Title: Lies and More Lies Author: Vickie Moseley Spoilers: Season six up to Milagro and spoilers for the finale Summary: Have you ever read a spoiler and just knew you could do a better job? This is a 'pre-episode/post-episode' piece. I have rewritten the season finale (or should I say 'prewritten' since I haven't seen it yet ;), tying up as many loose ends and staying as consistent as I could to what has come up during the sixth season. Finished: April 14, 1999 Category: S A MT UST/MSR Conspiracy/Mythology Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: Read it and weep, Carter. You'll still make all the money off the ratings from the final ep, but _I_ will know the truth Archive: Yes Note: The title is supposed to be connected to what I thought was the title of the finale. Of course, as always, they changed the title and I had the wrong ep anyway. But the story line was unchanged. Then I got to thinking about it, and this title worked as well as any other I could come up with. So I kept it :) Dedicated: To Daniel, on his Bar Mitzvah (this is more for your Mom, I know, but hey, it's your day--enjoy it!) Lies and More Lies by Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net part one of seven Highway outside of Aztec, New Mexico 4:51 pm "I hate New Mexico, Scully. Too many bad memories," Fox Mulder exclaimed as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with the palm of his hand and wiped it unashamed on his pants leg. In response, his partner reached over and cranked the rental car's air conditioning to the number 4 setting, max-cool. "Better?" she asked, swiveling the air vent nearest him to blow directly on his face. "No," he said with a pronounced pout. She leveled a cool glare at him and he relented. "Yeah, a little. But not much." She smiled and leaned back in the seat. "Hey, just for the record, _this_ was your idea, Mulder. Skinner only signed off on the 302 you sent up. The only person around to blame for your discomfort is _you_." He took his eyes off the road long enough to glare back at her. "You know, Scully, self-righteous indignation and sarcasm are _not_ attractive qualities." Her grin grew all the wider. "Let's get your mind off the heat. What exactly did the 'boys' tell you this morning that set all this off?" Mulder stared out the windshield, as if looking for a good answer. One that wouldn't draw his partner's wrath. "Umm, they had a lead." "A lead. Very good, Mulder. A lead on . . . what?" He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Cassandra Spender." Scully's face closed off and she stared out the windshield, contemplating her own response to that little bomb shell. Cassandra Spender had gone missing the night the 'rebels' had burned almost all the Elders of the Consortium. Scully was still not convinced that the 'rebels' were of alien origin, but she was convinced of their power and had seen for herself their willingness to murder on an almost genocidal scale. She shivered, remembering how she'd narrowly escaped a similar death by fire on a bridge in Pennsylvania a year and a half before. "Mulder, Cassandra Spender, in all likelihood, is dead. Like her son, Jeffrey," Scully said softly. She didn't want to think it was true, but she knew it was the most logical explanation for the older woman's disappearance. "Then she's 'risen again', Scully," Mulder snapped back. "She was spotted at a convenience store, about fifteen miles from the New Mexico/Nevada border, late yesterday." Scully narrowed her eyes. "Want to go into the gory details? I mean, she didn't just pop in to the store, say 'hi, I'm Cassandra Spender, half the FBI is looking for me,' and then wander back out in the desert, did she?" "Langly published her picture in the April issue of the Lone Gunman. One of their subscribers works at the convenience store and recognized her from the picture. He had to wait until his shift ended at midnight, but he e-mailed Frohike as soon as he got home." Scully shook her head, grimly staring at the desert landscape around them. "Mulder, any one who subscribes to the Lone Gun Man . . ." "Remember, Scully, _you_ are now on their subscribers list. Frohike gave you that for Christmas." He grinned at her and she simply glared in return. "Be that as it may, I don't think we're going to find this to be more than a . . . a 'Cassandra' sighting." "Cassandra sighting?" She jerked her head to the left and shrugged one shoulder. "You know, Mulder. Like an 'Elvis' sighting." He closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head in disagreement. "Scully, you never found her body. The dental records didn't match with any one found at the scene." "Which means she was taken somewhere else and her body dumped, Mulder," she said tiredly. "Look, I hope you're right. I hope this kid or whoever it was really did see Cassandra. I would love to think that she survived that night. I really would. I've just..." "Stopped believing in miracles," Mulder said sullenly. She looked at him tenderly for a moment before looking back out the window. "No. I still believe in miracles. I just know not to expect them to come my way too often." Stop-N-Gas US Route 66 New Mexico Mulder pulled up to the island and got out to pump the gas. A few minutes later, Scully followed him into the store and waited while another customer paid for their purchase and then left. She had her badge out before her partner. "Dave Lemund? I'm Special Agent Scully and this is Special Agent Mulder. We're with the FBI." The young man standing behind the counter squinted at her identification. "Feds. Way cool. LadiesMan said you'd be out here." "LadiesMan?" Scully asked, turning to her partner with a raised eyebrow. "Frohike," Mulder supplied noncommittally, then turned to Lemund. "Dave, you said you saw a woman matching the picture that was in April's issue of the Lone Gun Man. Could you describe her for us?" "I can do better than that, man. I can show you," Dave said, reaching under the counter and pulling up a small gray black and white television. "Give me a minute." Scully noted that their own images were on the screen, then replaced by static. A new tape was inserted in a hidden VCR and suddenly, a woman's face was on the screen. Scully let out a soft gasp and looked over at Mulder. He was staring grimly at the screen. It was definitely Cassandra Spender. Mulder looked around the small store, noting where the security camera sat facing down at the counter. Then he looked outside. "Dave, do you have cameras outside the building? To watch the pumps." Dave slapped his head in exasperation. "Shit, why didn't I think of that! Sure we do. Just a minute and I can get them for you." He rummaged around under the counter and came up with a VCR cassette. Deftly, he ejected the previous tape and inserted the new one. "We'll have to watch the time counter in the corner. She came in about 6:55, which is 18:55 on the tape." He fast forwarded until they were close to the right time. Two cars were at the pumps. The license plates were clearly visible on both of them. On the tape, it was difficult to see faces at the pumps, but a form dressed in similar clothing came out of the store and got into the passenger seat of the car farthest from the doors of the store. It had to be Cassandra. "Nevada plates. GRV 2987. I'll call the state police, run a check," Scully said, pulling her cell phone out and dialing. Mulder continued to stare at the screen. As the car pulled away, the driver was visible through the car's open window. Mulder's chest constricted when he saw the man's face. It was Jeffrey Spender. After making duplicate copies of both tapes, the two agents started making phone calls. Within hours, they had the name of the rental agency just over the border in Nevada that had the car registered, and had knew that Spender had rented the car under the name of Jerry Smith. It was eight o'clock at night when they made it to the rental agency. It was in a small regional airport, and a lone woman, snapping a piece of gum, was manning the counter. Mulder flashed his badge as they approached. "I'm Agent Mulder, I believe we spoke on the phone, uh, Mandy," he said comfortably as he leaned on the counter. Mandy smiled in appreciation. "Yeah, sure. I got the file right here. Came in yesterday morning, paid cash, but we require a credit card for security purposes. Oh, and we always make a copy of the driver's license. It's all in here." She shoved the file folder over the counter into Mulder's waiting hands. He smiled and winked. "Thanks. Mind if we borrow this a moment?" "Hey, you're the FBI. Anything you want, you got," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Scully shot him a deadly raised eyebrow as they moved away from the counter to a bank of chairs in the lobby. "Mulder, you amaze me," she said, shaking her head. "What?" he asked, looking slightly confused. She said nothing, just tried to bite back her smile and shook her head again. Mulder pulled out the page with the driver's license on it. He held it up. The picture was grainy, but it was definitely Jeffrey Spender. According to the rest of the document, his name was Jeremiah Smith, and lived in Reno, Nevada. The credit slip showed the same name. "If these are phoney, which we know they are, they're damned good," Mulder sighed heavily. "Could old 'C.G.B' be involved? Maybe he and his son didn't have the falling out he told you about. Maybe the blood in our office was just a front, so he could get Jeffrey and Cassandra out of the way and someplace safe," Scully suggested. Mulder shook his head slowly. "If that's the case, what are they doing 'tooling' around the southwest like they're on a Route 66 tour? No, I don't think he knows where they are, either." "Well, they're obviously getting help from someone," Scully said firmly, taking the rest of the pages and leafing through them. "But if not C.G.B., then who?" "Or what," Mulder muttered under his breath. "Why use an alias that is tied with the rebel forces." Scully's brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean?" "Jeremiah Smith. The man who can bring people back from the dead. The man who can pose as anybody. And there was more than one of them, Scully. Don't you see, it's a ready made alias. There are Jeremiah Smiths all over the country." "But none of them look like Jeffrey Spender," Scully reasoned. "True, but any one of them could make themselves look like him, at any time. When was that license issued?" Scully squinted at the photocopy. "It's hard to read, but it looks like this year. Two months ago. I can't see the date." "That's OK, we don't need it. This is a set up. They put this cover together for Spender, probably for Cassandra, too. They're on the move. The question is . . . why?" Scully shifted through the pages and came back to the one with the credit receipt. "Well, at least we can find out where else they've been. Maybe even catch up with them." Mulder smiled. "And here all this time they told me you were just another pretty face," he said with a wink. Since it was already close to nine o'clock, and they hadn't eaten since the plane, Mulder suggested they grab 'something' from a nearby convenience store. Scully turned up her nose at the selection of over baked pizza slices, pre-packaged three day old chicken salad sandwiches and hoagies. She picked up a bag of pretzels and some string cheese. Mulder opted for two slices of pizza with what appeared to be pepperoni and grabbed them both diet colas, paying for them along with the gas. Scully munched on the pretzels while unfolding the map of New Mexico that was in the glove compartment. "OK, according to the credit card company, last night they stayed in the Ramada Express in Bloomfield, which is just outside of Farmington." "Pay dirt!" Mulder exclaimed. "Not quite. That would be too easy. For lunch, there's a credit slip from a Chili's in Albuquerque." "Not exactly keeping a low profile," Mulder mumbled around another bite of pizza. He chased it with a large swallow of cola. "But they're traveling under an alias, Mulder," Scully reasoned. "Which it took us about three seconds to see through," Mulder countered. "If they're running from 'Daddy Spender', he'd have them by now." "OK, then we're back to the obvious. Maybe C.G.B. is hiding them," Scully said pointedly. Mulder shook his head in disapproval. "No, Scully, it just doesn't feel right. When that black lunged son of a bitch hides, he _hides_. Nobody sees a glimpse of him. Like when we all thought he was dead. They're in the open. I don't like it." Scully thought for a moment. "Like they're being used as bait?" Mulder shook his head slowly. "Maybe. I don't know. But for now, let's take a trip over to Albuquerque. Haven't seen it for a while." He grinned at her and wiggled her eyebrows. At midnight, Scully made another check with the credit card company. "Mulder, they're checked into the La Quinta in Socorro." She looked at the map in the dim green light from the dash. "What road's that on?" Mulder asked, craning to see the map and keep his eyes on the road. "Interstate 25, about 100 miles south, southwest of Albuquerque." "That's the way to Roswell," Mulder said quietly. Scully didn't answer. She knew it was true. It was right on I-25 that they took the turn off to the road otherwise known as the 'UFO highway'. Their contact never showed that night, but Scully had a chill run down her back just thinking about it. Someone stepping on your grave, she thought to herself. end of part one Vickie Lies and More Lies by Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net disclaimed in part one part two of seven Highway in New Mexico 10:45 pm "What do you want to do? Try to make it to Socorro tonight? See if we can catch up with Spender and Cassandra?" Scully asked, but she already knew the answer. "I'd sure like to try," Mulder said with a hopeful expression. They drove in silence for the next several miles. Scully drifted off to sleep, Mulder was lost in his own thoughts and didn't seem up to any conversation. She jerked awake when she felt the car slow and pull off the road onto the gravel shoulder. "Mulder, what are you . . ." She didn't have time to finish her sentence when he partner burst out of the car and ran to the tall grass at the side of the road. In the glow of the headlights, she could see him double over and vomit on the tall dry grass. "I knew that pizza was a rotten idea," she muttered and waited patiently for his return. After several minutes, he came back and leaned against the passenger side of the car. She opened the door and got out, taking him by the elbow to help him in her just vacated seat. "No more pizza at gas stations," she intoned. He nodded meekly. "Are you OK? Maybe we should stop for the night. We've been tracking them pretty easily with the credit card charges. One more night isn't likely to make a difference." He shot her an icy glare, without words telling her that he had no intention of stopping for the night. She sighed. It was a long shot at best, her hope that he would slow down and take care of himself. No, that's your job, Dana, she reminded herself silently. "OK, but try to get some sleep. And if you feel bad again, let me know and I'll pull over." He nodded and was asleep in less than a mile. She ended up pulling over four more times before they reached the outskirts of Albuquerque. Mulder was dozing fitfully between bouts of nausea. In the light from the dashboard, Scully could see a fine sheen of sweat glisten on his upper lip and forehead. It no longer appeared to be 'bad pizza'. She was beginning to fear serious food poisoning might be the culprit. But more than worry over the cause of his illness, Scully was concerned that he was getting dehydrated. She stopped at one rest area and got him a bottle of water. He'd taken a few sips, but had not succeeded in keeping any of it down. As she saw the lights of Albuquerque coming at them across the hills, she made a decision that she knew he'd fight tooth and nail, but she was intent to force the issue. She was going to look for a hospital. St. Jude's Medical Center Albuquerque, New Mexico 1:35 am Scully pushed aside the white curtain which made up the walls of the emergency room treatment cubicle. Mulder was lying on a gurney on his side, his hand protectively covering his stomach. He looked pale and drawn and not at all well. She tiptoed over to the plastic and metal chair just a few feet from him, hoping to let him sleep. Her hope was in vain. "Sign my life away?" he asked, not bothering to open her eyes. "Just the fish," she smiled. "How are you feeling?" "Like shit. Can I ask you a question, Scully?" "Shoot." "Why do you always ask me that?" He opened one eye to catch her reaction. "I just love hearing your answer," she said with a big grin. "Has the doctor been in?" "No. A nurse came in. She wanted a 'stool sample'. I told her I didn't have any on me at the moment, but the minute something comes up, she'll get first dibs." "Mulder," Scully sighed. "You can at least _try_ to be nice. We've only been here an hour." "Scully, get real. A stool sample? I'm tossing my socks, for God's sakes!" "They probably want to rule out salmonella," she said knowingly. "They took blood. Let 'em find it there," he answered, defiantly and closed his eyes again. "God, I'm tired." "Then try to sleep a little. The doctor should be here soon." "Did you call the motel in Socorro? Are they still there?" Scully shook her head in mild amazement. The man had nothing left on his stomach to throw up, and he was still thinking of the case. "Yes, Mulder. In between filling out all _your_ medical paperwork, I called the La Quinta and they double checked the parking lot. The rental is still there. No one has checked out. Spender and Cassandra are still there. Assuming they are the ones using the credit card." "Think they doubled back? Used a decoy?" he suggested, opening his eyes to slits to look at her. She shrugged. "It's what we'd do," she replied. That merited a grin. "Yeah, but we're _good_, Scully," he smiled brightly but it faded as his stomach acted up again. "I need the . . ." She grabbed the emesis bowl laying by his hand and held it to his mouth. Nothing was coming up anymore, it was only dry heaves. He struggled with his stomach for several long seconds and finally dropped back to the pillow, spent. "Damn, damn, damn!" he muttered. "Did the nurse give you anything for your stomach, Mulder?" Scully asked gently. She wiped his mouth with a wet wash cloth, and then brushed the damp curls from his forehead. She was certain he had a slight fever. "She said they'd give me compazine when the doctor had a look. Where the hell is the son of a bitch, anyway?" "I would suspect right here," said a young woman with dark brown curls hanging in waves down her back. "Hi, I'm Dr. Beacon. You must be Mr. Mulder." He had the good grace to blush at his previous derogatory statement, but Mulder opted not to apologize. He simple nodded. Scully shook her head and extended her hand to Dr. Beacon. "I'm Agent Scully, I'm Agent Mulder's partner." Dr. Beacon raised an eyebrow. "Oh, OK, FBI. I see it here in the notes. Well, since you're pretty far from home, let's see what's going on and try to get you back on the road." She went on to examine him quickly and efficiently. "Well, you're definitely dehydrated. I'm gonna have Brandon come in and start an IV. At this point, it's hard to tell what we're dealing with. Could be a virus, could be food poisoning. salmonella takes 48 hours to come up in a culture, and by then, you'd be over the worst of it, but we'll have to wait and see. Quite frankly, I think it would be best to admit you and see how you're doing in the morning." Mulder immediately began shaking his head 'no'. "I can't stay. I'm won't . . ." As he raised up off the gurney, attempting to get off it, he swayed and grabbed out blindly. Scully caught his flailing arm and lowered him back to the pillow. "Mulder, you are _not_ going anywhere," she growled in a warning tone. "Scully, c'mon! We can't waste time sitting here while they rack up a lab bill trying to find out I ate bad pizza!" He looked hard at her, defiant at first, then melting into a full fledged beg. "Please. Scully." She determinedly shook her head. "No, Mulder. Not this time. We are too far away from home. I'm not leaving here with you unable to keep water on your stomach. Now, let them admit you and I bet I can convince Dr. Beacon here to give you a nice shot of compazine. Your stomach will settle and you'll sleep." "Cassandra," he said cryptically to his partner, narrowing his gaze to a glare. "I'll deal with the 'Smiths'. You're not getting out of here before noon tomorrow, if I'm right." She shot a look over to Dr. Beacon who nodded in agreement, then left them alone. "So I'll go down to Socorro and see what I can find," Scully told him as soon as the curtain had fallen shut behind the doctor. "You should have back up," he said with a decided pout to his expression. "I'll call the locals, _if_ I think it's necessary. Mulder, if this _is_ Cassandra, I don't consider her a threat. Remember. I'm not the one who called in the CDC," she said in a sotto whisper. He winced and frowned. "But if Smoking Man, Jr. is there . . ." "I can handle the weasel. Believe me, we've tangled more than once," she said with a sly smile. "Why am I afraid to hear the rest of that story?" Mulder said, unsatisfied, but helpless to change anything that was happening. "We'll get you settled. Then, I'll head down there and I'll pull in around sunup. I should catch them before they check out." He sighed. "I don't like this, Scully. It smells bad." "Now, why couldn't you have said that about the pizza?" she teased. A young man in pale blue scrubs came in with IV paraphernalia. "I'll go get your bag so you can have your own toothbrush in the morning," Scully told Mulder, patting his arm. "See you in your room." He grunted in response. La Quinta Inn Socorro, New Mexico 7:15 am Scully pulled the blue Concord into the last parking space in the lot. That put her directly in front of the door that Jerry Smith had taken the night before. The rental car he'd driven in was just three spots down to the right. Everything was in place. The door opened to Room 132. Scully hunched down in the seat. There, most definitely alive, was Jeffrey Spender. He was wearing casual clothes, a beige polo and khakis and he put on sunglasses as he exited the room. Scully ducked under the dashboard to escape his notice. She waited a good couple of minutes and then slowly stuck her head up. Spender was gone, but the rental was still in it's original spot. Gaining confidence, Scully eased out of the car and walked up to the door Spender had just come out of. She knocked, taking a deep breath. "Jeffrey, I told you to take a key . . ." Cassandra Spender let the sentence trail off as she stared in wonder at the woman at the door. Without a second thought, she grabbed Scully around the shoulders, pulling the younger women into the room and into a fierce embrace all at the same time. "Oh, my god, Dana! I'm so happy to see you standing there!" Cassandra wiped away tears of joy from her eyes, then stuck her head out the door, looking both directions. "Did Agent Mulder come with you?" "Um, no, Cassandra, he didn't. He's . . . well, he's not feeling too well at the moment," Scully admitted. Cassandra's eyes grew wide with fear. "What's the matter? What's wrong with him?" she demanded anxiously. Scully held up her hand. "Nothing serious. Well, nothing that can't be fixed. He's got food poisoning. We found out you were out here, in New Mexico. We've been tracking you since yesterday. Mulder ate some bad pizza. He'll be fine. But Cassandra, where have you been? We thought . . ." Cassandra shook her head and smiled. "They wanted you to think that. Or more importantly, they wanted 'him' to thing that. My ex-husband. I was fine, the entire time. Not a scratch." She pulled Scully over to a table and chairs near the window. "But Jeffrey? We found . . . blood," Scully said slowly, confusion evident in her voice and on her face. Cassandra smiled, looking almost proud. "Yes, quite a show, huh? The blood was my idea. I figured there would be some searching at the local hospitals and maybe the morgue, but after a few days, the trail would be too cold to follow. I learned a few things from all those years of pillow talk," she said with a wink and a coy smile. Scully swallowed hard at the obvious reference to the Smoking Man. "Your ex-husband. Then he doesn't know you're alive?" "Oh, for god's sakes, I hope not! We've worked very hard to hide the fact from him and whom ever of his 'friends' there might still be out there," she laughed out loud. "Cassandra, Mulder and I found you quite easily," Scully said gently. "I don't think he'd have a hard . . ." "Dana, sweet, sweet, Dana. We _wanted_ you to find us. That's why you did. That's the only reason you could," Cassandra said with a gentle, almost loving smile. She took Scully's arm and patted it. "I'm just so happy to see you." Scully was still very confused. "Cassandra, how did you survive? The bodies at El Rico, they were burned beyond recognition! What happened?" Cassandra gave a dismissive shake of her head. "A necessary clean up action," she said calmly. "It's just a shame that he and his little 'cutie' were late for the party and managed to escape unharmed," she added hatefully. "Little cutie? Who?" Scully asked, trying to make a little sense of what she was hearing. The door next to them opened. Jeffrey Spender stood with two cups of coffee and a bakery bag. "Agent Diana Fowley," Cassandra said firmly, as Jeffrey sat the coffee on the table. "Sorry, Mom. I doubted you," he said, giving almost no notice to Scully. Then, he turned to his former colleague. "She said you'd be here for breakfast, but I didn't think you'd make it. Guess that means I'm not getting coffee," he said with a good natured shrug and pulled a muffin out of the bag. "Two blueberry, one orange and cranberry. Mom, that's for you." Cassandra reached up and kissed her son on the cheek. "You spoil me so, Jeffrey," she said with a smile. "Wait a minute," Scully said, her head reeling. Sure, she suspected Diana Fowley of being in league with her and her partner's arch nemesis, but here was someone telling her that her suspicions were correct. She wanted proof. "How do you know Diana Fowley is involved with your ex-husband?" Scully demanded. Jeffrey reached over and took a sip of his mother's coffee. "He told me. My father. When he arranged for her to be my partner. He said she would help me, show me the ropes. She's been working with him for over ten years." Scully shook her head. "That's not possible. That would mean . . ." "That she was working for _him_ while she was screwing your partner?" Jeffrey said callously. His face softened at her horrified expression. "C'mon, Dana. Surely you figured that much out. That's why she worked with Mulder when he first stumbled on the X files. But she was getting too close to him. I guess, at one point, her 'emotions' were getting in the way. That's when she was transferred to Europe. My father knew that with time and distance, she'd regain her perspective. She's apparently very good at her job," he said with a knowing smile. Scully's stomach was rolling. She had to take a couple of breaths to calm herself. "Mulder has no idea . . ." "Of course not," Jeffrey said confidently. "If Mulder ever figured it out, back then or now, her effectiveness would be compromised. I dare say dear old Dad would have to consider 'termination'. Oh, and by the way, that takes on a whole different meaning when you work for my father," he added with a hand across his chest. "But I thought . . ." Scully shot a confused look to Cassandra. "Bullet-proof vest. No one would expect you to wear one in the office," Jeffrey supplied. "Mom put some blood packets under my shirt. They were pretty realistic. I almost lost my cookies when I saw myself. And the blood on the office floor, that was taken the night before. Just like donating blood at the Red Cross. Pretty elaborate hoax, but it's worked so far." Scully was having a difficult time keeping up with the discussion. "Cassandra, you said you 'wanted' us to find you. Why? Do you want our protection?" The old woman laughed merrily. "Oh, no, dear. Quite the opposite, I assure you. I want to make certain that _you_ are safe. Dana, colonization is coming and it will be soon. I can't give you an exact date, I know that's what you want. But believe me, when it happens, there will be little time to do anything." "Anything but die," Jeffrey added with a grim look of acceptance. Cassandra glared at him and the younger man bowed his head in compliance. "They want you to join us," Cassandra said to Scully. "Who? Who are 'they'?" Scully asked, her stomach tieing itself into knots at the mere thought of what was being discussed. "The Rebel Forces, of course. The ones who spared us at Ruskin Dam," Cassandra said in a tone Scully was sure Jeffrey had heard often as a child. "Dana, they _allowed_ you to live. They've made this offer to Agent Mulder already. At the time, he wasn't ready to believe them. But they are making the offer again. Come with us, join with us. Together, we can defeat the Colonists." Scully looked over at Jeffrey, who sat on the edge of the bed and only offered her a nod in agreement. "You said Mulder has been made this offer? When? He said nothing to me." "He probably blew it off. It was a year ago. That's how he knew to go to the military base after the Ruskin Dam incident. I believe it was Alex Krycek who delivered the message," Jeffrey explained. A small grim smile formed on Scully's face at the mention of Krycek's name. "No wonder he didn't believe it," she muttered. "Look, Cassandra, Jeffrey, I need you to come back with me. I have to go back to Albuquerque, to pick up Mulder. He's at St. Jude's Medical Center right now . . ." "He's in the hospital?" Cassandra asked in alarm. "You said it wasn't serious!" "It's not," Scully said, trying to assure the older woman with a smile. "It's food poisoning. He became dehydrated and so the doctor decided to keep him over night. I'm supposed to pick him up around noon. But I want you to come with me. I need you to tell him this, all of it, in person. Especially the part about Diana, Jeffrey, if you don't mind." "Don't tell me he still has the hots for her?" Jeffrey said in disgust. "It's not like that," Scully snapped angrily. "He just . . . can't put his past feelings for her behind him. He doesn't . . ." She was finding it very difficult to accept that her partner would believe his old girlfriend, one who had run out on him, over her. It was impossible to admit it to anyone else. "It's all right, Dana. We'll make him understand. But we can't go with you. All of this," Cassandra said, motioning around the room, "took a lot of time and preparation. We have to go back." Jeffrey got up and pulled a card out of his pocket. "It's an answering machine, nothing more. But if you leave a message, we'll be in contact with you." He handed her the card and she looked at it. It was blank except for a phone number. Scully took that as her cue to leave. She stuffed the card in her purse and stood. Cassandra got up, as well and took Scully into one last hug. "Oh, be safe, sweetie. This is Earth's darkest hour. And soon the time to chose sides will be beyond us. You are either for the resistance . . . or against it," she said darkly. Scully briefly shook hands with Jeffrey and after one last sad glance to Cassandra, who now wore a hopeful smile, she was out the door. end of part two Vickie ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^XFCreative Mailing List Posting --------------------------------------------- Lies and More Lies by Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net disclaimed in part one part two of seven Highway in New Mexico 10:45 pm "What do you want to do? Try to make it to Socorro tonight? See if we can catch up with Spender and Cassandra?" Scully asked, but she already knew the answer. "I'd sure like to try," Mulder said with a hopeful expression. They drove in silence for the next several miles. Scully drifted off to sleep, Mulder was lost in his own thoughts and didn't seem up to any conversation. She jerked awake when she felt the car slow and pull off the road onto the gravel shoulder. "Mulder, what are you . . ." She didn't have time to finish her sentence when he partner burst out of the car and ran to the tall grass at the side of the road. In the glow of the headlights, she could see him double over and vomit on the tall dry grass. "I knew that pizza was a rotten idea," she muttered and waited patiently for his return. After several minutes, he came back and leaned against the passenger side of the car. She opened the door and got out, taking him by the elbow to help him in her just vacated seat. "No more pizza at gas stations," she intoned. He nodded meekly. "Are you OK? Maybe we should stop for the night. We've been tracking them pretty easily with the credit card charges. One more night isn't likely to make a difference." He shot her an icy glare, without words telling her that he had no intention of stopping for the night. She sighed. It was a long shot at best, her hope that he would slow down and take care of himself. No, that's your job, Dana, she reminded herself silently. "OK, but try to get some sleep. And if you feel bad again, let me know and I'll pull over." He nodded and was asleep in less than a mile. She ended up pulling over four more times before they reached the outskirts of Albuquerque. Mulder was dozing fitfully between bouts of nausea. In the light from the dashboard, Scully could see a fine sheen of sweat glisten on his upper lip and forehead. It no longer appeared to be 'bad pizza'. She was beginning to fear serious food poisoning might be the culprit. But more than worry over the cause of his illness, Scully was concerned that he was getting dehydrated. She stopped at one rest area and got him a bottle of water. He'd taken a few sips, but had not succeeded in keeping any of it down. As she saw the lights of Albuquerque coming at them across the hills, she made a decision that she knew he'd fight tooth and nail, but she was intent to force the issue. She was going to look for a hospital. St. Jude's Medical Center Albuquerque, New Mexico 1:35 am Scully pushed aside the white curtain which made up the walls of the emergency room treatment cubicle. Mulder was lying on a gurney on his side, his hand protectively covering his stomach. He looked pale and drawn and not at all well. She tiptoed over to the plastic and metal chair just a few feet from him, hoping to let him sleep. Her hope was in vain. "Sign my life away?" he asked, not bothering to open her eyes. "Just the fish," she smiled. "How are you feeling?" "Like shit. Can I ask you a question, Scully?" "Shoot." "Why do you always ask me that?" He opened one eye to catch her reaction. "I just love hearing your answer," she said with a big grin. "Has the doctor been in?" "No. A nurse came in. She wanted a 'stool sample'. I told her I didn't have any on me at the moment, but the minute something comes up, she'll get first dibs." "Mulder," Scully sighed. "You can at least _try_ to be nice. We've only been here an hour." "Scully, get real. A stool sample? I'm tossing my socks, for God's sakes!" "They probably want to rule out salmonella," she said knowingly. "They took blood. Let 'em find it there," he answered, defiantly and closed his eyes again. "God, I'm tired." "Then try to sleep a little. The doctor should be here soon." "Did you call the motel in Socorro? Are they still there?" Scully shook her head in mild amazement. The man had nothing left on his stomach to throw up, and he was still thinking of the case. "Yes, Mulder. In between filling out all _your_ medical paperwork, I called the La Quinta and they double checked the parking lot. The rental is still there. No one has checked out. Spender and Cassandra are still there. Assuming they are the ones using the credit card." "Think they doubled back? Used a decoy?" he suggested, opening his eyes to slits to look at her. She shrugged. "It's what we'd do," she replied. That merited a grin. "Yeah, but we're _good_, Scully," he smiled brightly but it faded as his stomach acted up again. "I need the . . ." She grabbed the emesis bowl laying by his hand and held it to his mouth. Nothing was coming up anymore, it was only dry heaves. He struggled with his stomach for several long seconds and finally dropped back to the pillow, spent. "Damn, damn, damn!" he muttered. "Did the nurse give you anything for your stomach, Mulder?" Scully asked gently. She wiped his mouth with a wet wash cloth, and then brushed the damp curls from his forehead. She was certain he had a slight fever. "She said they'd give me compazine when the doctor had a look. Where the hell is the son of a bitch, anyway?" "I would suspect right here," said a young woman with dark brown curls hanging in waves down her back. "Hi, I'm Dr. Beacon. You must be Mr. Mulder." He had the good grace to blush at his previous derogatory statement, but Mulder opted not to apologize. He simple nodded. Scully shook her head and extended her hand to Dr. Beacon. "I'm Agent Scully, I'm Agent Mulder's partner." Dr. Beacon raised an eyebrow. "Oh, OK, FBI. I see it here in the notes. Well, since you're pretty far from home, let's see what's going on and try to get you back on the road." She went on to examine him quickly and efficiently. "Well, you're definitely dehydrated. I'm gonna have Brandon come in and start an IV. At this point, it's hard to tell what we're dealing with. Could be a virus, could be food poisoning. salmonella takes 48 hours to come up in a culture, and by then, you'd be over the worst of it, but we'll have to wait and see. Quite frankly, I think it would be best to admit you and see how you're doing in the morning." Mulder immediately began shaking his head 'no'. "I can't stay. I'm won't . . ." As he raised up off the gurney, attempting to get off it, he swayed and grabbed out blindly. Scully caught his flailing arm and lowered him back to the pillow. "Mulder, you are _not_ going anywhere," she growled in a warning tone. "Scully, c'mon! We can't waste time sitting here while they rack up a lab bill trying to find out I ate bad pizza!" He looked hard at her, defiant at first, then melting into a full fledged beg. "Please. Scully." She determinedly shook her head. "No, Mulder. Not this time. We are too far away from home. I'm not leaving here with you unable to keep water on your stomach. Now, let them admit you and I bet I can convince Dr. Beacon here to give you a nice shot of compazine. Your stomach will settle and you'll sleep." "Cassandra," he said cryptically to his partner, narrowing his gaze to a glare. "I'll deal with the 'Smiths'. You're not getting out of here before noon tomorrow, if I'm right." She shot a look over to Dr. Beacon who nodded in agreement, then left them alone. "So I'll go down to Socorro and see what I can find," Scully told him as soon as the curtain had fallen shut behind the doctor. "You should have back up," he said with a decided pout to his expression. "I'll call the locals, _if_ I think it's necessary. Mulder, if this _is_ Cassandra, I don't consider her a threat. Remember. I'm not the one who called in the CDC," she said in a sotto whisper. He winced and frowned. "But if Smoking Man, Jr. is there . . ." "I can handle the weasel. Believe me, we've tangled more than once," she said with a sly smile. "Why am I afraid to hear the rest of that story?" Mulder said, unsatisfied, but helpless to change anything that was happening. "We'll get you settled. Then, I'll head down there and I'll pull in around sunup. I should catch them before they check out." He sighed. "I don't like this, Scully. It smells bad." "Now, why couldn't you have said that about the pizza?" she teased. A young man in pale blue scrubs came in with IV paraphernalia. "I'll go get your bag so you can have your own toothbrush in the morning," Scully told Mulder, patting his arm. "See you in your room." He grunted in response. La Quinta Inn Socorro, New Mexico 7:15 am Scully pulled the blue Concord into the last parking space in the lot. That put her directly in front of the door that Jerry Smith had taken the night before. The rental car he'd driven in was just three spots down to the right. Everything was in place. The door opened to Room 132. Scully hunched down in the seat. There, most definitely alive, was Jeffrey Spender. He was wearing casual clothes, a beige polo and khakis and he put on sunglasses as he exited the room. Scully ducked under the dashboard to escape his notice. She waited a good couple of minutes and then slowly stuck her head up. Spender was gone, but the rental was still in it's original spot. Gaining confidence, Scully eased out of the car and walked up to the door Spender had just come out of. She knocked, taking a deep breath. "Jeffrey, I told you to take a key . . ." Cassandra Spender let the sentence trail off as she stared in wonder at the woman at the door. Without a second thought, she grabbed Scully around the shoulders, pulling the younger women into the room and into a fierce embrace all at the same time. "Oh, my god, Dana! I'm so happy to see you standing there!" Cassandra wiped away tears of joy from her eyes, then stuck her head out the door, looking both directions. "Did Agent Mulder come with you?" "Um, no, Cassandra, he didn't. He's . . . well, he's not feeling too well at the moment," Scully admitted. Cassandra's eyes grew wide with fear. "What's the matter? What's wrong with him?" she demanded anxiously. Scully held up her hand. "Nothing serious. Well, nothing that can't be fixed. He's got food poisoning. We found out you were out here, in New Mexico. We've been tracking you since yesterday. Mulder ate some bad pizza. He'll be fine. But Cassandra, where have you been? We thought . . ." Cassandra shook her head and smiled. "They wanted you to think that. Or more importantly, they wanted 'him' to thing that. My ex-husband. I was fine, the entire time. Not a scratch." She pulled Scully over to a table and chairs near the window. "But Jeffrey? We found . . . blood," Scully said slowly, confusion evident in her voice and on her face. Cassandra smiled, looking almost proud. "Yes, quite a show, huh? The blood was my idea. I figured there would be some searching at the local hospitals and maybe the morgue, but after a few days, the trail would be too cold to follow. I learned a few things from all those years of pillow talk," she said with a wink and a coy smile. Scully swallowed hard at the obvious reference to the Smoking Man. "Your ex-husband. Then he doesn't know you're alive?" "Oh, for god's sakes, I hope not! We've worked very hard to hide the fact from him and whom ever of his 'friends' there might still be out there," she laughed out loud. "Cassandra, Mulder and I found you quite easily," Scully said gently. "I don't think he'd have a hard . . ." "Dana, sweet, sweet, Dana. We _wanted_ you to find us. That's why you did. That's the only reason you could," Cassandra said with a gentle, almost loving smile. She took Scully's arm and patted it. "I'm just so happy to see you." Scully was still very confused. "Cassandra, how did you survive? The bodies at El Rico, they were burned beyond recognition! What happened?" Cassandra gave a dismissive shake of her head. "A necessary clean up action," she said calmly. "It's just a shame that he and his little 'cutie' were late for the party and managed to escape unharmed," she added hatefully. "Little cutie? Who?" Scully asked, trying to make a little sense of what she was hearing. The door next to them opened. Jeffrey Spender stood with two cups of coffee and a bakery bag. "Agent Diana Fowley," Cassandra said firmly, as Jeffrey sat the coffee on the table. "Sorry, Mom. I doubted you," he said, giving almost no notice to Scully. Then, he turned to his former colleague. "She said you'd be here for breakfast, but I didn't think you'd make it. Guess that means I'm not getting coffee," he said with a good natured shrug and pulled a muffin out of the bag. "Two blueberry, one orange and cranberry. Mom, that's for you." Cassandra reached up and kissed her son on the cheek. "You spoil me so, Jeffrey," she said with a smile. "Wait a minute," Scully said, her head reeling. Sure, she suspected Diana Fowley of being in league with her and her partner's arch nemesis, but here was someone telling her that her suspicions were correct. She wanted proof. "How do you know Diana Fowley is involved with your ex-husband?" Scully demanded. Jeffrey reached over and took a sip of his mother's coffee. "He told me. My father. When he arranged for her to be my partner. He said she would help me, show me the ropes. She's been working with him for over ten years." Scully shook her head. "That's not possible. That would mean . . ." "That she was working for _him_ while she was screwing your partner?" Jeffrey said callously. His face softened at her horrified expression. "C'mon, Dana. Surely you figured that much out. That's why she worked with Mulder when he first stumbled on the X files. But she was getting too close to him. I guess, at one point, her 'emotions' were getting in the way. That's when she was transferred to Europe. My father knew that with time and distance, she'd regain her perspective. She's apparently very good at her job," he said with a knowing smile. Scully's stomach was rolling. She had to take a couple of breaths to calm herself. "Mulder has no idea . . ." "Of course not," Jeffrey said confidently. "If Mulder ever figured it out, back then or now, her effectiveness would be compromised. I dare say dear old Dad would have to consider 'termination'. Oh, and by the way, that takes on a whole different meaning when you work for my father," he added with a hand across his chest. "But I thought . . ." Scully shot a confused look to Cassandra. "Bullet-proof vest. No one would expect you to wear one in the office," Jeffrey supplied. "Mom put some blood packets under my shirt. They were pretty realistic. I almost lost my cookies when I saw myself. And the blood on the office floor, that was taken the night before. Just like donating blood at the Red Cross. Pretty elaborate hoax, but it's worked so far." Scully was having a difficult time keeping up with the discussion. "Cassandra, you said you 'wanted' us to find you. Why? Do you want our protection?" The old woman laughed merrily. "Oh, no, dear. Quite the opposite, I assure you. I want to make certain that _you_ are safe. Dana, colonization is coming and it will be soon. I can't give you an exact date, I know that's what you want. But believe me, when it happens, there will be little time to do anything." "Anything but die," Jeffrey added with a grim look of acceptance. Cassandra glared at him and the younger man bowed his head in compliance. "They want you to join us," Cassandra said to Scully. "Who? Who are 'they'?" Scully asked, her stomach tieing itself into knots at the mere thought of what was being discussed. "The Rebel Forces, of course. The ones who spared us at Ruskin Dam," Cassandra said in a tone Scully was sure Jeffrey had heard often as a child. "Dana, they _allowed_ you to live. They've made this offer to Agent Mulder already. At the time, he wasn't ready to believe them. But they are making the offer again. Come with us, join with us. Together, we can defeat the Colonists." Scully looked over at Jeffrey, who sat on the edge of the bed and only offered her a nod in agreement. "You said Mulder has been made this offer? When? He said nothing to me." "He probably blew it off. It was a year ago. That's how he knew to go to the military base after the Ruskin Dam incident. I believe it was Alex Krycek who delivered the message," Jeffrey explained. A small grim smile formed on Scully's face at the mention of Krycek's name. "No wonder he didn't believe it," she muttered. "Look, Cassandra, Jeffrey, I need you to come back with me. I have to go back to Albuquerque, to pick up Mulder. He's at St. Jude's Medical Center right now . . ." "He's in the hospital?" Cassandra asked in alarm. "You said it wasn't serious!" "It's not," Scully said, trying to assure the older woman with a smile. "It's food poisoning. He became dehydrated and so the doctor decided to keep him over night. I'm supposed to pick him up around noon. But I want you to come with me. I need you to tell him this, all of it, in person. Especially the part about Diana, Jeffrey, if you don't mind." "Don't tell me he still has the hots for her?" Jeffrey said in disgust. "It's not like that," Scully snapped angrily. "He just . . . can't put his past feelings for her behind him. He doesn't . . ." She was finding it very difficult to accept that her partner would believe his old girlfriend, one who had run out on him, over her. It was impossible to admit it to anyone else. "It's all right, Dana. We'll make him understand. But we can't go with you. All of this," Cassandra said, motioning around the room, "took a lot of time and preparation. We have to go back." Jeffrey got up and pulled a card out of his pocket. "It's an answering machine, nothing more. But if you leave a message, we'll be in contact with you." He handed her the card and she looked at it. It was blank except for a phone number. Scully took that as her cue to leave. She stuffed the card in her purse and stood. Cassandra got up, as well and took Scully into one last hug. "Oh, be safe, sweetie. This is Earth's darkest hour. And soon the time to chose sides will be beyond us. You are either for the resistance . . . or against it," she said darkly. Scully briefly shook hands with Jeffrey and after one last sad glance to Cassandra, who now wore a hopeful smile, she was out the door. end of part two Vickie Lies and More Lies by Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net disclaimed in part one part three of seven St. Jude's Medical Center Albuquerque, New Mexico 10:53 am Scully wandered down the long hall until she reached Mulder's door. It was standing half open, the white curtain drawn around his bed. He's sleeping, she mused silently. She walked around the curtain to the side of the bed closest to the windows. In the muted light from the window blinds, she could see that he was still feeling bad. He was on his side facing the window, his face pale and sweating. His left hand was hosting the IV and was lying at in an exaggerated straight line under his body. She knew he hated IV's and he was always uncomfortable with them. His other hand was clutching his stomach and was wrapped in white gauze, a spot of red seeping through on the back of his hand. Scully's brow fell into a worried frown. She reached over and gently touched his forehead. His eyes dragged open and he blinked at her. "You're back," he said. His voice sounded far away and brittle. "Yeah, just got here. Mulder, you haven't been getting better," she accused, but a smile softened the hard edges of the words. "Scully, this is _not_ a good hospital," he answered flatly. "I don't think they gave me compazine, it sure hasn't worked on my stomach. And when I was throwing up last night, I got tangled on the bed rail and ripped the IV out." Scully winced at his words, but he continued with his story. "They put a band aid on it, but I soaked through it in no time flat. I was bleeding like a stuck pig, Scully. That's how I got this." He held up his hand for her inspection. "Look, it's still bleeding." She took his hand and held it gently in her own, looking it over. It did seem to be bleeding, but from the looks of it, it had slowed to a mere trickle. "I'll talk to the nurse about this," she assured him. "Oh, and they screwed up my blood work, too," he added with a scowl. "Came in here at 7 this morning and took more blood. Scully, you have got to get me out of here. I think they're running a blood bank for vampires or something." His words were light, but the expression he wore on his face betrayed his hidden feelings of concern. She affectionately ruffled his hair. He was warm, she noted. "Mulder, hospitals have glitches all the time. Has your doctor been in?" "I got a new one. Beacon was only the ER doctor. New one is named Garrett. He was in here about 8 and said he wanted to talk to you. You're supposed to tell the nurse you're here." "You told him I'm a doctor," she said with a knowing smirk. That got the first grin she'd seen on his all morning. "You betcha I did," he said with satisfaction. "Told him that your were gonna take him _apart_," he added with a grin. "Mulder, you didn't," she sighed. "You're right, I didn't," he admitted sadly. "But I sure as hell wanted to," he concluded, letting his eyes slide shut. "Scully, this is not pizza. If it was the pizza, the CDC would be shutting that gas station down by now!" Scully sighed. Secretly, she agreed with him, but saw no reason to alarm him further. Not until she talked to his doctor. "Mulder, I'm going out to tell the nurse I'm here. Can I get you anything? Some ice chips, maybe?" He shook his head, eyes still closed. "I threw up ice chips an hour ago. And believe me, Scully, they don't all melt like they should," he informed her. He sighed and seemed to melt down into the mattress. She reached over and squeezed his arm. "Be right back," she promised, but he was already snoring lightly. At the nurse's station, she bumped, literally, into a short, older gentleman in a lab coat. She excused herself and then turned to the nurse on duty. "I'm Dana Scully. I'm Agent Mulder's partner and he told me that Dr. Garrett wanted to speak with me." "Yes, I do," said the man she'd just run into. He stuck out his hand in greeting. "I'm Daniel Garrett, I've been given Agent Mulder's case. Let's go over here to the lounge, I'd like to show you what we've found so far." When they were seated alone in the lounge, Dr. Garrett opened the chart he held in his hand. "I must say, I was a little concerned that the medical history given last night didn't include any information on Agent Mulder's current condition," he said as he flipped through the pages in front of him. "I would like to speak with his oncologist in Alexandria, if that's all right with you." Scully stared at him, opened mouthed. "Excuse me. Did you say 'onocologist'?" "Yes. I need to find out if this is a reaction to chemotherapy or if this is a more serious manifestation of the later stages of his disease. I must say, I was surprised that his doctor would let him travel so far from home at this point in treatment. Usually patients in the later stages require hospitalization or at the very least, a hospice setting." Scully felt like she'd just been dropped into Munchkin land. Nothing the doctor was saying made any sense. "Dr. Garrett, let's back up. First of all, I gave the nurse in the ER Mulder's complete history. He was hospitalized last November following a boating accident. Since then, with the exception of a couple of tension headaches and a sprained ankle from running after a suspect, he's been completely healthy. He doesn't have an oncologist because he doesn't _need_ an oncologist!" she sputtered in exasperation. Dr. Garrett took her outburst calmly, then pursed his lips and looked down at the chart in his hand. Silently, he handed the chart to Scully. It took several minutes to scan both sets of test results. Finally she looked up at Dr. Garrett, fire in her eyes. "There's been a mistake. The blood sample wasn't Mulder's," she said flatly. Dr. Garrett cocked his head. "I'm afraid both samples were from Mr. Mulder, Dr. Scully. And that's why I had the second set run. If you notice, there are some trace elements in both of them which speak to a previous virulent viral infection. You did mention that he was seriously ill several years ago with a viral infection. Those _are_ his test results, Dr. Scully." After giving his pronouncement, he softened. "I'm very sorry. I naturally thought that since leukemia is a relatively slow disease, at least progression-wise, you would have been aware of it. I find it hard to believe that a case this far along could have been asymptomatic, but as you know, stranger things have happened." Scully wanted to run from the room screaming. She wanted to throw the chart at Dr. Garrett and then shot it and the doctor several times. She wanted it all to be a huge mistake, or even a lie. But the facts, the evidence, lay in her lap, accusing her. How could she have missed it? She scoured her memory for any times that her partner appeared overly tired, any time she's noticed him experiencing prolonged bleeding or nausea. There were none, none that she could put her finger on. "Dr. Garrett, just this week, he ran ten blocks to apprehend a suspect. He jogs every day. I know because sometimes he goes out at lunch time and he uses a track not far from our office. I've seen him there. He's been in excellent health. Just last Monday, I broke my coffee mug and he cut his hand helping me pick up the pieces. The cut closed up almost immediately, it didn't even require stitches. He's not been sick. I just can't believe these results." "Well, if what you say is true, that does seem rather unusual. I've seen rapid onset of AML but never overnight and never to this stage so quickly. I think we should schedule a bone marrow biopsy. Just to be sure," he conceded. Scully stood up, using the height difference to her advantage. "This time, Dr. Garrett, let _me_ oversee the tests. Please." Mulder was in the middle of dry heaves when she returned to the room. The nurse was holding the emesis bowl and Scully took it from her and started rubbing his back. When he finished, he dropped back to the pillows. "This is _not_ a good time, Scully. Remind me, no more cases in New Mexico!" She nodded mutely and put the bowl in the sink even though there was nothing to clean out of it. She moved back to the side of his bed. "Mulder, I need to talk to you and I want you to listen to everything I say." Instantly, he was alert and giving her his full attention. "OK, Scully. I'm listening." "The test results came back very strange last night. According to them, you have Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Now, they did the blood test twice. It was definite, both sets of results said the same thing. The next step is a bone marrow biopsy. I wouldn't put you through this unless it was absolutely necessary, but, at this point, we really need to know." Mulder laid there, wide eyed. After several moments, he spoke, shaking his head. "Leukemia? Scully, that's impossible. I haven't been sick. I twisted my ankle, but that's because the pavement was broken. I haven't been sick, at least not until last night . . ." She nodded, then interrupted. "Which is precisely what I told Dr. Garrett. That's why we need to do the bone marrow biopsy. And this time, I'm watching the procedure and I'll be overseeing the tests as well. I won't let the sample out of my sight, Mulder, I promise you," she said firmly. "Bone marrow biopsy," he said with a cringe. "Bet that hurts." She sighed and nodded. "You'll be given a local, but yeah, I'm not going to lie to you, Mulder. It'll hurt like hell." "But you'll be there with me, right?" he asked hopefully. "If you promise not to break my fingers, you can even squeeze my hand," she said affectionately. "When?" he said, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "Dr. Garrett is making the arrangements now. Should be within the next hour or two." Mulder nodded. Suddenly, a thought seemed to come to his eyes. "Scully, you're back. You didn't tell me what you found in Socorro," he reminded her. She could have slapped herself. She'd forgotten completely in the light of the newest tragedy to befall them. She pulled up the chair and sat down, still holding his hand. "Brace yourself, Mulder," she said lightly. "Cassandra Spender and her son were at the motel." "Are you sure it was them?" he asked, licking his dry lips. "Well, I didn't check for green blood, but at this point, that might not tell us much anyway. At least about Cassandra," she reminded him. "True. So our boy Jeffy didn't die in our basement. Good. I would be really pissed if his ghost decided to hang around and haunt the place," Mulder said with a gleam to his eye. "No, it was a set up. Spender was wearing a bullet proof vest that day. Cassandra had equipped him with fake blood packets to explode on impact." "But the blood on the floor matched his in the files," Mulder said with a furrowed brow. Scully nodded in agreement. "Part of the plan. They were hiding from Spender's father. Cassandra is . . . working with the 'rebels' I guess you would say." "So why was she risking her life going out in the open like that? Ole Smoky could have picked up her trail with his eyes closed," Mulder countered. "She said she wanted _us_ to find her." Mulder's brow had some serious creases. "Why?" "The rebels want us to join them. She was making us an offer. An offer to help with the resistance." "Why do I feel like I'm suddenly Humphrey Bogart? But that would make you Ingrid Bergman," he said with a wink. She bit back a grin that threatened to break on her face. "Mulder, Spender the younger said you'd been made a similar offer before. By Krycek, last year after Ruskin Dam." Mulder closed his eyes, putting a hand to his ear as if wiping it clean. "Yeah. Like I'd accept anything from that rat bastard," he muttered. "Scully, I'm not convinced we know everything there is to know. I don't mean to ignore Cassandra, I know that you and she have become friends, but quite frankly, the woman could still be seeing this all wrong. Remember, she's the one who thought the aliens were the 'good' guys not that long ago." "I know, that bothers me, too. She was misled once, these 'rebels' could be misleading her, too. I don't know what to tell you, Mulder." She got up and turned to the window, wondering if she should even bother to bring up what she'd learned about Diana Fowley. "OK, Scully. Enough with the avoidance tactics. What else did Cassandra and Jeffy tell you?" She shook her head without turning. The man was uncanny, she decided. She was tempted to ignore his question, but decided it was a better topic than discussing his illness. She sighed and turned back toward him. "They told me some things about Diana." "Is she alive?" She searched his face, scrutinizing it for any sign of hopeful expectation. All she saw was curiosity. It made her feel a little better. "Yes, apparently. She missed the 'festivities' at the air base." Scully tried hard to keep the sarcastic tone out of her voice, but she was just too tired and wasn't succeeding. "Then where's she been all this time?" he asked, now searching her face for answers. Scully pursed her lips, trying to phrase the next sentence. "She's been working. For Spender, senior." Mulder closed his eyes and shook his head. "Scully, we've been through this. I know you and Diana never really hit it off . . ." "Mulder, that is _not_ what I'm talking about and you know," Scully hissed angrily. "This is not some seventh grade jealousy going here, Mulder. Give me more credit than that!" "Scully, I just . . ." he stopped abruptly when his stomach took the opportunity to start heaving again. Scully ran for the bowl, but it wasn't necessary. It was just another bout of dry heaves. He no longer even had enough saliva to spit. "Shh, let's not talk about this now. I didn't want to bring it up in the first place," she cooed, rubbing her hand across his back in soothing circles. He dropped back to the pillows. "OK, then let's talk about the other subject." He looked her directly in the eyes, begging for the honest he knew he'd find. "Scully, could it be true? Do I have cancer?" Scully didn't answer at first. She was too lost in her own thoughts. In just a day, he'd become weak as a kitten. His face was flushed and the skin hung off his bones. He'd been fine the day before, she kept reminding herself. He'd been healthy and joking and . . . She swallowed back her own fears for him. He was still waiting for an answer. "As you know, Mulder, I did considerable research on the subject not too long ago." He smiled ruefully at her reference to her own illness. "I know, so did I, Scully. I must admit, I glossed over the sections pertaining to leukemia. It wasn't of interest at the time," he said lightly, but his eyes showed how her cancer still haunted him. "Well, I _did_ read up on leukemia. On all treatments, as a matter of fact. Just for my own information," she added with smile of her own. Then, the seriousness of the situation returned to her like a bucket of cold water. "Mulder, this isn't acting like any leukemia I've heard of or seen in journals. Your blood is full of immature blasts, a sure sign of the disease at later stages. But that's impossible." He sighed and nodded, encouraging her to continue. "Basically, this is all happening overnight. And that's the strange part. I would expect you to show some symptoms, flu-like symptoms over a period of weeks, joint pain, prolonged bleeding. Over time, Mulder. Now sometimes, you can have asymptomatic leukemia for a long period of time. But to be in the state your blood indicates . . . you would have had it for weeks. Months. We would have noticed. _I_ would have noticed." He closed his eyes and bit his lip. "The CDC took blood samples. That was only three months ago. Would it have shown up then?" "Yes, I'm sure of it. With as many immature blasts as your blood work indicated, we would have seen at least some of them back three months ago." "So this is engineered. Like your cancer. Like whatever almost killed Skinner awhile back," he sighed, turning over onto his back. She was biting her lip harder now. That would explain it. That would make the most sense. And the motive was too obvious to state. "They want me dead and this is the way that will cause the least suspicion," he said flatly. "Mulder," she said sharply. "There are treatments available. Chemotherapy and radiation. Bone marrow transplants. This is not the death sentence it once was." He looked at her with a mixture of sadness and compassion on his face. "Scully, we both know that if they don't want me to survive, I won't survive," he said gently. "Then you're just giving up? Without a fight?" she challenged him, anger flashing in her eyes. "I never said that, Scully. I have nothing better to do at the moment," he said with shrug. "I'm just telling you, don't get your hopes up." "No, Mulder. I remember a man who wouldn't give up, regardless of the odds or even my own wishes. I learned a lot from that man. I plan on following in his footsteps. We will win this. End of discussion." He said no more about it. end of part three Lies and More Lies by Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net disclaimed in part one part four of seven St. Jude's Medical Center Albuquerque, New Mexico 4:50 pm The biopsy left him in considerable pain. Dr. Garrett ordered a mild sedative and a painkiller, and Mulder was tucked back into his bed while Scully followed the sample down to the lab. She watched the lab techs like a hawk. She was well versed enough in lab work that she could easily follow the procedures they were taking. Everything was in the open, above board. If the Smoking Bastard and his friends were in any way orchestrating false readings, they were not going to succeed with the bone marrow sample. It took hours for the results. The entire time, Scully's mind refused to rest on Mulder's condition, on the possibility of his death. They had been through too many rough times, too much hard work, to let it all end. For the first time since her own illness, she understood what her partner had gone through. While she was dealing with saying goodbye, he had fought her at every suggestion that she might lose the battle she was fighting. They were fighting, she reminded herself. But at times it seemed that they were fighting each other almost as hard as she was fighting the disease. At one point, she considered his anger to be selfishness. He just didn't want to let go, regardless of the emotional pain his determination caused her. But now, with the shoe firmly on the other foot, she understood. He hadn't been fighting for himself, he'd been fighting for 'them', for what they meant to each other. Just as she was prepared to fight for them now. With that understanding came the realization that she owed her partner a great, big apology. When the results came in, it felt like a physical blow. There was no possible mistake. She double checked every value, reread the results again and again. They kept saying the same thing. Even with immediate treatment, Mulder was looking at a 15 to 25 percent chance of survival. The disease had progressed too far. They were almost too late to do anything. She dragged her feet to his room. She knew he'd still be sleeping, Garrett had wanted him to sleep through the night after the ordeal of the biopsy. The room was dark, with only the light from the parking lot security lamps illuminating it through the window blinds. The light made a striped pattern across the blanket where he huddled on his side, the side of the biopsy too tender to rest on. His face was turned away from her, his back to her as she sat in the chair by his bed. That was fine with her, she didn't want him to see her. She sat on the chair and cried harder than she could ever remember doing before. Around two o'clock, she heard him moving in the bed and he rolled over to his back. Quietly, she got up and stood closer, putting her hand on his shoulder. His eyes opened and focused on her. He was still glassy eyed from sleep and the pain meds, but he smiled at her and yawned sleepily. "Hey," he said, in a whisper. "Hey," she smiled back. Her voice was caught in her throat, sore from sobbing. She was glad it was dark in the room so he couldn't see her tear-stained face. "What's up, doc?" he asked, trying hard to toss off sleep. "What did you find?" She swallowed hard, her lip trembling. He reached through the rail on the bed and took her hand, squeezing it hard. "That's what I thought you'd find," he said calmly. "Mulder, Dr. Garrett thinks you should start chemo immediately, tomorrow if your stomach continues to cooperate." "I want to go home, Scully. I don't want to start something like that all the way out here in New Mexico. It will be easier on both of us if I were back home, at GUMC or Northeast Georgetown. Hey, think your oncologist is looking to take on any new patients?" he added with a grin that hurt her more than if he'd been angry or sarcastic. "Mulder, we agreed on this. We're going to fight this. Trust me." He looked at her with an expression she could only interpret as love. Deep, forever and ever love. It took her breath away. He squeezed her hand harder. "I do trust you, Scully. With my life, with my heart, with all that I am. But let's go home. It will be easier for us if I take the treatments there. They'll work there as well as here. And you can sleep in your own bed at night, and not in some hospital chair," he said, nodding toward the seat she'd just vacated. She nodded, agreeing. "Then we go home tomorrow. And I'll call Dr. Zuckerman. I'm sure he'll see you tomorrow at GUMC." "Good," he yawned. "Now, go ask the nurse for some more of that good stuff, and let's get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it lightly on the knuckles. Then she lowered it to the bed and started toward the door. "_Now_ she comes on to me," she heard him mutter as went to take to the nurse and make their travel arrangements. It was all she could do not to break down into tears again. FBI Headquarters, Washington, DC three days later Mulder sat on the couch outside Skinner's private office. Scully sat beside him. She resisted the urge to straighten his tie, but when he reached over and took her hand, holding it in his own down on the cushions between them, she didn't even blink. It had been a difficult three days. The plane trip had taken every ounce of reserve strength her partner had. Thankfully, the nausea had subsided somewhat. They found a combination of mild doses of compazine and ginger ale seemed to keep it at bay. His diet had been dramatically altered. He seemed to do best when he stuck to a soft diet of mild foods. If he didn't like it, he never said a word. But she could see it in his eyes. Zuckerman had examined him and agreed to start him on chemo treatments at the end of the week. With the recent bout of vomiting almost depleting his energy, the doctor was afraid to begin treatments until Mulder had a chance to rest. Under her watchful eye, Mulder had spent the first day home in bed. By the second day, he was getting restless, even though he couldn't stay awake for more than a couple hours at a time. By the morning of day three, he convinced her it was time to go to work, and at least let Skinner know what was going on. She hadn't been happy about the decision, but in the end, she'd agreed. Kim smiled up at them. "He said it would be just a minute. He's on a call from the Director," she explained. Scully nodded. Mulder squeezed her hand and she fought back a smile. Touching had returned to their lives. Nothing overt, nothing even sexual in nature. He held her hand, she touched his shoulder. When he was sleeping, she would come in and sit next to him, stroking his forehead. When the pain became too much for him, she'd even rubbed his stomach in slow, even circles until he could fall asleep. Why do we only touch each other now, when it might be for the last time, she wondered as she squeezed his hand in return. The intercom on Kim's phone buzzed, and she answered. She looked up at them with a smile. "Go right in," she told them. Skinner hadn't really talked to either of them since their return from New Mexico. He'd been busy with budget meetings and they'd really wanted to avoid the discussion of Mulder's illness as long as possible. So it wasn't surprising that their boss started the meeting with his usual rant. "It's my understanding you've been in town for several days, Agents. So nice of you to come in and mingle with the rest of us," he said sarcastically. "That was my fault, sir," Mulder said, leaning forward to place a large envelope on the desk. "This is my request for medical leave." Skinner took the envelope and opened it, his eyes never leaving his two agents. "And what is the nature of the problem, Agent Mulder." Mulder swallowed and Scully was almost going to take over the explanations, but he beat her to it. "I've been diagnosed with late stage leukemia, sir. I'm to begin chemotherapy tomorrow." Skinner's face dropped. The man looked like he'd just been hit in the gut. "Mulder," he gasped out and stood to come around the desk. "When did you find out?" Mulder drew in a deep breath. "Three days ago, sir. In New Mexico. I had a bad case of nausea, got dehydrated. Agent Scully took me to the emergency room of a hospital in Albuquerque. They did the blood test that made the preliminary diagnosis. Later the next day, they did a bone marrow biopsy which confirmed their earlier suspicions." Skinner swerved his gaze frantically to Scully. "Agent Scully, what can be done?" She didn't want to speak at that moment. She knew how hard it had been for Mulder to ask for leave. His first instinct had been to continue working, as she had done. But it was clear that he was much worse off than she had been when her cancer was discovered. If anything, he was about where she was when she was admitted to the hospital and he was thought to have killed himself. He was that close to the end. But she knew he would have to tell Skinner that on his own. "Sir, Agent Mulder is in the care of the oncologist I saw during my illness. Dr. Zuckerman wants to start chemotherapy and at the same time, search for a suitable marrow donor. But it's quite possible that Agent Mulder may need to be hospitalized during his treatments. We'll just have to wait and see." "I would like to work, on those days I'm able to come in, sir," Mulder added hastily. "I realize I won't be able to go out into the field, at least not for a while. But I think I'd go stark raving mad if I had to sit in my apartment and stare at the walls all day when I am feeling up to working." "Of course, Agent Mulder. I will give you the same latitude I extended to Agent Scully," Skinner managed to choke out. The man looked positively miserable with concern and grief. He pulled the papers out of the envelope and signed them on the spot. He took the papers and put them in his 'out box' at the side of his desk. "I'll give these to Kim to take to Benefits immediately. Agent Mulder, you're dismissed. Agent Scully, if I could have a word with you." As he got up to leave, Mulder gave her elbow a tap. She looked into his eyes. "Tell him what he needs to know, Scully. It's OK. I don't know if I can right now." He left quickly and Scully remained seated. Skinner perched on the edge of his desk. "This . . . this sounds bad, Scully. How bad is it?" She refused to let her emotions get the better of her. She pulled down the curtain of detachment that she used so often in her line of work. "His chances are about 20 percent, sir. If there were a suitable donor, that might raise to fifty-fifty. The chemo might slow the progression, but the number of immature cancer cells to mature normal cells is well beyond the danger zone." Skinner paled at her words. When he found his voice, it was full of emotion. "How is he doing? Emotionally, I mean. Is there anything I can do?" She decided to answer the most painful question first. She looked her superior in the eye. "He's doing better than I am, sir," she said bluntly. "I don't like being on the other side of the looking glass, if you can understand." "I wouldn't know, Scully. I seem to be stuck on the same side all the time. Well, except for recently. But I'm right back there again." It was the first time he'd mentioned the illness that had stopped his heart only four months before. But as quickly as he said the words, they were dismissed from his mind, she could tell by his eyes. "What do I do?" he asked again. She shrugged. "Be there for him. When he wants to work, let him. When he wants to talk, listen. I'm going to do everything I can to find a way to cure this. Sir, what Mulder didn't tell you, what he's just beginning to understand . . . this disease is not normal. It's progressed too far in too short a time." "You're saying it's been engineered. Like a poison? Like what was done to . . ." He stopped before he said the word 'me', but she knew what he meant. "Except, sir, I don't see an agenda here. No Senate Resolutions hanging in the balance. I don't know why they're doing this." "The obvious. To finally get him out of their hair," Skinner said assuredly. "But why now? They've had plenty of opportunities. Why now?" Skinner shook his head. He looked down at the papers in the out box and swallowed. "If you need any time, Scully . . ." "Sir, I have some vacation time," she cut in. "Take it. Take whatever you need to help him. Consider it . . . aw, hell, consider it family medical leave. I don't care. Whatever you need, we'll figure a way to cover for it." She nodded, not daring to look him in the eye. She could feel the concern coming off him in waves. "Thank you, sir," she whispered. "Better get going. He's going to grill you on what we've said when you get out of this office," Skinner said gruffly, but she could see a glint of humor in his eye. It was enough to break the tension. "Oh, I'm sure he's had a glass to the wall the whole time, sir," she said with a grin. "Thank you, again." end of part four Lies and More Lies by Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net disclaimed in part one part five of seven Georgetown University Medical Center Two days later She sat by his bedside. He'd aged a hundred years in just twenty-four short hours. The chemotherapy had caused a violent reaction which had almost put him in cardiac arrest. Zuckerman had admitted him to ICU immediately, put him on oxygen and heart monitors. The tremors were the worst. Scully remembered the chills she'd had from her own chemo treatments, but they were nothing to the gyrations Mulder was going through. It was as if the medicine were killing him faster than it was killing the cancer cells. She took his hand again. He had bruises all the way up his arms. He was running a fever, had been suffering with one all night. She'd stayed by his side, wiping his face with cool wet cloths and tucking his blankets around him when they would slip off his shoulders. Zuckerman was standing in the doorway when she looked up. "Dana, if I could speak with you?" he asked. When he saw her reluctance to leave her partner, he added "just for a moment." She wiped his face one more time, then leaned over to place a kiss on his forehead. He was too far gone to notice. Quietly, she walked out into the hallway to face the doctor. "Dana, I'm sorry," Zuckerman started but she waved him off. "This is the first dose. We have to give it time," she countered, knowing already what he'd come to tell her. "Dana," the doctor said with a grim expression. "He wouldn't survive another treatment. It's not going to work. I'm discontinuing the chemo immediately." She looked up at Zuckerman sharply. "I want a second opinion," she spat out. "Dana, you can get a second opinion. Hell, you can go get a third and a fourth and a fifth. We both know they will all say the same thing. The disease is too far along. I'm sorry. I wish I could say there was an experimental treatment, something else we could do." He started to put his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off. "A marrow transplant," she said evenly. "That could still work." Zuckerman nodded hesitantly. "But his mother is incompatible, and so far we've not been successful in locating an unrelated donor. And Dana, quite frankly, that is a long shot, at best." "I won't give up," she said defiantly. The doctor shook his head with a proud but sad smile. "I didn't expect you to. Truth be told, I half expected you to show up with one of those chips I put in your neck," he said casually. "I'll do whatever the two of you agree to do. But you do know, he's made it quite clear that when the time comes, the provisions of his living will are to be implemented, regardless of your objections." Her head jerked up and her eyes flashed in fury. "When?" she demanded. "When did he tell you that?" "At our first appointment. When you left the room so he could get dressed. I'm sorry, Dana, but it's his life. He's allowed to want to end it peacefully, without heroic measures. Just as you have decided for yourself." "It won't come to that," she vowed. Zuckerman stood silently, he seemed to want to say more, but there was nothing left to say. Finally, he turned and walked down the hall. She would not cry in the hallway. She'd told herself she was cried out, but that apparently wasn't the case. She ran to the nearest bathroom and locked the stall door. Then she let the tears fall. Searching for a tissue in her purse, she came across the card Jeffrey Spender had given her. Zuckerman's words played over again in her head. If she'd come in with another of those chips. Maybe, if the rebel forces wanted their help badly enough . . . It was ridiculous! She couldn't believe she'd even think of it. But then she remembered the lengths to which Mulder had gone to find her cure. The cure that lay just centimeters underneath the skin of her neck. She rubbed her neck absently and stared at the card in her other hand. She tucked it back in her purse and washed her face before returning to his room. When she got back, she was surprised to find him awake. He smiled at her, a weak, washed out version of his normal boyish grin, but she was more than willing to accept it. "Hey, I thought you were asleep." "I dream better with my eyes open, these days," he said cryptically. He reached out for her hand and she gave it to him gladly. "Oh, yeah, Well, what do you dream about, awake, that is?" she asked lightly. He smiled and if not for the fever, she might have thought he was blushing. "Oh . . . stuff," he said and smiled again, as if at a private joke. "C'mon, Mulder. Give. Or are they dreams like those videos you don't own in the bottom drawer of your desk at work," she teased playfully. This time she was sure he was blushing. "Oh, nothing that exotic, I assure you," he said quietly. "Then what? Tell me, Mulder. I won't tell. Cross my heart," she swore mildly while crossing her chest. He grinned at her playfulness. "OK. I have fantasies. About us." That stopped her cold. She stopped breathing, was certain her heart stopped beating. He reacted almost immediately. "I'm sorry, Scully. I didn't mean to upset you," he rushed to say. "No, no, Mulder, you aren't upsetting me," she said quickly to reassure him. "You just caught me by surprise, that's all." "What? A guy works 60 plus hours a week next to the most beautiful woman in the world and you think he wouldn't have a few harmless fantasies?" he asked with a tiny twinkle lighting his eyes. She smiled at his compliments. "So, what are these 'harmless' fantasies?" He closed his eyes, sighing. "Not much, really. Just you and me. I figured eventually we'd find the truth or maybe just pass the torch. And then we'd go off, just the two of us. Maybe take a vacation, maybe a . . . honeymoon." He stopped to gauge her reaction. She could tell he wasn't disappointed. Her smile spread from ear to ear. "That's a beautiful fantasy, Mulder. Mind if I steal it?" He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it tenderly. "I have a better idea. How about if we share it? Then we can both have it." The tears refused to stay where she wanted them. Instead, they careened down her face to splash audibly on the rail of his hospital bed. "You always have the better ideas, partner." She held his hand, stroking the long fingers. He fell asleep with a gentle smile on his face. Now, to give them time to face the fantasy. She didn't know what to expect. Half of her wanted to drive to Mulder's apartment and make the call from there, after taping a big X in the front window. But those days were gone, as was their former informant. In the end, she placed the call from her apartment and left a message. It was coded, something Cassandra would understand. "I'm looking for the stars." She left her cell phone number. Mulder had told her not to come back when she said she had to go out. He wasn't mad at her, far from it, he'd assured her. "You look tired, Scully. Can't have tired babes hanging out in my entourage. It's bad for the 'stud' image," he'd joked. But underlying that flip remark was the truth that she _was_ growing tired. And she needed all her strength, since his was leaving him by the minute. She agreed to go home and sleep in her own bed. She even agreed not to return first thing in the morning, since it was Sunday and she usually attended 9:00 Mass at the church closest to her house. All the way to the hospital after Mass, she wondered what would happen. Would one of the rebels make an appearance. From the little she remembered, she wasn't sure she wanted to encounter one of them alone. Or with a mob, if the truth were known. If one of the Jeremiah Smiths arrived, that she could handle. She could never admit it freely, even to Mulder, but she was convinced that one of the Smiths could restore her partner to health again. A simple touch of the hand. That was all it would take. She prayed it would be that easy. She stepped off the elevator and headed toward Mulder's room. The nurse was just coming out of it. "Oh, Dana, I was just about to call you," she said, closing the door behind her. Scully moved around the woman and started to open the door, but the nurse held her hand. "The doctor's in there right now, Dana. Give him a minute." Although she didn't like the sounds of that, Scully sank down in one of the chairs in the hallway and waited impatiently. After ten minutes of teeth grinding, Dr. Zuckerman came out. He sighed when he saw her. "Dana. I figured you wouldn't stay away for long," he said, trying to sound in a better humor than he actually was. "What's the matter?" No point in beating around the bush, she'd decided at least seven minutes before. Zuckerman licked his lips. "Let's go somewhere more private," he said, reaching for her elbow. She resisted and pulled away. "Let's stay here and you tell me the truth. What's the matter?" "Dana, this disease is unlike any I've even seen. It's progressing faster, beyond control, actually. Plus, he's having a hard time fighting it. I have to be frank, Dana. He's weakening," Zuckerman admitted. He stared off down the hallway as if he was hoping an answer would magically pop out of one of the doors. "Dana, it's a matter of time. I'd say we're down to days. No more than a week at this point." She didn't even know she'd started her descent to the floor until she realized Zuckerman was picking her up off the polished surface. "No, no, I don't believe that," she kept repeating over and over again. "Dana, listen to me. I've talked to Mulder, or rather, he's talked to me. At great length. He's tired. He's putting up a good front for you, he knows how terrible this is for you. Remember, he's been in your shoes, once. But he's ready. He told me so this morning. He's ready to let go." "No," she said flatly, backing up and finding herself pressed against the wall. "He wouldn't give up. Mulder never gives up!" "It's not about giving up, Dana. It's about facing reality. It's about the truth. The truth, Mulder's truth, is that he's going to die. Very soon. And he wants to make peace with that. There are things he wants to do before he goes and he'll need your help in doing them." She was shaking her head from side to side, not allowing herself to be caught up in the words. "No, I won't do that. I can't help him die. I refuse. I want him to live." Zuckerman shook his head sadly. "I know that. He knows that, Dana. And it's breaking his heart that he can't do that for you. But he needs you now. He needs your love and your understanding. More than anything else, he needs to know that you'll forgive him if he fails you this time." She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She just turned and ran down the hall. When she got to the stairs, she hit them like a relay runner on their last leg. All the way to the first floor and out into the hot, summer sunshine. In the cool of the parking garage, he appeared. She didn't expect it to be Jeffrey, but there he was. He grabbed her arm to lead her into the shadows. "You called," he said abruptly. "Yes, I did. How badly do your friends want Mulder's help?" she said shortly, staring him in the eye. He had the good grace to look slightly intimidated. "Badly. They consider him, and you, key players." "Then give me one of the Smiths," she countered. Jeffrey shifted from foot to foot nervously. "Scully, I can't . . ." "Mulder is dying, Spender," she bit out. Before he could react, she forged on. "He's got less than a week to live. Leukemia, advanced stage. He's getting tired, Spender. We don't have much time." Jeffrey looked first shocked and then totally dismayed. "They're gone, Scully. There are no more 'Smiths' left. The Colonists hunted them down, killed them all." He licked his lip, thinking. Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry." She nodded, not letting the tears fall from her lashes. "Then you lose both of us," she said flatly and turned to walk away. Spender caught her arm again. "Give me some time. Twenty-four hours. Let me see what I can do?" "I'll be here," she said and this time when she started to walk away, he didn't try to stop her. She had no where else to go. She made her way up to his room and this time, no one tried to stop her from going in. He was lying on his back, eyes closed, chest barely moving under the blankets and the hospital gown. It hurt her so very much to see him like that. She took up her post next to his bed. She scooted the chair over so that she could reach through the rail and hold his hand. Scully smooth the skin on his wrist and arm. More bruises, more pain for him. She steeled herself against the tears that begged to flow freely down her cheeks. Enough with the tears, she demanded. There would be more than enough time for them later. She'd not been there long when his eyelids fluttered and he drew in a deep breath. He was still on the oxygen and even so, it seemed that he had a hard time getting enough air into his lungs. When he was able to focus his eyes, he looked at her. "Hey. Did you say some 'Hail Mulders' for me?" It was an old joke between them and the memory of the events around it caused her to think of what Zuckerman had said. "Yes, I did. What's this I hear? That you're breaking your promise?" She stood and walked a step so that she was leaning against the window ledge, far enough away that he couldn't reach her hand. Her fists were planted firmly on her hips. He chewed on his lip and it showed her that he knew he was in trouble. "I admit it, Scully. I'm a coward. I don't like pain . . ." "Mulder, you've lived with pain every day of your life," she shot back, more forcefully than she'd intended. "Emotional pain that doesn't go away. That should have worn you down a long time ago." "That's different, Scully. With that, there was always hope. With this . . ." "You know, Mulder, I'm really tired of you not trusting me!" Her words boomed off the small room's walls. Mulder leaned back on his pillows and just looked at her in shock. "No, I mean it," she continued. She was on a roll. She had things to say and he was damn well going to listen. "When I was sick, when I thought I was never going to see the outside of this hospital again, you begged me to hold on, to give you time. And it was damned hard, Mulder, but I did it. I held off death with every breath I had in me. I didn't want to, I was ready, too, or I thought I was. But I held on for you." "Then, when you came to me, you brought me that chip, Mulder. A long shot so enormous as to eclipse any other long shot before or after it. I had no time to inspect it, to understand it, to work it through scientifically. But I took that chance, Mulder. I took it because I trusted you. I still do. Mulder, I believe in you. Why won't you believe in me?" He wasn't saying a word. He just looked at her, and for a minute, she wondered if he was going to call the nurse and have her locked up for insanity. She was screaming at a man on his deathbed. A man she loved and would do anything to keep safe and whole. But as the first twinges of guilt crept up on her, he spoke. "You're right." Scully almost missed it. "What did you say?" "You are right, Scully. Absolutely right. I guess it's the frustration of not being able to leave this bed. Pain and I are old friends, you're right there, but this pain, God, Scully, it just wears on me. I don't know. All I can tell you is I'm sorry if you got the impression that I don't believe in you. I do. Scully, you're the only one I believe in." She searched his face, for any sign that he was just trying to appease her with his bullshit. Only his eternal honesty shone from his eyes. His frankness was so bare and stark it took her breath away. He really did trust her, he just needed something to hang that trust on. She was taken aback, but quickly recovered. She took two steps forward and grasped his hand tightly, not ever letting go. "Good, then. We'll hear no more of this 'tired' crap. And, as for the pain, we can work on that, too. Your job is to rest. That's all I want you to accomplish. Let me handle everything else." He smiled at her. "Can I have that in writing? For after I'm better?" Her grin brightened the once dreary room. "Sorry, Mulder. One time offer. But if you do a good enough job at it, I might cut you some slack later." He grinned back at her and reached for her other hand, squeezing it hard. Then, she left to talk to the nurse about his pain medication. end of part five Lies and More Lies by Vickie Moseley vmoseley@fgi.net disclaimed in part one part six of seven Georgetown University Medical Center Twenty-four hours. That was what Spender had wanted, that was what she was willing to give. But not any more time. If they didn't come up with a solution, if the 'rebels' didn't have a way to save Mulder's life, that would be the end of any negotiations. At that point, she wouldn't give a damn what happened to the rest of the planet. Her life, as far as she was concerned, would be over. She hadn't given up completely on finding a chemotherapy that Mulder could tolerate, but would still buy them some time. Knowing what she did about her own cancer, and how quickly it turned around when the chip was put in place, she wasn't above looking for a similar easy way out. But just in case, she spent the 24 hours sweating it out in the lab. Mulder was asleep, dozing on a cloud of morphine. Usually the one to object to being zoned out on drugs, he'd welcomed the relief from the constant pain he was in, and hadn't said a word as the nurse injected the medication. Once he was asleep, Scully retreated to the lab again. Zuckerman was right, the disease was unlike any she'd encountered. In her own case, the progression of the cancer was frightening in it's normalcy. It reacted like other cancers, it just progressed and didn't stop. Looking back on what she'd seen in the 'illness' that had befallen the Assistant Director, she searched Mulder's blood for an sign of the tiny machines that had spelled death in just hours. But the machines had a switch and had been turned off. The fact that they still flowed in Skinner's bloodstream send shivers down Scully's back. But they were under control, for now. Mulder's disease seemed to be like the two combined. It had started so quickly, like a switch had been flipped. Although it had all the markings of a known cancer, it just wasn't acting 'known'. Known to her, at least. But she was certain it was 'known' to someone. She glanced at her watch. She'd been up almost 36 hours straight. She tried to sleep, finding a cot in the lab that the night shift used from time to time, but sleep wouldn't come. She had time to work now. There would be time for sleeping when she found the cure. Or when the worst happened. She wouldn't allow her mind to stay on those thoughts, though. Negativity would not help them. Only forging ahead held any promise, and so that's what she did. Skinner's secretary, Kim, had once told her a story about her abduction. Unlike any of the other agents and staff at the Bureau, Kim seemed to sense that Scully needed those blanks filled in, she needed to own the time she'd had stolen from her life. It was at lunch one day, when Mulder was running at the track, that Kim had sat down and told her about her partner when she was abducted. According to Kim, Mulder had searched for her from the moment she'd gone missing. Kim told of the reports from the police at her apartment. How they first thought that Mulder was Mrs. Scully's son from the way he comforted her, took care of her, saw that she wasn't shoved in a corner to wonder and wait. Skinner himself had been worried about Mulder the next day. The man was possessed, everyone could see that. He was hanging on by a thread and was completely exhausted. After the stand off in the Travel Agency, Mulder had gone to work at the office instead of going home to sleep. By the morning after Duane Berry's break in at her apartment, Scully figured that Mulder had gone almost 56 hours without sleep. If he could do 56 hours for her, she figured she could do 48 for him, at the very least. So Scully went back to work. When the 24 hours she'd given Spender were up, she took off her lab coat and walked down to the parking garage. She was amazed at the change in weather. It had been hot and humid for days, at least for the short time she'd been outside. Now, a cold front had moved in and it was dark and drizzling. The dampness of the parking garage sent chills up her spine. She went to the corner where she'd last spoken to Spender and waited. She didn't have to wait long, but the person who showed up surprised her. "Hello, Dana," said Diana Fowley. Scully searched frantically for the younger Spender, but he was no where to be found. "Were you expecting someone?" Fowley asked. Scully jerked her attention back to the woman and tried to determine if she was joking or merely being her own duplicitous self. If anything, she just looked curious. "No, Diana. But I must say, I'm surprised to see you here without your boss," Scully shot back. Diana smiled and dropped her head. "You think you know so much, Dana. And you don't know anything at all." "What don't I know? Enlighten me, Diana. Tell me all about why your 'boss' has decided to kill my partner, slowly, painfully. Tell me all about it!" Scully growled, her voice low and dangerous. Diana shook her head and her lips formed a grim line. "This is not our doing, Dana. You don't want to believe that, but you must. This started when Fox decided to follow a rock to Russia. That's when the seeds of his destruction were planted." "What are you talking about?" Scully hissed. She knew she couldn't trust anything Diana might say, but still, her curiosity was piqued. She wanted to know the 'Fowley version' of Mulder's illness. "When Fox was in Russia, he was detained in a gulag." "I've heard this story," Scully said spitefully. "Oh," Diana said with a raised eyebrow, but an disbelieving look. "Then he told you how they beat him, starved him, drugged him? How they injected a serum into his spinal cord? How he then woke up encased in chicken wire, flat on his back? How they poured oil containing the black cancer down on his face and the alien entities infested him, crawling into every opening they could find to squirm beneath his skin? Funny, the Fox Mulder I knew would never have been so forthcoming. But then, you two have a special relationship, don't you," Diana sneered. Scully blinked, trying to hide her revulsion. He'd told her about the gulag, but nothing about the serum, the black cancer. He'd hid it all very well. And by the time she'd been able to drag him into an emergency room on the way back from Canada, his blood had showed no sign of any abnormality. It was possible that Fowley was lying through her teeth. But Scully felt certain that this time, that was not the case. "The serum was a vaccine against the black cancer," she said evenly, in reply. She was guessing, knowing that Mulder had used a vaccine on her in Antarctica. If Fowley sensed Scully's bluff, she didn't show it. "A prototype, yes. Developed by the Russians. They aren't known for the medical advancements, as a rule. But they had plenty of 'human' test subjects to play with. And Fox was one of them." Scully closed her eyes, but the images there were worse than the words she was being forced to hear. She opened her eyes again and Diana continued. "Basically, the serum worked. It protected him against the black cancer. Believe me, if it were that simple, we would have been mass producing the stuff to coat corn flakes. We'd have it pumped in the water supply, if we thought it would stop at that. A vaccine we've been working on is much weaker against the black cancer." "That's how he got the leukemia," Scully breathed out. The revelation hit her straight in the gut. Fowley could still be lying, but what she was saying made a sick sort of sense. The serum caused his disease. It was the cure to the black cancer that was killing him now. "How long have you known?" Scully demanded when she could finally speak. Diana sighed, which surprised Scully more than if she'd smirked. "I found out about two days ago. Oh, I knew he'd been in Russia, even knew about the serum and the experiment. But the last part, the part about this illness, that was kept from me. I couldn't understand why we were working on reproducing the weaker serum here, if the Russian serum was so effective. I was told it was still in trials. I had no idea that Fox was one of the trial subjects." Diana stared off in the dark cave of the garage, and Scully was certain that when she turned her head, a tear was streaming down her cheek. "If I'd known sooner, I would have told him." Fowley looked at Scully with a rueful smile. "I wouldn't waste my time trying to tell you, of course. You would have thought I was up to something." "I still think you're up to something," Scully shot back. "So why are you here? To rub my nose in the fact that you know what's the matter? That doesn't keep him from dying, now, does it? If you really cared for him at all . . ." Diana's eyes flashed with hatred. "Don't you _ever_ question my feelings for Fox," she growled. "I loved him. That was my mistake. If I could do it over again, we never would have gone to that level, I never would have taken him to bed. That's when we got separated. It was not _my_ idea." "You were working _against_ him," Scully cried in incredulity. "How can you stand there and confess your love for him when you were trying to destroy his work?" "I was trying to _guide_ his work," Diana stormed. "I was keeping him from dangerous pursuits. He's needed, Dana, there is no doubt of that. That's why he's been kept alive this long. But believe me, if he chooses the wrong side, there are those who won't be able to protect him anymore!" "Like you and your boss?" Scully sneered. "Besides, it's all moot. Mulder's disease has progressed to a point that little short of a miracle could save his life now." The minute the words were out of her mouth, her throat closed up and she felt like she was dying herself. Diana reached into the pocket of her raincoat. When she withdrew her hand, she grabbed Scully's hand and pressed something into the palm. It was a cylinder, small. Like a test tube. Metal, about three inches long. Scully looked at it, terrified of it's implication. "I think you know what to do with that," Diana said softly. Scully looked up in wonder at Diana's sad eyes. "At what price?" Diana smiled wistfully. "Keep him alive." She turned and started to walk away. She'd gotten only ten feet when she looked back at Scully over her shoulder. "Oh, and Dana, never wonder about where Fox has his loyalties. He's monogamous, but he doesn't take betrayal well. He was over me before I even landed in Europe. He was more cautious with you. It took you a while to worm into his heart, but now that you're there, you're there for good." And she was gone. Scully stood there for ten minutes, just staring at the cylinder in her hand. The metal felt cool. She was totally lost in thought, not knowing what to do. Finally, she headed for her car. Lone Gun Man 12:35 pm "Agent Scully, this is a surprise," Frohike said, opening the door wide. Byers and Langly were behind him in a split second. "I just made some chicken caesar rollups, care for one?" Scully shook her head with a grin that wouldn't leave her face. "No, thanks, Frohike. I need your help." "How's Mulder," Byers asked, concern clear in his eyes. Scully swallowed hard. "You know he's in the hospital." Three heads nodded. "We understand it's bad. We'd have been up to see him, but well, we found out he was in ICU," Byers explained. "Besides, we figured if you needed us, you'd call," Langly said. Scully almost took that as an accusation but the look on his face made it plain that was not his intention. "Well, good because I need your help now." She handed Langly the cylinder. The tall man exchanged looks with his two friends. "Gee, deja vu all over again," he muttered as they moved in unison over to a table holding a large microscope. Each man looked at the contents with serious expressions. They turned to Scully. "It's just like yours," Frohike said quietly. "You're sure of that?" Scully asked. "I never really got to examine mine." Langly came back with a color glossy photo. He laid it on the table next to the microscope. "Check it for yourself." She examined every detail. "But can we be sure it will work the same?" "Agent Scully, the one that was taken from your neck the first time self destructed when your FIBBIE lab guy tried to mess with it. I would be afraid to screw around with this one. Especially if it's supposed to be for what I think it's supposed to be for," Langly said with a shrug. "OK, then we just have to hope that appearances aren't deceiving," Scully said, using a small scalpel to scrape the chip back into the cylinder. As she headed for the door, Byers called out to her. "Agent Scully, if you don't mind . . ." She turned to look at the three of them, standing there with hopeful expressions on their faces. " "We'd really like to know when it works," Frohike said. She nodded her promise and left. Georgetown University Medical Center 1:34 pm He was asleep when she tiptoed in to his room. The nurse had told her that he'd been given another dose of pain killer just an hour and a half before, so he should continue to be out of it for another couple of hours. But she needed him awake. Gently, she touched his shoulder. He jerked slightly, it must have caused some pain to seep through the fog of his brain. She did it again. This time, he slowly dragged his eyes open. It took a long time for him to focus on her face. "Hey, beautiful," he slurred. She had to smile. Mulder didn't get drunk often, but when he did, he was a fun drunk. Hopefully, when all this was over, she could take him out and get him good and plastered. "Mulder, I need you to listen to me. Please, you have to concentrate. Can you do that?" She was talking loudly right in his ear and he was still slipping his eyes shut. "Scully, don't yell," he muttered plaintively. "Mulder, wake up. This is really important. I have a chip, Mulder." She pressed the cylinder into his hand. After a few seconds, his fingers curled around it. "Don't feel like a potato chip," he complained. She shook her head. Why was she bothering, she wondered. Because she needed him to know what was happening. She needed his approval. She couldn't just stick the chip in his neck without his knowledge. "Mulder, listen to me," she said. She hated doing it, but knew it would work. She pinched his earlobe, hard. "Ouch!" he yelled, offended. But for the moment, he was truly alert "Why'd ya do that for?" he demanded. "Mulder, that chip is just like mine. It should work on your cancer, just like mine. Do. You. Want. To. Try. It." As if for the first time, he looked at her face. "Scully?" he said, momentarily confused. Then he held his hand up to see the cylinder in his palm. "Looks just like the other one," he murmured. "Mulder, I think it can save your life," she said, no longer yelling. "But I want this to be your decision. I can keep working in the lab, I can search for another way. I don't know if my chip is why I keep being called, why I went to Ruskin Dam. I don't know if it means they can control our thoughts or our actions. I just know it should keep you alive. If you don't want to take the risk, I'll understand, I swear I will. But it has to be your decision." He looked at her and smiled a gentle smile, placing the cylinder back in her hand. "We'll be twins," he sighed, his smile still firmly planted on his lips. She felt a similar grin tugging at her lips. "Well in a sense, yes." He tried to chuckle at his own joke, but coughed instead. When he got his breath, he looked back up at her. She was still waiting for the words. "Do it," he said in a whisper, leaning back with his eyes closed. "You're sure, Mulder?" she asked breathlessly. "I trust you, Scully. If you believe it'll work, then let's do it." That was all she needed to hear. end part six Lies and More Lies by Vickie Moseley disclaimed in part one vmoseley@fgi.net part seven of seven Georgetown University Medical Center next day Zuckerman told her they couldn't risk putting Mulder under completely, so they settled for a local. He was so pumped up on morphine, he slept through the procedure anyway. He continued to sleep for the rest of the day and through the night. Scully sat by his side and waited. That had to be the worst of it. The dark hours before dawn, when he'd broken out in another fever and struggled weakly against the bed sheets, she'd been near to hysterics. She was certain his symptoms were being caused by the chip and almost called Zuckerman at home, to demand it be removed. Reason won out, but just barely. When the fever dropped around 6 am, she calmed down and the nurse was successful in getting her to go down and get some breakfast. A quick shower in the resident's locker room and she felt she could face the rest of the day. She was back in his room by 7:30. His breakfast tray, consisting of broth and jello, sat on the bedside tray table, untouched. She sat down next to the bed, in her usual spot and took his hand. She was surprised to see his eyes staring back at her from mere slits. She stroked his forehead and he moved his head slightly into her hand. She smiled at him. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "Tired," he muttered. "That's OK, just sleep. You're off the clock, for the moment," she teased gently. He slipped back into sleep. At noon, the nurse came in to take blood. Scully held her breath, and then followed the sample back down to the lab. The lab technicians greeted her warmly, and stood aside while she put the sample under the scope. She closed her eyes, whispered a prayer, and then put her eye to the lens, bringing it into focus. There were still immature blasts in the sample, but the number of healthy mature blood cells swimming before her eyes made her tear up and have to turn her head away. It was working. Mulder was going to live. He was going to live, but it appeared to her that he was going sleep through it. It was a combination of the morphine and the devastation wrought by the disease that caused his total exhaustion. As Zuckerman weaned Mulder off the morphine, he had longer and longer periods of alertness but none amounted to longer than thirty minutes. Scully took the chance when he was asleep to catch up on her own rest. She knew the next part of his recovery, making him take it easy, would take all her strength and more. GUMC Two days later He was sitting up. Eating the hospital cafeteria's idea of 'a burger and fries' which meant the meat was ground turkey and the fries were oven baked. And he was complaining all the way through it. She was loving every minute. "Scully," he said in disgust as he held up a potato stick between his thumb and forefinger, watching it curl limply in half. "This is _not_ a French Fry!" She bit her lip to hold back the giggle. She knew that within a week, she'd be ready to duct tape his mouth shut, but for now, she was content to just sit back and enjoy the show. "Mulder, if you eat all your lunch, and don't make a nuisance of yourself this afternoon while I'm at the office, I'll bring you 'real' French Fries tonight for dinner," she promised. "Mickey Ds'? Uncle Ronalds'?" he asked hopefully. "I might even throw in a Big Mac for good measure," she said with a grin. "But you _have_ to be very nice to the nurses," she warned. He picked up the burger, grimaced, but took a good sized chunk into his mouth and chewed. "Ra'll be goof," he said around the mouthful of hamburger roll. He nodded down to her laptop, open on the end of the tray table. "Done with the report?" She shook her head. "Still trying to figure out why Diana gave you the chip?" She thought about that for a moment, then shook her head again. "No, I think I've got a handle on that. You know, Mulder, I think in a perfect world . . ." "No, Scully, in a perfect world, you two would still hate each other," Mulder said with a grin. She shot him a sour look. "That wasn't what I was going to say. I think she really feels she was doing the right thing when she and you . . ." She trailed off, not ready to give voice to all her suspicions. "Diana . . . is the past, Scully. I've tried to tell you that in every way I know how. I was upset when she left, but it never entered my mind to try and follow her to Europe. She was gone. Out of sight out of mind. Following her to the ends of the earth was never a consideration." Scully wasn't sure how they managed to get on the topic, but now that they were there, she wasn't about to stop him. She nodded to encourage him along. "Diana has always lived 'in the moment'. And that's one thing she taught me. But with you, Scully, it's different." He stopped and looked down at his plate, pushing the last remaining fries around the little pool of ketchup with his fork. "You've taught me to look to the future, Scully. When I'm with you, I believe in the future. I want to go there. As long as we're together." He looked up at her, sighing. "Guess you're gonna go see how much morphine I've had today, huh?" he said in disgust and tossed the fork down on the plate. There were tears in her eyes and they were just clinging to the lashes. She wiped at them hastily so they wouldn't fall. "No, Mulder. Not this time. No 'oh brother', no walking out of the room." She bit her lip and looked at him warily. "We share more than a chip. We share a fantasy, remember?" His smile was blinding. "Yeah, I remember," he said. He rubbed the back of his neck, just above the spot where the chip was buried. "Is it bothering you?" she asked quietly. "Just the potential for nocturnal wanderings to out of the way bridges to witness mass emulations," he said lightly, but she could tell he was worried. "So, if we both get 'called', who comes to find us?" She shrugged. "Skinner?" He snorted. "Well, you, maybe, but I have a feeling I'll be left to wander the woods." "I don't know what to tell you, Mulder. If you're having second thoughts . . ." He shook his head emphatically. "Contrary to established wisdom on the subject, I'm not looking for an early checkout, Scully. I have my fantasies and I want to live long enough to work out most of them. But I just wonder where this leaves us. You and me. Whose side does this put us on?" Scully drew in a deep breath. "I wish I knew, Mulder. But at least we can be assured one thing. Whoever's side it is, we're there together." the end. End Notes. I wanted to do several things here. I liked the idea of Scully having to go through some of the emotions, hardships and tribulations that Mulder had to go through during her cancer, especially in Redux II. I also wanted to finally come back and revisit that serum that was injected into Mulder's neck in Russia. I wanted to know why the Well Manicured Man didn't give Mulder _that_ serum when he was telling him where to find Scully in the movie (he kept saying 'weak vaccine' and that seemed anything but 'weak'--they covered Mulder with the oilien and he was fine). I wanted to have Scully 'dance with her own devil' in the form of Diana. And, like I try to do with most of the villains I encounter on the show, I wanted to give the 'she-witch' a little more depth. Diana, like Smoking Man, thinks she is doing the right thing. Although Skinner might have played a bigger role, he didn't in Redux II, so I didn't put him in here. As much as I like the 'friendship triangle' I wanted this story to be about Mulder and Scully facing an impending and painful death together, who would fight and who would have to be dragged by the hand as I saw it in Gethsemane. Finally, I never intended for Cassandra and Spender to stick around and save the day. They are still out there, the 'rebels' still want Mulder and Scully to work with them, and for all I know, Diana brought the chip to Scully without CSM knowing anything about it. Or maybe it was a scheme to control them both . . . Alternate views and opinions are always welcome :) vmoseley@fgi.net Vickie ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth