Title: A Tale of Three Families (Part One of Two)
Author: PhileyX 
E-Mail: phileyx@yahoo.com 
Web-site: http://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx 
Rating: PG-R
Category: MSR, WJR.
Spoilers: Requiem
Prequels: Man Without A Face, The Matchbox, The Dinner Guest, A Nobody
is Hard to Find, Time Out, Redhead, A Father is Hard To Find, Visions,
Second Time Round, Keeper, One of Us, Revelations, Persuasion, Rubbing
Off, Bird's Landing USA, Absolution, Guardian.
Disclaimer: All the characters here do not belong to me. 
Author's note: 
My version of John Doggett was created before the premiere of Season
8. Please disregard any dissimilarity in character.
The prequels to this story can be found at:
http://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Faceseries.html
If the format is screwed up, try reading from my site:
http://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Tale.html
Intro: This story takes place after the Requiem. Two years after his
disappearance, a man appears claiming to be Mulder, with a catch; he
just didn't have his face. Scully soon finds out he really is her
ex-partner and makes the ultimate sacrifice; she gives both Mulder and
her son up. Although intent on keeping herself away from her son, she
is unable to stop herself from seeing Mulder. Meanwhile, Will grows up
without her and soon without his father too. As the years go by, the
truth begins to reveal itself, bringing them all together, challenging
them to finally be a family.

XXXXXXXXXXX
A Tale of Three Families (Part One of One)

Jason watched Joyce replace the cell phone into her handbag. "You know
one day this web of deceit is going to turn around and bite us in the
ass." He was talking about her conversation with Jack and Emma
Callahan.

His wife smirked. "Don't blame me, I've got the normal parents."

"Yeah but you came up with the idea of Laura Petrie being my dad's
girlfriend." He argued, shifting the car into gear and increasing
speed.

"They were holding hands during the wedding! What else could I say
about them? At least I didn't come up with the priceless story about
him doing research in the Himalayas all these years."

"Did you really want your dad knowing about our sleeping arrangements
during college?"

Joyce rolled her eyes. "By the way, during dinner last week, I told my
mom and dad that yours said their vows in front of a couple of
strangers a few months ago."

"What?" Jason eyes widened. "You told your parents that my parents are
married?"

Joyce sighed. "Well it sort came out that they were living together.
And considering how my parents weren't really impressed with you and
me having a secret relationship and then marrying shotgun, I
figured...." She trailed off.

"Figured what?" He then helpfully provided. "That you would save the
rest of my family from eternal damnation for sinful living?"

She grimaced. "Something like that."

Jason closed his eyes briefly and groaned. "You do realize that
they're all going to meet when you go into labour next week?"

"Just make sure your dad and mom call each other by their rightful
names and we'll be fine." She told him confidently before frowning.
"They both will be there, won't they?"

"Uh huh. Right after they pick Lisa up from summer camp."

"Even with this family emergency?"

"Depends on how bad the family emergency is. All Byers could tell me
was that Charles Scully and Bill's daughter were admitted. He couldn't
get more information due the fact that it was a Navy hospital and
records were well protected."

"Couldn't John Doggett have gotten more information? After all, Bill
did approach him for his help to find your mom."

"Are you kidding? It's a well-known fact that Bill hates anyone
associated with the Bureau. To him, they're all connected to the
X-files and aliens from outer space. Doggett barely survived his
visit, especially when he accidentally revealed something he shouldn't
have." Joyce raised an eyebrow and her husband nodded. "Yup, Melissa."

She groaned. "He didn't!"

"He did. Bill almost busted a vein hearing that Mom had adopted a
child without telling him."

Joyce shook her head even though she fully understood her
mother-in-law's secrecy. It was to ensure that Melissa was used to her
new double life before exposing her to the rest of the world that
mattered. Also, it was a much-needed personal time for the three of
them to get acquainted with each other.

As both husband and wife rode in silence, a road sign came into view.
Jason peered to catch the words. "We're almost there."

Hearing the wistfulness and the doubts in his head, she told him
softly. "It's going to be all right, Jace."

He looked at her, suppressing an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry I
brought you on this trip in your condition." Sighing, he added. "I'm
just not very good with people. And you always got along with
everybody."

"Well, when you're carrying a fifty ton basketball in your tummy,
people are generally a little nicer to you."

A look from him told her that that wasn't what he meant and she knew
it. Joyce was always his buffer to real life and people. General
public didn't easily accept his quirky humour and paranoid outlook of
reality. It always took longer than normal for him to make friends.
And he felt that he needed some emotional support to meet his mother's
relatives.

Unfortunately for him, Joyce had the advantage of knowing Jason too
well. She knew that support wasn't the only thing he needed from her.
"Jace, what else do you want me to do when we get there?"

He kept his gaze on the road. "I want to know if everything is all
right, that's all. They are after all, my mother's family."

She was right. In other words, he needed her to use her telepathic
ability if Bill refused to talk. Smiling, she reminded him. "They're
your family too, you know."

He winced slightly. "Not really. To them I don't exist."

"Yes, you do." She protested. "They're fully aware of the existence of
William Mulder."

"But I'm not him anymore, my name is Jason Alexander now. I guess it's
just as well. Bill hates Fox Mulder." He shook his head and quipped.
"So I'm really his sister's fornication with the devil."

"God! You're so dramatic." Joyce sighed.

He grinned as he pulled up to a naval base entrance. "We're here."

As an officer signaled them to wait for him to come over, Joyce
muttered to her husband. "Okay fine, I'll do it. But I'm warning you,
if I find nothing to justify this incredibly uncomfortable road trip,
I'm filing for divorce."

"You can't, we're Catholic."

"We?"

He looked at her smiling; reminding her that he was baptized when he
was an infant. "Well, technically."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Captain Bill Scully?" Jason asked the man behind the door when it
opened.

"Yes."

"My name Jason Alexander." Then pausing to turn to his wife beside
him, Jason proceeded to introduce her. "And this is my wife, Joyce."

Bill nodded politely at the very pregnant redhead and turned back to
him. "Can I help you?

"Well actually I was wondering if I could be of some assistance. I
used to help your sister when she was in the Bureau."

The husband and wife watched the eldest Scully physically stiffen and
braced themselves. His eyes flickered in annoyance as he glowered.
"Really? And how exactly do you think you could assist me? No, let me
guess. Perhaps you have some special powers like telepathy?"

The remark hit too close to home and both Jason and Joyce squirmed
uncomfortably. Before the former could open his mouth to say
something, Joyce had an epiphany and suddenly clutched her stomach.
"Oh my God!" She gasped.

"Joyce, what's wrong?" Her husband instantly panicked. 

"Pain." She lied and whispered dramatically. "I need to sit down."

It was obviously the last thing Bill Scully wanted to do but was too
much of a decent man to deny them. He gently asked them to come in.
Guiding them into his living room sofa, he quickly left for the
kitchen. "I'll get you some tea."

"Water will be just fine." Joyce called after him. 

Meanwhile Jason was beside himself, smothering her with concern. "Are
you all right? Should we call a doctor? These naval bases' medical
staff...."

"Jace...." She hushed him comfortingly. "I'm fine. We needed to get in
and now we're in, aren't we?"

Her husband looked at her in shock. "You mean...." He trailed off.

"Yeah." She whispered in confidence. "He may not talk to us but it
wouldn't matter. I just need some time with him."

"My God, you're devious!" He muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
"And you scared the living daylights out of me! After all, I dragged
you out here. If your parents found out, they'd kill me."

"Will you relax and let me do what I do?" She hissed and squeezed his
arm to warn him that someone was coming.

A bubbly woman of her mother-in-law's age greeted them with a smile.
"Hi, I'm Tara.... Oh no, don't get up. You just sit down and make
yourself comfortable. Bill's making some tea."

"Thank you so much. I'm truly sorry for the trouble." Joyce told her,
liking her instantly.

"It's no trouble. I've been in your position twice before. I know
exactly how it feels at this stage. When are you due?"

"Next week." Jason provided and winced when he caught a twinge of
disapproval on Tara Scully's features.

Joyce caught it too and squeezed his arm to reassure him. "Yes, next
week. But it was good to get out of the house. A drive was a nice
change."

"Yes but you really shouldn't be performing such journeys in your
condition." The elder woman advised further.

Thankfully Bill arrived with tea and the subject was forgotten. As
they sat with their cups in their hands, Jason's mind raced to think
of something to say. His wife spared him the trouble and remarked
about how nice the room was. A pleasant conversation proceeded to flow
but Bill Scully did not seem to enjoy the participation. When topics
finally began to dwindle, Tara cleared her throat and began bravely.
"Bill tells me that you know Dana."

"Yes. She used to consult with my husband in a couple of cases."

Bill sighed as if slightly irritated but his wife took no notice. "Did
John Doggett send you?"

"No." Jason answered softly. "Not really. But believe me, we are doing
everything within our power to find her."

Bill suddenly challenged him. "People just don't disappear without a
trace, Mr. Alexander. I don't understand what's taking so long? Was
she kidnapped?"

"I don't think so sir." Jason innocently hinted the truth. "All
indication shows that she took a trip somewhere."

"Without a word to anyone? It figures..." Bill growled under his
breath.

"Bill." Tara protested gently. Her husband gave her a look before
deciding he had enough of acting polite. "I'm going upstairs." He
huffed and stalked out of the room.

Tara Scully looked apologetically at the duo. "I'm sorry about that.
It's a difficult time for us, especially for him." Tara softly
continued. "He always found it hard to understand his sister. She's
such a private person. When we first realized she was missing, what
struck us hard was that we didn't even know whom to call. It made us
wonder who Dana's friends were. It's good to know she has some."

Jason and Joyce exchanged glances, not knowing how to respond to that.
Then the former finally spoke. "Mrs. Scully, we were wondering if
there is anything we could do."

Tara Scully hesitated and then told them. "You could find her. It's
really all we want."

The duo nodded and then decided it was time to leave. Picking
themselves up, they thanked their host for the tea and proceeded for
the door.

"Well?" Jason asked when they were safely out of the naval house.

"Well nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?"

"I mean I got zip, nada." She told him in a disheartened tone. "All I
could hear was their overwhelming concern of finding your mom. As if
she was the most important person in the world."

Jason frowned thoughtfully. "Nothing on their daughter and Charles?"

"Nothing. Maybe they're desperate to get your mother back because they
believe she'll be able to help them?"

"Doesn't make any sense, Joyce. I'm sure they have good doctors who
are able to..." He trailed off when two large medical units suddenly
pulled up at the front of the house. They stared as five men in
biohazard suits got out of the vehicles. The moment they were spotted,
two men took out guns, pointing straight at them.

One of the armed men ordered. "Put your hands in the air!"

Stunned Jason and Joyce did as they were told. As three men made their
way to Bill's door, the other two approached the couple. One flicked
the 'Visitor' tag on Jason's label and motioned the other to put away
the gun, doing the same to his own. "I'm sorry sir. You and your wife
will have to come with us."

Jason sputtered. "Why?"

"Because we believe Mr. and Mrs. Bill Scully might have been exposed
to a harmful biological virus."

"That's ridiculous!" Jason exclaimed. 

"Well sir if you can explain to me why in two weeks, four of their
family members have one by one been showing symptoms of Septicemia,
we'd like to know."

'Four? Besides Charles and Linda, there were more?' Stunned at the
revelation, Jason blinked blankly.

Beside him, Joyce asked. "What's Septicemia?"

Her husband looked at her worriedly and answered in a whisper. "Blood
poisoning."

XXXXXXXXXXX

The room was brightly lit. A table and couple of chairs were neatly
arranged in the middle of the room. In the corner, there were two cot
beds. It seemed like they were expected to stay in this room for the
night.

"Very nice. You have room service too?" Jason deadpanned. The guard
only replied with a look and proceeded to lock the door.

"I'm glad to see you're attempting to make friends." Joyce grumbled.

"We won't be here for long." He told her confidently. "They can't keep
us here. We're civilians, we have rights."

"Not unless we're a threat to society." She sighed and sat down on the
surprisingly comfortable bed.

Jason looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Joyce..." He growled warningly.

"Okay." She looked up and explained. "It's not perfectly clear to me.
I caught a little bit from here and there, amidst the flurry of
activity." Licking her lips, she went on. "From the Gunmen we know
that Charles Scully was the first to get sick. What we didn't know was
that, he had just come back from a peacekeeping mission in the Gulf.
And that's what's the terrifying the navy."

"What is?"

"That he brought back something he shouldn't have."

Staring at her, Jason sputtered. "They were using biochemical weapons
in the Gulf?"

"I'm not absolutely sure, I'm just putting the pieces together. Even
in their minds, these men are guarded with their secrets."

"So they think it's their responsibility that this contagion is in the
air."

"Yes and that's why they're cleaning the mess up."

Thoughtful for a moment, Jason shook his head vehemently. "It doesn't
make sense. This started two weeks ago! Within that time, Charles
Scully was exposed to more people than just family. So why isn't
anybody else infected?"

"Maybe it only affects family?" Joyce suggested timidly.

"If it does, we don't belong here."

Fear flitted across her face. "Actually Jace, we do. Don't forget."
She licked her lips hesitantly. "We're family too."

His eyes widened. She was right, he realized. And just a couple of
hours ago, if there existed a contagion, they were exposed to it the
second they entered Bill's house. His eyes silently trailed down
slowly to her bulging stomach. He didn't need to say anything because
he knew she thought about it long before he did. They were all in
danger, the baby too.

Suddenly the sound of the door opening made them both jump. They
turned directly and found a smartly dressed naval officer standing at
the doorway. The latter took a step forward and said. "Mr. and Mrs.
Alexander?"

Jason stiffened and cautiously moved forward to meet him. "Yes?"

"I'm Commander Rick Stevens. I'm so sorry about this but you have to
understand, we had no choice but to bring you in. And if there's
anything you need to make your stay more comfortable, feel free make
it known. We'll do our best to provide it."

Getting to her feet, Joyce asked him. "How long are we expected to
stay here?"

"As long as it takes, Mrs. Alexander."

"As long as it takes for what?" Jason asked, his voice dangerously
low.

The Commander sensed the younger man's growing anger and took a step
backward in an attempt to ease the tension. "As long as it takes to
figure all this out."

By that time, Joyce was safely beside her husband. She pressed her
hand against his lower back, coaxing him to calm down. Realizing that
she had a point, he controlled his temper. "And you're sure you know
what you're doing?"

The elder man smiled and surprisingly admitted. "No. Which is why we
need your help. Following protocol, we did a background check on you,
Mr. Alexander. We understand you work for the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. Your work is highly regarded, especially in the area of
biochemicals. You're a consultant to many departments but particularly
so, to the X-files, formerly under the supervision of SAC Dana Scully,
who also happens to be Lieutenant Commander Charles Scully's sister."

"That's quite a background check, Commander."

"Well we had to figure out how you were connected to the Scullys."

Jason rolled his eyes. "And now that you know all about me, you want
my help?"

"Yes." Stevens cleared his throat and continued. "Because truthfully,
we're stumped. We have no idea what's going on here. We don't know
what it is, we don't know how to stop it and most importantly, we
don't know if someone else will catch this thing."

Jason's jaw tightened, noticing that none of the Commander's concerns
were to find a cure that would save the lives of those already
infected. "Well, it's good to know that you've got all your priorities
right."

Receiving the taunt loud and clear, a flicker of awkwardness briefly
clouded the Commander's face. "For the greater good, Mr. Alexander."

"But of course." The latter nodded in mock agreement. "And as a
patriot, I'll do whatever I can.... for the greater good."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Jason walked dejectedly into what it seemed their temporary home,
waking Joyce up from her slumber. "Jace?"

With the help of the lamp's soft light on the table, he saw at her
sleepy countenance and whispered. "It's all right, go back to sleep."

His wife shook her head and sat up, waiting for him to come to her.
Reaching the bed, he slumped on it heavily. The stack of medical files
in his hands gave her an idea of on how slow the progress was, but she
asked anyway. "Well?"

"Now I know why Bill wanted to find Dana Scully so desperately." He
sighed. "Because this is an X-file."

"You don't know what it is." Joyce muttered the obvious.

"Haven't a clue." He muttered back and then started explaining
everything he had found out so far. "Charles started getting sick a
week ago, which is about a month since his return from the Gulf. A few
days after his visit to the naval hospital, his superiors became
suspicious. One of Charles's best friends found out and told Bill what
they feared. Not wanting to believe it and having connections, Bill
somehow managed to delay Charles's confinement. Then Bill's very own
daughter, Linda got sick. Still, no one could figure out what was
wrong, only that the symptoms were similar. Bill panicked and went to
DC, to look for his sister. Not finding her there, he came home to
more bad news, Charles's granddaughter also showing the same signs.
And by the time the mother of that child began complaining of
headaches too, Bill's sympathetic friends had had enough."

"And here we all are." Joyce concluded the story for him.

"Yeah, here we are." Putting the files aside, he rubbed his eyes
wearily.

His wife looked at the stack between them. She picked up the one on
the top and flicked through it. "Linda's not even in the same base."

Jason looked up from his hands and nodded. "She and her husband, who's
also in the Navy, lives in another naval base, about thirty miles
away."

"So how could she possibly have gotten it from Charles?"

"They met for a family dinner, about three weeks ago. We think that
the virus or whatever it is, lays dormant for a certain amount of
time." Shaking his head, he expressed his frustration. "I can't figure
it out, Joyce. It's the first time I have ever come across such a
combination of symptoms. Initially they indicate a type of blood
poisoning. But antibiotics seem to only provide a short-term solution
before the symptoms return. It just didn't make sense. Severe chills,
low blood pressure and recently, several red lines extending from a
boil on their backs; Charles, Linda, Rebecca and Annabelle all have
the same condition."

"Anything like this in the X-files?" She asked as she took up another
file. "You called Landell and Maston, didn't you?"

"Yeah, they got back to me. But I don't think the case they found is
relevant."

His tone made her sense perk up. "What do you mean?"

"Emily. Their symptoms are similar to Emily's. But considering Emily
wasn't wholly human, I decided to ignore the correlation."

"Oh." Joyce frowned. It suddenly occurred to her that Emily was one
sister that she and he had never discussed about. She wondered how he
felt about her but felt it wasn't the right time to ask. Turning her
attentions back to the documents, she spent some time reading through
all the files. Meanwhile, Jason lay down and rested his eyes.

After about fifteen minutes, Joyce tapped his arm. "Did you know that
Annabelle had an ingrown toe nail removed a day before she showed the
signs?"

His brows narrowed for a second. "I did. But it shouldn't be a
concern, it's a routine procedure."

"According to this, Charles had a blood test a couple of hours before
he complained of chills. And Rebecca, she had a booster shot the
morning her fever began."

Catching on, Jason instantly dragged himself upright. "What about
Linda?"

His wife flipped through the pages and shook her head. "Nothing on
Linda."

She watched as his face turned pale. Thinking that he was disappointed
that Linda didn't fit the hypothesis, she encouraged him to check it
out anyway. "Hey. Three out of four, that ain't bad."

"No, you don't understand. It is bad. As a precaution, I got the
doctors to take blood samples from every other Scully left." Joyce's
eye widened and whispered dejectedly. "That's right, Joyce. If the
connection is indeed the hospital, I might have gotten the rest
infected too."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Jason peeked in and found Bill sleeping soundly. 'Good.' He thought as
he softly padded into the room. Since the naval officer found out that
he had unwittingly spread the infection to another three members of
the family, Jason was reduced to monitoring his condition only when he
was unconscious, lest the bigger man abused him to death. It wasn't as
if he needed to. As the hours went by, Jason's confidence was wavering
near zero. There seemed nothing he could do to cure the Scullys'
bizarre illness. But he did put the Commander's fears to rest by
confirming that the contagion was somewhat under control.

According to his mental calculation, Jason concluded that Dana Scully
would be arriving to the rescue soon. He had informed Melissa and she
promised to see to it that their mother received the news when she
picked her up from summer camp.  Although not knowing how she could
contribute, Jason longed for her arrival. With her experience in the
paranormal, he was sure that she would come up with something before
it was too late.

The door suddenly opened and Jason looked up. Before he could say a
word, Bill woke up and beat him to it. "Dana!"

"Bill. I came as soon I heard." Dana rushed in, followed closely by
Landell and Maston. Her steps faltered when she caught sight of the
man, hovering smilingly behind Bill. "J..Jason?"

Jason saw her shock and concluded that her former subordinates didn't
tell her of his involvement yet. Then he coolly resumed the role as
her former Bureau consultant. "Hello, Agent Scully."

"What are you doing here?" Her eyes nervously skirted between her
brother and her son.

Bill growled. "He's here to help. Unfortunately for us."

As both Dana and Jason frowned for different reasons, Maston suddenly
punched Landell and muttered. "Jason!"

At first the latter was bewildered, looking at Jason only because his
partner seemed mesmerized by him. Then his eyes widened as the Arcadia
case suddenly came into mind. "Alexander!"

Maston excitedly nodded and added. "A doctor! It fits!"

As the two agents looked as if they just won a trip to the Bermuda
Triangle; Bill, Dana and Jason stared at them as if they were
demented. Then Bill glared at Dana suspiciously. "He is a doctor,
isn't he?"

"Huh?" Dana started for a moment and then assured her brother. "Of
course, he is."

Not knowing what had gotten her agents and only interested in getting
the spotlight off her son, she turned to glower at the FBI agents. The
glare told them to get out. Landell grimaced and quickly guided his
partner out the door. Glad they were out the way, Dana hurried to her
brother's side. "Bill, are you all right?"

"I'm better compared to Charlie. Why don't you ask this genius here
what he did?"

Jason resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Can we talk outside, Agent
Scully?"

Wondering why Bill was coming down so hard on Jason, Dana nodded in
agreement and walked out with him.

"I messed up." Jason admitted as soon as they were alone.

"What do you mean?" She asked, wishing he wouldn't look so miserable.

"It was my fault that Bill, Matthew and Anthony got infected."

"Okay Jason, back up." Dana looked at him intently. "Maston and
Landell could not tell me much. But they did provide me copies of the
medical reports. I read them on the way here. And in my opinion,
you've done everything I would have done."

"The hospital spreads the infection and like a idiot, I ordered them
to give blood samples. Of course it's my fault."

"You think it's the hospital? That's impossible! Tara gave blood too
and so did Anthony's wife, how come they're not infected?"

"That I don't know. But it's the only link that binds all those
infected besides the fact that they're family."

"Even Linda?"

"There was a blood drive in the chapel and Linda donated blood. Guess
where the equipment came from?"

"I see." She decided that it was pointless to dwell on his theory.
What mattered most was they find a cure. "Let's leave that aside for
the moment. Have you have done anything else besides what I already
know from the reports?"

"As the symptoms suggest Septicemia, I've tried photoluminescence to
help clear the blood of the viral contaminants. But the treatment
didn't respond as I expected."

Dana looked thoughtful. "I looked in on Charlie just now. The boil on
his back is growing."

"I know."

"It's also turning green."

Jason frowned, studying her wary countenance. "You're thinking of
Emily."

She looked away briefly. "It reminds me of Emily."

"Mom, Charlie is... human." He softened his voice. "This has nothing
to do with her."

The determined look on her face told him she wasn't fully convinced.
True enough, she retrieved a few sheets of paper from her jacket.
"Here's her a copy of Emily's records. It can't hurt to check it out."

He didn't bother to argue. "Okay. I'll keep you informed." 

Dana's cell phone began to ring. She waited until Jason was a few
steps away before she answered it. "Scully."

It was Mulder. "Scully, it's me." 

"Hey."

"Are you all right?"

"Not really." She replied tiredly, a million things clouding her mind.
"Oh, Jason's here."

"I know."

She was surprised. "You do?"

"I got a call from the Callahans. It seemed that Joyce called to say
that they were stuck on a naval base indefinitely. Then judging from
the twenty-one messages Jason left on our answering machine, I figured
he's at the same naval base that your brother is."

"What? Joyce is here too?" Dana exclaimed, sudden fear making her
heart pound faster. "Damn it!"

"You didn't know?"

She blurted. "This thing is spreading amongst family, Mulder..."

"I know." He coolly told her. "Now calm down."

Heeding his advice, she took a moment to compose herself. Usually she
could handle the worst of situations. But today, there were just too
many emotions brought up at the same time. First reading about her
very own family who were one by one slowly yielding to an unknown
virus; then realizing from Maston that their symptoms matched Emily;
then seeing Jason amidst his family that will probably never
acknowledge him; and finally learning that her grandchild could be in
danger. "I'm sorry Mulder. I just feel so helpless."

"Scully, it's not over yet."

"But it might be. If Jason can't figure this out, what are the odds I
can?"

He decided not to argue, changing the subject instead. "I'm sure the
adults are strong enough to hold on until a cure is found. I'm more
worried about the baby."

"Baby?" His plan worked, she nearly smiled. "Girl, Mulder. Rebecca's
like six."

"Wait a minute, I thought Linda just had this kid?"

"No, Rebecca is Sean and Annabelle's daughter."

The man was still confused. "And Sean is Charlie's son?"

"Wrong again, Annabelle is Charlie's daughter." Shaking her head, Dana
groaned. "Mulder, how is it you have a photographic memory but you
can't ever get my family tree right?"

He growled back. "My family's smaller, okay?"

At that moment, a bulb suddenly went off in Dana's head. "Wait a
minute, you may be on to something here. Jason may be right."

"About what?"

"He has a theory that the infection's passed through the hospital,
most probably through needles. He couldn't really prove it because not
everyone in the family was infected. But you see those who weren't
infected weren't really Scullys."

Clearly he didn't get her meaning. "Um.. Scully, did your mom adopt
some children that I don't know about?"

"Nooo Mulder." She groaned. "I meant the in-laws."

"So this thing is genetic?"

"Yeah."

"And did you say this thing spreads through needles?"

She raised an eyebrow, recognizing the tone in his voice that meant he
just had a hunch. "Yeah why?"

"I'll call you back real soon, okay?"

"Mulder?" The phone went dead. "I hate it when he does that!" She
muttered but didn't dwell on it long. There were too many other issues
to worry about.
 
XXXXXXXXXXX

Dana silently sat by and watched her younger brother breathe. It had
been a nearly a year since she last saw him. She remembered it was a
couple of weeks before she decided to go after Mulder. With that
decision, she knew that she could never be with her own family as much
as she like to, from then on. But knowing that they led very different
lives from hers helped to ease the guilt. She figured they wouldn't
need her. However, the recent disaster proved how wrong she was.

Her reverie was broken when Bill stepped into the room. Dana
immediately got out of her seat. "Bill, what are you doing here? You
shouldn't be out of bed."

"I'm fine. I couldn't sleep." Realizing that it was useless to argue
with him, she sighed and stood next to him. Bill gazed at Charlie and
asked. "How is he?"

"Slightly better. His blood pressure is back to normal."

"That's good. The kid's got any progress?"

She figured he was talking about Jason. "He's still trying."

"He's got his heart in the right place." Smirking softly, he added.
"At least he's around when you need him."

The familiar taunting tone raised her hackles but Dana refused to be
baited, instead replying crisply. "Yeah, he's a good kid."

Her brother waited for a moment before speaking again. "Did you know,
I came to look for you in DC?"

Sensing another attack, Dana repeated a mantra silently. 'I will not
lose my temper. I will not lose...'

"I couldn't find you."

She paused from her meditation to tell him. "I was on a road trip."

"Oh? Where did you go?"

"Bill, you don't really want to know this." She muttered, sure that he
was just leading her into another argument.

"Yes, I do. Come on, where did you go?"

"Okay, I went to see the Grand Crayon."

"Really? Wow." As he shifted his weight to another leg, she waited for
it. And he didn't disappoint her. "Are you sure you didn't like, go on
a crop circles tour or something?"

"Very funny. Do they have stand up comedy at the Officers Club now?"

He ignored her. "I did something I'd never thought I'd do in DC. Do
you know, I actually wished for Mulder." Stiffening, she looked at him
and he explained. "I wished he was alive. Because he'd probably know
exactly where you were."

Dana's jaw tightened. "You're probably right." 

"Of course I am. As always, everyone else knows about you except your
own blood."

Her patience was now gone. Dana closed her eyes briefly and groaned.
"Bill, why do you make it so impossible for us to have a decent
conversation?"

"I make it impossible? I had to find out from a total stranger that my
sister adopted a fourteen-year-old girl! How you think I felt, Dana?"

She was speechless for a moment and could only stare at him. 'Doggett
must have slipped the news, thinking he already knew.' She thought.
Her first resolve was to kill her ex-partner but she soon realized
that it wasn't really his fault. Grimacing, she started on her
defense. "I was going to bring her to visit..."

"Don't bother, Dana!" Bill cut her off. "We just don't mean anything
to you, do we?"

"That's not true."

"Then how come John Doggett knows more about your life than your whole
family combined?"

"The only reason why John knows is because he's her Godfather!"

His eyes grew wide. "Great! You pick a man whose not even Catholic to
be your daughter's Godfather?"

Dana nearly threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "I didn't
pick him to be anything! He was alr..." She stopped abruptly, only
just realizing that she was shouting, in Charlie's unconscious
presence too. "No, I'm not doing this here." She muttered and turned
to go.

He followed and called after her. "That's right, Dana. Walk away from
a discussion, like you always do."

She spun around and hissed. "You call this a discussion? This is not a
discussion, it's a shooting range!"

"And yet don't take an ounce of trouble to...." He started but
suddenly trailed off. Staring past Dana, he gaped at the sight of
something or someone behind her. The shock his face was so apparent
that she realized that something was not right. She turned around and
her jaw almost dropped too.

It was Lisa. She had just emerged from the hospital elevator. As she
caught sight of her mother, she perked up. But it wasn't long before
she too froze in her step, cocking her head slightly like a puzzled
dog. Why were her mother and a man she didn't know staring at her as
if she was from Mars? "Um... Hello?"

Dana finally found her voice. "Lisa, wh..what are you doing here?"

Her daughter was about to answer but the strange man began swaying
precariously. Pointing past Dana, Lisa whispered urgently. "Mom, I
think that man is about to fall."

Blinking, Dana turned to see what her daughter meant. She rushed
forward just in time, catching Bill before he completely lost control.
"Bill, are you all right?"

"She.. she.." He gasped in between breaths, still staring at Lisa who
looked exactly like Dana did when she was the same age. Being her
brother, he would know. "I...I need to sit down."

"Okay, I'll help you to your room." Dana spun her head and told her
nervous daughter. "Get Jason, he's in room 515."

"Jason?" Lisa echoed dumbly.

"Yes Jason, go!" She almost yelled and the younger redhead jumped to
obey. Meanwhile, Dana pulled Bill's arm around her neck and struggled
to guide the bigger man towards his room.

"That's her?" He croaked softly as they moved.

She knew he caught the eerie resemblance and hastily made something
up. "Yeah I know, she looks exactly like I did. What can I say?
Coincidence."

"Coincidence?"

"Uh huh." She rambled nervously. "You know, one of those wacky,
unexplainable, crazy things."

They had finally reached his room. She gently deposited him on the
bed. He still looked perplexed. "Wacky... unexplainable... crazy..."
He muttered under his breath. She grimaced, wondering if he had
already guessed the truth. But he didn't show any indication, instead
he settled slowly under the covers.

As Dana continued to stare at him in confusion, Jason appeared. "What
happened?"

"I'm not sure." Dana admitted.

He checked on Bill, taking his pulse and his blood pressure. "His BP
is up, way up. He's in shock."

Dana winced, knowing that the shock could only be due to seeing Lisa.
'And there is only be one person to be blamed for this!' She concluded
angrily. Mulder.

"He needs rest." Jason said, giving her a pointed look towards the
door. "And no more unexpected visitors."

She realized he was hinting for her to leave too. Good thing too, she
had better things to do. Namely, find Mulder and kick his ass.

Lisa looked up as her mother's heels clicked angrily out the room. "Is
he all right?"

She didn't answer, instead asking in a low controlled voice. "Where's
your father?"

Seeing the daggers in her blue eyes, Lisa didn't think it wise to say
she didn't know. "He'll... be right up."

"Good." Her mother brusquely muttered, staring lividly at the elevator
doors.

Her daughter sensed a storm waiting to happen and decided to escape
while she still could. "Umm... I'll go wait near the coffee machine."

As soon as she was at a safe distance away, the elevator doors opened
to emit a rather flustered Mulder. His face brightened as he saw his
wife, hers just darkened. And he noticed. "What's wrong?"

To his surprise, she growled. "What the hell are you doing here
Mulder?"

"Well I..." He started to say.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Cutting him off, she hissed
fiercely. "Lisa's not supposed to be here! You couldn't leave things
well as they are, could you?"

"Scully..."

"You know my family is here. You know the kind of shit Bill puts me
through and yet you came! And you bring Lisa?"

Mulder's control was beginning to disappear. "I was only trying to
help, Scully."

"Help? Oh yeah, you've certainly been a great help. Bill took one look
at Lisa and is having a heart attack as we speak!"

He snapped. "Listen, this thing between you and your brother has
nothing to do with me!"

"Nothing to do with you?" She let out a half laugh. "Mulder my whole
life, every choice I made had something to do with you! But that isn't
enough for you, is it? As if things aren't bad enough, you had to
complicate matt...."

"And is that all Lisa and I are to you?" Mulder shot back. "A
complication?"

"You leave Lisa out of this. You were the one that brought her here,
so take the responsibility!"

Meanwhile, Lisa had had enough. Abandoning the vending machine, she
stepped in between. "Excuse me!"

"Lisa, stay out of this." Her father growled.

"No, I will not!" She persisted, glaring back fiercely. "May I remind
that you have a very impressionable teenager in your midst, and this
event may very well scar her forever." Stunned, her parents exchanged
a bemused look. But their daughter evidently wasn't finished. "A
really fine example, you two. With the image of my father and mother
screaming at each other, painfully branded in my brain, I will
probably never date, never fall in love, never marry..."

Unable to bear the load of crap, Dana hastily stopped her. "Lisa!
Thank you. Point taken."

The teenager's half open mouth closed. Then giving them a severe look
as though she were the parent, she turned to go. Almost in synch,
Mulder and Dana shook their heads slowly.

Nearby, Jason suddenly cleared his throat. He was leaning against a
wall, looking irritatingly amused. "She's good."

While his mother glared at him, Mulder decided to get to more
important matters. "I think I know what this infection is."

Dana and Jason raised their eyebrows, the latter asking for them both.
"You do?"

"When your mother mentioned needles, I got the Gunmen to recheck the
distribution list and match them with the courier's delivery log.
There were a couple of entries that didn't match. Somehow during a
medical supply shortage a couple of months ago, our merchandise got
expedited to Navy bases around this region."

Jason stared at him. "The antivirus, that's what this is?"

"That's right." 

"So it is genetic." Dana muttered. "The vaccine is unsuitable for
anyone who is a direct Scully."
 
Mulder frowned at her. "I don't get it. Didn't you take a shot before
Bird's Landing?"

She snapped her head up. He was right, she did. But Jason had already
thought of the question and a hypothesis to back it up. "Mom's
different. There's something that happened to her that didn't to any
other Scully."

"You mean I only get to choose one?" Dana snorted softly. "Okay. Top
of my head, alien abduction?"

Not really paying attention to her, Jason nodded thoughtfully. "That
must be it..."

"It is?" Mulder looked stunned. "So all we have to do is make sure all
the Scullys get abducted? Okay, I vote Bill goes first."

As Dana glared daggers at him, Jason rolled his eyes. "Nooo Dad, not
alien abduction. The alien virus! Mom is only Scully exposed to it
once. And no wonder the symptoms are like Emily's, it has something to
do with it."

"Waaait a minute!" Dana stared at him. "You're not suggesting what I
think you're suggesting, are you?"

"I have a hunch I'm right Mom. Expose the virus to the infection and
the symptoms will disappear."

"Two wrongs make a right. Sounds good to me." Mulder grinned. "And
once again, I vote Bill goes first." Dana glared at him again.

Suddenly a familiar male voice announced from the direction of the
elevators. "Vincent?" The three of them turned to see the two
previously banished FBI agents, gawking at Mulder.

"Alexander..." Maston subsequently stuttered.

Mulder moaned softly for being discovered where he shouldn't be. Jason
however, was genuinely perplexed. He whispered to his mother. "Are
those two suffering from something new I don't know about? What is it
with them and names?"

Dana closed her eyes in frustration. 'First Bill, now these two. Could
this nightmare could get any worse?' She growled quietly. "I'll take
care of this. Mulder, bring Lisa to a hotel for the night. Jason, you
wait here."

To her surprise, Landell and Maston were grinning at her as she
approached them. Her disbelief grew when he suddenly asked. "So
Maston's right. You are married?"

She remained calm. Stern. "What?"

"You have a wedding ring." Maston pointed to Dana's right hand.

'Damn, I forgot to remove it!' Dana thought but her countenance
revealed nothing.

Landell tried for the second time. "You married Vincent Alexander,
didn't you?"

"I'm not married to anybody. Wearing a ring these days doesn't mean a
thing. Now can you please tell me why you two are going around... name
calling like idiots?"

They looked at her suspiciously, obviously unconvinced. Then Landell
pointed at Mulder. "What's he doing here?"

"He's Jason's father. And he's here because Joyce is about to give
birth."

"But you know him?"

"Yes." Dana lied further. "Only because Jason just introduced us."

Maston shook her head vehemently. "I know what I saw, Agent Scully. It
was your handwriting in Arcadia."

"Handwriting? Arcadia?" Now Dana was genuinely dumbfounded. She was
also desperate to end the conversation so that she could begin saving
her family. "Agents, this is ridiculous. My brother is dying and we're
wasting precious time. If you two aren't going to be of any help here,
I suggest you return to DC."

Her former subordinates exchanged looks. She kept her intense glower
and waited for them to come to a decision. They did, muttering
something about being in their hotel rooms if they needed her.
Relieved but not showing it, she nodded and stalked off.

As she approached Jason, he whispered. "Well?"

Rolling her eyes, she groaned. "I don't know how they did it but they
guessed."

"They know about you and Dad... and me?"

She shrugged, signifying she wasn't totally sure. "They know
something. All I know is I don't think I'll be able to carry out
another performance like that again."

XXXXXXXXXXX
A Tale of Three Families 
End of Part 1 of 2

XXXXXXXXXXX
A Tale of Three Families (Part Two of Two)

"Laura?" Dana's eyes fluttered open. As they slowly came into focus,
they found she was face to face with a couple. The lady smiled
brightly and called again. "Laura, right?"

"No..." Dana muttered sleepily, getting up from the waiting room sofa.
"I think you got the wrong person." She glanced at her watch and
frowned. 'Was it really morning already?'

Puzzled, Emma Callahan glanced at her husband briefly. She was pretty
sure that the woman in front of them was the same woman that attended
their daughter's wedding. "Laura Petrie?"

By that time Dana was on her feet. Hearing her stage name, she froze
instantly. Her head slowly turned from Emma to Jack as realization
dawned. 'Oh no, not again. Not now. Not before caffeine!' But
horrified thoughts aside, she sputtered. "You're the Callahans!"

Emma face brightened. "Yes, so you do remember us! You left so early
after the wedding, we thought you wouldn't."

Her husband nodded. "It's a pity you had to, the reception was
fantastic!"

Rolling her eyes, Emma chided. "Honestly Jack, is that all you can
remember about that day?" She then gushed happily at Dana. "We're so
glad to see you. Nobody could tell us anything at the front desk. But
I'm sure you know where Joyce is."

Dana quickly composed herself. "Of course. It's um... really a
surprise to see you here."

"Joyce called us and told us all about this horrid quarantine. We were
so concerned!"

"I'm sure you were."

Jack put his arm around his wife and gazed earnestly at Dana. "We
heard about your family too. Don't worry, I'm sure Jason will figure
this out soon."

"Thank you." Privately, she wondered how much more Joyce had told
them. "I'll show you to Joyce's room."

As she led them down the hall, Jack asked. "Where's Jason?"

"He's still working on a cure. He's been working all night."

"That poor kid." Emma shook her head. "Although I could strangle him
for bringing Joyce here in her condition."

Dana snorted under her breath. "Same here."

They walked in silence for a while before Emma said. "You know Laura,
I hope you don't mind but Joyce told me all about Nepal. About how you
and Vincent met." Touching Dana's arm, she sighed wistfully. "I think
it's the most romantic story I've ever heard."

'Nepal?' Dumbfounded, Dana could only blink at her. 

Oblivious to her shock, Emma went on. "Oh... When I heard about how
you and Vincent had a fight and he came back to the US..." She let out
a breath of air and clutched her chest. "... How you left everything
and came after him... It was like out of a movie!"

'It might as well be out of a movie.' Dana thought, beginning to get
real worried that she might be able to pull this act off as well as
last night. 'Nepal? What on earth was Joyce thinking? And why didn't
she tell me about my own love life?' But she smiled sweetly and
increased her walking pace.

Huffing slightly to keep up with her, Emma asked again. "I've always
wanted to go to Tibet. I bet it's beautiful there."

"Oh yeah. It is." Dana hesitated. "Really beautiful. Very umm...
rocky."

"Your work there must have been so exciting and dangerous too."

'Shit! What work?' She couldn't remember if she was supposed to be a
doctor in the Callahan's eyes as she was as Laura Petrie. But in
Nepal? And exciting and dangerous? Was she a mountaineer? A geologist?
A sherpa?

Thankfully Jack Callahan solved the mystery. "I think it takes a big
heart to work for the Red Cross." He smiled. "Although I can't believe
it takes Vincent a trip half around the world to find a wife."

Dana swallowed hard. 'Wife? We're already married? Since when?' She
distinctively remembered Jason warning them that they were only
dating. Which she thought was a good thing, so that she could slowly
ease Lisa into the picture.

"You know Jason and Joyce never told us what he was working on in
Tibet." He looked at her questioningly.

She said the first thing that came to mind. "It was a piece for the
National Geographic."

They frowned and Emma spoke uncertainly. "It must be quite a long
piece, considering he spent almost three years there."

'Whoops.' She paused only for a moment. "Yes, it was. All about the
ongoing struggle of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, fighting for
their country back. Lots of research on the history and life of the
Dalai Lama... you know." Thankfully they were nearing Joyce's room so
she didn't have to say more, hastily knocking on the door. "Joyce?"

"Come in."

Dana shot the Callahans a quick beam and held the door open for them
to go in. The couple entered and totally astounded their daughter. A
book in hand and frozen stiff on her feet, Joyce's eyes were wide
open. "Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?"

Emma greeted their daughter with a hug. "Oh Joyce, we were so
worried!"

"So good to see you, honey." Jack kissed his daughter lightly on the
cheek.

"Once you told us the quarantine was over, we decided to come." Emma
explained.

Jack rolled her eyes and corrected her. "Actually your mother decided
that we should come." His wife shot him a glare, making Dana smile.

"But didn't I tell you that everything was okay? I'm just staying here
until Jason's ready to leave."

Emma's face instantly became grave. "Joyce, you're due in a couple of
days time. This is no place for you to be."

"Mom, I'm in a hospital. There's no better place I should be!" 

"You're in a navy base hospital. There's a difference." Her mother
refuted.

"Emma..." Jack muttered nearby. "May I remind you, you were born in a
Navy base hospital yourself. You turned out okay."

"Oh shut up, Jack." She snapped playfully and motioned Joyce to sit
down. "Listen honey, we could bring you back home."

"But Mom!"

"You'd definitely be more comfortable." Her mother waved around her.
"I mean look this at this room."

Joyce knew she could leave Jason, not now. Turning to her
mother-in-law, she beseeched for help. The latter frowned, not really
knowing how she could. But she tried anyway. "Mr. and Mrs.
Callahan..."

"Emma and Jack, please. We're family now." 

Dana hesitated and smiled tightly. "Emma, Jack, I know that this was
not what you expected for Joyce but I really think it is best she
remains close to Jason. After all she could give birth at any time and
I'm sure he wouldn't want to miss it."

Emma nodded. "I'm sure he wouldn't but the whole family is waiting for
this blessed event back home. We can't disappoint them." From her
voice, Dana realized that she meant other members of the Callahan
clan. She knew then that it wasn't her place to say anymore.

Noticing Dana's reluctant retreat, Joyce decided to give her final
word on the matter. "Mom, I'm sorry but I cannot leave. I don't want
to leave."

"Joyce..."

"My mind's made up, Mom." She firmly concluded.

As Emma's face fell in bitter disappointment, Jack walked over to his
wife's side, giving her a look to leave things as they are. She
finally sighed. "Oh very well."

Meanwhile Dana felt that she had overstayed her welcome. Clearing her
throat, she excused herself. "Jason's been up all night conducting
tests. I'd better take over so that he can get some sleep. Jack, Emma,
it's really nice to meet you."

The couple smiled. Emma said. "It's nice to meet you too, Laura."

Then Jack added. "Yes. Thank you for showing us here."

"You're welcome." Dana looked at Joyce. "I'll send Jason right up.
You'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine. Thanks."

As Dana closed the door behind her, Emma told her daughter. "You're
right, she's nice. It's a pity Vincent didn't meet her earlier in his
life or Jason would have had a great mother."

"Yeah mom." Joyce grimaced, thinking about the charade they would all
have to put up with from now on. "Such a pity."

"Your mom really embarrassed her just now." Jack made himself
comfortable in one of the chairs, nodding pointedly towards Emma. "She
went on and on about the Himalayas..."

"What!" Joyce was absolutely incredulous. "Mom please tell me you
didn't say anything about that!"

"Oh relax honey." She gave her husband a look. "Your father is
exaggerating. I simply mentioned that you told me a little about how
they met."

Jack snorted under his breath. "A little?" 

'Great! I am so dead.' Joyce groaned internally, closing her eyes. She
initially planned to warn her in-laws about all her made up yarns
before they met. Too late. "So what did she say?"

"Nothing much." Jack answered before Emma could. "She turned red
though."

"Ah." His daughter frowned, unsure if that was good or bad. 

Suddenly the door flung open and Lisa tore into the room breathlessly.
"Joyce, are you ready yet? Tara's waiting..." Her voice died as she
noticed two other people in the room. She stared at them for a moment
and then offered a small smile.

'Oh great! Now I have to come up with something about Lisa.' Joyce
resisted an urge to scream and greeted teenager with a depressed tone.
"Hello Lisa."

"I'm sorry, I d.. didn't know you had company."

"It's all right." Joyce sighed and told her parents. "Mom, Dad, this
is Lisa."

The Callahans each said hello and shook hands with the teenager. The
latter quickly gathered her senses and made polite conversation. "Mr.
and Mrs. Callahan. It's so nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about
you."

"Well, thank you." Emma raised an eyebrow and looked at her daughter
curiously. "Unfortunately, Joyce somehow missed you out in our
conversations."

Getting the hint loud and clear, Joyce took a moment to think. What
could she say about Lisa, except the truth? So she did. "Lisa is
actually... Laura's daughter."

Her parents were stunned. Jack was the first to recover, whispering to
her. "You didn't tell us that she had a daughter."

"Yeah, I... don't know why I didn't. Lisa's from a previous marriage."

"A previous marriage?" Emma's confusion grew. Turning around to
prevent the child from hearing her, she hissed. "You told me that
Laura's Catholic."

"I did? Oh I did." Cringing, Joyce frowned to come up with something.
Meanwhile it was evident that Lisa could hear every word for she was
struggling hard not to laugh. Under pressure, Joyce blurted the best
explanation she could think of. "She is... Catholic. Lisa's father
died when she was very young." Then looking apologetically at the
latter, she asked for forgiveness for bringing up a painful issue that
was quite true.

Lisa nodded understandingly. By that time, the Callahans felt their
rudeness.  Emma smiled at her. "So you lived in Nepal, with your mom?"

"Nepal?" 

Joyce quickly interrupted. "Laura put her in a boarding school, Mom.
The highlands weren't really a place for a child."

"But to be away from her mother, that's horrible!"

Quick to catch the somewhat bizarre idea, Lisa hastily played along.
"Oh no, it isn't really. Mom visited often." Then with a twinkle in
her eye, she added. "You know when she's not too busy climbing Mount
Everest." Joyce shot her a glare. Her parents just exchanged looks,
unsure if Lisa meant it as a joke. Thankfully, it was then that Lisa
remembered what she was here for in the first place. "Oh I forgot.
Tara is waiting for us. Remember, she was going to bring us out for
breakfast?"

"Right." Joyce let out a breath of relief. But it didn't last long.
The last thing she wanted to do was to introduce her parents to the
Scullys. "You know what, I'll take a rain check on that."

"Oh no, Joyce. I think that's a great idea." Her father straightened
up. "I'm starving."

"How could you be starving? We ate before we came." His wife
exclaimed.

"You called that breakfast?"

Joyce was beginning to panic and interrupted her parent's argument.
"Mom, Dad, I don't really feel like going out. Why don't we go down to
the cafeteria?"

Her father's face contorted. "Hospital food? Yuck!"

"Ditto." Lisa muttered and Joyce shot her a 'you're not helping' look.

Not wanting to force Joyce, Jack suggested. "Listen Emma. Since Joyce
is not up to it, why don't we go with Lisa and Tara (whoever she is)
and pack some breakfast back."

"What? No!" Joyce almost yelled. Her parents stared at her in
surprise. Taking a deep breath, Joyce calmed herself down. "It's just
a bad idea. Right, Lisa?"

"Yeah, bad idea." Lisa agreed without really knowing why.

Emma and Jack exchanged looks, the former asking. "Why is it a bad
idea?"

At the question, Joyce froze. Her mind was a total blank. 'Oh God,
help!' She prayed quietly. Then all of a sudden, it seemed that her
prayer was indeed answered. She looked down at her huge stomach and
muttered. "Well for starters... I think my water just broke."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Dana peered into the microscope and studied the enlarged blood
contents carefully. The virus cells seemed to be shrinking and slowly
dying. Jason's theory was working. And if all went well, they could
try it out on Charlie really soon.

The laboratory door opened, making her look up from the apparatus. She
saw it was Mulder. "You should wear a mask."

"I'm not staying long." He gruffly replied. "I thought you might want
to know, Joyce is in labour."

Her whole body straightened. "What? But I just saw her!"

"She just went in. Jason's with her."

"Oh." Dana glanced briefly at the microscope and then back at him. 

The action did not escape Mulder's notice. And he knew she felt torn
between going on with the research and being at Joyce's side. To
distract her from the dilemma, he nodded towards her work. "How's it
coming along?"

"It looks encouraging. All the blood samples seem to have the same
effect when exposed to the virus. It takes a couple of hours to work
though."

Mulder nodded. "Good." 

Glancing at the microscope, she muttered. "I'm giving the tests
another hour, then I'll inject Charlie and the rest with the virus."

"How about Linda?"

"I'll drive to her base after. I'll probably get Maston to keep an eye
on her."

He nodded again and was silent for a while. Then not finding anything
else to say, he turned to go.

Impulsively, Dana stopped him. "Mulder!"

He turned slowly. "What?"

"I'm sorry." She softly apologized for the recent fight they had.

"No, you were right." Mulder sighed, his voice curt. "I did come here
for selfish reasons. I was curious."

She raised an eyebrow, surprised. "About what?"

Fidgeting slightly, he finally owned up. "I wanted to know if Bill met
someone other than Fox Mulder, whether he'd like him."

"But you've never cared what Bill thinks!"

To her astonishment, he shook his head and gave a half-laugh. "Of
course I care, Scully. After all, he's your brother."

As his words slowly sank in, her courage began to grow. Since he was
so candid with his feelings, she decided that she should try to
explain hers. She only hoped that he would be able to understand for
they were rather difficult to put in plain words. "Well I was selfish
too. You see there aren't many things in my life that Bill agrees
with. Although everything I do seems wrong to him, I know he has a
certain amount of faith in me. And believe it or not, that faith has
something to do with Fox Mulder."

He was incredulous. "You're kidding, right? Your brother hates Fox
Mulder!"

"True. But it's all he has left of me. The only thing he can be sure
of." She gazed across the room, eager for him to comprehend the
complexity of the truth. "That I love Fox Mulder. That I will never
stop loving him."

Mulder stared at her, muttering. "That's why you don't want Bill to
meet Vincent."

"That's right." Dana nodded with a tight smile. "Bill could always
tell whenever I have a thing for a guy. It was obvious to him when he
first saw us together more than twenty years ago. And I'm sure even
now, the moment he sees us, he'd know again."

"Don't you think he'd be trilled that you've moved on?"

Dana shrugged. "I guess he would, after some time. But then, he'd have
to find something else to believe in. And I'm not sure if there is
anything else."

Mulder was quiet for a moment, reflecting on her words. It was true.
She was thoroughly in the worst possible position with her brother at
the moment. Already flabbergasted with her past choices that included
a career in the FBI, a lover who was a total loser and giving up her
son for adoption; Bill had barely started on her recent misadventures,
namely adopting a girl without his knowledge and disappearing into
thin air for a couple of months.

And although he was sensible of her fear, he knew that with everyone
together under the same roof, his wife may not have the luxury of
concealment for long. He cleared his throat and softly said. "Scully.
There'll come a time when you'll have to make a choice. I hope you
make the right one."

Dana looked at him for a moment, speculating on his words, wondering
if he would be right. And as he quietly walked out, she sighed. 'With
my luck, I'd better be prepared.'

XXXXXXXXXXX

As Dana locked the doors, she leaned against the car and took a
moment. Her head felt fuzzy, her eyelids heavy and her stomach gnawed
in hunger. In fact, it was practically a miracle that she had lasted
the long day without a drop of coffee. Suddenly the phone in her
pocket started to ring. It gave her the boost she needed to get to her
feet again.

"Scully." She said into the mouthpiece while she walked towards the
naval hospital entrance.

"It's me." Mulder told her. 

Instantly her step faltered. "Well? How is she?"

He knew she meant Joyce. "Well that's debatable." 

"What do you mean?" Dana asked breathlessly, worried.

He soothed her fears in a calm voice. "She's still at it."

"What? But it's been hours!"

"Yeah. This kid's gunning for a world record."

She began walking again, nodding at the nurse at the reception. "Oh my
God, poor Joyce!"

"Especially since she can't take any drugs."

"Wh..." Dana started to ask but then remembered. "Of course, the
needles." She pushed the button for the elevator and muttered. "We
don't really know how the baby will react to the antivirus."

"Where are you?" He asked when he heard the loud 'bing' in the
background.

"I'm back." She explained. "I stayed until Linda's condition showed
signs of improvement and left her in Maston's good hands."

"Good." There was a pause and then his voice lowered. "Are you coming
up?"

She hesitated, knowing that he meant to the maternity section. "No,
not yet." She then whispered. "I... I have to check on Charlie."

"Of course you do." 

Catching the clear ring of sarcasm in his tone, she rolled her eyes.
"Mulder..."

She was interrupted when the elevator door opened and Bill, standing
nearby called out to her. "Dana, come quickly! Charlie's awake!"

"Oh Charlie's awake." Mulder repeated. Obviously he heard her brother.
"You'd better go then, Dana." And suddenly the phone went dead.

She blinked, slowly bringing down the phone from her ear to stare at
it. 'He called me Dana.' It was depressing because it told her that he
was still mad.

"Dana!" Bill called again, quickly stepping forward to prevent the
elevator doors from closing. He looked at her miserable countenance.
"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Shaking her head, she hastily put the phone away. "Let's
go."

They walked together into the room. It was filled with Scullys who
only a couple of hours ago lay weak in their beds. Now they stood
proudly around Charlie. One by one they showered her with hugs and
kisses as she walked to him. There were Matthew, Anthony and his wife,
Sean and Annabelle and finally little Rebecca on her grandmother
Juliet's arms. When Dana finally reached Charlie, she found the
strength to smile. "Hey."

Charlie broke out in a big grin and held out his hand. She caught it
gently and swept a quick gaze across his horizontal body to assess his
condition. He still looked weak but definitely more cheerful. "Hey,
big sister."

She laughed and touched his cheek with her other hand. "We were
worried about you."

"Really?" His eyes twinkled mischievously. "But Bill was so certain
that once we found the amazing Dr Dana Scully, she'd fix me right up."

As Dana felt a tiny rush of pride, everyone except Bill struggled to
keep from laughing. The latter blushed from head to toe, growling
fiercely. "Charles, don't think just because you're in a bed, I
wouldn't kick your ass."

"Hey!" Charlie's wife playfully stepped forward. "You leave my
husband's ass alone."

Again, laughter floated around the room. Tara rolled her eyes and
slipped her hand round Bill's arm comfortingly. "I think what's most
important is that Bill was right. Dana did fix us up."

"No." Her sister-in-law shook her head and reminded her. "Actually
Jason did. I just finished the job."

"Ah yes, Jason." Charlie announced wistfully. "Can't wait to meet the
young fellow. I have a huge feeling I'd like him." Leaning closer to
Dana, he added in a whisper. "Probably because Bill hates his guts.
That always tells me a lot about a person."

Dana choked on a giggle and nudged him to shut up. "Bill's glaring at
us."

"Let him." He smiled and then loudly asked. "So what's this I hear
about a daughter who looks exactly like you?"

The room suddenly fell so silent that the creaking of the revolving
fan above their heads sounded deafening. Dana took a deep breath and
tried to match her brother's nonchalant manner. "Her name is Lisa.
You'd like her too."

"Lisa." Charlie echoed, shifting his gaze to his overly cautious
relatives nearby. "That's a nice name. Did you know she's introduced
herself to everyone here already? Except me of course, I was still
unconscious at the time."

Stunned, Dana eyes widened. "She did?"

"Oh yeah." Rolling his eyes, he added. "Everyone's just too terrified
to mention it."

"Well of course we are." Bill instantly growled, nodding pointedly at
his confused sister. "After she's been hiding the girl from us for
months, what were we to think?"

Dana growled back. "I have not been hiding Lisa from anyone! I just
wanted to know her better before bringing her into this circus of a
family."

"Circus? Oh oh... And I know who's the clown." Charlie grinned and
waggled his eyebrows at Bill.

The latter moved to step towards the bed but his wife pulled him back.
"That's enough Charlie. Juliet, would you mind putting a leash on your
husband?" Juliet conceded and squeezed her husband's hand, warning him
to behave.

Matthew cleared his throat and explained. "Lisa came by yesterday to
say hello, Aunt Dana. She's a lovely girl." Grinning, he added. "Even
Dad was impressed."

Giving her son a look, Tara clucked her tongue. "Now Matt, don't you
start!"

Meanwhile Dana was speechless. She couldn't believe Lisa did what she
did. Then again, that girl never ceased to surprise her. As her frown
slowly softened, Charlie broke her reverie. "Dana?" She looked at him
and he continued seriously. "Since we're being so honest and all. I
have one question that has been plaguing me for years."

She raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a little anxious at what the
question might be. "What?"

"Who is Will's father?" 

For a moment, she just stared at him and everyone else in the room
held their breaths. Then to their surprise, Dana burst out laughing.
She couldn't help it. Her laughter instantly relaxed the tension. And
Bill was the first to loudly announce Charlie's stupidity. "I can't
believe you asked her that question!"

"What?" Charlie defended himself. "I really have no idea. Nobody tells
me anything. And when I asked, nobody wanted to talk about it!"

"But even we know!" Anthony and Annabelle chuckled, chiding their
father further.

"So will someone bloody well tell me already?" Charlie growled.

Tara rolled her eyes. "For God's sakes Charlie, I don't think we need
to say his name aloud. There could be no one else."

Her words made Dana smile even broader. 

XXXXXXXXXXX

The moment she saw the Callahans and Lisa fast asleep on the
uncomfortable waiting room sofas, Dana concluded that Joyce was still
in the midst of the ordeal. She spun around and sure enough, there was
Mulder standing against a wall, watching her quietly. His face held no
expression, he just stared at her. She walked to his side and rested
her back on the white washed wall too.

"So you managed to tear yourself away from your family." He drawled.

She closed her eyes and groaned. "Please, let's not argue. I'm too
exhausted."

Hearing her tired voice, he relented and dropped the subject. They
stood side by side in silence. Each gazing absently towards the
examination room that held Joyce, Jason and their unborn grandchild.

"You know..." Mulder suddenly broke their quiet time. "... after this
kid is born, I think it'll be a while till Jason gets some."

Although she didn't want to, Dana found herself grinning. She glanced
at him but he was surprisingly solemn. He also seemed to be determined
to remain so. Dana debated with herself for a while and then finally
gave in to the urge. Tipping her weight over, she nudged him slightly
at his side. As she expected, he refused to pay her any heed. She
wasn't discouraged, knowing that he usually held a grudge a little
longer than any normal person. So she tried again, this time a little
harder. Unfortunately, still no reaction. Dana rolled her eyes and
thought. 'Well third time's a charm.' With more effort, she shoved
herself against him and waited. It took him a couple of seconds but he
finally responded accordingly. He shoved her back. Her grin instantly
grew. "You're such a child!"

"You started it!" He argued defensively but with a smile. With the
tension broken, Mulder unhurriedly moved nearer, lowering his head to
hers. Her breathing slowed as she anticipated the touch of his soft
lips. Closer and closer, he inched forward. And Dana slowly lifted her
chin to meet him.

"It's a boy! Finally!" Jason's voice suddenly yelled, making them both
jump. They turned to look at him while the Callahans and Lisa were
groggily getting to their feet. "And Joyce is just fine! Pissed but
fine." He announced happily again, rushing to grab Emma's shoulders
and giving her a fierce hug.

"Oh Jason, I'm so happy!" Emma gushed, with tears in her eyes. Her
husband kissed her cheek from behind her and slapped Jason hard on his
back.

Dana and Mulder watched the joy between them for a moment and then
walked towards their son. After giving his little sister a squeeze,
Jason turned and grinned proudly at his parents. "She did it."

"Congratulations!" Dana told him and embraced him. Then Mulder did the
same too.

"I've got to go back in." Jason hastily muttered but catching Dana's
eye, hesitated for a moment. "How's everything?"

She knew he meant the Scullys. "They're all fine."

"Good." He smiled and moved to go. "I really have to go back in. You
can come in too. If you want."

"We can?" Surprised, Emma's eyes lighted up.

"Sure." Jason called over his shoulder. "But only for a minute." Then
he disappeared into the delivery room.

A nurse came out at the same time and the Callahans proceeded to ask
her if they really could go in, she nodded but gave them a couple of
important instructions. "Follow me please."

"Mom, Dad, can I go in too?" Lisa clasped her hands together and
pleaded.

Dana and Mulder exchanged dumbfounded glances and shrugged. "Sure,
whatever."

"Cool!" She muttered and ran in after the Callahans.

Mulder grinned, turned to his wife and cocked his head. "Shall we?"
She nodded. With their eyes locked, Mulder impulsively bent and kissed
her hard on her mouth. She kissed him back.

When they parted, they had a distinct feeling that someone was
standing behind them. They turned and froze. There were actually two
people, Bill and Tara. And they were gawking at them.

"Bill..." Dana breathlessly trailed off, instantly letting go of
Mulder. Bill's glare rested on Dana, then Mulder and then back on Dana
again. Trying her best to ease the awkward situation, Dana began
introductions. "Umm... Bill, Tara. This is Vincent, Jason's father."

Mulder quickly composed himself and stepped into his role, holding out
his hand towards Bill. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Bill stared at his outstretched hand but made no attempt to take it.
Grimacing, Tara hastily came to the rescue, shaking Vincent's hand
warmly. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Joyce just gave birth to a boy." Dana said slowly, hoping it would
explain the kiss they just witnessed.

Tara mumbled her congratulations but Bill just continued glaring at
Vincent. Rolling her eyes, Dana gave Mulder a look. He caught it and
began to excuse himself. "I'm sorry. I have to be with my family."

His words stung Dana's conscience as he walked away. She knew that he
was hinting to her that the time had come for her to make the decision
he had talked about.

Meanwhile, Tara beat her husband to speak first. "Dana, we're about to
leave for home. Charlie's staying here but the rest of us are allowed
to leave. Unfortunately there isn't enough space for all of us. We
need your car too."

Dana looked up, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "I see." 

One eyebrow raised, Bill gruffly asked. "So you're coming?"

She stiffened and glanced towards the delivery room. To her surprise,
Mulder was still at the doorway. He seemed to be waiting for her. But
the moment Bill and Tara turned to look in the same direction, he
disappeared. Drawing in a deep breath, she faced her brother squarely
in the eye. "I'm sorry Bill. I can't go."

"Why not?" The words were punctuated very slowly and dangerously.

Tired of lying, Dana threw caution in the wind and blurted out.
"Because my family is in that room too."

"What?"

"Jason." She blinked and steeled herself once again. "He's Will."

Bill gaped but Tara somehow found her voice. "Are you sure?"

It wasn't a question she expected and Dana laughed. "Of course I'm
sure." Giving her brother a significant look, she added slyly. "You
see I'm not really the heartless bitch you think I am."

"How..." His voice croaked and he took a moment to clear it. "You knew
where he was all along?"

"Sort of."

"And who's Vincent?"

Dana bit her inner lip. Surely it would be too much to reveal that he
was Fox Mulder. Besides, he would never believe her. "He was the man
who adopted Will."

Her brother's eyebrows narrowed. "And you two..."

Slightly unsure how to tackle this question, she went for her first
impulse. "We're friends." But Bill's look intensified and she rolled
her eyes. "Okay, maybe slightly more than friends. We're still working
on it."

"Well..." Tara muttered, shaking her head in amazement. "I don't know
what to say."

Suddenly, Dana asked meekly. "Let me stay." Her request startled them,
especially Bill. It was probably the first time she had asked for his
approval on anything.

Bill stared. Slowly, he held out his hand and touched his little
sister's cheek. To her, it seemed like an eternity had passed before
he finally whispered. "You stay. We'll take a cab." And with that, he
suddenly walked away.

Gazing after him, Dana smiled. She had a feeling he didn't want her to
see his welled up tears fall. She asked her sister-in-law. "Is he
going to be all right?"

"I think so. He just needs time." Tara muttered. Then giving Dana a
quick hug, she asked for a huge favour.

"What?"

"Promise me you'll bring all of them around some day? You know, for
Christmas? Or Easter?"

Surprising even herself, Dana took a reckless leap. "How about I bring
them over to visit Charlie? Of course Joyce, only when she feels up to
it."

Smiling brightly, Tara sealed the deal. "Tomorrow then."

Dana nodded and watched her trail behind Bill's footsteps, towards the
elevators. When she was finally gone, Dana headed towards the delivery
room doors. As she walked through them, she came face to face with
Mulder. She instantly froze in her tracks. Mulder's brow betrayed a
slight frown but nothing more. She coolly stared back into his hazel
eyes.

Then he said. "It's unbelievable. Even without Mulder's face, your
brother still hates me."

She resisted the urge to laugh but soon gave up. And abandoning all
control, she rushed into his open arms and hugged him hard. "Oh
Mulder..."

He stooped to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. "By the way, good
choice."

"I think so too." She shot back jubilantly and then frowned. "But we
really have to put down some ground rules."

They parted and Mulder handed her a hospital gown from the box nearby.
"What kind of ground rules?"

"First of all, the Callahans and the Scullys must never meet." She
suggested while putting on the blue robe.

"Good start." Mulder nodded, taking a gown for himself and slipping it
on. "And according to Lisa, as far as the Callahans are concerned,
she's your kid from a previous marriage. Your first husband died a
long time ago."

"True. Technically, Fox Mulder did die a long time ago." Dana
shrugged. "How about Doggett?"

Mulder snapped his head up. "Doggett?"

"He's Lisa Godfather, you know. We can't stop them from seeing each
other. We'll have to come up with something."

"But we can't! To him, I'm John Dole."

"Damn, I forgot. He knows your face." Mulder was looking rather
pleased with himself but she soon cut his joy short. "I know. We'll
make up something about you finally recovering from your amnesia and
remembering that you're really Vincent Alexander, not John Dole."

He was incredulous. "That will never fly!"

She shot him a glare that meant she didn't care if it did or not. It
was obvious she was determined that Doggett be a part of their
daughter's life, somehow. "Oh and we really have to talk to Joyce
about Tibet."

"Tibet?" Mulder stared at her dumbly.

"Uh huh." Smiling sweetly, she informed him. "Guess what?" We
supposedly met there!"

Realizing that this was another wildly spun tale to support their
alter egos, Mulder groaned. "This is really getting out of hand."

"I know." She snorted. "Talk about the truth is out there. Meanwhile,
we're swimming in lies." By that time, they were ready. Guiding her
with the small of her back, they headed towards the inner room where
their family was waiting for them.

"You what I'm really looking forward to?" Mulder's eyes twinkled.
"Telling Bill what I teach at the University."

A look of utter horror filled her face. "Oh no, you wouldn't."

"Human occults and historic mythology." He grinned. "I think he'll be
impressed, don't you?"

Her answer was only a loud groan. 

XXXXXXXXXXX

End of A Tale of Three Families (Part Two of Two)
Author: PhileyX 
E-Mail: phileyx@yahoo.com 
Web-site: http://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx 
The End. Finally.