Disclaimer: The X -files., Mulder , Scully & Skinner etc all belong to
Chris Carter and Fox television. They have been borrowed for the purpose
of this story.
Title:The Kidnapping
Author: Josie Marchant <mailto:xfiler_uk@yahoo.com>
Catagory:Mulder/ angst
Rating:NC-17 for violence and language
Summary: Mulder is kidnapped during an investigation and it's up to
Scully to save him

The Kidnapping

A basement in an unknown location

"Please.....no" Fox Mulder cried, his cry was in vain as he felt the
shoe come crashing into his stomach, he was cuffed to a radiator so he
couldn't hold himself to ease the pain, he felt sick, sick and tired and
sore. He'd been in this basement now for a few days, he wasn't sure how
many, it felt indefinite however long it had been. He had followed up a
lead on his and Scully's latest case and had agreed to meet with a
suspect, at night. He was set upon by about five other men and bundled
into a van, blindfolded and cuffed, he had no idea of his location. His
cell phone had been destroyed in front of him, quickly dashing all of
his hopes of Scully calling him and bringing him home. He was starving,
he hadn't been given any food since he was put there, he figured he
might as well ask for some, he had nothing to lose. He looked at the man
sat staring at him.
"What?" he asked "what you lookin' at punk?" "I...I'm so hungry" Mulder
rasped quietly, "I.....could I get a bite to....eat?"
"I'll go get the boss" the man said "don't move"
"That takes.....the piss" Mulder muttered, he clinked his cuffs on the
radiator, he had to keep some small amount of humour, as he thought he'd
just cry. It seemed to be hours till the man came back, Mulder had
slipped into a mild sleep, but was woken by the sound of the door
opening "Sc....ully" he called out, slightly disorientated.
"Hey there fella, boss sent down some food, and he said you have to eat
it all" the man said with a smirk.
"Shouldn't be a problem" Mulder thought, he was that hungry, then he
looked at all the stuff on the tray, there were biscuits, iced buns
cakes, all things sweet that you could think of, piles of the stuff.
"I'll.......be sick" Mulder looked at his captor "I can't"
"Oh, you will Mr Mulder, you will" the man bent down and shoved a cake
into Mulder's mouth, being cuffed he had no choice, it was actually a
nice cake and he was so hungry he enjoyed it, he ate a few more, then
started to feel a bit bloated. He shook his head as another one came
towards his mouth. "Come on, good boy" the man laughed, he rammed the
cake in. Mulder swallowed it uneasily.
"Enough.....now" Mulder turned away, "I...I feel.....sick now"
"That isn't what you're meant to say Fox" the man said, he drew back his
fist and hit Mulder hard across the head. Mulder felt his whole brain
rattle inside his skull as he slipped into a half conscious state.
**********************************************************************
GeorgeTown: Scully's Apartment

"Damn it Mulder, where are you?" Scully cursed on receiving the
answering machine for the tenth time that night. She had a bad feeling,
she thought that he might have gone to see his Mother, which is why he
hadn't called her, but that in itself was unusual. The AD hadn't helped,
he didn't even seem bothered that Mulder hadn't been at the office for a
few days, Mulder wasn't in his good books at the moment any way, due to
some pretty off the record procedures he'd been carrying out. "Shit,
I'll just call her" Scully flicked through her phone book and looked up
the number "here we go, Mulder's Mom" she gulped, dialling the number
she waited, she had been unaware in her angst that it was 1 am.
"Hello" a tired voice answered.
"Mrs Mulder?"
"Yes"
"This is Dana Scully, Fox's partner, he's not there with you is he?"
"Dana, it's 1 am"
"Oh...oh God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, I'm very worried
about Mu..Fox, he's not been around for days, he's not been at work, I
though he was with you" Scully began to worry. "He isn't with you?"
"No, I've not heard from my son in over two weeks, Dana, where is he?"
Mrs Mulder began to show a little concern.
"I'm sure he's fine, I'm sorry to worry you, I'll get him to call you
when I get hold of him" Scully forced some joviality into her voice so
as not to worry the ageing woman on the other end of the line.
"Goodnight Mrs Mulder"
"Goodnight Dana" the phone was put down. Scully sighed as she slowly put
the phone down, she couldn't go to bed, not now, how could she sleep
with the worry of where he was.
"Maybe he's sick" she found herself saying out loud, "I'll go to him,
maybe he's too poorly to get to the phone" She found herself pulling on
her sweatshirt and jogging bottoms and making her way to Mulder's apartment.
Arriving there she took out her spare key, both agents had keys to each
other's apartments for emergencies. Scully half expected to see Mulder
curled up on his couch, asleep. When she went in the apartment was cold,
a half finished pizza lay on the table.
"Mulder" Scully called "Mulder are you here, are you all right?" there
was no reply, now Scully was worried, she went over to Mulder's computer
and booted it up, she put in his password (b.e.l.i.e.v.e) and accessed
his e mail, there were 25 messages which he hadn't picked up, most from
the lone gunmen headed "where the **** are you Mulder" Scully rubbed her
eyes, she was tired, but there was no chance of sleeping now, she was
very worried about the whereabouts of her partner and friend, and also
about his imminent safety.
***********************************************************************
Mulder wheezed uncontrollably as another kick was dealt to his stomach,
he felt almost as if the shoe had gone right inside him. The pain made
him heave and he was sick all over his captor's shoes.
"Oh, you didn't want to do that Mr Mulder" the man said, he pulled
Mulder up by his hair, the pain shot through his head as the guy snapped
his neck back and banged his head against the radiator. The whole of
Mulder's area of vision went blurred, he slid down and lay on the floor,
crying now, actually bawling his eyes out. He didn't care about the
humiliation, he gave that up long ago when he had wet himself with pain
and fear.
"S....cu...ll...eeeeeeee" he howled, "help............meeeeee"
"You can go home Mulder, when you tell us who you're working for"
"You.......know.......FB...I.." Mulder gasped in pain, "I
can't........tell.....you any more....I ..ca..n't"
"Fox, you'll have to try harder than that buddy, or do you need another
push?"
"I..don't know what you're talking..........a...a...a.bout" he cried.
"I.........want to...g...go home"
"Right, I gave you a chance, don't say I didn't, but you just didn't
take it did you?" the man who his companion called the 'boss' bent down
by Mulder, he smacked his head hard on the floor, blood seeped out from
under his head, Mulder felt it trickle down his neck. He was crying hard
now, petrified and in so much pain.
"Mom......my" he cried, "he....l...p....me Mo..mmy"
"Aww, does little Fox want his Mommy" the man taunted, "Well, little Fox
should start talking shouldn't he, hey?" he shouted. Mulder shut his
eyes, he was having problems in thinking straight now. The pain was so
great that he was feeling numb. He just lay there as he felt the other
man pull his pants down.
"Oh..........God.......no....no...don't......Mommy!" he screamed.
***********************************************************************
"Sir, something's wrong" Scully walked into Walter Skinner's office.
"Mulder's missing, I don't know where the hell he is. His Mom's not seen
him, he's not at home, he's not called, his cell phone is ringing but
he's not picking up, something has happened sir"
"All right Agent Scully, calm down now"
"I can't calm down, this is Mulder we're talking about, he's missing Sir!"
"What is the likelihood of this being case related?"
"I don't know, I don't think so, the case we're working on, it's a
murder, we have had suspects in for interview, but there's no reason for
Mulder to be in danger from any of them"
"Are you sure he's not just gone away for a bit Scully, just to get away
from everything?"
"Sir, I know that something is wrong, I know he's hurt somewhere" Scully
seemed so anxious that the AD decided that she should go home.
"I'll get some Agents onto it Scully, go home and rest, you look like
you've not slept"
"I can't rest" Scully stared at the AD in disbelief "not till I know
he's safe"
"Agent Scully, go home, that's a direct command, I will keep you
informed" Skinner was firm as he showed Scully out of the door. She made
her way to her car in the parking lot and heavily sat down in the seat,
her cell phone began to ring, quickly she pulled it out,
"Muld.....hello, who is this?"
"Agent Scully?" a voice on the other end spoke
"Yes, who is this?"
"That doesn't matter, I have something here that you might want, say
hello Fox"
"Mulder?"
"Sc....u.." came the muffled cry from the telephone.
"Mulder? Who is this, what have you done to him?"
"You can come and get him, if you come alone, you'll find a map at your
apartment, come at 2 am, bring anyone, I cut his throat, all right?"
"You bastard.....let me talk to him"
"Oh, I don't think so" the man laughed. "2 am Scully, 2 am, oh and you
don't take him to a hospital either, as I'll find you both and I will
hurt you, I promise you that"
"Shit" Scully shouted, she slammed the car into reverse and screeched
out of the parking lot, it took her 10 minutes to get home, running up
the stairs to her apartment she picked up the envelope under her door.
Opening it, tears welled in her eyes. Inside was a map marked with clear
co-ordinates, it was miles away and would take a good few hours to
reach. Also inclosed was a Polaroid shot of Mulder, huddled on the floor
hugging himself, his whole body appeared purple with bruising. "I'm
coming Fox, I'm coming" Scully grabbed some things of hers and Mulders
together and rushed back to her car, climbing into the drivers seat she
set off again, haring down the main road to the freeway.
***********************************************************************
"Come on you" the man pulled Mulder up, he uncuffed him and dragged him
out of the basement, "it's time for a ride Foxy" Mulder didn't answer,
he was half conscious, he heard a haze of voices as he was dumped in the
back of a van. He had no idea how long he was in the van for, but he was
aware that it stopped. Suddenly the movement of being dragged out of the
van made him sick again, and he vomited all down himself. He didn't
care, he wanted to die. He couldn't hold on much longer he thought to
himself.
"Where's Scully?" he heard his voice in his head state "I want my Scully"
***********************************************************************
Scully stared at the map, according to the marked area, it should have
been up ahead, she saw some men gathered , looking at the clock it was
1:45 am. Parking the car Scully watched until the men went away, another
time check revealed it was 2:00am. Scully, taking the safety catch off
her gun ran into the field where the men had been stood. There sure
enough huddled in a small ball on the floor was a bloodied motionless
Fox Mulder.
"Oh Jesus.....oh fuck....Fox sweetheart, can you hear me honey" she bent
down by him and felt for a pulse. Mulder let out a cry, he sounded like
a child, the cry was a pained and frightened whimper. "Mulder, it's me
honey, it's Dana, can you stand for me" there was no response. Scully
very gently pulled Mulder up, he put all his weight on her, whether the
adrenaline pumping inside her gave her the extra strength Scully didn't
know, but she managed to almost carry Mulder to the car. Somehow she got
him into the front seat, buckling him in she scooted to the drivers side
and got in. Mulder stared at her not really registering anything, Scully
saw the blood on his head. "It's all right Mulder, you're safe now,
you're safe honey" she cupped his face in her hand and gently stroked
his cheek, "I don't know where the hell we are, but I'm gonna check us
into a motel and fix you up, o.k" Scully smiled at him nervously. She
didn't know where she was going, but she just drove, chatting away to
Mulder trying to get a response. A motel sign up ahead was a relief,
parking the car Scully rushed in and booked a room. There was only one
available, but judging by Mulder's condition, she thought that really
didn't matter.
Scully's initial super human strength seemed to have gone now and it was
much more of an effort for her to get Mulder into the motel room. He
hadn't said a word since Scully had found him, and she was concerned
about his head injury. Sitting him down on the bed Dana bent down in
front of him, gently putting his hands in hers she looked him in the
eye. His eyes were watery and hazy, the pain behind those beautiful
hazel orbs was seeping out.
"Mulder, just let me know you can hear me, I'm worried" Dana whispered.
Mulder gently squeezed Scully's hand. "Just don't want to talk huh?"
softly Dana stroked his hair, he was sticky with blood. "Come on you,
let's get you in a bath, can you do that for me?" a small nod was the
response. "All right, I'll go run it, you just relax"
Scully was glad to get into the bathroom away from Mulder so that he
couldn't see her tears, She had difficulty in seeing him like this, he
was so frightened, like a scared little boy. Scully had shivers down her
spine when she thought about what these people had done to him. Running
a warm bath she went back out to Mulder. She knew that undressing him
would be a task in itself. He had quite extensive injuries and she was
concerned about internal bleeding. But taking heed of the man's words,
she wouldn't take him to a hospital.
"Hell, I'm a doctor" she thought "I can take care of him" Gently she
undid his shirt buttons, he winced in pain as she took it off him.
"Oh......oh dear God" Scully stared at the bruises and cuts all over his
chest. Some of them looked quite deep gashes, done with a razor blade.
Mulder just stared at her, as she looked at them he let out a cry. "I'm
sorry Fox, sorry I didn't mean to hurt you, shh" she kissed his head.
"Let's get these pants off you, I think these should be thrown out
Mulder" she smiled. "Time for a new suit sweetheart" she gave a smile.
"Come on, lean on me, let's get you into that bath" rather clumsily he
leant on Scully and went with her to the bathroom. Walking really did
hurt, but he was so dazed that he didn't really react to the pain.
Scully could tell blindfolded that her partner was in deep shock and was
most likely experiencing post traumatic stress. Her main concern at that
time was to clean him up. He slid into the bath silently, Scully knew
that his cuts must have been stinging like hell. Gently she got the
sponge and washed him, she cleansed his cut head and rinsed all the muck
out of his hair. "Look up a second sweetheart" Scully wiped his face
with the cloth, however still he didn't speak to her, he just held onto
himself, hugging his knees in the bath. Suddenly he started to murmur
quietly.
"What is it Mulder?" Scully leant in to him, "what are you saying sweetie?"
"Mo....mmy" Mulder was gently swaying.
"Yeah, we'll get your Mommy soon honey, I promise, come on, you're
getting cold" Scully got a towel and wrapped it around him, Mulder
actually helped a little and stepped out of the bath, although he was
woozy and nearly fell. Scully steadied him. "I've got you Fox, steady
now" Leading him back to the bed Scully rummaged in her bag which she
had packed in a hurry. She had grabbed Mulder one of her baggy t shirts
and his sweat pants which he had left round there one day after they'd
been jogging together. Scully carefully put the clothes on him and laid
him back on the bed. Gently she fondled his hair just looking at him. He
was sick, and she knew it, but she couldn't take the risk of taking him
to the hospital. Touching his forehead she could feel heat radiating off
him, he was running a fever. "O.k Mulder, let's get you into bed" she
said with a brave smile. She pulled the covers over him and kissed his
head. "I promise you're gonna be all right Mulder, I promise" She got up
and went over to the window. Rain was coming down like torrents and it
looked as if there were a nasty storm on it's way. Scully's tears fell,
coinciding with the rain, she felt like the storm was brewing inside of
her. She was so angry, angry at the bastards who hurt her partner, her
best friend.......her <she knew it now> her love. Her thoughts were
interrupted by a small voice.
"I...."
"What is it Fox?" Scully rushed to his side and sat down. Mulder gave a
murmur, but it was indecipherable. "Fox, talk to me, please" she got
into the bed as well, Mulder just lay there watching her. Scully decided
that the best thing to do was to let him lie quietly for a while. She
flicked on the television with the remote control. Within a few minutes
Mulder had huddled up to her, he slowly buried his head in her lap,
gently fondling his damp hair Scully softly spoke to him. "You're safe
now" she whispered, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again"
"I....I..'m scared....Scully" Mulder whispered quietly.
"the..the.y..did...things...t..t..to m..me" Scully felt Mulder begin to
tremble.
"It's all right Fox, shh, don't be scared honey, what did they do to you
sweetheart, what did they do?"
"I.....I....I wan.t....M...Mom" Mulder gasped, then he let go with the
biggest sob he had let out in a long time. Scully scooped him into her
arms and rocked him gently, she kissed his head and whispered to him.
"It's going to be all right Mulder. You're sick honey, this will pass"
"Th..e...man..di...did..thing..s..to ...me...S..S..c..ully" Mulder
stated again, a feeling of nausea came over her as the realisation of
what the men did to her partner hit her.
"Mulder...I'll help you through this, I promise you that, I really do"
she sighed. "My God, the bastards" she thought to herself. Mulder cried
and cried into Scully, he was in a real state at this point, but Scully
thought that it was better for him to cry it out. "You know that I'm
here for you don't you Fox?" she ran her hand gently through his hair,
and stroked the back of his neck. Mulder was beginning to wheeze with
every breath, Scully saw that he was beginning to hyperventerlate a
little. "Mulder sit up a second for me" she helped him up, her heart
melted on seeing his facial expression, before her sat not the man she
knew and loved, but the little boy that he had been. The lost little
child, always wanting to please his parents, but never getting the
recognition and love he deserved. He looked at Scully with his teared
eyes, he felt like he wanted to bury himself in her forever. Just for
her to hold him so that he would feel safe again. "Breathe slowly now"
Scully whispered. "That's it, good Mulder, that's good" she smiled at
him. When his breathing had calmed down he lay back down again on
Scully's lap.
"Ma...ybe....it was my....fa..fault" he said quietly.
"Mulder, don't be stupid, for Christ's sake, they hurt you, they
violated you, how can you even begin to think that it's your fault,
honey, you didn't do anything wrong, Jesus Christ" Scully was harsh in
her tone, "I don't ever want to hear you say that again Fox, you
understand?" Mulder began to cry again.
"So..Sorry"
"Oh no, Mulder I didn't mean to shout at you, I'm not cross with you,
shh" Scully was furious with herself for upsetting him further. "I'm not
cross with you, I promise you that" Scully gently caressed his cheek.
The tears were still running down his hot cheeks.
"I don't feel very well......Scully" Mulder writhed in pain.
"No I know honey, I know, I'm here with you Fox"
"Do...I....ne...need a hospital....I....think...I....may....do" Scully
couldn't believe it, Mulder hated hospitals and would always do anything
he could to get out of having to be in one. Now the one time that he
really couldn't go to one, he was asking to. Scully didn't want to make
him any more frightened than he already was, she thought quick on her feet.
"I can look after you Mulder, you'd rather that wouldn't you? No nasty
doctors poking at you, making you hurt? just me"
"Mmm....I.....yeah....I....I'm...h...hot" Mulder had suddenly become a
little less coherent. "Mom....make....it..stop" he murmured. "Mo...mmy"
Scully got up and got the face cloth from the bathroom, she damped it
and put it on Mulder's forehead.
"Shh, it's all right" she whispered. "Shh, lie still sweetie" Scully was
very concerned, she went to her medical bag and pulled out her ear
thermometer. Gently resting it in Mulder's ear she waited for the beep.
"Jesus Christ" she shouted.
"Wh....What?" Mulder looked at her through his fevered eyes.
"Nothing honey, don't worry" Scully gulped, Mulder's temperature had
rocketed to 104.3. Any higher could be really very dangerous. "Fox"
"Mmm"
"I need to cool you down a bit, you're very warm, it's all right, I'm
just going to take your t shirt off you, I'm sorry if it hurts you"
Gently she pulled Mulder up. He yelped in pain. "Sorry sweetheart sorry"
Scully peeled the wet t shirt from him, and laid him back down. She was
still worried about some of the injuries to his chest and stomach. It
could have been that he had severe internal bleeding. *he needs a
hospital* she thought to herself. Nevertheless she busied herself in
giving Mulder a bed bath to cool him down. She gently tended to him with
the cool damp wash cloth. "Hey" she said to him, "when you're better how
about I take you to a basketball game?" she smiled "You can choose which
one, I'll buy the tickets,it's my treat" there was little response from
Mulder, he suddenly grabbed her hand.
"h...urts" he whimpered. "I.......I'm...too...h...ot"
"I know, shh I know, I'm trying to make you comfortable Mulder I really am"
"Th....irsty" he licked his lips. Scully got him a glass of water and
gently put it to his lips, she supported his head and let him drink
some. The amount of heat coming from him was causing her great concern.
But the fear of the men who did this to her partner caused her more
worry, she couldn't really take the risk of them hunting both her and
Mulder down. Scully rubbed the back of her tired neck. It was now
morning, and birds had started to sing in the daylight. She was
exhausted, making sure that Mulder was a little more comfortable she
settled down beside him on the bed, and shut her eyes, just to rest for
a while.
***********************************************************************
"Sc..ully" Mulder's weak voice roused her from her deep sleep.
"Oh....oh....are you all right?" she asked, somewhat flustered.
"Your....ce..cellular" he murmured. The quiet ring of Scully's phone
suddenly became audible to her.
"Oh, thanks" Scully found her phone and answered it. "Scully"
"Agent Scully, this is AD Skinner, where in the hell are you?"
"I'm with Mulder Sir" Scully replied. "I'm sorry I've not called, he's
not too good at the moment, I request a couple of days absence, I need
to take care of him"
"Where has he been?"
"I can't discuss this with you at the moment Sir, he's very sick"
"Where are you?"
"In a Motel, I'm unsure of our exact location. I'm sorry Sir, I know
this is a severe breach of protocol, but I know that this is the right
thing to do"
"Agent Scully, this is highly irregular"
"Assistant Director" Scully moved outside out of Mulder's earshot. "I
believe that if I disclose where we are, both mine and Agent Mulder's
lives will be in danger. Please just trust me on this one, I know that
I'm doing the right thing"
"This is highly irregular Agent Scully" Skinner repeated
"Yes I know Sir, I am fully aware of that fact and I'm sorry, when I
feel I can inform you I promise that I will" Scully cut him off. It
wasn't the done thing to cut off the AD of the FBI but to be honest she
was more concerned about Mulder than any hearing she may face when
returning to DC. Quickly forgetting about the consequences of her
actions she turned her focus back to Mulder lying in the bed. He looked
worse again, his skin was pale, and he had dark bruises all over him.
The physical pain he was going through was enough but coupled with the
emotional and psychological trauma he had experienced, this whole ordeal
could crush him. Scully sat down on the side of the bed, she gently took
Mulder's hand. "Hey, I'm gonna go find a store or something, I want to
get you some juice so I can get some vitamins into you. Make you better"
Mulder responded with a load of incoherent babble. "I don't want to
leave you on your own Fox, but I have to, will you just rest easy for
me, I'll be as quick as I can Mulder I promise I will" Scully gently
lifted his head and gave him some more water. "I'll be quick" she kissed
his head and grabbing her car keys went to find a store.
***********************************************************************

Scully pulled into a local store. She saw that she was in a small town
called Riverhead. The general store was small but it seemed to have
everything she needed. She got some food and some orange juice. Looking
around she also saw that they sold sweat pants and t shirts and socks.
Knowing that Mulder was soaking wet with sweat she decided to buy him
some new clothes. Then after purchasing her things she thought of her
second plan of action. Looking at the pay phone she quickly scanned the
area for anyone who might be watching and then dialled a phone number
when she was sure that it was safe.
"Hello" came the voice.
"Mom"
"Hello there Dana honey, how are you?"
"Mom, I can't talk long, I really need your help"
"What is it?"
"I'm in a little place called Riverhead"
"Dana, that's miles away, what are you doing there?"
"Mulder's hurt Mom, really badly, he's been abused and he has a fever, I
need for you to help me take care of him"
"Sure, bring him to the house"
"No, Mom that's it, I can't, I can't explain now, please, it's the only
motel in the area, we're room 4, hurry, please"
"Dana, I'm coming honey, I'm coming"
"Thanks Mom" Scully put the phone down and hurried to the car, not
wanting to leave Mulder any longer.
Coming in through the door Scully was worried that Mulder may have tried
to get out of bed, she was relieved but somewhat saddened to see him
lying in the bed helpless. At least when he was a little sick he would
defy her by getting out of bed and trying to do things that he wasn't
capable of. As he was at the moment the fighting Mulder seemed to be far
away. All that was there was the little boy Fox, in pain and frightened.
"Hey there" Scully gave him a big smile. "How's my man doin' hey?" she
felt his head, he was still very hot. She dabbed his head with the damp
cloth again. "You want some oj?" She got up and poured him a glass. She
sat down again beside him. He looked at her with his sad eyes. "Can you
drink some Fox?"
"M..mmm" he murmured. Scully helped him drink it down. Although seconds
later he began to retch.
"Oh Jeez" Scully grabbed the bin and held it by him while he was sick.
She rubbed his back gently. "It's all right honey, I'm sorry, I
shouldn't have made you drink that, I know your tummy can't take it.
Shh" Mulder was in tears, the searing pain of his bruises hurt him more
than ever as he brought up the freshly swallowed juice. As Scully held
the quivering Agent in her arms she was beginning to think that this
would never be over. She gently rocked him in her arms. Her nose
nestling in his soft hair. Even though he was so sick he still smelt
quite good. She kissed his head gently and whispered softly to him.
"We'll be all right Mulder, my Mom's coming"
"Mom......my"
"Yeah, my Mommy Mulder, she's coming to take care of us. It's going to
be all right"
***********************************************************************
The knock on the door startled Dana, she opened it and was greeted by a
warm hug. Mrs Scully came in.
"Dana, have you slept at all?"
"Not really, he's been so ill Mom, he really has"
"O.k, let's take a look" Margret Scully wandered over to the bed, she
had a shock when she saw the state Mulder was in. He was asleep but only
lightly. Sitting down on the bed Maggie gently pushed a lock of hair
from his sweaty forehead. He opened his eyes slightly and stared at her.
"Mom...my"
"He's delirious Mom, he's been calling me Mommy too a little"
"That's o.k, let him believe it if he feels better" Maggie smiled. "Hey
there soldier, what's going on with you hey, not too good are you?" she
whispered. Mulder forced himself to sit up and fell into Maggies arms.
His head resting on her shoulder. Burying his head in her neck he
whimpered "Oh, hey it's o.k shh Fox shh, I've got you" She looked up at
her daughter. "Dana, he's very hot"
"I know Mom, it's over 104, but we can't take him to hospital"
"Why?"
"I'll tell you later" she said looking at Mulder. "let's get him sorted
out first" she gently stroked Mulder's head.
"Dana, you get some rest, I'll look after Fox. You look like you need a
good sleep"
"Thanks Mom" Dana sat down in the armchair in the corner of the room and
pulled a blanket over herself. Within seconds she had fallen asleep.
Maggie gently laid Mulder back down on the bed. He gulped and panted
with heat, Maggie looked worriedly at him.
"Fox honey, I need you to drink some water for me sweetheart" she said
to him
"Mmmm" Fox opened his eyes slightly, he let Maggie put the glass to his
lips. Greedily he gulped the water down so fast that Maggie had to stop him.
"You'll make yourself sick Fox, go steady honey" she smiled. "I know
you're thirsty, I know" she looked at his chest. "You poor thing, they
really hurt you this time didn't they" he gave a slow nod. "You get some
rest now Fox, close those eyes" Maggie gently kissed his forehead.
***********************************************************************
The day seemed to pass by quite rapidly. Dana slept for most of it, as
did Fox. His temperature appeared to be dropping and when he awoke he
was much more coherent. He was confused as to why Margaret Scully was
there but her gentle touch soon made him think that it was for the best
that she was.
"How are you feeling?" Maggie asked him. Mulder's response was to wrap
his arms around her waist and bury his head in her. "Still sickly hey
Fox?" she stroked his head gently. "We'll get you home soon Fox"
"No...t..back to...my apartment.....not on my own.....please, not on my
own" he was shaking.
"Fox, would you like to stay at my house?"
"I...I...I just don't want to be alone, that's all" he murmured.
"All right, We'll sort something out Fox, don't you worry sweetheart"
Maggie was a little concerned at the reaction Mulder had about going
home. When Dana awoke she laid Fox down again and took her outside.
"Tell me what's happening Dana"
"Mom, it's horrific, these men kidnapped Mulder, I don't know why, or
what the hell they wanted. They called me, which is how I found him,
they dumped him in a field. They said that if I took him to a hospital
that they would come after the both of us. I think they're serious Mom,
I'm sure they are"
"Does Fox know this?"
"No, why?"
"He's scared to go home on his own"
"Oh, Mom. One of the men......he ..." Dana had tears in her eyes. "He
raped him Mom" she blurted out.
"Oh my goodness, the poor boy"
"That's why he's in such a state, he's really messed up, and I don't
know what to do to help him out on that one"
"Be there for him Dana, that's all you can do, just be there" Maggie
hugged her daughter. "I love you Dana, I know you can help Fox with this"
Their conversation was interrupted by Scully's cell phone ringing. She
went to answer it.
"Scully"
"This is AD Skinner Agent Scully"
"Oh, hello sir"
"You can bring Agent Mulder home now, we had three men come in and
confess to his kidnapping. Well sort of three, one of them committed
suicide. They're locked up and out of the way"
"How can you be sure that it's them"
"You should be in a small town called Riverhead, they said that was the
nearest place to where they had him"
"Yeah, that's right, oh Thank God Sir"
"There's still the matter of you hanging up on me when I gave you a
direct order Agent Scully"
"I...I know, but...."
"We'll discuss this later, for now kindly return to your homes. I'll see
you both in my office on Monday morning"
"I don't know about Mulder sir, he's not too good"
"Really?"
"No, I'll give you details later on. It's bad though sir"
"Right, I'll speak to you later Agent Scully"
"Bye sir" Scully put the phone down. "We can take him home Mom"
"Right then, We'll put Fox on the back seat of your car and then drive
to my place"
"No, Mom, I'll have him at my apartment, he's my responsibility, plus he
knows my place really well"
"Does he now?"
"No Mom, you know I don't mean that, anyway what about your car?"
"I came by cab"
"Cab? that must have cost you a fortune"
"I didn't want to get lost Dana, you two needed me"
"Oh Mom, you're too good to us" Scully smiled. "Let's get him organised
then"
The two Scully women went into the motel room and gathered up what
little stuff they had. Mulder was still very weak from the fever, and
although his temperature had gone down he was still quite unwell.
"Come on Mulder" Scully said to him. "Can you sit up for me?"
"Ye.ah" Mulder got up and put one hand on Scully's shoulder to steady
himself. His whole head was spinning. "Oh....I....feel...dizzy"
"Yeah, I'm sure you do. We're going to go home now" Scully smiled.
"You'll be better at home" Mulder's face went even paler (if that was
possible) and he began to wheeze. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"I....I...can I stay wi...with you?"
"Of course you can Mulder, I had no intention of making you go home on
your own, You're sick Mulder, you're very sick"
"Yeah" Mulder buried his head in Scully's shoulder "sick..I'm sick"
"That's right, come on let's get you to the car" Scully tied up Mulder's
sneakers, he was in too much pain to bend and do them himself. Both her
and her Mother supported him and walked him to the car. Scully took one
of the pillows from the bed. "They'll not miss it" she smiled. "I'm an
FBI agent. I'll say it was evidence" Mulder managed a weak smile as he
crawled onto the back seat. Scully also climbed in the back, putting the
pillow and Mulder's head on her lap she held onto him.
"You two kids ready?" Maggie asked.
"Sure am Mom"
"Fox?"
"Sure....am......M.om" he echoed. Maggie smiled at him.
"Right let's get home"
***********************************************************************
The 'thud' and a 'smash' woke Scully from her deep sleep. She got up out
of bed and pulling on her dressing gown went to investigate what she
thought was QueeQueg. Turning the kitchen light on she was faced with
Mulder. He was sitting on the floor resting up against the kitchen
cupboards. A broken glass beside him. He was looking very sweaty and
quite distressed.
"What are you doing?" Scully bent down by him and felt his head. He was
still running a high temperature.
"I..I..had...a.bad..dream...and...I needed a..drink Scully...I..I'm
sorry about your....glass"
"Mulder, I'm not worried about the glass, I'm worried about you. I told
you that if you need anything just shout for me"
"You...you were asleep..it's 3 am"
"Fox, it doesn't matter right? You call me. Jesus you could have really
hurt yourself"
"I'm...not a kid"
"I know that" Scully helped him up. "Mulder, you've been through a
deeply traumatic experience. You're still not very well. Just let me
take care of things all right. You let me take charge for a while"
Scully helped him up and led him back to the spare bedroom. Tucking him
back into the bed she felt his head "Still hot" she sighed. "I'll get
you some water" Filling a glass up she returned back to the room, she
perched on the edge of the bed. "Mulder?"
"Mmm?" he looked at her as he gulped down the water.
"Do you want to talk to me about what happened?"
"No" he put the glass down and lay down again. Scully puffed up his pillows.
"I think you should"
"No.....I...I don't want to" he had tears in his eyes again.
"All right, shh it's all right, shh" Scully put her hand on his shoulder.
"Ow!" Mulder suddenly shouted.
"What is it?" Scully asked worriedly. "What hurts?"
"I'm.....o.k" Mulder shut his eyes. "Just....a.bit of...pain"
"Fox..."
"Mulder.....Scully....Mulder"
"Oh, you are feeling better" Scully smiled. "Mulder, I just want you to
know that I'm here all right. I'm here" she kissed his forehead. "Are
you going to be all right to go back to sleep?"
"Yeah...think so" Mulder shut his eyes. "Thanks Scully"
"No problem. Sleep tight" She gently brushed his hair back off his
forehead. Within a few minutes his breathing changed and he was asleep.
Scully quietly got up and turned out the light heading back to her own bed.
***********************************************************************
4 weeks passed by and Mulder was still staying at Scully's apartment. He
was much better now and up and about and back to his almost old self.
Apart from the nightmares. He was still off work, which was driving him
insane with boredom and he was driving Scully insane with his whining.
One evening Scully came home from the bureau with bags full of
groceries. Mulder was sprawled out on the couch with one leg dangling
off and the remote control in one hand and the other draped over the
side. The television was on but he was fast asleep. Scully put her bags
down and crept over to Mulder. She smiled, he looked like a little boy
when he slept. Going into her room and pulling a blanket off the end of
her bed Scully ever so gently put it over Mulder, tucking in his stray
arms and legs. He had had a bad night previously and had most likely
woken the whole block with his screams. Scully although she tried had
great difficulty in calming him down. She was planning on bringing up
the subject of him moving back into his apartment but she thought she'd
wait until a bit later on.
With him asleep she could make a start on dinner without him coming in
and trying to help. Now although Mulder had great intentions, his
cooking left little to the imagination and seeing as Scully was so tidy
and meticulous and Mulder was down right untidy, Scully thought it best
if she dealt with the dinner side of things.
With the bolognese sauce bubbling in the pan and the spaghetti cooking
away nicely Scully went over to the lounge and sat down on the armchair
to read the newspaper. The rustle of the paper roused Mulder. He
sleepily rubbed his eyes.
"Oh hey there" Scully smiled at him. "You o.k?"
"Very...tired"
"Yeah I bet, dinner's nearly ready"
"Oh.....you should have woken me" Mulder gave a cough, "I would've
helped you out"
"You looked so peaceful" Scully smiled. "I didn't want to disturb your
beauty sleep. You need it" she grinned at him.
"Thanks friend" Mulder smiled "What is for dinner?"
"Spaghetti, I felt Italian"
"Ah ha" Mulder smiled at her. "Come here" he patted the couch next to
him. Scully went to him. "I...I wanted to thank you. For everything
you've done Scully. I couldn't have got through without you"
"Mulder..."
"No really, I owe my life to you Scully. I really do, and I'm sorry if
I've been under your feet at all. I really appreciate it. Thank you so
much.....Dana" he looked at her.
"I'd never just leave you alone Mulder. I'm always here for you" Scully
hugged him and kissed his head. "But. I do think that we should think
about you going back home soon"
"Why?" he pulled away and looked at her. "I....don't you want me here
any more?"
"Mulder it's not that. I just think that if you want to fully get over
this, you need to take the next big step. Now look I'll do you a deal.
We go to your apartment tomorrow. I will stay the night with you. The
next night I will stay with you till you go off to sleep. Then that's
it. But I'll call on you everyday, and also if you need me at all,
anytime day or night, pick up the phone and call me" Mulder nodded slowly.
"Deal" he said.
"Good, now come on, supper's ready" Scully got up and wandered to the
kitchen and began serving up. Mulder's appetite had not been perfect
since his ordeal. He had put a little weight on, but not nearly enough.
"Are you going to try and eat all of that?" Scully asked him.
"Yeah, it looks good" he smiled. "I like your cooking Scully. I don't
mean to not eat everything"
"I know" she smiled "wine?" Mulder nodded and Scully filled his glass up.
"One day" Mulder said. "Those...guys made me eat...cream cakes"
"Cream cakes?"
"Yeah, I was hungry and I asked if I could have something and the guy
came back with cream cakes. hundreds of them. Made me eat them, loads of
them...I felt sick...then when I wouldn't eat them all I...they..."
Mulder's hand which was holding the fork was shaking. Scully got up and
put her arms around him from behind.
"You don't have to tell me Mulder" she whispered. "It's all right I can
figure what they did to you" Scully kissed the top of his head. "We'll
talk about this later, let's enjoy dinner"
"Yeah" Mulder smiled "it's nice" he looked up at Scully who dried a tear
from his cheek.
"O.k?" Scully sat down again and picked up her fork. Mulder got half way
through the meal before he was full which wasn't bad for him, plus
Scully had cooked enough to feed a small army. Dumping the dishes in the
sink to do in the morning the two agents settled down with some music
on. Mulder put his head on Scully's lap and curled up into a ball. She
put the blanket over him again.
"I want to go back to work Scully"
"I know you do, but Skinner says no"
"What does he know. I'm getting bored at home, I need to keep busy"
Mulder rubbed his eyes sleepily.
"I'll have a word with him, but Mulder I'm not sure if you're ready to
come back. You're still very tired, I don't think that another couple of
weeks will be that bad will it?"
"Scully it will, it's driving me crazy not doing stuff"
"O.k, I'll talk to Skinner, it's his decision anyway Mulder, nothing
that you or I can say will make a damned bit of difference, come on
relax, let's stop talking about work"
"What do you want to talk about then?" Mulder snuggled up to Scully, she
gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"Oh I don't know, do you want to watch a movie?"
"Sure" Mulder nodded. "Which one?"
"Well, you pick, I'm going to have a quick shower and get into my
pyjamas, I'll be out in a minute" Scully got up and went into her room.
Taking her nightclothes from under her pillow she went into her
bathroom. Suddenly as she was in the shower her thoughts went back to
when she had first got Mulder back to the hotel room and how she had
felt when she had seen what state he was in. She remembered feeling that
she loved him. Of course she knew that anyway, she did love him as he
loved her, but this somehow felt different. *stop being stupid Dana,
it's Mulder* she scolded herself. Hopping out of the shower she dried
herself off and put her silk pyjamas and robe on. Combing her damp hair
she went back out to Mulder. As she sat down he immediately reclaimed
his position with his head on her lap.
"You smell nice" he said. "Sort of lavender"
"Yeah, that's the stuff" Scully smiled. "You all right?"
"Mmm" Mulder pulled the blanket around his shoulders. "You will stay
tomorrow night with me won't you?"
"Mulder, I promised that I would" Scully replied. "What film did you put
in?"
"Seven"
"Oh, that's a cheerful choice"
"Well, it's like a day at work that movie"
"I guess so" Scully laughed. "Wouldn't you rather watch a slushy one
like Sleepless in Seattle?"
"Obviously you would?" Mulder looked at her with a wide grin
"Yeah, Seven isn't really a bedtime movie is it?" Scully changed the
cassette and put it on. *what am I doing?* she thought to herself.
*slushy movies with Mulder*
"Are you going to stay still now?" Mulder asked "you keep moving just as
I get comfy"
"Well I'm sorry" Scully said with a smile. She leant over and kissed his
forehead *stop it Dana* she told herself *you've had wine*
"Why the kiss?" Mulder asked. *think Dana think*
"Because" Scully smiled at him. "I'm glad I didn't lose my best friend"
"Me too" he replied. Mulder snuggled up closer to Scully and they
watched the film. By the time it had ended Mulder had fallen fast asleep
on her lap. She hoped that he would be all right to return to his
apartment. She would miss having him around the place but she also
wanted to prevent her feelings from developing into something more than
what they already were.
***********************************************************************
Mulder awoke in the night sweating and shaking. He felt sick so ran to
his bathroom. This was only the fourth day he had had back at home. He
hadn't been doing too well really. He'd telephoned Scully 3 times each
night and she had talked to him and reassured him that he would be all
right. He flew into the bathroom and hugged the basin of the toilet as
he was sick. He looked in horror as blood poured from his mouth. This
sight made him shake even more.
"Scully" he murmured. Looking at his watch he realised it was 5am. But
as he retched again and yet more blood came up he staggered to the
telephone.
"Mulder, what is it?" Scully picked up the phone beside her bed "you all
right?"
"I..I've thrown up"
"Oh....make yourself up a hot water bottle and put it on your tummy"
"Sc..Scully...there's blood....oh..oh no" he retched again.
"O.k, all right stay put honey I'm coming. I'm coming" Scully put the
phone down. "Shit" she pulled on some clothes and hurried to Mulder's
apartment. Letting herself in with her key she ran to the bathroom.
Mulder was leaning up against the bath with blood all down his front and
all round his mouth. Tears were streaming down his pale face.
"It....keeps...coming up" he cried. His face was white, and a trickle of
blood came from the corner of his mouth.
"All right, it's all right. I'm gonna call an ambulance Mulder,
something must have ruptured" Scully pulled out her cellular and dialled
911. Mulder was having problems breathing as his lungs were filling with
blood Scully held onto him gently stroking his cheek. "You'll be all
right Mulder. I'm here"
***********************************************************************
"Dr Scully?" a doctor came out of the theatre, he shook Scully's hand.
"Agent Mulder is in a stable conditions. He had a broken rib which
ruptured his lung and caused a heamorrage. Were you aware that he had
been hurt?"
"Yes, on a recent case, he's been off work. I thought he was getting better"
"Well, if he rolled over in his sleep or something like that could have
punctured the lung. You were right to phone 911 when you did"
"Can I see him?"
"Sure, he's a bit groggy from the anaesthetic"
"That's o.k, I only want to say hello" Scully smiled. The doctor led her
along the corridor to room 834 where Mulder was lying in the bed. He
looked very pale. Scully walked up to his bed and took his hand , he
slowly opened his eyes slightly.
"I'm......sorry" he murmured.
"Why are you sorry? it's not your fault Mulder"
"For......waking...you...up"
"Don't be stupid. it's all right. how do you feel now?"
"Sore"
"Yeah, I bet you do. They've had to open your chest to get to your
lungs. It's all sorted out now though Fox. You're all right" Scully
stroked his hair back from his face. "You can come home in a week"
"A....week" he sighed.
"Mulder, you're lucky it's not longer, you were very lucky"
"I'm......tired" Mulder shut his eyes.
"You rest, I've got to go and see Skinner at the office" Scully smiled,
"I'll call and see you later all right?"
"All right....thanks"
"See you soon Mulder" Scully turned to leave.
"Hey where's my goodbye kiss" he called. Scully returned to the bed and
kissed Mulder's cheek. "I'm glad I didn't lose my best friend" he smiled.
"Me too. Speak to you soon. Sleep tight" Scully left the room and went
to meet Skinner at the Federal building. This was to be the biggest
meeting with him that she had had in a long time the fact that she and
Mulder had severely breached protocol would be brought up by Skinner.
But as Special Agent Dana Scully walked into the building all she cared
about was that her Fox Mulder was safe now. Whatever penalty she may
face from the bureau, she wouldn't have to face it alone.

FIN
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