christmas was the first time I'd seen 
Krycek since...your...funeral.  Whatever, you want to call 
it.'

'Oh, Mulder.'  Scully shook her head.

'It was the first time I'd seen your Mom.  The first time 
I'd seen Cade.  It was the first time I felt strong enough 
to face anyone from...From before.'

Admitting something like that was so unlike him.  She knew 
it, and so she quickly pushed away any judgment she may 
have been about to unleash and put a hand over his.  She 
waited for him to continue.

'Krycek asked me to go back to Seattle with him and Cade.'  
Mulder intertwined his fingers with hers.  'I don't know 
why, but I wanted to.  It was weird.'

'I can imagine.'  Scully said softly.

'No.' Mulder shook his head.  'Not weird like you think.  
Weird because, it wasn't weird.  We got along, we laughed, 
we...' Mulder shook his head.  'I can't explain it.  We 
were together for five days, and it seemed like we'd always 
been...'

'Brothers?'

Mulder considered this and dismissed it.  He wasn't ready 
to call Krycek his brother.  'Like we'd always been 
friends.'

Scully smiled.  'Tell me about it.  What did you guys do?'

Mulder thought for a moment.  An evil grin broke out on his 
face.

'Oh no.' Scully said, releasing his hand to reach for her 
wine.  'Why don't I like the look of that smile.'

'...I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors...But I 
think that God's got a sick sense of humor...And when I 
die...I expect to find him laughing...'

Mulder shook his head.  'We were just being stupid.  We 
hung out in downtown a lot.  Went to Gameworks, rode the 
monorail, went to the Experience Music Project.'

'Gameworks?'  Scully asked, grinning over at him.  'How 
much did you spend on the virtual shooting games?'

'Too much.'  Mulder returned her grin.  'We rode the Ducks.  
We went to the aquarium, we went to the zoo.'

'I'll be Cade loved that.'  Scully said, looking out over 
the ocean.

'He did.'  Mulder nodded and looked over at her.  'Krycek 
has the whole thing on video.  He never put the damn camera 
down.  I had to take it from him a couple of times.'  
Mulder's voice trailed off as he remembered one of those 
times.

'What's wrong, Mulder?'  Scully sensed his thoughts.  'What 
are you thinking about?'

'Krycek wanted me to talk about my...my favorite memory of 
you.  For Cade.'  Mulder hesitated and scratched his head.

'Please tell me it has nothing to do with Rob Zombie.'

Mulder laughed.  'No, it didn't.  I told him about when we 
had gone to LA for the premiere of our stupid movie.  When 
we went to Magic Mountain.'

Scully began to laugh.  'We went on that ride that spins 
around so fast that you stick to the walls when the bottom 
drops out.'

'And you tried to turn your body upside down,' Mulder said, 
chuckling, 'but got stuck halfway and kept yelling until 
they stopped it and you slowly slid to the ground.'

They were both laughing hard now and Scully pointed at him, 
barely able to speak.  'And we both puked in the bushes at 
the exit.'

They both took a moment to catch their breath.

'And that's your favorite memory of me?'  Scully asked.  
'Stuck sideways on a spinning wall and screaming?'

'We ate caramel apples, and got our picture taken on that 
horrid roller coaster.'  Mulder smiled.  'The huge wave on 
the water ride drenched us.  We ate in that stupid 
restaurant where all those clicking animals on the wall 
start to sing.  It was a good day.'

They were both silent.

'...As she passed away...Birds were singing in the summer 
sky...Then came the rain...And once again...A tear fell 
from her Mother's eye...'
 
'I made Krycek tell me his favorite memory of you.'  Mulder 
said softly.

'...I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors...But I 
think that God's got a sick sense of humor...And when I 
die...I expect to find him laughing...'
 
'Yeah?'  Scully swallowed the uninvited lump in her throat.

'He said it was when you told him to have a seat.'

Scully didn't say anything.

'He said he came to your apartment the night after I'd been 
abducted.  He said you were afraid of him, you hated him, 
that he disgusted you.'

'He did.'  Scully whispered.  'I hated everything about 
him.'

'He said that you took one look in his eyes, and were able 
to look beyond all your emotions and find the good.  That 
the only thing you wanted was for him to turn around and 
walk away, but instead you told him to have a seat.'

Scully was silent again.

'He said that by doing that, you saved his life.'

She fought the tears that were threatening to come forward.

'You know, Scully.'  Mulder turned towards her.  'I believe 
that Krycek saved my life, figuratively speaking.  I think 
that without the things that he had said to me, that I 
wouldn't have made it through your 'death'.  Because of 
thing's he'd said, I chose to move on, almost just to spite 
him, to prove him wrong.  He had told me that I reminded 
him of Cancer Man.  That I was going to end up like him if 
I wasn't careful.'

Scully ran her hands through her hair as a new song came 
on.  She didn't think she could say anything and was 
enjoying this new side of Mulder.  He was very open these 
days.

'...There's a nail in the door and there's glass on the 
lawn...Tack's on the floor and the TV is on...But I always 
sleep with my guns...When you're gone...'

Mulder turned towards her.

'Hey Scully?'

Screaming interrupted them.

They both immediately jumped up and ran into the house.

'Cade?'  Scully cried out to her son.  'Cade!'

The screaming was the most horrible thing Mulder had ever 
heard in his life.  He drew his gun as they pounded down 
the stairs to the middle floor and ran down the hall.

'...There's a shark in the pool...And a witch in the 
tree...A crazy old neighbor is done watching me...And 
there's footsteps loud and strong coming down the hall...'

'Cade?'  Scully dashed into the room ahead of him.

The little boy was sitting up in his bed, screaming, 
staring straight ahead.

'...Something's under the bed...Now it's out in the 
hedge...There's a big, black coat sitting on my window 
ledge...And I hear something scratching through the 
wall...'

Scully ran her hands over him to make sure he wasn't hurt 
as Mulder checked out the rest of the room.  Finding no 
injury, Scully pulled Cade into her arms and held him.

'Cade, sweetheart, what's wrong?'  Scully's eyes met 
Mulder's over the top of Cade's head.

Cade was not to be consoled.  He just kept screaming.

'Cade...' Scully's own eyes welled up in tears.

Feeling's sudden poured over Mulder like cold water.  Pain.  
Total, and inexplicable pain.  He had a sudden sense of 
Krycek and really hoped to god that Cade wasn't able to 
feel what his father was feeling.

Cade screamed again and Mulder pressed his hands over his 
mouth in a childish gesture as his eyes welled up in tears.  
He couldn't take much more of this.  This pain that was 
tearing through him, feeling almost as his heart was about 
to explode.

'Scully.'  He whispered.

The little boy's scream trailed off into heartbreaking sobs 
and Mulder began to shake.

'...Well you're up so high...How can you save me when the 
dark comes here tonight to take me...
Out of my mind for a walk...And into bed...Where it kisses 
my face...And eats my head...'

Mulder wanted to leave, to exit the room and get away from 
this feeling that his insides were on fire, but Cade's eyes 
caught his and he was trapped.  Rooted to the spot he stood 
in by the eyes of the little boy.

'...What should I do, I'm just a little baby...What if the 
lights go out, and maybe...And then the wind just starts to 
moan outside the door and follow me home now...Goodnight 
moon.'

Cade closed his eyes and after a moment, the feeling went 
away.

Scully held her son, rubbing his back, sniffing as tears 
slid down her cheeks.  Several minutes went by before 
Mulder said anything.

'What the hell was that?'  He asked, his voice hoarse.  
'Nightmare?'

Scully didn't look at him.  She closed her eyes.  'I hope 
so.'

Mulder was doubtful, but nodded anyway.  'Me too.'

'...No it wont be too soon until I say...Goodnight moon...'

***

Scully and Mulder sat in down in the rec room, sifting 
through videotape's.  Maggie had taken Cade out to the fun 
zone for the day to give her some time alone.  Scully 
wanted to see as much of Cade's life as she could and there 
was no telling what kind of memories she was going to see.  
Knowing Krycek, he had probably recording Cade doing 
everything, sleeping, eating, whatever.  She didn't know 
how this was going to affect her and didn't want Cade to 
see her so upset.  He'd been through enough emotions the 
past few weeks.

Mulder picked up a tape and looked at the side.  'Labor 
Day, 2000.'

'Oh God.'  Scully said, smiling.  'Put it away.'

'Is this the whole Labor Day weekend extravaganza I 
missed?'  Mulder asked, popping the tape into the VCR.  
'The BBQ and decorating party?'

Byers and Bill popped up on the screen, leaning on the 
kitchen counter and drinking Corona as 'Tusk' played in the 
background.

'Do something interesting.'  Frohike's voice sounded over 
the television.  'This is for the kid, you know.  You 
wouldn't want the poor thing to think it has a boring 
family.'

Byers and Bill blankly stared back at the camera.

'...Why don't you ask him if he's gonna stay...Why don't 
you ask him if he's gone away...'

'Yeah, that's great, guys.'  Frohike said, spinning the 
camera away and stopping on Krycek and Scully.

She groaned, watching herself on TV.  'I can't believe how 
huge I was, turn it off.'

Mulder smiled at the image of Scully.  Her hair blonde and 
grown out, just a little pregnant at the time.  She glanced 
shyly at the camera, a sarcastic look over her face.

'Frohike, if you don't get that thing out of my face-'

'Oh, come on, Dana.'  Krycek said, playfully rat-tailing 
her with a kitchen towel.  'You want your kid to see you 
pregnant, don't you?'

'Easy for you to say.'  She said, whipping him back.  'You 
don't have to carry a bowling ball around in her stomach.'

They resumed their cooking, Scully bouncing up and down to 
Fleetwood Mac, causing Krycek to smile.

'...Don't say that you love me....'  They both sang out.  
'...Just tell me that you want me...'

'Tusk!'  Frohike's voice blurted out from behind the camera 
along with the song.

'I'm not touching that.'  Krycek said as Scully set garlic 
cloves on the counter next to him.

'You're definitely not using garlic powder.'  Scully said, 
setting the press down next to the cutting board he was 
using.  'That's illegal.'

He began dicing another zucchini.  'Then you can do 
whatever it is you want done with it, because I don't have 
a great relationship with anything that looks all gnarly 
like that.'  He gestured at the ominous garlic cloves with 
his knife.

'You think garlic looks gnarly?'  She asked, unable to 
suppress a grin.

'Same with ginger...' Krycek shuddered.  'Uck, reminds me 
all those bugs in Temple of Doom.'

'It's not a bug, Alex.'  Scully said.  'It's a garlic 
clove.'

Krycek grabbed a vidalia onion and tilted his head at 
people unseen to the camera.  'Recruit one of them to 
wrestle with those ugly things.  They're just sitting 
there, watching us slave away while preparing their 
dinner.'

Langly moved past in front of the camera on his way to the 
refrigerator.  'That part in Temple of Doom was one of the 
most horrifying scenes in all of cinematic history.  Gave 
me nightmares for a month.'

'I hear ya, bro.'  Krycek said.

Scully stood next to Krycek, a scolding look on her face.  
'Alex.'

'Ain't gonna touch it.' He shook his head, not looking at 
her.

'Unbelievable.'  Scully shook her head.

'That I don't like bugs?'  He finished the onion and moved 
onto the red peppers.

She looked at him slyly.  'Mr. Big, Bad, Hit Man, Tough-
Guy, afraid of a root.'

Krycek stopped and looked down at her.  'I'm not afraid of 
a root.'

Scully turned away from him and kneaded dough on the 
counter.  'Yes you are.'

'I am not.'

'Are too.'

'Whatever.'  He turned back to his cutting.

'Root-A-Phobia.'  Scully shook her head, as if in sympathy.  
'How very sad.'

Krycek laughed.  'Now you're just making things up.'

'Good thing we don't have a backyard.'  She said.  'With 
your condition, you'd be afraid to do any weeding because 
you have to make sure you get the root out.'

'Do you know how dangerously close you are to having pizza 
sauce as a hair conditioner?'

She ignored him.  'I'll bet you can't even have a little 
herb garden.'
 
'So the threat of tomatoes as head gear doesn't dissuade 
you at all?'

'And how do you manage to cook with green onions because 
the root is usually hanging off the end?'

She finished her diatribe and innocently looked up at him.  
He stared back at her, a smirk planted on his face at her 
display of wit.  They smiled at each other in silence for a 
few moments before Krycek let her win.

'If me touching the horrid root will stop your rambling, 
I'll do it.  But you have to show me how.'

Scully smiled and picked up a garlic clove.  'Allora 
lasciarlo li insegnano, il mio brave soldato.'

'Molto buono, il mio caro.'  Krycek beamed down at her.  
'Suoni come sto insegnando ugualmente.'

'Whatever.'  Frohike said.  'You want to translate that for 
the rest of us?'

Scully smiled back at the camera.  'I said, 'then let me 
teach you, my brave soldier'.'  She gestured at Krycek, who 
smiled down at her.

'And I said, 'very good, my dear.  Sounds like I've been 
teaching too'.'

'What language was that?'  Frohike asked.

'Italiano.'  Krycek replied.  'Siamo mosto la linguetta 
natale dell' alimento che stiamo preparandosi.'

'Italian.'  Scully said, smiling up at him.  'We must speak 
the native tongue of the food we're preparing.'

'Check you out!'  Krycek exclaimed.  'I'm very impressed.'

Byers spoke from out of the camera's view.  'So, if we were 
eating carne asada you'd speak Spanish, right?'

'Somos vegetarianos.'  Scully said.

Krycek smiled at her again.  'No comeriamos asada del 
carne.'

Langly passed in front of the camera again, holding a 
Corona.  'We're vegetarian.'  He translated.  'We wouldn't 
eat carne asada.'

Krycek and Scully glanced at each other in surprise before 
he eyed Langly.  'Usted habla espanoles?'

'Mejore que su apesadumbrado asno.'  Langly replied before 
taking a drink of his Corona.

Scully burst into laughter and Krycek shook his head, 
smiling.  'There's no need to be rude.'

'Scully?'  Frohike asked.  'The rest of us are feeling left 
out again.'

She smiled at the camera.  'Alex asked him if he spoke 
Spanish.'

'Yeah, I got that much.'

'And Langly said, 'better than your sorry ass'.'

The room erupted into laughter again.

'Do we have to listen to Fleetwood Mac?'  Langly asked.

Scully began to peel a garlic clove.  'It's flashback 
weekend on KROQ'

'What station's that?'  Langly asked, walking towards the 
staircase.

'I'll get it, Langly.'  Krycek said, dashing towards the 
stairs.  'You can peel the garlic.'

'Coward!'  Scully yelled, throwing pizza dough at his 
retreating back.

'Pregnancy makes women so violent.'  Frohike's voice 
muttered from behind the camera.

'Don't you start.'  Scully glared playfully at the camera.

Mulder sat, staring at the television, Scully at his side.

He felt like such an idiot.  He could see it all.  Why he 
never did before was beyond him.

Scully glanced into his face.  'Mulder?'

He was so stupid.  When the three of them had been down on 
the beach, Krycek and Scully had a silent conversation that 
had left him confused for a long, long time.  He'd arrived 
at his own conclusions.

Mulder had thought that Scully had sensed Krycek's love for 
her.  That she had let him know that she belonged to Mulder 
and Krycek had stormed off, pouting and pitching a fit.

He now believed that he'd been wrong.

Watching the tape had given Mulder a different 
understanding.  The way that Scully and Krycek had 
interacted...She had smiled up at him, joked with him, 
acted towards him in a way he'd only seen her act with one 
other person.

With Mulder.  And she didn't act anywhere near as playful 
with him as she had with Krycek.

He didn't think that Scully had sensed Krycek's love for 
her.  He now thought that she'd sensed her own love for 
Krycek.

Krycek had been surprised; he'd taken a step back, as if to 
remove himself from what was happening.  As if two feet of 
distance would erase the past minute of his life.

Mulder felt betrayed.  She had sworn up and down.  He was 
her friend; he was the father of her child, but nothing 
else.  All that time, she had been lying.  That wasn't 
fair, Mulder thought to himself.  Maybe she hadn't known.  
Maybe it was something she'd just realized.

'Mulder?'

Her voice interrupted his thoughts again.

Get a grip, he told himself.  There's nothing to be gained 
by arguing now.  It was a long time ago.  Things are 
different now.  So why am I so upset?  He asked himself.  
The psychologist in him answered.  Maybe I just need some 
sort of closure.

Mulder turned and looked at her.  He opened his mouth, but 
no words came out.  He stared into her blue eyes, unable to 
think of anything to say.  When the hell was she planning 
on telling me?  He asked himself.  Why wouldn't she tell 
me?

'You were in love with him.'

Scully stared back at him in disbelief for a moment.

'That night, on the beach?'  It was his turn to stare into 
her eyes.  'What was that?'

'Mulder...' Her voiced trailed off as her face fell.

Mulder nodded, looking away.  'Two years later, neither one 
of you can tell me what happened.'

He thought back to the night before New Years.  He and 
Krycek had been sitting in the living room, drinking some 
scotch.  Mulder had asked him what had happened the night 
before Cade was born.

'It was Thanksgiving.'  Krycek said.  'We had a pumpkin 
fight, lot's of visitor's, a huge dinner, the baby had been 
kicking...'

'That's not what I meant.'  Mulder said.

Krycek hadn't looked at him.  'I know.'

'Did you love her?'  He bluntly asked.

'Of course I loved her.'  Krycek had responded.  'She was 
the mother of my child, she was my best friend.'

'That's not what I meant.'  Mulder said, looking sternly at 
him.

Krycek had smiled and taken a swallow of his scotch.  'I 
know.'

'Why are you bringing this up now, Mulder?'  Scully looked 
back at the television.  Krycek was acting like the 
proverbial court jester again.  Dancing back into the room, 
singing to her, acting like an idiot.  He was always so 
good at that.

'...With the heartbreak open...So much you can't hide...Put 
on a little make-up, make-up...Make sure they get your good 
side, good side...If the words unspoken...Get stuck in your 
throat...'

'I don't know, Scully.'  Mulder followed her gaze to the 
memory playing itself out before them.  'I thought we had 
been attempting some kind of relationship back then.  Maybe 
I just don't like the fact that you were hiding things from 
me.'

'I wasn't hiding anything from you, Mulder.'  Scully said 
softly.  'If you had been around more, you would have seen 
things differently.'

Mulder nodded and smiled sadly.  'Seems we're both still 
holding on to things.'

'The same things we were insecure about back then.'  Scully 
said as they both watched the performance on screen.

'...Don't drink, don't smoke...What do you do?...Don't 
drink, don't smoke...What do you do?...Subtle innuendo's 
follow, must be something inside...'

'I just wish you would have told me.'  Mulder shrugged.  
'Hypothetically speaking, if you were in love with him, you 
should have said something.  It might have been easier on 
all of us.'

Scully stared at him, stared through him.  'That's kind of 
unfair, don't you think, Mulder?'

'What's unfair, Scully?'

'You sit there, judging me, criticizing me.'  She shook her 
head.  'You're such a hypocrite.'

'A hypocrite?'  He barely raised his voice.  'How can you 
call me a hypocrite?'

'You bring this up now?'  She looked him in the eye, 
leaning a little closer.  'How much time have we spent 
together, Mulder?  A few weeks?'

Mulder thought for a moment, nodding and shrugging.  'Yeah, 
so?'

'When were you planning on telling me about Marie?'

***

Scully raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for a response.  
She wasn't angry, wasn't challenging him.  She was calm, 
she was collected.  She had thrown out the question as if 
asking him about the weather.

Mulder stared back at her.  How very, very, very stupid did 
he feel now?  Forgetting that Scully could feel feelings?  
Read thoughts?  She's probably known this whole time that 
he needed to talk to her about this, but kept chickening 
out.

Oh yes, who is the idiot now?

He had begun to tell her the other night, had opened his 
mouth, had even given her the 'hey, Scully' signal as a 
warning that serious thoughts were ahead.  Then of course, 
The Sixth Sense was reenacted down in Cade's bedroom and he 
hadn't worked up the nerve since.

'There will be no Mulder-bashing in my house.'

They both looked back at the television at Krycek's voice 
to see him staring across the counter at Bill.  'I don't 
want anyone bad mouthing Mulder, okay?'  There was nothing 
menacing about him, he didn't look angry.

Bill shook his head.  'How can you-'

'What did I say?'  Krycek interrupted softly.  'It is 
disrespectful to your sister to sit here and talk shit 
about someone who is obviously very important to her.'

Bill sneered and opened his mouth but Krycek pointed a 
wooden spoon in his direction.  'Not only is Mulder 
important to Dana, he is also very important to me.  Okay?'

There was silence in the room, both on television and in 
the rec room that Mulder and Scully were now inhabiting.  
This scene was new to both of them.

The Lone Gunmen and Maggie had been watching the exchange 
in silence.

'Are we done?'  Krycek asked.

Bill appeared subdued and gave a small nod of his head as 
he tilted his Corona in Krycek's direction.

'Good.  I hope you didn't take offense.  We're all friends 
here.'  Krycek smiled.  'We're having homemade pizza, 
drinking some beer.  Tomorrow we're decorating your 
nephew's room.  It's a happy time.  No need for negativity.  
Bad vibes aren't allowed this close to the beach.'

There was silence as Scully walked back into the room, she 
stopped and looked at everyone sitting quietly as Krycek 
continued cooking.

'What's going on in here?  Why is everyone so quiet?'

'We were waiting for you.'  Krycek grinned.  'Just ain't a 
party if you're not around.'

She rolled her eyes and continued to the dining room.

Byers looked at Bill.  'Cigar?'

Bill nodded and the two moved towards the French doors.  As 
they moved past Maggie, she beamed a huge smile in Krycek's 
direction.

'I've never seen him take a reprimand so well.'  Maggie 
said softly.  'He just shut right up, didn't he?'

'Who's the punk ass now?'  Frohike asked.

'Hey.'  Krycek said, pointing the same spoon at Frohike so 
he was talking into the camera.  'I'll have no Bill-bashing 
in my house-'

Maggie and Frohike laughed.

'You gonna have that thing attached to your face all day, 
Frohike?'  Krycek asked, still staring into the camera.  'I 
forgot what you look like back there because all I can see 
is electronics.  I don't want my kid to think Uncle Frohike 
is a Borg.'

'I just don't want to miss anything.'

'And my cooking is entertaining?'  Krycek raised his 
eyebrows.  'I'm not Martha Stewart, you know.  Look, 
there's pizza sauce all over the counter, vegetables all 
over the floor, dough that the pregnant freak threw down 
the hall.  The poor kid is going to think that the house 
always looks like this.  It's actually embarrassing now 
that you mention it.  Get out of your electronic safe haven 
and join the rest of us in the land of the living.'

'Alex, I get the feeling you're trying to be diplomatic 
about something.'

'Turn the damn camera off.'  Krycek said.

Mulder sat, staring at the screen as it switched to another 
time, when they about to begin to remodel Cade's room.

Oh yes, who is the idiot now?

He definitely felt like an idiot.  For several reasons.

Scully got up and walked out onto the deck.  Whether she 
was upset at the images on the television, or upset at him, 
he didn't know.  Probably both.

***

Scully threw open the doors and walked out onto the deck.  
It had only been a few weeks since she'd been in that tin 
can of a room.  That small, metal container that had been 
her prison for two years.  It had only been a few weeks 
since Krycek and Mulder had come to take her away.  Before 
that, it had been years since she'd seen either one of 
them.  Since she'd seen anyone.  Anyone except strangers 
and that cigarette-smoking bastard and his sidekick, who 
just happened to be Mulder's ex-wife.

Seeing the past played out on the TV in front of her was 
bad enough.  It felt like just yesterday, then again, it 
felt like such a long time ago.  Life had stood still for 
her in the sardine container.  The last memory she had 
before then had been Thanksgiving at the beach house, and 
the morning after when she'd gone to the hospital.  
Everything since then had been tin-can-time, tests and more 
tests, blood taken and more blood.  She had been through so 
much.  She had changed so much.  Give anyone a couple of 
years in solitude with nothing to do but think and plenty 
of time to do it, and they're bound to do a little soul-
searching.

She hadn't begun to process what had happened to her now 
that she was back.

Dealing with Mulder falling in love with someone else was 
also bad enough, but what had she really expected?  Could 
she really blame him?

He had no right to be attacking her like that.  He had no 
right to turn on her and demand an explanation on events 
that may or may not have taken place years ago.  He was the 
one hiding thing's from her.

Mulder had definitely not been there for her back then, 
years ago, when she'd been pregnant, and hiding and afraid 
of everything around her.  When everything had seemed a 
threat to her and her child.  And whether or not either of 
them liked it, she had been pregnant with someone else's 
baby.  But that wasn't her fault.  She didn't ask for it to 
happen.  He just never understood how hurt she was that he 
had put his work, his damn work, at the top of his What's 
Most Important To Me list.  All she had wanted was some 
support, to know that he cared.  It had been hard, being 
away from Mulder and everyone who cared about her.  She 
didn't have Mulder, her family, hell, not even Skinner or 
the Lone Gunmen.  She had long ago given up any semblance 
of real life to devote herself to Mulder and his work.  
Friends didn't call her anymore and her family had never 
been the same.  She had plenty to complain about, but what 
good did it do anyone anymore?

Krycek had never complained about anything.  When she was 
sulking, or upset, he never told her to 'snap out of it, 
because he obviously doesn't care about you', like she had 
thought to herself so many times.  Actually, he had always 
defended Mulder.  Had always said that 'Fox, believes he's 
doing the right thing'.  He had always listened to her 
bitter complaining, her desperate insecurities.  Why isn't 
he here?  Why won't he come out and see me?  Doesn't he 
care?

And what if she had felt anything for Krycek, as Mulder was 
so determined to make her believe she had.  Who could blame 
her?  It didn't matter that he was the father of her child 
or that he was her friend.  Krycek had been there for her 
while Mulder was off playing conspiracy games with his ex-
wife.  He had always been ready to listen to her sporadic 
rants about Mulder.  He always made her feel better about 
the situation, but it always came back later.

Mulder was always too busy to come out and visit, to come 
out and see her, to even call her.  Too busy doing what, 
exactly?  He'd never told her that, but apparently, he'd 
always been too busy working with the same people who'd 
eventually kidnapped her and stole over two years of her 
life.

She remembered a time on Halloween.  She had been on the 
phone with Mulder, desperately trying to get through that 
thick skull of his, to tell him that she needed him there.  
He had been fairly unresponsive.  He had told her that he 
was busy, but that he'd be out soon.  He had seemed 
offended that she didn't understand.

Scully had hung up on him.  She couldn't take anymore of 
his self-justification.  After spending some time in Balboa 
and having dinner at Ruby's, she had wandered out on the 
deck after coming home.  This deck.  The same deck she sat 
on whenever she needed to reflect and think, just as she 
was now.  Just as she had then.

Krycek had come out to talk to her.  He always did.  It was 
almost comforting, the ritual they went through.

'You want to be alone?'

She always shook her head.

A poppy, happy song began to play and the lyrics had 
affected her.

'...I need your arms around me...I need to feel your 
touch...'

The funky beat began, but she paid it no mind.  She had 
just hung up with Mulder, very frustrated with him, and 
wondering why she still hung on.

'...I need your understanding...I need your love...So 
much...'

She had set her glass of water down on the railing and 
covered her hands with her face.

'...On the phone...Long, long distance...Always through 
such strong resistance...First you say...You're too 
busy...I wonder if you even miss me...'

It had seemed like the song had been constructed for her.  
She had immediately settled into instant depression.  
Krycek had sidled over next to her.

'Fox again?'  He'd asked casually.

Scully had nodded at him.  She never really needed to 
elaborate with Krycek.

'Well, Dana,' He'd said, 'Right now this song is making you 
horribly depressed.  And whenever you hear this song, 
you're going to think the same memory and you really don't 
want to be driving down the road ten years from now and 
suddenly get sucked into the black hole of bad moods 
because Cake comes on the radio.'

'What the hell are you talking about?'  She'd asked, 
looking up into his face.

'Maybe you should make it a happy memory.'

'Is this more of your Taoism, Alex?  Because I'm really not 
in the mood.'

'Yes, I know.'  He grinned.  'Fox on the brain, depressing 
you.  I'll bet I can make you forget about him right now.'

'Oh really.'  She'd said in a snotty tone, turning to give 
him a dirty look.

She was stunned speechless when he picked up her glass of 
water and dashed it in her face.

Scully stared at him, not sure what she was feeling.  She 
couldn't believe he'd just done that.  She wanted to be 
angry, but she couldn't quite grab a hold of the emotion.  
He had just stared back at her, a smile tugging on his 
mouth.  Finally, she won and he burst into laughter.

'I wish I had a camera.'  He said.  'You should see the 
look on your face.'

'I'm glad you find this so amusing.'  She said, marching 
past him into the house.

He turned to watch her walk inside, leaning on the doorjamb 
and crossing his arms.

'You throw water in my face and think it's funny.'  She 
shook her head as she reached into the refrigerator behind 
the bar and grabbed a Coke.  'That's just great, Alex.'

'Well hey there, Scully.  I haven't seen you in a long 
time.'  Krycek said, a smirk on his face.  He turned 
serious as she walked back to him, seeing her Coke.  'Wait 
a minute, you're not supposed to be drinking caffeine.'

'I'm not.'  She said, opening the can she had shaken up 
behind the bar and laughing as it sprayed all over him.

Looking back now, she realized that Krycek had been right.  
She had completely forgotten about her earlier conversation 
and irritation with Mulder.

***

Mulder sat on the floor in front of the television.  He 
knew he should go out and talk to Scully.  But he had no 
idea what he was going to say.  What should he say?  What 
could he say?

The happy memory unfolding in front of him didn't do 
anything to lighten his mood.

Scully was standing in the middle of the room with a hand 
on one hip, holding a roller.  She turned and hollered 
towards the back of the room.

'Frohike, come out of the closet already!'

Langly had been walking by and he turned and exchanged a 
glance with Krycek.

'I've been trying to get him to do that for years.'

Krycek snickered and moved towards the camera.  'You want 
me to take that, Maggie?'

'No, Alex.'  She said.  'You go ahead and paint.  I'd 
rather direct.'

'You ain't no fool.'  He said, smiling.  'You're getting 
out of the hard stuff.'

Frohike emerged from the closet at the back of the room.

'Finally outta the closet?'  Langly asked.

Krycek began to paint a wall.  'What the hell were you 
doing in there, Frohike?'

'What's it to you, punk ass?'

'You've been in my kid's closet for awhile now.' Krycek 
said.  'If you don't expect us to think that's just a 
little weird-'

'If you must know-'

'No, no, no.' Scully held up a hand.  'That, I don't need 
to hear.'

Watching everyone taking part in building a life for 
Scully's baby, for Scully and Krycek's baby, his nephew, 
Mulder felt left out again.  This time he did know that 
there was no one to blame but himself.  Scully had asked, 
Krycek had asked, the Lone Gunmen had asked, Skinner had 
asked.  Everyone had asked.  But he had been too wrapped up 
in other things.

Mulder was shocked to hear a song in the memory.  A song he 
had heard many times, whether he really liked it or not.  
Someone was singing sappily along with the radio, joking 
around.

'...Hello girl, it's been awhile...'

A strange feeling swept over Mulder.  He had thought of 
Scully every time he'd heard that song since she'd 
supposedly died.

'...Guess you'll be glad to know...That I've learned how to 
laugh and smile...'

It was how he'd felt.  He thought he'd loosened up 
considerably since then.  Because Krycek had told him he 
needed to laugh more.  To enjoy life more, otherwise he'd 
end up like their father.  Even though he'd never admitted 
it to anyone, especially Krycek, the thought of ending up 
alone and burned out in his later years terrified him.

'...Getting over you was slow...'

It had taken almost a year before he could think of her 
without feeling like his insides were falling out.  When 
he'd finally been able to look up towards the heaven that 
she'd believed in and hoped that she was there.  He'd 
finally been able to believe that maybe she could see the 
person he'd become.  That he wasn't as serious and brooding 
and so damn uptight as he'd always seemed.

Someone else had joined in the sappy crooning.

'...They say old lovers can be good friends...But I never 
thought I'd really see you...'

Everyone in the room had wailed the last part, making fun 
of the song, being over-dramatic.

'I'd really see you again...I go crazy...'

They all careened off into laughter.

Mulder shook his head to himself.  He had been so proud, so 
stubborn.  He had refused to take any part in Scully's life 
because he couldn't get over the whole Krycek thing.  Over 
two years later, he was regretting every moment he'd 
missed.

Oh yes, who was the idiot now.

Mulder sighed and stood up.  He had been putting it off 
long enough, catching up on memories he'd never be able to 
share.  He needed to go talk to Scully.

He cautiously walked out onto the deck and stood there, 
staring at the back of Scully's head.  She was staring out 
over the ocean, her long hair blowing in the breeze.  He 
had no idea what to say, no idea where to start.  This was 
quite possibly the most helpless he'd ever felt in his 
life.

'...Somebody's Heinie...Is crowding my ice box...Somebody's 
cold one...Is giving me chills...Guess I'll just close my 
eyes...'

Music floated out to them and he opened his mouth to speak 
but Scully beat him to it.

'Hey, Mulder.'  She greeted.

He stepped up next to her and shared the view of the ocean.

'...Say it ain't so...Your drug is a heart-breaker...'

Mulder put a hand over hers.  'I don't know what to say.'

'I know.'  She said softly.

'...Say it ain't so...My love is a life-taker...'

'You were supposed to be dead, Scully.'

'I know.'

'You were dead.'

'I know.'  She said, turning her head away from him to look 
down the coastline so he wouldn't see the tears on her 
cheeks.

'I'm sorry.'  He said.  'I don't know what to say.'

'The timing couldn't be better.'  She tried to joke.

'I can't just leave Marie because you're back.'  Mulder 
said.  'It wouldn't be fair-'

'I'm not asking you to, Mulder!'  Scully stared at him in 
astonishment.  'I can't believe you just said that!  I 
can't believe that thought even entered your mind.'

He reached over and wiped a tear off her cheek  'I'm just 
at a loss right now, Scully.'

She stared back at him.  He seemed much older to her now.  
More mature.  She looked away.

'Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.'

She whipped her head back towards him.  'What?'  She asked, 
totally in disbelief.  'I was taken away for two years, 
Mulder.  I was kept from my child, from anyone who cared 
about me.  What the hell do you mean, a blessing in 
disguise?'

'I didn't mean that, Scully.'  Mulder turned back towards 
the ocean.  'I meant, I don't know how to start.  We were 
the only people in each other's lives.  You were the only 
person I trusted.  It was natural for us to turn to each 
other, since each other is all there was.'

She turned away again.

'Let's take each of us.'  Mulder said, rambling on in 
places he had no reason to go.  'You were always after your 
father's approval.  You never got it.  You only dated men 
in your life that you knew you couldn't have.  Daniel, he 
was married, had children.  And me, I was so committed to 
my work...'

'Don't you dare dissect me, Mulder.'  Scully said, turning 
on him.

Mulder was silent.

'I don't need your justification.'  She continued.  'Shit 
happens, things change.  I understand.'

Mulder stared back at her.  'All I meant is that you never 
know what's going to happen.  Maybe things are ending up, 
as they should.'

'It sounds like you need to convince yourself, Mulder.'  
Scully said softly.  'Maybe you're feeling guilty.'

'Guilty, no.' Mulder said.  'Loyalty, yes.'

'Oh great.'  She grinned humorlessly.  'Now we're dogs.'

'I'm serious.'  He said.  'We've always been very loyal to 
each other.  It's almost like we're obligated to be 
together.  I believe that your loyalty to me kept you from 
letting yourself get close to-'

Scully turned towards him, eye's flashing in anger.  'Stop 
right there, Mulder.'

The next several minutes were spent in silence until Mulder 
looked over at her.  'You're doing okay?'

She was silent, and slightly shook her head.  'I don't 
know.  You think you have a handle on something.'  She 
closed her eyes and ran her hands over her face.  'You 
think you have everything in control.  You try to accept 
things; you try to get over things.  You try to let things 
go.'

'Scully, you're talking in the second-person.'  Mulder 
said.  'That's disassociation.  Maybe you should-'

'You're dissecting again.'  She said, desperately trying to 
keep some sort of semblance of sanity.  This wasn't the 
time or the place for her to have her meltdown.

'You okay, Scully?'

She took a few breaths and managed to nod while listening 
to the music.

'...In spite of years of silence...You cleaned up...Found 
Jesus...Things are good also out here...'

Processing...Processing...She thought to herself.

'...Say it ain't so...You're drug is a heart-breaker...'

They had taken her away from her son, from her family, from 
Krycek and from Mulder.  They had taken two years of her 
life and in the meantime, everyone else had gotten on with 
their own.

'...Say it ain't so...My love is a life-taker...'

The whole time they'd known each other, outside forces had 
always been trying to split her and Mulder up.  Take her 
away from him; take him away from her.

They'd finally won.

***

The next summer...

Mulder brought Scully a glass of iced tea.  They were 
sitting on the bottom deck of the beach house.  She smiled 
her thanks at him as he sat down in the chair next to her.

They both watched Cade, building some crazy sandcastle.

'I can't believe how big he's getting.'  Mulder observed.  
'Every time I come out, he's doubled in size.'

Scully smiled.  'It's amazing.'

Mulder came out to visit Scully every chance he got, which 
wasn't as often as she'd like.  At least it's better than 
the last time, she sighed.  She didn't blame him for not 
being there with her, she knew he thought he was doing the 
right thing, trying to fight Spender.  Wherever he was.

Things were different between them.

A lot had happened while she was away.  People had moved on 
with their lives.  Back when she had been pregnant, it had 
seemed that Mulder would never be able to forgive her for 
having Krycek's child, that they were always going to have 
problems.

Now she saw how much he loved Cade.  She saw that he had 
even managed to half bury the hatchet he'd had for Krycek.  
Mulder seemed happy and at ease with himself and with her.  
With Cade and with Krycek.  She knew that Mulder had loved 
her, that maybe he still did.  She made sure that he knew 
how much she cared about him.

But things were still different.

Mulder knew that Scully missed Krycek terribly.  Hell, he 
himself did.  He had just started to get to know the man.  
Had just started to get over the past.  Had just started 
kicking the idea around in his head that maybe it'd be nice 
to have a brother.

Mulder had always wondered what had happened between Krycek 
and Scully the night before Cade was born.  He didn't know.  
He figured he never would.  Mulder knew that Scully had 
loved him, that maybe she still did.  He made sure that she 
knew that he cared about her.

But things were still different.

Later on that evening, Mulder was preparing some veggie 
burgers on the grill; Scully and Cade were sitting together 
on a bench, visiting without saying a word.

'Mommy?'

'Hmmm?'

Cade had looked up at her with his beautiful blue eyes.

'Sometimes I hear Daddy.'

Scully smiled at him sadly.  'I know, sweetheart.  
Sometimes I do too.'

Cade had left it at that, seeming to understand without 
needing to hear a word.

After 'Uncle Fox' had put Cade to bed, he and Scully had 
sat in the full moon, having a glass of wine.

'You've never told me.'  Mulder said.  'Krycek talks to 
you?'

'No.' Scully shook her head.  ' Alex would never torture us 
like that.  I think that sometimes when he thinks about us, 
that's what we're feeling.'

Mulder sighed, putting a hand over hers.  She immediately 
interlaced her fingers with his, enjoying the support he 
gave her.

'Tell me about my brother.'

Scully smiled over at him.  Mulder had never called Krycek 
that before.  'He loves music.'

'Yeah?'  Mulder returned her smile.  'What's his favorite 
group?'

'Pink Floyd.'  Scully said.  'He said that he'd always 
thought they were singing to him.  That all their songs 
mirrored his feelings.'

Pink Floyd, Mulder thought to himself.  I remember that.  
They kept him sane.

Krycek, sitting in a huddled in a black ball on the beach 
getting drunk.

He shook his head to clear it before Scully could pick the 
image out of his head.  She didn't need to know any of 
that.  It would just upset her.

He took a sip of his wine.  'What's his favorite song?'

'Imagine.'

Mulder looked surprised.  'John Lennon?'

'Yes.'  She nodded.  'Alex may have seemed evil and mean 
and harsh, but underneath, he wanted nothing but peace on 
earth.'  Scully smiled, remembering all the times Krycek 
had told her he was bitter he'd missed the sixties.  'He 
was just a big hippie.'

Mulder was silent for a moment.  'I've missed a lot, 
haven't I?'

'Yes.'  She said softly.  'You have.'

They didn't speak for a very long time.  Scully suddenly 
took a deep breath.  When Mulder looked over at her 
questioningly, she smiled and set her other hand on top of 
his.  'See what I mean?'  She asked softly.

Mulder felt Krycek, thinking about Cade, Scully, and him.  
He smiled at the odd feeling that his brother was reaching 
out to him.  He tried to reach back, to let him know that 
all was okay, that all was finally forgiven.  That he 
hadn't been forgotten; that he was his brother.  He spoke 
aloud softly to put more effort behind it.

'Hey Alex.'

'...Hey you...Out there in the cold...Getting lonely, 
getting old...Can you feel me...'

Krycek's favorite band came over the stereo and his contact 
with his brother was immediately cut off.  Mulder drew in a 
quick breath.  The disconnection was not a pleasant 
feeling.  He sat for a moment, feeling quite empty.  He had 
felt his brother's desperation and pain and longing.  Not 
quite the feelings he'd want to have hanging around.  But 
feeling a presence that was so Krycek, a confirmation that 
his brother was alive, was too large an emotion to want to 
give back.

'...Hey you...Don't help them to bury the light...Don't 
give in...Without a fight...'

'You okay, Mulder?'

He turned to see Scully staring back at him, slight concern 
on her face.

'Yeah.'  He nodded.  'Why?'

'You were off again.'  She smiled at him.  'Off, 
somewhere...'

'Scully, we have to find my brother.'

The smile was instantly gone from her face.  'I know, 
Mulder.  But I don't know what to do about it.'

He stood up and her hand was pulled out of his.  'We can't 
just leave him there anymore, it's been, what, eight 
months?'

'I don't know, Mulder, since New Year's day.'  She said 
softly, before glancing up at him.  'I don't know what to 
say, you haven't brought this up since you first brought me 
home.'

Mulder shook his head, staring out over the ocean.  'I've 
never felt him like that before.'

'It's not always pleasant.'  Scully said softly.

They were silent for a moment as the song played on.

'...Hey you...With your ear against the wall...Waiting for 
someone to call out...Would you touch me...'

'Mulder, you're the one still in contact with everything.  
You're still with the Verein.  You're still with the 
Bureau.  You would know better than I would out here, 
hibernating.'

'Yes.'  Mulder spun around and leaned back against the 
railing.  'I've noticed you still haven't decided what you 
want to do with yourself.  Your mom is still the only 
person who knows you're alive.  Not even Bill or Charlie, 
or Skinner or any of the Lone Gunmen.  You're still legally 
dead.'

'...Hey you...Would you help me to carry this stone...Open 
your heart...I'm comin' home...'

'I'm still scared.'  She said honestly.

'Ah, Scully.'  He slowly crossed over and knelt in front of 
her.  'You know I won't let anything happen to you.'

She smiled at him and gently touched the end of his nose.  
'You're all the way across the country, Mulder.  Can you 
really blame me for not relinquishing total control of my 
safety into your care?'

'Yes, I can.'  He grinned back.  'You should know I won't 
ever let anything happen to you.'

'Shall I state the obvious?'  Scully looked away from him 
and upwards, grinning.

Mulder smiled at her.  'Are you trying to look cute?'

'No.' She said seriously.  'Why, do I?'

He laughed and looked away, nodding.  'Yes, you do.'

They both laughed, reliving the memory.  Scully smiled over 
at him.  'Do you really have to leave tomorrow?'

'I'm afraid I do.'  He said, leaning back and letting her 
try to hold him by his hands.  'The Verein will be very 
upset if I don't show my smiling face soon.  Not to mention 
Skinner's ever-lasting stoicism.'

Scully couldn't hold his weight, even after standing up and 
trying to use her body weight to balance him, and he fell 
on his butt.  'Ah, Skinner.'  Scully said.  'I do miss him 
so much.  You puttin' on weight, Mulder?  Because you seem 
much heavier to me now.'

'Kiss my ass, Scully, how about that?'

'Mark the spot, Mulder.'  She grinned evilly.  'Because 
you're all ass.'

He threw his head back and laughed and she smiled larger in 
return.

'Got you big time.'  She said.

Mulder smiled in return and folded his hands in hers.  He 
gave a small shudder as the song continued, thinking of 
what Scully had said...

'Pink Floyd.  He said that he'd always thought they were 
singing to him.  That all their songs mirrored his 
feelings.'

'...But it was only fantasy...No wall was too high...As you 
can see...No matter how hard he tried he could not break 
free...And they worms ate into his brain...'

Mulder shook his head, trying to somehow get away from the 
feeling that his brother was alone, suffering and in pain.  
He had many regrets the past three years, but none as 
strong as the passing time that was wasted over the last 
three years.  He felt the same way whenever he boarded the 
plane back to the East Coast.  Always felt like he was 
going to miss something.

He sighed.  'I really hate it when I have to leave.'

'Well.'  Scully said, pulling him to his feet.  'You never 
really HAVE to leave, you know.'

'Ah, Scully.'  He let her help him up off the deck.  'You 
know me better than that.'

'Unfortunately.'  She sighed.  'Yes, I do.'

'I'll be back by the end of the month, Scully.'  He pulled 
her into a hug.  'You know that.'

Scully accepted his hug and they stood in the embrace for a 
few moments, each thinking their own thoughts of times 
past, and times they both hoped would come.

'I feel, Scully, that there are times ahead.'  Mulder said.  
'That nothing is done, that the future's uncertain and the 
end is always near...'

She smiled against his shoulder.  'And I feel, Mulder, that 
you were Jim Morrison in an alternate universe...That the 
times ahead have everything to do with you sitting half-
baked around a foldable card table, much like that 70's 
show, laughing at nothing and rambling on nonsensically...'

Mulder laughed, tilting his head back.  'You and I still 
have some times left, my partner, hopefully involving the 
great idiocy of my brother and a few other unmentionable 
personalities, maybe sitting half-baked around a card 
table, spewing obscenities at each other and giggling like 
imbecile's until the sun comes up.'

'I can only hope that day will come.'  Scully said as they 
both wondered about the future ahead of them.  She smiled 
as her favorite part of the song played on.

'...Hey you...Out there on the road...Always doing what 
you're told...Can you help me...'

Mulder closed his eyes again at the thought of his brother.  
He didn't know how he could help him.  He only knew that he 
could not leave him out there, all alone.  For all their 
sake's.  For Scully's, for Cade's, and for his own.

'...Hey you...Don't tell me there's no help at 
all...Together we stand...Divided...We fall...'

***

Scully was tidying up the kitchen after dinner.  Mulder had 
left earlier in the day and she was already missing him.  
She was missing anyone.  She had been out here alone for 
far too long.  At least when she'd been out here with 
Krycek, it had been a little easier.  Then, they'd been 
waiting for the arrival of Cade, she'd been enjoying the 
summer scene, having had been far too wrapped up in the 
East Coast, the X-files, the seriousness of everything.  
She'd been rediscovering herself.  The carefree Dana she'd 
found out here at the beach was good to her.

'...No one knows what it's like...To be the bad man...To be 
the sad man...Behind blue eyes...'

The song that played softly over the speakers caused Scully 
to jerk.  She remembered a couple of years ago, walking out 
onto the deck and finding Krycek listening to that song.  
His face had been hard, evil, set in stone.  Not the Alex 
she knew, but the way she remembered Krycek.

'...No one knows what it's like...To be hated...To be 
faded...To telling only lies...'

She had stood to the side, marveling at the fact that he 
was so lost in the past.  He hadn't noticed her yet, sixth 
sense or not.  He was simply staring straight ahead.  The 
only feeling she caught from him was despair.  Maybe a 
little anger mixed in for good measure.

'...But my dreams...They aren't as empty...As my conscience 
seems to be...'

She knelt down next to him.  She really didn't like the 
look on his face, the look of Krycek.  How he been so evil 
and manipulating and done a one-eighty on himself baffled 
her mind.

'...No one knows what it's like to feel these 
feelings...Like I do...'

She put a hand on his arm.  'Are you wallowing in your mire 
again?'

He shook his head, remaining silent.

'...But my dreams...They aren't as empty...As my conscience 
seems to be...'

'And here I thought you were flawless.'  She said.  'But I 
guess even the laid-back, mellow, Taoist surfer has a 
momentary lapse of reason every now and again.'

His face relaxed in a smile as he looked over at her.

'Oh there you are, Alex.'  She returned his grin.  'I was 
wondering where you went.'

The doorbell ringing roused Scully out of her reverie.  She 
looked towards the front door and frowned.  Who the hell 
could that be?

'Stay there, sweetheart.'  She said, motioning for Cade to 
hang out in the living room.  She crept towards the door, 
swiping her .44 off the top of the kitchen cabinets on the 
way, the whole time trying to get a sense of who was on the 
other side of the door.

'Dana.'  A voice urgently hissed through the door.

Scully stood still.  She was rooted to the spot, her mind 
spinning.  It couldn't be him.  It couldn't.

'Agent Scully.'  The voice came again.

She reached out and unlocked the door, opening it to see 
the two men on the other side.

'Sir?'  Scully asked, her voice high and unsure.

Skinner smiled down at her before hugging her.  'I can't 
tell you how good it is to see you, Dana.'

She stood inside his strong embrace, numb and unfeeling.

'Sir.'  She stammered out.  'How did you know?'

He pulled away at the sound of Cade's voice as the little 
boy ran up.

'Uncle Walter!'

Skinner caught the boy in a hug, laughing and giving him a 
peck on the cheek.  Cade hugged him back, throwing his 
little arms around Skinner's neck, and gave him his own 
little kiss.

Scully stared at the two of them.  It was so odd to see 
Skinner and her son, interacting in this way.  Come to 
think of it, she shouldn't be surprised.  Krycek had kept 
the old friends and family around quite a bit, judging from 
all the home videos she'd been able to get through.  She'd 
always assumed that Mulder had concocted some story about 
where Krycek and Cade had gone.  Traveling the world or 
holed up snowboarding in the Swiss Alps.  Surfing the 
hotspots of Africa.  Something.

She suddenly became aware of Skinner's wardrobe.  Khakis 
and a Hawaiian shirt over those broad shoulders?  Totally 
shaved head and sunglasses?  He looked celebrity-worthy and 
she smiled in spite of herself.  The serious guy with 
Skinner looked even more out of place than her former boss, 
jeans and a T-shirt, baseball cap covering his black hair.

'Nice threads, Sir.'

'Why don't we drop the Sir, call me Walter.'

'How did you know?'  She asked again.  She didn't dare ask 
if Mulder had said something.  For all she knew, they 
weren't aware that Mulder knew she was alive.

Skinner set Cade down and Scully put an arm around Cade's 
shoulders.

'I didn't, Agent Scully.'  Skinner said.  'I was recently 
told.  By this guy.'

The man with Skinner hunkered down and smiled into Cade's 
face.

'So this is the little guy who's going to save the world.'

Scully pulled Cade closer to her, smashing him against her 
legs.

'Agent Scully-'

She held up a hand at Skinner.  'Why don't we just stick to 
Dana, okay?'

'I think that's a good idea.'  He nodded.  'Let me 
introduce you to Dale Cooper.'

'Agent Dale Cooper?'  She asked, turning to him, 
recognition on her face.

Cooper smiled gently, his perfect, white teeth matching his 
perfect, white skin.

'Yes.  I can see you've heard of him.  Chip here used to be 
quite the agent.'  Skinner said.  'Mulder worked his first 
case with him.'

'Twin Peaks, I know all about it.'  Scully said.  'You're 
efforts are regarded quite highly, Mr. Cooper.'

'Thank you, Miss Scully, as are yours.'

'Cooper's with the NSA now.'  Skinner said.

Scully turned towards him, trying to hide any immediate 
fear that surfaced on her face.  'And why is the NSA 
visiting my house?'

Cooper leaned in close to her and whispered.  'I'm here to 
help.'

Scully slightly leaned away from him, not liking his 
proximity to her or her son.  'Help me?'

'The Syndicate knows you're alive, of course, you know 
this, considering they exchanged you for Cade's father.  
However, they were keeping it quiet, holding their cards 
close.  That way, the greedy organization that they are, if 
it ever came down to the wire, the Syndicate could save 
themselves, and restore their New World order that they've 
been preaching about.  Well, that time is upon us.'

Scully stared back at Cooper, barely able to breathe.  She 
didn't know where this was all going, but she knew two 
things.  That it was bad any way you diced it.  And that it 
had to do with her son.  Probably with Krycek as well and 
she was sure she and Mulder would be thrown in there 
somewhere for good measure.

'The Syndicate has a leak.  Someone with rebellion on the 
brain, with altruistic ideas.  If it was only the Syndicate 
that was aware of your survival before, now it is the 
Verein, the CIA, and the NSA.  It will not take them long 
to find you.  And your son.'

If possible, Scully drew Cade even closer.  'And you're 
here because?'

'I'm here to offer you a proposition.'  Cooper said.  'A 
solution.  A way out.'

***

'Okay.'  Scully said when Cade was down on the sand, 
building one of his sandcastles.  'What is this proposition 
of yours?'

Cooper leaned towards her, his hands folded in his lap.  'I 
can bring you in, like you've been working with the NSA all 
along.'

Scully stared back at him, disbelief on her face.  'What?'

'They're going to find you, eventually.'  Cooper said.  'If 
you come in with me, it will seem like you've been working 
with the NSA all along.  It can buy you some time, get you 
some protection.'

'If I go with you where?'  She asked, a horrible suspicion 
beginning to take form in her mind.

'Time is running out.  There is a rumor that we will all be 
joining together, in this, the final quarter of the game.  
The NSA, the CIA, the Verein, the Syndicate, even Naval 
Intelligence has been poking around.'  Cooper leaned back 
in his chair.  'It is crunch-time and all the players are 
on the field.  Cade may be the last hope and everyone knows 
it.  If needed, he will be hunted.  And he will be found.'

Scully looked down at her son, fear enveloping her.  Never 
a dull moment in her life.  Nope.  Not a one.

Scully turned back to Cooper.  'Don't you think that 
someone would recognize me?'

'The fact that you were incarcerated there shouldn't have 
any direct bearing on anything.  The reason they wanted you 
was for the anti-agent you carried, which you only got as a 
direct result of being involved in the X-Files, while 
cooperating with the NSA.  It can all be explained.  It 
makes sense.'

She thought for a moment.  'And if I refuse?'

'Then I would suggest running now.  Get as large of a jump 
on them as you can.  Because when they decide to find you, 
I believe they will.'

'And you?'  Scully looked over at Skinner; he'd been silent 
this whole time.  'What do you think?'

'My opinion?'  He asked.

'No, I want to know where you got that lovely designer 
Hawaiian shirt.'

Skinner grinned at her.  'You've developed quite a tongue, 
Dana.'

She stared back at him, tilting her head and giving him 
'that look' which had always let people like Mulder and 
Krycek and her brother's know that she wasn't in the mood.

'It's going to be hard either way.'  Skinner said.  'But 
like this, you have a chance.  And you will be protected.  
It will seem like you've been working against the X-Files 
and against the people who want to expose this truth this 
whole time.  It will throw them off, and you can help in 
the final stages of the vaccine creation, which will earn 
your story credibility.  It is nearly complete and once 
this is over, it will be over.  This new vaccine might 
work, but if it doesn't, they're going to want Cade.'

Scully shook her head.  'I don't know.'

Cooper gave her a small smile.  'I'd give you time to 
think, if I had it to give.  Wednesday is the meeting 
between the CIA and us.  I'm fairly certain that's when our 
new plans will be announced.  It would be helpful if I 
could have you waiting in the wings.  If I could just tell 
them that 'I have the perfect scientist for you'.'

Skinner put a hand on her arm.  'I think it's the best 
thing.  I can watch out for you.  And so can everyone 
else.'

'The NSA, the CIA, the Syndicate will probably throw some 
bones your way once they realize that you're important.'  
Cooper said.  'What better protection than all that?'

All things are leading here?  Scully thought.  There are 
two choices, one right and one wrong, but which is which?  
She looked over at Cade again.  How tempting to flee and 
hide.  But what about her family, her friends, Mulder and 
Krycek?

They had just been talking about how to save Krycek.  Maybe 
this was the way.

'Okay.'  Scully said before her resolve weakened.

'I have to warn you.'  Cooper said.

Scully gave a small laugh.  'Now that I've agreed?'

'You're going to be asked to do things.'  Cooper said.  
'Things that will scare you.'

She met his level gaze.  'I don't scare easily, Mr. 
Cooper.'

***

Scully wandered through the beach house, lounging in jeans 
and one of Krycek's old UCLA sweatshirts.  She had spent 
the last two days packing and shipping everything that was 
valuable to her Mom's house.  There were tons of pictures 
and home videos that Krycek had saved.  She had managed to 
pack most of his vintage Hawaiian shirts, her jewelry, some 
collectible's of Cade's that she just couldn't bare to 
leave behind.  Not to mention all her cherishables that she 
had brought out to California when she'd left her apartment 
in Georgetown.  That seemed like a whole lifetime away, and 
in a way, it was.

REO Speedwagon was playing.  This disturbed her, for some 
reason.  She didn't know why.

'...But I can feel it coming...If you leave tonight keep 
running...And you need never look back again...'

She checked the cabinets in her bathroom for the fifth time 
and rifled through the closet in her bedroom again.  She 
didn't want to leave anything behind.  Just in case.

'...You take it on the run baby...If that's the way you 
want it baby...Then I don't want you around...'

She stood in Krycek's room one last time, surveying 
everything.  His surfboard was propped in the corner.  She 
assumed it was still there from the day that Cade was born.  
The day that she had been taken.

'...I don't believe it...Not for minute...'

Scully's breath caught in her throat.  There it was.  The 
reason that she wasn't getting along with REO Speedwagon 
today.  The horrid argument had been buried in her mind but 
the lyrics were bringing it out for her to mull over.  The 
mind works in mysterious ways.

'You're telling me what's true?'  He quit packing and 
looked at her.  'I can feel almost everything you say.'

'Then you should already know.'

'No.' He replied, almost smiling.  'To quote REO 
Speedwagon, I don't believe it.  Not for a minute.'

'We need to talk this through.'

Krycek held up his hands.  'What is there to talk through?'

She couldn't look back at him; the three of them stood in 
silence.

Much like the silence she was standing in now.  She still 
felt the same.  Lost, confused, alone.

Stupid.

How very, very stupid they had all been.  Squabbling like 
teenagers at a high school dance.  Not a mature one among 
them back then.  They had fallen into their respective 
roles quite easily when Mulder had returned from his 
disappearance to find Krycek hanging around.

Mulder had wanted to run away from the situation, he tried 
the 'if I ignore this long enough, it will go away' 
approach.  He hadn't communicated well with her and had 
refused to talk to Krycek.  He had fallen into the role of 
the insecure, defeated, boyfriend.  Krycek had been the one 
who wanted the three of them to 'talk it through, to work 
it out', while she was trying to step back and let them 
hash it out themselves.

Six months of space had chilled Mulder out considerably, 
while six months of life with friends and family had made 
Krycek afraid that he was going to lose it all, therefore 
making him more insecure.  After a mental-meltdown of a 
conversation on the beach that had been entirely her fault 
to begin with, the three of them decided to play ring-
around-the-emotional mindset.

Krycek had been the defeated one this time.  He was the one 
who wanted to run away and ignore what was happening, while 
she wanted the three of them to talk everything through.  
Mulder was the logical person that time around, who had 
felt the need to step aside and let her and Krycek clear 
the air.

The whole thing had been very stupid.

'...You're under the gun...so you take it on the run...'

Scully sighed and took one last look around the room before 
closing the door.

***

She made her last sweep through the kitchen after locking 
the French doors.  She lifted Cade up to sit on the counter 
and they both washed the sand off their hands.  She reached 
over and kissed the top of his head while drying her hands 
with a dishtowel.

'Mommy, your ring.'

She knitted her eyebrows together.  'What, sweetheart?'

'Your ring.'  Cade pointed his little fingers towards the 
corner of the counter.  Scully leaned down a bit to look 
under the raised counter and her heart stopped before 
jumping into her throat...They had been at Fashion Island, 
window-shopping in Neiman Marcus; she'd seen the ring and 
pouted playfully.  It was a band of Celtic lace in white 
gold.  A few days later, she'd been on the deck when he 
casually sauntered out with an up-to-no-good look at his 
face.

'I'm not striking a pose here, Dana.'  Krycek had held his 
hand out towards her.  'Gimme your hand, I'm not going to 
bite you.'

'With you, Alex, one can never be sure.'

He dropped the ring into her outstretched hand and she 
gasped.

'Alex, I can't take this.'

'The first present I ever give anyone and it's rejected 
right off the bat.  How rude.  What kind of pattern am I 
supposed to develop off of this response?'

'It's not that I don't like it-'

'Next time you see something you like,' Krycek had said, 
'I'll just be proactive and break it right in front of 
you.'

Scully slid the band on the ring finger of her right hand 
and admired it.

'I can see if I brought you home one karat diamond earrings 
or something that you could refuse, but come on, it's white 
gold, how expensive can it be?'

'I'm not stupid, Alex.  If you brought home diamond 
earrings, I would justify keeping them.'

'Oh great, so now the ring's not good enough.'

She laughed before glancing up at him.  'I don't know what 
to say.'

'You don't have to say anything.'

'Yes, I do-'

'No really.'  He grinned.  'I can read your mind, you don't 
have to say anything.'

Scully burst into laughter.  'You're such an asshole.'

He gasped.  'I'm so glad our poor child isn't around to 
hear the way you're talking to its father.'

'The poor child would probably agree with me.'  She said, 
giving him a look.

'I'm hurt.  I'm shocked and amazed.  I even brought gifts 
and still got kicked to the curb.'

The phone rang and he pushed himself off the railing.

'Yeah, you mind getting that for me?'  Scully asked, taking 
a drink of her tea.

'You know, I don't need this abuse.'

'Whatever.'  She said, throwing a look in his direction.  
'Punk.'

'Loser.'  He disappeared into the house.

'Freak.'  She called after him.

'Crackhead.'  He yelled back.

Scully stared at the ring, still in the corner from years 
ago.  Had it really been that long?  They were going to 
clean out all the pumpkins and she hadn't wanted to get it 
all goopy.  She had taken it off and set it under the 
counter.

'Maybe I should put this away, with my luck it will go down 
the drain.'

'I'm sure it'll be fine under there.'  He replied as she 
pushed it into the corner.

The memory hit her like a hard wave in the ocean.

'...Hey Jude...Don't make it bad...Take a sad song...And 
make it better...'

'You're not very neat in the kitchen.'  Scully said, 
cutting open another pumpkin.

'Cook first, clean later.'  Krycek said, scooping out seeds 
and innards.

She hated these memories that seemed to pop up out of 
nowhere.  She hated that she could still sense everything.  
She hated that she could be upset at any time and that she 
couldn't hide this from Cade.

Her hands were shaking and she put them over her face.

Krycek turned back towards her, grinning mischievously.  He 
picked all the seeds out of his hands, and was left holding 
the goo.  He flicked his eyes up at her.

Scully slowly looked over at him, shaking her head.  'Don't 
you dare.'

'What?'  He asked innocently.

'Mommy.  You can get it.'  She felt Cade's small hands on 
her arm.  'He left it there for you.'

Krycek took another step towards her and was rewarded with 
a nice splat of pumpkin in his face.

'Dana!'  He acted surprised.  'What on earth would posses 
you to do such a thing?'  He threw his own handful and it 
landed with a resounding 'smack' on her forehead.

When she finally managed to pull herself together enough to 
take her hands away from her face, Cade was holding the 
ring out to her.  'He left it there, Mommy.'

Scully did her best to smile and took the ring.  The second 
her fingers touched his, her mind was flooded with images.

Her Mom, Frohike, Langly and Skinner were at the breakfast 
table.  They'd been discussing her funeral.  Mulder was 
leaning against the wall five feet away, looking like he'd 
rather be anywhere but here.  Krycek had been putting 
dishes in the sink and had spotted her ring in the corner.

Scully suddenly couldn't breathe, she felt like she'd had 
the wind knocked out of her and knew she was feeling what 
Krycek had felt.  She was reliving his memory.  She 
couldn't breathe.

She heard her Mom's voice.  'Alex?'

'Alex.'  Skinner's voice came next.

'What's wrong?'  Frohike had asked.

Krycek took a step away from the sink, eyes glued to the 
ring.

He was shaking.  His eyes burned with tears.  His chest was 
tight.  He couldn't breathe.

'Krycek.'  Mulder was at his side and gently took his arm, 
a mixture of anger and sorrow burning in his eyes.  'Look 
at me, Krycek.'

'Damn.'  Frohike said, standing on Krycek's other side.  
'It's her ring.'

There was silence in the room until her Mom walked up to 
him.  'Come on, Alex.  Let's take a walk.'

'Should I put it somewhere?'  Frohike's voice sounded in 
his head as he was mechanically walking out the French 
doors.  Scully could feel someone's arm, probably her 
mom's, around his shoulders, guiding him.  He still 
couldn't breathe.

'He'll need to deal with it later.'  Mulder's voice softly 
followed him out.  'Leave it there.'

'Shit.'  Skinner's voice was faint in the house.  'I'm not 
sure he's going to make it through this.'

Scully was trembling.  She looked at Cade, not quite 
knowing how to phrase the question.

'From Daddy.'  He said, answering her unanswered question.

'He showed you that?'  Scully asked in disbelief.

Cade shook his head.  'I can see them.'

'You can see them?  You can see what, sweetheart?'

Cade shrugged.  He looked back at her.  'I feel the big 
ones.'

She stared back at her son on the verge of tears, her eyes 
wide.  She had a feeling that there was going to be a lot 
about Cade that they wouldn't know until he was old enough 
to communicate better.

Cade began to hum.  The melody was familiar.  Bell Bottom 
Blues.

***

The Town Car pulled up in front of the building that had 
been her prison for just over two years.  Scully eyed it 
with distaste as a string of curses flowed through her 
mind.  She must be insane to agree to this in the first 
place.  What if this didn't work?  What if they couldn't 
pull it off?  Spender, the vilest man ever to crawl the 
earth, wasn't a stupid man.  What if he saw right through 
this?

Cooper looked over at her, raising his eyebrows in question 
and she nodded back.  Too late now.

Her legs became rubbery as they approached the entrance, 
thinking of Spender and all the time she'd been subjected 
to him and his wench of a sidekick.  Diana Fowley had 
played Mulder like a fool, using him to get close to her 
and Krycek.  She had been working for the Verein, for a 
cause that Mulder had believed in, using whatever 
information she could squeeze out of him and then reporting 
back to the Syndicate.

Remind me why I'm doing this, she asked herself.

For Cade, for Mulder, for Krycek, for myself, for everyone.

Scully finally understood where Mulder had been coming from 
all these years.

Inside the building, they went through a series of locked 
doors, Cooper swiping his card key through several of them.

They stopped at a guard station and they both held out 
their NSA badges.

The young man looked up at them.  'Project name?'

'Purity Control.'  Cooper answered, causing Scully to 
cringe inwardly.

They walked through a maze of hallways, through door after 
door, left after rights.  Scully tried to keep mapping out 
their trail, but couldn't quite keep up.  They finally 
arrived in a lab that was so cold, it seemed to be existing 
in Sub-Zero temperature.

'Dr. Jenkins.'  Cooper strode up to an older man and Scully 
followed.  'I'd like to introduce you to Dana Scully, the 
scientist I was telling you about.'

The man had hard, cold eyes and Scully's matched.  'Dr. 
Scully.'

'Dr. Jenkins.'  She said, willing her fact to relax.  'It's 
an honor, I've followed your work on Quantum Mechanics.'

'Have you now?'  He asked, a tiny grin surfacing.

'Schroedinger's cat...Wave interference...Fusion 
anomalies...Particle energy.'  She forced herself to smile 
back at him.  'I've always been fascinated with Quantum 
Mechanics.  I believe it is the next religion.'

'The next religion?'

'Of course.  What better time for science to be the 
dominant belief?  The thought that we are all energy?  That 
everything in existence is built up of nothing more than 
electrons, protons and neutrons?'

Cooper had taken off back to the NSA and she felt leery 
hanging around here without him.  Scully again forced 
herself to relax throughout the morning as Dr. Jenkins took 
her around to show her the ropes.  She was introduced to 
scientists, military officials, people in government 
service, mostly people she'd only read about

She was being shown around the building, had seen the 
medical facilities, the clean rooms, the labs.

'What you see here are all of our current subjects.'  Dr. 
Jenkins said.  'Twenty in all.  We monitor them twenty-
four-seven.  We never know what oddity will be surfacing or 
when it will happen.'

Scully's face burned as her gaze wandered over the 
monitors.  These people, being held captive and tested upon 
like she herself had been.

Her gaze stopped on number 13.  It had been over four 
years, and he'd grown up quite a bit, but she could 
recognize him plain as day.  Gibson Praise.  How old must 
he be now?  Fifteen or sixteen?  He was sitting on the 
floor, his head titled back on the wall.

'You're a very special boy, Gibson.'

'I'm a very special lab rat.'

She could feel the anger boiling inside at the thought that 
he'd spent most of his younger years cooped up in a lab, in 
a cell, having tests performed.  He should be in high 
school, going to dances, driving cars and flirting with 
girls.

But this was not the time or place to be thinking of this.

Scully forced her gaze to wander down the line, but her 
stare stopped on the next monitor.  Number 14.  Her blood 
went cold; her face automatically closed in fear of any 
emotion.

It was Alex.

***

She stood staring at the monitor, crossing her arms in what 
she hoped seemed casual enough.  In reality, it was just a 
symbolic way to hold herself together.  Her vision doubled, 
then tripled, and she forced herself to breathe.  She 
stared at the monitor, biting her lip.

She was definitely not prepared to handle this.

Krycek seemed fine, thinner, of course, but well enough.  
He was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall.  
In fact, if there were no wall, he and Gibson would be 
sitting back to back.

'Number's 13 and 14.  Gibson Praise and Alex Krycek.'  Dr. 
Jenkins voice interrupted her seething anger.   'Those two 
are quite a pair.  They are the most gifted here and have 
attitudes to match.'

Scully couldn't tear her eyes from the monitor.  She knew 
she was trembling and was afraid to speak.  She couldn't 
wait to get her hands on Cooper.  Didn't he know who Alex 
Krycek was?  Why didn't he tell her that he was here?  Her 
thoughts suddenly spun to Skinner.  God help him if he had 
any idea what was going on here.  She would be addressing 
that issue the second she could.

In the meantime, she really needed to get a grip on herself 
before Dr. Moreau became suspicious.  She only hoped that 
when she did squeeze the words out, she wouldn't sound like 
a soprano wailing out a high C, full of vibrato.  'Gifted 
how?'

'The little boy, Gibson, has amazing mind reading 
abilities.  Word for word, he can recite what you're 
thinking.  He has complete control of what he hears and 
what he projects.  Number 14, Alex, lacks the control that 
Gibson has and tends to feel emotions more strongly than 
any clear words.  But he makes up for it with his 
telekinetic abilities.'

Scully recalled a scalpel flying into Krycek's hand.  The 
one he'd slit Diana's throat with.  It was the only time 
she'd ever seen him do anything of the sort.  She wasn't 
sure he'd really known what he'd done, thought that maybe 
it was just one of those things.  'Telekinesis?'

'I've only seen him do it a couple of times.'  He replied.  
'And he will not do it on command.  He turns the 
electronics off sometimes, just to irritate us and he slid 
my coffee mug around the table one day, keeping it from me 
whenever I'd reach for it.'

'I'm assuming you believe he's somehow manipulating the 
energy around him?'  She said, hearing her voice from a 
thousand miles away.

'Basic Quantum theories, Dr. Scully.'  He replied.  
'Although rest assured that Alex would rather die a 
horrible death then help us determine how he uses the DNA 
he was given.  I doubt he'll ever cooperate.'

Scully was silent for a moment, steadying herself to speak 
again.  'What else?'

'We can't accurately test their IQ's because they're always 
playing games with us.  It's the way they amuse themselves, 
and each other.  When we administered the first Cattel B, 
Alex answered everything wrong.  He picked out the least 
logical answer.  He made Forrest Gump look like Einstein.'

'Implying that he would know the correct answer in order to 
pick the one most contrary.'  Scully said.

'Yes.'  Dr. Jenkins said.  'He was showing off.'

At least his spirit didn't break, she thought.  Still as 
obnoxious as ever.

'Gibson, however, would give the correct answer before the 
question was out of my mouth.  And they both soared off the 
charts with Raven's Advanced Matrices and Wechsler Scale's.  
We don't the capability to interpret results like that.  
Especially considering we don't know how much is coming 
from their cognitive abilities.'

On the monitor's, Krycek and Gibson smiled at the same 
time.

'They can communicate with each other?'  Scully asked, 
surprised.  She hadn't been able to sense anything in her 
tin can and had noted that only when she was brought into 
Spender's office for the first time had she been able to 
reach out to Krycek.

'They're the only two who can.'  Dr. Jenkins answered.  
'Gibson told me that they play chess together, in their 
minds.  Sometimes they can sense when they're being watched 
and make it painfully obvious.  I don't think the director 
of the CIA was used to getting the finger.'

'No.' Scully said, suppressing a grin. 'I can't imagine he 
would be.'

Dr. Jenkins looked at her, then reached in his pocket to 
hand her a handkerchief.  'My dear, you have blood on your 
lip.'

Scully swiped at her mouth in surprise then took the 
offered handkerchief.  She had bitten her bottom lip so 
hard it was bleeding.  'Thank you.'

He nodded, then turned towards her.  'If you'd like to see 
their records, we can move onto my office.'

Scully nodded and then froze, staring at the monitors.  
Both Gibson and Krycek were looking into the camera.  It 
seemed they were looking right at her.  Her heart stopped.  
Tears surfaced in her eyes.  She briefly felt the touch of 
Krycek's mind and tried to respond.

I'm here, Alex.  I'm here.

On the monitor, Krycek looked away in disgust.

'At least you didn't get the finger.'  Jenkins said.

Scully turned her back on the monitor's and followed Dr. 
Jenkins out of the room.

***

'Mulder.'

'It's me.'  Frohike said.  'Where are you?'

'Just pulling up in front of Skinner's.'

'We've got something you need to see.'

Mulder put the car in park and glanced over at Koskie.  
'What's up, Frohike?'

'Yoo-hoo, lover boy.'  Koskie crooned towards the phone at 
the mention of Frohike's name.  'Where you at you sweet 
thing, you?  Daddy needs some luvin'.'

'You can tell that freak that I got some luvin' for him.'  
Frohike said.  'And it's the kind that comes with a 
footprint on the ass.'

Mulder grinned over at Koskie.  'He said he misses you 
too.'

'Oooh, sugar,' Koskie sighed, 'you need to bring your sexy 
little self over here-'

'Mulder, we need to show you something.'  Frohike 
interrupted.  'It's important.'

'How important?'  Mulder asked, suddenly listening to his 
friend's somber voice.

'Very.'  Frohike said.  'As in, I'm sure Skinner will want 
to know too.'

'Well, hell.'  Mulder said, getting out of the car and 
heading to Skinner's front door.  'What is it about?'

'Can't say.'

The front door opened as Mulder held a hand up to pound on 
it.

'You're late.'  Marie said.  'And you know how he gets when 
he's hungry.'

'Tell Marie I said hello.'  Frohike asked.

'Frohike say's hi.'  Mulder smiled at her and they 
exchanged a quick kiss before he nodded his head towards 
the car where Koskie was emerging.  'And blame your brother 
for our tardiness.  He got his foot stuck in a sewer 
grate.'

'Sewer grate?'  She asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked 
past Mulder's shoulder towards her brother.  'Steven, how 
on earth...'

'Well, you see.'  Koskie said, slinging an arm around her 
shoulders.  'That's a funny story.'

'Stories involving your usual grace are always amusing, 
brother.'

Mulder headed towards the kitchen where Skinner was.  
'Frohike say's he has something-'

'I'm starving.'  Skinner flipped a towel over his shoulder 
and gave Mulder a stern look.  'You think as much as that 
damn cell phone is attached to your ear, you'd learn to 
call if you're going to be late.'

'I don't know, Frohike.'  Mulder said.  'He seems kinda 
cranky.  But after he eats-'

'What's that, Agent Mulder?'  Skinner asked, stirring 
something on the stove.  'You want to get busted down to 
jump-out squads?'

'Oh please, say it ain't so.  Anything but that.'  Koskie 
said, appearing behind Skinner and sticking his finger in 
the pot.  'Ouch, damn that's hot!'

Marie looked at her brother.  'Yeah, and all that steam 
rising up surely couldn't have been a clue.'

Skinner laughed and shook his head.  'Sometimes it's 
painfully obvious who got the brains in the family.'

Mulder leaned in close to Skinner.  'Frohike has something 
he thinks we should see.'

'Lasagna for everyone.'  Skinner said.  'Tell them to come 
on over.'

'And tell them to bring more Chianti.'  Marie said.

Koskie grabbed the phone from Mulder and sighed into it.  
'I am counting the minutes until I set eyes on your lovely 
attributes, my lover.'

'You know, Koskie,' Frohike said, 'If you weren't so damn 
sexy, I'd kick your ass.'

'Grrrr.' Koskie purred.  'You know how that tough-guy talk 
just turns me on...'

***

The Lone Gunmen arrived just as Marie slid the lasagna into 
the oven.  Langly walked into the kitchen and held up a 
twelve pack of Miller.

'Mind if we stash this in your fridge?'

Skinner shook his head and Marie grimaced.  'That's 
disgusting, Garth.  Beer doesn't quite go with Italian.'

Langly gasped as Frohike ripped open the pack and took one 
out for himself.  'Beer goes with anything.'

She shook her head and cracked open a bottle of wine as 
Skinner set glasses on the counter.

'My dear bachelor.'  Marie said, shaking her head.  'What 
happened to that set of goblets I gave you last Christmas?'

'They're probably still in the box they came in, stashed in 
his basement.'  Mulder said, reaching into the top cabinet 
to scrounge up anything that resembled wineglasses.  He 
found odds and ends and pulled them down.

'You giving me a hard time, Agent Mulder?'  Skinner asked, 
smiling at him.

Mulder fixed him with a look.  'Am I right?'

Skinner shook his head.  'I don't know what you're talking 
about.'

'That's what I thought.'  Mulder said, then turned to see 
the somber face of Byers.  'You finally ready to give it 
up?'

'I'm not sure it's a good idea right now, Mulder.'  Byers 
said.  'Maybe we should wait until you can-'

'I think he's saying that I shouldn't be around.'  Marie 
said.

'As well as your brother.'  Byers replied.  'No offense 
meant.'

She shook her head.  'None taken.  We can disappear for a 
bit, but your going to have to sacrifice a bottle of wine.'

'Nonsense.'  Mulder said.  'Anything you have to say can be 
said here.'

Langly and Frohike looked at each other, then back at 
Mulder.

'What?'  Mulder asked.

Frohike sighed and tilted his head.  'It's about Scully.'

The silence in the kitchen stretched out for a minute.  
Both Koskie and Marie looked at Mulder.

'What about Scully?'  Skinner asked in a flat monotone.

Byers shook his head and walked into the living room.  'A 
tape was given to me today by one of my contacts.'

'Not Susanne?'  Mulder asked, following Byers to see him 
sticking a tape in the VCR.

'No.' He replied.  'A contact in the CIA.'

Everyone huddled behind Mulder as the tape began to play.  
It was a laboratory.  Scientists and men in suits drifted 
back and forth in front of the camera.

'What are we looking at?'  Skinner asked, looking down at 
Frohike.

'There.'  Byers pointed at the screen.

Everyone leaned closer to take in the picture.  A man and 
woman stopped in front of the camera, both wearing white 
lab coats.  The woman was being introduced to several 
others.

Byers turned and looked at Mulder.

'It's Scully.'

Mulder couldn't look at anyone.  He didn't know how to 
respond.  He didn't know if he should.  He knew she was 
alive, but no one else did.  What was he supposed to say?  
He knew she couldn't be working with anybody.  What did she 
think she was doing?  One thought kept invading his mind.

What the hell has she gotten herself into?

'You okay, Mulder?'  Frohike asked.

Koskie's voice came next.  'Mulder?'

Marie put her hand on his arm and he knew that he was going 
to have to put on the best acting job of his life.

'It can't be Scully.'  He said breathlessly.

He was saved when someone knocked on the door.

***

Cooper had arranged for Scully to have a car waiting for 
her when she disembarked the chartered jet.

She had finished out the day in the building and flown back 
to DC that evening.  Upon her mad dash to Skinner's house, 
she took a drive by her old apartment in Georgetown.  She 
sat out front in her car for a few minutes, staring at her 
old living room window as a Wallflower's song played on the 
radio.

'...This place is old...It feels just like a beat up 
truck...I turn the engine but the engine doesn't turn...'
 
She didn't know why she had come by, she just knew that she 
needed to.  Needed to face her past, the one she hadn't 
received any closure on, and visit her old ghost.

'...It smells of cheap wine and cigarettes...This place is 
always such a mess...Sometimes I think I'd like to watch it 
burn...'

She glanced at herself in the rearview mirror.  Her face 
done and her hair in a French Twist.  She kept her hair up 
in the hope that no one would be able to tell how long it 
really was.  That way, she would still be able to have her 
long hair the next time she ran away to hide.  No one had 
really seen it long before and she doubted anyone would 
recognize her with it.

'...I'm so alone...I feel just like somebody else...Man I 
ain't changed...But I know I ain't the same...' 

Good old, professional, somber Agent Dana Scully.  In her 
tailored suit and high heels.  She looked into her eyes for 
a few minutes.

She didn't know that person anymore.

***

The second that Skinner opened his front door, Scully 
stormed inside and angrily spun around to face him.  Seeing 
Krycek had taken its toll and she'd had nothing to do on 
the way down here but simmer in bitterness and anger.  All 
she had managed to do was get worked up and by now she was 
furious.

'You neglected to tell me that fucking Alex would be 
there!'

Skinner reached out for her arm.  'Dana-'

'What were you thinking?'  She yelled, pulling her arm away 
and walking further into the living room.  'That I would 
find out for myself when I happened to walk by him in the 
hall one day?'

Her words trailed off as she turned the corner to see 
people crowded in Skinner's living room.

Her feet quit moving, her mouth fell open and her world 
seemed to stop.  In her fury and heartache, she never 
stopped to think that her previous superior might have 
actually picked up a life of his own.

Mulder, the Lone Gunmen, Agent Koskie and a woman who she 
assumed was Marie stared back at her.  The looks on their 
faces indicated that she may very well be mistaken for a 
snarling and snapping Velociraptor that had just hopped 
into the room.  She tried to take in her surroundings; 
tried to keep a level head, but she had just come here from 
one of the worst days of her life.  She was barely clinging 
to any sense of sanity.  Seeing Krycek imprisoned and 
having a telepathic conversation with Gibson Praise was a 
bit more than she had been prepared for.  She wanted to 
look back at everyone, to return their catatonic stares, 
she tried to, but the only person she could really see was 
Mulder.

Oh, this is so not good.  She thought to herself.  What is 
he going to think?

She had just barged in and inadvertently incriminated 
Skinner.  Her presence here had just announced to everyone 
that she was alive, and apparently, working with the 'bad 
guys'.  Cooper walking in behind her didn't help things 
much.

'Hail, hail.  The gang's all here.'  He said.  'Agent 
Koskie, Agent Mulder, wonderful to see you again.'

Skinner put his hands over his face and slid them down to 
his mouth as he exhaled.  Cooper went to Scully's side and 
looked at her.

'I received your page through my office, I couldn't get in 
touch with you, but figured you'd be here.'

At the sight and sound of Cooper, Scully felt a sizzling 
wave of anger wash over her and she was again reminded of 
why she came here in the first place.  Without realizing 
what she was doing, she turned towards him and got an arm 
halfway up before Skinner grabbed it.

'Not here.'  He said softly.  'Not now.'

'I understand your anger, Miss Scully.'  Cooper said in 
that soothing voice of his that she was finding highly 
irritating right now.

'You don't understand anything-' She said loudly.  He went 
on as if she hadn't spoken.

'And I can only hope you believe me when I say I'm truly 
sorry.  I didn't think.'

'Well, I for one, am really confused.'  Koskie said.  'I 
would rather have other, more important issues addressed 
than watch the three of you have a private argument amongst 
yourselves.'

Scully stood in between Skinner and Cooper, wishing there 
were a magical phrase she could utter to make this 
situation all better.  She could sense Mulder's confusion.  
She desperately tried to reassure him, to let him know that 
she could explain all this, but she didn't know how 
effectively any of her thoughts were getting through.

She met Mulder's surprised gaze and saw the wheels 
spinning.  She was thankful when he managed to look 
heartbroken, scared and confused when he spoke.

'Hey Scully.'

She sighed and looked down at the floor.  She put one hand 
on her hip and the other over her face, massaging her 
forehead.

Skinner put a hand on her shoulder.  "Maybe you want to sit 
down.'

'Scully.'  Frohike said softly.  'You're alive.'

'Winner!  Give the man a prize.'  Koskie's voice rang out.  
It was abruptly silenced when half the people in the room 
threw him a look.

'Dude,' Langly said, 'don't you ever shut up?'

'No.' Skinner and Marie answered in unison.

'Well.'  Cooper said.  'This was bound to come up sooner or 
later.'

'Later would have been better.'  Skinner replied.

Mulder narrowed his eyes at Skinner as a thought hit him.  
'You knew she was alive?'

'Just recently.'  Skinner said, looking away.

'When were planning on telling me this?'

'I wasn't sure what to tell you, Agent Mulder.'  Skinner 
said, looking him in the eye.  'It's complicated.'

'Y'un's ain't usen them big words again are ye?'  Koskie 
drawled.  ''Cause I ain't no educated maaain.'

'I didn't mean that, you imbecile.'  Skinner barked.  
'Complicated in other ways.'

'How did you know she was alive?'  Mulder asked, meeting 
Scully's eyes.  She wasn't looking too good.

Silence went around the room again as the accused clammed 
up, deciding it was prudent not to say anything at all.  
Scully stood in front of everyone, in between Skinner and 
Cooper, looking cold and defeated.

Mulder couldn't have planned a better scenario in order to 
bring Scully back home.  He was concerned about what she 
had been doing, and what she had said about his brother 
when she stormed in.  But he knew there had to be a 
reasonable explanation for all of this.

Oh sure, he had just been in California a week ago and she 
hadn't said anything.  True, Skinner and Cooper knew she 
was alive and hadn't said anything.  Yes, she had been 
caught on tape keeping with the worst of company she could 
fine.  What were people supposed to believe?

But he knew that was probably the point.

Mulder looked at Skinner again.  'Who told you she was 
alive?'

'I did.'  Cooper answered.

'You knew?'  Mulder asked his friend, playing the part out 
as best as he could.  'You saw me have a nervous breakdown, 
you knew what I was going through, and you never decided to 
tell me that she was still alive?'

'It's a little more complicated than all that.'  Cooper 
said softly.

Mulder grinned humorlessly.  'There's that word again.  
Complicated.'

Skinner looked over at him.  'Mulder-'

'What do you want to say to me, Sir?'  Mulder responded.  
'Let's hear it, because I'm about to start feeling 
betrayed.  Maybe offended.  Insulted at the very least.'

'Let's not dwell on these things right now.'  Cooper said, 
putting a hand around Scully's arm.

'Dwell?'  Mulder raised his voice.  'No, I only dwelled 
these things for three years of my life.'

Skinner stepped forward, putting his hands up.  'Mulder-'

'You, of all people, have hidden this from me?'  Mulder 
asked, glaring at Skinner.  'And you, Chip, supposedly my 
friend?  You would hide this from me, knowing all I was 
going through?'

Mulder was genuinely irritated at the fact that there was 
something going on that he wasn't a part of.  But he also 
knew Scully.  He knew that whatever she was doing, and 
whatever Skinner and Cooper were hiding, that there was a 
damn good reason for all of it.

'And you, Scully?'  Mulder asked softly, stepping in front 
of her.  'You were my best friend.  You were the only 
person I trusted.  And I find you, conspiring with the 
enemy, hiding your survival.  Hiding from me.'

Scully didn't look at him. He was playing his part well.  
She was afraid she'd burst into laughter, which would 
inevitably lead to tears after this hideous day, week, 
month, year, decade that she'd endured.

'How could you do this to me?'

Scully forced herself to look up at him, to meet his 
serious gaze.  Never mind that he'd just left her side in 
Newport Beach just a few days ago.  She knew that finding 
her here with Skinner and Cooper must be confusing for him.

Cooper pulled a bit on her arm and looked at Mulder.  'If 
you'll let me have a moment, Agent Mulder, I need to have a 
quick conversation-'

'Oh no.' Mulder said, not breaking eye contact with her.  
'I'm first.'

'This will only take-'

'Maybe you didn't hear me, Mr. Cooper.'  Mulder glared at 
his friend.  'I'm first.'

***

Once outside, Scully turned to face him, crossing her arms.

'I'm sorry, Mulder.'  She said in a hushed voice.  'I 
haven't been able to talk to you yet.'

Mulder stood in front of her and put his hands on his hips, 
concern in his eyes.  'Scully, what the hell is going on?'

'Cooper and Skinner came to see me the night you left.'  
She said softly, looking towards the house.  'Cooper said 
that everyone knows I'm alive.  He suggested that he bring 
me in like I've been working with the NSA all along.  
Against you and the X-Files.  He said I would be protected 
that way.  That it would throw them off and buy me some 
time.'

Mulder pondered this for a moment.  'Buy you some time from 
what?'

'He said that they're close to creating an effective 
vaccine.  But if it doesn't work, they'd come for Cade.'

Dawning realization swept Mulder's face as he recalled a 
conversation back in that seedy bar years ago.

'I thought Gibson was the solution'.  Mulder had said.  
'I've always got the impression that he was the child we 
were all waiting for.'  He held up his hands and made 
quotation marks in the air.  'I thought he was 'the one'.'

'Maybe they thought that at one time.' Cooper said.  'But 
he's not the one.  Not anymore.'

Scully studied his face.  'What's wrong, Mulder?  You've 
got that look.  The one that says 'I've just put two and 
two together and it doesn't look good'.'

'Damn.'  He shook his head.  'Cooper and I had this 
conversation years ago.  About how Cade was the one.  I 
forgot all about it.  I don't remember half of what 
happened back then, because of my mental instability at the 
time.'

'Mentally unstable?'  She asked sarcastically.  'From 
what?'

'Oh I couldn't possibly imagine.'  He replied.  'Probably 
stress in the workplace.'

'If it makes you feel any better, Mulder, I think you've 
always been crazy.'

'Thanks.'  He replied, retracing their conversation.  'Who 
knows you're alive?'

'The Verein, the CIA, the NSA.'  Scully said, looking up at 
him.  'Everyone.  I feel like a damn celebrity.'

Mulder glanced towards the house to see Koskie and Frohike 
staring out at them.  He adopted a more hostile body 
language to seem more displeased and frowned down at her.  
'What else?'

'Cooper said that the NSA, the CIA, the Verein, everyone, 
even the Syndicate is going to join together.  That they've 
made a deal.  I guess someone finally decided that the 
survival of our planet is more important than who gets the 
glory.'

Mulder knitted his eyebrows.  'What the hell does this have 
to do with Skinner?'

'From what I've been told, Cooper knew I was alive, but 
didn't know how to find me.  That's why he went to 
Skinner.'

Mulder was silent, thinking about everything he'd been 
told.  'You said something about Krycek.'

Scully pressed her lips together for a moment.  'Mulder, I 
saw him.'

'Saw him where?'  Mulder asked, his face registering 
surprise.

'In the same damn laboratory I was in.' She said, her voice 
barely above a whisper.  'That's why I came here so angry.  
Cooper didn't tell me that Alex was there.  I was being 
shown around, and saw him on a monitor.'

'Oh my god.'  Mulder said, his face torn.  'What did you 
do?'

Scully shrugged and shook her head before meeting his eyes.  
'What could I do?  I tried to act normal. I thought I was 
going to throw up.  I didn't realize I had been biting my 
lip so hard until the lead scientist pointed out that it 
was bleeding.

'Oh my god.'  He said again.  'I'm sorry, Scully, I wish I 
would have been there.  You let Skinner and Cooper off 
easy.  I would've come in swinging.'

'I haven't let anyone off yet.'  She replied softly.  'I 
may go back in there swinging.'

They were both silent for a moment.

'You saw him on a monitor?'  Mulder asked.

'He was in a room, like I was.  Mulder, he's there with 
Gibson Praise, and eighteen others.'

Mulder's eyes grew wide.  'Gibson Praise?'

'Yes.'  Scully nodded, her eyes teary.  'Dr. Jenkins told 
me about the tests that have been conducted on them.  
Mulder, I've seen documented evidence.  Proof of what is 
being done to these people.  What I was being subjected to 
in there pales in comparison.'

'Maybe because you don't have any alien DNA.'  He said.  
'They only needed you for the physiological changes that 
happened to your body when I injected you with the 
vaccine.'

She nodded in response.  'Unless the physiological changes 
are alien.'

Mulder's face was red, his expression harsh.  'What are 
they testing for now?'

Scully didn't answer.

'What are they doing?'  Mulder tilted his head at her.

'They're studying the basics, Mulder.  Neurobiology, 
Immunology, RNA...'9

'You're not telling me something, Scully.'  Mulder said.  
'I'm a big boy, I can handle it.'

Scully sighed and licked her lips.  'Mulder, they're 
studying biological regeneration using techniques of 
molecular and cellular biology and biochemistry.'

'English, Scully, layman's terms.'

'The alien DNA contains extraordinary regenerative 
capabilities, Mulder.  Which is why I think Alex can heal 
people.  His body can heal itself rapidly, although he's 
not indestructible.  If he got fatally injured, I don't 
think his body could heal itself as fast as it would 
degenerate.  I think that's the part of the vaccine that 
they need, that's what they think withstands the virus. As 
the virus causes cellular breakdown, this regenerative gene 
counteracts and builds it back up.  They are trying to find 
out exactly which DNA sequence makes this possible.'

Mulder stared at her, a horrible thought forming in his 
mind.  'How do they do that?'

She looked away.  She didn't answer.  She didn't need to.

Mulder raised his gaze to the sky.  'Scully.'  He 
whispered.  'We have to get him out of there.'

'You don't think I know that, Mulder?'  She whispered, 
tears in her eyes.  'I don't know what to do.  We can't 
very well bust into Fort Knox and blast his way out.'

Mulder bit his bottom lip and looked back towards the 
house.  'How did he look, Scully?  How did he seem?'

She shook her head, thinking of what Dr. Jenkins had said.  
'Well, he flipped off the director of the CIA, he purposely 
bottomed out on his IQ tests, he's been mentally torturing 
everyone there.'  A small smile graced her lips.  'I'd say 
he seems like Alex.'

Mulder couldn't help but grin.  'Such a charming brother I 
have.'

'Yeah.'  Scully replied, leaning against her borrowed car.  
'Too bad it doesn't run in the family.'

He leaned against the car next to her and put his hands in 
his pockets.  'You picking again?'

'Just playing.'

They both remained serious.

'What are we going to tell everyone in there?'  Scully 
asked, eyeing the house forlornly.

'They don't need to know anything right now.'  He replied.

She threw him an amused look.  'And I'm sure that will 
satisfy everyone.'

'You trust everyone in there?'

'Cooper and Skinner know everything.  The Lone Gunmen are 
harmless.  I don't know Koskie that well and I've never met 
Marie, if that's who that was.'

Mulder nodded somberly, it was an awkward moment for him 
and she ignored it.

'I trust you, Mulder.  If you trust them, then so do I.'

Mulder shrugged.  'We can tell them the truth.'

'I don't know.'  She shook her head.  'That's a long 
truth.'

'Not really.'  He turned towards her.  'You faked your 
death to work with them in exchange for Cade and Krycek's 
safety.  Where is Cade, by the way?'

'In upstate New York with my Mom.'  She replied.  'And that 
reminds me, you told everyone that Alex and Cade took off 
traveling, right?'

He nodded.  'No one needs to know any different.'

'Skinner and Cooper know different.'  Scully said, looking 
towards the house again.

'I'll bring them out here, we can talk to them, get 
everything straightened out before you go back in.'

'I'm sure you're going to be bombarded right now.'  She 
said as he walked towards the house.

He grinned at her over his shoulder.  'I can take 'em.'

Scully returned his smile and watched him walk inside.  She 
nervously chewed at her lip as a car full of teenagers 
pulled up in front of the house across the street.  Old 
heavy metal blasted away in a song she had heard, but 
couldn't name.

'...Close your eyes, look deep in your soul...Step outside 
yourself and let your mind go...'

Mulder came out of the front door with Cooper and Skinner 
and she saw the group of people in the house standing by 
the window, looking out at them.

'...Close your eyes and forget your name...Step outside 
yourself and let your thoughts stray...As you go 
insane...Go insane...'

Going insane suddenly doesn't sound too bad, she thought.  
It has to be better than hanging around at Skinner's house 
with Mulder's girlfriend while my son is a few states away 
with his father locked up.  Scully sighed and closed her 
eyes, taking a minute to relax before beginning this next 
round of conversation.

She found herself praying for the first time in years.

***

The four of them stood around out front for a good half-
hour, debating on what story they were going to spin for 
everyone's benefit.  They all agreed that Scully trading 
herself for Cade and Krycek's safety was the most 
plausible, since that is precisely what Krycek had done.

'And Alex and Cade are supposedly still traveling?'  
Skinner asked, looking at Mulder.

'It seems best right now.'  Mulder replied.  'But Frohike 
and Langly got pretty tight with him, so they're bound to 
get suspicious sooner or later, and question why he hasn't 
contacted them at all.'

Skinner was silent.  There was a strange look on his face. 
Scully's body posture suddenly changed and she stiffened 
next to him.  Mulder assumed that she knew what Skinner was 
thinking, because he knew the look on Scully's face when 
she threw him a quick glance and it only meant one thing.  
Bad.

'What?'  Mulder asked.

'You were the person who was supposedly keeping in touch 
with Alex, Mulder.'  Skinner said.  'You were the one who 
was getting his calls and postcards.'

Mulder stared back, the blood in his veins suddenly turning 
to ice.  How had they managed to overlook that?  Damn, he 
thought, one small mistake...One tiny detail they hadn't 
thought about...He met Skinner's gaze as his mind raced for 
an explanation.  There was none.

Skinner narrowed his eyes.  'If he's been captive all this 
time...'

Mulder watched Skinner's face, seeing all the pieces of the 
puzzle fall into place one by one, until there was nothing 
but disbelief on his face.

'You knew she was alive.'  Skinner whispered.

Mulder's mouth twitched involuntarily, watching the 
disbelief on Skinner's face quickly turn to anger.

'All this time?'  Skinner's face darkened to an alarming 
shade of red.

'Sir,' Scully was quick to put a hand on Skinner's arm, 
'the only person we told was my Mom.  My brothers don't 
even know.'

Mulder picked up right after she stopped, running his words 
together in the hope that Skinner would hear something 
before passing right over anger and jumping into the middle 
of fury.  'Sir, I only knew because I was with Krycek when 
he found out she was alive.  Otherwise I wouldn't know 
either.'

'Agent Mulder-' Skinner hissed before Scully's calm voice 
cut him off.

'I'm responsible.'  She said.  'I made him promise he 
wouldn't tell anyone.'

Skinner looked over at her.  She flinched back an inch at 
the look on his face.

'Can you really blame me?'  She asked softly.  'I have a 
child to think about.  I didn't know what to do.'

'Mulder, weren't you with Alex over New Year's?  When all 
this happened?'  Skinner's eyes were on fire.  'Didn't you 
take off to Seattle?'

'Yes, Sir.'  Mulder said softly.

'So you were a part of all this?'

'I don't what you call 'a part' of this, Sir.'  Mulder and 
Scully exchanged a glance.

'You know damn good and well what I'm talking about.'

'It wasn't planned.  We found out she was alive on New 
Year's and left on the first flight out.  We dropped Cade 
off at Maggie's and went to get Scully.'  Mulder sighed, 
suddenly taking great interest in his shoes.  'He only took 
me to make sure I got Scully out, Sir.'

He was aware of Scully's eyes on him but he continued 
anyway.  'He knew that she couldn't leave him there.'  Not 
like I did, he thought.

The thought did not need to be spoken aloud.  Mulder 
somehow managed to involuntarily convey it anyway, without 
speaking.

'Mulder.'  Scully said softly, taking his hand, knowing 
that this fruitless gesture would never tame the guilt he 
still felt.

Skinner let out a heavy sigh and put his hands on his hips, 
glaring at the both of them.

'Back up, Scully.'  Mulder said.  'He's about to explode 
into The Amazing Aggravated AD'

Cooper snickered, winning his own glare from Skinner.

'This is no laughing matter, Chip.'  Mulder said.  'I've 
seen it happen and it's not a pretty sight.  Trust me, you 
don't want him to grow fifty feet tall and stomp all over 
DC, spouting fire from his mouth and shooting laser beams 
from his eyes.'

Scully suddenly slapped her hands over her face and her 
body began to shake.

Skinner appeared concerned.  'What's wrong?'

'Nothing's wrong.'  Mulder grinned.  'She's laughing.'

Scully kept her hands on her face and bent over.

'You sure?'

Mulder nodded.  'And it's a good one.'

Loud giggle's suddenly erupted from her, causing Mulder to 
laugh himself.  She couldn't seem to contain her hysterical 
laughter and it was contagious.  She straightened up and 
put her hands over her stomach.  Her face was red and there 
were tears under her eyes.  This was just the release that 
she needed after the day she'd had.  She pointed at 
Skinner, trying to talk through her laughter.

'You...I've seen you angry...' She took a breath.  'Fire 
does shoot out of your mouth.'

'No, Agent Scully.'  Skinner said.  'I think that's just my 
morning breath.'

His reply was so unexpected that the other three stared at 
him in stunned silence.  It didn't last long before both 
Scully and Mulder broke out in laughter, leaning against 
each other.
 
Skinner joined in their laughter, looking over at Cooper, 
who had a lopsided grin on his face.

'Chip.'  Mulder breathed through his fit of laughter.  
'You're always so somber.  How depressing to be you.'

'Look who's talking.'  Cooper replied  'I'm not the one 
chasing down the end of the world and then brooding about 
what I find.'

'I never brood.'  Mulder said, wiping his eyes.  'I'm just 
too cool to laugh.'

 'Oh yeah.'  Skinner said.  'That must be it.'

 'You guys okay out there?'

They all turned at the sound of Koskie's voice.  The Lone 
Gunmen stood with him on the front porch, all with bottles 
of beer in hand.

'Look at that.'  Mulder said.  'It's King of the Hill come 
to life.'

That got them going all over again.  Cooper joined them 
this time, his obnoxious cackle startling Scully.

'Oh my god.'  She looked at him, trying to talk.  'If I 
sounded like that, I wouldn't laugh either.'

'You are evil, my dear Scully.'  Cooper said, shaking his 
head.  'Pure evil.'

Scully looked back towards the house, still giggling.  
Marie had joined the others on the front porch, sipping a 
glass of wine.  Scully caught her eyes and they regarded 
each other for a moment.

'If you guys are done playing 'Who's Got The Best Line', 
feel free to join us anytime.'  Koskie yelled down to them.  
'I'm starving and unlike the wine, lasagna does not improve 
with age.'

'I think we're done here.'  Skinner said, looking over at 
Cooper and Scully.  'You guys are going to stay?  We're all 
happy and not fighting?'

They looked at each other and Cooper shrugged.  'No pending 
issues here.'

Scully smiled at him.  'I guess I'll let it go for now.'

'Good, because I was starving an hour ago.'  Skinner said, 
walking towards the house with Cooper, leaving Mulder and 
Scully alone.

'You've had a day, Scully.'  He said, nudging her.  'Should 
I ask how you're doing or will you just give me the 
mandatory 'I'm fine'?'

She nodded in return.  'I'm managing.'

'What are we going to do?'  He asked.  'The thought that 
we're hanging around here, having dinner and drinking wine 
and laughing while Krycek is stuck in the government three-
ring circus makes me sick.'

'At least I saw him and we know he's okay.'  Scully said.  
'I don't think we have to worry about them...' Her throat 
closed up and she couldn't finish the sentence.

'I know, Scully.'  Mulder replied softly.  'They need him 
until the vaccine is finished.'

She cleared her throat.  'We'll figure it out.  We just 
need some time, so I can get a better feel for that place, 
see what's going on.'

'I really don't like what you're doing.'

'I know, Mulder.'  She said.  'I don't like it either.  But 
what must done, must be done.'

'The least you could do is rig yourself with a wire or 
something.'  He said.  'That way we can follow what's going 
on, in case you get in trouble.'

'I'm already in enough trouble, Mulder.'

He paused.  'Was that supposed to make me feel better?'  
They both laughed as he continued.  'Because if that's what 
you were shooting for, you misfired, drastically.'

'Maybe we should see what the Lone Gunmen could do.'  She 
tried to alleviate him but he shook his head.

'Then they might find out the truth about Krycek.'

She shrugged.  'Maybe we should tell them anyway.  We can't 
hide the truth forever and all of our lies keep tripping 
over each other.  This whole thing is giving even me a 
headache.'

'They might be able to hack into the security system, maybe 
we could get something useful.  Maybe even get into the 
monitor feed.'

'Maybe.'  She nodded and they were quiet.

Mulder looked down at her.  'Your call.'

'I don't know.'  She said.  'Maybe we should see how the 
week finishes out.'

'I hate the idea of you playing this game, Scully.'  He 
turned towards her.

'It's our best bet right now.'  She shrugged and smiled, 
trying to lighten the moment up.  'Besides, you know how 
much I like games.'

He stared at her, then nodded his head towards the house 
and held out his hand.  'You want a game? I got one for 
you.  It's called 'Who Can Survive A Dinner Party at 
Skinners'.  To be perfectly honest with you Scully, because 
I know you hate it any other way, I'm scared to death on 
how this evening is going to go.'

Scully smiled and took his offered hand.  'Then let the 
games begin.'

***

She was met back inside with hugs from the Lone Gunmen.  It 
seemed as if the initial shock of having her standing in 
front of them wore off and after seeing her acting human 
out in the front yard, they welcomed her back with open 
arms.

'Welcome back.'  Koskie nodded his head at her.  'I'd give 
you a card or something but I don't think Hallmark 
currently has one out for 'Glad you're not really dead'.'

'Thank you.'  Scully smiled at him before focusing on the 
woman standing next to him.  The person she was really 
interested in.  She extended her hand towards Marie.  'I'm 
Dana Scully.'

'I know.'  Marie accepted the handshake and smiled.  'I'm 
Marie Koskie.'

'I know.'  Scully smiled back.

'I've heard so much about you.'  Marie said.  'From all 
these guys.'

'I'm not sure whether to complimented or scared.'

They both laughed a little too loud and an awkward silence 
fell over everyone.

'Well.'  Koskie was the first to speak.  'Where ya been 
hiding, Agent Scully?'

'Jesus, Steven.'  Skinner shook his head.

'What?'  Koskie asked.  'Like I'm the only one here who 
isn't wondering what's going on.  The four of you ran out 
to have your little pow-wow but the rest of us are left in 
the dark.'

'You shouldn't know what's going on.'  Cooper said.  
'National Security.'

'I'm not concerned with National Security.'  Koskie said, 
glaring down at her.  'That's not the issue I'm having 
problems with right now.'

Scully could feel the animosity he had towards her like she 
put her palm down on a hot stove.

'Then what is your problem, Koskie?'  Mulder asked.

'Scully is gone for over two years, then suddenly shows up 
here, after being videotaped working with some ultra-
secret-government group, you guys go out front and hash 
everything out in under an hour like fast-food marriage 
counseling.  Now we're going to sit down and eat dinner 
like we're having grand, high times?'  Koskie shook his 
head.  'Uh uh, it makes no sense.  That's what I have a 
problem with.'

'Scully has been through a lot.'  Mulder said.  'You don't 
know anything about what's happened, and there's an 
explanation for everything.  So can we just take a minute 
to calm down?  I don't want this to be ugly, she's very 
happy to be home.'

'She should be happy.'  Koskie said, staring down at 
Scully.  'Unlike everyone else in this room, she didn't 
have to watch you have a nervous breakdown.'

Mulder stood in front of Scully.  'Now wait-'

'Calling the Newport Beach house to talk to her because you 
forgot she was dead.  Oh wait, she wasn't.'

Mulder put up a hand.  'Wait a minute-'

'The part where you were hospitalized and put on Zoloft was 
especially fun.'

'Stop it.'  Mulder barked.

Skinner got in between them.  'That's enough.'

'He's right.'  Scully said softly.

Everyone turned to look at her and she met Koskie's stare.  
'You're right.'

Mulder shook his head.  'Scully-'

'It's true, Mulder.'  She looked up at him.  'I was gone 
for a long time.  I didn't have to see what was going on 
back here.  I did just barge in her almost three years 
later.'  Scully looked up at Koskie.  'I don't expect you 
to understand.'

Koskie stared down at her for a couple of beats, then 
smiled.  'If I understood anything that I've seen since 
being assigned as Mulder's partner, I'd be concerned about 
my mental health.  I'm just...' He thought for a moment 
before shaking his head.  'I'm just confused and my 
involvement in this began when I was assigned to protect 
you.  I've spent a long time trying to forget what happened 
that night at your apartment.  I don't understand what's 
going on and haven't since day one.  I've only seen bits 
and pieces and heard conflicting stories and none of it 
makes any sense, especially when you're standing right in 
front of me after being dead for three years.'

'You've been involved in this for three years?'  Scully 
asked.

He nodded.  'More or less.'

'Wait until you hit that decade mark.'  She said, grinning.  
'Things will get really fun.'

Koskie sighed.  'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be.'  Scully replied, exchanging a look with Mulder.  
'I'll try to explain.  Maybe we'll both feel better.'

At the picnic table in the backyard, Langly and Frohike 
planted themselves on either side of Scully.  Mulder sat 
down across from her and Byers and Koskie took a seat on 
either side of him.  Cooper and Skinner were going to bring 
the food out while they talked.

Marie had been standing behind Koskie, looking 
uncomfortable.  'I think I'll help them.'

Scully raised her eyes to look at her.  She could sense 
Marie's confusion.  She knew that while Marie wanted to 
understand, for Mulder's sake, she wasn't all that sure 
about what Scully's reappearance would mean to their 
relationship.  Marie had carefully kept her mouth shut 
while Koskie berated her, but Scully knew that the way 
Mulder had defended her from Koskie's verbal assault had 
surprised her.  On one hand, Scully didn't blame her.  To 
look at it from Marie's point of view, Scully probably 
wouldn't be handling this situation as well.  On the other 
hand, Scully's relationship she had with Mulder was one of 
the most important in her life.  She'd be damned if she'd 
let anyone come between them.  She knew that Mulder felt 
the same way.

Scully also knew that if someone was able to capture 
Mulder, they must be one hell of a person.  And if Marie 
was going to be around, regardless of how Scully felt about 
it, there was only one first meeting that they would ever 
have.  First impressions make or break relationships all 
the time.

'I think you should stay.'  Scully said softly.

Marie hesitated.  'I feel like I'm intruding.'

'Intruding?'  Koskie said loudly.  'With this bunch?  Oh, 
you have to be kidding.'

'Besides,' Langly said, leaning to the side as Skinner put 
loaves of garlic bread on the table, 'after an entrance 
like that, who wouldn't want the backstory?'

Frohike laughed.  'The best entrance I've ever seen is when 
we walked into Alex's house and you guys were having that 
pumpkin fight.'

Langly and Byers laughed and Skinner rolled his eyes.  'If 
I have to hear that story one more time...'

Mulder smiled at Scully.  'You and Krycek looked like we'd 
caught you with your hands in the cookie jar.'

Scully gave him a small smile.  'I didn't know you were 
coming out, it was the mother of all surprises.'

'I remember the biggest surprise entrance.'  Skinner said, 
nodding his head at Mulder.  'How about the time you were 
in Scully's apartment, back from New York, and we walked in 
with Alex.'

'Oooooh.'  Frohike and Langly exclaimed and the latter 
continued.  'We missed that one in person.'

'Oh yeah.'  Mulder replied.  'That was brutal.'

'I remember those few days.'  Byers said.  'Not fun.'

'Skinner had fun.'  Mulder said, looking at his superior.  
'I remember a certain Assistant Director taking off with 
Krycek for half an hour and getting quite drunk off tequila 
shooters before passing out in Scully's apartment.'

'Alex made me do it.'  Skinner said, walking back towards 
the house.  He was followed by remarks.

'Oh I'm sure that was it.'  Frohike said.

Koskie yelled after him as well.  'Not like you ever had a 
taste for tequila or anything.'

'Saint Skinner.  I've never seen him take a drink.'  Mulder 
said, turning back to see Scully lost in thought.  'Hey 
Scully.'  He said softly.  'What's up?'

She sighed and looked at him.  'That whole time of my life 
was so damn weird.  It doesn't even seem like part of my 
life anymore.  It seems so long ago.'

'Yeah.'  Frohike said.  'But we had some good times.  So it 
wasn't all for nothing.'

Scully smiled at him and put her right hand over his.  'You 
were all very good to me.'

Frohike looked down at her hand.  His eyes were wide behind 
his glasses when he glanced sharply up at her.  'Scully?'

She stared back, concerned at the horrified expression on 
his face.  'What?'

He picked up her hand to look at it closer before staring 
in her eyes.

'How did you get your ring?'

Silence fell over the table as Scully's mind raced for 
answers.  Yes, between her and Mulder tripping all over 
their lies, things were not looking well.  What a tangled 
web we weave...

***

Mulder and the Lone Gunmen knew about the ring, they knew 
that it had been sitting on the kitchen counter since she'd 
'died'.  Koskie and Marie didn't know, but any fool could 
see by the reaction of the Lone Gunmen that something was 
up.

'Scully?'  Frohike asked.

She didn't answer and gave a small shake of her head.  She 
bit her lip and finally glanced across the table at Mulder.  
He returned her serious stare.

Skinner and Cooper returned to the table with their arms 
full of plates and utensils.  They got a look at the somber 
cloud hanging over the table and exchanged a glance.

'What's going on?'  Skinner asked, setting down plates with 
a loud clang.

'How the hell should I know?'  Koskie said.  'They've all 
got their panties in a bunch over Scully's ring.'

Skinner glanced down at Scully's hand before meeting her 
eyes.  He sighed and shook his head.  'Damnit, Scully, 
couldn't you have called first?'

'Well, how the hell was I supposed to know you were having 
a dinner party?'  Scully asked.  'You were never at the 
height of any social circle before!'

Koskie smiled humorlessly.  'Am I the only one here who 
feels like there is something going on that I don't know 
about?'

'Nope.'  Langly said.  'I'm starting to get that feeling 
myself.'

'Ain't a nice one, is it?'  Koskie replied.  'Kinda feels 
like a bug crawling up your ass.'

'I'm not about to ask how you know that feeling.'  Cooper 
said.

Frohike opened his mouth, then shook his head.  'I'm not 
going to go there.'

'I certainly hope not.'  Koskie said.

'That's not what I meant, you Backstreet Boy looking 
freak!'

'Show me the meaning of being lonely...' Koskie sang as he 
leaned towards him.

'Somebody, please, shoot me now.'  Langly said.

'This is probably not a good place to make that request, 
Garth.'  Marie said, smiling over at him.  'Too many people 
here will take you seriously.'

'We give custom shooting's.'  Koskie said.  'We're like 
Blockbuster Video.  Name your preferred caliber.  We're 
guaranteed to have it, or your money back.'

'I've seen your shooting before, dear brother.'  Marie 
said.  'I'm not sure anyway would pay on the hope that 
you'll be able to do the job correctly.'

He made a face at her.  'Just because you were the inter-
service pistol champion four years in a row-'

Byers interjected.  'Can we please stop with the infighting 
for one minute?'

'Inbreeding?'  Koskie shouted out.  'None of that going on 
here!'

'My god!'  Scully said, laughing in spite of herself.  
'Don't you ever quit?'

'Now you see what I have to deal with.'  Mulder said.  'God 
forbid we should ever have him and Krycek in the same 
room.'

'Oh, no.' Skinner said.  'That's bad anyway you look at 
it.'

'What about the ring?'  Byers asked, silencing the table 
once again.

When no one said anything, Mulder spoke up.  'I'll explain-
'

'No, Mulder.'  Scully looked up at him.  'I'll explain.'

Skinner stood at the head of the table.  'Before we start 
any of this, I'm bringing out the damn food.  I'm 
starving.'

'And I'm sober.'  Marie said, standing next to him.  'Who 
wants Chianti?'

'I'd love a glass.'  Scully said.

'And who wants a beer?'

Six hands went up.  Mulder, Koskie, the Lone Gunmen and 
Skinner.

Marie looked over at Cooper.  'No beer?'

Cooper shuddered jokingly.  'Not me, I'm raiding the bottle 
of Bombay Sapphire Skinner always has lying around 
somewhere.  Find me some tonic and I'll be in heaven.'

'There's four bottles of Chianti.'  Marie said, looking 
over at Scully.  'And we're the only two drinking it.'

Scully shrugged.  'I don't have a problem with that ratio.'

Marie smiled and walked towards the house.  'Walter, 
where's that cooler we used to take out to the beach?'

'Probably in the basement next to my wine glasses.'

They ate and drank and talked.  Scully had decided that she 
could trust everyone here.  If Mulder trusted them, then 
she did too.  So she told the truth about Krycek.  Well, 
kind of the truth.  She told them that he had traded 
himself for her.  Alone.  She left out the part that Krycek 
could feel things, she left out the part the she could feel 
anything.  She basically left out all the alien genetics 
mumbo-jumbo for everyone's benefit.  She didn't know what 
Mulder might have told Koskie or Marie, and she didn't know 
what the Lone Gunmen already knew.  So she skipped it all 
together.

She left out the part where Mulder had been involved.  She 
chose instead to tell them that Krycek had rescued her on 
his own just recently.  That she had gone back to the beach 
house and been met by Skinner and Cooper, who had 
approached her in just the manner that they had.

Scully basically told the truth.  She just manipulated the 
time a little.  Eight months wasn't all that much to lie 
about.  Especially considering the circumstances.  The only 
people who knew the truth were Skinner and Cooper.  And 
they both had too much on the line to be complaining about 
anything.

She left out Mulder all together.

The Lone Gunmen were irritated, concerned, upset, any 
negative emotion that anyone could feel.  They 
automatically launched into various ways of getting Krycek 
out, but were basically just blowing off steam.  The best 
way for anything to get done was to let Scully continue on 
her way and see what was going on.  They insisted that she 
was wired the soonest they could rig anything.  They 
insisted on trying to hack into the security system.  They 
insisted on sticking their noses where they didn't belong, 
as usual.  Only now, Scully welcomed it.

As was expected, they all drank too much and became totally 
useless.  Scully hadn't eaten much, considering all she 
would touch was the garlic bread and salad.  But the ever-
flowing wine had taken its toll.  She was very tired, very 
upset, and very drunk.

That made for a bad combination.

They were cleaning up the place when Skinner turned on his 
stereo and an Eric Clapton CD began to play.

Scully dropped her wineglass and it shattered on the floor 
as Mulder's hands went across his eyes.

'...Bell Bottom Blues...You make me cry...I don't wanna 
lose this feelin'...'

They were both reliving the moment on the beach, only this 
time, Mulder saw it from her point of view.  He had been 
powerless to do anything but watch as Scully had realized 
that Krycek may have cared about her more than she had 
believed.

'...If I could choose a place to die...It would be in your 
arms...'

Krycek must have been arriving at the same conclusion, 
because he had seemed as surprised as she was.  He had 
taken a step away from her, his face shocked, scared.  He 
and Scully had stared at each other for a moment and Mulder 
could sense the turmoil between the two of them.

'...Do you wanna see me crawl across the floor to you...'

Scully had suddenly realized that Krycek caring about her 
didn't bother her as much as it probably should have.  She 
thought that this was because maybe she cared about him 
more than she should have.  She had been trying to push her 
feelings away.  She had tried to ignore them.  But that 
didn't always work.

'...Do you wanna hear me beg you to take me back...'

She immediately reminded herself that she was in love with 
Mulder.

'...I don't wanna play that way...Give me one more day 
please...'

She was in love with Mulder and could never love anyone 
else.

'...I don't wanna play that way...In your heart, I wanna 
stay...'

Especially someone like Krycek, she had thought 
involuntarily, then immediately tried to reverse it.

Mulder had watched as Krycek's eyes filled with tears.

'...It's all wrong...But it's all right...The way that you 
treat me baby...'

Krycek abruptly turned and walked away, the look on his 
face concerning even Mulder.

She had stared after Krycek until he got into the house, 
then she dropped her face into her hands.

***

'What the hell?'  Frohike asked.

'The song.'  Koskie said, pointing at Byers.  'Stop the CD 
player.'

Byers hit the FM switch and as soon as Bob Dylan popped on 
the radio, Scully put her hands over her face.

'I hate that.'  Mulder said softly, messaging his temples.

'Hate what?'  Marie asked.  'What was that?'

Mulder shook his head as 'Like A Rolling Stone' played in 
the background.

'...You say you never compromise...With a mystery tramp but 
now you realize...He's not selling any alibi's...As you 
stand to the vacuum of his eyes...And say, do you want 
to...Make a deal...'

'How did you know to turn off the song?'  Frohike looked up 
at Koskie.

'It's happened before.'  He replied, looking over at 
Mulder.  'Damn near ran us off the road.'

'What happened?'  Marie asked again, looking between Mulder 
and Koskie.

Her brother shook his head.  'Not until bedtime.'

Everyone looked strangely at Koskie.

Marie tilted her head at him, her face one of utter 
confusion.  'Brother, have you lost your mind?'

'You really need to ask?'  Langly muttered.

Koskie pointed at him.  'You just want to zip that up for 
now, Garth?'

'You okay, Scully?'  Mulder said, looking over at her.

She was leaned over the sink, her hands gripping the sides.

Skinner stepped up beside her and put a hand on her 
shoulder.  'Scully?'

She nodded.  'I'm okay.'

Langly snorted.  'There she goes.'

'What happened to 'I'm fine'?'  Frohike asked.

'...You used to ride on a chrome horse with your 
diplomat...Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese 
cat...Ain't it hard when you discovered that...He really 
wasn't where it's at...After he took from you everything he 
could steal...'

'I need to get back to New York.'  Scully said, still 
facing the window.

'I can have the jet ready anytime.'  Cooper said.  'We're 
going to need to leave the cars here though, since we're 
both too intoxicated to operate any kind of machinery.  I 
can call a cab.'

'Jet City Woman.'  Langly muttered.

Scully nodded at him, and then she walked into the living 
room and out the front door.

Mulder stared after her, then looked around at the faces in 
the room.  Marie stepped up close to him and fixed the 
collar of his shirt.

'Go.'  Was all she said.

He walked out front to find Scully standing on the porch, 
her hands on the railing.  He stepped up beside her and 
leaned close, speaking softly.  'Are you okay, Scully?  I 
don't want you taking off if...You're not doing well.'

She shook her head and met his eyes.  'We were so stupid, 
Mulder.'

He smiled sadly and nodded at her in response.  'I know.'

'I was so stupid.'

Mulder put an arm around her and whispered in her ear.  'It 
will all be fine, Scully.  Everything will be wonderful.  
We'll fix it, we always do.'

She sniffled, tears on her face.  'I don't know if I can, 
Mulder.'

'Oh, come on, Scully.'  He said.  'Where's that feisty red-
head I used to know?'

'She got tired.'  She said softly.  'Tired of running while 
standing still.  I feel like I've been fighting this thing 
forever.  We resolve one issue only to have ten more pop up 
in front of us.  I'm backed up against the wall and I don't 
know what to do.  I can't see anyway out.  I don't know how 
to fix this.  I was always able to find hope or faith in 
something.  But now there's nothing.  Everything is so 
messed up.'

'You're back here, with me, with friends.  That is a good 
thing.'  Mulder said.  'And Cade is safe.'

'For now.'  She replied.

Bob Dylan drifted out the screen door.

'...You used to be so amused...at Napoleon in rags, and the 
language that he used...Go to him now he calls you, you 
can't refuse...When you ain't got nothin'...You got nothin' 
to lose...You're invisible now, you got no secrets...To 
conceal...'

'I'm just so tired, Mulder.'  She said again.

'I'll fix it, Scully.'  He said softly, resting his head 
against hers.  'I promise.'

She leaned against him and closed her eyes while willing 
her tears to go away.  For once in her life she was 
admitting she was at a loss and taking the support he 
offered.

'...How does it feel...How does it feel...To be on your 
own...With no direction home...Like a complete 
unknown...Like a rolling stone...'

***

A week later, Scully walked into the building with Cooper, 
looking around at the new site.  He had told her that since 
they were about to incorporate everyone's efforts into one 
joint project, that they had chosen a location closer to 
the NSA, the CIA, closer to everyone in the nation's 
capitol.

In response to that, Scully moved her Mom and Cade to 
nearby hotel.  She couldn't bear the thought of being so 
far away from Cade for who knows how long.  Not to mention 
she liked the idea that Mulder and Skinner could be reached 
in less than fifteen minutes now, instead of a plane 
flight.

The Lone Gunmen had proven to be enterprising when she had 
given them the address of the new building.  Langly had cut 
his hair short and put in some contact lenses in order to 
masquerade as an electrician installing the wiring.  This 
way, he could guarantee that he could hack into the 
security system.

They didn't know how they were going to get Krycek out, or 
if that's even what they were planning on doing right now.  
Everything was up in the air.  Again.

Scully was actually beginning to believe that maybe they 
could squeeze out the vaccine before any rescue attempt for 
Krycek would need to be implemented.  Not to mention she 
couldn't really imagine leaving Gibson behind.  She also 
didn't believe that the hybrids would be allowed to just 
walk away.

They decided that the best bet they had was to let Scully 
go on working with the NSA while they learned all they 
could about the building and which group was on what 
agenda.  Learning the master plan was first and foremost 
the urgent business at hand.

Several people, including Dr. Jenkins and a physicist, Dr. 
Tanner, joined Scully and Cooper in the lab.  A severe 
looking man from the CIA, Kaslo, was there as well as two 
men, Boord and Charles, from Naval Intelligence.  The seven 
of them sat around a table, talking about timeframes.  
Several others milled about the room, guards and workers.

'Our contact with the Syndicate should be here any minute.'  
Boord said.  'Then we can dive in.'

Cooper casually glanced across the table at Scully.  'I 
wasn't aware the Syndicate was going to be joining us 
today.'

'Yes.'  Kaslo answered.  'They wanted to transport all the 
prisoners themselves, considering they were who apprehended 
them all to begin with.  They are responsible for us 
getting this far.'

'He's always late.'  Charles said.  'Thinks the whole world 
waits for him.'

Scully's blood had turned to ice.  She didn't know if she 
was ready to face Cancer Man yet.  It had only been a week 
since she'd stepped into this game of charades.  She was 
thankful she hadn't had to see Krycek or Gibson again, but 
instead had spent most of her time with charts and graphs 
and research with Dr. Jenkins and the rest of the team.

She didn't know if Spender would buy the whole story or 
not.  Cooper had assured her that since he was around and 
vouching for her, that everything would be fine.  He had 
been involved in the project for so long that his 
credibility was quite concrete.

Remind me again why I'm doing this?  She thought to 
herself.  Scully didn't get a chance to answer the 
question.  She heard the doors open at the end of the room 
behind her.

Spender's soft voice floated to her ears an instant before 
she smelled the smoke from his Morley.

'Sorry to keep you all waiting.'  He said, the heels of his 
shoes banging softly on the tile as he walked towards them.

'We're used to it.'  Kaslo replied.

'Dana Scully.'  He stood behind her, crushing his cigarette 
under his foot.  'I had heard a rumor that you were 
currently involved with Purity Control.  I didn't believe 
it, but here you are.  And really, why should I be 
surprised?  Your loyalties have always been questionable.'

Scully stood up and turned around to face him.  The sight 
of his face brought on such a rush of anger that she was 
sure it was visible.  'My loyalties have always been 
questionable?'

Spender smiled.  'You were assigned to the X-Files to 
debunk them after all.  Then you spent seven years 
defending Mulder and pledging your undying devotion to him 
and his work.  It came as a surprise of the biggest kind to 
all of us when you deserted him and ran away with his 
nemesis.'

Scully couldn't construct any coherent sentence in her mind 
and was saved when Cooper came around to stand beside her.

'I don't believe we've officially met, Mr. Spender-'

'I know who you are, Mr. Cooper.'  Spender interjected 
softly.  'You served some military time with Walter 
Skinner.  Fox Mulder's first assignment in the Bureau was 
to go undercover with you in Twin Peaks.  It is a small 
world.'  He looked back at Scully.  'Wouldn't you agree?'

'You can't blame me for doing what I thought was right.'  
Scully said to him.  'You sent me to debunk the X-Files.'

'She was approached by the NSA and asked to cooperate.'  
Cooper said.  'She has been reporting to us all along.  
Although we were shocked to find her holed up in the lab.'

'I wouldn't have wanted an altercation between the NSA and 
the Syndicate to take place and put all of our plans in 
jeopardy.'  Spender smiled.  'Thank god Alex came along and 
rescued you.  I guess that means we both owe him a lot.'

'I don't owe Krycek anything.'  Scully asked.  'Like 
everyone else, he was just using me all along.'

'About time you figured it out.'

Scully had felt him a split second before he spoke.  She 
slowly turned to see Krycek standing in between two men.  
He was only four feet away from her.  She couldn't breath, 
she felt all the blood drain from her face.

Their eyes locked on each other for a moment before he 
smiled wryly.

'For awhile there, I was beginning to believe I'd chosen 
the wrong medical student.'

Before Scully could think about what she was doing, before 
she could stop herself, she threw her body weight behind a 
right hook that connected squarely with his face.

Krycek went sprawling on the floor before the two men on 
either side grabbed his arms and yanked him back to his 
feet.  She hadn't noticed that his hands were shackled.  
Blood dripped from his mouth as he gave his head a small 
shake, trying to clear it.

'Nice to see you again, Dana.'

Spender stepped up next to her.  'I do not condone 
treatment of this kind to be administered upon my guests, 
Miss Scully.'

'Guests?'  Scully laughed shrilly, sounding a bit 
hysterical.  'Is that what you're calling them?'

'Does that mean I can request more hospitable 
accommodations.'  Krycek said, the men on either side still 
holding his arms.  'I think you need to upgrade your 
sleeping quarters, not to mention the room service sucks.'

'My son,' Spender said, taking out a cigarette, 'the 
comedian.'

'Your son?'  Krycek asked in disbelief.  'I won't even 
dignify that with a response.'

'Well all make sacrifices, Alex.'  Spender said.  He put a 
cigarette between his lips and looked meaningfully at 
Scully.  'Surely you can understand that, son.'

Krycek swallowed and shifted his eyes to Scully before 
glaring back at Spender.

'He didn't sacrifice anything for me.'  Scully said in a 
shaky voice.  'He was protecting his son.  His investment.'

'A lot like what you're doing now.'  Krycek snapped back at 
her.

'I'm not the one who was going to hold out for the highest 
bidder.'  She said, raising her voice.

'Enough.'  Spender said softly, raising his lighter to his 
cigarette.

'There's no smoking in here.'  Scully said, glaring at 
Cancer Man.

Spender ignored her.  He lit the cigarette and inhaled 
deeply.

Scully walked over to him and slapped the cigarette out of 
his mouth.  'I said there's no smoking in here.'

Spender blew the smoke in her face.  'You're playing a very 
dangerous game, Miss Scully.'

She returned his stare.  She was well aware of how close 
she was to losing her grip.  'I'm not playing any games, 
Spender.  You do know that the future of the world is at 
stake here.  All I want to do is create a vaccine that 
works so everyone will leave me the hell alone.  I'm tired 
of this.  I'm certain you can understand that.'  She 
crossed her arms.  She was shaking violently and knew that 
it was visible.  'After all, you've been doing this your 
whole life.  I'm sure you'd like to see an end sometime.'

'Your end, my end.'  Krycek shrugged and looked at Spender.  
'I'm sure he has some kind of end in mind.'

'Alex, Alex.'  Cancer Man said.  'If you just would have 
played by our rules, you could have come out of this a 
hero, the savior of the human race.'

Scully stared at Krycek.  Her eyes were a little wide; her 
face was drawn and pale.  'He's too selfish to play by 
anyone's rules other than his own.'

Krycek met her gaze for a moment, his face hard and 
unreadable.  'I will get out of here someday, you know.  
And the first thing I'm going to do is collect my son.  I 
will find you.  That's a promise.'

'That's a promise?'  Scully asked in a whisper.  She 
quickly walked over to where he was and pushed him hard.  
He fell back on the ground as she drew her gun and pointed 
it between his eyes.  Her hands were shaking, the gun 
jumping in her grasp.  Her voice was low and thick.  'I 
swore to myself that if I ever saw you again I would kill 
you on the spot.  No questions asked, I'd just put a bullet 
in your head.'

'Dr. Scully,' Jenkins said.  'We still need him alive.'

'Here's your chance, Dana.'  Krycek's eyes were bottomless 
pools of black.  She could read nothing in them.  'What are 
you waiting for?'

'Scully.'  Cooper said, standing behind her.

'Pull the trigger, come on, put me out of my misery.'  
Krycek's soft voice was calm.

'For God's sake.'  Jenkins said.  'Don't shoot him.'

'Don't worry.'  Spender said, lighting a cigarette.  'She 
won't.'

Scully put the barrel of her gun on Krycek's left knee and 
looked deeply into his eyes.  He met her gaze, his bottom 
lip still bleeding from when she'd struck him earlier.  His 
eyes were wounded for a moment, revealing the human side 
she knew was lurking in there somewhere, then it was gone.

She leaned close to him, her face only inches away, before 
speaking in a voice she'd never heard before.

'Surf on this.'

She pulled the trigger, the resounding boom causing 
everyone in the room to jump.

Krycek didn't make a sound as the blast shattered his knee.  
He winced as his face turned the color of milk.  He lay on 
the ground and looking up at the ceiling, grinding his 
teeth while tears of pain trickled down his cheeks and fell 
onto the floor.

Scully stared down at him while Spender took a drag of his 
cigarette and regarded her calmly through the haze of his 
smoke.  She turned and looked at Cooper, her face set in 
stone, the muscles in her jaw twitching.  The men were all 
staring at her, open-mouthed and stunned.  She gestured 
with the gun.

'Cooper, get this shit out of my laboratory.'

***

Mulder stared at the screen in silence, the Lone Gunmen 
fanned out behind him.  He wasn't sure what to make of the 
scene that had just played out in front of him.  His mind 
swirled with refusal.  He didn't just see that happen.  He 
must be mistaken.  He must have misunderstood.  Scully 
didn't really just shoot Krycek, blowing his kneecap to 
bits.  There must be some other explanation.  Mulder stood 
there, with his arms crossed in front of him, the picture 
definition of disbelief on his face.

The only thing he knew for sure was that Scully was much 
stronger than he could ever be.

'What happened?'

Skinner's voice announced the entrance of his friend and 
superior.

No one answered him; they all stood there.  Mulder turned 
around to get a look at the Lone Gunmen.  They looked just 
as bewildered and horrified as he felt.  The four of them 
exchanged looks in silence.

'What?'  Skinner asked, stalking over to stand beside 
Mulder to look at the monitor.  He squinted at the image.  
'Is that Alex?'

'I'm afraid it is.'  Langly said softly.

'And Cancer Man?'  Skinner turned and looked over his 
shoulder at the people congregated behind him.

Byers and Langly nodded back at him.  Mulder stood with his 
back to the monitor, his brow furrowed.  He couldn't watch 
it anymore.  He was safe in here, watching, while Scully 
and his brother suffered through all kinds of hell.  He 
needed to do more.  He couldn't watch them do this any 
longer.  He didn't care what Scully said.  He didn't care 
how much sense it made to bide their time.  They couldn't 
do this anymore.

'What the hell happened?'  Skinner asked, looking at the 
monitor.  Scully was gesturing towards Krycek with her gun.  
'Why is he laying on the floor?'

Frohike stared straight ahead, at the monitor.  'Scully 
shot him.'

Skinner's head whipped around.  'What?'

'In the knee.'  Langly said softly.

Skinner stared back at the monitor for a moment.  'Why?'

'We don't know.'  Langly shrugged.

'She was protecting him.'  Mulder said softly, his eyes far 
away.

Skinner took that in for a moment, staring at the screen.  
'She shot him in the knee?'

'What does Krycek love to do more than anything?'  Mulder 
asked rhetorically.

'He surfs.'  Langly said.

Frohike looked up at him.  'Not anytime soon.'

'I can't believe she did that.'  Byers said softly.

'I think that's the point.'  Skinner said.

'Think about it.'  Mulder said, rubbing his hands over his 
face.  'How surprised were we?  Someone who knows her less 
would probably think she fits right in with that crew.'

'I have no doubt that Spender took Alex in there to see how 
Scully would react.'  Skinner said.  'The man's not 
stupid.'

Mulder's eyes drifted towards the screen.  'Neither is 
Scully.'

They were taking Krycek out of the room while Scully 
engaged in a beet-faced argument with a man in a lab coat.  
He must have got the last word because after a moment, she 
followed Krycek out the door.

Mulder was wounded when he saw the expression on her face.  
Even though the image was small, he could read her 
suffering as clearly as if someone had stamped 'AGONY' 
across her forehead.  He felt stupid all of a sudden.  
Useless like when they had gone to rescue Scully from the 
Syndicate.  Back when he had his head up his ass.

Scully looked behind her, at Cooper, as the door shut 
behind her.  He was her only friend in there.  Well, 
besides his brother, but Krycek wasn't going to be much 
help.  Mulder's mind slowly wound down, took it easy for a 
moment.  Sure he'd said the words.  Sure he'd casually 
tossed the idea against his brain.  But he didn't think 
he'd every actually realized it before.  He never had let 
the thought hit home before.  Krycek was his brother.

He had a brother.

Oh yes, who was the idiot now.

'Jesus.'  Mulder said in disgust.  'What the hell am I 
doing?'  He stormed towards the door and pushed it open 
angrily.  He left without saying another word.

***

'Cooper, get this shit out of my laboratory.'

He looked back at her, trying to recover from the shock he 
had felt at watching her mercilessly shoot the father of 
her child.  'What do you want me to do with him?'

'I don't care what you do with him!'  She shouted.  'Just 
get him out!'

'He needs medical attention.'  Dr. Jenkins said, looking at 
all the matter on the ground.  'We cannot risk the threat 
of an infection.  Regardless of how quickly his body can 
heal itself, there are always risks.'

'Then fix it.'  Scully snapped at him, the limits of her 
sanity stretching further and further apart.

Dr. Jenkins crossed the room to look down at Krycek.  His 
complexion was ghostly white, his breathing was labored.  
His eyes landed on Dr. Jenkins for a moment, the hate and 
contempt shone through his pain.

'Oh no, my dear.'  Jenkins fixed his gaze on Scully.  'You 
are more than qualified to clean up this mess.'

'I'm not-'

'Yes, you are.'  Jenkins said in a tone that indicated the 
matter was not open for debate.  'You did this, you fix 
it.'

Scully stared back at him, her eyes on fire.

'You!'  Spender pointed with his cigarette at the two men 
that were picking Krycek up.  'You both stay with her while 
she examines him.  Don't let either one of them out of your 
sight.'

She began to follow the men carrying Krycek out, then 
turned to look back at Cooper.  He gave her a quick, 
lopsided grin.  She knocked her shoulder against Spender as 
she walked out.

Once inside a small examining room, and away from the 
Cigarette Smoking Bastard, Scully felt like she could 
breath again.

The two men threw Krycek down on a hospital bed, then 
hovered outside the door.

Scully pulled on latex gloves; tears immediately spilled 
out of her eyes.

Where's Cade?  Krycek asked her silently.

With my Mom.  He's fine, she thought back at him.  I'm so 
sorry, Alex.

It will heal.

I'm sorry.  I panicked.  I didn't know what to do.  Scully 
chewed on the inside of her lip while examining his knee.  
Her whole body was shaking violently.  Tears fell off of 
her cheeks and onto his leg.  She could feel his pain and 
it was killing her.  I'm so sorry, Alex.  I didn't know 
what to do.

Krycek was drenched with sweat from the pain.  It will 
heal.  How is Cade?

He's beautiful, Alex.  Scully blinked the tears from her 
eyes.  He's so beautiful.

Krycek finally looked up at her.  You look tired.

Tears fell slid down her face as she tried not to look at 
him and concentrate on his knee.  I am tired.  I am so 
tired of this.  I'm so sorry.

It's almost over.  Krycek looked away from her.  The 
vaccine nearly works.

I know.  Scully began to wrap his knee.  I don't know what 
to do.

You know, I've been living to see you.  Krycek quoted Jesus 
Chris Superstar to her, a movie they used to love to vege 
out in front of.  He continued, trying to make her feel 
better.  Dying to see you, but it shouldn't be like this.

Scully said the lyrics back.  This was unexpected.  What do 
I do now?  Could we start again please?

I'm so glad you're here.

Scully was suddenly useless.  She stood there, staring at 
his knee, letting his thoughts wash over her.

But you need to leave, Krycek thought, still looking away 
from her.  I don't want you doing this.

Alex, I need to get you out of here.  Scully's knees were 
weak, her legs felt like rubber.

Dana, they're not planning on letting us go.

Scully swallowed as more tears fell down her face.  Tell me 
what to do.

Take Cade and get as far away from here as you can.

No.

Cade will be able to warn you if anyone is close.  You will 
be able to hide.  No matter what that Cooper guy is telling 
you.  Cade will know if anyone is coming.

No.

But-

I'm not leaving you behind again, Alex.  Scully took a 
moment away from her wrapping to look up at him.  She 
waited until he returned her gaze.

When he looked at her, his eyes were full of despair.  They 
were wide and round.  They looked as if he were an animal 
caught in a trap.  And in some ways, he was.

Dana, they're not going to let me go.  I'm not getting out.  
You need to leave.

Scully returned his gaze for a second before pulling off 
the latex gloves, covered in his blood.  It was the only 
time they'd had any piece of quiet in the last three years.  
The last time they'd seen each other, after over two years, 
everything had happened in the space of five minutes.  Then 
the next time they meet, she socks him in the head then 
shoots him in the leg.  Nice.

I won't leave you behind again, Alex.  She held his gaze a 
moment longer before finishing the wrap on his leg.  Cade 
needs you.  Mulder needs you.  I need you.  I won't let you 
play the martyr anymore.

Who said anything about being a martyr?  I just don't want 
you to shoot me again.

Scully let some breath escape her in laughter.  She 
couldn't help it.  She gathered all the courage she had to 
examine his face.  She wanted to make sure she hadn't 
busted his teeth.  She felt along his jaw line and his eyes 
followed her face.  She couldn't bear the defeat in his 
expression.  He'd never given up before.

Just tell me what to do, Alex.

I keep telling you what to do.  Krycek's eyes filled with 
tears.  Take Cade and go.

Quit being a hero and help me.  Tell me what to do.  You 
might as well help me because I'm not going to leave you 
here.  Mulder is trying, Skinner is trying, the Lone Gunmen 
are trying.  Scully let her hands linger on his face a 
moment longer than she needed to and looked him in the 
eyes.  I'll find away to talk to you again.  Just think of 
something.  I promise, we'll get you out.

Dana?

What?  She sniffed as her hands left his face.

He looked away from her again.  The tears on his face could 
have been due to his pain.

Make sure you wipe your eyes before you leave.

***

Scully sat in the car in the parking garage of the hotel 
where her Mom and Cade were.

It should have made her feel better, when in fact talking 
to Krycek had made her feel so much worse.  She felt 
paralyzed by his despair.  She had expected him to have a 
plan.  She hadn't expected defeat.  She was also mortified 
at what she had resorted to.  She had panicked.  She had 
been desperate.  She had been taken over by someone 
completely different.  She had been viewing herself from 
far away.

She knew that Krycek didn't blame her.  He didn't hold 
anything against her for it.  He had already forgiven her.  
He had never been angry by it in the first place.  That's 
just the way he was.

Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her 
knuckles were white.  An old Peter Gabriel song was on the 
radio.

'...River...Show me how to float...I feel like I'm sinking 
down...'

How many times could she say to herself, this has been the 
worst day of my life?

'...Thought that I could get along...But here in this 
water...My feet won't touch the ground...'

How many times could she think to herself, I've never been 
this lost before?

'...I need something...To turn myself around...'

How many times could she ask herself, what the hell am I 
going to do?

'...Going away...Away towards the sea...River deep, can you 
lift up and carry me...'

How many times could she tell herself, one more thing and 
I'll just break.

'Hey, Scully?'

Thank God.

It was Mulder.

She didn't respond.  She didn't need to.  She knew he would 
take care of her now.

Mulder opened the car door and knelt down next to her.  
'You okay?'

She slowly nodded mechanically.

'You sure?'

She shook her head.

His eyes wandered to her hands.  'Scully, are you going to 
let go of the steering wheel?'

She didn't respond.

'Okay, Scully.'  Mulder reached over and took her hands off 
of the steering wheel.  'Come on.'

She let him put his arms around her and leaned her head on 
her shoulder.  'All I wanted to do was see my son.  I 
needed to see him after today.  That's all I wanted.'

'I'll take you up there.'  He said softly.

'I can't.'  She said in a shaky voice.

'Yes, you can.'

'No, I can't.'  Tears threatened and this only made her 
feel worse.  She was normally so strong.

'Yes, you can.  We'll walk to the elevator, hit the button, 
and go to their rooms.'

Her voice was almost too low to hear.  'Mulder, I've done 
something so horrible.'

'I saw what you did.'  Mulder said soothingly.  'You did 
what you had to.  I know that he understands.'

'I don't know what to do.'

'Let's go see Cade.'  He said softly.  'You'll feel better 
being with him and your Mom.'

'You really expect me to go up there?'  Scully asked, 
trembling.  'So Cade can see visions of me shooting his 
father?'

Mulder was silent.  He hadn't thought about that.

'Mulder?'

'Yeah?'

Scully's voice dropped to a shaky whisper.  'I'm so 
scared.'

Mulder closed his eyes.  He couldn't remember her ever 
saying that to him before.  He felt like all this was his 
fault.  He felt responsible.  He felt guilty for inflicting 
everyone he cared about with such drama.

'...River...Oh river...River running deep...Bring me 
something that will let me get to sleep...'

'It's okay, Scully.'  Mulder said softly.  'Everything will 
be fine.  Everything will be wonderful.'

Mulder didn't know who he was trying to convince more, 
Scully or himself.

'...In the washing of the water...Will you take it all 
away...Bring me something to take this pain away...'

***

Mulder knocked on Skinner's door, Scully by his side.  He 
was afraid of the desolate look in her eyes.  Her far away 
eyes.  Mulder frowned, remembering the Rolling Stones on a 
jukebox in a seedy bar.  'Far Away Eyes' had been playing 
and he'd been losing his mind.

Skinner opened the door and looked between the two of them.  
He didn't say anything, but immediately took Scully in a 
hug upon seeing the expression on her face.

'Sir.'  Mulder stepped inside the house, a serious look on 
his face.  'Is everyone here?'

'Just like every Sunday night, Mulder.'

Mulder passed Skinner as he stepped into the house.  Marie 
emerged from the kitchen and he gave her a small smile.

The grin she returned immediately disappeared when Skinner 
led Scully into the house by the hand.

Scully felt Marie's small sliver of animosity.  Damn, Marie 
thought.  I wish he would have called ahead to warn me.

'Get used to it.'  Scully said, smiling bitterly at Marie.  
'Mulder loves to keep people in the dark.  In fact, I'm 
fairly certain that he invented the concept.'

Everyone looked over at Scully as she blurted that 
statement out into silence. Her body posture and tone of 
voice indicated that she was angry and tired and not taking 
anyone's crap.  The glazed look in her eyes did nothing to 
promote an image of stability.

Marie looked like she'd been slapped in the face.

'Besides,' Scully continued, 'this isn't exactly my 
location pick of the night.  We can be unhappy together.'

The Lone Gunmen exchanged confused glances as Skinner 
sighed.

Scully returned all the gazes that were directed her way 
and realized her mistake.

'Oh, I'm sorry.'  Scully said to Marie, trying hard not to 
be snotty, but knowing that's what was coming across 
anyway.  'I thought you'd said that out loud.'

Mulder couldn't help the small grin that surfaced on his 
face.

'Come on.'  Skinner tugged a little on Scully's arm.  'Let 
me get you some scotch.  I have Glen Livit.'

Mulder moved to Frohike's side and spoke softly to him.  
'Did Cooper call?'
 
'Yes.'  Frohike whispered back.  'He's on his way over.  
Mulder?'

'What?'

'Why are we whispering?'  Frohike asked.

'It's a matter of principle.'  Mulder replied.

'Principle of what?'  Frohike whispered back.

'Fox, what the hell is going on?'

It was Marie.  She stood glaring at him.

Koskie was by her side.  'What happened, Mulder.  Scully 
looks like hell.'

'We're going back to your place, Koskie.'

'My place?'  Koskie tilted his head at Mulder.

'Yes.'  Mulder looked between him and Marie.  'I need to 
tell you a story.'

Koskie's face was unusually serious.  'Is it bedtime?'

Mulder sighed and looked towards the kitchen where Scully 
and Skinner were.  'It's bedtime.'

'Bedtime?'  Koskie's face was one of perpetual surprise.  
'You're serious?'

'Totally serious.'

'Totally and completely serious?'

'So completely serious.'

'Completely and radically serious?'

'Don't push your luck, Koskie.'

***

Mulder told them everything.

From Bellefleur, Oregon to Bellefleur, Oregon.  From his 
sister to his brother.  From Scully to Scully.

He told them everything.

He let them sit in silence and mull over what they'd 
learned while he made a phone call.

When he came back into the room, they were still silent.  
He sat down on the coffee table across from them and he 
waited.  After awhile, as if an unspoken signal had crossed 
between them, Koskie and Marie both looked back at him.

'Does this all make sense?'  Mulder asked.  'Because I'd be 
confused.  Do you have any questions.'

'I have one.'  Koskie said softly.  'How many licks does it 
take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?'

The doorbell rang.

Mulder opened the door and was immediately rewarded with a 
puff of smoke in his face.

He grinned sarcastically at Cancer Man.  'Hiya, Pop.'

***

Scully sat in a conference room with a dozen other people.  
They were all gathered around a large, circular table, 
exchanging data and hypothesizing.  She doodled on her 
notepad, hardly hearing anything going on around her.  She 
had consumed too much scotch at Skinner's the night before.

Mulder had taken off with Marie and Koskie and she'd waited 
a long a time before giving up and taking a shower when 
Cooper showed up.  She had stood in the water as hot as she 
could stand it, trying to sear the days events off of her 
skin.  She had showered in candlelight, wanting to keep it 
as dark as possible in the bathroom.  She didn't want to 
see herself in the mirror.  She didn't think she could 
stand it.  She had crashed in Skinner's spare room while 
Cooper and the Lone Gunmen joined Skinner for dinner.  
'Hemorrhage' by Fuel was on the bedside radio clock and the 
lyrics had kept her awake.

'Sorry to keep you waiting.'

Scully looked up from her daydreaming to see Cancer Man 
enter the room.  She wasn't prepared to see Krycek and 
Gibson follow in him, a guard behind them.

'I'm sure you are all familiar with these two young men.'

Scully fought to keep a calm facade as she looked over at 
Krycek.  He had limped in horribly, supported by Gibson, 
but it was amazing how quickly his body was healing.  She 
could sense the thick confusion from the two of them and 
guessed that they had been heavily sedated.

Krycek scanned everyone in the room.  Dana, what the hell 
is going on?

I have no idea.

Spender is up to something.  Gibson's voice penetrated her 
skull.  I think he's going to take us.

Cooper stood up from his seat next to Scully and walked 
around the table.  'What is this about?'

'I've come across information.'  Spender said, pulling out 
a cigarette.  'I believe that they will both cooperate with 
us from now on.'

'What information?'  Kaslo, the insider from the CIA, 
leaned forward.

'Why don't you tell them, Dr. Scully?'  Spender lit his 
cigarette and inhaled deeply.

Krycek and Gibson's head swiveled in sync towards her.  She 
looked around the table as a wave of heat surged through 
her.

'I don't know what you're talking about.'  She said to 
Spender.

'I've been told by my own source that she is here to 
sabotage the operation, and to free Alex Krycek.'  Spender 
smiled.  'As some of you may or may not already know, he is 
the father of her child.'

The room was silent.

Jesus Christ.  Krycek's thoughts slammed into her head and 
she felt his ripple of shock.  Dana, what the hell is going 
on?  This is bad.  This is so very bad.

Scully took one last stab at the story she'd been told 
would save her.  She didn't dare look at Krycek.

'I work for the NSA.'  She said in a clear, strong voice.  
'My background in hard science led Mr. Cooper to seek me 
out, to help debunk the X-Files and now to create the 
vaccine.  I can only assure you, gentlemen that like you, I 
am only here to get the job done.'

All heads turned towards Cooper for explanation.  He was 
standing at the head of the table, his fingertips lightly 
resting on the oak surface.  If possible, his pallor 
complexion paled even more.

Dana, this is all wrong.  Krycek's voice sounded in her 
head.  There's something wrong.

'She's telling the truth.'  Cooper affirmed.  'I asked her 
myself.'

'Where did you get this information?'  Kaslo asked, 
everyone turning back to Spender.

'My source with the Verein, my contact with the FBI.'  
Spender flicked ashes onto the floor.  'I'm sure you've 
heard of him.  Fox Mulder, my son.'

The room seemed to spin around Scully.  She didn't believe 
for an instant that Mulder was working with Cancer Man, but 
why was he saying this?

She couldn't help it; she looked at Krycek.  He was staring 
right back at her, equally astonished.

Dana, he's always been selective about who he tells Fox 
about.  It's been his way of protecting him.

Scully watched as Spender came around the table to stand 
behind her.  She felt his intention a split second before 
both Krycek and Gibson warned her, a split second before he 
pressed a gun to the back of her head.

'I think you know what I need, Alex.'  Spender said in his 
soft voice.

Krycek didn't say anything; he merely met his fathers gaze.

'Come on, Alex.'  Spender said, putting a hand around 
Scully's arm.  'Doesn't it just make you sick that I'm 
touching her, that I can shoot her and kill her and she 
would be dead before the signature even reached your ears?'

Krycek remained silent, forcing himself not to look at 
Scully.

'All I need is a sample.'  Cancer Man said.  'Just one vial 
of his blood.  Tell me, Alex.  Where is your son?'

'I don't know where she's hidden him.'  Krycek reluctantly 
replied.

Spender smiled.  'You really expect me to believe you can't 
read it from her mind?'

'Not with all these goddamn tranquilizer's you've got 
shooting through my system.'

'I don't believe you, Alex.'

'I don't know where she's hidden him.'  Krycek repeated, 
trying to keep from trembling.

'Alex...' Spender sang teasingly.  'Do you really think I 
can't see the fear in your eyes?  Do you really think I 
can't see that you're shaking?  Do you really think I don't 
know what she means to you?'

Krycek raised his voice to a shout.  'She fucking shot me, 
you moron.'

Spender suddenly yanked Scully to her feet and pressed the 
gun harder into the back of her neck.  'You want to play 
poker with me, son?'

Krycek swallowed and tried to clear the turmoil from his 
mind.  The incessant emergency panic alarm was going off in 
his head, distracting him.

'Where is he, Alex?'  Spender asked softly.

'I don't know.'  Krycek replied.

Spender grasped Scully by the back of her neck and pushed 
her in front of him as he walked, pushing her towards 
Krycek.  He stopped when she was at his arms length, a mere 
four feet from Krycek.

'Her blood will get on you, Alex.'  Spender said.  'I know 
blood itself doesn't bother you, but maybe hers will.  Her 
brilliant mind reduced to grey matter all over your face.  
How would that be?'

Krycek finally met her gaze.  She was trying to be strong, 
silently telling him that it was okay.  That she would do 
anything to keep Cade out of their hands.  That she was 
willing to die to keep him safe.

Tears sprang to Krycek's eyes at the thought and he spoke 
softly.  'She's not going to tell me.'

'You can get it from her.'  Spender said.

Krycek shook his head.  'I can't.'

'Then say goodbye.'

Krycek suddenly glared at his father.  'I will kill you for 
this.'

'That may be true.'  Cancer Man cocked back the hammer.

Krycek immediately held up his hands.  'Okay.'

'Okay?'  Spender asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Just take the gun away from her head.'

Spender hesitated before suddenly shoving Scully at him.  
Krycek caught her, kept her from falling.  He left his 
hands on her waist as she looked up at him.  Her eyes were 
terrified when she rested her hands on his shoulders.

What do you want me to do?  He silently asked her.  I can't 
watch you die.

You may have to.  She replied, meeting his eyes.  We can't 
let them have Cade.

I don't think I can do that, Dana.  I can't watch you die.

Scully gave him a tiny grin, her bottom lip shaking.  It 
will only suck for a minute, Alex.

I can't.

'What's it going to be?'  Spender asked.

Scully leaned against Krycek's side and he put his arms 
around her waist.  She linked her hands over his shoulder.

Alex, we can't let them have Cade.

I know, he thought back at her, his face solemn.  Dana, 
this really sucks.

Spender took a few steps towards them and their eyes 
swiveled in his direction as he spoke.  'Shall I just shoot 
you both?'

Krycek tightened his grip on Scully and smiled humorlessly.  
'I think you're going to have to, Dad.'

Gibson's eyes lit up as his voice penetrated their 
thoughts.  Your partner's coming.  The Smoking Man and 
Cooper are waiting for him.

Scully slowly looked over at Cooper just in time to see him 
casually glance down at his watch.

As if on cue, Mulder and Koskie burst through the doors 
behind him, their guns drawn.  In response, Kaslo, the two 
men from Naval Intelligence and a guard immediately stood 
up and drew back on them.

'It's the Knight's of the Round Table!'  Koskie exclaimed.

The room was deadly silent as everyone tried to get a 
handle on the situation.  Scully tried to get some kind of 
indication from Mulder on what he was planning on doing, 
but she couldn't sense much with all that was going on 
around her.

Mulder's eyes sought his brother out and he grinned.  
'Alex.'

'Fox.'  Krycek said in response.

'Agent Mulder, what a surprise.'  Spender said.  'I can 
only assume you're not exactly here to wish us luck in our 
genetic endeavors.'

'I seem to remember the two of you dropping in on us 
before.'  Kaslo said.  'Literally, dropping in on us.'

'Gentlemen,' Cooper said, 'Please allow me to introduce one 
of the key members of the Verein.'

'I'd really love to meet everyone's acquaintance.'  Mulder 
said.  'But I'm afraid I may wear out my welcome.  We're 
leaving, Scully, you want to help Gibson with Alex and get 
over here?'

'Nobody's going anywhere.'  Kaslo said.  'I suggest you put 
the guns down.'

Koskie piped up in a perfect imitation of Beavis.  'Are you 
threatening me?'

Kaslo looked at Cooper.  'Who the hell is this?'

'I am the great Cornholeo.'  Koskie went on.  'I need TP-'

'It's done.'  Skinner walked in behind them, gun held up by 
his ear.  'Let's go.'

'Assistant Director Skinner.'  Cancer Man stepped on his 
cigarette.  'You've made a very poor choice.  I don't 
expect you'll be able to return to the Bureau after this.'

'Scully, you planning on hanging your hat here, or what?'  
Koskie asked.  'Come on, get a move on.'

She looked up at Spender, half expecting him to suddenly 
sprout horns and a pointy tail and consume the three of 
them with putrid flames from his mouth.  Something weird 
was definitely going on.  She could tell by the ambivalence 
that the damn smoker was feeling that something was 
cooking.

She tightened her grip around Krycek's waist as he leaned 
on her and Gibson.  She couldn't tear her eyes from Cancer 
Man. Barely trusting her legs to work, she began to move 
towards Mulder and Koskie, feeling like she was walking 
through water.

Spender smiled before lighting another cigarette.  'Maybe 
you should have shot him in the arm instead.'

'Funny.'  Krycek said.  'I was just thinking the same 
thing.'

'Come on.'  Mulder said.  'Let's go.'

'Keep on rollin', rollin', rollin'.'  Koskie sang as 
Scully, Krycek and Gibson made their way over to them.

'Fox, you're making a huge mistake.'  Cooper said.

'If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that...' 
Mulder said.  'We're leaving, Chip.  Pick a side.'

There was the sound of a door slamming shut.  Everyone 
jerked their heads over to see that Spender had 
disappeared.  Kaslo took advantage of the distraction and 
dove under the table while discharging a round from his 
firearm.  Scully immediately threw herself on the ground, 
pulling Krycek and Gibson with her.  Skinner and Koskie 
both dropped to their knees.  They both fired back at Kaslo 
and the men from Naval Intelligence.

She caught a thought from Mulder, as clear as if he'd said 
it out loud, as he fell to the ground clutching his chest.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

'Fox!'  Krycek exclaimed, crawling across the floor to him.

Cooper pulled Scully back behind a column and Gibson 
followed her.  Koskie had taken refuge behind the entryway 
wall across from them.  She saw Mulder lying on the ground 
and bleeding.

Krycek had reached his side.  She assumed he was going to 
try to heal Mulder.  The heroic idiot, she thought wildly, 
what was he planning to do?  He can't drag Mulder away with 
his leg like that.  They were both wide out in the open.  
Did he think he wasn't going to get shot while healing his 
brother?  Doesn't he ever give a moment's thought to 
anything before dashing out into danger?  The answer was 
no.  She knew Krycek better than that.  He never thought 
about himself.  He was always just selflessly doing stupid 
things that endangered his own fragile existence.

Scully sat on the ground, her arms held by Cooper, staring 
over at Krycek and Mulder.  After a decade of wondering 
what the hell was really going on, she was sitting by as 
bullets flew back and forth.  After wondering why she kept 
finding herself involved in all this idiocy, she was 
sitting here stunned and scared and not knowing what to do.  
After wondering what part she was really playing in the 
'universal game of chess', she's finding herself huddled in 
a corner with Gibson Praise and some guy from the NSA.

If all things were leading to this moment, she'd be damned 
if she was going to sit idly by while all hell broke loose 
around her.

'Let me go.'  She hissed at Cooper.

She saw Krycek take a bullet in the arm and completely 
ignore it. She glared at Koskie, trying with everything she 
possessed to get a thought to him.

Koskie, I need cover.  Koskie, do you hear me?

His head snapped towards her, his face confused, shocked.

Do you hear me, Koskie?  I need some goddamn cover.

He nodded back at her.

'Cooper,' she said, 'I'm going.'

'If anything happens to you, Mulder will kill me.'

'Mulder is going to get killed if we don't do something.'  
She said.  'Now let me go!'

Her eyes met Koskie's again.  He nodded at her and stepped 
out behind the wall, firing across the room as he 
sidestepped over to Skinner.  Scully took that moment and 
ran over to Krycek and Mulder.  She slipped in the puddle 
of blood, arms flailing, and went down hard.  Her elbow 
jarred in pain and she knew when she tried to pick up 
Mulder's gun that her right arm was broken.

Cooper was at her side, pulling Mulder up while Krycek 
picked up the gun she'd been desperately fumbling with.  
Gibson managed to get Krycek to his feet and in turn, 
Krycek pulled Scully up by her left arm.  He pushed her 
behind him while firing back across the huge table.  
Skinner took a few steps towards them as they stumbled back 
towards the exit that he and Koskie were protecting.  He 
took careful aim and fired and Kaslo went down.

'Mulder!'  Scully said, taking a hold of his arm as they 
exited the room.  'You okay?'

He nodded in response.  'I think so.  I guess so.'

Krycek dropped the clip out of the gun and looked at 
Mulder.  'You okay?'

'I think so.'  Mulder looked down at his chest.  There was 
blood on his shirt, but he felt fine.  Scully yanked his 
shirt open.  The skin was unbroken.  Mulder looked back at 
his brother.  'Gimme the gun.  You need to work on walking 
without looking like you're on a sailboat.'

Scully looked up at Krycek as he handed the gun to Mulder.  
'You okay?'

'Your arm's broken.'  He said.

'Thank you, Dr. Logan.'  She managed a small grin.  'I 
think I've already reached the same diagnosis.'

'Go, go, go.'  Skinner said as he and Koskie flew around 
the corner.

'Prisa para arriba!'  Koskie was spewing nonsense again.  
'Arriba, arriba!'

'Where the hell did my father go?'  Krycek asked as he 
tried to hobble after them down the corridor.  He looked 
over his shoulder to make sure Gibson was close behind.

'I don't know.'  Mulder answered, slamming another clip 
into his gun.  'How's the leg?'

'It's coming along.'  Krycek answered, grinning lopsidedly 
as Scully got her good arm around him.

'Fine pair we make.'  She mumbled as Gibson took his post 
on Krycek's other side.  'Bum knee and bad arm.'

'We'll manage.'

They turned another corner and went down a back stairwell, 
Krycek painfully fumbling down the stairs.

'Ba-Kak!'  Koskie clucked softly.

'You're dead-on.'  Cooper said.  'This is the chicken 
coop.'

'I can tell by the smell.'  Koskie wrinkled his nose.

Skinner frowned.  'What the hell are you-'

'Yeah.'  Mulder interrupted.  'Look at all the rubber 
skin.'

'There's got to be a chicken around here somewhere.'  
Koskie said.  'Oh my, how I've missed these days.  Are you 
sticking your hands in weird places again?'

Mulder was examining a slimy substance that covered his 
hand.

'If I was a chicken,' Koskie continued, 'and I saw this 
motley looking crew walking around, I wouldn't mess with 
us.'

'Keep the delusions of grandeur alive, my friend.'  Krycek 
said.  'We'll hope that keeps them away.'

'This is the cage.'  Cooper said.  'Since Skinner turned 
off the power, they were able to tear their way out.'

The seven of them stood in silence and looked at the steel 
that was bent beyond recognition, almost abstract art at 
this point.

'I'm suddenly reminded of Jurassic Park.'  Koskie said.  
'You know the part where the Velociraptor's get out, and 
the bars are all twisted.'

'Thanks, Steven.'  Skinner said.  'I really needed to make 
that connection.'

'Can we go?'  Scully asked.  'I don't want to hang around 
and meet one of these things.'

'They're all gone.'  Gibson said softly.

'Scully, I thought you wanted to believe.'  Mulder joked as 
they began their journey again.

'I'm not sure what I believe in anymore.'  She replied.  
'But I don't think I want to believe in an eight foot 
rubber chicken with claws.'

Cooper entered a code on a numeric keypad and the door 
clicked.  He pushed it open.  'My car is right there, what 
are we planning on doing?'

Mulder looked at Skinner and Koskie.  'You guys take Gibson 
and go get Cade and Maggie, bring them back to Marie's 
place.  We'll meet you there.'

Krycek turned and looked back the way they'd came.  'How 
come half of the building isn't on our ass?'

'Who cares?'  Scully asked, shoving him into the back seat 
ahead of her with her good arm.  'Just get in the car so we 
can get out of here.'

'No way.'  Mulder said as Cooper opened the driver side 
door.  'I'm driving.'

'He can get a little protective about that.'  Scully 
climbed into the backseat.

Krycek shifted in his seat to face Scully as Mulder quickly 
jumped in and started the car.  He reached over and gently 
took her arm.  She grimaced as Mulder hit a speed bump.

'Ow!'

'Sorry.'  He looked at her in the rearview mirror and 
pulled out onto the street.

'Fox?'  Krycek asked, looking at the pain on Scully's face.

'What?'

'Please tell me you weren't listening to this on purpose.'

'...Get on the bus...Pay your fare...Then tell the driver 
that you're going to a double-dutch affair...'

Scully burst out into laughter

Mulder grinned.  'What's wrong with Frankie Smith?'

'You can't be serious.'  Krycek responded, wrapping both of 
his hands around Scully's arm.

She laughed.  'It reminds me of Saturday night's at 
Skateway when I was a kid.'  She said before singing along.

'...I missed my bus, I know I'm late...I gotta do something 
I know I hate...I gotta walk to work, fifteen blocks...'

'And I share a kid with you?'  Krycek asked, releasing her 
arm and meeting her gaze.  'Better?'

Scully experimentally flexed her fingers and bent her 
elbow.  She beamed a smile at him.  'Like new.'

Mulder and Cooper sang along with the song from the front 
seat.  'I say ssssssssugar...'

'That's it.'  Krycek said.  'Let me off this double-dutch 
bus.'

Cooper changed the station and Black Sabbath began to play 
as a police squad car cruised by on the opposite side of 
the street.

'...Finished with my woman cause she couldn't help me with 
my mind...People think I'm insane because I am frowning all 
the time...'

'Don't turn around.'  Mulder said, looking at the cop car 
in the rearview mirror.  'Don't turn around.'

The lights on top of the car lit up red, white and blue and 
the cruiser flipped a U-turn.

'Shit!'  Mulder swore violently and stomped on the 
accelerator as Ozzy's voice droned on.

'...All day long I think of things, but nothing seems to 
satisfy...Think I'll lose my mind if I don't find something 
to pacify...'

The rear windshield suddenly cracked as a bullet lodged 
itself in the middle, causing Krycek and Scully to duck 
down.

'...Can you help me...Occupy my brain...'

'Fox, give me your gun.'  Krycek reached up to take the 
offered nine-millimeter. He shot at the back window twice, 
causing a spider web pattern to cover it; then he swiveled 
around and kicked it out with his good leg.

'Cooper,' Scully asked, 'don't you have another gun in 
here?  What kind of government agent are you?'

'The non-violent kind.'  He replied, rolling down his 
window.

'It'd be easier if you gave me your gun instead of hanging 
out the side like a renegade cowboy.'

Krycek was still upside down in the backseat singing along 
with the radio.

'...I need someone to show me the things in life that I 
can't find...I can't see the things that make true 
happiness, I must be blind...'

'Alex, are you singing back there?'  Mulder asked while 
sliding the car around a corner.

'He seems right at home.'  Scully grinned, reaching up 
towards Cooper.  'Kicking out widows, singing in a speeding 
car while hanging upside down in the backseat with a gun in 
his hand.  It's his forte.  Mr. Big, Bad, Hit Man, Tough-
Guy.'

'It helps me relax.  Forces your mind to calm down.'  He 
replied, twisting his body around to sit hunched over in 
the backseat.  Scully had Cooper's gun and they looked at 
each other.

Ready?

They both sat up and leaned across the back dash to take 
careful aim.  Scully took out one front tire and Krycek got 
the other.  The car weaved back and forth across the road 
before landing in a ditch on the side of the street.

He grinned at her.  'Spasiba.'

'Pazhalsta.'  She responded.

'That was easy.'  Cooper said, using the side mirror to 
look behind them.

'A little too easy if you ask me.'  Krycek said, slumping 
in the corner of the backseat.  He was tired from the pain 
in his leg and the sedatives in his system.

'You okay?'  Scully asked, gently putting a hand on his 
damaged knee.

He gave her a grin, his eyes cloudy.  'You know me.'

'...Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I 
will cry...Happiness I cannot feel and love to me is so 
unreal...'

'You know the name of this song, Mulder?'  Scully smiled at 
the back of his head.  'Paranoid.  You must have written 
it.'

He met her eyes in the rearview mirror.  'You picking on 
me?'

'You should know by now that I'm only playing.'

Krycek suddenly sat up fast and pressed the barrel of the 
gun against the back of Mulder's neck.

'...And so as you hear these words telling you now of my 
state...I tell you to enjoy life, I wish I could but it's 
too late...'

'Alex!'  Scully exclaimed.  'What the hell are you doing?'

'He's setting us up.'  Krycek replied, an odd look on his 
face.  'Stop the car, Fox.  Let us out.'

'Have you lost your mind?'  She asked loudly.

'Put the gun down, Alex.'  Cooper said.  'You're confused.'

'I'm not confused.'  He replied.  'He's setting us up.  
He's going to take Cade.'

'Alex, listen to me.'  Scully said.  'You've been heavily 
sedated, you're exhausted, you're hurt.'

'You and Gibson have been getting injections of 
Thioridazine.'  Cooper said.  'To mellow you out, calm you 
down, impair your ability to focus, hampering your 
cognitive abilities.'

'Some of the side effects of Thioridazine are confusion, 
paranoia and psychotic reactions.'  Scully said quickly.  
'Think of the logic, Alex.  Isn't it a possibility that 
you're experiencing one of these symptoms?'

When he didn't answer, she continued, tried a different 
approach.  One that she knew he'd listen to.

'Alex,' she said softly, 'you know I'd never lie to you.  
You know I'd never do anything that might hurt you.  You 
know you can trust me.  And I trust Mulder.'

'Alex.'  Mulder finally spoke up from the front seat.  'I 
am only trying to help you.'

'Give me the gun.'  Scully said, holding out her hand.

He looked from Mulder to meet her eyes.  Confusion and 
uncertainty filled them, reaffirming her belief that he was 
suffering from the powerful sedative.

'We're done, Alex.  It's over.'  She said, giving him a 
small grin.  'Everything is wonderful now.'

'I just don't understand how you can smile with all those 
tears in your eyes and tell me everything is wonderful 
now.'  Krycek said, his expression unreadable.  'I forgot 
about that song.  We used to think about Cade whenever we 
heard it.'

'We always said we'd never let him end up like that.'

He suddenly laughed.  'I'd say everything's been pretty 
screwed up for him so far.'

'I've seen the tapes.'  She said.  'It doesn't look like he 
was lacking in anything.'

He met her eyes again.  'Except his mother.'

She felt the lump that was always lurking around, waiting 
to hop up into her throat.  'And then his father.'  She 
said softly.  'But here you are and we're going to get our 
son.'

Tears filled Krycek's eyes.  'He's probably so big now.'

'Give me the gun, Alex.'

He hesitated, looking at Mulder again.

She leaned towards him.  'It's over, Alex.  Trust Mulder.  
Trust me.'

'I guess I'm going to have to.'  He said, laughing through 
his tears.  'You guys are all I have now.'

'...Sometimes I feel...Like I am drunk behind the 
wheel...The wheel of possibility...however it may roll...'

He slowly put the gun in her hand as Fastball played.  'I 
used to love this song.'

'I remember.'  She said, handing the gun up to Cooper.

Krycek put his hands over his face.  'I'm sorry, Fox.'

'It's okay.'  Mulder looked straight ahead.  'We're all on 
the edge.'

'...Give it spin...See if you can somehow factor in...You 
know there's always more than one way to say exactly what 
you mean to say...'

Scully took his hands away from his face.  'You're fine.  
I'm fine.  We're all fine.  It's over.'

Krycek stared back at her.  'Then why do I feel so 
strange?'

'Because it's over.'  She laughed.  'I feel strange too.  
What am I going to do now?'

'That's not the strange I feel.'  He said softly.  'I feel 
like it's over, but not in a good way.'

She took his hands and held them.  'We're going to get Cade 
and we're going to get out of here and we're going to 
decide what to do.  It's over.  We made it.'

'...Was I outta my head, was I outta my mind...How could I 
have ever been so blind...I was waiting for an 
indication...It was hard to find...'

Krycek finally returned her smile, but it didn't reach his 
eyes.  He didn't believe it.

'...Don't matter what I say...Only what I do...I never mean 
to do bad things to you...So quiet, but I finally woke 
up...'

Mulder stared at them in the rearview mirror as they pulled 
up in front of Marie's house.

It's almost over, he thought.  It's almost over.  Just a 
little longer.  Then everything will be done.  Everything 
will be fine.

'Everything will be wonderful.'  He said out loud.

Mulder didn't know who he was trying to convince more, 
Krycek or himself.

He watched as Cooper opened the front door and walked 
inside.  Scully was helping Krycek up the front walk.  He 
was trying to keep a little distance between them but they 
both turned to look at him.

'What's wrong, Fox?'  Krycek asked his brother.

'Nothing.'  Mulder responded.  'It's just weird to see you, 
that's all.'

Cooper entered the house and Scully and Krycek followed.  
The instant Mulder closed the door behind them, they knew 
something was wrong.

Before they had a chance to do anything, Spender appeared 
before them, Marie at his side.

Scully and Krycek both reached for a gun before realizing 
they didn't have one.  A very old Cheap Trick song was 
slowly and eerily winding its way through the house.

'...Time runs out...Time ran out...Make it turn around...'

'What the hell?'  Scully yelled in frustration.

Marie already had her own gun on them.  'Let's all relax 
for a minute.  Nothing bad is going to happen here.'

'Kinda hard for you to say that nothing bad is going to 
happen when you're pointing a gun at us.'  Krycek said.  He 
turned to look at Mulder standing behind him.  'I'm 
assuming this is Marie?  Great taste you have in women, 
bro.'

'...Would you like to go to heaven tonight...Would you like 
to go to heaven tonight...'

Mulder sighed, his face completely wrecked.

'Cooper, you were in on this all along, weren't you?'  
Scully asked, her face red.  'And here I was believing that 
you were Mulder's friend.'

'I am.'  He replied, standing next to Marie.  'That's why I 
agreed to do this.'

That threw Scully for a loop.  'Do what?'  She asked.

Krycek looked down at the ground, shaking his head and 
closing his eyes.  'I knew it wasn't the drugs.'

'My, my, Fox.'  Spender took a heavy drag off of his cancer 
stick.  'You certainly do deliver as promised.'

Scully's jaw unhinged as Mulder walked over to stand in 
between Marie and Spender.  The sun may as well have set in 
the east, because her world had just turned upside down.

'...Down...A line...Couldn't get much...Couldn't get 
much...Higher if you tried...And tried...And tried...'

'Mulder...' She began to say, but trailed off.

He held up his hands.  'Let me explain for a minute.  I've 
made a deal.'

'What?'  Scully asked.  Her mind was doing somersaults.  
'What do you mean, 'a deal'?  Our escape was staged?'

'For the benefit of everyone else.'  Spender said.  'So 
they would believe the Verein is responsible.'

'Spender's agreed to let both of you go.'  Mulder said, his 
eyes pleading for understanding.  'This is the only way.  
It's fine.  It will work.'

'Let us go in exchange for what?'  Scully asked in a 
whisper.

'Cade.'  Krycek replied, putting has hands over his face.  
'They need Cade.'

Mulder held up his hands again.  'Listen to me-'

'Mulder, have you gone insane?'  Scully's voice was high 
and thin.

'He won't be harmed.'  Mulder replied.  'I will take care 
of him myself.'

'There's no way in hell I'm letting you take my son.'  
Krycek glared at him.  'I don't care what you're trying to 
do.'

Mulder closed his eyes.  'Wait-'

'No.' Krycek said.

'Hold on-' Mulder tried again.

'No.'

'Alex-'

'No.'

'Mulder, you're crazy.'  Scully said.  'You know what this 
man is capable of.'

'It's not him.'  Mulder said, pointing his hands towards 
himself.  'It's me.  I'll be taking care of it'

'Say's who?'  Krycek asked, nodding his head towards 
Spender.  'Our father?'

Mulder was silent.

'I've lived with this man's lies my whole life.'  Krycek 
shook his head.  'You should know by now that he deals in 
deception.  He has to look up the word 'truth' in the 
dictionary.  What the hell are you thinking?'

'I'm thinking of you.'  Mulder replied.  'This is the only 
way.'

'The only way for what?'  Scully asked, tears in her eyes.  
Krycek may be used to being betrayed, but she wasn't and 
didn't know how to process what was happening.  'We were in 
the car, you didn't have to bring us here, we could have 
got Cade and left.  Mulder, what are you thinking?'

'We just need a blood sample, Scully.'  Mulder said softly, 
pleading.  'That's all we need, then all this will be over.  
The vaccine will work.  Without the vaccine, we have 
nothing.'

'We?'  Scully stared back at Mulder, covered in disbelief.  
'What do you mean, we?  Who's we?'

'This is the only way.'  Mulder said again.

'There's nothing you can say.'  Krycek said.  'You're not 
taking my son.  Not with my permission.'

'You're always so brave, Alex.'  Spender said, flicking 
ashes.  'Are you prepared to die for that statement?'

Krycek didn't hesitate.  'You know I am.'

'I was afraid of this.'  Mulder said, turning towards 
Spender.  'Didn't I tell you?  This will end badly.'

Scully put a hand over her mouth.  Her mind rolled in 
disbelief.  She could only think one thought:

I should have listened to Alex.

'I'm telling the truth.'  Spender said.  'You'll be 
released, you can stay with Cade, all we need is his blood 
to create the vaccine.  It's the only way to stop 
colonization.'

Krycek and Scully looked at each other.  She was trembling 
violently.  'No Alex, not Cade.'

He swallowed and bit his lip; his eyes teared up.  He took 
a step closer to her, not knowing what to do.  He was 
helpless.  He couldn't save the day.  He couldn't do 
anything.  They were almost certainly going to die.  They 
wouldn't give Cade up and they would be killed because of 
it.

He silently apologized to her.

I'm sorry, Dana.  I'm so sorry.

Scully took his hand and met his eyes, letting him know 
that she was the one who should be apologizing.  She should 
have listened to him in the car.  She should have listened.  
She should have believed.  He tightened his fingers around 
hers in response and she looked over at the four people 
standing across from them.

'You're not taking our son.'

'It's the only way to save the world.  To save us all.'  
Mulder's face was crushed as he watched them accept the 
fact that they were going to die for Cade.  How odd, he 
thought, Scully and Alex Krycek, making a last stand 
together, them on one side, and me on the other.

Life never quite works out the way you think it will...

Mulder tried one more time.  'Scully, think about this for 
a minute-'

'I'm not going to subject him to tests and laboratories.'  
She said in a shaky voice.  'I don't trust that he or any 
of us will be released.  I don't believe that they only 
want him for awhile.  Even if the vaccine is created, it's 
only a temporary solution...'

Her voice hitched in her throat and Krycek slipped an arm 
around her waist, squeezing her against his side.

'I'm sorry, Scully.'  Mulder said.  'It's the only thing I 
could do.'

'You're getting awfully shifty-eyed, Alex.'  Cancer Man 
said, squinting through the smoke of his cigarette.  'I 
didn't forget that you've had the best training the world 
can offer.  ICT, Recon, Foreign Legion, BI...'

'Gymnastics, roller skating, tap-dancing, origami, basket-
weaving...' Krycek said sarcastically before raising his 
voice.  'What's your point old man?'

Cooper's cell phone rang and he snatched it up.  'Yes.'

He listened for a few moments and then hung up.  'Koskie 
said they'll be here in ten minutes.'

'He has the boy?'  Spender asked.

Cooper nodded.  'He has them all.'

Krycek took the only chance he had, which was the 
distraction of them talking to each other.  He knocked 
Scully back and reached for Cooper's gun.  He got the gun 
in his hand just before Marie fired a bullet off and it 
tore through his chest.

Scully gasped.  'Alex!'

'Damn.'  Krycek said, meeting her eyes for a brief moment.  
'I always get shot.'

The gun he was holding clattered to the floor.  Scully 
clutched at him as he fell, trying to hold him as she 
snatched the gun up and pointed it towards the four people 
standing across from her.  She knelt next to Krycek and put 
her hand over the blood on his chest.  Her eyes were so 
wide they could have simply popped out of her skull.

'My dream, Alex.'  Scully sputtered through her terror as 
the memory suddenly stole into her mind.  'Oh my God, my 
dream.'

'I can't go back to sleep.'  She had said softly, standing 
in the doorway of Krycek's bedroom.  'I had a horrible 
dream.'

'You wanna tell me about it?'  He sat up in his bed, 
leaning back against the headboard, and patted next to him, 
inviting her to sit down.

'Spender was there, and Mulder was there.'  Scully replied, 
easing down on the bed.  'They were working together.  They 
were trying to take the baby.  Someone shot you.'

'We both know that Mulder would never try to hurt you or 
the baby.'  Krycek said.  'And he completely despises 
Spender.'

'I know.'  She had said, her voice a bit shaky.  'But it 
seemed so real.'

Lying on the floor, short of breath, Krycek grinned through 
his pain.  'And you say you're not psychic.'

Seeing the pain on his face and the blood seeping through 
his shirt, Scully struggled not to cry.

'Jesus Christ.'  Mulder said, coming forward.  Scully 
forcefully pointed the gun at him and he froze.

'I'm okay.'  Krycek said softly, looking over at Scully.  
'I'm okay.'  He was silent for a moment.

'Don't you do that, Alex.'  Scully struggled to say over 
the music as the melody grew louder.  'Don't you dare give 
me your good-bye's.'

'...Would you like to go to heaven tonight...Would you like 
to go to heaven tonight...' 

'Alex.'  She whispered.  She couldn't call an ambulance.  
She couldn't put down her gun.  She couldn't do anything 
but sit next to him and watch him bleed.  Her tears fell 
onto his face.  'Alex?'

'I'm okay, Dana.'  He said, staring up in her eyes.  'I'm 
okay.'

Heedless of the gun that wavered in his general direction, 
Mulder kneeled down next to Krycek.  Scully scrambled back 
away from him, into a corner, the gun jumping erratically 
in her shaking hands.

Mulder looked Krycek over and rested his hands on his arm.  
Cheap Trick was still whining away.

'...You can never come down...You can never come down...You 
can never come down...'

'Total wipeout, bro.'  Mulder said, struggling to make his 
mouth work, struggling to grin, struggling to lighten the 
horrible moment.

Krycek looked up at Mulder, his eyes became cloudy, his 
breathing eased up, became more regular.  He slowly let his 
head fall to the side to look at Scully.

I'm okay, Dana.  It's okay.

She felt his thoughts slip away as his eyes closed.

'...Down...Inside...You're getting nervous...You've never 
felt this high before...'

Alex?

There was nothing.

'Alex!'  She yelled out loud.

There was nothing.

He was gone?

Scully desperately searched for a trace of his mind and 
found nothing.

He was gone.

For the first time in all her life, Scully's normal, 
rational grip on sanity completely slipped from her mind 
and she totally freaked out.

'What are you doing, Mulder?'  She yelled.  'What the fuck 
are you doing?'

Mulder stood up.  'Wait a minute, Scully.  Just wait.  
Everything's going to be fine.'

'What are you doing?'  She was yelling incoherently, tears 
streaming down her face.  'Alex...You shot Alex.  Your 
brother.  You just stood there, while she shot him.  What 
are you doing, Mulder?  What the fuck are you doing?'

Scully, wait.  Mulder thought at her with all of his might, 
but he had none of their abilities.  He was only hoping 
that she somehow managed to pick up on what he was trying 
to say as he took a step towards her.  Scully, it's okay.  
It's fine, Alex is fine.  Everything's going to be fine.

'Liar!'  Scully screamed at him, pressing herself even 
further into the wall.

Scully, it's fine.  Everything is fine.  I promise.

'Liar!'  She began to sob, overwhelmed by confusion and 
fear.  Alex couldn't be dead, she thought desperately.  Not 
after all this.  He couldn't be dead.  He couldn't be.  He 
couldn't.

Scully, Alex is fine.  I promise.

Scully stared at Mulder.  He returned her gaze for a moment 
before her eyes drifted down to look at Krycek.  That was 
all the distraction that Mulder needed.  He knocked the gun 
out of her hand and grabbed her arms.  She screamed in 
hysteria at the thought that Cade was on his way over to be 
delivered into Spender's hands.  She couldn't believe that 
it was all ending like this.

She felt the prick of a needle and her mind was immediately 
overcome with drowsiness.  She felt herself being lowered 
to the ground.  She struggled to keep her eyes open; she 
tried to focus on Alex, lying next to her.  She gathered 
her remaining strength and used it to scoot closer to him.  
She rested her head on his shoulder as her eyes disobeyed 
and closed.  When she put a hand on his chest, splaying her 
fingers across it, she could feel his heartbeat.

Relief flooded through her.  He was alive.

Dana...

I'm here, Alex.

It's okay...Krycek's thought was faint as it hazily spilled 
into her head.

She couldn't open her eyes, could barely concentrate, she 
could only hear.

'Good Lord.'  Cooper said in a trembling voice.  'What a 
fucking mess.'

'You promised.'  Mulder said.  'You swore up and down.  I 
have your word.'

'Yes, Fox.'  Spender's voice assaulted her senses.  
'Everything will go according to plan.  You have my word on 
that.'

Time stretched out.  She didn't know how long it had been.  
People came and went.  She didn't think she had been moved.  
She struggled to climb out of the darkness.  She struggled 
to sense Alex.  She heard Mulder talking.

'Are you sure he's going to be okay?'  Mulder's voice was 
strained.

'I got him in the shoulder.'  Marie sounded like she was 
crying.  'Not a chest wound, a shoulder wound.'

This is perfect, she thought hazily, this is fitting.  I'm 
lying here next to Alex Krycek while Mulder has betrayed us 
both.  Who would have thought?  The tricks that life plays 
on you...She could only sense one feeling coming from 
Mulder.

Relief.

Darkness overtook her.

***

Scully tried to climb her way out of the black hole.

When she finally managed to wake up, she realized she was 
in the back of a van.  She had short, fuzzy memories.  
Being moved around, the overwhelming sound of being in a 
large plane, Mulder's voice, Spender's voice, Cooper's 
voice.  She knew she'd been kept heavily sedated, but she 
didn't know for how long or where she was.

Scully struggled to keep calm as the memories came back.  
Alex being shot, Cade being taken...

She craned her head far enough to see the driver and 
another man sitting in the passenger seat.

They were young and looked like military.  They were 
listening to a rap song that had every fifth word bleeped 
out.  She grimaced.  Although she liked to think of herself 
as someone who loved all music, she never did understand 
the whole gangster rap thing.  She wouldn't normally mind 
it except for now it felt like her head was going to 
explode with the heavy thumping of the bass.

She glanced out the window.  All she saw were trees.  Pine 
trees and a gray sky.  She sighed.  She could only be in 
the Pacific Northwest.  With her luck, she was probably in 
Alaska.

Scully slowly sat up and the man in the passenger seat 
turned to her, gun in hand.

'We gonna have any trouble with you?'

'My head hurts.'  She replied.  'Can you turn it down?'

He turned it up even louder.

'...Oh yeah, throw your neighborhood in the air...if ya 
don't care...'

'Thank you.'  She replied dryly.

They pulled up into a park and Scully looked out the window 
to see two other cars parked in the small lot.

'Where are we?'  She asked.  'What is this?'

'This is where you get off.'  The driver put the gear in 
park and turned off the engine.  'Follow that gravel path 
down there, towards all those trees.  Go through the small 
trail and you'll head right onto a pier.'

The passenger opened the door for her and she shivered in 
the breezy weather.  He pulled out a radio.  'She's on her 
way.'

'Confirm that.  We're waiting.'

The voice sounded like Cooper's, but she couldn't be sure.

The passenger grinned back at her.  'They're already here.  
Go on.'

Scully debated on making a run for it, albeit briefly.  She 
had no idea where she was, and they had Cade.  She had no 
choice but to comply.

Her shoes crunched the gravel.  She was still in her suit 
from however long ago that was and her heels were killing 
her.  Her hair was still up, but she was sure it was mess.  
She wrapped her arms around herself, her breath blowing out 
in front of her.  She entered the trees, leaving the normal 
world behind.  There was a path to the left and she took 
it.  The ground on either side of the path became swampy 
and the foliage thickened.  She turned a bend and saw the 
wooden pier.  It jutted out over a large lake.  Three men 
were at the end.

She could recognize Cooper from fifty yards away.  The 
cloud of smoke hovering around indicated Spender.  She knew 
the third man, but she couldn't grasp what it meant.  She 
couldn't put him in with the company of these men.  It made 
no sense.  Her two separate worlds collided and she stopped 
walking.

'Bill?'

'Hello, Dana.'  Her brother approached her and smiled while 
hugging her tightly.  'It's been a long time.'

'What...' She looked up at him as she hugged him.  'What is 
this?'

'Mulder asked me to come.'  He replied.  'To make sure you 
were okay.  To reassure you that everything's fine.'

'Mulder?'  She asked in a whisper.  'How did Mulder...' She 
trailed off in confusion.

'Bill's been our man in Naval Intelligence.'  Cooper said.  
'He was who alerted us to the chicken at the Naval 
Shipyard.'

'What?'  Scully's hands went to the side of her face.  
Nothing was making sense.

'It all really started with the Navy.'  Spender blew out 
smoke.  'Back in World War II, when a submarine was sent 
down to recover a crashed UFO.'

'Zeus Faber.'  Scully whispered.

'Excellent memory.'  Spender said.

'I told Mulder that Bill was our contact with NI.'  Cooper 
said.  'I thought it might be helpful if they talked.'

'I never knew anything about all this.'  Bill shook his 
head.  'I was just tracking.'

Scully was bowled over.  She had no idea what any of this 
meant.  She knew that was probably one of the ideas behind 
this.  To confuse her so she wouldn't come flying at Cooper 
and Spender with a full frontal assault.  Kicking, 
screaming and swearing like she had originally planned.  
Her mind was spinning too much to be angry just now.  He 
mind drifted to Bill's eternal hatred of Mulder.  He had 
probably disliked him so much because he knew that whatever 
Mulder was dragging her into was dangerous.

'Cade is fine.'  Bill said.

Spender smiled.  'Just as I promised.'

'How do you know?'  Scully asked her brother.

'I saw him myself.'  Bill smiled.  'Mulder is watching over 
him like a hawk.  I think Cade likes him.'

Tears filled Scully's eyes.  'I know he does.'

'We have the vaccine.'  Cooper said.  'It's done.'

'Then where's my son?'

'We have to test it first.'  Spender said.  'We need to 
make sure it's effective, then Cade can go.'

'Mulder is taking care of him.'  Bill said.  'Mom sees him 
everyday.'

'Mom?'  Scully asked, struggling for composure, still 
standing in Bill's arms.

'They're both in protective custody.'  Spender said.  
'They're both fine.'

'We're turning down the homestretch.'  Cooper said.  'It's 
almost over.'

'Why am I here?'  She asked.

'That was the deal.'  Cooper said.

'Mulder said he would deliver Cade in exchange for your 
safety.'  Spender said.  'On the condition that Cade would 
be returned to you as soon as the vaccine was finished.'

'There aren't that many people who know you're alive.'  
Cooper said.  'The three of us, your mother, Mulder, Steve 
and Marie Koskie, and Skinner.'

'Where's Skinner?'

Spender smiled.  'Working with Mulder, same as Steven 
Koskie.'

'You're going to need to disappear as soon as you get 
Cade.'  Bill said.  'But until then, you need to stay here, 
and wait to be contacted.'

'Where's here?'

'Seattle.'  Spender grinned even larger.  'Where all of 
this first started.'

Scully shook her head.  'All of this started a long time 
ago.'

'See that small cottage over on the other side of the 
lake?'  Cooper pointed.  'That's where you'll be staying.  
It's very private here.  This whole lake area is actually a 
greenbelt for all these homes.'

'Inside the top dresser drawer in the bedroom is a cell 
phone.'  Spender said.  'That's how you will be contacted 
on where to meet Cade.'

Scully stood shaking in her brother's embrace.  How was she 
supposed to make it through this?  She was going to be 
stranded up here, all alone, without her son, without 
anybody, and she was just supposed to wait and hope that 
the phone rings?

'How long?'  She strangled out.

'I don't know.'  Spender replied.  'Not long.'

'Day's?  Month's?'  She raised her voice.  'How long?'

'Weeks.'  He said.  'At the most.'

Scully buried her face in Bill's chest and tried not to 
cry.

'There's all the money you need in the top drawer with the 
cell phone.'  Cooper said.  'A fake identity, credit cards, 
a gun, a passport.  Just in case.  We're going to walk 
away, wait until we're out of sight before walking over to 
the cottage.  The back door is unlocked.  Instead of where 
you made a left, you could just continue on and the trail 
will take you past the house.'

'Bill?'  Scully asked as he moved away.  This was surreal, 
she thought, this was totally surreal.

He smiled at her.  'I'll see you soon.  I promise.'

'Scully,' Cooper said, 'it's been, interesting knowing you.  
To say the least.'

She stared back at him in silence and he went on.  'You 
haven't asked about Alex Krycek.'

'I don't need to ask.'  She said softly, tears springing to 
her eyes.  'I know he's dead.'

He tilted his head.  'How did you know that?'

She swallowed.  'I just know.'

'Your contact will help you decide what to do, after.'  
Spender said.  'He is the expert on disappearing.  Fox took 
the liberty of choosing him because he knew you'd be well 
taken care of.'

'Who is he?'  Scully asked softly, meeting Spender's eyes.

Spender smiled.  'He's never had a name.'

Bill released her hand and they began to move away.

'I do believe this is goodbye.'  Spender said.  'It's been 
an honor.  You've been a worthy opponent.  I wish we could 
have been on the same side.'

Scully watched them walk away, trying really hard not to 
chase after them.

'Oh, Miss Scully.'  Spender got halfway down the pier and 
turned back.  'I believe it was John Barrymore who said: 
Happiness often sneaks through a door you didn't know you 
left open.'

She made sure that Cooper was still walking away, then she 
gave Spender a small smile.

***

Mulder leaned against the wall, staring down at his 
brother.  He was supposed to be waking up soon.

A memory kept playing over and over in his head.  They were 
in his apartment, Mulder was on the ground and Krycek was 
pointing a gun at him.

'Hear this, Agent Mulder.'  His brother had begun, evil and 
grim.  'Listen very carefully because what I'm telling you 
is deadly serious.  There is a war raging, and unless you 
pull your head out of the sand, you and I and about five 
billion other people are going to go the way of the 
dinosaur.  I'm talking planned invasion.  The colonization 
of this planet by an extraterrestrial race.'

Mulder laughed.  'I thought you were serious.'

'Kazakhstan, Skyland Mountain, the site in Pennsylvania.'  
Krycek went on as if Mulder hadn't said a word.  'They're 
all alien lighthouses where the colonization will begin, 
but where now, a battle's being waged.  A struggle for 
heaven and earth.  Where there is one law: Fight or die.  
And one rule: Resist or serve.

'Serve who?'  Mulder asked.

Krycek shook his head.  'No, not who. What.'

'Krycek, you're a murderer, a liar and a coward.'  Mulder 
replied, tired of the charade.  'Just because you stick a 
gun in my chest, I'm supposed to believe you're my friend?'

Back in the room, Mulder put his hands over his face and 
exhaled heavily.  Well, Krycek hadn't quite turned out to 
be his friend.

He had leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, Mulder 
thought to himself.  I had always thought that was so odd.  
Thought that maybe he was playing Judas.

So much has happened since then.  How many years ago was 
that?  Too many.  And everything was still all screwed up.

'Where are they?'

Mulder looked down to see Krycek's eyes open, pinning him 
to the wall.

'You're awake.'  He replied.  'How do you feel?'

'Restraints?'  Krycek asked when he had tried to sit up.  
'I have to tell you, this doesn't help that whole trust 
issue you've been agonizing over.'

'I knew if you weren't restrained, you'd get up and try to 
take on the building, Alex.'

'Where the hell are they, Mulder?'  Krycek asked.  'What's 
going on?'

'Mulder?'  He asked.  'I can't remember the last time you 
called me that.'

'Where are they?'

'They're fine, Alex.'  Mulder said softly.  'You really 
think I'd put them in danger?'

'What are you doing, Mulder?'  His brother asked, his voice 
steadily rising.  'Have you completely lost your mind?  
Spender's not going to let her or Cade go.  Where the 
hell's my son?'

'Scully's been sent away.'  Mulder said, approaching the 
bedside.  'She's fine.  Cade is fine.  Maggie is with him 
all the time.  I'm always there.  Nothing is going to 
happen.  I promise.  No tricks, really Alex.  Scully is 
hiding, waiting for Cade.  You're going to be released and 
you need to find her.  You need to take care of her.  I'm 
sure she's already half-insane by now with worry over you 
and Cade.  She has the information on how she's going to be 
contacted when Cade will be released, which is going to be 
very soon.  I know the basic area she's in, but nothing 
beyond that.  And I'm reluctant to go ask Spender about 
anything.  I want you out of here right now, as soon as you 
feel ready.  It's almost over, Alex.'

Krycek stared back at him, looking either really angry, or 
really upset.  Mulder couldn't choose.

'Very few people know you're alive, Alex.  Me, Koskie, 
Marie, Skinner, and of course, dear old Dad.'

Krycek still didn't respond.  He gnawed on his lip as his 
eyes wandered the room.

'Alex, if I had told you in the car what was going to 
happen, you wouldn't have gone along with it.'

'Well, gee, Mulder, there's a reason for that, you know.'

'I'm taking care of everything, okay, Alex?'  Mulder said.  
'Everything is fine.  I've made a deal.  Spender wouldn't 
dare screw it up.  He's been waiting for this for far too 
long.  It's what he's always wanted.'

Krycek eyed him for a minute.  'You're working with them, 
aren't you?'

'I've made a deal.'

'If either one of them is harmed,' Krycek said softly, 'I 
swear to God, Fox Mulder, I'll kill you.'

'I thought you didn't believe in God, Alex.'

'The principle is still the same.'

'Such harsh words to say to your brother.'  Mulder replied.

Krycek looked him in the eye with such fierce that Mulder 
was afraid fire would shoot out of his eyes.

'You are not my brother.'

Mulder took in a breath and held it.

He didn't speak for a minute.  He stood there with his brow 
furrowed, amazed at what had just happened.

'What's wrong, Mulder?'  Krycek asked, his lips barely 
moving.  'Feeling guilty?'

'No.' Mulder shook his head before meeting Krycek's eyes.  
'I was just so unprepared for how much that simple 
statement would really affect me.'

He turned to leave, then stopped, his back towards Krycek.

'You know, Alex.  I'm sorry we never got to be brother's.'

Outside, Mulder shut the door and let his head fall back 
against it, letting out a deep sigh.

***

Scully felt quite certain that she was going to go crazy 
soon.

'...Dear God, hope you got the letter and...I pray, you can 
make it better down here...'

The End radio station was on in the house.  The closest 
thing she could find to KROQ.  It was resurrection weekend.  
It reminded her of Alex.  It reminded her of better days.

'...But all the people that you made in your image...See 
them starving on their feet...Cause they don't get enough 
to eat...From God...'

She stood on the little porch at the back of the house at 
one o'clock in the morning.  She was leaning against the 
railing, looking down at the still water.  It was nearly 
pitch black out here.  During the day, lily pads made it 
hard to see anything below the surface of the water.  Ducks 
quacked at her as they sailed in for a splash landing and 
every so often, Canadian Geese would honk overhead.

'...Dear God, sorry to disturb you but...I feel that I 
should be heard loud and clear...We all need a big 
reduction in the amount of tears...'

But at night, everything was darkness.

She wanted better days, unlike the gray misery she'd been 
floating senselessly around in lately.

'...And all the people that you made in your image...See 
them fighting in the street...Cause they can't make 
opinions meet...About God...'

It had been a week and she had heard nothing.  She tried 
not to feel despair, but she did anyway.  She had taken up 
smoking again, like she did back in college, and promised 
herself that once she got the phone call, she would never 
light another cigarette again.  She never slept in the 
bedroom, she always feel asleep on the couch, with a big, 
warm, blaze roaring in the fireplace.  It was too 
depressing to be alone in the house to begin with.  At 
least sleeping on the couch made it feel like she was just 
a visitor, and this was only temporary.  She had possibly 
never felt such despair in her life.

'...Dear God, I don't know if you've noticed but...Your 
name is in a lot of quotes in this book...Us crazy humans 
wrote it, you should take a look...'

How many times has she said that in last ten years?  I've 
never felt such despair...

'...And all the people that you made in your image...Still 
believing that junk is true...Well I know it ain't and so 
do you...'

She had awoken from a dream for some reason.  The dream had 
upset her.  She hadn't been able to go back to sleep.  So 
now, here she was, standing out in the freezing, pouring 
rain in the middle of the night, smoking and getting soaked 
to the bone.  She didn't care.  The dream had thrown her 
wide-awake.

'...I won't believe in Heaven and Hell...No Saint's, no 
sinners, no Devil as well...'

She'd been at the beach house, in the rec room.  Her mom 
was there, Skinner was there, and she knew that Mulder was 
down on the beach with Cade, building a sandcastle.  She 
heard Alex calling her name, but when she went out on the 
deck, to find him, she'd been standing on the pier across 
the lake.  She'd been looking back at the cottage she was 
staying in now.

'...No pearly gates, no thorny crown...You're always 
letting us humans down...'

Her eyes had jerked open.  She'd slowly sat up on the couch 
and stayed perfectly still.  She could have sworn that 
she'd felt Alex in her mind.  That maybe he'd been trying 
to tell her something.

'...The wars you bring, those babes you drown...Those lost 
at sea and never found...'

She believed that he was alive.  She'd sensed as much from 
Spender.  It's the reason she'd lied to Cooper.  He'd left 
Marie's apartment that night under the impression that 
Krycek had died as a result of the gunshot wound to his 
chest.  And there was no need for anyone other than the 
select few of them to know that he was alive.  It was 
better that the NSA, the Syndicate, the Verein, that 
everyone thought that Alex Krycek was dead.  And good 
riddance, most of them would think.

'...And it's the same the whole world 'round...The hurt I 
see helps to compound...'

The John Barrymore quote that Spender had flung her way 
reinforced her belief that Alex was alive.

She had no doubt.  If he was free, Alex would find her.

'...That the Father, Son and Holy Ghost...Is just 
somebody's unholy hoax...'

This whole thing was insane.  Scully thought back to when 
she'd first met Krycek, straight out of the academy, green, 
and struggling to please everyone.  Especially Mulder.  Who 
knew at that time that he'd turn out to be Mulder's brother 
and the father of her child?

She had become completely disenchanted with life.  She 
longed for better days.

The lyrics were getting to her.

'...And if you're up there, you'll perceive...That my 
heart's here, upon my sleeve...'

Dana...

Scully jerked on the balcony.  Krycek's presence was 
suddenly very real in her head again.

Alex?

'...If there's one thing I don't believe in...It's you....'

There was nothing and her eyes filled with tears.  She 
could have imagined it.

'...Dear God...'

Her dream popped into her head.  The pier.

She was suddenly enveloped in silence, like an invisible 
shield had gone up around her.  She suddenly knew.  She was 
suddenly so sure.  She looked across the lake, but couldn't 
see anything in the dark.

He was at the pier.

Scully didn't stop, didn't think.  She ran out into the 
dark night, stumbling through the trail.  The rain pelted 
against her, branches slapped at her face.  The path was 
slippery and she stumbled and fell down.

She didn't care.

Covered in mud, her arm was bleeding and her leg hurt, she 
got up and kept running.  She realized that she wasn't 
wearing any shoes, she was only wearing the thin sweats 
that she'd been sleeping in.  Her long hair was wet and 
stringy, clinging to her face and she whipped it behind her 
but it didn't matter.  She still couldn't see where she was 
going.  Rain, tears, darkness, whatever.  Either way, she 
was blind.

She came to the pier.  She could barely see him standing at 
the end.  He was completely drenched, shivering, his arms 
wrapped around himself.  He had a sweatshirt hood pulled 
over a baseball cap.  It didn't matter; it was raining so 
hard that he could have had on a dozen layers and he still 
would have been drenched.  He was soaked through and 
shaking.  It was dark, but she knew he could see her.

His voice entered her head as he rushed to meet her.

I've been looking for you.

She began to laugh like an idiot as she threw her arms 
around his neck, nearly knocking him down.

'I knew you'd fine me.'  She said.

'And you say you're not psychic.'  He replied softly, 
hugging her back.

She began to cry at the sound of his voice speaking the 
familiar words.

Krycek rested his chin on top of her head.  He didn't know 
what to say.  'Dana, you're freezing.'

She squeezed her eyes shut, gripping him tighter.  She 
didn't think she could talk.

'They have their damn vaccine.'  He said through his 
chattering teeth.  'It's over.'

She managed to spit out some words.  'Did you see Cade?'

He shook his head and pulled her wet hair behind her.

She leaned back and looked up at him, barely able to make 
out his features in the dark light.

'He'll be released soon.'  Krycek said.  'Colonization 
won't happen once the aliens realize that we're immune.  
Jesus, my mouth is frozen.  You should feel lucky that I'm 
too cold to talk as much as normal.'

She laughed through her tears and put her hands on his 
face.  'You're here.'

He kept his arms around her waist and laughed back.  'So 
are you.'

They laughed harder.  She rested her cheek against his 
chest and smiled.  'It's been a long time, Alex.'

'Way too long.'  He replied, resting his head on hers.  
They stood that way for a minute, ignoring the rain that 
showered down on them and the wind that blew freezing air 
against their skin.

'Dana, you smell like cigarettes.'

'Are you okay?'  She put a hand over where he'd been shot.

'Why are you're covered in mud?' He replied, looking down 
at her.  'Your arm's bleeding.'

'How's the knee, Alex?'

'What are you wearing?  You're going to catch pneumonia.  
Dana, you don't have any shoes on!'

'First of all, Dr. Logan, you don't 'catch' pneumonia.'  
She said, taking his hands.  'Secondly, when did you become 
such a mother hen?'

'Was I clucking?'  He asked, shaking from the cold.

'Big time.'

'I guess kids will do that to you.  Dana?'  They walked as 
quickly as they could throw the downpour.

She looked up at him.

'Please tell me there's beer in your house.  I haven't had 
one in almost a year.'

'You need to ask?'  She smiled.

'Corona?'  He asked hopefully.

She shook her head.  'Pacifico.'

'Even better.'

She grinned up at him.  'You know what else I got?'

'Tell me hot, running water and some dry clothes and I may 
just bow down right here in the mud and worship you for the 
rest of my life.'

'There's hot water, dry clothes.'  She said.  'Chips and 
salsa too.'

He grinned, quoting the Big Bopper.  'Oh baby, you know 
what I like.'

***

They were both lying on the floor in front of the 
fireplace, facing each other, elbows propping them up, 
their chins in their hands.

Krycek had just come from the shower.  He'd been in there 
forever.  She'd knocked on the door to make sure he was 
okay.

'You ever coming out?'

'I'm basking.'

Scully had smiled to herself.  She remembered when she'd 
been at her Mom's house after coming home from being 
imprisoned.  She must've stayed in the bath for an hour or 
so, letting the cool water drain before refilling it again.

She had already changed into a pair of jeans and a 
sweatshirt and had been brushing her hair in front of the 
fire, letting it dry.  It was getting really long these 
days.  It was nearly two in the morning when Krycek had 
come out and they'd sat down on the floor with a beer.  An 
old Elvis Costello song was on the radio.

'You look tired.'  She said to him.

He grinned.  'I am.'

'You didn't stop on the drive over, did you.'  It was more 
of a statement than a question.

'I didn't need to.'

'A drive across the country and you didn't stop.  How many 
hours was that?'

'I got no idea.'

She looked towards the kitchen.  'You must be starving.'

'I'm too tired to eat.'  He held his bottle towards her.  
'Beifall.'

'We're not drinking Heinekein, Alex.'  She hit her beer 
against his.  'It's Pacifico.  Aclamaciones.'

He grinned before taking a long swallow of his beer.  'Oh 
my God, that is so good.'

She giggled.  'Drinking like that on an empty stomach?  
You're going to get drunk.'

'That's just fine.'

'Why don't you go to sleep, Alex?'

'Because it's been a long time, Dana.'

She smiled at him.  'Almost three years.'

'I think sleep can wait for awhile.'  He replied.  'We 
haven't talked in so long.'

'I know.'  She said.  'We used to talk all the time.'

'I could never get you to shut up.'

'The last time we talked was when we were arguing.'  She 
said softly.  'When you wanted to leave.'

'I didn't want to leave.'  He corrected her.  'I just 
didn't want to be in the way.'

She shook her head.  'You weren't.'

'You're lying.'  He grinned.  'But I'll ignore it for now.'

They fell silent again.  Scully was reliving that whole 
chaotic Thanksgiving that happened years ago.  That was the 
last time they'd actually had a constructive conversation 
of any kind.  They had spun through emotions on the beach, 
and argued about it the next morning.  Then she'd been 
taken.  Then he'd been taken.  Then they had busted him 
out; then they were both taken again.

And now finally, here they were.

'You know, Alex.'  She said.  'We never did finish that 
conversation.'

He met her eyes for a moment before speaking softly.  'Do 
we really need to?'

A thousand images spun through her mind and she tried to 
smile after what seemed an eternity of silence between 
them.  'No.'

'And I was in the way.'  Krycek smiled sadly.  'If I hadn't 
of been around back then, who knows how things would have 
turned out.  Especially for you and Fox.'

She was silent, thinking, reflecting.  Pondering.  
Dwelling.

His voice interrupted her sulking.  'Fox did what he needed 
to.'

She raised her eyes to his and he continued.

'He did what he thought was right.'  Krycek said.  'He knew 
no harm would come to Cade.  He's in charge now.  Other 
than our Father, but Fox has him wrapped around his 
finger.'

Scully didn't reply.  She had known that Mulder wouldn't 
intentionally harm her, or her son.  But she hadn't quite 
known what to think.  Especially after that mess at Marie's 
house.

'It had been bad enough when he'd started talking about 
taking Cade.'  Scully said softly.  'But when you'd been 
shot, and he'd done nothing...'

'He had injected me with Halcion when he'd knelt by my 
side.'  Krycek said, his eyes were heavy.  'That's why I 
passed out so quickly.'

Scully nodded.  'He did the same to me.  Did you get a 
chance to talk to him?'

'He was there when I woke up.'  Krycek said, running a hand 
through his hair.  'I'm afraid I wasn't very brotherly 
towards him.  As a matter of fact, I was an asshole.'

'All that, for Cade.'

Krycek shook his head.  'That wasn't all.'

Scully took another drink of her beer, as if to steel 
herself from the bad news she could sense was coming.

'He went to Spender to ask what it would take to gain our 
freedom.  Yours and mine.'  Krycek looked into the fire for 
a moment.  'He said he'd do whatever it took.  So he agreed 
to join in the Syndicate.'

Scully closed her eyes.  She had thought that's what was 
coming, but it bothered her nonetheless.  'Mulder always 
hated everything about that group.  It's who he'd always 
been trying to bring down.'

'On top of working with them to secure the vaccine, to 
fight against the Rebels and to trick the aliens, he had to 
supply Cade as well.  All they needed was his blood, to map 
his DNA.'

'Good Lord.'  She whispered.  'Why didn't he talk to me?'

'I should have listened to him.'  Krycek said in response.  
'He was trying to tell me, but I wasn't listening.'

'You were in no condition to think rationally, Alex.'  She 
closed her eyes and rubbed a hand over her face.  'I should 
have been the one to get a clue.  I just wish he would have 
tried to talk to us about it first.'

'He probably didn't think that we'd react with such 
hostility.'  Krycek said softly.  'He probably thought we'd 
trust him.  That we'd follow his lead.'

'Well, damn.'  She said, raising her voice a little.  'We 
walk into his girlfriend's house to find Cancer Man there.  
Everyone's trying to get us to turn over Cade.  Marie 
shoots you and Mulder does nothing.  What did he expect?'

'Trust.'  Krycek shook his head tiredly.  'I don't know.  
Everything had happened so quickly.  I don't think they had 
much time to plan.  And he knew that if he had told us 
about the deal before getting there, that we would have 
freaked out and done God knows what.  This way, at least he 
felt like he could have some control over the situation.  
He could make sure that we were taken care of, and that 
Cade was taken care of.'

'You were shot, Alex.'

'I was shot well.  Marie knows how to shoot.'  He grinned.  
'I was never in real danger.  And once Mulder gave me the 
injection, I was fine.  I was resting.'

'Oh my God.'  Scully said, shaking her head.  'Koskie had 
said something about Marie being the Inter-Service Pistol 
Champion for a few years at dinner a couple of weeks ago.'

'Mulder knew what he was doing.  He had Marie ready, in 
case I decided to do what I did.  You know how I get.'  
Krycek said, his eyes closed.  'I can't be angry with him 
for doing what he did.  He thought it was right.  And I 
guess it was.  He saved us both.  He was relieved when he 
realized it was going to work.  He was relieved when he 
knocked me out.'

'Yes, I got relief from him too.'  Scully said softly.

'Because he knew everything was going be fine after.  
Everything had worked out and he was in control.'

'And now he's working with Spender.'

'Sucketh.'

She smiled at him.  'You always know just what to say.'

'I was-'

'Engineered that way.'  She finished with him.  'Yes, I 
know.  I've heard it.  Too many times.'

They were silent; she could feel that he was about to fall 
asleep.

'It has been a long time, Alex.  I missed you.'

Krycek opened his eyes and looked at her.  He seemed ten 
years older and ten years younger at the same time.  She 
stared back at him silence before reaching out to trace a 
scratch on his forehead.  She could only guess that it'd 
come from a branch on their hurried walk back.

'I missed you too, Dana.'

'You look tired.'

'I am tired.'  He closed his eyes and laid his head down on 
his arm.  'So tired.'

She continued to stroke the scratch on his face.  'You 
gonna sleep here on the floor?'

'Uh huh.'  He answered sleepily.

'You want a pillow?  A blanket?  You want to at least get 
on the couch?'

'Huh uh.'

She smiled at him.  He was already asleep.  It had been 
less than a minute.

***

Scully woke up the next day on the couch.  She had fallen 
asleep on the floor too, but had been yanked out of sleep 
just before sunrise by a horrid nightmare.  She had woken 
up, breathless, her heart racing.  Krycek had immediately 
opened his eyes and looked at her.

'You okay?'

She nodded back at him.  'I'm fine.  Nightmare.  Go back to 
sleep.'

He closed his eyes and she covered him up with a blanket, 
stuffed a pillow under his head, then got the fire going 
again.  She had fallen asleep on the couch.

When she woke up again, she was confused when she saw that 
the room was empty.  For a second she thought she had only 
dreamt that Krycek had been there.  Then she realized that 
the blanket was covering her, the pillow under her head.  
The smell of coffee was in the air.

Scully stood up and wandered the small cottage.  She saw 
him sitting outside at the small patio table, drinking 
coffee and staring over the lake.  She poured herself a cup 
and wandered out onto the deck.  He looked her way when she 
pushed open the sliding glass door.

She smiled, still not believing that he was here after all 
this time.  That they could actually have a normal 
conversation.  Their time in Newport Beach seemed so far 
away.  'Looks different during the day, doesn't it?'

He smiled at her and kicked the chair across from him 
towards her.  'Have a seat.'

That statement brought back memories of years ago.  A 
memory of her standing up from her kitchen table, Alex 
Krycek inside her apartment.  She had wanted nothing to do 
with him.  She wanted him to turn around and walk away.  
Skinner was right next to him; she could have him removed, 
if she wanted.  Alex Krycek...

She thought back to that night.  She remembered the odd 
feeling that had come over her.  The feeling that something 
had changed.  Something had happened when she told him to 
have a seat.

Something important.

Krycek had stared at her, an odd look on his face.  She 
knew that he had felt it too.  That he was also aware that 
something had happened.

Something important.

On the deck in the Greater Seattle Area, Scully smiled at 
Krycek as she sat down across from him at the patio table.  
She eyed him with her head tilted to the side.  'You do 
that on purpose?'

'Do what?'

'You know.'

'Don't think I do.'

'Don't play dumb with me High IQ Man.  I ain't falling for 
it.'

'Gibson will be with Cade.'  Krycek said.

Scully frowned at him.  'What made you think of that?'

Krycek smiled.  'High IQ's.'

'Gibson is the only person I know with an IQ higher than 
yours.'

'Yes, but we don't need to talk about that.'

'What, that Gibson is smarter than you?'

'There's certainly no need to rub it in.'

She laughed.  'What time is it?'

'Two o'clock.'

'Oh my god!'  Scully screeched.  'Did we sleep all day?'

'We must have needed it.'  He replied.  'I know I did.'

Scully looked over the water and took a sip of her coffee.  
'I haven't been sleeping much myself.'

'It's almost over, Dana.'

'Yeah.'  She replied.  'We just keep on telling each other 
that, don't we?'

Krycek looked at her until she met his gaze.  He raised his 
eyebrows and she smiled.

'What?'  She asked.

'Nothing.'  He replied.  'Just wondering what's going on up 
there in that red head of yours.'

She looked at him with mock amazement.  'You mean you don't 
know?'

'I'm starving in a big way.'

'Why haven't you eaten?'

'I was waiting for you.'

'Such the gentleman.'  She joked.  An idea suddenly came to 
her.  She grinned at him.

'Really?'  He asked.  'You wanna?'

'I don't know.'  She replied.  'It almost seems too weird.'

'Seems really, really weird to me.'  He answered.  'I keep 
thinking of the last time we were there.'

'You're right.'  Scully shook her head.  'Way too weird.'

They were silent for a moment.  He looked at her and she 
grinned.

'Although I wasn't able to have a Hurricane last time.'

***

'Am I the only who feel's really weird about this?'  Alex 
asked.

On the way across The New Orleans Café, they passed by the 
table they'd sat at over three years ago and they looked at 
each other, remembering.

Spender pulled out another chart and laid it on the table 
in between the two.  'This is the DNA of your unborn 
child.'

Krycek suddenly stood up, knocking over the chair in the 
process, and hastily walked out of the restaurant.

As they sat down at a table in the back corner, they looked 
at each other and laughed.

'This was where you found out that Cade was yours.'  Scully 
said.

'What a totally screwed up night that was.'  Krycek said 
loudly, trying to talk over the band.  They were doing a 
wonderful cover of B.B. King's 'Ten Long Years'.

It had been ten long years.  Ten damn long yours since she 
had been assigned to the X-Files.

Scully shook her head.  'Do you realize it's been over 
three years since that night?'

'Doesn't seem like it.'

'That's because we've been separated most of the time.'  
She said softly.

Krycek met her eyes when the waitress arrived.

While gorging themselves and vegetarian jambalaya and 
hurricane's, Scully had reminded him that he'd promised her 
a trip around Pioneer Square when she wasn't pregnant.  
After dinner he showed her around, club hopping and 
drinking themselves into oblivion.  They wound up on 
Capitol Hill, in a bar called The Bad Ju Ju Lounge.  The 
inside had flames over the bar, medieval in décor, with 
bats hanging.  They only played racket.  Slayer, Pantera, 
Sepultera, Metallica.  They took a booth in the back and 
drank Fat Tire on tap.

'Alex.' Scully had said drunkenly.  'I don't think I've 
ever seen you drunk.'

Krycek grinned.  'What's your point?'

'I've seen you drink, but I've never seen you drunk.  
There's a difference.'  She laughed and pointed at him.  
'You're really shitfaced.  I can tell.'

'Thank you, oh tactful one.'

'It doesn't seem like it's been so long.'  Scully said.  
'Seems like we were just here, in Seattle.'

'Yeah, I've been shot about four time since then.'

'Mulder's girlfriend shot you good.'  She slurred.

'Yes.'  He replied.  'She knew exactly what she was doing.'

'Alex.'  She said again.  'Mulder moved on with life.'

'I know.'  He replied.  'I'm sorry, that must have been 
hard for you.  I'm sure you wanted some kind of closure in 
your relationship.'

'Yes and no.' She said.  'It had been a long time.  Things 
change.  I know that.  I'm glad he moved on.  It was 
probably either that or go insane.  And he didn't need to 
be any crazier.  But what I meant was, he moved on and you 
never found anyone.  No one.'

'I wasn't looking.'  Krycek laughed and looked away.  He 
shook his head.  'I think we're both far too inebriated for 
this conversation.'

'You're not looking that together, Alex.'

'However,' He said, pointing at her.  'I can still walk.  I 
don't expect the same from you.'

'Oh come on.'  She grinned.  'You can tell me.'

He hesitated.  'What was the question?'

'How come you never got a girlfriend?'

'You want the truth?'

'I seek nothing else.'

'The truth?'

She looked around.  'Is there an echo in here?'

'The truth?'

'Cut it out!'  She squealed.

He laughed like a little kid, throwing his head back.

'You're evil.'  She said.

He reached out to twist her ring around her finger.  'I'm 
glad you found your ring, Dana.  I noticed you were wearing 
it when it connected with the side of my face.'

'I'm sorry for beating you up, Alex.  But you're avoiding 
the question again.  You're so good at that.'

'If you must know.'  He said.  'The only person I've ever 
loved died a few years ago.'

'Alex.'  She said, a sad look on her face.  'That's 
horrible.'

Krycek laughed and stood up from the table.  'Beer?'

'Just one more.'  Scully grinned at him.  'And Alex...'

'No.'

'Come on!'  She protested.

'No.'

'Just one!'

He shook his head.  'No way.'

'Please?'  She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him.

He grinned at her blatant attempt to be cute, then rolled 
his eyes and walked away.  She watched him over at the bar, 
talking and laughing with one of the bartenders, oblivious 
of all the stares that women were throwing his way.

He returned and set a beer down in front of her.

She huffed.  'You suck.'

'You know,' he said as he sat down at the table.  'I don't 
need this abuse.'

She shook her head at him.  'You love it.'

He looked at her slyly and held up a cigarette.

'I knew you couldn't deny me.'  She reached for it and he 
pulled it away.

'The last one.'  He said.

'The last one.'  She repeated, then gasped in surprise when 
he stuck two in his mouth and lit them both.  'Alex, I'm 
appalled at you!'

'The last one.'  He reminded her, holding a cigarette to 
her.  'And only because we're celebrating.'

Her fingers brushed his when she took it from him, their 
eyes never breaking contact.  'And what are we 
celebrating?'

Krycek held his beer up and she followed suit.  'The end.'  
He said.

She shook her head and smiled.  'Not the end, Alex.  The 
beginning.'

'And there goes the maudlin alarm.'  He said, knocking his 
glass against hers.

Scully laughed and looked around the bar, taking a swallow 
of her beer.  'You know, Alex, with your messed-up hair and 
black pleather jacket, all the girls keep checking you out.  
And the cigarette doesn't exactly take away from that whole 
sexy Bad Boy image you have going on.'

'I have that going on?'  He blew out smoke and raised his 
eyebrows at her.  'Dana Scully, if I didn't know any 
better, I'd say that you just hit on me.'

She tapped her cigarette in the ashtray.  Damned if she 
wasn't blushing.  Almost forty years old and blushing.  She 
snuck a glance at him to see he hadn't moved, hadn't 
averted his eyes.  He was just grinning that damn evil grin 
of his, staring at her through the hazy smoke of their 
cigarettes.  She could see the holy terror he must have 
been to high school fathers.  She could see how any teenage 
girl would go starry-eyed over him.  She could almost see 
the old Krycek in the look he was throwing her way.  But 
that man didn't exist for her anymore.

He hadn't for a long time.

She returned his gaze, taking a hit off the cigarette.  She 
blew smoke to the side and smiled at him.  'Well, you know, 
all the girlie's say you're pretty fly.'

Krycek smiled back, holding her eyes with his.  He 
shrugged.  'For a white guy.'

They took a cab back to Pioneer Square to get some veggie 
dogs from the corner hotdog stand.  It was very late and 
the bars were closing.  People were milling around 
everywhere on the streets and the two of them had struck up 
a conversation with a young couple in line.  They were 
students of the University and came down here every weekend 
to blow off steam.  The four of them ate their late night 
snack together and shared some beer.  When the couple's cab 
had arrived, they gave Krycek and Scully a Heineken each 
and left them sitting on the bench in front of the New 
Orleans Café.

Krycek opened a can and held it out in her direction, 
causing a memory to wash over her.

'Brewski's!'  Langly exclaimed.  'Flow me a Heinie?'

'Have at it.'  Scully said, waving in the direction of the 
refrigerator.

'I'm impressed.'  Krycek said.  'I didn't know that about 
you.'

'What?'  Scully asked.

'That you were a boardhead.'

'I went to Berkeley for my undergrad.'  Scully said.  
'Spent a lot of time with the surfers in Santa Cruz.'

'Sharky.'  Krycek smiled.

'Woofy.'  Scully replied.

They had smiled at each other in spite of themselves.

Scully looked over at Krycek, years later, to see him 
grinning down at her. 'I think that was the first time we 
ever connected.'  He said softly.  'You know what I mean.'

'Yeah.  I know what you mean.'  She returned his smile and 
looked over her shoulder, at the sign in the window.  'It 
always comes down to the New Orleans Café.  Who would have 
thought back then that we'd be here like this?  That we 
would be having a kid together, that we'd run away to hide 
in Newport Beach, that we'd go through everything we have, 
that we'd become so close...' She closed her mouth, aware 
of her rambling.

A moment of silence stretched out and he blinked at her.

'You tired?'  She asked softly.

Krycek pondered for a moment before smiling.  'I think I'm 
still drunk.'

'Can you buy me those one karat diamond earrings tomorrow?'

'I'm not that drunk.'

She laughed, putting her hand on his leg, like she did all 
those years ago.  When the two of them had been sitting on 
this very same bench, after he'd just found out that the 
baby was his and couldn't process the fact.  'With you, 
Alex, one can never be sure.'

Krycek's face suddenly grew serious.  He sighed; he seemed 
upset.

'What's wrong?'  She asked softly.

He shook his head.  'I just can't believe we're both here.  
I missed you, Dana.'

Scully was mortified to find herself on the verge of tears.  
Again.  She went to brush hair out of her face, and he 
caught her hand.  She interlaced her fingers with his and 
they held hands on the bench between them.

'I missed you too, Alex.'  She looked down at their hands.  
'More than I thought I could.'

Krycek smiled at her somber gaze.  'I need to say something 
to you.'

She couldn't reply.  She could feel his hesitance and his 
eyes were unusually serious.

'If nothing else, this whole mess has taught me to not let 
time slip by.  To say things that need to be said.  When 
you were taken, when we thought you were dead, I regretted 
never telling you.'

She swallowed, trying to calm her nerves.  She couldn't 
imagine why she should be frightened.  But she was.  'Tell 
me what, Alex?'

He took a deep breath and laughed.  'This is going to sound 
really corny, so bare with me.  You were the first friend I 
ever had, the first person to ever know the real me, to 
know everything about me.  You're the only person who ever 
bothered to look beyond everything else and accept me.  You 
are the first person to ever love me for who I am.'  He 
hesitated and cleared his throat.  'I believe, I really do, 
that if you hadn't let me in your apartment that first 
night, if you hadn't listened and had turned me away, that 
I would never have become the person I am today.  I think I 
would be dead, one way or another, physically or 
emotionally.  You saved my life.  You saved me from myself.  
And I just wanted you to know.  I wanted to thank you.'

She listened to him in disbelief, tears in her eyes.  She 
shook her head.  'I can't even think about how different my 
life would be if you hadn't shown up that night.  You 
believe that I saved you, but in reality, you saved me.  I 
grew up in a military family with strict rules and 
regulations to live by.  I went off to college and 
struggled through all new rules and regulations.  I went 
into medical school and the Bureau.  I was always fighting 
against all the chauvinism.  I was dry inside.  You gave me 
life.  You saved me.  You were the first person to ever 
know the real me, to know everything about me.  You are the 
first person to ever love me for who I am, because I never 
knew who I was before you came along.  You saved me from 
myself.  I think it's me that should be thanking you.'

They regarded each other in deafening silence.  The moment 
stretched out until he reached over and put both of his 
hands on her face.  She closed her eyes as he kissed her on 
the forehead.

This surprised her.  Not only had Krycek kept his distance 
from her in all the time she'd known him but also the 
gesture was incredibly familiar.  Kissing her on the 
forehead...It was something she'd used to do when she'd 
wanted to reach out to Mulder and had been afraid.

Krycek froze, his lips on her forehead and his hands on her 
face.  And in that instant, she knew.  He had heard her 
thoughts, knew what she'd been thinking.  It had stopped 
him cold because it had been the truth.

It had been her that had died a few years ago.  She had 
been too drunk to understand what he had been trying to 
tell her earlier in the night.  She was the only woman he'd 
ever loved.

She slowly raised her face to meet his eyes; he looked like 
a deer frozen in headlights.

He managed to smile.  'Don't look so surprised, Agent 
Scully.  I'm sure you already knew that I've been in love 
with you for a long time.'

Her mouth was slightly open.  She didn't know how to 
respond; she didn't know what to say.  Her eyes revealed 
her astonishment.  To hear the words out loud...

'Since when?'  She stupidly sputtered.

Krycek ran his fingertips down her cheeks and let them 
slide of her face.  'Since you told me to have a seat.'

Something had happened when she told him to have a seat.

Something important.

Tears gathered on the end of her lashes.  She hadn't known.  
She had suspected, she had thought, she had almost hoped.  
But hoping led to other, complicated issues.  So she 
ignored it the same way she had ignored her own feelings.  
She pushed them away, behind the barrier, then recoiled in 
surprise when they surfaced from time to time.  She had 
built one hell of a wall around herself in the past decade.  
Not letting anyone in.  Not her family, or her friends.  
Not even Mulder.

It had surprised her when Krycek somehow managed to find a 
knothole in her fence to peek through.  When her 
subconscious knocked on her mind to let her know what was 
happening, she'd immediately reinforced her wall with 
bricks.  She had been protecting herself and protecting 
Mulder.  She had a sense of loyalty to Mulder that she'd 
never had with anyone else, and she had confused the 
loyalty and deep friendship for something different.

She had known.  She had been aware that Alex was in love 
with her the same way she'd been aware that she'd fallen in 
love with him a long time ago.  She finally admitted it to 
herself and everything she'd been trying to do over the 
past few years, ignoring her feelings, ignoring his 
feelings, ignoring the truth, it all stopped.  It all 
became clear.

The wall finally fell down.

She could barely get the words out; she was trembling so 
badly it affected her speech.  'I'm sure you already know I 
feel the same.'

'I didn't know.'  He whispered.  'I suspected.  But I had 
no right to feel the way I felt or to wish you would feel 
the same.'

'You had every right.'  She touched her own shaking hands 
to his face.  'It's not something we control.'

'I tried to control it.'  He said, leaning his head into 
her hand.  'I didn't want to get in the way.  I wanted you 
to be happy.'

She shook her head and leaned towards him.  'You make me 
happy.'

He smiled.  He looked into her eyes.  He said the words, 
just to make sure.  'I love you.'

She shook her head and leaned her forehead against his.  'I 
love you.'

Their lips hovered an inch away from each other as he 
placed his hands on her cheeks.

Scully closed her eyes as he brought her face close and 
pressed his lips against hers.  Her mind was suddenly 
washed in sensation.  She could feel what he was feeling 
and it was remarkable.  Their lips parted and met again.

She could feel his love for her, his desire for her.  She 
could feel everything that he'd ever felt for her.  In 
response, she was certain that her own feelings were 
cascading into his head.  She could feel them back.  He put 
his hands on her waist to pull her closer and in response, 
she slid her hands into his hair.

Their lips met again.  He plunged his hands into her hair 
and tilted her head to the side.  She opened her mouth and 
their tongues met.

They were both trembling.  She didn't know if it was from 
desire or emotion; all she knew was that she had never felt 
anything like it before.

'Jeez, people.'  A voice interrupted, someone walking by.  
'Get a room.'

Their lips parted and they looked in each other eyes.

They both laughed.

***

The ringing jolted them both out of sleep.  They were 
tangled together.  Scully reached for the phone on the 
nightstand and fell right over the edge of the bed and onto 
the floor.  Krycek's head popped over the side as she sat 
up with the phone in her hand.

'Where's the phone?'  She stood up, a sheet wrapped around 
her.  'Where's the phone?'

He reached out and put a hand over hers, the one clutching 
the Nokia.  'It's in your hand.'

She shook her head distractedly and flipped it open.  
'Yes?'

His eyes were alert as he stared at her.

She met his gaze, disbelief stamped on her face.  'Mom?'  
Tears popped up in her eyes as she listened.  After a few 
moments of chatter, she hung up and looked at him, smiling.  
'Four hours.'

His own grin poured over his face.

'Marymoor Park.  On the pier at Lake Sammamish.  In the 
marsh section of the Interpretive Trail.'  She said, 
sitting on the edge of the bed.  'Do you know where that 
is?'

He nodded, taking her hand and pulling her towards him.  'I 
do.'

Scully leaned towards him.  She smiled before kissing him 
deeply.  In response, he pulled her closer.  She laughed 
and pushed him away before standing up, grinning happily.

'I think it's over.'

'It is for us.'  He smiled sadly.  He didn't need to 
elaborate.

She tilted her head to the side, thinking.  'Everything 
will work out.  Everything always does.'

He threw a pillow at her.  'Isn't that my line?'

'You know, maybe I am psychic.'  She smiled brilliantly.  
As she strode towards the bathroom, she let the sheet fall 
away from her.  'Because I'm getting the feeling that you 
want to wash my hair.'

He hesitated, watching her walk into the next room, then 
suddenly went after her.

'Oh baby, you know what I like.'

*** 

'What are we going to do after this?'  Scully asked as they 
reached the edge of the pier and sat down on a bench.

'I don't know.'  He smiled down at her as she rested easily 
against his side.  'What will come, will come, and we'll 
just have to meet it when it does.'

'Damn Taoism...' Scully looked up into Krycek's suddenly 
apprehensive face.  'You okay?'

He nodded in response.  'I'm just, I don't know, nervous or 
something.  It's been a long time.  What if he doesn't 
remember me?'

'Alex.'  She admonished, resting a hand on his leg.  'Of 
course he remembers you.'

Krycek regarded her for a minute before shaking his head.  
'Look at your hair.'

'What?'

'It's so long.'  He pushed it behind her shoulder.

She smiled at him and he returned the grin.  Silence 
stretched out.  A boat drifted close, blasting 'Teenage 
Dirtbag' by Wheatus.  They mentally shared an image of 
standing on the deck of the beach house in the middle of 
the night while that song drifted up to them from a radio 
down on the beach.  She'd been upset, as usual, and 
confused by her feelings.

They suddenly looked at each other.  They both felt him.  
Cade saw her first.

'Mommy!'

Krycek stood up as Scully took her son into her arms.  
Gibson was just behind Cade and Skinner and Maggie jogged 
up behind them.

'Alex!'  Maggie exclaimed, giving him a huge hug.

Cade saw his father and screeched.  'Daddy!'

Scully let go of him and Krycek scooped him up.  She put 
her hands over her mouth.  She suddenly couldn't breathe.  
She had never seen the two of them together and had no idea 
that it would affect her this way.

Maggie grabbed Scully in an embrace, but she could barely 
pay any attention to it.  'You okay, Dana?'

Skinner put his arms around her as well.  'I don't believe 
I've ever seen you so speechless.'

'Sir?'  Scully asked, trembling.  'What are you doing here?  
What about Gibson's family?'

'First of all, Dana, I have nowhere else to be.  Secondly, 
Gibson has never had a family.'

She looked over at Gibson for a moment.  'He does now.'

Gibson smiled as she gave him a hug.  He looked up at her.

It's over.

Scully looked at Krycek.  He and Cade were visiting with 
each other, smiling.  Krycek had tears in his eyes.  She 
walked over to them and Cade reached out to her.  She took 
his hand and kissed it before giving him another peck on 
the head.

Cade smiled, looking between his Mom and Dad.  'We're all 
here.'

Scully and Krycek met each other's eyes as that statement 
settled in their heads.  They'd never all been together 
before.  The pieces fell into place.  Everything suddenly 
made perfect sense.

'...I've got two tickets to Iron Maiden baby...Come with me 
Friday don't say maybe...'

Scully stared to laugh.  He reached out and brushed tears 
out from under her eyes, laughing with her. He left his 
hand on her cheek.  They had wasted enough time, lost 
enough life.

'...I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby, like you...'

The wall was down for good.

She remembered all those years ago.  She did what she'd 
wanted to do last time they'd heard this song.  She put a 
hand on his face and leaned up to kiss him.  He met her 
halfway.

***

Mulder stood with his back to the table, staring out the 
window, his face stern.

He hadn't heard anything about Scully or Krycek.  He hadn't 
heard anything about any of them.  He guessed no news was 
good news.  If they'd been caught, or something else, he'd 
be the first to find out.

He missed them more than he thought possible.  He knew he'd 
feel a huge loss once Scully was gone.  He had the last 
time.  Just because their love for each other may have 
changed, it didn't lessen.  She was his best friend.  
Possibly still the most influential and most important 
person in his life.

He really missed Cade.  He had grown quite attached to him 
since Scully had been home.  He couldn't imagine not being 
around to watch the little guy grow up.

He barely knew his brother, and couldn't understand why he 
felt so lonely without him.  It probably had a lot to do 
with the fact that he was feeling guilty for how he'd 
gotten them out.  It couldn't possibly be because he'd 
wasted two years of time that he could have used getting to 
know Krycek and Cade.

Hell, he even missed Skinner.

He'd really had no choice but to send Maggie away, since 
she'd been at the house when Koskie had picked up Cade.  
And Skinner had been livid at the whole thing.  He'd been 
kept in the dark the whole time about what was really going 
to happen once they left the base.  Mulder didn't think he 
would have agreed.  Once it was over, Mulder hadn't dared 
to send Maggie and Cade to Seattle alone.  Skinner was the 
only feasible solution, since he couldn't return to the 
Bureau anyway.  Skinner was done and wanted out.  It had 
been almost two months since they'd gone.  The first week 
after had been horrible.  He'd moped around, only going to 
work for the damn Syndicate then coming home.  He'd 
resigned his position at the Bureau.

He felt certain that the cheers over his letter of 
resignation had sounded all the way to Congress.

Mulder couldn't help thinking that maybe he could have done 
things differently.  But after seeing what Scully and 
Krycek had been reduced to, he had panicked.  They had been 
forced to act like enemies; she had shot him in the knee.  
He had seen the aftermath.  Scully had damn near been 
catatonic, had not been herself at all, and Krycek had just 
given up all together.  All Mulder had wanted to do was to 
stop it.  He'd had an idea.  He'd asked Spender what it 
would take.  He had been fully prepared to give himself to 
the Syndicate, to the aliens, the Rebels, whatever.  
Anything.  Anything to stop what had been happening.

He wasn't sure what to do when Spender said the only thing 
they really needed was Cade.

Spender had told him he was in charge.  He could do 
whatever he wanted.  As long as he would deliver Cade and 
help with the clean up.

Mulder had done the only thing he could think of.  He'd 
agreed to take over and protect Cade himself.

'You did the right thing, Mulder.'  Koskie had told him, as 
they sat around Marie's dinning room table.

'I betrayed my brother and best friend.'  He responded.  
'They will never forgive me.'

'Say it out loud.  Tell us again.'  Marie put a hand over 
his.  'Why did you do it?'

'I did it for them.'  Mulder replied softly.  'They were 
killing themselves.  They had no way out.'

'They are free.'  She said.  'That's what you wanted, 
that's what you were trying to do.'

'There had to have been an easier way.'

Koskie shook his head.  'You took the only way you had.'

'I'm sure they understand.'  Marie leaned back in her 
chair.  'If not now, they will later.  And look at me.  The 
first time I meet your brother, I shoot him.  I don't think 
he'll look back on our first meeting fondly.'

'You did what I asked you to.'  Mulder said softly.  'I 
knew he was going to pull some save-the-day shit.  He 
always does.  You're the best with a gun.  At least we were 
able to control what happened.  Maybe I should have 
waited.'

Koskie sighed and shook his head.  'You said yourself that 
they weren't going to last that long.  I saw Scully myself; 
she looked like the walking dead.  She was just waiting to 
snap.'

'I should have made a different deal.'

'There weren't any other deals, Fox.'  Marie said 
soothingly.  'You did what you could.'

'You made the greatest sacrifice of all, Mulder.'  Koskie 
said.  'It was the most selfless thing I've ever seen 
anyone do.  You gave them up for them.

'You're doing that Hallmark thing again, Koskie.'

'It was my first career, you know.'

Mulder put his hands over his face.  'Damn, I've got us 
into one hell of a mess.'

'We're fine.  It will pass.'  Koskie said.  'Everything 
does.'

'Shit, Koskie.'  Mulder shook his head.  'You sound like my 
brother sometimes.'

'Fox.'

He turned away from the window to see Spender.

'They're waiting.'  He said, blowing out cigarette smoke.  
'Are you ready?'

He was still here, but it was his choice.  What he'd chosen 
to do.  It was worth it.  It was the only way he could make 
sure his family was protected.

As Mulder followed Spender out the door, Krycek's face 
appeared in his mind.  Back before everything went bad.  
Back when there was still hope for the future.  Back when 
he'd still been misguided.  Back when he was trying really 
hard to hate his brother.

They were standing on the deck of the beach house, drinking 
a beer.

Krycek turned to face him.  'You know who you remind me of?  
Running around, never having time for anyone or anything 
else.  Mindlessly dedicated on working for a cause that 
really has no meaning to anyone.  You know who you'll turn 
into if you're not careful?'

Mulder stared back at Krycek, trying not to appear too 
concerned with what he was saying.  'Who's that?'

'Our father.'

Damn you, Alex, Mulder thought to himself as he walked down 
the hall with Spender at his side.

You were right.

***

'Don't you ever listen to your messages?'  Frohike stared 
up at him, tapping his foot.

'Sorry, guys.'  Mulder said, walking into the Lone Gunmen's 
lair.  'I've been busy.'

'We've been trying to get a hold of you for three weeks.'  
Langly gave Mulder a wounded look.  'We said it was 
important.'

'What is it?'

'We got this email that we think is for you.'  Byers 
replied.  'It's been bounced all over the place.'

'Bounced?'  Mulder asked.

'From satellite, to satellite, to satellite.'  Langly 
answered.  'It's untraceable. Whoever sent this really knew 
what they were doing.'

Mulder looked down at the computer monitor.  'What the hell 
is it?'

'Text.'  Frohike answered, pushing a button so the message 
came up.

[
Haole –

Remember the night we watched Three King's?

Duke
]

Mulder stepped back and looked around at the three of them, 
then back at the screen.

'What the hell is that?  Ha-olay?'

'Howly.'  Langly pronounced it for him.

'Okay, and?'

Langly and Frohike exchanged a glance.

'We thought it was from Alex.'  Langly said, crossing his 
arms.

'Alex?'  Mulder looked blank.

'Your brother.'  Frohike said sarcastically.

'I know who Alex is, thank you.'  Mulder said.

'This doesn't make any sense to you?'  The latter asked.

'No clue.'  Mulder shook his head, looking confused at 
their surprise.  'I've never seen Three King's.  Why would 
you think it's from Alex?'

'Haole is a Hawaiian word used for tourists.'  Langly said.  
'And the name Duke-'

Mulder shook his head and looked back at the screen.  'I 
really doubt that Alex is a John Wayne fan.'

'No.' Langly said.  'Duke Kahanamoku was a legendary surfer 
of Hawaii.'

Mulder stared back at Langly, baffled.  He shook his head.  
'I have no idea.  I've never seen Three Kings and don't 
know anything about it other than it was set during the 
Persian Gulf War.'

***

Mulder sat on his couch back in his apartment.  The 
television was on, casting light on his face as he sat 
there in oblivion, watching the ending credits to Three 
Kings scroll by on the screen.  His mind was turning again 
and again.  He couldn't for the life of him figure out what 
this movie had to do with his brother.  He knew that Alex 
had been an operative over in the middle of the action in 
Kuwait, but nothing else.

He sighed and turned off the VCR.  ESPN popped up, giving 
him the highlights of the Dallas/San Francisco game as his 
mind wandered.  He had no idea how long he'd been sitting 
here when the commentator's voice interrupted his 
brainstorming.

'Trevor Tanner's condition's is improving after his injury 
last week in Oahu's North Shore during the World Champion 
Surfing Competition...'

His eyes were drug back to the television.  Just the word 
'surfing' caught his attention.  It always did.  Everything 
beach related reminded him of Krycek.

'I know Trevor has been waiting to see how extensive the 
damage to his leg was, to see how his career was going to 
be affected.  He is the winner of the coveted Triple Crown 
of Surfing four years running...'

Mulder suddenly sat forward on the couch.  Triple 
Crown...Three crowns...

Three Kings.

'Holy shit!'  He exclaimed.

He scrambled towards the television for lack of anything 
better to do, if nothing else, just to get closer to the 
news coverage.  There was footage of the surfer, getting 
'clamshelled' as Krycek called it.  Totally wiped off the 
board and thrown down into the sand, the surfer was trapped 
under a thundering wave.  'Waimea Bay, Oahu, Triple Crown 
of Surfing' was subtitled at the bottom of the screen.

Mulder was surprised his heroic moron of a brother hadn't 
ran over to heal the guy himself.  In the crowd, he caught 
of glimpse of who he was certain was Krycek and Scully.  It 
was from the back, and anyone other than him would never 
have recognized them.  But he did.  They were sitting in 
the sand, their backs to the camera.  Scully turned towards 
Krycek and beamed a brilliant smile at him.  One of those 
smiles that Mulder had seen fewer times than could be 
counted on both hands.  Her long hair blew around her and 
they both laughed.

'Oh my god.'  Mulder whispered aloud, a weird grin pulling 
at the left side of his mouth.  'Look at that smile.'

Any thought that he'd done the wrong thing vanished.  They 
were happy.

They were free.

Unlike Mulder, who suddenly realized that he had missed the 
surfing competition by a week.

'Damn.'  He said softly.

It was going to be one hell of a long year.

***

The following fall, Mulder walked the hallways of the base.  
He was tired of this crap.  Koskie wasn't doing any better.  
They were both burnt out.  The clean up was extensive and 
they were both working all the time.  Mulder felt guilty 
for dragging him into this in the first place.

While he'd been able to give Scully and his brother 
freedom, he'd managed to drag Marie and Koskie right down 
in their place into The Private Hell of Fox Mulder.

Mulder's relationship with both of them was strained.  He 
worked far too much, was consumed with finishing what he'd 
started.  That irritated Marie, which in turn irritated 
Koskie.

He knocked on the door and then pushed it open.  Spender 
was sitting behind his desk, a cloud of smoke hanging 
around him like PigPen from a Peanut's cartoon.

'Have a seat, son.'

Mulder crossed the room and sat down in the chair opposite 
his father.  He didn't say anything.

'I wanted to tell you myself, Fox.'  Spender stubbed out 
his cigarette.

'Tell me what?'

'It's over.'  Cancer Man leaned back in his chair and eyed 
Mulder.  'The aliens are gone, the Rebels appeased.  The 
world is saved.'

'For now.'  Mulder replied.

'Yes, it's true that there may be repercussions later.  
Much later.  But for now, it's done.'

'I knew we were getting close.'  Mulder replied.  'Don't 
forget who's headed the clean-up crew.'

'You've done well, Fox.'

'They'll be back.'  Mulder said, refusing to feel anything 
other than business towards the man sitting across from 
him.  'They'll devise a new plan, and they'll be back.'

Spender lit another cigarette.  'Maybe.  Maybe not.  It's 
not our concern anymore.  We've fought enough, both you and 
I.  It's time for someone else to take over.  It's time for 
us to stop.'

'What do you mean?'  Mulder asked, eyeing Spender with 
distrust.

'We have known nothing but this all of our lives.  It's 
cost us both.  There are plenty of people to pick up the 
pieces if needed.  Go.  Go live life, go be happy.  Go be 
with Alex.'

Mulder was silent for a long time.  'What are you saying?'

'You're free, Fox.'

Mulder didn't say anything.

'It's over.  You've done enough.  You've saved the world.  
You've saved everyone.  Now go.'

Go?  Mulder asked himself.  Go where?  Go do what?

'What are you going to do?'  He asked Spender.

'This has been my whole life, Fox.'  Spender replied, 
puffing contentedly on his cigarette.  'And now it's over.'

Mulder remained in his chair, silent and staring back at 
Cancer Man.  He understood.  He was almost reluctant to 
leave.

Almost.

He stood up and stared down at his father.  'You know, I 
understand now.'

'What's that?'

'How you did the things you did.'  Mulder said softly.  
'Why you did the things you did.  It makes sense to me now.  
I did things too.  I did things because I believed they 
were the right things to do.  Because I knew in the end, it 
would be better that I did them.'

Spender smiled lovingly, if at all possible.  'Your 
conscience is clean, Fox.  You only did good.'

They were both quiet, each thinking their respective 
thoughts, before Cancer Man spoke up.  'When you see your 
brother, tell him that he was right.  He'll like that.'

'I'm not sure he'll want to see me.'

'Of course he will.  He'll have everything worked out in 
his head by now.  Alex doesn't know how to hold a grudge.'

Mulder didn't say anything.

'You've done well, Fox.'  Spender said again.  'Your work 
is done, you deserve to rest now.'

Mulder stared at his father in silence; he didn't know what 
to say.  He wasn't sure what he was feeling.  He nodded at 
Spender, and then he turned and walked out of the office.  
He closed the door behind him.  As he walked away, the 
sound of a gunshot could be heard echoing down the hall.

He closed his eyes and kept walking.

He didn't have much time.  He needed to get to Marie and 
Koskie.  He needed to let them know he was leaving and he 
didn't know if he'd be coming back.  He'd ask them to come 
with him.  He wouldn't be proud or stubborn.  Hell, he'd 
already lost one woman he loved because of his pride.  He'd 
already lost his brother because he'd been stubborn.  He'd 
been damned if he'd sit by and let it happen again.

Mulder remembered when he'd accepted them as new family.  
When they'd both won him over.  They'd been in a bar, a 
year after Scully'd been taken.  Koskie had disappeared and 
Mulder had been left with Marie at their small table.  The 
thought of him and Scully at a different Karaoke bar had 
briefly invaded his mind and he'd analyzed it, then decided 
to set it aside.  It had no place here.

Koskie had suddenly been up on the stage, bursting out in a 
horrible rendition of 'Desperado' by the Eagles.  Mulder 
had been mortified when he'd come off the stage and sang to 
him.  Marie had been giggling hysterically.

'Did you put him up to that?'  Mulder had asked her when 
Koskie had thankfully left the area.

'Who, me?'  Marie asked, pulling a straight face.

Yes, Mulder thought, he definitely had a couple of visits 
to pay before taking off.
 
The cold, East Coast air hit Mulder in the face when he 
stepped outside.  He took a deep breath and looked up at 
the blue sky, wondering what the weather in Hawaii was like 
just now.  He took off his tie and threw it in a trashcan 
he walked by.

***

Mulder had not quite known what to expect.  The laid-back 
pace of the island was only raising his blood pressure.  He 
had wanted to speed around everyone, put his cell phone to 
his ear and eat some fast food while driving to Waikiki.  
Honolulu was the eleventh largest city in the country, 
making it more frenzied than the other islands, the 
'neighbor islands' he had been told to call them, so he 
didn't look like a 'mainlander'.  He was under the 
impression that the other islands were a lot slower.

If he got over to Kaui or the Big Island, he'd probably 
pull his hair out from all the tranquility.

The three of them stood on the sidewalk, trying to figure 
out where they were.

'Three Federal Agents,' Koskie said, shaking his head, 'all 
highly educated, and we can't find our hotel.'

'Excuse me.'  Marie stopped a group of teenagers walking 
by.  'Can you tell us how to get to the Outrigger?'

'Which one?'  A guy with piercings in his face asked.

'The one in Waikiki.'  Mulder replied.

'Hala...' A girl no older than sixteen indicated annoyance 
and popped gum at them.  'There's four or five.'

Marie looked at their itinerary.  'Outrigger West.'

'Malahini's jammed up.'  The pierced wonder pointed.  'Go 
three blocks makai and then turn Diamond Head at the 
intersection.  You'll run right into it.'

The three of them blinked back at the guy before Koskie 
spoke up.  'Uh, thanks?'

The kid nodded as they walked away.  'Mahalo.'

'Am I an idiot?'  Marie asked.  'Or did that make no 
sense.'

'I'm not touching that one.'  Koskie said.

She flipped open the map again.  'What street are we on?'

Mulder and Koskie both stared up at the street sign in 
silence.  They looked at each other, then back up at the 
sign.

She raised her head to them and Koskie shook his head.  'I 
can't pronounce that.'

'Sound it out, Steven.'  She grinned.  'Just like you used 
to.'

They finally left their rental car in a parking lot to hail 
a cab.

After checking into their rooms, showering and getting 
dressed, it was late.  They hadn't eaten since the hideous 
lunch on the plane and were starving.  Marie got on the 
phone with the concierge and when Koskie pranced into the 
room, modeling a loud Hawaiian shirt, she covered the 
mouthpiece to giggle.

Mulder whistled at him, only encouraging him further.

'You like?'  Koskie put his hands on his hips and spun 
around.  'I thought of you when I saw it.'

'I'm getting turned on just sitting here.'  Mulder said, a 
serious look on his face.  'Hawaii Steve-O.'

'You can save that for later.'  Koskie replied, stage 
whispering to make sure Marie could hear.  'You know how my 
sister doesn't like to share.'

'Well, the Chili's downstairs closed on hour ago.'  Marie 
hung up the phone looked at her watch.  'But the country 
club is open until four in the morning and apparently 
there's a big blues thing going on there tonight.  So 
there's supposed to be lots of southern food.'

'Bring on the Alabama Slammers!'  Koskie exclaimed.

'I'll take you up on that.'  Mulder said.

Koskie grinned.  'You'll lose.'

'Uh, I don't think so.'  Mulder shook his head.

Koskie nodded.  'Under the table, baby.'

Marie grabbed her purse and opened the door.  'I don't want 
to hear about what you guys do under any table.  We have to 
get up early tomorrow and it's already late.'

'All nighter.'  Koskie danced out the door.

She looked up at Mulder while following her brother out.  
'You're such a bad influence.'

They walked into the Nashville Waikiki, the smell of BBQ'd 
ribs and fried pickles hung in the air.  'Look at Little 
Sister' by Stevie Ray Vaughn was blasting away.  The dance 
floor was crowded.

'My mouth is watering.'  Koskie said.

'No Steven, that would be drool.'  Marie replied.  'It's a 
habit you've had since infancy.'

'Someone has poopy pants.'  Koskie replied, pointing at 
her.  'Have a drink, you'll feel better.'

Marie looked up at Mulder, at the weird expression on his 
face.  'You okay?'

'I don't think I'm ready for this.'  He said softly, 
staring at Scully and Krycek on the dance floor.

'...What about the neighbors...What they gonna say...Stop 
little sister...You're getting carried away...'

Mulder stared at the two of them; Koskie and Marie followed 
his gaze.

Krycek spun her away.  She tried to grab his hand and 
missed, nearly knocking over a couple behind her.  The 
couple was Skinner and a woman he'd never seen before.  
Skinner pushed Scully back towards Krycek and he caught 
her.  They all laughed.

'...Hey, hey, hey...Look at little sister...'

Mulder's mind couldn't grasp what he was seeing.  It made 
no sense.  It didn't fit.  The flight over here must have 
passed through a wormhole, projecting him into an alternate 
universe.  He must have missed the message.  He must have 
been asleep.  He didn't hear the captain's announcement.

Ladies and Gentlemen, next stop: The Twilight Zone.

They were so happy.  They were fine without him.  What was 
he thinking?  He didn't belong here.

Mulder turned around and walked out.

Marie followed him as he walked out of the lobby and onto 
the street.  Koskie scrambled after the two of them.

Marie put a hand on his arm as they walked down Kuhio 
Avenue.  'You okay, Fox?'

He nodded.

'Mulder, you came here to find them.'  Koskie said.  'Are 
you sure you don't want to go back?'

'I'm sure.'  He said, throwing his arm up to hail a cab.

The three of them crammed in the back and the driver turned 
around, raising his eyebrows at them.

Marie leaned forward.  'You know someplace we can get some 
food this late?'

They sat in Eggs 'n' Things, eating crepes and drinking 
coffee.

'Sorry.'  Mulder said, twirling his coffee mug around on 
the table.  'I just hadn't been expecting that.'

'It's okay, Fox.'  Marie said.  'The Triple Crown doesn't 
start for two days, you have time to prepare yourself.  At 
least you know they're here.'

'I feel like an idiot.'

'You should.'  Koskie said, then winked at him.  'There's 
more than one reason I call you Wienie Boy.  If you know 
what I mean.'

Mulder grinned and threw his napkin at him.

***

They woke up as early as possible, took the shuttle over to 
the USS Arizona, then headed back to Waikiki, planning on 
taking the hike up Diamond Head.  There were wandering Sans 
Souci Beach in front of the New Otani Hotel at the base of 
the mountain.  The concierge had told them to get a Diamond 
Head climber's 'kit' from the gift shop there.  Apparently, 
there were several dark tunnels on the way up and they 
needed flashlights to make the steep climb.

'Fox.'  Marie's voice stopped him as they had been 
meandering.  'I guess you're not going to get off that 
easy.'

He looked down at her questioningly and she smiled up at 
him, almost laughing.  'There they are again.'

Damn.  Mulder thought to himself as his eyes settled on 
Krycek and Scully.  Damn, damn, damn, damn.

Krycek was leaning against the railing of the deck and 
Scully stood in front of him, holding Cade's hand.  The two 
of them stood so close and gazed at each so adoringly that 
Mulder was momentarily slammed back into the past.  Back 
when Scully had loved him and he'd been so jealous and 
insecure over his brother's sudden appearance into their 
lives that he'd been too damn blind to see anything.

The feelings faded away.  That was a long time ago.  Things 
were different now.

I'm not going to turn around.  I'm not going to turn 
around.  I'm not going to turn around.

Scully said something and they both laughed.  Krycek put a 
baseball cap on her head backwards.  She grinned back.  
They looked casual and totally at ease, wearing sunglasses 
and shorts, relaxed and tan.

This is ridiculous, he thought.  What am I afraid of?  
That's my brother.  That's Scully.

He still couldn't take a step towards them.

His dilemma was solved when Cade saw him and ran his way, 
yanking his hand out of Scully's.

'Cade!'  He heard both Krycek and Scully yell.

'Uncle Fox!'  Cade said as Mulder picked him up when he got 
close enough.

'Hey there, little guy.'  Mulder said, hugging him.  'I've 
missed you.'

'I missed you.'  Cade leaned back and looked at him, 
putting his hands on Mulder's cheeks.  'You're late.'

Mulder laughed, tears springing to his eyes.  He saw Krycek 
and Scully over Cade's shoulder.  They were five feet away.  
He suddenly had no idea what he was doing.  Fox Mulder, 
Federal Agent and international conspiracy participant, 
suddenly scared to death of his little brother and best 
friend.

A smile crept up on Scully's face.  'He's always late, 
sweetheart.'  She walked over and looked up at him, at the 
strange expression on his face as he stood there with Cade 
in his arms.

'Hey Scully.'

She laughed and reached up to hug him.  He hugged her back 
tightly with one arm, holding Cade with the other.  She 
looked up into his face, there were tears in her eyes.  She 
laughed again and turned back to look at Alex.

Krycek stood there, a quirky smile on his face.  'Fox.'

'Alex.'  Mulder said back.

They stared at each other in silence and Krycek huffed out 
a small laugh as Mulder moved towards him.  Krycek didn't 
make him do all the work; he took a step forward and hugged 
him.  Mulder patted his brother on the back, closing his 
eyes, embarrassed that his throat had completely closed up 
and he couldn't say anything.  He was embarrassed that he 
was so close to crying.

After the New Otani, they had all gone back to the condo 
that Krycek and Scully had rented at Grey's Beach.  Mulder 
had felt just at home with the welcome from Maggie.  
Skinner had been thrilled to see the three of them and had 
given Marie a big bear hug.  He looked at Koskie and Mulder 
before exchanging a hug with each of them.

'You finally figured it out?  A year later?  Some field 
agent you are.'

Shortly after, Mulder had received the second biggest shock 
of his life.

Mulder could sense that Krycek and Scully were hemming and 
hawing about something.  They were having a silent banter 
and he shook his head while smiling.  Some things never 
change.

We have a surprise for you, Fox.

The three of them exchanged silent glances, then they all 
walked out of the room.  Mulder heard Skinner sigh behind 
him.

'I hate it when they do that.'

They walked down the hallway and into a room, it took a 
moment for it to register.  When he saw the baby sleeping 
in the bassinet, the expression on his face indicated there 
could very well be a pokemon in there.

He looked at Scully in astonishment.  'What the hell is 
that?'

She tried not to wake the baby up by bursting into 
laughter.  She clapped her hands over her mouth and backed 
out of the room.  Krycek was trying to talk through some 
silent laughter as well.

'That?'  He asked.  'What a horrible way to refer to your 
niece.'

'What?'  Mulder asked.  'My niece?  How...'

'When I healed her arm...' Krycek whispered.

Mulder's lips parted slightly, as the rest became blatantly 
obvious.  'You healed all of her.'

'It would appear that way.'  Krycek said.

'She's named after you.'  Scully smiled at him.

Mulder looked at her in fear.  'Please tell me you didn't 
name her Foxy.'

Krycek and Scully both laughed.

'Yes, the name Fox was a problem.'  Krycek said.  'So we 
named her after your virtues.  Ailis Kane'

'Ay-lish,' Scully pronounced it for him.  'Means brave and 
true.  Kane is a warrior or protector.'

Mulder didn't know what to say.  He thought of something 
that Spender had said years ago and guessed that it was 
true.  Cade was the first in the next step of human 
evolution.

'We didn't mean to set off the maudlin alarm.'  Krycek 
said.

'You know,' Mulder said out of nowhere, 'Alexander means 
'Protector of Mankind.'

'Then I guess you should have got the name.'  Krycek 
smiled.

Mulder grinned.  'You're going to pass for an Irish family 
if you keep up with the Gaelic names.'

'I do have red hair.'  Scully said.

They had spent the rest of the day hanging out on the 
patio, talking, catching up, and laughing.  As Mulder had 
feared, Koskie and Alex connected right off the bat.  The 
two of them were obnoxious as all hell, mostly with each 
other, and Mulder began to wonder how on earth he would 
ever survive the two of them together.  They were both out 
on the patio, with the barbecue going.  Barbecuing what, 
Mulder didn't ask.  He'd always had a phobia for anything 
that wasn't a dead animal or deep-fried.  Tofu terrified 
him.

When the flames from the barbecue roared up, Mulder had 
looked for the fire department.  Koskie stood before the 
blaze, arms raised and chanting in a mock pagan ceremony.

'Aye!'  Krycek exclaimed, leaping back.  'Caliente.'

'Fire!  Fire!'  Koskie started in with the Beavis again.

Krycek took the mandatory role of Butthead.  'Shut up, 
Beavis.'

The two of them carried on and Mulder shook his head and 
closed his eyes.

Oh yes, he thought, I'm definitely not the idiot anymore.

Cleaning up the after dinner mess, 'Atomic Dog' was on the 
stereo and Mulder was helping in the kitchen with Maggie 
and Skinner.  Gibson was hanging out with Cade and Ailis in 
the living room.  Both Cade and Gibson kept a careful eye 
on the little girl and Mulder suddenly realized he'd got 
here just in time for Cade's fifth birthday.

'...Bow wow wow...Yippee Yo Yippee Yay...Bow wow Yippee Yo 
Yippe Yay...'

The others were bringing in stuff from the patio, prancing 
in and out to the music.  Scully and Koskie began doing the 
bump to the beat and Krycek slowly danced in behind them.  
Marie laughed.
 
'Marie!'  Mulder exclaimed.  'Save yourself!  Don't look 
them in the eyes.  They will suck you in.'

'...Why must I feel like that...Why must I chase the 
cat...'

Krycek and Marie's began to do the Electric Slide.

'Oh my God.'  Mulder said.  'She's gone into the Vortex of 
Insanity, just like the rest of them.'

Koskie pointed at them and began to laugh.  'That is so ten 
years ago.  But at least it's not the Merenge.'

Krycek looked at her.  'You Merenge?'

She nodded.  'Went to UPR for two years.'

'In San Juan?'  Krycek walked over to the stereo and 
inserted a CD.

'Oh, here we go.'  Scully said, walking towards Mulder.  
'I'm going in the kitchen where it's safe.'

Solo Traigo Mi Ritmo began to play and Krycek held his arms 
out.  'Show me what ya got.'

'Bring it on.'  Marie smiled and walked towards him.  'If 
you think you can.'

***

Mulder and Krycek sat out in the water off Waikiki, 
floating on surfboards in silence.

Mulder thought back on that week that he had been in Oahu.  
They had a lot of fun.  Since Ailis was only a few months 
old, Scully stayed home a lot while the rest of them went 
out to play.  After one day with all the men, Gibson and 
Cade included, Marie decided to stay with Scully and Maggie 
as well.  The Manly Men, as they had dubbed themselves, had 
hiked up Diamond Head and gone to Waimea Valley and 
Adventure Park to go kayaking and ride some ATC's.  They 
were doing 'manly' things.

Sometimes Maggie would take the kids so they could all 
spend time together, heading for sunset drinks at the House 
of the Key.  They took Cade to the Moonlight Tour of the 
Honolulu Zoo and to Sea Life Park.  Koskie was complaining 
about going to a luau but Krycek told him there was no way 
in hell he was going to participate in anything that 
including putting Babe in a grave, and digging the poor 
creature up hours later to eat it.  Koskie had then thanked 
Krycek for the visual and informed him that he would 
probably never eat pork again.

On his last day there, Mulder made the huge mistake of 
letting Krycek teach him how to surf.  They had been 
sitting out on their boards, letting wave after wave pass.  
Koskie had finally grown impatient and tried to ride one 
when.  He did manage to stand up and yell 'Banzai' before 
wiping out.

Mulder and Krycek had laughed at him.

'Have you decided what you're going to do?'  Krycek asked 
softly.

Mulder ran a hand through his wet hair to get it out of his 
face.  'I'm thinking I'll need to be able to stand on the 
board.  Hopefully once I'm up, I'll be able to figure out 
how to balance on this damn thing.'

'I wasn't talking about surfing, Fox.'

'Oh, afterwards?'  Mulder looked towards the shore.  'I'm 
pretty hungry, I think we should grab some lunch from 
Cheeseburger in Paradise.  I definitely need another one of 
those margarita's before I leave.'

'That's not what I'm talking about.'  Krycek said sternly.

Mulder grinned sideways at him.  'I know.'

Krycek smiled in spite of himself.  'Screw you.'

'Where do you live, anyway?'

'I could tell you.'  Krycek said, looking back towards the 
shore.  'But then I'd have to kill you.'

'Well it makes a difference you know.'  Mulder replied.  
'I'm not living in frigging Greenland.'

'You definitely need to hang around, Fox.'  Krycek said.  
'We waited for you.'

Mulder nodded, thinking of when he had asked Scully that 
particular question.  They had been sitting outside on the 
sand, drinking a glass of Merlot.  They had banished 
everyone else so they could continue on with their 
tradition.  The others were probably going to set the place 
on fire or something, but the two of them felt it was worth 
it just to have their time alone.

'Unmarried with two children?'  Mulder clicked his tongue 
at her.  'Not very Catholic of you.'

She turned to smile up into his eyes.  'We were waiting for 
you.'

Mulder had raised his eyebrows.  'I hope my brother gave 
you a decent proposal.  I'll beat his ass for you if he 
didn't.'

Scully laughed, then proceeded to tell him about it.

She had been pregnant and complaining, talking about how 
their kids were going to grow up running all over the 
world.  She said that they had done things backwards.  
She'd been pregnant with his kid, then they'd become 
friends, then they moved in together, and eventually, 
fallen in love.  She told him that she wished things were 
just a little more normal.

Krycek flipped veggies on the grill.  'You wanna get 
married?'

'To who?'  Scully asked, looking up at him innocently.

'Marilyn Manson, smartass.' He said.  'Who do you think?'

'I don't know, Alex.'  She shook her head.  'What do I get 
out of it.'

'Lifetime surfing lessons.'

She thought, then wrinkled her nose.  'No.  That just ain't 
working.  Throw in dinner every night of the week and maybe 
we can talk.'

'I'm not cooking every night of the week.'

'But you're so much better at it than I am.'  She whined.

'Twice a week.'

'Four times.'

He looked at her.  'Three times.'

'Deal.'  She said, then laughed in his face.  'That's the 
way you're going to propose to me?'

'If you want the whole traditional thing you're looking in 
the wrong place.'  He said.  'I don't get on my knees for 
anyone.'

'That's not what Skinner told me.'

His mouth dropped open.  He was speechless.

'WooHoo!'  Scully threw her hands up in the air.  'I 
finally win!'

'Hope it was worth it.'  He replied.  'Cause there ain't no 
way in hell you're getting a diamond now.'

'You ready to do this?'  Krycek asked Mulder, looking him 
in the eyes.

Mulder turned to look at an approaching wave.  He knew 
Krycek was using the surfing as a metaphor.  What he really 
wanted to know is if he was ready to come join in their 
lives, ready to be family.

Life just never turns out the way you think it will.

'Yeah.'  Mulder said.  'I'm ready.'

***

The next December...

Krycek wound through the streets of Sydney, driving like a 
madman.

'Alex, you're going to make me puke.'  Mulder held onto the 
dashboard and closed his eyes as Krycek turned a corner too 
fast and squeezed in between two cars.  'Forget the puke, 
you're going to kill me.'

'Listen to some Pink Floyd and relax.'  Krycek responded, 
running a traffic light and turning up the stereo.

'...Where were you when I was burned and broken...While the 
days slipped by from my window watching...'

It had been just over a year since Mulder, Marie and Koskie 
had joined them in Australia.  It had all began with Mulder 
deciding, sitting on a surfboard in the Pacific Ocean, that 
he was going to go with them.

It's over.  Mulder had thought to himself once he realized 
he would probably not be going back to the US for a long 
time.  It's over, the end.

'Not the end, Fox.'  Krycek said to his brother.  He 
smiled, thinking of what Scully had said back in Seattle, 
just before they'd found footing in their relationship.  
'The beginning.'

'Is that the maudlin alarm I hear?'  Mulder grinned at him 
and Krycek burst out laughing.

'Whatever.'  The younger brother said, beginning to paddle 
with the wave.  'You better get a move on or you'll be 
shark bait out here all alone.'

That was the only wave Mulder had ever managed to ride all 
the way in.

'...Where were you when I was hurt and I was helpless... 
Because the things you say and the things you do surround 
me...'

Life had become surreal for Krycek.  It felt like he was 
living in a dream most of the time.

They lived in a suburb of Sydney, in a community called, 
oddly enough, Newport.  He and Scully had chosen to reside 
there because it was so much like the other Newport Beach.  
They lived in a home on Bungan Head, not too far away from 
where Maggie lived in Mona Vale.  None of them lived far 
from each other, but Mulder kept threatening to banish 
Koskie to the other side of the city, just to keep the two 
of them and their shenanigans far away from each other.  
Krycek and Koskie spent a lot of time together, surfing at 
Palm Beach.  Mulder tried every now and then, but Krycek 
knew he only did it to make him happy.

'...While you were hanging yourself on someone else's 
words...Dying to believe in what you heard...I was staring 
straight into the shining sun...'

It was comical, Krycek thought, how much his life had 
changed.  No more wandering alone through some African 
forest.  No more wondering if he was going to live through 
the night when he was stranded up in some freezing 
mountain.  No more sitting through long meetings and having 
to listen to everyone think about ways to deceive everyone 
else.

'...Lost in thought and lost in time...While the seeds of 
life and the seeds of change were planted...Outside the 
rain fell dark and slow...While I pondered on this 
dangerous but irresistible past time...'

Krycek threw the car into park, and looked over at Mulder.  
'You okay?'

Mulder nodded and opened his car door.  He hesitated and 
looked at his brother.  The lyrics of the song had hit too 
close to home and had affected him.

'What's wrong, Fox?'

'...I took a heavenly ride through our silence...I knew the 
moment had arrived...For killing the past and coming back 
to life...'

'I don't think I've ever told you.'  Mulder stared back at 
him for a moment.  'I'm glad we're finally brothers.'

Krycek was surprised, but managed a grin.  'We've always 
been brother's, Fox.  In ways more important than blood.'

'...I took a heavenly ride through our silence...I knew the 
waiting had begun...And headed straight . . . into the 
shining sun...'

'Go.'  Krycek gave him a shove out the door.  'They're 
going to kill both of us.'

***

Krycek came back from the cafeteria with coffee and looked 
around.  'Where are the kids?'

'They went out to look for Steven.'  Maggie said.  'I guess 
he's panicking and lost in the hospital somewhere.  And I 
spoke with Melvin, they're picking up John and coming 
here.'

'I guess the kids found Mr. Graceful.'  Skinner said.

One look at Koskie and Krycek burst into laughter.  'What 
the hell happened to you?'

'He was running towards the doors and fell in the water 
fountain.'  Cade said,

'Am I too late?'  Koskie asked, eyes wide.  'I'm not too 
late am I?  Damn tore back streets.'

'Well, I can only take two at a time.'

They all turned at the sound of Dana's voice.  She put a 
hand on Krycek's arm and looked between him and Koskie.  
'You guys ready to meet your nephew?'

Once inside their room, Mulder held a screaming baby out 
towards his brother.  'You're an Uncle.'

Krycek smiled as the little boy in his arms began to calm 
down.  'He likes me better.'

'No, he's just amazed at how you can be related to someone 
as good looking as I am.'  Mulder said, standing next to 
him.

'Thank God he's got your looks, Marie.'  Koskie said 
loudly.

The baby immediately began to scream again and they all 
laughed.

'Little guy learns quick.'  Scully said.  'He's already 
afraid of Uncle Steven like the rest of us.'

Krycek smiled down at her.  He had friends, he had family, 
and there was a brand new addition to the gang.  Life 
couldn't get much better.  'How is it that I got so lucky?'  
He asked softly.

Scully grinned at him in return.  She reached up and kissed 
him on the cheek.  'I think you were engineered that way.'

'What's his name?'  Koskie asked.  'Did you ever decide?'

Mulder smiled and sat down on the bed next to Marie.  He 
took her hand.  'We named him after the person who saved my 
life, who made me get off my ass and get a life.  The 
person whom without, I don't believe I'd be here today.'

Krycek met Mulder's eyes.  He already knew.  Somehow, he 
just knew

Mulder returned his brother's stare.  He thought about how 
Krycek had saved his life.

You know who you remind me of?

Our father.

He thought about how he had shunned Krycek when they'd 
first met.  He recalled how he had reacted when he'd first 
found out they were brothers, when he found out that Cade 
wasn't his.  He remembered how much he'd hated Krycek, how 
he had wanted nothing more than for Krycek to die.

If someone had told Mulder back then that he'd end up in 
Australia, living down the street from his brother and his 
best friend Scully, who had two children of their own, he 
would have checked himself into a mental institution.

Damn, he was happy that life never quite turns out the way 
you think it will.

The only thing Krycek had wanted back then was to be 
accepted.  Mulder only wished that he had accepted him a 
lot sooner.  But he had no way of knowing what he had been 
missing out on.  He was just thankful that he had come to 
his senses and fallen in love with life...With his friends 
and family...He finally had a family.  So did his brother.  
And Scully, Skinner...All of them.  They all did.

They were all one big, happy family.

'Jeez, bro.'  Krycek's voice interrupted him.  'Who's 
setting off the maudlin alarm now?'

Mulder smiled at him and his brother grinned back.  A 
peaceful feeling passed between them.

Krycek smiled down at his nephew and spoke softly but with 
great gratitude.

'Hey Alex.'

The End