Title: Alaethea (1/2)
Author: Lark
E-mail: theagents1013@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: Alternate Universe, MSR
Spoilers: minor ones to do with the mythology
Distribution/Archiving: With written permission, please
Feedback: Always. :)
Summary: Not summarized
Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, and any of the other X-Files characters used here belong to Chris Carter and 1013 Productions, as well as the actors who portray them. No infringment intended.



X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Alaethea (1/2)
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X



*Goddammit*, he thought, as he abruptly woke to the faint sound of someone walking softly past him. He slid his eyes open slowly, so as not to alarm the intruder, and was not surprised to see the old man, cigarette in hand, pacing in front of the window.

Mulder slowly, carefully, looked to his right to see if his gun was still resting on top of the end table where he had left it before he fell asleep. He smiled inwardly when he saw the gleam of metal in the faint light, and waited for his chance. When the smoking man's back was turned to him, Mulder sat up quickly, reaching for the gun as he did so, and aimed it at the man's back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

The man turned and smiled slightly, arms half raised in a gesture of supplication. "Waiting for you."

"What do you want?"

"There's something important that you need to know, Agent Mulder."

"Tell me and get out."

"First, get that gun out of my face, and then I'll divulge what information there is for you."

Mulder slowly lowered the gun, but did not let go of it or release his grip in the slightest. "Tell me."

"It has to do with your partner."

Mulder was instantly alert and paying close attention. "What about her?" It came out close to a low snarl. When the smoking man didn't answer immediately, Mulder stood up as if to come after him, then checked himself and made his voice as menacing as possible. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"Now, now...she's just fine. It's nothing *I* did. In fact, she's the absolute picture of health. Most women in her condition are."

"Condition? What the hell are you talking about? If you did anything to harm her, so help me..."

The smoking man held up his hand for silence, and Mulder shut up, clenching his jaw. "Agent Mulder, Agent Scully is pregnant. With *your* child."

Mulder stared at him for a long moment and then sat down heavily. Pregnant? No chance. The rotten smoking bastard was lying. Besides which, if it *was* true, by any slim chance in the world, Scully would have told him by now. "I don't believe you."

"Oh, believe me. And believe this, too - some people will do anything to get their hands on this child, so I highly suggest that you keep them both safe."

"Some people, meaning you?"

The man smiled again and exhaled more smoke. "At one time, perhaps. But I think this child would be more valuable to those still working on a hybrid...seeing as how this is the natural child of Scully and yourself, in spite of her infertility and various other...problems. Take extreme caution."

"Why are you warning me? How will your telling me this help you at all?"

"Why, Agent Mulder...this is a personal interest of mine. It's not everyday a man becomes a grandfather." With that, the old man turned on his heel and walked out the door, leaving a bewildered, frustrated, and confused Mulder sitting on his couch, pondering this new situation.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Scully sat in her darkened living room, thinking long and hard about how she was going to tell Mulder the truth, or if she was going to tell him at all. That wouldn't be fair, though...he had a right to know. After all, they loved each other. Or at least, she loved him. She had no way of knowing his own feelings, though, since their argument a few weeks ago. They had both said things that they shouldn't have even been thinking, let alone hurling at one another at the tops of their voices. By then, she had only been a little over a month and a half pregnant, still not ready to tell him about the new life they had created, but exploding with the knowledge anyway. She had almost dropped the news that night, but instead, he had said something that had pushed just the right button, and they ended up in a screaming match instead.

She sighed deeply. What would have happened if she had told him anyway? Because now he would be even more angry that she had kept this from him for so long. She wrapped her arms around her womb, smiling slightly at the thought that she was going to have a shot at motherhood, after all. Did Mulder want his part in being a parent? She wouldn't know until she told him their happy news.

She was startled out of her reverie by a sharp knock at the door. Suddenly cautious, she walked carefully to the door and peeked out the peephole, to find Mulder standing there, arms crossed, a slight scowl playing across his handsome face.

Uh-oh. Why was he here? No use in wondering, she thought, as she swung the door open. He brushed past her and spun around to face her as she shut the door.

Staring down at her, deep into her eyes, he held her gaze for a long moment.

"Scully...are you...are you...?"

Her stomach felt leaden. "Am I what?" she asked weakly.

"Don't play games with me, Scully. The smoking man came to me tonight and told me you're...you're pregnant. Is it true?"

She looked down at the floor, no longer able to meet his gaze. "Mulder..."

"Goddammit, just tell me!" His eyes blazed with blue fire.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I am."

He drew a sharp breath. "How far along?"

"A little over two months."

He turned and rubbed his hands over his face. "When were you planning on telling me, Scully?"

Her head jerked up at this and she suddenly grew bolder. "Actually, I was going to tell you the night we had the fight. But after, I was too angry to say anything. I was just thinking a little while ago about how I should tell you now. Considering the circumstances."

He didn't have an answer for that. Their argument never should have happened. He had been an insensitive asshole, intent on pissing her off for some reason that night, and he had more than succeeded. This was the first time they had talked about anything besides work in well over three weeks.

"So?" she asked. "What do we do from here? You know now."

"If you want my reaction to all that, you aren't going to get it, but I will tell you this. First, I hope you've been to the doctor."

She rolled her eyes at that. What did he think, that she was a doctor and didn't know how to take care of herself?

He saw her expression, and held up his hand. "Okay, okay, bad question. I'm sorry. Is this being treated as a high-risk pregnancy?" When she nodded, he continued, sighing because he knew what her reaction was going to be. "You're also going to need surveillance, Scully. And I think it would be a good idea for us to move in together."

"What are you talking about, Mulder?" She was outraged at the fact that he obviously didn't think she could take care of herself. Almost eight years with him, and he still treated her as if she were a child, unable to do things her own way without his input. She scowled up at him, daring him to continue.

"Scully, please. Think about this for me. I don't want to scare you, but *I'm* scared enough for all three of us."

"What's wrong? What did that man tell you?" She was instantly on edge, wondering what the bastard had in store for them now. She crossed her arms protectively around her middle, awaiting his answer.

Mulder took a deep breath. "He said that there were people still working on hybrids who would most likely attempt to take the baby...with all of their scientific knowledge now, that doesn't mean after the baby's born, either. It could happen at any time."

She turned ghost white as this news sank in, and gripped her middle even more tightly. "Why?" she whispered. "Why would they want to do that?"

"Scully, this is our natural child. A miracle. You're medically not able to have children, yet here we are. That, on top of your abduction, and both of us being exposed to alien viruses...this child is just what they need...we don't need to discuss details."

She placed one hand to her mouth, suddenly feeling ill. "No, don't...my God...Mulder, they can't take our baby. I won't let them...they *can't*!"

She was on the verge of tears, which worried him. He went to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Shhhh...don't worry. That's why I want surveillance...twenty-four-seven. And protection...any precaution that we can take. When I can't be there, I want one of the Gunmen with you at all times."

"Oh God..." She started sobbing, much to her dismay. Once she got into a rare crying jag, it was hard to stop, and she hated that worse than anything. On top of that, now she was most likely going to be a virtual prisoner for seven months, very possibly more. It didn't bother her as much as it normally would have, for the simple fact that she would be doing it for her baby. But this just wasn't fair. Why couldn't she have a normal, happy, safe pregnancy without worrying about anything? She sighed through her tears, feeling Mulder's fingers slowly running through her hair. It calmed her slightly to have him near, but that was another story. What were they going to do? She didn't want to move in with him just because of the baby...it had to be for more than that. She was perfectly capable of raising a child by herself if necessary. She didn't need him. But on the other hand, yes she did. She needed and wanted him more than anything. What the hell could they do? She didn't know how to broach the topic with him after almost a month of not speaking. And what did the smoking man have to do with all of this?

"Why is he so concerned?" she asked through her tears.

Mulder knew who she meant, but was reluctant to answer. "Scully...I don't want to get into it...you're upset enough..."

"Dammit, just tell me..." She reached up and swiped at the stray tears on her cheeks. He looked down at her, and kissed her tenderly, taking some of the tears away when he lifted his lips again.

He sighed. "He said...he said it wasn't every day a man became a grandfather..."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh Mulder...I know you've always had suspicions, but still..."

"I know. But it's still so damned ambiguous. I don't know if I should believe him or not..."

"I don't know, either, but we can't let him get in the way. This baby has to stay safe...it's probably the only one I'll get to have, and I *won't* stand for her to be taken from us, Mulder!"

"Her?" He wrapped his arms around her again as she leaned her head against his chest.

"Well...maybe it could be a him...My amnio is scheduled for two weeks from tomorrow. I'll find out, if I want to know, then."

"But Scully, what about us? I want to be a part of this baby's life...and it's mother's, too."

"Do you really mean that, Mulder?"

"Would I say it if I didn't? Of course I do."

"Then what should we do?"

"How about, instead of us just moving in together, maybe we could get married...If that's what you still want, of course."

"Is that what *you* want, though?"

"More than anything."

She looked up, leaned back, and smiled at him for the first time that evening. "Me too."

He smiled back and gripped her in a tight hug, then kissed her thoroughly.

"When should we do this?"

"How about tomorrow?"

She thought for a moment. Is this how she really wanted it to be? No traditional, fairy-tale wedding that she had dreamed of since she was little...just some justice of the peace reading their vows...But then again, things were never cut-and-dried with them, anyway. And this had to be done quickly and quietly. They could worry about moving sometime later in the week, along with any other details, but they had to take care of this first. "Okay," she finally agreed.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Five Months Later
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

She sat down in the passenger seat of the car and glanced over at Frohike, who was on duty for her today. She almost laughed as she thought the words - having a baby-sitter was not as bad as she thought it would be, but it still got annoying at times. But for the most part, her independence and freedom didn't feel threatened. Even so, it was becoming incredibly frustrating. She had had to cut down work to part-time on doctor's orders, mostly working from home or the office, but at least she had *something* to fill her days in with.

"So, where are we off to today?"

"Well, I have a few errands to run...first stop, drugstore, then the grocery store, and then the post office..." She ran down the list, ticking the items off on her fingers.

"Alrighty." He pulled away from the apartment building and headed down the street. "So, how're you doing today?"

"All right, I guess. It feels like I'm carrying around a ton of bricks lately, though."

He smiled. "I guess it does...what did the doc say yesterday?"

"Oh, everything's going great. She said the baby's really healthy, developing at a normal rate, and everything looks good. The due date is definitely sometime in mid-April."

"Have you and Mulder decided on a name yet?"

"No, not even close...but I have some ideas that I haven't told him yet."

"Well, don't let him talk you into anything dorky-sounding..."

She laughed. "Don't worry, I won't."

They arrived at the drugstore, parked, and Scully went inside while Frohike waited in the car. He understood her need to have some time for herself, and didn't argue against her wishes, even though sometimes it was against his better judgment. He leaned back in the seat and glanced absent-mindedly into the rearview mirror. What he saw made him sit straight up in his seat. The smoking man was walking straight to the car, and when he arrived, he opened the door and sat down.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I thought it would be wise to inform you that Agent Scully may be in some danger."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're being tailed, my friend. Haven't you been paying attention?"

Frohike swung around in his seat. A few spaces away from the car was a large black van. He had seen it driving behind them a few car-lengths back, and had assumed that the driver was simply taking the same route he and Scully had been. He had already checked the house and cars for bugs and homing devices and had found nothing. Now he realized that they must have been being watched for quite some time. "Shit..." he muttered under his breath. As he slowly turned back around, he saw that the old man had left, with only the acrid smell of cigarette smoke occupying the car. He picked up his cell phone and swiftly dialed Scully's number.

"Scully." She picked up on the second ring.

"It's Frohike. C'mon, we have to get out of here, now!"

His tone of voice startled her. "Why?! What's wrong?"

Just as he was about to answer, a single gunshot rang out, and the smoking man fell to the ground, clutching at his chest.

"Shit! Scully, just drop whatever you have and get out here!"

Moments later, she was running out the front doors of the drug store, hard as it was, and climbed into the car. "Mind telling me what's going on?" she asked, panting slightly.

Frohike pulled out of the parking space and sped off, pointing as they flew across pavement. She only just had time to glance down and see the man laying crumpled on the ground.

"Who is that?"

"Our cigarette-smoking buddy...he came here to warn us that we were being tailed, and as he was leaving, they shot him."

She emitted a low moan and covered her face with her hands. "What are we going to do? We can't just leave him here!"

"Oh yes we can, and we will, Scully. I understand that it's hard for you, especially being a doctor, but you'll have to settle for calling 911."

She sighed and picked up her phone as Frohike sped away.

When she had finished, he spoke up again. "Okay, now I need for you to call Mulder."

"Why? Why worry him needlessly? We're not still being tailed, are we?"

"I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't bet against it. Please call him..."

"Okay, okay." She dialed #1 on her speed dial.

"Mulder." His tone was crisp and business-like.

"Mulder, it's me."

"Hey. How's everything going?"

"Not so well. Listen, Mulder. We went to run some errands, and while I was in the store, the smoking man came to the car to talk with Frohike, to warn us that we were being tailed. Frohike called me on my cell, and while we were talking, the smoking man was shot. We're on the road right now, but we're not sure if we're still being tailed."

Mulder took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. These people were getting desperate. "Okay, I want you both to come down here, right away."

"What are we going to do, though? It's not like we can keep from going home ever again...and it's not like we can run away, either."

"Don't worry...we'll figure it all out when you get here. Just tell Frohike to hurry, please..."

She caught the tense, frightened tone in his voice and decided against voicing any complaints. "Okay, we'll be there in a little while."

"All right. I love you."

"I love you too."

She clicked her phone off and gave Frohike the instructions from Mulder. She suddenly felt nauseous. This was the boldest these people had gotten so far, and it scared her that, as the last few months went by, these instances would intensify. What would happen after the baby was born, though? Would they attempt kidnapping her? Scully couldn't stand the thought. They had nowhere to turn.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

They pulled into a parking space, not too far from the Hoover building. Alex Krycek grinned giddily at the two other men sitting in the back of the van. They glanced at one another and seemed to mutually agree that grinning back was safest. No doubt about it. Krycek was two doors down from the mental ward. Shooting the smoking man had sent him closer to the edge than ever, as was evident in his current reaction.

"Did you see that? Bang! Down! He's finally gone!" All this was punctuated with eerie, breathless laughter. Jake and Karl glanced at one another again, staying silent throughout this whole display. Krycek had been obsessing over this moment for a long time, that much was clear, but no one was sure if the man had been killed.

"Now that the old bastard is down for the count, we can focus on what's more important..." The best thing about the day was that the men had been tailing the smoking man as well as Dana Scully. Wherever Scully went, the old man was sure to show up. It was easy enough tailing her; they had put an undetectable transmitter on her car, and could tail her from blocks away. The little troll, Frohike, had yet to find it in his checks. Krycek had insisted on getting so close this time so that they could blow away the old man. Now that he was gone, they could throw all their time into the other. There were certain doctors who had hired them that were especially interested in Dana Scully's unborn child. The fact that the father was Fox Mulder was even more appealing to them, and these people would stop at nothing to get that baby. Krycek was in it for the revenge factor.

Jake and Karl knew most of the details through Krycek. He worked closely with the scientists, and had once been a close consort of the smoking man's, so he was told everything. Jake had a fairly good idea that he knew a lot more than he was supposed to, so he tried to stay on Krycek's good side. Karl, on the other hand, mouthed off sometimes, and more often than not, was threatened into silence. However, working with Alex Krycek wasn't too bad, and the pay was excellent. All they had to do was abduct Scully and bring her to the set place, with special care, of course. But getting Scully was not going to be an easy job, either. She had someone with her all the time, and they could not afford witnesses. After the scientists got what they wanted, though, Jake had no idea what they would do with the woman. He tried not to care, but sometimes these people were too reckless. He sighed and leaned back, wondering about the next plan of action, since their cover had basically been blown. But now that Krycek was, hopefully, done fucking around, they could get the job done, get paid, and move on with their lives. He moved to the computer to begin tracking her again.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Frohike parked in employee parking, and he and Scully got out, clipped on their ID tags, and headed into the building. When they reached the basement office, they found Mulder pacing back and forth and Skinner sitting at a desk, trying to calm him down. When he saw Scully, he stopped in his tracks and went to her, kissing her on the cheek and leading her to a chair.

"Are you alright?" He searched her face frantically.

"I think I should be asking the same of you...relax, I'm fine," she said gently. She placed her hand on his cheek and he looked down, sighing deeply. He knew he was overreacting, but he was just so damned worried. He looked up, towards Frohike, who was standing in the doorway. "Thanks Frohike, for getting her here safely and quickly."

"Don't worry about it, man. Just do me a favor and let Scully name the kid, okay?"

Scully laughed at that, and Mulder allowed himself a smile. She sat down and he went to stand behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Hello Scully, Frohike." Skinner spoke up. They both said hello. Frohike walked inside and closed the door behind him.

"Scully, how're you feeling?"

"Great, all considering." She glanced up at Mulder, then smiled wanly at Skinner.

Skinner returned the smile and then turned to Frohike. "Mulder gave me a brief account of what happened today. Could you tell me everything from the start?"

"Sure." Frohike launched into the events of the day, starting with him noticing the van a few car lengths behind. Just as he was finishing, a knock sounded at the door.

Skinner and Scully glanced at one another, and Mulder's grip tightened a bit on her shoulders. Frohike looked at them all, waited for Skinner's nod, and went to open the door.

It was Skinner's secretary. She brushed past Frohike, and went straight to where Skinner was sitting.

"Sir, I'm sorry for interrupting, but I have the information you requested earlier. The memo said urgent, so I thought I should bring it to you..." She trailed off and handed him the papers she had been holding.

"It's no problem. Thank you for bringing this so quickly."

The woman smiled and left, glancing at the group as she closed the door behind her.

Skinner leafed through the papers. "Well, it appears that the smoking man was not killed...in fact, he's listed as being in stable condition...they only want him to stay overnight for observation."

Mulder didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed with this news. After all, the man had been helpful during the past few months, alerting them when they didn't know what was going on behind the scenes, or when they were in danger. But he was still the enemy. If it weren't for him, they'd never be in this position to begin with. And he still had the sneaking suspicion that somehow, the man's only concern was not for the well-being of the child. He walked over to the desk to glance over the papers, then picked them up and handed them to Scully. "So then, what do we do from here?"

"I think it'd be best to have the Gunmen do a thorough check of the apartment and cars again, even the office. If you're not comfortable even after that, then maybe a week or two at Scully's mother's home would be long enough for them to start looking elsewhere."

Scully spoke up at this. "Skinner, I can't put my mother in danger like that...I'm sure they know where she lives."

Mulder turned to face her, a pleading look on his face. "We've already spoken with your mother, Scully. You know she said that this would be all right if something came up."

"I still don't like the idea at all."

"Scully, what else can we do? Once they realize that you're not here, it'll be time for you to come back anyway, and this will buy us a few weeks."

"And what about you, Mulder? Do you think that it's going to be easy for me not to be with you for a few weeks? This is an important time...what if something happens? What if the baby comes early...?"

"That's a risk we might have to take, Scully...you'll be at your mother's, which I'm more comfortable with than you being at home by yourself."

She was on the verge of yelling, but checked herself. Her temper never got this out of hand before she became pregnant, but she figured her hormones were out of whack right now. Even though she was trying, she could feel the anger rising in her, and it was all she could do to control herself in the presence of her boss, her friend, and her husband. So she chose the warning tone of voice instead. "Mulder..."

"Scully, I know it's frustrating for you. But please try to see the logic in this. I'm not going to like coming home to an empty place any more than you're going to like being away, but this is frightening, and potentially very dangerous. These people don't mess around. We both know that better than anyone."

"I'll think about it." She glared up at him, daring him to keep it up.

Mulder sighed. He knew better than to argue, so he left it at that. At least she'd think about it.

"Okay. Well, then, Frohike, I guess we'd better call the guys and get things going." Skinner picked up the phone on the desk and dialed out to the Lone Gunmen's office. He made arrangements for a thorough check of everything, and hung up.

"Mulder, I think you should take the rest of the day off after the boys check out the apartment so that you and Scully can figure out what to do next."

Mulder sighed and rubbed his temples. He hated missing work, but these were different circumstances. He looked over at Scully. Skinner was extending this offer to him as a friend, not as a boss, and it would probably do him and Scully some good to sit and spend a little time together, while they figured out what the best thing to do would be. He was incredibly worried about all this. Scully was pissed about the whole situation, and in his mind, this was making her reckless with their baby's life. Well, he thought, reckless was the wrong word, but she was definitely not listening to reason. Maybe if they just sat down and talked calmly...

"Okay," he agreed. "Thank you."

Skinner stood up and put his hand on Mulder's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. The two of you shouldn't even be in this position right now, and I have to say, I feel partially responsible. Take as much time as you feel is necessary."

Scully watched all this with a veiled expression across her face. Inside, however, she was nearly boiling over with frustration, anger, and that stubborn streak of independence that welled up at the most inopportune times. Before thinking another word against it, she stood up, clenched her fists, and glared at Mulder.

"No."

"Scully-"

"I *said* no. You stay right here and do what you need to do, work-wise. I am fed up, Mulder. I'm not living my life in fear of these people, and you shouldn't, either. I'm a trained federal agent, I know how to use a gun, and I certainly know how to defend myself without harming the baby. I'm not living under constant supervision anymore. I refuse to. I love you, but if you push the issue, Mulder, I'm walking." She managed to say this in calm, even tones without raising her voice, but even still, his shock was evident.

He stood staring at her for a long moment. Skinner and Frohike glanced at each other and excused themselves to leave Mulder and Scully alone to finish their discussion privately.

As the door closed, Mulder turned and put his hand to his cheek, cradling the elbow in his other hand. "Scully, I'm sorry. I'm just so worried and nervous, it's becoming more difficult to concentrate on work or anything other than you and the baby. Please understand..." He turned around again to face her.

"I do understand. I'm just not doing it anymore, Mulder. I'm sick and tired of having someone with me twenty-four hours a day. *You* have to understand what that's like. I've put up with it for long enough."

He sighed deeply. "We have to reach some sort of compromise on this, Scully."

"I'm more than willing to compromise, but no more of this what-Mulder-says-goes deal. I'm my own person, and the only reason I even let you have your way on this is because I love you. Yes, I'm worried, too. I want our baby to stay safe and healthy, but I'm capable of taking care of myself. You know that."

He nodded. "Okay, okay. No more of this, then. You decide what you want."

"Come on...let's go home and talk it over, then..."

"All right. I just have to let Skinner know that I'm going with you. Ummm...why don't you go back to the car, and I'll go find Frohike and Skinner. Frohike can take your car back to the apartment, and we'll drive together."

She smiled up at him. "Okay. I'll even call when I get to the parking lot."

He smiled back and caught her in his arms as he kissed her thoroughly. "I love you, Scully. And I'm sorry."

"It's alright. We'll talk it through. I love you." She kissed him again. "I'll see you in a couple of minutes."

She turned and headed down the hallway to the exit. A sudden chill gripped her, and she shivered slightly, but shook it off as a little nervousness. Mulder was making her paranoid, that was all, she thought as she walked through the parking lot. She found his car and walked over, fumbling for her keys as she did so. When she arrived, she unlocked the door and opened it, then realized she'd have to adjust the seat before she could sit down at the wheel. She sighed and squatted down, a bit awkwardly, and managed to move the seat back. She straightened up and started to turn around, just as someone covered her mouth and nose from behind. She barely had time to gasp, let alone scream. Her last thought before the world went dark was that she smelled something sickeningly sweet and sticky over her nose...*ether*...her eyes widened as she began to struggle, then everything went black.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Mulder locked up his office, and headed towards the parking lot with Frohike following close behind. Suddenly he stopped.

"Scully said she'd call when she got out there, but I'm not sure if she was serious or not."

Frohike shrugged, and said "She was probably kidding, knowing she'd see you in a few minutes, anyway. Or maybe she just forgot."

"Maybe..." But he didn't think so. Something was telling him to rush. They headed out the door, towards the car, just in time to see a large black van squeal away as a man glanced out and slammed the back door shut. *Krycek...* Mulder ran towards his car, only to find the door standing open, and no Scully anywhere.

"SHIT!" Mulder drew his gun and started running after the van, firing bullet after bullet at it's tires. It was no use, however, and the van was out of sight in moments.

Frohike started the car and raced after Mulder, who jumped in, hysterical and out of breath.

"Left!" he yelled. "They went left!"

"Okay...Mulder, take a deep breath and try to calm down...we need to call Skinner and try to catch up with them as soon as possible."

"God...oh god...this is all my fault...oh god, please let Scully and the baby be okay..." He covered his face with both hands and tried to rub away the numb, sick feeling he suddenly felt. A few moments later, Frohike pointed out the van.

"There they are...call Skinner now."



END, PART I