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Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 19:03:03 -0600 (CST)
From: Elizabeth Thurmond <ethurmnd@okra.deltast.edu>
Subject: New: VERITY - Chapter 1 

VERITY - Chapter One

Author:  The Consortium

*** PLEASE POST TO ATXC; ARCHIVE ANYWHERE BUT NOTIFY US FIRST 
***

Rating:  PG
Category: X-File
Keywords: Mulder/Scully UST
Spoilers:  Minor ones for "Redux/Redux II"
Summary:  Mulder and Scully make a startling discovery that leads them on a 
search for...

Disclaimer:  All recognizable characters and places belong to Chris Carter, Ten 
Thirteen Productions, FOX, et. al.  No copyright infringement is intended.  All other 
characters and situations are the product of our demented imaginations :)

***

Mulder sat in front of the TV, unseeing, as flickering images vied for his 
attention.  Relief about Scully's illness had physically worn him out, but he could 
relax now.

Or could he?  With Scully back on the road to recovery, his mind was left 
free to think over other things.  What had he learned?  What had been 
accomplished?

So much was confusing.  All the truths he thought he had found, all of 
them were meaningless.  Or were they?  Perhaps the cover-up had only been 
another cover-up.

Mulder knew one thing for sure, one thing he had to pursue--Samantha.  It 
had been her, he was sure of that.  Wasn't he?  Perhaps she was just another lie in 
a deeper and deeper conspiracy, one much larger than he could imagine.

He wouldn't get answers sitting here.  He had to find out.  And there had 
to be a way.  Scully was getting well again, and she would help him.  Skinner was 
on their side too.  Somehow he'd get to the truth.

Reaching for his jacket, he got up and switched off the TV.  It was late, 
and the night was cool and rainy.  But he would start looking for answers now.

Before he reached the door, he was startled to hear a loud knock.  Someone 
had come to see him... but it was late, way past midnight... Feeling an odd 
sensation, that this visitor could be the key to helping him, Mulder swung the 
door open and found himself face to face with a young woman, who kept looking 
over her shoulder as if she were being followed.  "Yes?"

"Mr. Mulder, I have some information for you."

"Do I know you?"  Mulder reached for his gun.  Who knew who this 
woman could be... she could be working for the Consortium.

"No, you have to listen to me.  I have some very important information 
about your partner."  She turned around and peered down the hall, then 
turned back to him, pressing a large brown envelope into his hand.  "This 
contains what you need to know.  I have to go."  And with that, she was 
gone, leaving Mulder standing there, staring at the envelope as if in a 
trance.  Slowly, he turned back into his apartment to look at what the 
woman had given him.

Scully's Apartment,  Two hours later


"Mulder, I don't believe it.  I don't believe it... it can't be."  Scully shook 
her head slowly, still shocked by what he had told her.

"Scully, you said yourself you don't know what happened to you."
	
"But how could this... I was only gone for three months, how could I 
have... had a child...?"
	
"Scully, if they have the technology they can do anything."
	
"But it says here that... it's... yours.  How..."  She began to cry, stunned 
by the news that she may be a mother.
	
"I don't know, Scully, I don't know,"  Mulder said softly, pulling her into 
his arms.  "It's okay..."
	
"Oh my God," Scully whispered, pulling away from Mulder and sitting 
down on the couch.  "There's no way Mulder.  There's just no way."
	
Mulder stood in silence, looking down at her tenderly. She had calmed 
down a bit now. Perhaps she even looked a little too calm in his opinion.
	
"Well Mulder,"  she suddenly said resolutely.  "I guess I know what I 
have to do." With that, she grabbed her keys and walked out the door, leaving 
Mulder to wonder if he should follow or not.

Scully walked down the hallway, her mind and heart racing.  It was hard 
to think straight.  A child?  In the three months that she couldn't even remember. 
And Mulder?  How could it be his?  He hadn't even been there!   
	
She climbed into her car and made her way toward the J. Edgar Hoover 
Building. She hoped Mulder hadn't followed her, because this was something she 
needed to do by herself. She pulled in the parking lot and walked up to the tall dark 
building.  Most employees had gone home for the night.  She took the elevator 
down and walked to the basement office, and stopped at the door, surprised to see 
someone there already.  Assistant Director Skinner was inside, rummaging through 
papers on Mulder's desk.
	
Scully blinked several times, but the man in front of her remained.  "Sir?"
	
Skinner obviously hadn't heard her come in.  He had his back to her, but 
he quickly turned at the sound of her voice.  "Agent Scully!"
	
Was that guilt she read on his face?  She waited for an explanation.
	
"There's been a break in, Agent Scully.  A few hours ago.  I was notified 
and came right away."
	
Scully momentarily wondered why neither she nor Mulder had been 
notified of the break-in.  It was *their* office, afterall.  She approached Skinner.  
"Does it look like anything's been taken?"
	
"Not as far as I can see.  But something was left here."
	
Scully's eyes darted to the item in Skinner's hand.  It appeared to be a 
photograph.
	
"Here, see what you can make of this," he handed it to her.
	
It was a picture of a little girl, no more than two years old, with dark brown 
hair and stunning green eyes.  Mesmerized by the photo, Scully didn't move or 
speak.
	
"There's something written on the back," Skinner prompted.  He moved 
closer, and hovered next to her shoulder.  "What's wrong?" he asked plainly, 
perhaps disturbed by her long silence.
	
Scully didn't answer.  She turned the photo over to see four lines of 
jumbled letters and numbers written there.  It was an encrypted message of some 
kind... But the photo--she flipped it back to look at the beautiful little girl.  It *had* to 
be her daughter... her daughter, and Mulder's.  The resemblance to both of them 
was striking.
	
Still, she had no explanation for it.  And no way of finding this child, who 
obviously lived somewhere, perhaps even nearby.
	
The message was obviously a clue of some kind, and she needed to 
decode it right away.
	
"I... um... this is..."  She held out the picture so he could look closely at it. 
"This is my daughter."
	
"Scully, I didn't know you had..."
	
"Neither did I, sir.  I think when I was... taken away..."  Tears threatened 
again.  Skinner saw one roll down her cheek and gave her his handkerchief.  "Sir, 
look closely at the picture.  Does it look like... anybody...?"  
	
He examined the little girl's face carefully.  "She definitely looks like you, 
Scully, she has your eyes, and the shape of her face is the same... but..."  He 
looked down at her, startled, and then back at the picture.  "Mulder.  She looks like 
Mulder."
	
Scully nodded, blowing her nose and wiping the tears away.  
	
"How..."
	
"That's what I have to know.  And I have to find her, sir.  I have to."
	
"Of course!  I'll get our lab on it immediately.  We'll break the code.  We'll 
search the databases.  Don't worry, Scully," he said, putting his arm around her 
reassuringly, "we'll find your daughter."
	
She looked up at him and smiled.  

	
Meanwhile, Mulder was at the Lone Gunman headquarters, pacing, 
frantic.  "Where the hell is she?  She just ran out without a word of explanation!"
	
"Like you, you mean?"  Byers asked quietly.
	
"Wha..."  Mulder turned on Byers, about to chew him out, but stopped.  
"Yeah.  Like me."  He slumped dejectedly into a battered armchair.  
	
"Hey Mulder, I got the latest Adult Video News," Frohike said in an 
attempt to cheer him up, sitting on the couch and waving the magazine in front of 
him.
	
"Get that away from me,"  Mulder said.  "I'm a family man."
	
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Langly asked, extraordinarily 
surprised at Mulder's last remark.  
	
Mulder sat there for a second, pondering what to say.  He had just dug 
himself into a hole.  One hell of a hole.  Mulder got up out of the chair that he had 
been sitting in and finally 
responded.  "It means..." he said slowly,  "that I'm a father."
	
Mulder walked over to the far corner of the run-down place that the three 
men called their office.  The Lone Gunmen were staring at each other and then 
Mulder, giving each other, and him, puzzled expressions.
	
Finally, Byers broke the silence.  "Who's the mother?" he asked slowly 
and cautiously.
	
"Scully."
	
Frohike took a sharp breath that made everyone in the room stare at him. 
 "Sorry," he apologized sarcastically.  
	
"I don't understand,"  Langly began, "Isn't it kind of..."  
	
Mulder cut him off. "Hey you guys, I didn't sleep with her!"  Mulder 
shouted defensively.
	
Frohike let out the nervous breath that he had been holding.
	
"Then how?" Byers asked.
	
"It happened during her abduction.  We don't know what happened, that's 
why I'm trying to find her," Mulder explained.
	
"What... what'll you do if it is your child?" Frohike asked nervously.
	
"I don't know," Mulder replied, feeling confused and extraordinarily tired. 
 He did not need to be dealing with something like this right now. "But I have to find 
Scully."
	
Mulder ran out of the office.  He didn't exactly know what he needed to do 
but he knew he had to do something.  And fast.  He couldn't let anything happen to 
Scully.  She had already been through so much.  He needed to protect her and be 
there for her, no matter how the situation might turn out.

Early the next morning

	
Scully looked up from her desk, her face tear stained and her hair a 
mess.
	
"Scully, I have good news," Skinner said. "We were able to crack the 
code."
	
"You were? What does it say?" She asked anxiously.
	
"Well, it doesn't--" Skinner was cut off when the door flew open.
	
"Agent Mulder?" Skinner asked.
	
"Sir..." He turned to Scully.  "Scully, I--"
	
"Mulder, stop.  I think you need to hear this, too."
	
Mulder agreed and listened.
	
Skinner continued.  "The coded message that we found was cracked and 
we have a lead," Skinner continued.  "It's not much to go on but it should give you 
a place to start."
	
He handed the message to Scully.  With a quick glance at Mulder, she 
took a deep breath and read the decoded print-out aloud.  "Vietnam Memorial.  9 
p.m.  The 26th.  News of the child."
	
"The 26th?" Mulder echoed.  "That's today--tonight!  How could whoever 
did this be sure we'd break the code in time to meet them?"
	
Skinner's face was grim.  "They knew we have the resources.  They 
obviously have them too.  They broke into your office, remember."
	
Scully was only half-listening to the argument that erupted between 
Skinner and Mulder.  Mulder was insisting that he should have been notified the 
second the break-in had been detected.  Skinner was ordering him to calm down, 
telling him that everything was under control.
	
"It's not, damn it!" Mulder was shaking his head, obviously distressed.  
And only Scully understood why--the news of the child had shocked him as much 
as it had her.
	
She placed a hand on his arm, quieting him.  "Look," she said gently, 
handing over the photo that had been found on his desk.  "She's... she's..."
	
Mulder stared at the picture for a long moment.  "She's beautiful, Scully... 
like you."
	
An abrupt sound of a throat being cleared reminded them that Skinner 
was still in the room.  He looked at them both, then glanced at his watch.  "It's 
nearly 8 a.m. now, so you two have a little over twelve hours to plan your strategy. 
 I don't have to remind you that all of this might be nothing more than an elaborate 
trap.  I'll provide whatever resources and manpower you need to get to the bottom 
of it, because I know how important this is to Agent Scully," he paused. "And to you, 
Agent Mulder.  I'll be in my office if you need me."
	
"Thank you, sir," Scully nodded, and watched Skinner leave.

To be continued...


VERITY - Chapter Two

Author:  The Consortium

*** PLEASE POST TO ATXC; ARCHIVE ANYWHERE BUT NOTIFY US FIRST 
***

Rating:  PG
Category: X-File
Keywords: Mulder/Scully UST
Spoilers:  Minor ones for "Redux/Redux II"
Summary:  Mulder and Scully make a startling discovery that leads them on a 
search for...

Disclaimer:  All recognizable characters and places belong to Chris Carter, Ten 
Thirteen Productions, FOX, et. al.  No copyright infringement is intended.  All other 
characters and situations are the product of our demented imaginations :)

***

 
     	
Mulder and Scully both needed some time to talk, and they were both 
starving.  They went to a little cafe nearby and sat in a corner booth with pastry and 
coffee.  "Mulder, I... what do you think of this?"
	
"The question is, Scully, what you think of it," he said gently, reaching 
across the table and taking her hand.  
       	
"I... think that we need to find out where our baby is.  We need to find 
her."
       	
"So you think she is..."
       	
She nodded, gazing up at him with wide eyes. "I don't know how I know, I 
just do.  That's our daughter."
       	
"Mother's instinct," he agreed.  "I admit, I had my doubts until I saw that 
picture.  She looks so much like... her mother."  He smiled warmly.   "She's so 
beautiful."
       
She smiled back, a little sadly.  "I think she looks like you."  
       	
"What do you want to do?  I mean, what happens if we find her?"
       	
"I want my baby.  I want to raise my daughter," she said, her voice filled 
with emotion.  "I always wanted to have a family..."
       	
"Oh, Scully, I'll help you.  I'll do whatever you need me to.  I'll do 
anything for you.  For her."
       	
"Mulder, I... please don't feel like you have to..."
       	
"She's also my child, Scully.  And that makes her my responsibility too."
       	
"But I don't want you to feel like you have to... I'm perfectly capable of..."
       	
"Dana."  She looked up, startled.  "Dana, I care about you, more than you 
know.  And I care about our daughter.  I want us to be a family." He squeezed her 
hand.  "I know you have a lot to deal with now, and I don't want to pressure you; I 
just want you to know I'll be there, and that I intend to pull my weight, no matter 
what."
	
"I know that you mean well Mulder, but I... I just need some time right 
now," Scully said shakily, standing up and turning to him.
	
"Scully... Dana, please...." Mulder began.
	
"Mulder, I need to think about this.  I'll meet you back here in an hour, 
okay?" With that promise she turned and walked out the door, leaving Mulder to sit 
and wonder what he had said to make her more upset.

	
Scully walked along the park in DC, wondering and thinking about what 
Mulder had said to her.  What exactly had he meant by it?  His words still echoed 
in her ears, leaving an eerie feeling of not knowing what was going to happen next. 
 This seemed to be an ideal opportunity to tell him the words that had been 
plaguing her for three years, to tell him that she loved him and had for some time 
now. 
	
That was what had been making all of this so difficult--she had a child 
with him and didn't know how it had happened... how was she ever going to explain 
this one to her mother?  Or to the rest of her family and friends? She supposed that 
she could tell them that their beautiful little girl had been adopted, but she didn't 
think that she would be able to say that.  The child was hers and Mulder's, there 
was no doubting that fact.  
	
As Scully walked along the sidewalk she looked at the trees that lined the 
way. All of the leaves were changing color this time of year, she realized with a 
sigh, acknowledging the sad fact that as of now, everything in her life was going to 
change as well.

	
Mulder pulled in next to Scully's car.  He knew she would be here, sitting 
or walking alone.  He made his way into the park, pulling on his jacket. It was 
autumn and it was getting cold--cold enough to see his breath. 
	
There she was, sitting on a bench. Mulder stopped to look at her, hoping 
she didn't notice him right away.  She was so beautiful, and even though he knew 
they hadn't enjoyed the pleasure of creating their child, it didn't make the little girl 
any less a part of them. This child would bond them together... and after they got 
everything straightened out and found her, he figured it would be a good time to 
confess his feelings to Scully.  Then they could raise their daughter together. 
 
He walked up behind her.  "Scully?"
	
She turned.  She was looking at him, but her eyes and thoughts were 
distant. "Mulder.  Hi."
	
He sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.  She buried her 
head in his jacket and cried.  
	
"Shh, Dana.  It's okay."
	
"No Mulder, it's not."
	
"Why not?"
	
"Mulder... she's ours right?  But how? What if she's not?  I've gotten my 
hopes up, but what if I don't have a daughter?  Or what if she's hurt?"
	
"Dana, I'm sure she's fine.  I'm sure she's perfectly safe and healthy. 
We'll find her.  And we'll take care of her."
	
"Oh Mulder, I hope so.  She's so beautiful."
	
"Well, she looks like you.  She's got to be beautiful if she looks like you."
	
Scully smiled.
	
"Don't worry..." he reassured.  "Everything will be fine."  Mulder heard 
his own words, though he wasn't so sure everything would be fine.  But, it had to 
be, for Scully's sake.  She'd been through so much recently, and if anything could 
make up for the cancer she had lived with, it would be finding this little girl.
	
The emotional part of his mind wanted this as much as she did--prayed 
for it, even.  But the logical side of him was forced to consider other possibilities.  
What had Skinner said?  That it might just be a trap, waiting for them both to fall 
into?
	
If the child existed, however, why all the secrecy up until now?  Why not 
just hand her over to Scully?  Why the secret meeting place and time, written in 
code?
	
A shiver of cold ran through him, and he pulled Scully closer.
	
"You're worried about something, Mulder, I know you are," she 
whispered.  "Don't hide it from me.  I need to hear your doubts."
	
As much as he hated to say it, he wanted to make sure they both realized 
the possibilities.  "I think we should have the photo analyzed, Scully.  I don't want 
to go down this road and find out that it was all a lie."
	
Scully pulled back a little, so she could look into his eyes.  He saw that 
he'd worried her all over again, though he'd come to the park to console and 
reassure her.  "Mulder, you think someone could have faked the photo?"
	
"It's easy Scully... they can do anything with computers these days, you 
know that.  They take a few of my facial features, and a few of yours, manipulate 
them on a child's facial shape and--"
	
"No!  No Mulder, I don't buy it, I won't.  She's real--she's ours, I just know 
it."
	
Mulder realized how much she wanted this to be true, and how much he 
did, too.  Scully believed in the existence of their daughter--she believed it in her 
heart.  Touched by her faith, it gave him a warm feeling of security, and he realized 
that she had faith enough for the both of them.  
	
"You're right, Scully.  We'll go to the meeting tonight, and we'll make 
them take us to her.  No more strangers breaking into offices and no more coded 
messages... tonight we get to the truth."

Vietnam Memorial, 8:59 p.m.

	
Scully clutched Mulder's hand as they walked down the long walkway to 
the Wall.  It was cold, but she had forgotten her coat in her haste to discover the 
truth about her baby.
	
She and Mulder had spent the afternoon and evening together, going 
over possible scenarios.  They had decided that, in case it was a trap, they needed 
backup, and Skinner was there with several armed agents just in case.  Still, 
neither of them felt any less nervous as they approached a lone woman leaning 
against the wall.  As they drew nearer, Mulder saw that it was the same woman who 
had come to his apartment that morning.  She stood when she saw them.
	
"Tell us what this is all about,"  Mulder said.  "Why weren't we told about 
her sooner?"
	
"Leverage, Mr. Mulder.  The persons responsible thought it best to wait 
until you were too close to the information they want to remain hidden, then tell you 
about the child.  Offer you her in exchange for your silence."
	
"And you're offering us another deal."  Mulder looked over at Scully, who 
had been unusually quiet.
	
"Yes.  I'm offering you a way to find your daughter."
	
"In exchange for what?"
	
"Nothing.  Absolutely nothing."
	
Scully spoke.  "How do we know you're telling the truth?  Who sent you?"
	
The woman looked at Mulder.  "Your sister."

	
"I just don't understand what my sister would have to do with this," 
Mulder said, shaking his head and staring at the cup of coffee that sat on the table 
in front of him.  He and Scully had gone to a nearby cafe to sort through their 
options.
	
"I don't either, Mulder," Scully replied.  "But we have to find our 
daughter."  
	
"I know." Mulder said, reaching over to hold her hand.  " At least that 
woman gave us something to go on," he added, pulling a slip of paper out of his 
pocket that had an address hastily scribbled on it. "Why don't we go home and get 
some sleep first?"  he suggested, noticing how tired Scully was.  
	
"No Mulder, I have to find my baby," she replied firmly, even though she 
was weak from stress, lack of sleep, and the toll that her cancer treatments had 
taken on her.  
	
"Scully, I know you want to find her, but at least you go get some rest and 
I'll see what I can do."
	
"No, Mulder, I can't leave you."
	
"Scully, you need rest.  I insist that you go home and get some sleep."
	
Scully sighed, knowing there was no way to win this argument.   She 
would relent, and do what he asked.  "Fine Mulder, but call me if you find 
*anything*."
	
"I will," he assured her, then leaned over and kissed her quickly on the 
cheek.  Scully dropped his hand and walked toward her car. 
	
Mulder watched her leave, then climbed into his car. He had to get to the 
place that was written on the slip of paper.  For Scully's sake, and more.  He also 
had to find out exactly how Sam was involved in all of this.

	
It was past midnight when Mulder arrived at an abandoned warehouse in 
the outskirts of Arlington, Virginia.  The original note from the woman at the Vietnam 
Memorial had only sent him in circles--to three different addresses, all with further 
instructions to drive to yet another location.
	
Several times he'd been ready to give up.  But he wouldn't--he could not 
give up now.
	
"Hello?" he called out into the blackness, as he reached for the flashlight 
in his jacket pocket.  There was no answer, but Mulder knew he wasn't alone.  "No 
more games!" he shouted, the edge of his frustration prompting him to anger.  "I 
want answers.  NOW!"
	
A tiny flicker of light sprang to life with the unmistakable sound of a match 
being struck.
	
Mulder swivelled his gaze immediately toward the source.  The Smoking 
Man stepped out from the shadows.  "Hello, Agent Mulder."
	
"You!" Mulder exclaimed.  "I thought you were dead!  I heard--"
	
"You of all people should know better by now.  You really can't believe 
everything you hear.  Or see, for that matter."  The Smoking Man took a long drag 
on his cigarette, just long enough to make Mulder's thinly held patience snap.
	
"What the hell is going on?!  First you send that woman with the 
envelope... then the photo and encrypted message, and finally I'm on some wild 
goose chase to all these abandoned buildings.  Why all the games?  Why, 
dammit?!"
	
"It was necessary, Agent Mulder.  There are some who still believe I'm 
dead, and I want to leave it that way."
	
"What makes you think I won't talk?"
	
"Because I think we have something, or rather someone, that you and 
Agent Scully both want.  Come along, a car is waiting to take us."
	
"To where?" Mulder frowned.  "To that woman you claim is my sister?  I 
want to know what Samantha has to do with all this--IF she's even Sam."  He 
stepped a foot closer to The Smoking Man and barely resisted wrapping his hands 
around the older man's throat.  "This better not be another game," Mulder hissed.  
"That little girl better exist, or else--"
	
"Please, Agent Mulder.  Let me assure you, she does exist, and she is 
safe."  He glanced once more to the door, where the headlights of a car were now 
illuminated.  "Our driver is waiting."

To be continued...


VERITY - Chapter Three

Author:  The Consortium

*** PLEASE POST TO ATXC; ARCHIVE ANYWHERE BUT NOTIFY US FIRST 
***

Rating:  PG
Category: X-File, Romance
Keywords: MSR
Spoilers:  Minor ones for "Redux/Redux II"
Summary:  Mulder and Scully make a startling discovery that leads them on a 
search for...

Disclaimer:  All recognizable characters and places belong to Chris Carter, Ten 
Thirteen Productions, FOX, et. al.  No copyright infringement is intended.  All other 
characters and situations are the product of our demented imaginations :)

***

	
Before Mulder could follow the Smoking Man, his cell phone trilled.  He 
answered instantly, "Mulder."
        	
"Mulder, it's me."  Scully's voice was shaking, but she sounded... happy.
        	
"What is it?"
        	
"Mulder, Skinner's found her.  He's found our baby."
        	
Mulder's heart soared.  "Where is she?"
        	
"I can't tell you over the phone.  Come to my apartment."
        	
"I'll be there as soon as I can.  And Scully?"
        	
"Yes?"
        	
"I..."  He choked on the words.  He couldn't say it; not now.  "Sit tight, okay?  
I'll be right there."  He replaced his phone in his pocket and turned to the 
Smoking Man.  "No deal."
        	
"Mr. Mulder, I'm surprised at you.  I know how... anxious... you must be 
to find your... little girl," he said, puffing placidly on his Morley.
        	
"No deal,"  he repeated, turning on his heel and practically racing to his 
car.  As he drove away, he saw the Smoking Man in his rearview mirror, still 
standing there in a cloud of smoke.

***

	
Mulder drove to Scully's apartment at a frantic pace.  He couldn't believe 
that they had finally found their daughter.  One side of him felt relief, the other was 
unsure.  What if something had happened to her?  What if it wasn't really her?  
Maybe the Smoking Man was right, maybe Sam had their daughter.  If something 
had happened to her....well, he didn't want to think about that.  Right now he had to 
get to Scully and their daughter--it was the only thing that truly mattered.  
	
He thought about what this would mean for them.  Would they become a 
family?  Would Scully quit the FBI?  Would he?
	
As he pulled into the parking lot at Scully's apartment building his heart 
was racing.  He ran up the flight of stairs to her unit and opened the door.  Scully 
was sitting on the couch, gazing fondly upon a little brown haired girl who looked to 
be no more than two years old.  
	
Assistant Director Skinner was also in the room, standing back from the 
couch, watching Scully with the little girl.
	
"Hi, Mulder." Scully said softly, stroking the child's hair.
	
"Hey, Scully, " Mulder replied, as he walked to the couch.  Crouching 
down in front of the child, he smiled.  "And who's this?"
	
"Verity."  Scully responded quietly, as tears of happiness blurred her 
eyes.
	
Mulder couldn't believe it.  He was actually looking at his child. Their 
child...his and Scully's.  She was so beautiful.  
	
Scully noticed the tender look in Mulder's eyes.  She patted the seat on 
the couch beside them. "Come and sit with us."
	
He did as she said, nodding briefly to Skinner.  
	
The child hadn't really acknowledged that he was there until he sat down 
next to her. Then she looked up at him. She had bright green eyes, just like her 
mother.
	
"Verity? That's an unusual name. But I like it," he grinned and Scully 
nodded.
	
Mulder then realized that he had no idea how the little girl had been 
found or anything about her other than her name. "Where did you find her?? Who 
had her??"
	
Scully handed the little girl a doll to occupy her and asked Skinner to 
watch over her for a few minutes.  Then she nodded for Mulder to follow her to the 
kitchen.

***

	
She leaned against the counter, and sighed deeply.  "I didn't want her to 
hear what we're saying... she's old enough to understand things now, and I have 
no idea how much she's been through already."
	
Mulder nodded.  "So Skinner just showed up and brought her along?"
	
"Uh huh," Scully nodded.  "Along with a few "mommy" bags worth of clothes 
and toys.  It was incredible... I couldn't believe it, Mulder.  She's 
my--our--little girl, and I still can't believe she's here."
	
"Skinner told you nothing?  How he found her?"
	
"No, not yet... I've just been so overwhelmed. You know, I don't even 
care at this point," Scully reached for a kleenex, and dabbed at her eyes.
	
"So, she's okay?" Mulder continued.  "Not hurt, or frightened?"
	
Scully shook her head.  "She's fine... for a child who's just been uprooted 
from the person who's been raising her and handed over to strangers.  It's almost 
odd.  She's so quiet, and happy--not upset at all."
	
Mulder frowned.  "I bet she's used to new faces.  I bet our child has seen 
a whole host of surrogate parents the last two years... it's wrong, Scully. She 
should have been with you--with us-- from the beginning."
	
"I know..." Scully swiped a tear from her cheek.  "But she's here now.  
That's what's important."
	
Mulder nodded, but another question gnawed at him.  "Her name... 
Scully, who told you her name?  Skinner?"
	
"No... he didn't," she smiled up at Mulder, a slight look of guilt visible on 
her face.
	
"Then who?"
	
"I named her," Scully admitted.  "I don't care what they called her 
before... she's ours now... and I feel like we've been searching forever for her, 
even though it's only been a few days."
	
"Searching forever... like we've been all our years as a team, Scully.  
Searching for the Truth.  Verity..." he grinned.
	
"I knew you'd like it."
	
He reached over to touch her hand.  "I do like it.  But fair's fair, Scully.  
You got to give her her first name, so I get to give her her second."
	
"Oh yeah?" Scully bit her lip as she tried to keep back more tears.  She'd 
never been so happy before in her life.  "And what's that going to be?  Just don't 
say Griselda or something..."
	
Mulder continued to smile, as he pulled Scully into his arms.  "Faith," he 
whispered into her ear.  "Verity Faith."
	
Scully hugged Mulder tight.  Verity Faith.  It was perfect.  "I need to put 
her to bed.  It's awfully late for her to be up."
        	
"Okay."  Kissing her gently on the forehead, Mulder let go of Scully and 
watched as she scooped Verity up in her arms and carried her into the bedroom.  It 
looked so natural for her have a child.  She was so happy now... her face was 
glowing and her eyes were twinkling.  Mulder went to the doorway and watched 
Scully tuck their little girl into bed and kiss her on the cheek.  As she stood there, 
looking down at Verity, Mulder came up behind her and put his arms around her 
shoulders, hugging her to his chest, his chin resting on her head.  
        	
"I can't believe it, Mulder... she's ours... our own little girl."
        	
"Scully, I... um, I... want to tell you something."
        	
"What?"  She turned around and looked up at him with wide eyes.
        	
He had a hard time saying the words, though he had rehearsed them in 
his mind a thousand times.  "Scully, I..."
        	
"Mulder, what is it?"  she asked gently, taking his face in her hands.  
"Tell me."
        	
He covered her hands with his.  "Scully, I love you, very much.  I've 
loved you for a long time, and... well, I think now's the time to tell you, because I 
want to be a part of Verity's life... and yours."   
        	
Scully began to cry.  He was afraid he had upset her again until she 
smiled her rare, radiant Scully-smile, the one she reserved especially for 
him.  "I love you, too."
        	
He kissed her softly and held her close.  Then he remembered they 
weren't quite alone.  "Um, Scully?"
        	
"Yes?" she murmured, her face buried in his collar.
        	
"Aren't we forgetting..."
        	
"Skinner," she groaned.  They took a minute to compose themselves and 
went out into the living room.  Skinner, who had been spying on them from the 
doorway and had hastily returned to the chair he had been sitting in, looked up 
guiltily. 
        	
"Sir, how did you find her?"  Mulder asked, sitting next to Scully on the 
couch.
        	
"I..."  Before he could answer, the doorbell rang.
        	
"I'll get it."  Scully hopped up and opened the door.  She gasped.  "You... 
what are you doing here?"
        	
"I just stopped by to see if you had... gotten your daughter settled,"  the 
Smoking Man said, standing on the doorstep, puffing slowly on his ever-present 
Morley.
        	
"You'll have to leave that outside," Mulder growled protectively. He'd be 
damned if anybody exposed his baby to second-hand smoke.
        	
"Come now, Mr. Mulder,"  the Smoking Man said calmly, "surely you 
wouldn't kick me out of Miss Scully's house."
        	
"Oh, I wouldn't, would I?  Tell me why you took her... tell me where our 
baby has been,"Mulder demanded, as he approached the Smoking Man, anger 
fuelling his movements.
	
"Mulder, let's all sit down and hear what he has to say," Scully came to 
stand between them.
	
Mulder backed off and the Smoking man stepped just inside the door.
	
"I said put that out." Mulder repeated.
	
"Anything for the well-being of your child," he responded, throwing the 
cigarette out behind him, before he closed the door.  "You see, I've taken a 
certain...interest...in her."
	
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"  Mulder asked.  It was getting 
harder and harder for him to control his temper.  But he would do it, for 
Scully and Verity.
	
"I've been watching her for the past two years.  Its amazing how much 
she looks like her parents.  Let me assure you though, she's been in good hands, 
very good hands."
	
"And whose hands might those be?" Mulder asked, disgust marking his 
expression.
	
The Smoking man looked directly at Mulder.  "Your sister's."
	
Silence filled the room.  Mulder still wanted to know what Sam had to do 
with this, but that could wait.  Whatever the Smoking Man's involvement was, 
Mulder was sure it hadn't been for the benefit of the child.
	
Instead of explaining any further, the Smoking Man reached for a new 
cigarette and turned toward the door.  "I'm sorry I won't be able to stay.  I just 
wanted to be sure that your daughter was safe.  I see that she is."
	
"I think it's time I leave as well," Skinner added, with a glance at Mulder 
and Scully.  "I'm sure you two need some time to talk."
	
Scully nodded wordlessly, and sat down on the sofa as the Smoking Man 
and Skinner let themselves out.

***

	
Skinner walked alongside the Smoking Man once they had left Scully's 
apartment. And he stopped him just as he was about to climb into his car.
	
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Skinner demanded, gripping 
the top of the car door tightly so it stayed open.
	
"Whatever do you mean, Mr. Skinner?"
	
"You know damn well what I mean.  Showing up here like this, suddenly 
resurrected from the dead, telling my two best agents that you've taken an 
"interest" in their daughter while you know damn well it's just something else to 
hold over their heads."
	
"I'm sorry Mr. Skinner, but you seem to be mistaken.  The little girl who's 
been returned to Miss Scully has been well taken care of the past two years and, 
yes, I admit that I did play a part in keeping it that way."
	
He paused to light the ever-present cigarette.  "You've seen the child.  
Would it surprise you to hear that I have taken a liking to her over these two years? 
She as well as Samantha... they've been like... like family to me, Mr. Skinner.
	
"So you see, this has nothing to do with holding anything over anyone's 
head," he concluded in an unusual tone, shakier and less confident than normal.
	
Skinner let go of the car door, and the Smoking Man drove away.  Could it 
be true?  Had Skinner just witnessed a genuine out-pouring of emotions from a man 
who was only known as a cold-blooded, selfish killer?
	
Skinner walked slowly back toward his own car, trying to comprehend 
everything that had happened recently.  Confusing and seemingly 
impossible events, culminating today in the surprise visit by the woman who 
claimed to be Mulder's sister.  She had simply shown up at his office and 
brought the child with her, but left with no explanation as soon as she'd 
handed the girl over.  He'd gone immediately to Scully's and she had called 
Mulder... then the tender exchange of feelings he'd heard them admit to 
each other.
	
And now... now the Smoking Man admitting his own feelings about the situation.  
It just didn't make sense.  Skinner was convinced that there was more to it.  
Much more.  If things were as straightforward and innocent as the Smoking Man 
now claimed, why all the secret messages and rendezvous?  Why drag Mulder and 
Scully through such a torment just to get to the child that should have been with 
them since her birth?  No, there was more to this, and Skinner was determined to 
find out what it was.

To be continued...


VERITY - Chapter Four

Author:  The Consortium
Rating:  PG
Category:  X-File, Romance
Keywords:  MSR
Spoilers:  Redux/Redux II
Summary:  Mulder and Scully search for the truth about their daughter.

Disclaimer:  Despite what you may be thinking, we knew NOTHING about 
"Christmas Carol" or "Emily" when we started writing this.  Great minds think alike, 
that's all.  That said, all recognizable characters are the property of Chris Carter, 
1013 Productions, and FOX.  Everything else is the product of our demented 
imaginations.  

***

	
Sam sat in the rocking chair in the dark room that had been little Katie's 
bedroom.  For the past two years she had sat every night in the same chair, while 
she held and rocked the little girl to sleep.
	
A tear slipped down her cheek as she glanced at the empty crib a few feet 
away.  Hastily, she swiped the tear away.  She'd done the right thing today.  She 
had given the child to those she belonged to.
	
At first, Sam hadn't known the truth.  One day, just over two years ago, 
the man she had come to think of as her father had come to her with a baby in his 
arms.  An orphan, he'd said, a baby with no parents to look after it.
	
Sam had taken the child into the home this man had provided for her, and 
cared for it.  Every so often the man would visit, and bring her money, and presents 
for the baby.  And Sam hadn't known... never guessed...
	
Until a few months ago.  A hint from the man... and a smile from little 
Katie... a smile she remembered and knew.  Fox's smile.
	
Another tear slid down as Sam thought about the older brother she had 
given up for dead, and the short meeting they had shared awhile ago.  She had 
seen it in his eyes then--he didn't believe it was her.  And he wouldn't want to 
believe it now, not after he realized she had kept his child from him for the past two 
years.  He wouldn't understand, and neither would the baby's mother.
	
Sam was startled out of her memories by a sound from behind.  He had 
let himself into the house, using the spare key he had.  She turned to see him 
standing at the door to Katie's room, a cigarette between his lips.  She could argue 
no more against it, now that her little girl was no longer here.  "Is she... all right?" 
Sam asked quietly.
	
He didn't answer for a long moment.  "Yes, she's safe."
	
"But you're angry, I can tell."
	
"You should have waited here, as I instructed, until Mr. Mulder came to 
get the child."
	
Sam couldn't explain her sudden rash decision to take a taxi and drive 
the child to the FBI building.  On some level she knew she hadn't trusted the 
Smoking Man, but she could never admit that to him.  "What does it matter?  My 
brother has her now, and that's all that counts."
	
"Yes, he has her.  But you don't," he answered quietly.  "Why didn't you 
trust me?  If you had, you would have had everything that you wanted."
	
"What do you mean?"
	
"You would have had your brother back, and the child.  All of us, here.  
We could have been a family."
	
Sam blinked up at the shadow of the man who still leaned against the 
doorframe.  She swallowed back a growing anxiety.  "A family?  Fox living 
with us?  And his child?"
	
"Yes, and you could have raised the girl, as you have been."
	
"But she's not mine..."
	
"There's a part of her in you, because of your brother, and you know that. 
 Just like there's a part of her in..." he broke off, but his tone had been bitter.  
"Never mind," he continued quietly, the control back in his voice.  "We will get her 
back, and your brother too."

***

	
Scully seemed shaken by what had just happened.  The thought that her 
beautiful baby had been in the hands of that black-lunged bastard was too much.
       	
Mulder sat beside her and pulled her into his arms again.  "We're going 
to find out where she's been, Dana.  We're going to find out when and why and how 
all this happened, and we're going to take care of Verity."
       	
"Oh, Mulder, just the thought of... him... with our baby..."
       	
"Dana?"
       	
She looked up at her partner.  "What?"
       	
"You can call me Fox now."  He kissed her softly.  
       	
She buried her face in his collar and hugged him tight.  "Fox, what are we 
going to do about Verity?  I mean, what kind of arrangement are we..."
       	
He sighed.  He knew what he wanted... to marry Scully and live in a nice 
little house and take care of both of them forever.  But he didn't think that was 
possible.  The FBI frowned upon romantic involvements between its agents, and 
besides, Scully might object to him proposing... say he was just doing it 
because of Verity.  He chuckled a little... it was... the "verity" of the 
matter was that he loved her.  Right now, though, they already had too much 
to deal with without him saying anything about that.  "Whatever you want to 
do.  I think we should wait until things have settled down before we decide 
what to do."
       	
"But what are we going to do now?  I... I don't want to take care of her 
alone.  I'm so scared."
       	
"You can call your mom," he suggested gently.
       	
"No, I can't.  I can't explain to her how this happened..."
       	
"I'll stay, Dana, if you want me to.  I'll sleep on the couch," he offered, not 
wanting to sound pushy.  
       	
"I think that would be good, for now," she agreed.  "But if we have to go 
somewhere, what are we going to do with her?  Who can we trust her with?"
       	
"We'll find someone.  Hell, maybe Skinner'll take her."
	
"Maybe," Scully replied, echoing Mulder's own doubt about the idea.
	
"Yeah,"  He agreed.  "We could always ask."
	
"Maybe... maybe I should find a different job."
	
"Scully--" Mulder was cut short.
	
"Mulder, I can't be spending my whole life traveling and putting my life 
on the line.  I--we--have a daughter now and I have to think of her first," Scully 
insisted.
	
"Well, Scully, its up to you.  I just don't want to think of you and Verity not 
being a part of my life."
	
"Believe me Mulder--Fox--you'll always be a part of my life."
	
"Dana, you and Verity are my main priorites now, you know that... and I 
want you to be happy... so if that means leaving the bureau for a while, then go 
ahead. You need a break and you need time to be with your child."
	
Scully nodded. That had been what she was thinking too.  She knew she 
couldn't ask Mulder to, but she wished he could take some time off and stay with 
her and their daughter as well. "Alright, I'll tell Skinner I am taking a leave 
of absence in the morning."
	
"Okay," he agreed, smoothing her hair back with his hand while holding 
her close. He loved her so much and wanted to do everything possible to protect 
her.  She and Verity. They both meant so much to him, even though he couldn't do 
anything to make things more permanent right now.  He wished he could propose to 
Dana, pack up their things and take his wife and daughter away from this mess 
they were caught in the middle of.  But he knew he couldn't do that--not now at 
least.  First he had to find out the truth.  Even if it meant confronting that sinister 
Smoking Man again.

***

	
Skinner accepted Scully's request for a leave of absence with no 
questions.  He understood, and thought she had made the right decision.
	
She had been on leave for three days already, and Mulder had been back 
and forth between work and Scully's place.  Skinner could tell that Mulder's heart 
wasn't in his work, and he didn't blame him for feeling that way.  Besides wanting 
to spend time with Scully and their daughter, he knew Mulder was also unsettled 
about the Smoking Man's role in all of this.
	
Skinner was still upset about it too.  He wanted to get answers as much 
as Mulder did.  To that end, they had arranged a meeting in his office to discuss it.
	
Mulder walked in at just after 9 a.m., and Skinner had to hold back a grin. 
Mulder looked exhausted.  Still, he couldn't resist a subtle jibe.  "Lots of work 
raising a child, isn't it, Agent Mulder?"
	
Mulder fell into a chair, and rubbed his eyes.  "Don't get me wrong, I've 
never been happier, sir, but last night I didn't sleep at all.  Verity had a 
temperature, and I swear, you'd think Scully forgot she's a doctor the way she 
worried over it."
	
Skinner smiled.  His agents were turning out to be a great team in more 
ways than he'd ever imagined.  Against the rules or not, he was happy they were 
spending so much personal time together, and sharing the upbringing of their child. 
"Mothers worry, Agent Mulder."
	
"Yeah, and fathers, too," Mulder added quietly.  "Okay, so we're here to 
discuss the Smoking Man's part in all this.  Did he tell you anything the night he 
left Scully's place?"
	
Skinner didn't think it was wise to tell Mulder the Smoking Man's 
emotional words.  He somehow doubted they were true.  "No, he didn't elaborate.  
What we need to figure out is why he's behind this.  What does he hope to achieve 
in the end?"
	
"Our silence?" Mulder offered.  "A sort of blackmail, I guess."
	
"That's what I thought, but I'm not so sure.  What about your sister, Agent 
Mulder?  The woman you claimed the Smoking Man brought to see you, and the 
one he says raised Verity?  Do you believe it?"
	
"Do I believe she's my sister, you mean?" Mulder sighed, and shook his 
head slowly.  "I don't know.  I'd like to believe it.  And that she was the one who 
cared for Verity.  But I always come back to why.  Why did she do it?  And why did 
the Smoking Man put her up to it?"
	
"I think it's worth pursuing, Agent Mulder.  Officially.  It could end up 
involving a lot more than we realize.  I want you to clear your desk of current cases 
and work on this.  I know how much it means to you, and Agent Scully."
	
"Thank you, sir," Mulder answered with a smile.

***

	
Mulder rushed up the stairs to the apartment, anxious to hear what had 
happened while he was at work.  *Home to my sweethearts,* he thought happily as 
he turned the key in the lock and entered, to see his beautiful Dana sitting on the 
couch, Verity cradled in her arms.  "Hi," he said, smiling as he sat down and kissed 
Scully on the cheek.  "How is she?"
       	
"I just got her to sleep," Scully whispered.  "She's had the sniffles all 
day."
       	
"Fever gone?"
       	
"Almost.  What did you do at work today?"  Her voice held a note of 
sadness.  She missed working, even though she loved spending time with her 
daughter.  
       	
"Skinner has assigned me to work on this case.  All the whys and wherefores 
of Verity, and the Smoking Man's involvement in things.  That's all I 
have to do, till it's solved."
       	
"Oh, Fox... if I can help... if I can do anything..."
       	
"You can take care of Verity.  That's all you need to do."
       	
"But I want to."
       	
Mulder understood.  "I'll see.  Dana, Skinner's been so good to us.  He's 
trying to help any way he can."
       	
"I know; I was... I was thinking of naming him Verity's godfather."
       	
Mulder smiled.  "Why not one of your brothers?"
       	
"After the way Bill treated you?  No.  Skinner was the one who helped 
bring Verity home."  She leaned against Mulder's shoulder, and he put his arm 
around her.  "Fox, I keep thinking of everything I've missed.  Her first words, her 
first steps.  Everything."  A tear rolled 
down her cheek.  "I don't know anything about my own baby."
       	
Verity stirred and looked up at her.  "Mommy, why you crying?" 
       	
Scully and Mulder looked down in shock.  "You... you know I'm your 
mommy?"  Scully wondered, looking into Verity's face.
       	
Verity nodded solemnly.  There was something positively eerie about 
her; she seemed much older than two years.  
       	
Scully's eyes brimmed with tears as she hugged her daughter close.  
"Yes, baby, I'm your mommy."
       	
Verity looked over at Mulder, who, to his own surprise had also started 
crying.  "Daddy?  Are you crying too?"
	
Scully held Verity close and kissed the top of her head.  How could Verity 
know all of this?  After all, she was only two years old.  She quickly glanced 
over at Mulder, he seemed stunned at this.  She didn't ever want to hear his 
explanation for what had just happened.  How had Verity known that she was 
her mother?  Maybe she had overheard one of their conversations...
	
"Yeah honey," Mulder replied.
	
"Why?"  Verity asked.
	
"I'm just so happy to finally be with you and your mother," he answered 
softly, looking at Scully.  She smiled and reached for his hand.
	
As she sat there, holding her daughter and Mulder's hand, Scully knew 
she couldn't be happier.  She knew that all throughout her life, this had been what 
she was missing. And what she needed.  She had needed a family...and love...  
Although she knew that the bureau wouldn't approve, she wanted to marry Mulder 
and spend her life with him. 
	
And Verity.  Verity surprised her more and more every day.  However, 
this was the biggest surprise yet.  She had called Scully her mother... and Mulder 
her father.  It made Scully so happy.  And it had all happened quickly.  Somehow 
she knew this was a turning point in her life.  She would never be the same.

To be continued...

VERITY - Chapter Five

Author:  The Consortium
Rating:  PG
Category:  X-File, Romance
Keywords:  MSR
Spoilers:  Redux/Redux II
Summary:  Mulder and Scully search for the truth about their daughter.

Disclaimer:  Despite what you may be thinking, we knew NOTHING about
"Christmas Carol" or "Emily" when we started writing this.  Great
minds think alike, that's all.  That said, all recognizable characters
are the property of Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and FOX. 
Everything else is the product of our demented imaginations.  

***

The Smoking Man stood at the door, ready to leave.  Sam watched him
from her seat on the couch.

"So, you know what you have to do?" he asked her, annoyance still
clear in his tone.

"Yes," she answered quietly.  At first she hadn't been sure about his
plan, but the last few days had been miserable ones.  Sam didn't know
what else to do.

"And you'll do what I ask of you this time, Samantha?" he continued.

She looked up, with a momentary flash of anger directed at him.  "I
said I'll do it."

"Good.  You know this is the right thing, don't you?"

"Yes," she replied, and watched him go.  But she wasn't entirely sure
it was the right thing to do.

***

Mulder and Scully were both exhausted, so, scooping Verity up, Scully
stood to go to the bedroom to get some sleep.  Mulder stood and kissed
her softly.  "Good night, Dana."

"'Night, Fox."

"'Night, Daddy."  Verity reached up and kissed him on the cheek.  

Tears threatened as he looked down at his daughter.  "Good night,
angel.  I love you.  I love you both," he choked, drawing them both
into his arms.  "Sleep well."

Dana tucked Verity into bed and crawled in beside her.  She refused to
let go of her daughter for even a moment, even at night.  She was so
afraid that something would happen to her that she couldn't let her
out of her sight for a second.  "Sweet dreams, precious."

"'Night, Mommy."  Verity kissed her mother, curled up in her arms, and
fell asleep quickly.  Scully watched her little one sleep for a while,
marvelling at how perfect she was, and how much she looked like
Mulder.  She wished she had been there in the first weeks of Verity's
life, but that had been beyond her control.  What mattered was that
she was here now and nothing was ever going to happen to her.

***

Turning to his contacts at a top secret laboratory, the Smoking Man
frowned.  "Are you telling me you aren't ready?  I specifically gave
you three days."

A younger man dressed in a labcoat stepped forward.  "Everything's
ready, as promised.  You may have Designation 13B."

"I hardly think that name will go over well."

"But Designation 13B has known no other name."

"My instructions were explicit. This won't work otherwise."

A grey-haired man turned to the Smoking Man, his voice authoratative. 
"Yes, but we weren't the ones who allowed the girl to be taken out of
here and raised by that woman you seem so fond of."

"Never mind what I allowed... our work here will not be destroyed.  I
will get the girl back."  He meant it, but knew it would not be easy. 
Now that the child was in the hands of her real parents, and even
supposing that the switch went as planned, just how long would it be
until they found out that they no longer had their daughter, but a
perfect clone instead?

***

As Mulder lay on the couch, he couldn't keep his mind from wandering. 
He was thinking about Verity, about Scully, and about everything else
that had been going on in his life lately.  He and Sully had been
through so much too much in his opinion, and now everything seemed to
had settled down.  At least for the moment anyway.  

Mulder wondered what he and Scully were going to do about their
relationship.  Right now, he was spending the night in her apartment
and seeing her--and Verity--every day.  For now that was enough.   He
laid contentedly on the couch, and as he drifted off to sleep, he
thought of the two beautiful girls in his life.

***

Mulder reached the phone on the third ring. It had waken him up the
next morning at around 8:30.


"Agent Mulder?"

"Yes sir?" Mulder asked the ever so familiar voice of the assistant
director.

"I need you to come in as soon as possible."

"Uh...okay sir, we'll be in right away."

"No, Agent Mulder, make sure Verity isn't left alone at any time
today. Have Scully stay with her--only you come in," he said, then
hung up the phone. Mulder was confused by his last comment--he would
never consider leaving Verity without her mother, but why was Skinner
suddenly so insistent that keep a constant vigil over their little
girl?

***

The smoking man entered the large building and made his way down the
hallway.  He entered a room toward the end to find three men in
labratory jackets. "I assume you have heard??" he asked.

"Yes sir. We know that the plan has been changed," one of the men
replied.

"Today, when she goes to them, that is when it must happen... it must
be done in the midst of everyone moving around so that it will not be
noticeable," he explained.

"Not a problem sir, we have it under control.  We have 13B ready."

"Very well..."

***

When Mulder walked into Skinner's office he was shocked to see Sam
sitting there.  She faced Skinner's desk, but quickly turned to look
at Mulder as he went to the seat beside her.

There was a troubled look on her face, and she didn't waste any time
making him guess what was wrong.  "It's your... your daughter, Fox,"
she said softly.  "I came here to tell you both what happened, and
what's... going to happen."

Mulder thought she looked more than troubled now. She looked
miserable.

"You were the one who raised Verity?"

The name made Sam blink, as she stared at Mulder.  "You named her
Verity?  She was my little... Katie..."

"Why did you keep her from us?" Mulder demanded, suddenly very angry. 
Perhaps it wasn't fair to take this out on her, instead of the Smoking
Man, but Sam was the one confessing...

"Did he make you keep her?" Skinner interjected, his tone far more
calm than Mulder's.

"No, it wasn't like that.... it was like I told Fox... I was told you
were dead... and I was told the child's mother was dead, too.  I had
no idea until recently, and that's why I came and gave her back."

"Why come here now?" Mulder demanded.  "You had your chance to explain
before and you didn't.  If you want me to forgive you, you're wrong--I
won't."

Tears flooded Sam's eyes, but she continued in a wavering voice.  "I
have more news.  Something you don't know.  They are planning to
kidnap Verity."

"They?" Mulder and Skinner both said at once.

"I don't know how exactly... I only know I was supposed to show up
here and tell you to send for Fox and for Ms. Scully... and... Verity.
 And somehow I was to let them take Verity back."

"But why?  What does this have to do with him?" Mulder felt angry all
over again.

"I don't know... I honestly don't know..." Sam broke down into sobs.

***


Scully didn't like it one bit.  Mulder's message to stay home and
under no circumstances take her eyes off Verity had scared her, and
now he was gone.  She didn't feel safe.  It would be better to go to
where he was... and Skinner... she and her daughter would be safer
with them.  

Quickly she wrapped Verity in a coat and hurried out the door.

Scully could barely keep her eyes on the road as she drove; she kept
looking back at Verity, who was strapped very safely in her car seat. 
The little girl was sitting quietly--she was always well-behaved--but
Scully was still afraid something might happen.  She knew she was
being paranoid, but she refused to let her daughter out of her sight. 


She was greeted with all sorts of stares as she carried Verity through
the FBI Building.  The rumors had already spread about her and Mulder
and their baby.  She heard hushed conversations behind half-open doors
as she walked down the corridor, and wondered why, just once,
something couldn't be simple; why couldn't she just marry Mulder and
take care of Verity and live happily ever after?

She stopped for a moment to talk to Skinner's secretary, Kimberly, the
only one who was genuinely glad to see her and to meet the little
Mulder-baby.  As they chatted, Scully set Verity down, knowing she
wouldn't go anywhere.  With her attention diverted, she didn't notice
the Smoking Man lurking outside in the hall.


Verity recognized him as the nice man who used to visit her and bring
her toys and sing to her, and smiled.  He smiled back and held his
arms out to her.

Scully didn't even notice Verity toddling out into the hall... or the
identical little girl a nondescript man in a nondescript suit placed
just inside the doorway before he and the Smoking Man walked away.

Realizing she really should be in the office with Mulder and Skinner,
Scully turned and looked for Verity.  "There you are!"  she cooed,
scooping the toddler up and carrying her into the office.

"Scully!" Mulder exclaimed  "What are you doing here?  I thought I
told you to stay at your place."

"Mulder, I was worried.  What's all this about not letting Verity out
of my sight?  You know I wouldn't anyway,"  Scully responded, setting
Verity down on a chair in front of Skinner's desk.

"I know that, Scully.  It's just that Samantha warned me about someone
kidnapping her."

"Kidnapping her?" Scully gulped down a sudden awful fear.  "Why?"

"I don't know," Mulder replied, shaking his head.  "Is she okay?"

"I think so, why does something seem wrong?"

"Nothing, it's probably just her cold," Mulder said hesitantly as he
looked at Verity.  The little girl was staring disinterestedly at the
floor and swinging her legs.

Sam glanced at the Scully.  "You'd better take her home.  That's the
best thing to do right now. I don't know all of his plans... he could
be anywhere," she told her, nervously.

Skinner agreed.  "It's best you both go home, for now."

Mulder nodded and stood up, as Scully picked up Verity.  He led the
way out the door, then turned back to the others.  "Samantha... how
can I reach you in the future?"

"I'll contact you, Fox," she replied quietly.

"And I'll talk to you later, sir," Mulder said as he turned to leave. 
Skinner nodded.

Scully, Mulder and the girl they thought was their daughter made their
way out to the car.  Mulder opened the door and Scully got in with
Verity.

A little down the road, the Smoking man watched from his car, as the
real Verity slept in his lap. "Very good," he said into his cell
phone.  Everything has gone according to plan."

To be continued...



VERITY - Chapter 6

Author:  The Consortium
Rating:  PG, although warning for language in this chapter
Category:  X-File, Romance
Keywords:  MSR
Spoilers:  Redux/Redux II
Summary:  Mulder and Scully search for the truth about their daughter.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the property of Chris
Carter, 1013 Productions, and FOX.  Everything else is the product of
our demented imaginations.  

***

The Smoking Man took Verity to the home she had lived in with Sam. 
Realizing the child was sick with a cold, he put her to bed, closed
the door to her room, then went back out to the front room to wait for
Sam.  Patiently he smoked Morley after Morley, until he saw her drive
up to the house.

"You betrayed me," he told her through a haze of blue-gray smoke. 
"Again."

She didn't look surprised to see him.  "I did what I had to do."

"It doesn't matter.  I have her back, and you won't get the chance to
betray me again."

Sam merely nodded her head, and sunk into a chair opposite.  "You know
I love Katie, but it's not fair to them... to my brother, and to
Scully."

"Don't worry--they have something equally as good."

Sam blinked up at him, unsure of what he meant.  "Something?"

"Someone, rather.  A clone, actually.  They'll never know that we've
made the switch."

Sam had suspected some sort of scientific work had been going on.
Occasionally she'd heard fragments of the Smoking Man's conversations
with others on the phone.  But she'd never imagined that the research
had been this advanced--or this questionable.

"You've made a clone of my brother's daughter?"

"More than one, actually.  They are identical in every conceivable
way."

Sam shook her head.  "No, that can't be true... Katie--Verity, as they
call her--has been raised by me, and by you.  The other little girls
might look and sound like her, but they don't have her experiences or
her memories."

"Mulder and Scully will not know the difference.  They only found
their daughter a few days ago.  What's important is that we have the
original back."

Sam stood up and glared down at him. She was furious.  "The
'original'??  What, so you can make more clones?  Doesn't she mean
anything more to you than the means to an end in some ghoulish
experiment?  Doesn't she??"

"Yes," he answered in a hoarse whisper.  "Of course she does.  You
know very well that she does, and you know why."

"Say it," Sam glared at him.  "Say it!"

"Because I'm her grandfather."

"Yes," Sam nodded.  "And my father--and Fox's.  And this is why all of
this is so wrong.  Their child should be with them."

"No!" the Smoking Man shouted.  "She'll stay with us--I was the reason
she came into being in the first place!  She will stay with us... and
soon we'll have your brother, too.  One family--together.  Agent
Scully can have her daughter's clone--but she won't get her real
daughter, and she won't get Mulder."

***

As Scully prepared for bed, she worried about her daughter.  Verity
had been acting very strangely today... unusually distant.  She was
always so affectionate, and so playful with her mother.  But today she
had just played quietly by herself in a corner.  When Mulder came
home, she just looked up, she didn't run to him for a hug as usual. 
Maybe it was just the cold affecting her, but something seemed
strange.

She went into the living room, where Verity was sitting on the couch
watching a cartoon, and scooped her up.  "Time for bed, sweetheart."
Verity squirmed away and curled up on one end of the couch, her head
on a throw pillow.  "Honey, it's late, you need to sleep."

"Sleep here," Verity said stubbornly.

Scully was a little bit hurt.  "Okay, sweetie."  Now where would
Mulder sleep?  She didn't even want to think about that.  She pulled a
blanket up to Verity's chin and bent to kiss her, but Verity reached
up and pushed her away.  Now near tears, she turned the TV off and
went into the kitchen, where Mulder was looking over some files. 
"Fox?"

"What?"  He looked up and saw her trying to hold back tears.  "What's
wrong?  Dana?"  He went over to her and put his arms around her. 
"What is it?"

"Fox... Verity wouldn't let me kiss her goodnight.  She pushed me
away.  She doesn't want to sleep with me, either... she's in there on
the couch  by herself.  Oh, Fox, what if she doesn't love me?  What if
she wants to go back to your sister?"  Scully sobbed.  "I can't lose
my baby."

"Dana, honey..."  He tilted her tear-streaked face up to his, and
kissed her forehead.  "I don't think that's Verity."

"What do you mean?"  Scully asked, bewildered.

"I don't think that child out there is our daughter.  I think that she
was switched with a.... a clone... sometime today.  While your back
was turned."  Mulder held her close, knowing how hearing such a thing
would make her feel.

"There is no way," Scully shook her head.  "I never took my eyes off
her for a second.  Except..."  Her voice faded to a pale whisper.  "Oh
my God..."

"What?"

"At the FBI building.  I stopped to talk to Kimberly...and..."  Scully
was near tears.  "I set her down.  I turned away for no more than a
minute... could they have switched her in that amount of time?"

"I don't know, Dana, but that little girl in there is not the same one
that I saw last night."

"Something certainly is strange about her behavior,"  Scully agreed,
calming down a little.  She peeked into the room where Verity was
watching cartoons, and saw her staring 	expressionless at the TV. "I
can't believe I missed such obvious signs.  I didn't even notice that
she was acting so strangely.  But she's our daughter, and I should
have..."  Tears began to fall down Scully's cheeks.  "Oh, Fox, how
could we have lost her... when we just found her?"

Mulder pulled her close, and kissed the top of her head as sobs
wracked her small body.   "We have to find out what they did with
her,"  Mulder whispered.  "And we will, Dana.  We will find our
Verity."

It was some time later, when the little girl on the couch fell asleep.
 Scully sat beside her, and Mulder stood nearby.

"A clone?" Scully whispered, glancing again at the girl who looked so
much like Verity.

"I think so..." Mulder answered quietly.  "Sam explained some of the
Smoking Man's plan to me. She didn't know everything, but from what
she did say, it's the best guess I can make."

"What are we going to do?" Scully asked.

"We need Sam. She's the only one now who can help us," Mulder replied.
 "I'm not sure I can ever forgive her, but in an odd way I think we
can trust her."

"Do you know how to reach her?"

Mulder frowned.  "That's my only problem."

***

Sam rocked Verity to sleep.  She loved her Katie, but at the same time
she felt awful for what they had done to her brother. And to Scully. 
She knew her brother loved Scully and that he would always stand by
her no matter what.  That's what scared her.  She didn't know what
measures the Smoking Man would go to in order to keep this child. 

***

Mulder had been thinking about how to contact Sam when, surprisingly,
she phoned him. Her voice was hushed and serious, and she didn't say
much.  That he had to meet her--she had an important message to give
him.

With the address she'd told him in hand, Mulder went into the kitchen,
where Scully was fixing them a late night snack.

"I got a call, Dana... from Sam.  I'm going to meet her in an hour."

Scully looked excited by the news, but her expression soon faded to
concern.  "You can't go alone... you never know if it's a trap."

"I don't think so," Mulder shrugged. "I can't explain it, but I think
she's going to continue to help us."

Scully wasn't convinced.  "At least call Skinner.  He can send you
some back-up."

"No... Sam warned me not to.  She said that she's meeting me against
the Smoking Man's orders."

"Is... is she bringing Verity?"

"I hope so.  Look, I'll be back soon," Mulder told her, as he bent to
kiss the top of her head.  "And I'm going to be bringing our daughter
with me."

He moved past Scully, but she held onto his arm.  "What about... the
little girl in there?" she asked, gesturing toward the living room. 
"I mean, how can we just give her away--trade her in as if she's
defective merchandise?"

"She might be, Scully.  Sam didn't raise her, and who knows who did. 
As awful as this is to hear, I don't think she's known any other life
except in a lab, as an experiment."

Scully shuddered.  "It's not fair... she's still a little girl."

Mulder lifted Scully's chin with his finger and grinned down into her
eyes.  "Well, Dana, then how do you feel about twins?"

Scully sighed.  "Oh, Fox..."

"What?"  His smile faded.  "What's wrong?"

She put her arms around him and held him tight.  "I'm scared that even
if we get Verity back I won't be a good mother.  I haven't the least
bit of experience with one child, let alone two...  What if I can't
take care of them?"

"Dana... Dana, stop.  You'll be a wonderful mother.  You've been so
good with Verity, you'd think you'd been doing this all your life. It
comes naturally."

"Does it?"

He kissed her gently on both cheeks, brushing her tears away.  "Yes. 
Rememeber, you learned from the best."  He smiled.  He wished his own
mother had been as wonderful as Maggie Scully was.  "Now, go get some
sleep.  I'll be back soon."

She clung to him, not wanting to let go.  "Be careful."

He bent and kissed her on the lips.  "I will."

***

Mulder drove up to the building where Sam had told him to meet her. 

He walked around, surveying the building, hand on his gun just in
case.  He still wasn't totally sure why he had agreed on coming... he
had no idea what the Smoking Man could convince Sam into believing. 
For all he knew, the story she told them in Skinner's office was all a
lie... another part of the Smoking Man's scheme to ruin their lives.

He drew a deep breath and entered the building, watching his every
step.  He looked around for his sister.

"Fox," he heard from the other side of the room. But he saw nothing.
"Fox, I'm over here."

Then he saw her, hidden in the shadows before him, "Sam?"

"Yes, it's me. I have to be careful because he could be watching. He
could have followed me."

"The chain-smoking asshole?"

Sam nodded and looked at the floor.


"What is it, Sam?"

"I have some news for you..."

"Yes?"

"Well, first of all, he took Verity. I don't have her. He wants to
keep her and I assume he is afraid I will betray him... not that I
blame him, after all I AM here.  But, but I think I can help you find
her."

"Good. Where do you think he went?"

"Well, I have a few ideas. But there's something else you need to know
before we take this any further."

"What's that?"

"Fox... that 'chain-smoking asshole' is... our father."

To be continued...


VERITY - Chapter 7

Author:  The Consortium
Rating:  PG
Category:  X-File, Romance
Keywords:  MSR
Spoilers:  Redux/Redux II
Summary:  Mulder and Scully search for the truth about their daughter.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the property of Chris
Carter, 1013 Productions, and FOX.  Everything else is the product of
our demented imaginations.  

***

The Smoking Man felt particularly smug about his new plan.  He didn't
trust Sam anymore, and knew that Verity wasn't safe with her.

He walked down the deserted corridor of the top secret installation
and hesitated, telling himself that this wasn't permanent.  Verity
would only be here until he could be sure that Mulder and Scully were
no longer in pursuit.  There was no way of knowing how long it would
be until they realized something wasn't quite right about the "new
version" of the daughter they now had.

The corridor ended abruptly, leaving a myriad of directions to choose
from.  Along one sterile hallway was a set of blue doors.  Along
another, green.  But it was yellow that he was after.  Yellow Door,
Third Room.  That was where his real grand-daughter was.

What better place to hide the child?  She was among her own--all
clones.  Even if Mulder and Scully were to find out about the clones
and breach this installation, they would never find their real
daughter among all her look-a-likes, not before they were caught by
security.

The Smoking Man smiled again, as he brought a cigarette to his lips. 
His plan was ingenious. And fool-proof.  It didn't matter what Sam did
now.  Or that Mulder would need far more convincing before he was
ready to leave Scully and join his real family.

All that mattered is that the Smoking Man had won--again.

***

After Samantha dropped the bomb about the Smoking Man, Mulder stood
there for a moment, not sure what to do or say.  It couldn't be true,
it **couldn't**.  But that wasn't important right now.  They had to
find a way to save Verity.  He persuaded Sam to come with him back to
Scully's apartment so they could figure out the best plan of attack. 
He couldn't very well leave Verity's mother out of the planning... he
knew she would want to be an active participant.

When they arrived, they found Scully sitting on the floor by the
couch, her head pillowed on the cushion next to the sleeping Verity
clone.  She was stroking the little girl's hair and whispering
something.  

"Dana, honey?"

She looked up and smiled a little.  "Hi."  Then she saw Sam.  "What's
she doing here?"

"I'm going to help you and Fox get Ka... Verity back.  I think I know
what happened to her."

"Mulder? Fox?  Is this true?"  Scully stood and looked up at him,
unsure whether to believe his sister.

Suddenly, the news about the Smoking Man registered with him.  It had
taken a little while for him to process, and now he was overcome.  He
fell into Scully's arms, holding on tight, burying his face in her
hair.

"Fox, are you okay?  What's wrong?"  Scully was scared now.  Mulder
was always so strong, always there when she needed him.  Now he had
collapsed; he needed to lean on her.  "Fox, please, tell me what
happened.  Is it Verity?  Is she okay?  Fox?"  Her eyes filled with
tears.  "Say something."

"He's my father, Dana..."  he mumbled through her hair.  

"Who is?"

"Smoking Man.  He's my real father."

"What?" Scully blinked up at him.  She was shocked but tried to keep
herself calm.  Right now, Mulder needed her.

"He's my father, Scully," he said again.

Scully held him close to her, whispering to him that everything would
be okay, while Sam leaned against the door, watching her comfort the
grown-up brother she'd never had a chance to know.  And it was all the
fault of the man who was their father.  

Sam couldn't understand that if they were really his children, why he
would keep Fox and Dana's child from them for so long.  Why would he
take her back after they had learned of her existence and had a chance
to love her?  Sam knew that something deeper and even more serious
than a child was at stake here.  Fox was right.  He had kept things
from her. 

Mulder had stopped crying and looked over at Samantha.  She quickly
turned her head away from him--she didn't want to meet his eyes right
now.  So instead she looked at the Verity clone, still asleep on the
couch.  She was a perfect replica of her little Katie, but she wasn't
the same.  Something was just odd about her.  She almost felt sorry
for her.  

"So, " Scully began, "where do we start?"

"You said you might know what he had done with her?" Mulder asked Sam.
 

"Yes.  He told me about a place where he went once...when he was hurt.
That's why I think that you're going to find your little girl before
anything bad happens to her."

"He wants her alive?" Scully asked, surprised.  "For what purpose?" 
She was overjoyed that Verity was alive, but couldn't see the 
reasoning of a man she only knew as a cold-blooded killer.

"Yes.  He always took such an interest in her.  Now I know that it was
because he was her grandfather, but it always seemed like it was
something more than that."

***

The Smoking Man walked through the dim hallway toward the room where
his grandchild was staying. As he got closer, he wondered if telling
Samantha was such a good idea. After all, she had betrayed him about
the clone.  But still, somehow, he felt that he owed it to Sam and
Mulder to let them know.  Even though Mulder probably wouldn't believe
it.  He knew what Mulder thought of him, and he knew he wouldn't
change his opinions now that he had made up his mind.  

The door to the laboratory opened silently, and he looked in at the
sleeping clones.  He slowly walked toward the one he knew was the real
Verity and looked down at her peaceful face.  He really felt for this
child. He loved this child. And she was the closest thing he would
ever get to a family. It bothered him that he couldn't lead a normal
life, with a normal family--that he couldn't put an end to these
damned secrets and lies.  But that was all a dream. A dream that would
never come true...at least not in this lifetime.

***

Yellow walls.  A bright yellow that hurt her eyes so much she had to
rub them.  She felt sleepy, and the bed didn't feel the same.

Verity blinked open her eyes and knew she wasn't with her mommy...or
her daddy.  Someone had taken her away again... just like she'd
sometimes been taken away from her first mommy.

Then she saw him.  The tall man with the crinkly face and bad smell.
He was the one who always took her away.

Verity felt confused.  This man was nice to her, though.  He'd given
her lots of toys, including her favorite stuffed bunny rabbit.  And
when he took her outside he always walked slow so she could keep up,
and sometimes when she was good he'd take her for ice cream.

But why had he taken her away from her new mommy and daddy?  And where
had he taken her?  There were lots and lots of beds, with lots and
lots of little kids sleeping in them.  She couldn't remember being
here before, and it scared her.

Suddenly the tall man was next to her, pulling her out of the bed, and
lifting her.  Sometimes he hugged her, and she hated the strong smell
on his clothes.  But it always seemed to Verity that he was very sad,
so she didn't mind hugging him back a little.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a very croaky voice.  Sometimes Verity
wondered if he'd been crying.  But only little kids cried, didn't
they?

Verity didn't know what to say.  She felt so many things.  Kind of
hungry.  A little scared.  Still sleepy.  Hoping for the best, she
whispered close to his ear, "I miss my mommy and daddy."

Her sad little voice tore his heart in two.  "You miss mommy and
daddy?"

She nodded sleepily.  "Mommy hugs me and plays with me a lot."

"What about daddy?  Does he spend time with you?"

She nodded again.  "A lot.  He's funny.  He looks like Mr. Potato
Head."

He laughed a little at that. "You want to go back to mommy and daddy?"

Of course she did, and he knew it.  Why should she want to be with him
instead of her own parents who loved her?  The Smoking Man thought
about it.  He decided he was going to do something about this instead
of just sitting there wishing things were different.  Maybe he could
get Mulder to trust him.

He picked up a bag of toys and things and carried Verity out the door.


***

Mulder, Scully, and Samantha were sitting around the living room,
wondering what they were going to do.  None of them had any concrete
plans on what to do about Verity, just a bunch of half-baked notions
that would probably get them or her killed.  Mulder was cuddled
against Scully, hugging her close for support.  She intermittently
kissed him or stroked his hair.

He sat up straighter when he heard the footsteps in the hall.  They
hesitated for a moment and then the door swung open, revealing the
Smoking Man, Verity in his arms, tears in his eyes.

Samantha gasped as her father walked into the room, holding Verity in
his arms.  Maybe she had been wrong about him wanting to hurt Dana and
Fox.  As she stood up to take the little girl from him, the smoking
man kissed Verity on the top of her head and whispered goodbye to his
only granddaughter.  

Dana walked over to Sam and took Verity from her, holding her close
and rocking her back and forth, murmuring words of reassurance that
were as much for Verity's benefit as they were for her own.  Mulder
watched as tears of happiness came to Scully's eyes and tried in vain
to hold back tears of his own.  

"Why?" he asked the Smoking Man, who was struggling to maintain his
own composure.  Mulder had never seen him like this.  The cold-blooded
killer he had known was gone and there now seemed to be only a
sensitive, caring man who desperately wanted a family to love and to
be loved back.

"I wanted you to have a chance to have what I never did," the Smoking
Man replied, "I only want the very best for my granddaughter."

Mulder looked at the man standing before him. The man he had always
thought to be evil and mysterious, now was standing in front of him,
showing emotion. Mulder simply nodded, and walked over to Scully on
the couch, joining her in hugging and comforting Verity. He was so
glad to have his daughter back.

Sam walked over to the Smoking Man. "You really meant that didn't
you?" Sam asked.

The Smoking Man hesitated, then he looked at Sam, and nodded. "Yes,
yes I did." 

Sam smiled.  She had known for a while that this man did have a heart.
 And that he could show it if he only could figure out how. 

"Thank you," she told him, quietly.

Scully was overcome.  Not even thinking about what she was doing, she
handed Verity to Mulder, went over to the Smoking Man, and hugged him
tightly.  "Thank you for bringing my baby back," she said softly.

Mulder couldn't believe it, but a tear rolled down the Smoking Man's
cheek.  He smiled a little and said,  looking at Mulder,  "Take care
of her, Fox.  Of little Verity, and her mother.  And this other little
girl, if you'll have her."  He nodded toward Verity's clone--the child
he was sure Mulder & Scully would raise as Verity's sister.

He looked down at Scully, but gestured to Mulder.  "And now that you
have an instant family, make sure he makes an honest woman of you."

Scully wasn't quite sure what to make of his actions... or hers; here
she was, with her arms around the **Smoking Man**... so she just
nodded.

The Smoking Man moved to hug Samantha,  and caressed Verity's hair. 
Then, in the silence that followed, he walked slowly out the door.

Back in his lonely apartment, late that night, he knew what he had to
do.  The experiments would end.  He would find good homes for all the
Verity clones--they deserved that much.  

Then he lay awake long into the night and cried over the family he 
almost had.

        ***THE END***

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