It Begins

by Rachel Rudd

Scully dropped the heavy bag from her shoulder.  She began to unpack.  She had spent the weekend at her mother's house for her birthday.  She got to see Charles for the first in a long time.  She arched her aching back.  That football game had made her a little sore, but it was fun.  She now just wanted to get in the spa and lie down for the rest of her actual birthday.

Scully slipped on a coral tank and heated up the spa.  What a nice thing for her family to do.  They had all pitched in, bought it for her, and had it installed while she was gone.  She got into it and relaxed.  This was really what she needed.

She was just getting really comfortable when the phone ringed.  She winced and decided to let it ring.  The answering machine came on.  An almost familiar voice was heard at the other end, "Hey, did you know the best way to spend a birthday is at a friend's house?"  Scully's eyes immediately popped open.

He had really emphasized on the friend part.  This certainly wasn't an advertisment for anything.  And, there was no cheesy theme music in the background, so it didn't sound like an advertisement.  She had also heard that voice somewhere before.  Without another thought, she sprung out of the spa, and headed to her bedroom.  She put on a black turtleneck, blazer and pants.  She packed an overnight supply of clothes, and with that she left the apartment.

She ran out of the building.  She got into her car and drove.  She drove farther and farther, knowing that she couldn't come back to her apartment.  Not for the night, anyway.  It was then she recognized the voice to be Krycek's.  She pulled over in a field to think.  Alex Krycek had warned her that if she took the vaccine; they would stop at nothing to kill her.  She had to expect this sort of thing to be routine from now on.  She would organize a strategy.  Several ways to leave the building, have clothes ready for taking off, which motels to go to, ect.  But, what was she thinking!  Right now she needed to find a safe place for the night.

She decided to go to the medical lab where she was keeping the vaccine.  She wanted a little assurance that it was still there.  So, she headed for the lab.  A friend had granted her permission to use a small basement room in the St. Jude Thaddeus Hospital.  She drove there, and showed her ID at the door. They let her in, and she headed for the room.

She went inside and held the orange-brown vial in her hands.  She squeezed it and shut her eyes.  At least it was safe here, they would probably be expecting her to use the Bureau's lab.  They were probably ransacking it right now.  She just hoped they wouldn't do the same to her apartment.

She sat down in a chair.  It was definitely best to stay there for the night.  So, she locked the door and fell asleep on the chair.  'Next time,' she thought, 'I'll have a cot ready.'  Then, very slowly, she fell asleep.  She woke up the next morning more sore than ever.  The football game with her brothers and the way she slept was enough to kill her.  She smiled, it had been her and Tara agaisnt her two brothers, she and Tara were the winners.  Of course Bill and Charles said they decided to let them win.  Yeah right.

Scully got up and left.  Glad she didn't have to go back to work till tomorrow.  She went down to the hospital parking lot.  She took out her keys and started to put them in the key hole.  But, she heard a sound, it startled her and she dropped them.  She bent down and picked them up.  Scully then started to lift her head, there was a pair of legs in front of her.

She slowly looked up and saw Krycek standing there.  But, instead of the usual leather, he was wearing a jet black suit and a denim shirt, the first two buttons undone.  Scully was momentarily speechless, then she found her tongue, "You warned me last night, didn't you?  And, how did you know I was here?"  Krycek replied, "Yes, I was the one who warned you, and I followed you last night.  That's how I knew you were here."  'Duh, Dana.' she told herself.

"Can you tell me why?" she asked him.  "Because, you're no use to me dead or broken.  And, another thing, you should distance yourself from all friends and family.  The next strike will be when you least expect it."  With that Krycek turned and left.  Scully stood there for awhile, then she got slowly into her car and drove off.

About a week after this incident, Scully arrived at church early.  She had volunteered to be a lector at this Mass.  She wore a silky, white, v-neck buttoned up shirt and a long matching skirt that fit loosely around her legs and fell gracefully to her feet.  Father Mcue walked up to her, his vestments swinging around him.  He took her hand and shook it with feeling.  "Dana, I'm so glad to see you.  It's been quite awhile since you particapted in the Mass.  You remember when to come up?" he said.  "Yes, I remember, Father."  "Good, I better go get the altar servers."  Scully entered the church and took a seat in one of the front pews, now she just had to wait.

Scully got out of the pew and walked up to the altar, where she took her place with the other Lectors.  Scully suddenly got a negative feeling.  She found herself scanning the parishioners for anyone unusual.  She didn't see anyone suspicious, yet.  She remembered that Krycek said that the next victum would be a family member or a friend.

She received her Communion bowl, filled with the hosts to hand out, when she suddenly saw a man stand up among the other kneeling figures.  He quickly reached to his waist, and she knew he was going to pull out a gun.  He did and swiftly pointed at Father Mcue.  Scully threw herself in front of the priest and took the bullet herself.  People screamed and cried.  The man ran out of the church.  Father Mcue laid Scully down on the floor.  She had been shot in the heart.

He immediately began to give her Extreme Unction as she gasped for breath.  Some of the hosts had fallen onto her stomach.  She felt herself slipping away.  She looked up and saw Father Mcue, a other people, and... Krycek!  He stood there looking down at her.  Regret and remorse seemed to be in his eyes, if she could she probably would've puzzled at this.  Then her pulse gave out, and she stopped breathing.  One woman screamed, "She's dead!"  A hush fell over the congregation.

Krycek closed his eyes painfully.  Father Mcue reached out his hand and closed her eyes.  Children started crying, while some were still in shock.  Father Mcue sadly looked down at the girl he had baptized.  Then his eyes opened wide, and a few other people gasped.  The host near the bullet wound began to bleed.  The blood fell into Scully's wound.  There was a silence, then suddenly Scully's eyes popped open she sat up gasping for breath.

She was covered with sweat in an instant.  She seemed to be in incredible shock.  She heard a rush of voices coming towards her.  But, she could distinguish one voice from another.  She looked up, Krycek was still standing there.  His mouth was open in surprise, but Scully could see, what looked like, happiness in his eyes.  His mouth closed, she could tell it was itching to smile, but he wouldn't let it.  Then he left.

About an hour later, peradmedics arrived.  Someone had managed to call 911.  They looked at Scully several times.  They just looked at each other and shook their heads.  One guy said, "I don't understand, there's a hole in your shirt, and there's blood, but we haven't seen any wound.  You're clean."  "What about the bleeding hosts?" Scully asked shakily.  They were all silent.  "I'm ok," Scully said, "I'm leaving now."  She got up and went to her car.

As soon as she was out of sight of anyone else.  Krycek came up behind Scully.  He gently took her arm and made her speed up her walk.  They got into her car, and the figure sat in the driver's seat.  He turned to Scully, and said, "Scully, are you ok?"  "You can call me Dana." Scully said quietly, tired of all the professionalism.  "Alright, Dana, can you tell me anything about what happened, do you have any idea on how you survived?"  Scully was really out of it, though, "What?" she asked.  "You were dead." Krycek announced.  Scully turned to the window, "Almost dead."

Krycek reacked and took Scully's chin and turned her face towards him.  "What happened to you?"  Scully looked at her hands folded in her lap, "I heard the Father Mcue giving me Extreme Unction.  Things went black, and I could feel myself starting to slip away.  I heard a voice.  The voice told me to go back, that I wasn't done yet.  I felt myself being turned around, and I woke up."  She didn't expect Krycek to believe her.  Mulder wouldn't have, he would've laughed.  But, when Scully looked in Krycek's direction.  He seemed deep in thought, not at all like he was mocking her.

They sat there like that for awhile.  Finally, he looked at Scully.  "You look a little shook up.  I'll drive you home."  He placed his left hand on the wheel.  Scully noticed this, Krycek looked at his left arm and said, "It's finished."  He then turned on the ignition and drove Scully back to her apartment.  They got out and Scully said, "Well, Krycek, what's your opinion?  Your opinion on what's happened."  "What makes you think I have one?" he asked.  "Because, you're not the type, not to have an opinion."  He smiled and said, "Well, I'll tell you when I'm certain of it."  he walked off to the bus stop, then he disappeared into the crowd.

Scully went back into her apartment.  She laid down on the couch, contemplating what had happened.  She looked outside the window.  The assassins had made an attempt on her life, and nearly killed her the second time.  Although their intention was to kill the family priest.  But, the bleeding hosts was what was making her wonder.  She decided that since she could not fathom it, that it's be best to leave it alone.

She turned over and looked at the ceiling.  And, slowly she let herself fall asleep.  Then she got another phone call.

Hampton Inn.  Next time she would go to Days Inn.  She rented an overnight room, and went to sleep thinking about the events that had occurred in the past two days.  There was no scientific explanation.  But, science only teaches you how, not why.  This was certainly a case that proved it was true.

She regretted going to work in the morning.  She barely made it through all the maddening paper work.  She couldn't stop thinking about the incident all day.  Several people probably had sore feet.  She couldn't count how many she had stepped on, since she was in such a haze.  When it was time to go home, she felt like singing Alleluia.

She went down to the parking lot.  When she got to her car, there was a note in it.  "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."  At first, Scully just stared at it.  But, after a few seconds, realization hit her.  She turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot as fast as she could.  She was heading for the rectory.

Father Mcue stepped into his house and locked the door.  A dalmation came frolicking up to him.  "Hello, Pope." the priest said, he pulled out some dog food and took the dog outside.  There, he fed him.  Then he re-entered the house.  As he went into his study, someone followed him.

Scully pulled into the church's parking lot.  She sprang out of her car and ran over to the rectory.  Oh no, he had left Pope outside.  She ran up to the door and started banging and yelling.  No answer.  So, she pulled out her gun and kicked the door in.  She cautiously stepped inside.  Her gun up and ready to fire.  She checked the kitchen, living room, ect.  When she got to the study, she saw Father Mcue on the floor.  "Father!" she yelled.  She walked up to him and shook him.  He groaned, and there was a gash in his head.  "Wait here, Father.  I'll get a you a washcloth."

She went into the kitchen, put down her gun, and went to the sink.  She was wetting the washcloth, when she had an intuitive feeling.  She turned around just in time to get smacked across the face with a piece of wood.  Then the guy grabbed her jaw and thrust her into the water in the sink.  She couldn't breather and she felt dixxy from the smack.  But, she managed to knee him in the groin.  That broke his hold.

She pulled her head out of the sink.  She kneed him in the chest and brought her two elbows down on the back of his neck.  He fell the floor.  She went to get the phone.  Then she heard the guy say, "Don't touch the phone!  I'm pointed a gun at you."  He then thrust the gun into her right temple.  She then saw that the gun still needed to be clicked off the safety.

She took the opportunity to step on his foot, elbow him in the stomach, and grab his arm and throw him over her shoulder.  She kicked him in the rubs, took her gun back, and proceeded to call the police.

Several weeks after the incident, Scully received a phone call.  "Scully." she said.  "Hello Dana, I think that you no longer have to worry about the priest." Krycek's voice said on the phone. "Why?  Because, I changed their minds?"  she asked, smiling.  "Yeah, that could be it, they don't want too much attention in that area.  By the way, his would-be assassin is dead."  "I suspected as much."  Scully said disappointed.  "Still, this isn't over.  Be careful, Scully.  Be carefully about those you love, too."  Then he hung up.  Scully placed the phone back on the receiver.  Then she plopped down on the couch and said, "Well, at least it's not the Ramada Inn, again."

The End

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