NOTE: THIS IS MY VERY FIRST ATTEMPT AT FAN FIC OF ANY KIND. SO FEEDBACK GREATLY WELCOME. Title: Abject Lethe Author: Clover Blue Email address: glassrain@hotmail.com Rating: PG Category: XRA-X-File/Romance/Angst Spoilers: Never Again, Mento Mori Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance Summary: Scully disappears for five days. When she is found she has amnesia. Mulder and Scully work to find out what happened to her and try to get her memory back. Disclaimer: Agents Scully, Mulder and their coherts are, of course the property of Chris Carter, 1013 productions and Fox. Eh, so much for originality. Note: A very special thanks to my Beta reader Shannon O'Connor. Please archive. ANY AND ALL FEED BACK WILL BE APPRECIATED!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Abject Lethe by Clover Blue Part 1/4 6:45 am After sleeping less than twelve hours in five days, Mulder thought the sound of his cell phone seemed amplified as its chirpping sound filled the room. He absently reached to answer his phone. "Mulder." "Agent Mulder?" the voice on the other end asked. "Yes? "We found her." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Holy Cross Memorial Hospital 9:20 am Assistant Director Skinner turned the corner into the Recovery waiting room and spotted Mulder as he paced the small space like a caged panther. "Agent Mulder." Mulder snapped his head in the direction of Skinner's voice and took three long strides to close the gap between them. "Where is she?" "She's in the recovery unit." "Is she all right? Can I see her?" Even as he said this, Mulder was heading for recovery. He had been waiting for almost an hour and was quite agitated, something that had not escaped Skinner's attention. "She's conscious and moving around. But Agent Mulder-" "Take me to her." "Agent Mulder." The tone of Skinner's voice stopped Mulder in his tracks. "Agent Mulder, there are a few things you need to know before you see her." "I'm listening." AD Skinner inhaled deeply, "Agent Scully was found at 6 this morning, ten miles outside of Washington, face down in a ditch. She was unconscious and suffering from hypothermia and shock." Skinner watched the subtle play of emotions flicker across Mulder's face. "Apparently she had been there for some time." "Did you get the people that did this to her?" "No. The investigation is ongoing." Mulder studied Skinner's face before speaking again. "There's something you're not telling me." Skinner looked at the floor unwilling to meet the agent's eyes. "Maybe it's best if you found out for yourself, Agent Mulder." Those words hung in the air as Skinner brushed past Mulder and headed for recovery, leaving him to follow. When they reached the recovery unit, Skinner stopped in front of the door and faced Mulder. "Keep in mind ,Mulder, that she had been exposed to the elements for some time, and-" drawing in a deep breath he continued,"-apparently she had some physical abuse." Skinner saw Mulder's eyes move rapidly as his mind took flight. "All preliminary tests show no type of sexual abuse. "Mainly...physical." With that Skinner moved away from the door so Mulder could enter. The room was shockingly white, which was added to by sunlight streaming through the huge bay windows that were wrapped in protective steel bars. The room contained four small hospital beds, a locked metal cabinet and a petite figure staring out a window. Her back was to him. She wore a standard hospital gown and cover. Her hair was slicked back as if she had just showered. Mulder lingered in his place for moment silently, thanking whoever out there, that she was safe. "Scully." he heard himself say, and noticed the slight quiver in his voice. He also noticed that she hadn't turned around. He strode over to her and repeated her name again, but still she had not turned. He stood but two feet from her and lightly touched her shoulder as he said her name again. "Scully?" She turned her body slowly toward him, then raised her face to his. Mulder sucked in his breath as she revealed to him and angry bruise on her cheek and a slightly swollen bottom lip. "Oh, Scully." he breathed. He lifted his hand to her face, letting it linger over her wounds but not touching her skin. He felt an angry disgust flow in his stomach and tasted the bile in the back of his throat as he thought of those that did this to her. Mulder's eyes drifted over her face, taking in the small scratches on her cheeks and forehead, and finally settled on her eyes. It was there he saw the biggest wound of all. The eyes he looked into were not the eyes of the woman he had known. Yes, they were her eyes, but her soul was not in them. He surmised that this wasn't a clone. He thought. No, the body was hers-but the spirit wasn't. "I'm sorry sir. Do you know me?" Mulder didn't know whether to laugh or cry. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dana Scully's Apartment 1:15 pm Mulder slid the key back into his pocket as he stepped aside to let his partner in. She took three steps in and glanced around as Mulder closed the door softly behind them. "Nice place," she commented. "Yes," he said, stepped around her and walked into the litchen area. "Are you thirsty? Would you like something to drink?" Mulder asked. "Yes. What do you...I mean, what do I have?" "Water, a pitcher of ice tea, nonfat milk and orange juice." "You haven't even looked in the refrigerator yet." Mulder replied with a half cocked grin. "Water is fine." She said with a smile of her own. "Water it is." As he set about gathering glasses, it occured to her that this man knew a lot about her living space. Still standing in the same place as when she entered, she glanced around the quaint living room. Her eyes fell upon a cabinet which held framed pictures, and walked over to get a closer look. She picked up one photo in a sliver frame, showing an older couple standing side by side with the sea as their back drop. They wore contented smiles on their faces and a warmness in their eyes. In the corner was written, "San Diego, 1992" She assumed that these must be her parents. Setting down the picture frame, she picked up another one, this one obviously a family photo. There was the older couple again, now accompanied by herself, another pretty young woman, and two men. One of the men was large and authoritative looking. The other was slightly smaller with an easy going look about him. It seemed to be a picture taken at a beach. she thought to herself as she set the photo down. She took a deep breath and stared at the pictures a moment,hoping that their faces would spark her memory. The sudden tinkle of ice near her ear made her jump. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Mulder said as he handed her the glass. "Oh, thank you Agent Mulder." "Any luck?" "Luck?" "Remembering who those people are," he said as he motioned towards the pictures. Scully let out a heavy sigh. "No. But I'm assuming that these are my parents." "Yes. Good detective work Agent Scully." he said and proceeded to fill in the blanks of their names. "This," he said, pointing at the same family photo, "is your mother, your father, your older brother Bill, your younger brother Charles, and this...this is your sister Melissa." He watched her face for any sign of recognition, but there was none. Her only comment was, "She's pretty." Mulder let out a deep sigh. "Agent Mulder? Have I said something wrong?" A gentle tapping at the door drew their attention. Mulder turned away from her to answer the door. There stood a rather pleasant looking woman of medium build and brown hair. Scully wondered to herself why she would register her physical traits so quickly. Somehow it felt like a habit. Scully recognized the woman's face as the one from the pictures. she thought. Mulder confirmed it. "Hi Mrs. Scully. Come in." She walked in with an air of kindness and grace. She spotted Scully immediately, and walked over to her. "Hello Dana. I'm...your mother." "Hello." was all Scully could get out. They lingered in an akward moment of not knowing whether to embrace as mother and daughter, or simply shake hands like the strangers they were not far from being. Mulder made the decision for them by speaking. "Uh, Scully...your mother is going to stay with you tonight. I have to go to the office and do some work on a case we've been working on. I'll be back later to check on you, OK?" "OK." "Goodnight Mrs. Scully." "Goodnight Fox." As he turned to leave the Scully women he was stopped by Scully's voice. "Agent Mulder?" "Yes?" "Thank you." Mulder gave a small smile of acknowlegdement and walked out the door. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dana Scully's Apartment 9:15 pm "So I'm a medical doctor and an FBI agent? Well, looks like I've been busy." "Yes, you have," Margret chuckled. "I was wondering...could you tell me something about my family?" "What would like to know?" "Anything. Everything." After a moment of silence, a small smile appeared on Margret's face, accompanied by a twinge of sadness. "All right." Scully sat back and listened to tales about her childhood, the death of her father--a Navy Captain--, and the mysterious murder of her sister Melissa. Her mother told her all this in a matter-of-fact way. Though her voice did not waver, Scully noticed the shining tears forming in her eyes. She reached out and laid her hand gently on her mother's hand and gave her a sympathtic smile. "I'm OK Dana." "I know you are. But there's something you're not telling me, isn't there?" Margret looked into her daughter's eyes and studied them before she answered. "Yes. But I don't think it should be me who tells you." "If not you, then who?" "Fox." "Agent Mulder?" Margret nodded. "What does he have to do with-" "He'll tell you everything you need to know about yourself as you are now Dana. Trust him." Scully said not another word on the matter. She couldn't help but wonder why Agent Mulder would have such intimate information about her. She let those questions lie. For now. "It's late Dana. You should get some sleep, you've had a long day." "Yes," she answered. she thought. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Federal Bureau of Investigations Building 9:35 pm Fox Mulder was hunched over his desk completely engrossed by what he was reading. He had been sitting at his desk for more than two hour,s reading and rereading the case file on Scully's disappearance. he thought, Mulder breathed deeply as he rubbed his hands over his tired eyes. "Ah Scully...where are you when I need you?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dana Scully's Apartment 8:15 am The tap on the door was answered a few seconds later when Scully opened the door to Mulder. "Good Morning," Mulder greeted as he took in the fact that she was already fully dressed. "Agent Mulder. Good Morning." "You don't have to call me Agent Mulder, you know." "What would you prefer I call you?" "Your Supreme Being, Your Royal Coolness, Mulder, whatever." Scully raised an eyebrow and replied, "Well then, Mulder, seeing as we are on a last name basis and all, by all means please come in." Mulder grinned at her as he walked into her apartment. "Where's your mother?" "Ah...she said she had a few things she needed to take care of, but that she would call to check on me later." He studied her as she talked, looking, or rather hoping, for a moment of recognition. His delay in a immediate reply prompted Scully to give him a questioning look. "Um, well I just stopped by to see how you were doing. If you needed anything." "Need anything? Besides my memory you mean?" she replied in jest. He gave a small chuckle, happy to see at least she still had her optimism. "Yeah, besides that." "Nothing really. I'm Fine Mulder." I'm fine Mulder. Those words rang in his head. "Well I should be going. I have a few leads I need to check on." "Are you working on my case?" He gave a brief thought to lying to her. She had been through so much already he didn't want her to worry more. But he had never lied to her before, and he wasn't about to start now. "Yes as a matter of fact I am." "Would you mind if I come with you? Maybe I can help." Mulder knew, that if she couldn't even remember her own mother, the chances of her remembering anything involving FBI protocol was zero to none. Even so, he could not deny her. And truth be told, he wanted her with him. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Unmarked Farmer's Road 10:32 am The sound of the dirt and gravel beneath the car's tires were both distracting and hypnotic as Mulder and Scully rode along the quiet country road. "Mulder?" "Yeah?" "Where are we going?" "To Earl Adams' Husbandry Farms." "Husbandry Farms?" "It's where they found you." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Earl Adams' Husbandry Farms 10:48 am The first thing that struck Mulder about the robust farmer was his large white eyes. Why the fact that this man was albino shocked him, he didn't know. "Agent Mulder, I believe?" the man greeted. "Mr. Adams?" "That's what the sign says, son." Earl beamed at Mulder. "Thank you for meeting us here at such short notice, Mr. Adams." "No problem, son. If you'd come a few minutes later, you would have caught me with me hands full, if you know what I mean? Ah excuse me, ma'am" Mulder and Scully exchanged amused smiles as Mulder proceeded, "If you don't mind ,Mr. Adams, we'd like to see it now." "Sure, sure. Come on." As Mulder and Scully followed the large man, Earl Adams chatted on about his farms and their achievments. Not only did they bred some of the world's best race horses, but herd of his sheep had taken part in cloning experiments. "Because only the best would do, you see. And Earl Adams farms have the best." Scully looked over at Mulder to see that his eyes had slightly widened and were moving rapidly. She wasn't sure which of Mr. Adams' comments he was reacting to, but for some reason, she didn't feel any surprise. The trio walked past the main house, past a large barn that was directly behind the main house and into a wide open field. About an hundred feet away was a small groove of elm trees. It was a few minutes before Scully noticed that they were walking down a slight embankment. They reached the front line of trees when Earl stopped and pointed, "There," he said. "Past those two large trees is where my hand Cain found her, that FBI Agent." It took a bit of focusing before either of the agents could make out the image of a ditch. "Say, whatever happened to her? Is she alive? I mean seein' the condition she was in when we found her I would be surprised if she came through," Earl mused. Mulder turned his head toward Scully for her reaction. She simply tilted her head to one side and began to walk toward the ditch. Mulder watched her head down toward the trees as he spoke to Earl. "Ah, Mr. Adams, you said that your hand found Agent Scully. In the report it stated that you found her." "Oh no, no," Earl said. "That was my hand, Cain Roberts. You see that day I had to go into town for feed and left the animals to Cain. Apparently one of the sheep got away from him, so he chased it down this way, toward the ditch, and that's where he come upon her. Scared him half to death too. My wife said he come blubbering up to the main house rambling on about a dead body." "Mr. Adams, is it possible for me to speak to Cain?" Earl shook his head. "Sorry Agent Mulder, I'm afraid not," he said. "That same day he up and quit. Damn shame, too. I mean, he'd only worked with us for two weeks, but he was a good hand. But I guess some men just don't have the constitution to face death." Mulder gave Earl an ironic grin of acknowlegdement as he turned toward the place Scully had disappeared to. "Thank you, Mr. Adams," he said as he trekked off after her. He found her standing in the middle of the ditch with her eyes closed and her face to the sky. "Scully?" As he called her name he saw the smoke of his breath. He also became aware of how cold it was here. Here, within the confines of the stand of trees, little or no sunlight was permitted to pass through the thick branches. He thought again of what she must have endured not only here, but where ever she had been those five days. Those thoughts only helped to strengthen his resolve to get her memory back, and to capture and expose those who did this to her. Again. "I know this place, Mulder," she said, without opening her eyes. "You were found here." "Yes, I know. But it's just...just"she stammered as she turned to look at him. "Just what?" he asked as he moved closer to where she stood. "It's just- I see myself running and...and...I can't-" "It's ok. Take your time." He placed his hand gently on her shoulder. She closed her eyes again tightly, trying to get a grasp on the fading images. "I'm running. Someone is behind me." She paused. "What else? What else do you see?" "I see...a van. A blue van. I'm running from the blue van. I'm, I'm..." Without warning her knees began to buckle beneath her. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- D.C. General Hospital 1:11 pm Scully opened her eyes reluctatly to muted lighting and a smell akin to rubbing alcohol. Turning her head to one side, she saw a woman washing her hands at a sink along one wall. "Where am I?" Scully croaked, then cleared her throat. The nurse turned quickly to face her, then smiled and said, "You're in D.C. General, Agent Scully." The nurse said. "Hospital? What am I doing here?" "I brought you here,"Mulder answered as he entered the room. He crossed over to her and sat on her bed. "Why? What happened?" "Don't you remember?" "Uh...I remember standing in a cold ditch." "We were investigating the place where you were found. You were beginning to retrieve at least part of your memory, when suddenly you fainted." "I fainted?" "Hard to believe I know, but you were totally unresponsive to outside stimuli. The doctors believe you had some sort of synaptic seizure. They've been running some tests and are going to run a few more. They want to make sure this wasn't a sign that-" He stopped short of mentioning her cancer. He watched her face run a gamet of emotions. This "Amnesia Scully" wasn't as able as "his" Scully to completely hide her emotions it seemed. She, however, put up a valiant fight to keep them under control. "I...how long will I be here?" "A few more hours." She nodded in acceptance. "Will you be...going?" she asked. He grinned warmly as he leaned in closer to speak so that only she could hear him. "Are you trying to get rid of me, Scully?" She blushed, but grinned back. "No," she answered. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Journal of Fox Mulder Long ago my feet were set upon a dark and arduous road. And alone I have followed this path, not knowing where it will take me, but with the hopes that one day it will lead me to the truth. I travel this road knowing it will be full of twists and turns and holes I do not see. So in following this road I have come to expect the unexpected. By far the most unexpected of this journey being you, Scully. So I sit here outside your hospital room with my head in my hands today, hoping for the lesser of two evils, for both our sakes. Loss to me is an accpeted part of my being. I've built my life on it. The loss of my sister, my father, and to some extent myself. I am not unlike a ship out to sea, sailing in a dense fog, traveling to I know not where, but eager to find a safe port. So I search the distance for a beacon. A lighthouse that will guide me there. So in searching, I've found you. You, Scully, are my lighthouse. As I set sail on a turbulent and angry sea, I take comfort in the knowledge that your bright light will guide me back. This alone for the past four years have kept me going. In the beginning I condemned you as a spy. But your continued effort to help me in what can only be called my life's passion, your loyality and deterimnation to find the truth, lay evidence against any previous aligations I may have put upon you. What started out a solitary journey has now become a crusade, with a newfound knowlegde to trust in another. This is the same trust and knowledge I have that you will come back to me. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal Journal of Dana Scully As I lay in an X-ray room today, the paper thin sheet across my body and the needles in my veins conveyed to me an extreme feeling of deja vu. My vision is blurred from the medication I have been given, and my limbs began to feel limp and heavy. As I lay here, half between consciousness and unconsciousness, I began to see bits and pieces of my life before. Running breathlessly in the dark, chuckling in the sun, you holding me tenderly. They continue to come, but I grab onto these images in vain, for as quickly as they are given to me, they are just as quickly snatched away. Of these images I am allowed to see, the most consistent are of you, Mulder. You, in an windowless office surrounded by the organized clutter that is your life. You and I, on a late night stake out. You and I, disagreeing. You, with a look of suffering and longing. You, with a smile of compassion and comfort. You, holding me gently in your arms. As I lay here on this bed, half of a being, I can only image what my life, your life, was like before my disapearance. So I will close my eyes again. Hoping to be blessed again by vague images that tell me part, and nothing at all. Part 2/4 Dana Scully's Apartment 7:20 pm Mulder opened the door to Scully's apartment and stepped aside to let her in. "Are you thirsty Scully? Do you want something to drink?" "Mulder, I'm having a serious moment of deja vu." He chuckled and was rewarded with one of her smiles. "Actually, I'm hungry." "If you'll allow me, I'll order you up the best Chinese food you can imagine all by myself. I even know how to dial the numbers on the phone." She grinned, "How can I refuse?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 8:15 pm Despite her inital hesitation, Scully had to admitt, Mulder was right. Tommy Fong's was the best chinese take out she had ever had. Given her limited memory, at least she assumed so. "Tell me something Mulder. How did we become partners?" "We were partnered together per FBI regulations." He said matter of factly. "How long have we been partners?" "Four years now." "And what is it exactly, that we do?" At that Mulder gave her a lopsided grin,"Are you sure you want to open that box Pandora?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 9:20 pm "So you're telling me we look for little green men?" "Yeah," Mulder chuckled," little green men." "And we get paid for this?" "It's not as bad as it sounds." he protested. "Are you sure?" Her answer was a bemuzed grin. "Ok, explain to me again about the Leech Boy." "Fluke Man," he corrected. "Him too." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 10:00 pm "Mulder, you haven't said much about yourself." "Maybe there's nothing to tell." "For some reason I find that hard to believe." "What would like to know?" Scully pondered that question for a moment before asking,"Tell me why. Why the FBI? Why the X-Files?" Mulder was taken aback. Why he should be he didn't know. Maybe it was because he had been asking himself the same question. "I don't think you know the can of worms you are about to open." He said. "Ok then Mulder, here's another question. What kind of relationship do we have?" "You go right for the jugular don't you?" he asked as she flashed him an impatient look. "Our relationship is that we are partners. It is based on mutual respect." "Is that all?" she asked. "What were you expecting?" "Well quite honestly Mulder,"she paused,"you seem to know alot about my life." "We've been together for four years. You get to learn some stuff about a person, if you pay attention." "Did you know I have a tatoo?" "On your right hip. It's of an..." he stopped as he saw the look on her face. "Well. You've certainly paid attention." "The reason I know is because it's an X-File." Scully wore a look of disbelif. "I know, I couldn't believe you got a tatoo either." he smiled. "And are the contents of my house an X-File too? You seem to know your way around it intimately." "Of course I do. I spend alot of time here." "Uh huh." "I mean...It's not what it sounds like." "Oh really?" "You don't understand. Our relationship is...is hard to descibe." Mulder gave her a pleading look and she relented. No more personal questions tonight, besides she was tired. "Ok Mulder you win. No more questions." "Thank you. I was expecting Alex Trybeck to walk through that door at any moment." "It's pretty late. And I'm tired. I think I'll turn in." "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay with you tonight Scully." She shot him a a questioning glance. "On the couch of course." He explained."I just think you should be alone right now." After a moments thought she agreed. This maybe her house, but she was still a stranger to it. And right now the only familar thing she had in it was Mulder. And quite frankly, she would feel better if he stayed. "Stay Mulder. I want you to stay." They looked at each other for what seemed an eternity before she spoke again. "Are you sure you'll be alright on the couch? You don't have to saty if you don't want to" "I want to." "Ok then. Let me get you a blanket and pillow." She looked around in vain, since she had no idea where she kept such things. Mulder saw her torment and said,"I can get it myself Scully. I know where everything is." She gave him a why am I not surprised look. And if she wasn't mistaken, she thought she actually saw him blush. "Well then, goodnight Mulder." "Goodnight Scully. Don't let the little green men bite." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1:52 am Mulder woke to the sound of Scully screaming his name over and over in terror. He bounded off the couch and practically flew ino Scully's bedroom. There he found her sitting upright in bed, her hands out stretched before he as if to ward off an invisible attacker, her eyes shut tight. "Mulder! Mulder! Help me! Mulder!" "Scully," he called her name, but she did not respond. It was clear that she was still asleep. "Mulder! Make them stop! Please! I can't go through this again!" "Dana!" he cried as he went to the bed and gathered her up in his arms. As he reached for her she began to fight him. Obviously fighting off her nightmare attacker. "Stop! Leave me alone!" "Shhh...hush. Dana, it's alright. I'm right here. I'm right here." Suddenly her eyes snapped open. "Mulder?" she called out his name in relief and confusion. "You were having a bad dream." "Oh...Mulder," She breathed his name in anguish as she broke down in his arms sobbing. All he could do was shelter her in his embrace until the storm of her emotions passed. As she cried he cradled her head to his chest and rocked her slowly. "I'm ok, Mulder." She said after a few moments, gathering her emotions together. As she said this she began to withdrawl from his embrace. "What were you dreaming about?" He asked before she could leave the protective circle of his arms. "I was dreaming...I was dreaming..." her words became stammered as the images of her nightmare became clearer. He folded her back into his embrace. Her head resting again against his chest. Despite all that she felt at this moment, she couldn't help but acknowledge that being in his arms was the only place she felt she belonged. "Take your time," he whispered into her hair. His voice was a soothing wave that washed over her making her feel safe. She inhaled deeply, and his scent filled her senses with an overwhelming feeling of safety and home. "I was dreaming," she spoke into his chest, "I was in a large room wearing a hosptial gown, I was lying on a gernie, and I was restrained." She felt him raise his hand to her head and began to lightly stroke her hair, in a silent effort to soothe and incourage her to go on. "I looked around the room,"she continued,"and I saw other women, unconscience also strapped to tables. Some of them looked pregnant." "I...I tried to speak but nothing came out. Nothing. Then I heard something," her words becamed rushed,"I saw..two maybe three shadow figures coming towards me. I tried to call to them but nothing came out Mulder. Nothing!" He pressed her protectively to his chest. He could feel her heart beating rapidly as he held her. And again he felt anger at those who would give her yet more nightmares. "Do you remember anything else?" he asked "No. After that I woke up in your..."she trailed off. "Well I guess that's better than the dream you have about showing up to work naked." She snapped her head up, "I have that dream?" "No actually, that's my dream." Despite her torrent of emotions, a giggle escaped her lips. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2:10 am "Yeah Frohicke, I know what time it is." Mulder said to the smallest, and obviously grumpest, member of the Lone Gunmen. "Look, I need you to do something for me." "Mulder the only thing I can do for you at this hour, is hang up and go back to sleep." "You can dream about 7 of 9 some other time. Right now I need you to find help me find out about the guy that found Scully." "You found her?" "Yeah, yesterday." "Is she alright?" "Besides a little case of 'Total Recall', she's fine." "What do you need Mulder." "I need you to find out what you cn about the Earl Adam's Husbandry Farms." "Huh?" Mulder could almost see Frohike shaking his dishevled hair over the phone, "I must still be asleep. I thought I just heard you say you want me to check out a husbandry farm." "That's right Johnny, tell him what he's won." Mulder quipped. "Look I have a feeling that this place and Scully' disappearnce have some sort of connection." "Alright Mulder, I'll call Byers and Langly. They won't be too happy about being woke up this early. But since I'm up, why they hell shouldn't they be too?" "I like the way your little mind works Frohicke. Call me as soon as you get anything." Mulder hung up with his, somewhat, unorthodox informat and sat on the couch. He was exhausted. With his elbows on his kness and his head in his hands, Mulder reflected on the night's events. After Scully's tale of her nightmare, he had stood with her until she had went back to sleep. He rememebred how small and fragile she felt in his arms. If he could have pressed her to him until she had become part of him so that he could keep her safe, he would have. But she would never hear of it, he thought. His Scully didn't like to be coddled and protected. She liked to stand on her own two feet. Like she did with her cancer. But this wasn't his Scully. This Scully was in limbo, and at least this Scully he could protect until his Scully came back to him. And that's exactly what he intended to do. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dana Scully's Apartment 7:15am Scully shuffled into the kitchen groggily, only to be met by Mulder's beaming face. "Good morning sunshine." Mulder beamed at Scully. she thought, She noted that he was fully dressed and apparently on his way out, while she was still dressed in her robe. "Going somewhere, Mulder?" "Uh, yeah." Mulder said. "I left you a note on the table. Basically it said I took all your valuable stuff. You know, your Star Trek commeretive plate collection, your Spock ears and your phaser. Which was set to kill might I add." She raised an eyebrow. "It's all there in the note, Scully." "Ok, Mulder." And with that he was gone. She walked over to the table and found the note lying next to a steaming cup of coffee. She picked it up and read it. Scully, Have a few things I need to take care of. Be back as soon as possible. P.S. Try not to forget me while I'm gone. Scully shook her head and grinned as she picked up the cup of coffee. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Assistant Director Skinner's office Federal Bureau of Investigations 9:30 am Skinner's secretary was nowhere to be seen as Scully walked, a bit tentatively, toward his office door. Knocking lightly she heard him say, "Come in." She opened the door and poked her head in. "Am I disturbing you?" "No. No, come in Agent Scully." He looked somewhat surprised to see her. He stood up as she entered the room. She found him to be a tall man, with impressive muscles not completely hidden by his white dress shirt. He had an air of authority about him that he wore easily. And though he lacked hair, she found him quite attractive. "Where's Agent Mulder?" he asked. "He had a few things to take care of this morning." "I see. Please have a seat Agent Scully," he said, motioning toward the chairs in front of his desk. "How are you feeling?" He asked. "Fine, thank you," she answered as they both sat down. "So what brings you here?" "I was hoping that coming here would help me to remember something." "I see. Any luck so far?" "No. Not yet." He stared down at his desk then said, "Perhaps seeing your office might help." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FBI Basement 9:45 am Scully followed Skinner down the flight of steps. They reached a door with a name plate on it which read: Fox Mulder, Special Agent. Skinner took out a set of keys and opened the door, stepping ahead of her to turn on the light. She followed him into the room. She glanced around curiously as Skinner watched her face. "So this is where I work," she said, more to herself than anything else. The first thing that caught her eye was the single desk. She walked over to it, taking in the stacks of case files that cluttered the top. Next was the huge poster, depicting a classic "flying saucer" ship hoovering over a field. "I want to beleive" read he caption, in bold letters. A plethora of photos surrounding the poster. Scully took in the assorted pictures, showing everything from astronauts to yetis. "Wow," she breathed. "He wasn't exaggerating. We really do chase little green men." At that, Skinner smirked. "Any of this ring a bell?" Scully picked up a jar which looked like it contained some sort of alien fetus. "Uh, no," she said examing the jar. "Can't say that it does." "So Mulder's filled you on the job, I suppose." "Yes. But until now, I didn't believe him." "Well," Skinner said, "granted, it is outside of the FBI mainstream. However, the work you and Mulder do is important." Scully turned her face to Skinner. "What do you mean?" Skinner breathed a deep sigh. "Let's just say, you're on the search for the truth, Agent Scully." "And Mulder? Is he searching for the same thing?" Skinner steadied his eyes on Scully. "More than you know." "Am I interrupting something here?" Mulder suddenly said from behind them, and Scully and Skinner turned to face him. Both Skinner and Scully turned to see Mulder in the doorway. "Agent Mulder," Skinner said. "No you're not. I was just showing Agent Scully your office." "I hope you got the dime tour, Scully." Mulder commented as he strutted into the room. She liftd up the glass alien fetus jar in front of her face and said, "Yes. I even got a sovenir." Skinner turned to Mulder. "Well, I'll leave her to you Agent Mulder." Skinner moved to leave, then looked back at Scully and said, "I hope you'll be able to return to your duties soon, Agent Scully." With that he left. Mulder faced Scully, who was still holding the jar. "I hope you two weren't telling tales out of school, Scully. I have a reputation to think about, after all." Mulder joked. "So what brings you here to the basement?" "I thought perhaps seeing where I worked might help me get my memory back." "Has it?" "No." Raising an eyebrow and lifting the jar she still held toward him, she quipped, "And quite frankly, I don't know if I could possible forget *this*." Mulder smiled. "Well, while you where getting the guided tour, I was checking a few leads on your case." This peaked Scully interest. "What did you find?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Headquarters of the Lone Gunmen 12:02 pm "Dana Scully, I would like to introduce you to Byers, Langly, and Frohichke." She nodded her acknowledgement to the mismatched group that stared at her curiously. She watched as the smallest of the three came up to her and picked up her hand. "My pleasure, Ms. Scully." he said as he kissed the back of her hand. "Easy boy." Mulder warned. "So, like, she's really got amnesia Mulder?" said the tall blond one, indentified as Langly asked. "Has the source of her memory loss been identified yet?" This came from the severe suit, named Byers. "Uh, no not yet. That's what we're here for." "Then you've come to the right place, Agent Mulder." "Yeah, Mulder, check it out," Langly said as he directed the group over to a monitor, then pulled up a document onto the screen. Looks like your friend, the albino doesn't exsist." "What?" "Apparently", Byers interjected, "the farm where you took Scully doesn't officially exsist." "Explain." "Well," Byers continued, "according to city records, that plot of land was leased out to a medical research facility. All the permits are for a research labratory, not a husbandry farm." "What company leased that land?" "Does the name 'Roush' ring a bell?" Byers replied. "Mulder!" Langly exlaimed. Mulder turned around just in time to catch Scully before she collapsed to the floor. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Headquarters of the Lone Gunmen 1:10 pm The voices were low and muffled and at first Scully couldn't make out what they were saying. It was a minute before she recognized one of the voices as belonging to Mulder. "...she has enough to worry about already. Why worry her more by telling her about-" "Hey Mulder. Look. I think she's coming out of it." It took a while before her eyes could focus on the image hovering above her. When her eyes finally adjusted, she was looking into the green eyes of Mulder. "Hi there," he almost whispered. "What happened, Mulder?" she mumbled groggily. "Hey Scully, I know we're not the most exciting company, but you didn't have to pass out on us." "Us?" It was at that point she noticed the three worried onlookers. "I passed out again." She said flatly, almost as if she was disgusted with herself. "Yes." "How long was I out this time?" She swung her eyes back to Mulder. "Twenty, twenty-five minutes." "Twenty-five minutes..."she repeated to herself. Realizing she was laying on a couch, she decided to sit up. As she did so, Mulder moved to sit next to her and the other three either sat down as well or leaned against the adjcent table. All three watched the interactions between her and Mulder carefully. "Scully, does the name 'Roush' mean anything to you?" Mulder asked. "No. Why? Should it?" "I'm not sure," he answered. "So what were you dreaming about, Scully?" "What do you mean?" "You were mumbling something about lights and cold." "I did? I don't remember any of that." "You also pledged your undying love to me." Frohichke put in. Four pairs of eyes swung toward him. "What?" he said innocently. "Can't blame a guy for trying." "No," Mulder said. "But you can blame a guy for tackiness." "Hey. I'll take what I can get." "I rest my case." Turning back to Scully, Mulder asked, "Are you sure you don't remember anything?" She stared off into space for a moment, trying to focus."I seem to remember something about...concrete." Her face creasing in concentration. "Concrete? You mean like a factory?" "No. Not a factory. I just distinctly remember concrete." "Anything else?" "Blue." "Blue what?" "I don't know. Just blue. A blue...light. Yes. A blue light. That's all. I don't remember anything else." Mulder let out a deep sigh. "Wait. Straw. I see straw Mulder." Part 3/4 Earl Adams' Husbandry Farms 8:30 pm Hidden protectively in shadows, a short distance from the farm, was a dark Sedan. Equally as hidden in the Sedan were Agents Mulder and Scully. They watched the actvitities of the Earl Adams' farm from afar. Mulder was watching the main house through a pair of high power binoculars when Scully spoke. "Mulder?" "Yea?" Mulder he answered from behind the binoculars. "We've been sitting here for hours now. Are we going in?" "Survellience 101, Scully." Mulder said as he set down the binoculars. "Gather as much information on your subject as possible before taking any action." "Well, given the information gathered so far, we can conclude that Mr. Adams has some very hungry animals," Scully almost drawled. "The only activity we've witnessed has been two trucks delivering feed." "Exactly, Scully." Scully shock her head in confusion. "Am I missing something here, Mulder?" Mulder stared straight ahead at the farm house as he spoke. "According to Mr. Adams, he personally picks up the food for his animals." Sculky shrugged her shoulders. "So?" "So, why is he suddenly having it delivered? And in long haul trucks?" "Maybe the cows are really hungry." Mulder turned his head to give Scully a sidelong look. "So he orders enough grain supply to last until the next millennium? I don't think so, Scully. I think there's more than just some hungry heifers." "Assuming you're right, what do we do?" "We wait until the activity ceases. Then we make our move." Scully breathed a heavy sigh. "And what do we do until then?" "Well, Scully, I hope you brought your travel Battle Ship." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 9:30 pm Crouching on the edge of the forest, Mulder took a quick look around before darting toward the farm house with Scully in tow. They reached the main house and pressed themselves close to the wall. Moving methodically, they made their way around the house, ducking beneath windows so as not to be seen. Taking another quick look, they sprinted to the barn. Upon reaching the door, they found it locked. Mulder took out a small wire from his coat and jimmied the lock. "Learn that at the Academy, did you, Mulder?" Scully whispered in a hushed tone. He simply grinned as he opened the door,and they stepped inside. The inside of the barn was like the rest of the farm --immaculate. Well, immaculate as barns go. On either side of the barn were six large stalls. Which, in and of themselves, were nothing spectacular. However, what was in them was another matter. Scully turned a small circle. "Mulder? Are you seeing this?" She said in a amazed tone in her voice. "Yea." He said equally amzed. "They're all the same horse." Each stall contained an exact copy of its surrounding stalls. White Arabian horses. "How is this possible?" she asked incredulously. "It's possible because they're clones?" "Clones? But how?" "I think the real question here, Scully, is why?" It was then Mulder became accutely aware of a methodical mechanical hum. "Do you hear that?" he asked. "Hear what?" "That, humming." Focusing herself, Scully began to hear it, too. "Yes. I do hear it. Where is it coming from?" Mulder's eyes searched their surroundings until they fell on a door at the other end of the barn. "There." He pointed toward the door, and crosed over to it. He pressed his ear to the door, then motioned for Scully to stand back. He reached for the door knob. Ever so slowly he turned the knob until he could open the door wide enough to peer in. "What is it, Mulder?" "It's an elevator," he said, swinging the door open wide enough for her inspection. "A decidedly odd thing for a barn to have, wouldn't you say, Scully?" She stared curiously at the elevator. "Let's see where the Wonkavator takes us." Mulder said mischieviously. He stepped into the elevator and noted the control panel. There were only three buttons, none of which had any distinguishing markings. The last button seemed to need a key to operate. "Mulder, we don't know where this will take us." "Maybe it'll take us to the people who took you." At that, she got in the elevator with him. He pressed the second button and the doors closed silently behind them. "Next stop, home appliances, ladies lingere and would-be conspriracy kidnappers," Mulder quipped. Scully was not amused. The elevator came to a sudden stop. The doors opened, and they were confronted with a long white corridor. It ran about twenty feet, then turned sharply to the left. There were no doors or windows of any kind, as far as they could tell. Mulder gave an assessing glance around, then stepped into the corridor. He took a few steps then raised his hand as if to tell her to "stay put." He slowly made his way the end of the corridor. Scully stood in the elevator, feeling anxious and angry. For some reason, cowering in a corner while Mulder was out there didn't seem something she did very often. Taking her feelings as a cue, she stepped out of the elevator and moved to where Mulder was. He saw her leave the elevator from the corner of his eye. Her actions did not surprise him. Reaching the end of the hall, Mulder took the lead by taking cautious glances around the corner. Finding nothing sucpisicous, Mulder and Scully turned the corner and came to an aburpt stop. Before them in a semicircular space where four doors, all identical, all of without door knobs. Mulder and Scully pushed at the doors and found them all locked. "Looks like we've come to a dead end, Mulder." "Hey Scully, take a look at this." He pointed out to her a one inch by one inch metal pad by one of the doors. "All of the doors have them." Scully bent over and inspected the metal pads. "What do you think they are?" she asked. "Some sort of identification pad." "Meaning?" "Maybe a door without a metal key, uses a biological key instead." He pressed his thumb to one of the pads and watched it turn a bright red. "Apparently, I'm not the Key Master." Scully turned to the door on the left and pressed her thumb to the pad and watched as it turned green. Then the door clicked as if being unlocked. She reached out and pushed the door just enough to verify that it was unlocked. "Apparently, I'm the Key Master Mulder." Mulder stepped around her and drew his weapon. "Step back, Scully," he said. With one hand on door and one on his weapon, Mulder slowly pushed the door open. The room was dark except for a dim glow from a light in the ceiling. The light illuminated a metal object which upon closer inspection proved to be a table. They entered the cold room. The entire room was made of a highly polished metall. It was completely bare, save for the table in the middle of the room. "What is this place, Mulder?" she asked as she walked over to the table. "I was hoping you could tell me." He said in a low voice. Scully turned to look at Mulder. "Me? What do you mean?" "I think that when you were taken, you were brought here." "Here?" She said in surprise. "Yes." Mulder said as he took a few steps toward her. "Do you remember anything about this?" Scully shook her head violently. "No! No, I...I...did you hear that?" "Hear what?" He said and gave a quick look around the room. "That!" She said in a loud whisper. "That clicking noise. And where's that light coming from? It's too bright. It's right in my eyes." Mulder watched as Scully seemed to be in some sort of trancelike state. "Scully," he said in a worried voice, "Scully, what's happening? What do you see?" Scully squinted her eyes at the imaginary light she was seeing in her mind's eye. "A light. A blue light, shining in my eyes." "My legs," she said a bit paniced, Why can't I move my legs? I can't feel my legs! Where the hell is that clicking noise coming from?!" Mulder stepped closer to her. "What else do you see?" "Shhh!" She said as she crotched down behind the table. "Someone's here." "Who's here? Scully?" He demanded. "What are you seeing?" "I don't know," She said in a harsh whisper, "I can't see their faces. The clicking noise. They're making the clicking noise." Mulder stood directly in front of her, on the opposite side of the metal table. Her eyes stared straight at him, but were looking right through him. He watched as her eyes went from squinted concentration to full blown terror. "Oh my god!" She breathed. "What! What's happening Scully?" Mulder said now a bit afraid himself. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" She repeated. "Scully!" He barked. "Answer me! Scully!" "Stop!" She screamed out in terror. He watched as her eyes began to roll back into her head. He jumped around the table to catch her from hitting the floor. Mulder held her in his arms. "Scully! Scully, can you hear me?" Her eyes fluttered rapidly as she tried to grasped on to conscicousness. "Come on, Scully," he coaxed, "That's right. Come back." She took a deep breath and tried to center her eyes on Mulder's face. "Mulder..."she breathed. "Hey Scully, this whole damsel in distress thing is really working for me." She gave him a weak grin. "Come on sleeping beauty, we have to get out of here." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dana Scully's Apartment 7:45 am Sitting alone on Scully's couch, Mulder was completely engrossed by the papers that littered her coffee table. The sudden chirping sound of his cellphone broke his concentration. "Mulder," he answered. "Agent Mulder," the voice on the other end said. "This is Dr. Candor." "What can I do for you, doctor?" Mulder said still glancing at his paper work. "Well," he began hestitantly, "you asked me to contact you if we found anything...unusual with Agent Scully's tests." At that, Dr. Candor had Mulder's full attention. "Did you?" "Quite frankly, Agent Mulder, I hesitate to admit that perhaps we have." "Perhaps?" "We are aware of the 'object' which Agent Scully had voluntarily placed in her body. All x-rays confirm its presence. We were informed it was some sort of new cancer therapy, in its very experimental stage." "Are you having difficulty with...the object, pertaining to her treatments, doctor?" "No, not with that object. The other one." Mulder sat up in surprise. "Other one?" "Yes, the other one," he confirmed. "Has Agent Scully recently received another experimental treatment that we are not aware of? Mulder's mind was racing too fast to hear anything that Dr. Candor was saying. "Agent Mulder?" Mulder's mouth was suddenly dry, and his heart pounded as he processed Dr. Candor's words. "Where is this other object located, doctor?" "Our x-rays show she has a small object about ten centimeters from her uterus. It's the placement which puzzles us, Agent Mulder," dr. Candor said with concern in his voice. "According to Agent Scully's medical records, she's suffering from a nasopharyngeal tumor, which would explian the placement of the recorded object. Nowhere on her chart is there any record of her suffering from any type of ovarian cancer. We can't logically explain the placement of this second object." Mulder's mind raced, but he managed to keep his voice steady as he spoke. "Tell me doctor, other than your questions about this object, is there anything else you think I should be aware of?" "All of our other tests and x-rays show she's fine." Hearing this, Mulder raised his hand to his forehead and stroked his brow reassuringly. "Thank you, Dr. Candor." Without so much as a goodbye, Mulder hung up just as Scully entered the room freshly showered. "Good morning." She said brightly. Mulder snapped his head up at her voice. "Ah, good morning, Scully. How'd you sleep?" "Fine. Who was that you were talking to?" she asked. "Huh? Oh, just someone I was hoping could answer a few quesions for me." "And did he?" "No," he said flatly. Scully seemed to accpet his words at face value. "So, what's on the agenda for today, Mulder?" "Your mother." "My mother?" She asked. "She's dropping by to check on you this morning." "Oh." She said with a little confused. "Where will you be?" "I thought I'd take in a tractor pull, or watch some Jerry Springer." She grinned. Mulder pushed himself up from the couch. "Actually I have a few 'personal' things I need to do." "I see," she said a little disappointed. A light rapping on the door caught their attention. She walked over to the door and looked out the peep hole at her mother. She heard Mulder stuffing papers into his briefcase as she opened the door. Margret Scully beamed a smile to her daughter from the doorway. "Good morning. Dana." Scully returned her smile. "Good morning. Please come in." "Good morning, Fox." Margret Scully greeted Mulder. "Hi, Mrs. Scully." All pleasantries done, Scully asked,"Um, mom? Would you like some coffee?" "Yes. That would be nice." As Scully entered the kitchen, Margret took this oppotunity to confer with Mulder. "Fox? May I ask you something?" Mulder stopped all his shuffling. "Of course." "All I want to know," Margret said in a low voice, "is my daughter in there? I mean my Dana?" "Yes," he answered without hestitation. "I beleive she is." Margret sighed. "I feel so helpless," she said with anguish in her voice. "One of a parent's worst nightmares is seeing our child in pain and not be able to do something about it." Mulder stepped closer to Margret. "Mrs. Scully, you're doing the best you can. We all are." She looked up at him and smiled softly. "You've been a great source of comfort and strength for Dana, Fox. She's not prone to foolish choices. She trusts you, a fact I do not take lightly." He returned her smile. "Nor do I Mrs. Scully." She studied his eyes,seeing there his silent promiseto protect her daughter with his life. Just as silently, she acknowledged and accepted this promise. Scully's voice interrupted them. "I'm sorry. Do you take cream in your coffee?" Scully called from the kitchen. "Yes," Margret answered then tore her eyes away from Mulder and moved to sit on the sofa. She wasn't quite sure what the relationship was between her daughter and this man, but she knew it was based on mutual respect and trust. And, if she wasn't mistaken, mutual attraction. She had a great deal of confidence in her daughter's choices. And though accepting this man, with all his faults and passions, into her daughter's life proved stressful, it also said a great deal for him. That Dana would put her trust and loyality in him was enough for her. Scully walked back into the room and handed her mother a steaming cup of coffee. "Here you go." "Ah, thank you, dear." "Well, I'm off." Mulder said. "Can't get that pay dirt government pension if I don't work." "When should I expect, you back?" "I'm not sure," Mulder grinned. "But I'll call you on my way back." "Okay," she replied. Mulder turned back to Scully from the doorway. "Oh, yeah, Make sure little Billy and Suzy have their homework done by the time I get home," he joked as he headed out the door. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 11:15 am Margret sat opposite her daughter at the kitchen table as they thumbed through family photo albums. "It's odd," Scully said. "I see myself in these pictures, but its as though I'm looking at someone else's life." She caught the twinge of sadness in her mother's eyes at her words. "I'm sorry. I didn-" "It's ok Dana. I understand." "I'm sorry," was all she could say. "So tell me what you've been doing these past few days," Margret asked. "Mulder and I have been looking into my disappearance." "Have you found anything?" Scully contemplated telling her mother about her black outs and what they might mean. As she looked into her mother's face, she just didn't have the heart. Scully knew that her mother had been through a lot since her disappearance. She would hate to add more to that. "Nothing solid," she said instead. "How's Fox taking all this?" "He's on a mission," she said matter-of-factly. "How are you taking all this, Dana?" Scully sighed and lowered her gaze to the album in front of her. "I'm...," she paused, then went on, "I'm lost." Margret felt for her daughter. She cursed herself for not being able to reach inside of her daughter and take all the pain from her. "Dana, perhaps you should talk to someone. I'm sure father McCue would be glad to peak with you. He's been our family priest for years." Scully sighed before saying, "I'm grateful for the suggestion. However, how can I be counseled on what I can't remember?" Margret laid her hands on Scully's. "Dana. I know this is a hard time for you. You've been through so much, have lost so much in your young life. Through it all,the one thing you haven't lost is your faith. Hang on to that. It will show you your way back." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Assistant Director Skinner's Office 12:03 pm Sitting behind his desk, his hands folded in front of him, Skinner considered Mulder's request. "The answer is no, Mulder." Skinner sadi flatly. "How can you turn me down?" Mulder asked incredulously. "Agent Mulder, Smoking Man is dead. Leave it alone." "There has to be something that can be done," Mulder insisted. "Like what?" Skinner countered. "These men you're looking, for the one's that took Scully --they're ghosts. You'll never find them." "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Well it doesn't. A crime has been committed against Scully. They can't get away with this." Mulder's voice began to fill with anger. "Mulder," Skinner said "You have to understand that you're skating on very thin ice here. As much as it angers me about what was done to Agent Scully, I have to stay objective." "Objective or passive?" Mulder spit. "That's enough, Agent Mulder." Skinner clipped. "I would do everything in my power to help find these men. But you must understand...by insisting upon pursuing this investigation you are putting her life in danger." "In danger of what?" Skinner said nothing. "In danger of what?" Mulder demanded again. "Mulder...keep her safe. Keep her safe until she gets her memory back. That's the only way you can get to these people. She may know something that can expose them. These people deal in fear." Mulder shook his head. "Until then," Mulder said,"these men get away with their crimes." Part 4/4 Dana Scully's Apartment 8:10 pm "It looks like a small tornado hit." Mulder commented at the condition of Scully's apartment. Strewn across her coffee table were papers,medical journals and a host of other articles laid about the floor. "I thought I'd get to know myself." She explained. Mulder smiled. "Find anything interesting?" "Actually yes." Scully said her voice laced with a tinge of excitement. "Apparently I joined the FBI academy directly from medical school. After graduating, I taught at Quantico for two years. Then I was assigned to partner with you." "Obviously, the highlight of you life." He joked. "Very good, Scully. There'll be a pop quiz later." "Mulder, did you know I listened to Otis Redding?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise as she went over to the CD player to prove it. Within seconds, Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" filled the room. Mulder placed his hands on his hips. "Well Rocky, got any other rabbits to pull out of your hat?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 10:20 pm Sitting companionly next to each other on the couch, Scully and Mulder flipped through her family album. The sounds of Motown's best floated in the background. "You were a cute kid Scully." Mulder said coyly. Scully smiled a sad smile. "What's wrong?" He asked in a whisper. "I feel so unworthy." She replied simply. "Unworthy?" Mulder asked a bit confused. "Why?" "Looking at these pictures, talking to her mother. People love and care for the other Dana. I just find myself so unworthy of "her". The other Dana." Scully let out a small sigh. "But you are her," Mulder said in a throaty voice. "You just can't remember that right now." "And what if I never remember?" Mulder shook his head slowly. "I don't accept that." A small smile played on Scully's lips. "Are you always this postive?" At that he laughed. "Ah, Scully," he chuckled, "if you only knew the irony of that statement." They fell back to silence and leafed though the album again. The music lulling them. "You know what the worst thing about all this is Mulder? Not knowing the little things. Little things like my favorite food, my favorite color, my favorite movie. I don't even know if I can dance." She confessed sadly. Mulder studied her profile for a moment, then stood up. She watched as he held out his hand to her. "Why don't we find out?" She looked at him for a moment then took the hand offered to her. He held her close to him as they danced to "I Only Have Eyes For You." As they swayed with the music, she rested her head on his chest and felt his heart beat. She felt him decline his head and rest his chin lightly on her head. She heard him breath deeply. Then he pulled her even closer to him. He held her as though she belonged to him. Being here in his arms seemed the only safe place she knew. It was then, she felt it. The overwhelming sense of loss washed over her. Before she knew it, tears began to fall from her eyes and wet the front of his his shirt. He reached beneath her chin and tilted her face to his. He saw the tears run down her face. He knew her pain. It was witten there on her face. Loss, confusion, incertainty. "Am I that bad a dancer Scully?" he whispered. She smiled at him through her tear. Her pained smiled almost broke his heart. It was then he understood Margret Scully. To see someone you love in pain and not being able to help them. He searched her face. For what, he did not know. Then suddenly, there it was. What he was looking for. It was in her eyes. For a brief moment Scully, his Scully, appeared. He slowly inclined his head and pressed his lips lightly to her forehead. Then seeking a way to further soothe her he brushed a feathery light kiss on both of her eyes. He became aware of the fact that she leaned against him fully. If he were to step away from her, she would surely fall to the floor. At that moment he knew exactly what he should do. Reaching beneath her, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1:30 am Unable to sleep, Mulder turned his concentration to his paper work. After placing Scully in her bed, she almost immediately fell asleep. He had watched her sleep for awhile. To him, her small frame seemed to be completely engulfed by the bed. Sitting in a chair by her bed, he remembered the first time he had ever saw her. He remembered how suspicious he was of her and her motivies. It wasn't until later, he didn't know when or how it happened, that he came to care for her more than he did himself. As he looked at her, he thought again how fragile she seemed. And again he promised himself that no more harm would come to her as long as he lived. He reached over and brushed a strand of her from her face. He let his hand linger longer than he should have. "Ah, Scully..." he whispered, "what am I going to do with you?" He left her to sleep peacefully. Which was more than he could say for himself. Seeing Scully's face tonight, her total trust in him worked itself on his mind and wouldn't allow him sleep. The sound of his cell phone brought him out of his thoughts. "Mulder." he answered. "Mulder,this is Byers." "A little past your bed time isn't Byers?" "We may have some new information on Scully's disapperance." Byers said in a rushed voice. Mulder sat up. "I'm all ears." "Mulder, have you ever heard of the ARK PROJECT?" "No. What is it?" "In 1947, a group of researchers began a top secret genetics project called ARK. It was the belief o this group that they could purify a species DNA. Therefore creating a master race of sorts." "For what purpose?" "Preservation." "Preservation for what?" "Armagedon." The ramification of this revolation shock Mulder, and made perfect sense. What better way to make sure the human race continues? Collecting the best parts of human DNA, would assure a better species. "Thanks Byers." "Mulder,one more thing. The group was formed under a man that worked for Hilter's Nazi medical corps. And we all know the end of those experiments." "Apparently not all of them." After hanging up with Byers, Mulder pondered this new information. But now, try as he may, he could no longer hold sleep at bay. He decided not to fight and surrendered to sleep. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2:15 am The cool hand brushed over Mulder's cheek as lightly as a feather. The pure gentleness of the touch made Mulder open his eyes. When he did, he saw Scully sitting on the couch next to him. Her hand resting on his cheek. In a hushed voice barely above a whisper she said "Mulder. I remember." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- En Route to Earl Adams' Husbandry Farms 5:50 am In the early morning darkness, Mulder and Scully race toward the husbandry farm. In his head Mulder replayed Scully's account of her disapperance from the moment she woke him up. He recalled seeing her in his hazy state of sleep. His first reaction to her touch was to place his own hand over hers and press it to his skin. As the impact o her words penetrated his sleepy haze he sat up. "Mulder, I remember." He cupped her face in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes. There he saw what he had been searching for. No longer was he looking into the eyes of a stranger, now he was staring into the soul of his Scully. He dropped his hands from her face to her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace. They clung to each other like two lost souls finally finding each other. Pulling away, but keeping her in his embrace he looked into her face again. "Can you remember anything about your disapperance?" he asked. "Yes," she nodded, "I think I do. Most of it at least." He placed his hand on her cheek as a sign of encouragement. "I remember working on the Dodworth case with you. Then leaving to go to my apartment. I pulled up in front of the building. As I got out of my car someone grabbed me from behind. A hand pressed over my mouth. I felt a small prick in my neck. Then I blacked out." Shead pulled away from him and had walked over to the window. With her back to him, she wrapped her arms around herself and stared blanky out the window. Mulder said nothing. He waited until she was ready to go on. He gave her time to connect the images in her mind. "After that everything is hazy. Strange feelings and images of things I don't understand." "What kind of things?" He asked gently. "I remember the feeling that I was not alone. That...there were others with me. Who these others were I don't know." She paused to take a breath then went on. "I remember lying on a concrete floor, my eye feeling as though it was about to explode. I think I was struck in the face." She unconsciously touched her hand to her face. "I remember running. It was dark, and I was running in a cold wet ditch. Someone's behind me. Chasing me. I'm trying to out run him, but my body is so tired. Then suddenly I'm lying face down in the mud. The back of my head is throbbing. I can barely make out their voices. But I heard one say, 'what's the point? Leave her.'" She turned to him. "The next thing I remember is waking up at the hospital and seeing you." Through her account of the events, Mulder said nothing. he sat silently, motionlessly on the couch. His anger buring in his stomach. His need to strike out at something was great, and it was building. He looked over to where she was standing by the window. The moonlight falling upon her form. He saw her as he always saw her. As his lighthouse. An unfailing beacon which guided him on his course. A course he must now take. He grabbed his shoes and his weapon. "What are you doing Mulder?" She asked at his sudden actions. "I'm going to pay a visit to our friend Earl Adams." He said his voice thick with anger. Now as he drove, with Scully in the seat next to him, it all began to fall into place. He just hoped he could get to the farm in time. In time to stop the cover up. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 6:10 am >From half a mile away Mulder and Scully could see the flames of the fire lick the sky. "Damnit!" Mulder exclaimed. "We're too late!" Mulder pressed the gas pedal to the floor as hard as he could. Sliding to a stop in front of the farm, they jumped out of the car. The main house and barn were completely engulfed by fire. Stray farm animals litted the fields. There was no one to be seen. "It' gone Scully," Mulder yelled. "All gone! All the evidence, all the proof is buring right before our eyes." Mulder kick the car in disgust. He looked over at Scully. Her face was calm and placid as she stared into the fire. "Scully? Scully are you all right?" A slow smile creeped across her face. A low halting laugh escaped her lips. It grew suddenly into insane laughter. Laughing she shook her head. She turned to face him exposing an expression of jovial anguish. "No, Mulder." She said laughing through her tears. "No I'm not." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Special Agent Fox Mulder Field Report X-File case number 477110 Upon investigation in Special Agent Scully's disapperance many questions remain to be answered. Agent Scully's attacker has yet to be apprehended or identified. There are no traces of the albino husbandry farmer Earl Adams or his wife. Firefighters and arson investigators report they have found no human remains among the farm ruins. As of the time of this report Mr. Adams and his wife are wanted for questioning. After several days of rehibilitation, Special Agent Scully was judged fit for work and will be returning to the X-Files. Her return marsk a intermittent experience not only for the X-files but for Agent Scully as well. Though the events surrounding Agent Scully's disapperance are both mysterious and tragic, it is in my opinion, an incident that was destined to happen. Her previous disapperance, resulted in the extraction of Agent Scully's ovum. Thus Agent Scully is now unable to have children. It is my belief that Agent Scully was taken, again, with the intent that she be montitored on her current condition. However, statements made by Agent Scully lead me to believe much more. In the end, Agent Scully's disapperance can be chalked up to some sort of "routine maintenance check." Whether or not a reaccurance of Agent Scully disapperance will happen again, remains to be seen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FBI Basement 5:52 pm Mulder was putting the finishing touches on his report when Scully walked in. Lifting his head he greeted her. "Hey Scully." "Mulder." She replied and walked over to where he was sitting at his desk. "Hey Scully, is it true what they say? That you can never go home again?" He quipped. "Standing here with you Mulder, I find that quite hard to believe." They both grinned. "Looks like I'll be able to come back to work tomorrow." Scully said. "That soon?" Mulder aksed. "I was thinking about moving your stuff out from your work area and installing a tanning bed." Scully shook her head. A moment of akward silence fell upon them. The events of the past few days floating around them. "Well." She said. "Well." He answered. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow Mulder." "Yeah bright and early." Turning to leave she stopped at the door. "Mulder?" "Yeah?" "Thank you." She said simply. Looking into her eyes he nodded his aknowledgement of those simple words. He thought as he watched her leave the room. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The End Any comments? Feedback welcome!! Send to glassrain@homail.com