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Title - Returnees
Author - Donna
Email address - donnah@donnas-stories.com URL - http://www.donnas-stories.com/
Rating - PG
Category - AU, MSR, angst
Spoilers - None
Keywords - MSR, angst
Summary - What if she'd been taken earlier . . . Feedback - Please
Archive - Anywhere, just let me know so I can visitDisclaimer - Mulder, Scully, the Lone Gunmen and Skinner all belong to Chris,
10-13, and Fox - Bless them for it!! No infringement intended.Returnees
Mulder burst into the office. "Diana? You here?"
"I'm here, what's wrong?" She looked up from the file cabinet.
"Nothing, something's right for a change. I got a report of activity off the scale. We need to get to Oregon, right away."
Diana tried to hide her sigh. Okay Fox was younger than her, but sometimes he acted a lot younger. His enthusiasm had lost some of its charm, especially since it was part of her assignment to reel him in.
"Fox, what makes you think Blevins is going to let us go off to watch lights in the sky?"
"The stellar performance I just put in with the VCS." He grinned at her. "And I've already cleared it."
"You're kidding." She gaped at him. Blevins had okayed this? She needed to get word to her people.
"Nope." He was searching through his desk and not watching her. She sighed again, this passion of his was growing - a lot faster than his passion for her was. They weren't going to be happy.
"Ahh, here it is." He pulled something from the bottom drawer. "Our flight is at three. See you at the airport." He didn't even look over at her as he exited the office.
Damn it! She didn't dare call from here. She'd have to hurry.
She made the flight. He'd been pacing impatiently at the gate, then herded her onto the plane.
"What kept you? This is one of the most important trips for the XFiles since we got started."
"Sorry, but you did spring this on me." He followed her onto the plane and they took their seats. After they were settled, she turned to him. "Where did you get the tip? Fox, not those weird friends of yours."
He wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Oh God, Fox. You're going to get us fired. No wonder Blevins gave the okay. He probably knows and this is a set up."
"He doesn't know about these guys. No one does. That's the way they want it."
"So you keep telling me. You don't even trust me enough - "
"Diana, it's the way they want it. It's part of the deal. They're paranoid. I don't want to make it worse. As long as their rules don't compromise me, I've got to live by them."
"Don't go over it again, Fox. Just tell me what we're investigating."
"For the past two nights there has been unprecedented activity over three counties in Oregon. Lights have been reported by upstanding citizens, chased by cops . . . then last night a man showed up just outside of Lone Elder. He was nude, disoriented. I think he was returned."
"Returned?" Diana stared at him. "You think this man was abducted and then . . ." He was looking at her, those damn beautiful eyes of his. She sighed, he was so frigging sexy. "Fox, don't get your hopes up." Or get us killed, she thought.
"Who me?" He grinned, and handed her the file he had amassed, then leaned his seat back and closed his eyes.
She took the information, but since she could watch him unobserved, she seized the opportunity. He was unlike anyone she'd know. Besides being brilliant and an incredible, giving lover, there was no artifice about him. He knew how smart he was, but he didn't flaunt it, and as for his looks - hell he didn't even seem to realize.
She knew her own assets, she'd exploited them often enough. It had bothered her that he was younger, but he hadn't cared, if anything he seemed to appreciate her experience, and not just in bed.
She still remembered how startled he'd been when she invited him back to her place. It was as though it had never crossed his mind that she would want him. The man obviously hadn't walked through the secretarial pool lately.
As far as she could tell, he'd been 'faithful' to her. Of course that implied a level of commitment that she didn't think he felt. Still it was a start.
Yes, it bothered her that he had never invited her to his place. Oh, she'd seen it. She'd 'dropped by' exactly twice and he had gotten her out of there as quickly as possible both times. Hell, she'd never even seen his bedroom.
For now she needed to impede the investigation to the best of her abilities, without compromising herself. She'd thought about missing the flight, but realized as she observed him from a discreet distance, that he would have left without her. So she had finally joined him. It would be better to be on-site and see what was going on.
She smiled as his breathing became deeper, more relaxed. She enjoyed watching him sleep, though she'd had little opportunity. He refused to stay the night at her place. She wasn't sure why that was, but he was adamant about it - kind, but adamant. So she only got to observe him in situations like this. He was often restless, jerking awake in the car or wherever, as though from a bad dream, but he wouldn't talk about it.
She sighed and opened the file. Might as well know as much as possible.
They were met at the airport by two men and a woman, all very anxious to meet 'Agent Mulder' and wary of her. No doubt they'd been sent by those friends that he refused to discuss.
When they got back, she'd have to make a serious attempt to locate them. Obviously their activities had stepped up.
After introductions, they were led to a motel chain they knew well and checked in. The man that had been 'returned' was being held for observation. This trio had an opinion on that too, which Fox seemed to share.
Since that avenue was closed, they investigated the site where he had appeared. The woman, Lisa, had been nearby and actually seen him before officials had herded him off.
Diana made a note to check with her people about that. Lisa had gotten close enough to see the bruises on the man's body.
Ed, the leader of the group, turned to Mulder. "The moon is two days past full, so there's plenty of light. That's got the government people concerned I think. They had roadblocks out last night. Fortunately they're not from around here and didn't know all of the accesses. I sure hope you see something tonight."
"Me too. What time should we be out here?"
"It'll be full dark by 8:30."
"What about those roadblocks?" Mulder asked.
"We'll get you in, don't worry. We'll meet you at the diner at 7:30 and drive you out here ourselves."
"We appreciate this." Mulder shook his hand.
They smiled and nodded at him, their looks at her were more guarded, though Mulder didn't appear to notice.
He managed to keep his cool in front of the others, but Diana could feel his excitement. She knew what his hope was, that his sister would be one of those returned. He'd never mentioned the sister to her, but she knew the story and had read the file. The sister was the real reason he'd even joined the Bureau - the final deal-maker when he'd been recruited.
Diana had no doubt that whoever had made that decision was no longer around to enjoy the fruits of civil service.
She'd hoped he would open up to her, talk about his sister, but he held that close to his chest. He didn't trust her enough. The saving grace was she knew he trusted her as much as he could trust anyone. He didn't talk about his childhood either, but it had obviously been difficult for him. She didn't blame him for not trusting. She'd be here when he got ready.
They ate an early dinner to compensate for the lunch served on the plane, then he took a run, trying to work off excess energy until time to meet Ed. The man was practically crackling with anticipation.
They met Ed at the diner as arranged and he drove through the country to get them in place. Lisa joined them there, as well as several other people. They settled in to wait, with Mulder listening to their tales of encounters.
Diana kept quiet, observing. Mulder was grinning like an idiot. Well, most of the stories were absurd, but she knew him. Eventually he'd check every one of them out. He never forgot anything. It was like working with a damn sponge at times.
As it got dark, the level of tension went up. She thought Mulder might implode but frankly she hoped nothing happened and they could get back to the motel. It was a nice warm night, but her idea of fun did not include sitting in the woods with a bunch of lunatics and bugs.
Mulder looked over at her suddenly. "My watch just stopped." Before she could respond, there were lights in the sky and a . . . a hum.
Ed and Mulder were on their feet, running toward a light deeper in the woods. Diana was up then too, chasing them. By the time she caught up with them, they were kneeling beside a man.
"Diana, check him out." Mulder rose.
"Where are you going?"
"It's still happening. I'm going to follow the light. Diana, get evidence off the man. You know what to do."
She nodded and he took off again. Diana looked over at Ed, then focused her attention on the comatose man. She knew there was no stopping Mulder for now.
Mulder was running through the trees. He'd seen the light stab down in several locations, but continue on. Then suddenly whatever held the light was directly over him. Whatever it was, it was large enough to obscure the stars. He stood staring up at it for a long moment, a feeling of weightlessness tugging at him. Then the light stabbed down at him, blinding him.
He woke disoriented. He was on the ground, what the . . . something was on top of him. He reached down and touched flesh. He carefully sat up and looked at the . . . the young woman lying partially atop him.
He had enough light to see that she was nude and had strangely shaped bruises on her body, like the man that had been returned the night before as well as the man he'd left with Diana. Her hair was long, half way down her back, but spilling around her now.
He eased himself out from under her and carefully rolled her onto her back, then checked her for obvious injuries. No broken bones, no lumps on her head. The bruises were all over her body, but nothing marred her pale face. She was older than he had first thought, a woman, not a girl and he had to force himself to remain professional as he studied her body. He needed to get her help.
Without warning she stirred and opened her eyes. She looked around wildly, terrified. "It's okay." He spoke softly but she jerked violently, fear and horror obvious in her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'll get you some help, just let me . . . "
She cowered from him, unable to make it to her feet. Then she was trying to scramble back to the tree. Either she hadn't noticed her nudity, or it wasn't her first concern.
"Listen," he held out his hand, trying to sound reassuring, calming, "I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder. I'm here to help you. Here - " He slipped off his suit coat and held it out to her. She didn't seem to understand the gesture, so he wrapped it gently around her. "I'm Mulder, can you tell me your name?"
If she understood she didn't speak. He was beginning to suspect that her trauma was such that she couldn't. He realized she was shivering and it wasn't because of the cold. He moved closer to her slowly, his hands still out. He sat beside her and gently pulled her to him, letting his arms go around her.
She looked up as though trying to read his face. Whatever she saw did seem to reassure her and she allowed it. He cuddled her to him, finally taking her into his lap. She buried her face in his chest.
"Hey, it's okay. Just relax." He rocked her, murmuring to her until he felt her go limp against him and heard her breathing even out and become regular.
He looked around, but the others hadn't caught up with him yet. Well, they weren't in danger from exposure. It was a nice night; he'd just rather spend it inside.
She grew restless in her sleep. His arms tightened around her giving her security and he made comforting sounds. Her hands clutched his shirt. He had to smile, she didn't know him, but she seemed to trust him. Of course, he thought depreciatingly, he was the only one here.
He cuddled her closer, she felt good in his arms and she seemed to want to be there.
He finally grew drowsy himself. They were sure taking their time. This woman was in no shape to walk, and no way in hell would he leave her. He made himself comfortable and drifted off himself.
When he woke the sun was rising and she was still against him. In the daylight he could see that she was a redhead and had a beautiful complexion. Okay, what the hell had happened to everyone else? He gently placed her on the ground and moved behind a tree to relieve himself. He was just zipping up when he heard her cry out, "Mul!"
He hurried back to her side. "I'm right here. I was just . . . I'm sorry. Don't be scared."
Seeing him looming over her made her shrink back, so he dropped to his knees and held out his hands. "It's okay. It's me, Mulder. Can you tell me your name?"
She didn't try to respond but her hand reached out to touch his chest, almost as though making sure he was real or solid. He smiled then, "Yeah, that's where you slept."
The woman seemed to blush slightly, but that was probably his imagination.
"Do you think you can walk? We need to find the others."
Fear returned to her eyes then.
"It's okay, they're friends of mine. We just need to find them and get you to a hospital to get checked out."
She cringed then and moaned slightly.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. We need to find out who you are and get you back to your family. I'm not going to leave you alone. I'll be there with you."
She was watching his eyes, reading his face. Again she seemed reassured by him. He rose slowly, so as not to frighten her again and held out his hands. After a moment she took them and let him lift her to her feet. She wasn't entirely steady and he tightened his grip. His coat fell open and he saw her body before she clutched it back around her.
She was more aware today, at least of her nudity. But he had stopped, frozen. The bruises were gone. His face must have changed because hers grew worried and she reached out to touch him.
"May I . . . may I look at you. I'm sorry, but I need to see, I need to see your body."
She looked puzzled, but she didn't move away. He carefully and slowly opened his coat. She watched him watching her and kept quiet. The glance had been right, the bruises were gone. Her skin was unmarred and healthy looking.
In the dawn light she was beautiful and in spite of himself, he felt a stirring in his groin. She must have seen something; because she pulled the coat closed again, but didn't pull away. He met her eyes; pretty sure it was him blushing now. "Thank you."
She still didn't attempt to speak. The only word she'd tried to say was his name, but she wasn't afraid of him. For some reason that was giving him an absurd amount of pleasure.
"Come on. I ran from that direction last night." He put his arm around her and she didn't pull away. She was barefoot, so the going was slow, but he could hear traffic. He hadn't seen a road last night; maybe he wasn't going in exactly the same direction.
They came to a two lane road and almost immediately a truck stopped for them.
"You guys look like you need some help. I'm Carl."
"Yes sir." Mulder pulled out his ID. "Could you take us into Lone Elder?"
"Lone Elder? Mr. Mu . . .Mulder," He looked at the ID again, "that's twenty-five miles from here."
"What?"
"Yeah." The man pointed to the west. "That way. It's in the next county. You're in Bull Mountain. I wasn't headed that way."
"Right. Is there a diner or something close by?"
"Sure, there's Hall's Diner just over there. But she's not exactly dressed for it."
"That'll be our first priority." He sounded dangerous then, but smiled a little, and helped her into the truck.
Carl's smile dimmed, slightly afraid of the man suddenly.
At the diner he led her to the ladies room and waited outside for her, then took her to a back booth and seated her. The few workmen in for an early breakfast gave them strange looks but kept quiet. He turned toward the counter to get them some coffee but she grabbed his hand.
"It's okay. I'm not leaving. Let me just get us some coffee, okay?"
She didn't nod, but she let go of his hand. He got the coffee and a couple of sausage biscuits and returned to the booth. "Think you can eat this?"
He unwrapped the food and set it and the coffee before her. She picked up the mug with both hands as though to warm them, but didn't bring the beverage to her lips. It was as though she didn't know what to do with it.
"Do you, would you like something else?" He watched her process that question, but she only looked confused. "How about some hot tea?"
Her eyes lit up at that suggestion and he smiled. They were a beautiful blue.
"I'll get it for you." He squeezed her hand and rose from the booth again. He ordered the tea and took it to the table with him. She smiled at him then, as he dipped the tea bag into the hot water. He caught his breath, she was lovely. Okay, he'd just slept with her in his arms out in the woods all night and he'd seen her nude body a couple of times, but this felt different.
"Sugar, cream?"
She hesitated, then reached for a sugar packet. She tentatively gave it a taste and her eyes widened, as though in surprise, then she smiled again. He actually chuckled.
"I'd sure like to know your name."
She ignored that, savoring her tea.
"I need to call my partner. See about getting you examined."
She looked up at him trustingly and he smiled, for some reason in no hurry to contact anyone.
After she finished the tea, he forced himself to his feet again. "I'm going right over there to use the pay phone. You'll be able to see me."
Her smile slipped but she didn't protest. He took some coins from his pocket and kept an eye on her as he dialed.
"Diana?"
"Fox! Where the hell are you? What happened!"
"I don't know. I wound up in Bull Mountain. Don't ask me how. I was following the lights. I lost consciousness and came to with another returnee. I've got her with me."
"Is she okay?"
"Getting there. How many were returned last night?"
"Fox - "
"Just a number."
"Five, six with your woman."
"Did you see them?"
"Three of them. I can't get near them now."
"What about their injuries?"
"Covered in bruises, but I saw no wounds."
"Okay. Can you pick us up?" He gave her directions to the diner. "And could you bring some clothes for her?"
"She was nude." It wasn't a question.
"She's wearing my coat, but she needs a little more and some shoes."
"We'll be taking her to the hospital, right?" There was silence on the other end. "Fox? She needs to be examined."
"Just get over here. Don't tell anyone."
He heard her sigh, but she didn't disagree. He hung up then and returned to the table.
"My partner is on her way. We'll get you some clothes, then see what happens."
Returnees - 2
Diana walked into the diner less than thirty minutes later. She spotted them and moved immediately toward them, walking purposefully. The red head cringed away from her and without thought he slipped his arm around her.
Diana noted that and her eyes narrowed. She slipped into the other side of the booth.
"Diana Fowley, this is the woman I found last night." He began the introductions.
Diana looked at him for a moment. "You don't know her name?"
He squeezed the young woman's hand, "She hasn't done a lot of talking. What about the people you found?"
"None of them were conscious. Are we taking her to be examined?"
She whimpered.
"Don't worry, Red. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."
Diana stared at him, was he . . . no, he wasn't involved with her. He'd just found her last night. He was being protective.
"Did you bring her anything to wear?" He looked back at Diana.
"Uh, yeah, but it's too long."
Mulder smiled, "Not a surprise. Why don't you go get the stuff? She can change in the ladies room."
"Fox, what about evidence?"
"Evidence? It's already compromised. We slept in the woods last night and she's been wearing my coat the whole time."
"Did she have the bruises?"
He nodded, "but they're gone now."
"Gone?"
"There's not a bruise on her. I checked this morning."
"Yeah, I bet you did." She muttered, then noted the color in his face, but decided not to pursue it. She stood and turned toward the door. He didn't try to stop her.
Mulder turned to see her watching Diana and obviously not liking what she saw. He squeezed her shoulders. "It's okay."
Diana returned with a paper bag and placed it on the table in front of Mulder.
He picked it up and rose from the booth. "Do you need any help?" This was addressed to the little redhead, so Diana kept her mouth closed.
She glanced at Diana, then took the bag and walked to the ladies room. Diana watched her with distaste. She opened her mouth to say something to Mulder, but his expression and the fact that he hadn't taken his eyes from the door since it had closed behind her, caused her to clamp her lips together. She rose and got herself a cup of coffee, but didn't hurry back to the table.
He was still watching when the door opened and she emerged. The slacks had been rolled up several times as had the cuffs on the shirt. She looked like she was playing dress up in her mother's clothes. She still clutched his jacket. He had to smile. He was on his feet moving toward her before he realized it.
Diana's eyes narrowed, but she followed him. "What now?"
"We take her back to the motel."
"The motel?"
"We can't talk here. Come on." He took her hand and Diana followed them out to the car. Mulder had opened the back door and helped her inside. He bent to pick up the shoe that fell off her foot as she climbed in, then crawled in beside her.
"I need to stay close to her." He said in response to Diana's look.
At the motel, they all entered his room. He seated her on the bed and she kicked off the shoes and scooted to the head of the bed, her back against the headboard, watching them.
Mulder pulled out his wallet and handed Diana his credit card. "Listen, I need to stay with her. She's still not steady. Could you pick up some things for her, closer to her size." He spoke guilelessly, unaware of the insult that she perceived.
Diana glanced over at her, but finally took the card he held out. "Fox, we - "
"Mulder."
They both turned to look at the young woman.
"What did she say?"
Mulder grinned. "My name."
"She calls you Mulder?"
He shrugged, "I prefer it."
Diana rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll hurry, but we need to talk."
"We will. Go on, okay?"
With one last look at the young woman, Diana let herself out. Mulder saw her shoulders relax. "It's okay. Diana won't hurt you." She wouldn't meet his eyes.
"Okay, I need a quick shower. You won't leave, will you Red?"
She looked up then and he thought she shook her head. "You stay right here." He let himself into the bathroom and took one of the quickest showers on record. He was toweling himself off when he realized that in his rush he hadn't brought any clean clothes in with him.
He secured the towel around his waist after giving his hair a final tousle. He opened the door to see that she hadn't moved. "Uh sorry. I forgot . . . " He wasn't looking at her, so he missed her appraisal of his body. He would have been pleased by her look of approval.
"You probably would enjoy a shower yourself. There's shampoo and stuff in the tub, and a couple of towels."
She rose from the bed.
"You don't . . . do you need any help . . ."
This time she did shake her head, entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. He dressed quickly, then made a couple of phone calls. He got off the phone when he heard the water shut off.
He'd expected her to put back on the clothes Diana had lent her, but when she emerged, she was wearing a t-shirt he'd left in there. It reached to her knees and he appreciated where it molded to her.
She sat at the table, watching him.
"I, uh, I have a comb . . . "
She held it out and he nodded, "Yeah, that one."
She began combing her wet hair, drying it as she could with the towel.
"We should think about lunch. What are you in the mood for?" She just looked at him. "I always knew women were mysterious to me, but you're taking it to a whole new level." Her lips twitched and he smiled.
The knock on the door caused her to pale and fear was back in her eyes.
"It's okay. It's probably just Diana, back with your things." He moved to the door and looked though the peephole. When he spotted Diana, he nodded to Red and opened the door.
She hurried past him and dumped the bags on the bed. "I had to guess at her sizes, but - " She stopped when she saw the t-shirt now adorning the smaller woman.
"Uh, I guess she didn't feel comfortable in your clothes.
"She seems comfortable enough in yours."
The color rose in Mulder's face, but he didn't respond.
Red moved over to the bed to look over the purchases. She pulled out a pair of white cotton panties and grimaced. Diana rolled her eyes. Mulder looked away so neither woman would see his smile.
"Look, Fox - Mulder," she glanced over before the redhead could correct her again. "What are you thinking? We've got to notify the authorities."
"No. I will not turn her over to the government or a bunch of scientists, I'll find her family. I can look after her."
"You can't be serious. You could lose your job, or - "
"Diana, I am not putting her in that position. She trusts me and I'm not - "
"Fox, she's not your sister! You - " She stopped, but it was too late. She couldn't take back the words. Mulder had frozen in position, unable to speak for a moment.
"Fox, I - "
"We were discussing lunch. Do you want some?" He interrupted his manner distant, barely polite, his voice wooden.
"No, I . . . I'll head over to the hospital, see if I can learn anything."
He nodded, but didn't speak. Diana took a step toward him, but he turned slightly away and she stopped, then took a deep breath and let herself out of the room.
He didn't even realize she had left the bed until he felt her small hand over his heart. He looked down to see her beautiful blue eyes watching him, then she lay her cheek against his chest. He was stunned to realize she was comforting him. His arms encircled her and he let his cheek rest on the top of her head.
They stood that way for a long moment, then she pulled away and took his hand, leading him to the bed. She had him sit after arranging the pillows so that they could sit against the headboard.
She sat beside him and cuddled in, then looked up at him expectantly.
"What?"
She nodded and her hand came up again over his heart.
"You . . . you want to hear about my sister?"
She smiled.
"I . . . I haven't talked about her in a very long time."
She nodded.
Could he do this? It had been ages. He cleared his throat. "She, Samantha, was taken a long time ago, when she was just a little girl. She was eight and I was twelve. I . . . I was babysitting when it happened. I was in charge and, and I lost her."
She cuddled close, listening. "My parents . . . things were never the same after that. We never found her, she was never returned. I saw what happened; I know they took her, though I didn't remember for a long time. I had memory regression when things got bad for me. The memories were coming back and I . . . My father blamed me, no, not exactly, but there was something . . . Things changed forever. He, he resented me after that. And Mom . . . She never said anything, but she kept a . . . a distance from me. It was obvious she would have been more comfortable raising a daughter. I lived with her until I went to school. I'd see my father occasionally but he traveled a lot. He worked for the State Department. I ended up getting my Ph.D. in psychology at Oxford and apparently that made me very attractive to the FBI. Turns out I have a talent for profiling, that's getting into the heads of criminals, see what makes them tick and catch them quicker theoretically.
"I miss her, Red. I still miss her and I want to find her. I owe it to her, I didn't protect her. She's the one person in the world who truly loved me, unconditionally, and I let them take her. She's the reason I was out there in the woods. She's the reason . . . I won't let them have you, Red. The government knows about this, they're working with . . . with them. Someone knows what happened to Samantha and I'm going to find out who that someone is."
He watched her hand come up to his face and take a tear he hadn't been aware of on her finger. She placed it on her own face. He closed his eyes and pulled her against him.
"I don't know if you can understand me, Red, but . . . thank you." She cuddled in as a welcome. They sat there, comfortable in a way he couldn't define. He had done it, he had talked about Samantha and it, it felt kind of good.
He was surprised when his stomach growled.
He chuckled and she smiled. "I guess I forgot to order anything. How about Chinese, maybe some soup? That should be light enough, okay?"
It didn't take long to arrive, but gave her time to try on some of the clothing that Diana had purchased. It was fairly obvious she didn't care for it and Mulder couldn't really blame her. The colors were wrong enough that even he noticed and the styles weren't . . . her. At least they fit better.
He saw her eyes start to droop as they were eating, and by the end of the meal he was afraid she was going to fall into her soup. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. The move startled her at first, but then she relaxed and stretched out on the bed while he covered her with the extra blanket. That was probably unnecessary, but she pulled it around her and her eyes closed.
He cleaned up what was left of their late lunch and pulled out the file. That's what he was doing when Diana knocked again. He hurried to the door before she could wake Red and let her in.
She glanced over at the bed, then sat down at the table.
"Did you find out anything?" He asked softly.
Okay, he didn't want to talk about anything personal. She was grateful, she needed more time to figure out how to handle that. She nodded, "Ed was there, he has a friend that works at the hospital and she slipped him some information. The guy that was recovered first has begun to talk a little, but he doesn't remember who he is. Apparently none of them do. Their fingerprints have been sent to DC to see if they've been reported missing and when."
"And they're still being held incommunicado?"
"The military are guarding the hospital."
"The military?" His voice rose and he glanced over at the bed.
"They're not in uniform, but it's pretty hard to miss."
"Shit. Now do you agree we can't turn her over?"
"Fox, I . . ."
"I won't do it. I want you to return to DC in the morning. Keep Blevins off my back. I'll drive her back to Washington."
"Drive? Fox, that'll take days."
"Yes, but it gives her the time to recover, maybe remember on her own. I'm not going to let them have her."
Diana looked over at the bed again and saw that the woman was awake and listening to them. Mulder followed her eyes and stood.
"Hey Red, get enough of a nap?"
She glanced at Diana and didn't respond. "Red?"
She looked at him then and gave him a little smile, then got off the bed and went into the bathroom.
"Fox, are you sure you - "
"It's settled Diana. We'll take you to the airport in the morning."
"I'm trying to look after - "
"I've been looking after myself for a very long time Diana." She drew back as though stung, but before he could speak the bathroom door opened and Red joined them. Diana had the definite impression that she'd been listening at the door.
She decided to change tactics. "What about dinner? Do you want to go out somewhere? You've been trapped here all day. I could watch her or - "
"No, we ate late. Maybe we'll order a pizza later or something."
"Where . . . where is she going to sleep tonight?"
Before he could respond, she had crawled back into the bed and pulled the blanket up, staring defiantly at Diana.
Mulder swallowed hard to keep from laughing and nearly choked. When he got it under control, he looked at Diana. "It's okay. She can stay in here."
Diana had no response to that, but refused to look back over at the younger woman. "Do you want to work on our reports? They need to correspond."
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Red, you want to watch TV or something?" He rose and turned on the set for her and found a channel she seemed to want, then returned to the table.
They worked for about an hour, until their reports were close enough to suit him. There was no mention of his new charge. "Okay, you can take both reports back and I'll submit an additional one when I get there. Just keep him off my back for a couple of days."
"It will take more than a couple of days to drive across country."
"We'll have the weekend too. If we leave when you do, I think I can make it by Monday."
"That's pushing it."
"I can do it." His face was set.
"What if I need to reach you? What route are you going to take?"
He shrugged, "What do you think?"
She pulled a map out of her briefcase. "There's not a lot of detail, but the major highways are here." She spread it out on the table. "The best route looks like I-84, to 80, to 76, to 70. It's a straight shot and major roads. You could make the best time."
He nodded, "That sounds good. I'll check in a few times, make sure everything's going okay."
"I'm worried about this Fox."
"I appreciate that Diana. Just don't tell anyone about her. I don't want her taken by anyone again."
Diana nodded and rose, folding the map. He wouldn't need it, the man never forgot anything. "So, you don't want any dinner?"
Mulder looked over at Red. She shook her head slightly. "No, we're good. Thanks anyway."
Diana set her shoulders and moved to the door. She looked back once, but neither of them seemed to notice, so she let herself out. This was bad, and it was going to be worse. Her people were not going to be happy that he had this kind of access. What if she remembered what she'd been through? Damn.
They finished up the Chinese for dinner rather than getting anything else, or leaving the room. They watched some TV, with him explaining some of the new shows to the best of his ability. She really didn't seem to care, watching him more than the TV.
When she yawned, he grinned down at her. "I guess you still need some catch up time. Go get ready for bed."
She looked at him for a moment, then nodded and picked up the nightgown that Diana had purchased for her. She held it up and turned as Mulder chuckled. "Okay, it's not the most attractive . . . " It was full length, white cotton with small pink flowers all over it. He wouldn't have chosen pink for a redhead, but then he wouldn't have picked anything with long sleeves or ruffles either.
She disappeared into the bathroom and he shook his head. Diana obviously wasn't happy about Red and Red was even less than happy with Diana. He did not understand women, he knew that, but keeping them apart would be beneficial for everyone - that much he was sure of.
He looked up from the table when the door opened and his eyes widened. She was back in his t-shirt, not the matronly nightgown. He felt his body begin to respond and cleared his throat as he stood.
"I'll take the bathroom now. You go on to sleep."
She watched him with a small frown on her face, but of course didn't speak. When he emerged in t-shirt and slacks, she looked . . . disappointed. He sat at the table instead of joining her and her eyebrow rose.
"It's, uh, it's okay, you go ahead and get comfortable. I can - "
She pulled back the covers and waited.
"Red, last night was one thing, I mean we were outside, you were in shock, but -"
She shook the covers at him and her eyebrow went a little higher.
"You, you really want me to . . . "
She nodded emphatically once. "You're sure?" Her look was pure demand then and he rose slowly to move toward the bed.
She scooted over to give him more room. Okay, if it made her more comfortable. He could, could hold her until she went to sleep then he'd spend the rest of the night at the table. He never slept more than a couple of hours a night anyway. It would be . . . okay. She glanced pointedly at his slacks, so he removed them, folding them and laying them over a chair.
She turned her back to him and cuddled into his chest as she pulled his arm over her, anchoring him around her.
God she felt good against him. Just how bad an idea was this? Very quickly her even breathing told him she was asleep again. His own eyes were growing heavy. After all he had slept under a tree last night, very different from how comfortable he was now. Maybe he should try to catch a couple of hours; he'd have a long drive starting tomorrow.
Returnees 3
It was full daylight when he woke. He'd slept through the night? He glanced at his watch. Damn, he'd slept eleven hours! How the hell many years had it been since he'd slept eleven hours? She squirmed against him and his morning hard on took on a whole new meaning.
No, he couldn't, he wouldn't take advantage of her. He'd have to be careful on the trip back. He was damn attracted to her, more than any woman that he could remember. But hell, he didn't even know her name. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
He slipped out of the bed and hurried to the bathroom. A cold shower took care of his problem physically, but she was right out there and they would be alone on the road for days.
Hell, he was an adult, not some horny teenager. He'd just make sure all of the rest of the motels had two beds in each room. It didn't cross his mind that it hadn't occurred to him to get two rooms.
Once dressed, he returned to the room. She was still asleep, but had moved over to his side of the bed and was hugging his pillow. He sat on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair out of her face. "Hey, Red." He spoke softly, "It's morning. You need to wake up."
She mumbled something, then opened her eyes to see him leaning over her. It brought an immediate smile to her face and his breath caught. She was so beautiful with that red hair spread all over the pillow and those big blue eyes smiling up at him.
"I, uh, I've already had my shower. You go ahead and get ready. We can get a bite of breakfast, then take Diana to the airport."
Her smile dimmed at the mention of the other woman, but she nodded and rose from the bed. She gathered up the least offensive of the clothing Diana had purchased and disappeared into the bathroom. He heard the shower cut on and found himself visualizing the scene he was missing in there and shook his head. Oh this was a great way to go mad.
He packed up his clothes, making room for her things as well. He heard the water cut off just as the knock came on the door. He opened it when he identified Diana. She didn't look very rested.
"I was just packing. Red's getting dressed."
"Fox, please tell me you've changed your mind. This is a very bad idea."
"Maybe, but it's my bad idea. Diana, you mentioned my, my sister yesterday - "
"Fox, I - "
"If you know about her, then you know how important this is to me. I will not let them have her. I won't Diana. Do you hear me?"
She sighed, but nodded.
They both turned to look as the door opened. The young woman had pulled her long red hair back into a ponytail, though the drying tendrils around her face were escaping the elastic band and curling.
She had brought out his kit bag and handed it to him. "What about your things?"
She looked down at his bag and he realized her toiletries were sharing the space with his. It was stupid, but it gave him a warm feeling. Diana's eyes were hard and cold as she looked at this interloper that was causing her so much aggravation.
"You ready for some breakfast, Red?"
She smiled at him and ignored Diana. Mulder lifted the suitcase from the bed and opened the door for the women. Diana carried her suitcase to the car and waited as Mulder opened the trunk.
'Red' opened the front passenger door and seated herself. Diana stopped, stunned at her audacity. Mulder didn't say anything, slipping into the car himself rather than make a comment. It would be a bad thing to laugh, even though that was his inclination.
Diana let herself into the back seat with a snort and Mulder made a concerted effort not to look toward either woman.
He pulled into a diner on the way to the airport and the three of them entered and took a booth in the back. He sat beside Red, as though shielding her with his body. Diana noted the protective gesture and felt even more dismay.
He ordered for her and she nodded her approval. Diana rolled her eyes, but couldn't really call her on it. The others in the hospital hadn't spoken either. It was as though they'd forgotten how. She had said his name; that was a start. The problem was, what would she say when she could speak?
Following breakfast Mulder drove Diana on to the airport. Red had resumed her seat in front and Diana didn't attempt to beat her to it. She wasn't really sure she wanted to sit next to Fox right now anyway.
As he pulled up to the door of the terminal, she touched his shoulder. "Be careful Fox. You're taking I84 to 80, right? Please call me tonight and let me know . . . "
"Don't worry about us, Diana. Just keep Blevins busy. I'll check in tonight."
Mulder didn't accompany Diana inside, which hurt her in a way she couldn't quite describe. She understood that he didn't want to leave his charge alone, but there had been no opportunity to say anything in private.
Once she disappeared into the terminal, he pulled away and turned toward the exit.
"Not 84."
"What?" He looked over at her startled.
"Not 84. Another way."
"Another way? Why?" He looked over at her. She was perfectly serious. Was it just because Diana had suggested it? No, this woman wasn't petty. Yes, she had asserted her position with him. Hell, he had saved her life and she felt safe with him. He could only hope it was justified. But petty? No, it didn't feel like that. She was obviously serious about this route change.
"Okay, south?"
She nodded, smiling.
"The I-5 it is. We'll head toward Las Vegas for a while, then turn east."
She relaxed back against the seat. For some reason he felt more comfortable about this arrangement himself. He glanced over at her to find her watching him. "What?"
She just smiled.
"Come on, you can talk now, can't you? You just didn't want to in front of Diana."
Her smile dimmed at the sound of the other woman's name. "Don't . . . trust."
"Hey, I know you don't like her. I'm pretty sure she's not very fond of you either, but she is my partner. We've worked together for nearly six months. It's important to trust your partner."
She sniffed.
"I need to know why you don't trust her."
Red looked away for a moment, obviously thinking about the question. Finally she looked back at him and shook her head. "I don't know."
"Okay, but if you decide, will you tell me?"
She studied him for a moment, then nodded.
He drove steadily, stopping briefly for lunch, but getting back on the road as soon as possible. They were quiet, but comfortable with each other.
Even though he'd had the best night's sleep in memory, he was ready to stop for the day a little after five. He found them a motel and checked in, having her wait in the car, keeping her exposure down.
He carried their things inside. She noted the two double beds, but made no comment. He found them a cafeteria near the motel and they had a healthier dinner.
When they returned to the room, she turned on the TV. The news was on and the lead item caught his attention. He moved over and turned the sound up. It was a report about a problem on I-84, blocking the highway for hours.
"It's a good thing we didn't go that way."
She put her hand on his arm. "That's where we would have been."
"Yeah, I bet the back up - "
"That's where we would have been. They knew we were coming."
He just stared at her for a minute. "What are you saying?"
"It was a . . . a trap, for us."
"How could it be? No one knew we were going that way, no one even knows that I have you."
She just looked at him, not speaking.
"Diana? You think Diana would - "
"Don't tell her where we are."
"Red, you - "
"Just don't tell her. Please."
After a long moment, he nodded. "But I need to call her."
"Be careful."
He looked at the phone in the room, but decided not to use it. "I'll use the pay phone next to the drink machine. Want to come?"
"No. I'll get ready for bed." She saw his eyes dilate slightly but managed not to smile. It was a nice compliment though.
He checked his pockets for change, then let himself out.
He called Diana's home phone and she answered on the first ring. "Fox?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"Where are you? I was, was concerned."
"Really? It's not that late. We didn't have any problems."
There was a slight pause before she answered. "Uh, great. I heard on the news about the tie up on I-84 and I - "
"Tie up? Where?"
There was an even longer pause then. "It was on the news. The highway was closed, I thought maybe . . . "
"It must have been behind us. We didn't see anything. I did have a heavy foot."
"Oh. Well good. The sooner you get back to DC the better. Blevins is okay for now. He thinks you're tying up loose ends. If you're back in the office by Monday I don't think he'll even notice anything."
"Good. I don't want to be called in on the carpet first thing."
"Is everything okay? Is she able to talk yet?"
"No, my name. That's about it."
"Well, I guess that's not surprising. So she hasn't remembered her name?"
"Not yet, but we've got a few days. I'm hoping tomorrow or the next day . . . "
"Yes."
"Well, I need to get off. We want to get an early start in the morning."
"Good idea."
"I probably won't call tomorrow, unless something happens. I'll check in on Friday."
"You're sure everything . . . "
"Yes. She slept most of the time. Too bad we don't know if she can drive. I could've used the relief."
"Be careful Fox. I don't mind if you call tomorrow."
"We'll see. Goodnight."
"Nite, Fox." She didn't want to hang up. It felt like he was already disconnected from her. It hurt and it scared her in a way she just couldn't define.
He broke the connection. According to his watch, he hadn't been on the phone long enough for a trace even if she had the equipment at her apartment. At that thought, he glanced at the door to their room. Red had put that train of thought into his head. Was it a good thing? He'd come closer to trusting Diana than anyone else he'd met since becoming an adult. Was that because they occasionally slept together? There was no commitment, just bodies in need. He felt guilty about that, but it seemed to be all she needed too.
Whatever, he was going to be on his guard now and that wasn't a bad thing.
He returned to the room to find her in his t-shirt, watching TV from the bed closest to the bathroom.
"I need to stretch a little after all that driving. Do you mine if I go for a short run?"
"Be careful Mulder."
Simple words, but they touched him. She was worried about him, she seemed to care.
He nodded. "Don't open the door for anyone. I have a key. And don't use the phone."
She smiled then, "Who would I call?"
Right, he was all she had in the world right now. For some reason that felt good. He slipped into the bathroom to change to his running clothes, then returned to the larger room to stretch. He was aware she was watching him more than the TV.
"I won't be long." Then to his surprise, he leaned over and kissed her brow. Her eyes widened and he moved back quickly. "Sorry, I . . . "
"Hurry back." Was all she said.
He left, chastising himself for such a boneheaded move.
He ran a couple of miles, but the pull of her was strong, so he headed back. She was still awake and smiled that beautiful smile when he let himself in the room. "I'm gonna shower. What's on?"
"I'm watching the news, but I still don't recognize anything." She looked a little forlorn.
"Hey, don't push yourself. It'll come back."
She sighed, but nodded.
After his shower, he returned wearing his t-shirt and boxers, but got into the other bed. Her lips parted in surprised and he looked away, then back at her. "I think this is better, Red."
"You do?"
He looked away again and slipped under the covers. "We should get some sleep." He turned off the light and rolled over, not facing her. She made no further protests, but he could actually feel her displeasure.
It took awhile for him, but she drifted off fairly quickly. Eventually her even breathing relaxed him and he too fell asleep.
The next thing he knew, he felt her cool hand against his brow. "Mulder wake up. It's okay."
The dream. Shit. He brushed his damp hair back from his brow. It must have been a bad one. He forced himself to sit up. God, he was soaked. He was surprised no one was pounding on the door.
"I'll get you a towel."
"That's okay." He stripped off the t-shirt and wiped his face.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
He shook his head. "I'm sorry I woke you."
Her hand touched his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into it for a moment then straightened up. "I'll, uh, I'll . . . maybe I'll watch a little TV. I'll keep it low."
"You need sleep, Mulder."
He shook his head again. "I never sleep again after . . . "
"This is . . . common?"
He looked away. "I'll try not to keep you awake."
"Lie back." She pushed him back toward his pillow, "and scoot over."
He blinked at her, but did as she ordered. She stretched out beside him and cuddled into his chest. "Close your eyes Mulder."
He looked at her incredulously for an instant, then thought, what the heck. He pulled her close and let his eyes shut. He'd humor her and then when she was asleep, he'd move over to the chair and read or something until morning.
Sounds outside woke him and his eyes opened. What time . . . it was light outside? Red squirmed against him and his body reacted immediately. He'd slept? He'd actually fallen back to sleep after the dream? He had never, even as a child . . . Her warm breath stirred his chest hair; right, he had taken off his tshirt. Then he realized his hand was inside of the t-shirt she wore, caressing her back, feeling the silkiness of her skin.
Her leg moved, brushing his cock and he stifled a groan. He moved carefully away from her and rose from the bed. She didn't wake, but moved to the warm spot he had left. He looked down at her, then moved on to the bathroom and took a shower, using the opportunity, and privacy, to relieve himself. Once in control, he dressed and returned to her side.
"Hey, Red, it's time to wake up Sleepyhead."
She stretched and the t-shirt pulled tight across her breasts. All the good that his time in the shower had done was gone. She opened her eyes to see the lust plainly visible in face and reached for him.
He backed away quickly. "We need to get moving. Go ahead and get dressed."
"Mulder, how did you sleep?"
He looked at her then, deeply into her eyes, "Very well, thank you." The words were simple, but she heard the depth of it. She nodded and rose from the bed.
They ate a quick breakfast and headed east. At lunchtime they pulled into a diner and stopped to stretch and eat. The TV was on and several patrons were watching what looked like a massive back up on a highway.
Mulder led her to a booth and when the waitress approached, asked her what was going on. "Oh, it's bizarre. Yesterday there was this huge tie up on the I-84 up north. Well today, there's another one. Several hundred miles east and it's on the I-80 as well now. They're talking about it on all the channels. It's become a real joke. Coffee?"
They placed an order, but exchanged glances when they were alone. "Red, I want to exchange cars."
She nodded. "How?"
"Let me think about it. Don't worry. It could still be a coincidence."
"Do you think it is?" She watched his eyes.
"I don't see any reason not to take precautions." He squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe."
"I never doubted that."
His lips parted in surprise, but before he could speak again, the waitress returned with their drinks.
When they were back in the car, he turned to her. "Let's find an airport. We can 'exchange' rental cars there."
She nodded and they drove off. They found the airport in Stockton, Kansas. Mulder drove around and saw the fleet of rental cars available. "Okay, I want you to take the bags and wait for me. After I fill up the car I'm going to switch. Then I'll pick you up."
"They won't just exchange cars without asking for - "
He grinned at her, "No, they won't. Don't worry about it. Come on."
When he picked her up about twenty minutes later, he was driving a navy sedan, dusty on the outside, but with a full tank of gas.
"Like it?" He grinned.
"Yeah. I never really liked white cars anyway. Let's go." She grinned. "Are you going to tell me how you did this?"
"No way, if I did I'd have to kill you."
She gave him the eyebrow, but he chuckled for a moment, then sobered. "I do need to make a phone call."
She looked up quickly, "Diana?"
"No. I don't know what's going on there. But because of what is happening, we need some more cash. I've got some friends that can help us out. I trust these guys."
After a moment she nodded.
At the next filling station, he went in and bought a map. She waited in the car while he used the pay phone. It didn't take long and she didn't ask any questions. He was smiling when he returned and that was enough for her.
When they reached Topeka he found the Western Union office and picked up their cash as well as a note. When he got back in the car, he split the money with her, giving her $300 and keeping $200 for himself.
"What are you doing?"
"If we should get separated, or if anything . . . I want you to hold on to this and keep this address. These are the guys that sent the money. Go to them and stay there. They'll look after you, find out who you are. In fact they're already working on it."
"They are?"
"I called them earlier. They're checking missing people with your description. It would help if they had your fingerprints but we'll do that when we get there."
"What if they don't - "
"You are not to worry about this. I shouldn't have said anything before . . . how about we stop and get you a few more clothes. Something that you pick out. I mean, we're rich now, right?"
That brought a smile back to her face. "Really?"
He laughed, "Really. I'd like to see what you'd pick out."
"I don't know my taste." She sounded a little nervous then.
"Sure you do. Come on." He put the car in gear and found the nearest shopping center.
It was an uneventful day and they put a lot of miles behind them. They kept the radio on, checking on the events up north when they could.
He looked up from the TV and his mouth fell open when she came out of the bathroom. He hadn't seen her purchase that.
It was dark blue, sheer and short with those little straps, what did they call them, spaghetti straps, yeah. The panties matched and were cut high enough to make her legs look . . .
Oh god, he couldn't . . . she looked so damn good. She moved toward him, their eyes locked and her arms went around him.
"Red, you - "
Her lips cut him off. When the hell had he bent over and tasted of her? Allowed his tongue to explore her, duel with her tongue? Her hand was inside his t-shirt and brushed against his nipple. The reaction was immediate. She smiled at him then and her free hand slipped under his waistband.
Returnees 4
He looked up from the TV and his mouth fell open when she came out of the bathroom. He hadn't seen her purchase that. Oh god, he couldn't . . . she looked so damn good. She moved toward him, their eyes locked and her arms went around him.
"Red, you - "
Her lips cut him off. When the hell had he bent over and tasted of her? Allowed his tongue to explore her, duel with her tongue? Her hand was inside his t-shirt and brushed against his nipple. The reaction was immediate. She smiled at him then and her free hand slipped under his waistband.
He grabbed her hand, pulling away. "No."
"Mulder, I - "
"No."
"I want - "
"No."
She looked at him then, trying to read his eyes.
He looked away, "We . . . you don't know who you are, we don't know who you are. You could be married, have a, a family. I don't want you to, to regret the time that we . . . I'm not going to take advantage of . . . " He shook his head.
"It's not taking advantage - "
"Red, no. Don't make this any harder."
Her eyebrow rose and color suffused in his face. "You know what I mean. When you get home and find out who you are, I don't want you to have memories that would make you uncomfortable. This trip is to keep you safe, not to make things worse for you when you . . . " He shrugged.
"You don't want me?"
"Red, you know that's not it. I doing my best to be a gentleman here and it's the last thing I want to do. I can't . . . Go on to bed. We still have a long way to go tomorrow."
He turned her toward the bed closest to the bathroom.
"We should at least share the bed."
"I don't think - "
"We both sleep better when we're holding each other."
He couldn't exactly refute that, he'd slept through the night, peacefully, since finding her Monday night. That was a world's record for him, but . . . "Go change."
She glanced down at her outfit, then glanced up at him blushing. "I'm sorry."
"No. Don't be sorry. For you to want . . . " He closed his eyes, "just go change. Please."
She nodded and retreated to the bathroom. She emerged wearing his gray t-shirt and still not quite able to face him.
"Red, please don't be uncomfortable."
"I threw myself - "
"And I wanted to catch you."
"Maybe I'm a prostitute or - "
"Red. Stop. You could never be . . . You are a beautiful, desirable woman and any man that sees you is going to want you. You have to know that, just look in the mirror, but I'm not going to let your . . . appreciation - "
"It's not appreciation Mulder."
He nodded, but steeled himself against the pull of her. She lay down and pulled the sheet up over her. After a moment he climbed in on the other side. It felt awkward, stiff.
"Mulder?"
"Shh, come here." He turned her so that he could spoon around her and held her until he felt her finally relax. He was doing the right thing. This woman wasn't like Diana. She couldn't be a casual sex partner, at least not for him. He didn't even know her name and he felt like, like she was essential to him.
Stupid! Just because she trusted him and, and he had actually been able to discuss Samantha with her . . . she had no one else, at least not yet. He needed to keep that in mind.
It was comfortable here, with her in his arms. They'd only be on the road a couple more nights. He should rest now, while she was with him. He closed his eyes and pulled her closer.
She woke to hear him in the shower, but remembered the feel of his arms around her. She was on his side of the bed now. He did want her; he was keeping his distance for a reason. She understood that and tried to be grateful. Would it be uncomfortable today? No, she wouldn't let it. He was important to her, not just as a savior, as a friend . . . and a man.
She smiled when the door opened and he emerged with the steam. "Morning."
He relaxed visibly at her smile. "Good morning. I left you a little hot water."
"Thanks." She rose and slipped past him into the bath, letting her hand caress his shoulder lightly on the way in. "I won't be long."
He managed to smile then. "Take your time."
He wanted to put miles behind them and get to DC no later than tomorrow afternoon, so they ate breakfast in the car. She could tell that he was still wary of how to be around her this morning, so she took his coffee from his hand and put it in the holder, then pried a finger from the steering wheel where he gripped it.
He glanced over at her, then took hold of her hand.
"We okay?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Talk to me. Tell me about you."
"Me?"
"Well, we can't exactly talk about me."
"What do you want to know about me?"
"Everything. Your work, where you went to school, who you're seeing . . . your relationship with Diana."
"That won't take long. I'm not seeing anyone. Diana and I work together. Sometimes we've . . . damn, it sounds so clinical, but we've been convenient for each other. In our work there's not always a lot of time for the social." He managed a sad smile, "Which explains my ineptitude around you."
"I don't find you at all inept. You . . . I understand what you did last night. I think a part of me even appreciates it, a little maybe. So, you and Diana . . . "
"We're friends, partners. We're working on a new project right now." He grinned sheepishly, "We call it the X-Files. They're old cases, some unsolved, mostly unexplained. It's occult stuff, paranormal . . . weird. I got into it looking for Samantha. They buried the UFO reports down there too. They call me 'Spooky' Mulder because, well because I guess I am. Diana doesn't seem to care and she believes like I do, maybe a little. At least she listens to my ideas and even comes up with some of her own occasionally."
"But you didn't tell her about Samantha." It wasn't a question.
"I . . . I don't trust people very much. I didn't as a kid, and I sure as hell don't as an adult. Samantha is precious to me. I don't share her."
"You did with me."
He managed a small smile, "yeah, I did."
"Thank you."
"When we were little, we'd go up to Rhode Island to our lake house. She was a pain, you know, little sister and all that, but she was cool sometimes too. Not that I ever told her that. I was different from the other kids, even back then, into science fiction and I have this memory that won't turn off. She was used to it, where the other kids . . . I should have looked after her better."
"Mulder, you were twelve. What more could you have done, realistically?"
He blinked at that. "I should have - "
"You believe she was taken by the same thing that took me."
He nodded.
"The thing that moved you 25 miles the other night without you knowing it."
He glanced over at her.
"Maybe you need to rethink what you could have done as a twelve year old against something like that." She squeezed his hand. "Keep talking."
So he did, talking about his family before Samantha was taken, and about his time in school. He'd gone to school in England and had a Ph.D. in psychology which gave her a great deal of insight into the man, though she didn't interrupt, just letting him talk. It felt to her as though he hadn't had anyone to talk to in a very long time.
They ate a quick lunch, eating up the miles today. It was late afternoon when they finally stopped for a little while. He pulled into a service station and filled the car. She went on inside and used the ladies room, then picked up a drink and some snacks for both of them.
Mulder joined her and paid, making sure that she was obscured from the camera by his body. She had become used to this, it was just another way that he protected her and, while she thought it unnecessary, she was moved that he cared that much.
He was returning his wallet to his pocket when they both heard the woman near the rest rooms. "Help me! He's having a heart attack!"
She didn't even look over at him before moving toward the sound. He was only a half step behind her. She knelt beside the stricken man, checking his pulse. "Call 911." She spoke to Mulder though she didn't turn. She tilted the man's head back and blew twice into his mouth. Her hand moved down his chest then and began CPR.
"They're on their way. What can I do?"
"Spell me. Every five compressions, give him air."
He nodded and pinched the man's nose. They worked together until the paramedic moved them aside. Mulder took her arm to help her to her feet, then they stepped out of the way. They watched as the medics shocked him, twice then she took a deep breath as they got a pulse.
The clerk, an older man touched her shoulder. "That's Fred Graham. He's a friend of mine. You kept him alive until they could get here. Thank you."
She glanced over at Mulder. "You're . . . you're welcome."
"Let's get out of here." Mulder whispered to her. She nodded and they moved back, away from the activity. As soon as possible, they slipped out the door and walked calmly to their car. With all of the traffic that had suddenly converged on the mini-mart, no one tried to stop them.
They were several miles down the road before he spoke. "How did you know what to do?"
She shook her head.
"But you were . . . you knew what you were doing. Can't you remember anything?"
"No. I didn't think, I just acted."
Mulder nodded. He reached over and took her hand again. Her trembling decreased at his touch. They were quiet then, just being together. He wanted to ask what she was thinking now, but it could wait.
He began looking for a hotel earlier than he had originally thought. She was obviously still shaken by what had happened.
Finally he decided to try to get her to talk again, "What about dinner? What are you in the mood for?"
She shook her head. "I'm not hungry, whatever you want."
"Red, you did nothing wrong. You saved a guy's life, you should be proud of yourself."
"That's not . . . " she shrugged again. "I'm just not hungry."
"Okay, I'll get us a room. If you change your mind, we can eat later."
She just turned to look back out the window. He hadn't seen her like this and wished he knew how to help her. He'd never been without his memories, no matter how much he might wish it. This was new territory for him.
She waited in the car as usual while he got their room. He observed her as he approached the car. She seemed a million miles away and he felt a stab of loneliness, then an urge to bring her back to him.
He tapped on the window then opened the door. "You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Why do I doubt that?"
"Really, let's just go on up."
He took her hand, caressing the fingers lightly before squeezing them and leading her to the room.
"Mulder, I think I'd like a shower."
"Sure, go ahead. I need to make some calls."
She nodded and watched him for a moment. His brow furrowed, what? But before he could ask, she turned away and shut the door to the bathroom behind her.
"Lone Gunmen."
"It's me. What you got for me?"
"Hold on, let me switch phones."
Mulder smiled grimly at that, but didn't protest.
"Okay Big Guy, we've got six possibilities." The little one, Frohike spoke over the speaker phone.
"That's his estimate," the blond, Langly piped up. "I'd say more like 300."
Mulder shook his head, "My guess is that Frohike's looked at more women than the rest of us put together. I'll go with his estimate. You got names for me?"
"This would go a lot faster if we had some fingerprints."
"Tomorrow. Give me the names, okay?"
"Sharon Brackett, Jennifer Slader, Debbie Brown, Dana Scully, Patricia Kaysom, and Jennifer Jackson."
"Okay. You got pictures, locations?"
"Yeah. When should we expect you?"
"Depends on traffic tomorrow. Before dark." He heard the water cut off. "Gotta go. Thanks guys."
"No biggy, we're better than those fascists at your company anyway."
"I'll remember that." He hung up and looked toward the door, anxious to see her again already.
When the door did open, his lips parted in surprise. She was wearing only a towel.
She moved to him, stopping just within his reach. "I don't know who I was, but I'm not sure how important that is. What I do know is that I want to make love with you. Whatever we find out tomorrow, or the next day, doesn't matter right now. I want to be with you. I need to be with you. Mulder, people die every day. That man could have died right there in front of us, with all kinds of regrets on his mind. The only regret I could have is losing this time with you." Her eyes were glistening with tears.
He wasn't sure when his arms encircled her, but she was against him, held tightly to him. He'd managed to keep his distance last night, using logic, common sense - neither seemed to matter tonight.
She wanted him and it was no secret how much he wanted her.
"Mulder, please."
Without another word he lifted her into his arms and carried her the few steps to the bed. The towel slid to the floor and he saw her body. He couldn't look away.
"Mulder."
"Just a second." He ducked into the bathroom and returned instantly, then began removing his own clothes. Her breathing grew shallow at the sight of his chest, and stopped altogether when he removed his boxers, her eyes wide.
"Red?"
Then she reached for him. He joined her, burying his face in her breasts, breathing in the scent he had come to love over the past few days. He wanted to be here forever, give up his job and run away with her. He didn't care who she was, hell, he didn't care who he was now.
"Make me yours." She whispered into his ear and he met her eyes, nodding. He was already hers.
He entered her slowly, carefully, giving her time to adjust. Her eyes were locked on his, penetrating much deeper than even he was capable physically.
Her eyes never left his until his body pushed her over the edge. Watching her come in his arms was enough to push him over as well and he followed her willingly, eagerly.
He held her as she came back to herself and her breathing tried to return to normal. When she was no longer shuddering, he rose on wobbling legs. She whimpered, but he soothed her. "Be right back, Red."
He stumbled to the bathroom, flushed the condom and washed up a little, then took a warm cloth back out to her and gently cleaned her. She pulled him back down next to her and he collapsed pulling her to him.
He stirred, stretching slightly, moving abused muscles. A smile came to him before even opening his eyes. Three times. They'd made love three times during the night. He had enough ego to be damned pleased, even though he knew it was her hands on his body that had made that last time possible.
He reached for her, opening his eyes slowly. Maybe one more . . . she wasn't in the bed. He usually woke first, but with last night's exercise . . . he glanced toward the bathroom, but the door was open and the light was off.
He was up then, "Red?" It wasn't like there was anyplace to hide in the room, she . . . she wasn't there. He felt his heart rate rise. She wouldn't leave, not on her own. He'd heard nothing, dead to the world after . . . Was anything missing? She hadn't been taken; there had been no bright light. He wouldn't have slept through - the door opening caused him to turn.
She walked in balancing coffee and a small plate of pastry. The look on his face caused her smile to evaporate and she searched for any flat surface to put down the food.
"Mul - " Then he had her crushed against him.
After a long moment, she looked up at him and he loosened his hold. "Mulder, what?"
"You were gone." Simple words, but the flat tone said it all. He'd been terrified.
"Mulder I'm sorry. I, I wanted to get you some coffee. I didn't think - "
He shook his head, lowering himself heavily to the foot of the bed. Then he remembered he was nude. He glanced around, but she picked up his boxers and handed them to him.
"Can you forgive me?"
"You didn't do anything wrong. I, I just . . . " He shook his head, and slipped them on.
She sat beside him, "Are you okay?"
"Sure. I was just caught off guard with you not being here. It was stupid."
"It wasn't stupid. You care about me." He glanced up quickly. "I knew you did, I mean after last night, but - "
He rose from the bed, "I need a shower. We should get on the road."
"Mulder - "
"I'm okay." He turned from her and closed the bathroom door behind him.
She hadn't thought, she truly hadn't realized what leaving without telling him would do. She should have. She knew how he felt about his sister, she was the only one who knew, but she hadn't processed it. She needed to make this up to him.
She heard the water cut on and rose to her feet. She shed her clothes and quietly entered the bathroom. Then she heard it, he was crying. Her heart melted and she moved quickly to the shower.
She stepped in and he jerked upright and away from her. "It's okay." She wrapped her arms around him.
"It's not okay. You're not mine and now I . . . " He buried his face in her hair.
"I am yours. We don't know what we're going to find, but I am yours. I'll always be yours."
"But you aren't. Red, you aren't." His next words were cut off by her lips on his.
"We'll find out together, Mulder.
Returnees 5
He held her hand tightly as they waited for someone to open the door. He knew they were on camera and he could hear the locks being disengaged. When the door finally opened, she was greeted by the sight of a small man with two day's growth of beard and thinning hair. He swept his arm to welcome them in and she saw he was wearing gloves with the fingers cut off.
Mulder's arm went around her and he escorted her inside.
"Welcome to my home lovely lady." The strange little man took her hand and kissed it.
Mulder pulled her closer to him. "Back off Frohike."
The older man grinned at him as the two other men joined them.
"Red, this is John Byers, Ringo Langly and that is Melvin Frohike."
"Well guys, did I pick it or did I pick it?" Langly looked over at his friends.
Byers nodded and Langly snorted.
"What?" Mulder asked.
"You decide." Frohike moved toward the desk. He shuffled through some papers quickly and picked up a picture, then handed it to Mulder. "That's her, isn't it?"
The others didn't seem to notice, but she could tell he had gone slightly pale. She moved closer, and held out her hand. The gesture seemed to surprise him, but he managed a rueful grin. He handed her the photograph.
It was her. Her hair was shorter, but it was her.
"Her name is Dana Scully." Frohike offered.
"Dana." He tried out the sound of it.
She sank into the nearest chair and his hand came out to catch her. "I'm . . . I'm fine."
He squatted beside her. "Really?"
She took a deep breath, then looked over at Frohike. "Who am I?"
He smiled at her, kindly it seemed, and she relaxed a notch. "You're a doctor, a good one apparently."
She blinked at that and glanced over at Mulder. He smiled and nodded. She relaxed a little more.
"What about the personal?" Mulder asked this, trying to sound casual.
Langly chuckled, until Mulder's look stopped him.
"You're single, your parents live in Georgetown. Your father is Navy, a Captain, and your mother was a stay at home mom. You have . . . " Byers let his voice trail off when he realized they weren't listening. In fact, he couldn't be sure they'd heard anything after the word 'single'. He met Frohike's eyes and nodded.
She wasn't sure whether she'd taken his hand or he'd taken hers, but they were holding onto each other. There was no husband, no family to feel guilty in front of. There was no other man to mar their relationship. She felt positively light headed.
"Red?"
"Yes," she drew herself back to the present. "What else?"
Byers glanced over at Mulder, then continued. "You have two brothers, we think, and a sister named Melissa. That's about all we know. We weren't sure which one to check."
"My, my parents live here?"
Frohike nodded, "You worked at Georgetown."
"I'm a doctor. What kind?"
Byers shrugged, "we can find out in a few minutes."
She nodded and leaned into Mulder.
"Hey guys, you have brandy, don't you?" He was watching her and she seemed to be sinking slightly now.
"Uh, sure. Just a second." Byers was on his feet, as Mulder lifted her and carried her to the sofa. Byers returned immediately with a glass. "Is she okay?"
"Yeah. Just give her a minute. This is a lot to absorb."
She took the glass he held out, but it trembled in her hands, so his hands closed around hers and brought the glass to her lips. She sipped from it, then leaned into him.
"We'll, uh, we'll give you a few minutes. There's some things we can look up."
Mulder nodded, his attention on her fully now. "Red?"
"I'm not married." She looked up into his eyes.
His smile was dazzling. "No, you aren't, yet."
She blushed then. "I'm not, I mean - "
"I'll take you to your parent's home tomorrow. I can only imagine how seeing you is going to affect them."
"What about tonight?"
His face fell slightly. "You should stay here tonight. I need to contact Diana, let her know I'm in town. My place might be watched."
Her eyes grew troubled, "You'll be in danger?"
"No. I mean, I'm not supposed to be in the office until Monday. We have tomorrow."
"Couldn't you stay here too and contact her tomorrow?"
"Stay here?"
She nodded.
"Think I can stay near you and not . . . "
"You did the other nights."
"That was before I knew what I was missing." But her expression of fear was getting to him. "I . . . I suppose I could call her and let her think we're still on the road."
"Please."
He nodded, "Okay. Let's see what the guys have dug up. Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, especially if you stay here." She watched his eyes dilate and relaxed even more.
They joined the others and Frohike immediately rose to give her his chair. He was beginning to grow on her; he really was kind of sweet.
"Guys, you have a phone I can use? Untraceable."
Langly shot his eyes at him. "You're kidding right? You couldn't be in a safer place. Come on." Mulder grinned then squeezed her hand and followed the pony-tailed blond out of the room. Langly handed him a phone and made a few adjustments, then left him alone.
He dialed the familiar number. "Hello?"
"Diana, it's me."
"Fox! Why didn't you call?"
"There was another tie up on the highway, we spent some time hiding."
"So where are you?"
"Tennessee. We should be in DC tomorrow. Have you been able to find out who she is?"
"No, but after we have fingerprints we can search."
"Yeah, I guess that's what it'll take."
He sounded disappointed, but she couldn't give him any information, not yet. "What time should you be here?"
"Afternoon. I'm not sure."
"Okay. Do you want me to meet you at your place?"
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
"Is she talking yet?"
"A little. She doesn't remember who she is. I can tell that's beginning to frighten her."
"It'll probably just be a matter of time. If we find her family, husband, kids, I'm sure seeing them will help."
He closed his eyes; that was what he'd been worried about. She was single, there was no husband. "Look Diana, I'm tired. This has been a long trip. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Okay. Be careful Fox." But he'd already hung up. Well, he'd said he was tired. At least she hadn't remembered anything. How had he evaded the teams? Of course he shouldn't be in Tennessee on the route they had planned. There were only so many routes into DC from the south. She'd pass along the information. If they weren't picked up, it wouldn't be her fault. She just needed to remain cool so that he wouldn't see her role in this.
Mulder hurried back to the main room. Red, Dana, was sitting in front of a computer reading the screen. She didn't seem to notice that he'd returned.
Then she turned to smile at him and he relaxed. She was aware of him like he was her, on a cellular level or something.
"So are you a pediatrician or something? Could you support me in my old age?"
She blushed and he moved closer. "I'm a . . . a pathologist."
"A path . . . well, no pesky house calls I guess."
"I did an extensive residency in cardiology too, which might explain some things."
"Yeah." He nodded, "but you chose pathology. Someday I'd like the rest of that story."
"Someday I'd like to tell you." She said softly.
The three men moved away, finding other parts of the room suddenly fascinating. Mulder chuckled. "It's okay guys. We'll try to control ourselves. I'm thinking I'll take her to her parent's tomorrow morning. Can we both bunk here tonight?"
"Uh, sure." Byers responded.
"Mulder, I don't think we should just show up. I don't want to shock them."
"Good idea. We need to come up with a cover story on where you've been as well. I want publicity, so the military won't be comfortable 'bothering' you."
"Do you think they'll try to take me, for testing?"
"You're a physician. We need to preempt them, make a big deal of how healthy you are. Offer your medical records. These people don't like working in the light. The more famous you are, the more they'll want to distance themselves. It doesn't hurt that your family's military."
She sighed. "I don't want to mess up."
"You won't. And as for publicity, we're here in the heart of 'The Magic Bullet' - a newsletter written by these guys. We can use their expertise on publicity."
She looked at the other men, slightly surprised. "Will you help us on that too?"
Byers smiled and Frohike looked surprised she had even asked. "Of course we will Lovely Lady. Damsels in distress are my specialty."
"That's 'cause he usually puts them in distress." Langly offered, then huffed as Frohike backhanded a fist into his chest.
He pulled the car to the curb in front of her parent's house. He had called ahead, but Red hadn't talked to her mother. The woman had no doubt been on the phone ever since, gathering her family.
Mulder looked over at the pale woman sitting beside him, her hands clasped together in her lap. "It'll be okay."
She tried to smile and he took her hands. They were icy cold. He took them in his and rubbed them, to stimulate circulation. She did manage a small smile and nodded.
He exited the car and came around to open her door, then took her hand to help her from the car. She seemed to lean into him and his arm went around her with a familiarity that startled him a little.
Before they could knock, the door opened and a dark haired woman hurried out toward them. She threw her arms around Red, hugging her tightly. "Oh Dana, my baby." Those were the only words he could make out, though she continued speaking into Red's ear. She drew them inside, finally turning to him.
"Mr. Mulder?"
"Yes." He smiled at her, as she dashed the tears of joy from her eyes.
Before he could say anything else, she threw her arms around him as well, hugging him tightly. That sight finally brought a smile to Red's face and he grinned at her.
Then she turned back to her daughter. "Come in, come in. Would you like some hot tea?"
That brought a lightening to Dana's eyes. "I like hot tea?"
Maggie looked slightly confused then, "Yes, you love it." She turned to Mulder, "I didn't realize when you . . . Dana, do you recognize me?"
Dana's face fell then, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry."
"Oh my lord, don't be sorry. You're alive! The memories will return, don't worry about that at all. How do you feel? Have you been checked out - "
"Dana seems to be very healthy. The memory loss is most likely from trauma and once she feels safe again, I'm sure things will begin to return. Some things are already returning."
Maggie nodded, "Are you a doctor?"
"No, I'm a psychologist, but not practicing. I work for the FBI."
"So you're the one that rescued her."
"Not exactly. She was released. We really can't talk about it right now, there is an ongoing investigation."
"I want the people that did this punished Mr. Mulder. They should be thrown under the jail and kept there forever."
"I understand, but currently we can't discuss this."
Maggie looked deeply into his eyes, so this was where Red had learned it, and finally nodded. "But please, promise me that you will pursue these men."
"I have every intention of finding out everything I can about Red's disappearance."
"Red?" Maggie smiled then, her joy overcoming her anger at whoever had taken her precious baby girl.
"We didn't know her name, that's what I called her until . . ." He shrugged.
"It fits; her older brother called her that when she was little."
"He did?" Dana spoke then.
"Yes. Your older brother is Bill; he's in the Navy like your father. Your younger brother is Charlie; he's an English professor in Ohio. And you have a sister, Melissa. She's between you and Bill, and . . . she's a free spirit. I've talked to Bill and Charlie, but I haven't been able to reach her yet."
"And my father?"
"He's on his way. I haven't spoken to him directly, but they were able to contact him. He'll be so thrilled. You and your father are very close. This past year has been so hard on him."
"I wish I . . . "
Maggie shook her head, "You're home now. That's all that matters."
Before she could say anything else, they heard the front door open. "Maggie? Is she here?" An older man stepped into the living room and his eyes fell on Dana.
Mulder rose from his chair and stepped forward, extending his hand. "Mr. Scully, I'm - "
"I'm Dr. Daniel Waterston, Dana's fianc."
Mulder froze as this man took Red's hands and pulled her up and into his arms. He kissed her passionately. In his shock, Mulder didn't realize that she did not respond; her arms limp at her side.
"I couldn't believe it when Maggie called me Dana. I was so afraid that I would never see you again. I don't want to wait. I want us to get married as soon as possible. Time is too precious, we - "
Daniel finally noticed her lack of response and loosened his hold on her. "Dana?"
She had gone deathly pale, her eyes wide and frightened. When his grip slackened, she stepped back into Mulder's chest and his arm automatically went around her, anchoring her to him.
"What - " Daniel's eyes narrowed as he finally gave his attention to the man standing before him.
"Daniel, Dana just arrived. Give her a minute, please." Maggie tried to sooth things over, but it was obvious whose arms Dana wanted to be in. "I tried to tell you." She put her hand on Daniel's arm drawing his attention to her.
"Dana doesn't remember us, me, you, her family. She just got free from her captors. You need to give her some time."
After a moment he nodded slowly and took Dana's hand, drawing her back toward him. Mulder almost didn't release her, but this man seemed to have such confidence of his place in her life, more than Mulder had ever felt. Mulder let his arm fall to his side.
She looked up at him, but allowed Daniel to tug her closer. "I . . . I'm sorry, I don't - "
"It's okay. You'll remember me soon. I want to go ahead and make the arrangements. We've lost a year Dana. I don't want to lose any more time."
"I can't, please - " He took her lips again and she struggled this time, pulling away. "Please, don't, I need . . . " she glanced back at Mulder but he had turned away when Daniel kissed her. Tears filled her eyes but she didn't speak.
Maggie summed up the situation quickly. "That's it. Dana needs some time to adjust. I'd like both of you to leave."
"Maggie, we've been over this. I'm part of Dana's life - "
"You may be part of her life, but not right now. She's been through a horrible experience. She doesn't know her family or even who she is. I'm telling you that she needs some time. You can call and check on her this evening, but do not come over." She turned to Mulder then, "I want to thank you, more than I could ever express for what you've given me. I think Dana needs to lie down for a little while now, she's obviously tired and upset. We'll be in touch regarding the investigation." She began moving both men toward the door.
The two of them were each a head taller than her but she was in charge and didn't let them forget it. Mulder glanced over at Red and saw the look of fear but what was he supposed to say?
Both men seemed lost when she shut the door behind them and turned back to her daughter, who was trembling by this time, but didn't speak. "Come upstairs, Dana. You rest for a little while, then we can talk or whatever you want." Maggie put her arm around her and led her upstairs.
Outside the door, Daniel drew himself up. He was angry that he had allowed the woman to throw him out, but he wasn't about to let this man see that. He didn't bother to look over at the younger man, walking with dignity to his Mercedes and driving off without a backward glance.
Returnee 6
Mulder followed more slowly. Shock was numbing him. The relief of her not being married, not having a man in her life . . . it was gone now. A fianc? And one that he had mistaken for her father. He started the car and found himself driving back to the Gunmen's apartment.
When Frohike got the door unlocked, Mulder stepped inside and hauled the short man up by his vest. "You didn't know she was engaged?"
The other two men came running at his tone. "Mulder, what?" Byers was prying his hands from Frohike. "Calm down, what happened? Where's Dana?"
Mulder stepped back, letting himself fall into a chair.
"Mulder, where is Dana? What happened?"
"She's at her parent's. Her mother threw us out because we were upsetting her."
"Us? Who else was there?"
Mulder's eyes narrowed, "Her fianc, Daniel Waterston."
"We, we didn't know . . . " Langly's voice trailed off. Mulder wasn't listening anyway.
"Waterston?" Frohike was already seating himself in front of the computer.
"Yeah, Dr. Daniel Waterston. I don't know what kind of doctor."
"You want a drink Mulder?" Byers asked quietly.
Mulder shook his head and after a last look, the other men turned away to try to find the information he wanted, and to give him some time.
He sat in silence, unable to focus. The blow had been too swift, too unexpected. If he'd been told she was married when they had arrived yesterday, he would have been prepared, okay not prepared, but he would have had to accept it. He'd been lulled into a state of . . .
"Mulder?"
He jerked back to the present, "Yeah?"
"Did you say Daniel?"
He nodded.
"This makes no sense. There is a Daniel Waterston on staff at Georgetown. He's a cardiologist, but Mulder, he's older than me." Frohike spoke.
"That's him." All three men turned to look at him then. "I called him Mr. Scully when he came in the house."
"Why would a hot young thing like that be engaged to an old man like him?" Frohike spoke out loud, but the glare Mulder shot him shut him up quickly.
"You said she had a residency in cardiology."
"Yes, before she chose pathology. Teacher?" Byers speculated.
"Can you find out? I have to meet Diana."
"Mulder, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. I'll talk to you later. The publicity?"
"Taken care of. We'll contact you."
Mulder nodded and rose to his feet. He felt tired, incredibly tired.
He let himself into his apartment and sank onto the couch, not bothering to take off his jacket. He thought he'd been prepared for this. It was what he had tried to protect them both against on the trip here. But when she'd saved that man's life, things had changed.
They had both been struck by just how quickly life could change.She had wanted him and oh god, he had wanted her. That was the problem. He should never have indulged himself in something he wanted. He knew better. If he wanted it, it was automatically destined not to happen. He didn't date any longer; he had a purpose in life. Why had he allowed himself . . . why hadn't he just stuck with Diana? No strings, no commitments. It had been enough, along with his work.
Now he had doubts about Diana and, and Red was engaged to be married to another man. A man that was totally wrong for her.
He blinked as he processed that thought. Wrong for her? Who was right? Him? Hardly.
Diana, he needed to call her. He reached for the phone and punched in her number. He needed to find out what was going on anyway. At least he could still protect Red. That hadn't changed.
"Hello?"
"It's me. I'm home."
"Uh, that's great. Do you want me to come over?" Home? How had he eluded them this time?
"I'll meet you at the diner."
"What about - " But he'd hung up. He didn't sound right. Had Dana remembered something? She grabbed her coat and headed out.
He was already at the diner when she arrived. He wasn't watching for her and that gave her the opportunity to observe him. Dana wasn't with him. Was she in the restroom or back at his apartment? That would explain why he hadn't wanted her to go over there. If that's where Dana was, she could be picked up while Mulder was here.
He looked a million miles away.He looked up then and she was struck by the look in his eyes. He rarely looked happy, she was aware there was a deep-seated sadness about the man. She'd used it to her advantage on more than one occasion, but now . . . now he looked devastated . . . almost broken.
He spotted her then and his expression changed, hiding his thoughts, though he didn't look any happier. He motioned to her. She ordered a cup of coffee on the way to the table, then joined him. She spotted the beer. Now that was unusual, he rarely drank. He didn't know she was aware of his father's drinking problem.
Hell she knew so much more about the man than he was aware. They had briefed her so well in the beginning. It was a good thing, he certainly didn't talk about himself to her, or anyone as far as she could tell. She had hoped to change that, but even sex - no matter how incredible - hadn't made them really close.
Diana took a deep breath and sat opposite him in the booth. She needed to get down to business. She looked around one more time, "Where is she?"
"With her family."
"What?" She couldn't draw a breath. Oh god, her family? "You know, you found out who she is?" She gripped the edge of her seat to try to keep her composure. He couldn't see her white knuckles below the edge of the table.
"Yeah, she's Dr. Dana Scully, a pathologist here in DC."
"How did you - " Was he looking at her strangely?
"That doesn't matter. We just have to make sure no one bothers her."
"Why would someone want to bother her?" Diana asked. What the hell did he know?
"Because of how she was found, where she's been. Have any of the others remembered who they were, what happened to them?"
She shook her head, "I can't find out."
"That's why I don't want her bothered. I don't want anyone to know how she was found, even where she was found. The authorities never saw her; I want to keep it that way. The story to her family is that she was released by her captors and the case is under investigation."
The tightness eased slightly - the damned little redhead didn't remember. "That might work for her family, but - "
"And the press."
"You called the press?" She paled slightly. Oh shit.
"Yes. Red understands. She's not going to blow it, not if it means losing her freedom again."
"Why did you decide - "
"The roadblocks on our route home."
"What did those have to do with . . . "
"I'm not sure, it was just a feeling." He wouldn't meet her eyes. "She's home with her family, her fianc. I just want her left alone."
"Fianc? She's engaged?"
He nodded and she found her breathing easier. That hadn't been in the report she'd seen. Good, if she was engaged, she would be off-limits to this man. His honor wouldn't allow different. That shouldn't be what she was focusing on, but she couldn't help herself.
At least there was no need to call anyone tonight. The woman was with her family and would be watched. The others had been unable to recall any of their captivity, hopefully the same would hold true of her. They could keep an eye on her from a discrete distance. As long as Mulder stayed away from her, no one would be trying to get to those memories. Maybe the woman would be 'safe' from authorities.
Hopefully she'd get married right away and play honeymoon for a very long time. Diana wanted to ask about the fianc, but he was obviously in no mood to discuss it. 'Fianc', it was stupid how much the information that Dana was taken had pleased her. He would turn to her for comfort. She'd offered it before and he'd taken her up on it. Now the earlier devastation made more sense, but it also cut deep into her. He'd only known the little bitch a few days. Yes, she could ease his pain.
"Fox, let's get out of here. You need to relax. Come to my place, we can - "
Something about the look in his eye stopped her. He'd never looked at her like that before. She felt . . . dirty.
"Thanks, no. I'm really tired." He didn't sound tired, he sounded . . . no, she didn't even want to analyze it right now.
He rose abruptly, "I'll see you at the office tomorrow. I need to get some sleep if I'm going to sound convincing in the morning." He tossed a couple of bills on the table and left without another word. She didn't turn to watch him leave. The desire to crawl into a hole was too intense. God, what had happened between them?
Blevin's secretary tapped on the door. "I'm sorry, Agent Mulder has a call. She says it's urgent."
Diana's head came up, but Mulder said nothing, just rose from the table and picked up the extension on Blevin's credenza.
"Mulder."
"Mr. Mulder? It's Maggie Scully."
"Yes ma'am." His whole body tensed.
"Could you . . . there's a problem."
"I'm on my way." He put down the receiver and turned to Blevins. "Sir, I'm sorry. I need to leave for a little while."
"Is there a problem?"
"Yes sir, it's personal."
Diana straightened up, personal? What could be personal? He had no contact with his father and his mother was in Europe on some tour. He wouldn't look over at her.
Blevins hesitated for an instant, then nodded. "Fine, we can finish this tomorrow. I hope everything is okay."
"Me too." He was out the door, nearly running.
Diana stared at the door until Blevins drew her attention. "Agent Fowley? Are you - "
"I'm sorry sir. I believe we can finish this without Agent Mulder."
What was wrong? He'd made a decision not to call her last night, not to run back over there. It was the right thing to do. Let her be with her family and her . . .
Had she remembered something? Was that the problem? Or had she had the kind of night he'd had. It felt as though he'd barely closed his eyes when the dream had come to him. Samantha in the bright light, being taken from him, only this time she'd had long red hair instead of dark brown. He shook his head, what good would it do to remember that. He hadn't slept again. Red wasn't there to keep the demons away. And she wouldn't be, she was engaged to be married, off limits. Which didn't exactly explain why he was racing over to her mother's house on half a phone call.
He reached the house, vaulting from the car practically before it quit moving. He knocked firmly on the door. A large man opened it quickly. "I'm Agent Mulder, Mrs. Scully - "
"Yeah, Mom said she called you. I'm her brother, Bill." He stepped aside, letting Mulder in. "Mom's upstairs with Dana."
"She said there was a problem." Mulder forced himself not to shove the man aside and race up the stairs.
"Yeah, it's my fault. I didn't realize . . . "
"What happened?"
"I . . . Mom told me that she didn't remember, that she had some sort of amnesia, but I guess I didn't think she really wouldn't know me. I mean, I'm her big brother. When I saw her, I hugged her. She, she freaked. I'm really sorry."
"How is she now?"
"Withdrawn, hell, she's in a fetal position and she won't talk. I never . . . "
"I need to see her."
"Sure." Bill led him upstairs and to the second door on the right. He tapped on the door, "Mom?"
"Is he here?"
"Yes." Bill opened the door wider and motioned for Mulder to precede him into the room.
Mulder stopped for an instant at the sight of her. She was curled up in a ball on her bed, eyes tightly closed. It was how she had been when he'd first seen her. When Maggie's hand accidentally brushed her arm she moaned.
Mrs. Scully looked up at him, fear obvious in her eyes. She rose from the bed and approached him. "Mr. Mulder, thank you for coming."
"Was she okay, before . . . "
"No, not really. She's been on edge, tense. She didn't sleep last night, I heard her moving around and I heard her crying, but she didn't want me to be around her. I know she's not . . . comfortable here. She refused to see anyone. I think, I think she was hoping that you would come by, but she didn't say anything."
"I should have, I . . . I thought it would be best to let her get settled."
"Don't blame yourself Mr. Mulder. I'm the one that asked you to leave. There don't seem to be guidelines for this. She refused to let me call a doctor. I hoped seeing Bill would help. Her father should be here day after tomorrow."
Mulder nodded, then moved around her mother and to the bed. He glanced back at Maggie and Bill. Maggie took Bill's arm and led him from the room.
"Mom? Don't you think - "
In her mind she saw Dana step back into the man's body without even looking, and his arm automatically coming up around her. "She'll be okay with him."
Mulder glanced at the door as it shut. He'd heard the words, but put them aside to think about later. He moved closer to the bed, finally sitting carefully beside her. "Red, it's me. It's Mulder." She didn't respond so he allowed his index finger to lightly trace her cheekbone. She whimpered and drew back, but he followed. "Red, come on. Open your eyes. It's me."
She obeyed him reluctantly, still cowering. He took her hand in his and brought it to his chest. "You slept here."
Her eyes widened and with a strangled sob she threw herself at him, nearly knocking him from the bed. His arms closed around her and held her tight, rocking her slightly. "I should have been here. Red, I'm - "
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I don't know him. I don't love him." She was nearly babbling.
It took him a beat to realize that she was apologizing to him, for . . . for Daniel.
"Oh Baby, no. Don't. That's not important now. You're the only important thing." They were quiet then until her trembling ceased. Then he pulled back and looked down at her wet eyes. He pressed his lips to her brow. "You need to rest. Have you slept?"
"Have you?"
He chuckled then, "I'm used to it. Come on, get comfortable."
She did, in his lap and let her eyes close. "That's not exactly - " She squirmed against him. "Red," he groaned, "I've got to face your mother, and your brother. Have you seen how big he is?"
She smiled slightly then, but relented and stretched out in the bed. "Will you stay?"
He nodded, "I may not be in the room. I need to talk to your family, but I won't leave."
That seemed to relax her the rest of the way and she sighed, already drifting off, now that she felt safe again.
He stayed until her hand released his and her breathing grew heavy and even. He rose carefully. She didn't stir, so he let himself out, pulling the door nearly closed behind him. There was no one around and he heard nothing, so he headed downstairs.
He found Bill in the kitchen, watching the coffee brew. The large man straightened up immediately. "Is she . . . "
"She's asleep."
Bill nodded.
"Is your mother around?"
"She's lying down too. I don't think she's gotten much rest last night."
Mulder sighed, "I shouldn't have - "
"Stop. Whatever you're going to say, what happened is my fault. Mom told me she didn't remember, but . . . hell, she's my little sister. I just didn't believe she could forget me."
Mulder nodded his agreement.
"You have a sister?"
"Yeah."
"Try to imagine her disappearing and - "
"I know."
"What?" Bill stopped pouring the coffee to look at the man, his tone had . . .
"My sister was taken too; a long time ago."
"No shit? Hey, I'm sorry. How long was she gone?"
"We, uh, we never found her. It's been twenty years."
Bill's eyes widened. "Oh man, I'm sorry. I . . . "
Mulder shrugged, "it's why I joined the Bureau." He stood there, mildly embarrassed and frankly surprised at himself. He'd talked about Samantha again. It was like Red had opened up some sort of emotional floodgate in him. He wasn't entirely sure it was a good thing. He cleared his throat and accepted the mug Bill offered. "Has, has her 'fianc' been by?" He hadn't meant to say it with quite that tone.
Bill motioned to the table. "Sounds like you're not real taken with old Danny Boy either. Stress on the old."
Mulder shrugged, "I don't know him."
"You haven't missed anything. He's not right for my sister." He took a sip of his coffee. "What about you, married? Involved?"
"Uh, neither." He studied his shoes so he couldn't give anything away.
Bill grinned. "Dana would kill me."
"For what?" Mulder looked up surprised.
"Trying to fix her up."
"Fix her up?"
"Yeah, with you."
"Me?" Only one word, but his voice broke.
"Hey, at least you're the right generation." Bill chuckled, then took a deep breath. "You must have just walked away from work when you got Mom's call."
"It was your mother; of course I did."
Bill appraised him, "You are interested in her."
"Your sister is too good for me."
Bill smiled, "Well, I can't dispute that. She probably is the best of us. Oh, I do okay - career Navy and moving up the ranks. Charlie's a professor, Ph.D. and all. Then there's Missy."
"Your mother called her a free spirit."
"Mom would put a good spin on it."
Mulder took a sip, "So he hasn't called or come by?" He couldn't help himself, it was Daniel he wanted information on.
Bill snorted, "Fianc. Hell, none of us even knew they were engaged before she disappeared. In fact, I thought they'd split. I knew he wasn't happy when she switched to pathology and I was thrilled about that - the split, not the pathology."
"You don't like him."
"He has a daughter my age."
"Does your mother - "
"Mom kept quiet. She learned her lesson with Missy. She told Missy what she thought of a guy she was seeing. That's when Missy rebelled, dropped out of school and followed the jerk across country. They're not together anymore and Missy won't talk about it, but she can't seem to settle down either."
"What about you? I mean, Navy but what about wife, kids?"
"Me? No. But I have found her. Tara, Tara Hodges. I haven't exactly asked her yet. She's too good for me too, but . . . I don't know, after all this with Dana." He shrugged.
Mulder looked over at the door as she entered and rose to his feet. Bill's eyes followed him, then he saw her as well. "Red? Did you get enough sleep?"
Returnees 7
Mulder looked over at the door as she entered and rose to his feet. Bill's eyes followed him, then he saw her as well. "Red? Did you get enough sleep?"
She nodded.
"You want some hot tea?" Bill offered.
"Thanks." She spoke softly, shyly.
"Look, I . . . I'm sorry. I never meant to scare you."
"I know. I . . ." She glanced over at Mulder. "Why don't we talk or something."
Well, she obviously wasn't scared when this Mulder guy was around. "I'd like that." Bill took the mug of hot water out of the microwave and moved toward the table. She and Mulder sat beside each other, with Bill at the head of the table. Bill noted immediately how she leaned toward the man. He wondered if Mulder was aware that his arm was protectively draped over her shoulder.
They talked, with Bill answering questions, keeping it light. After a few minutes, Mulder and Bill both realized that she wasn't listening, she'd spaced out or something.
"Red?" Mulder's arm tightened around her, but she looked at Bill.
"Who's Ahab?"
Bill's face brightened with a huge smile. "Dad. That's what you call Dad. You're remembering."
She turned immediately to face Mulder, a look of hope on her face.
"Dana? Do you remember what Dad calls you?" Bill asked gently.
She searched for it, but then shook her head.
"Starbuck. That's from Moby Dick too. I'm not surprised that's the first thing you remembered."
"Why?"
"You and Dad are close. You're his favorite."
"Favorite? I'm sure - " She immediately demurred.
"Yeah, he loves us all, but you've always been special."
"Me? Why?"
"It's not a secret or anything, but Mom . . . she had a baby that died after Missy was born. I was four but I remember it. Then when I was six, you were born and, and it was good again. Then Charlie was born. I told them they should have stopped while they were ahead." He grimaced comically.
"Wha . . . what?" She laughed nervously.
"Charlie's a smart ass. No doubt his classes are very well attended."
"Co-eds?" Mulder asked.
"No, not Charlie. He's the only one of us that is married. He's so in love with Mary his eyes cross when he looks at her. They got married when they were still undergraduates and put each other through graduate school. They're expecting their first baby next month, which is why he's not here right now. I . . . I envy them, which is another reason to go ahead and quit wasting time."
"What? I don't - " Dana looked confused
"Mulder and I were talking earlier. I think I'll be asking Tara to marry me as soon as I see her again."
"Tara?"
"You don't remember her? I've been seeing her for about two years. You've met a couple of times. She's great."
Dana nodded.
A movement made Bill look up, "Someone's here." He stood and looked out the window of the back door. He glanced back at them to see that Dana had tensed up again. "Dana, I think it's the police. Mom called them this morning to let them know you were home."
Mulder squeezed her shoulders, then joined Bill at the door. "Please don't identify me as FBI. I can explain later."
Bill looked over at Dana, whose expression was begging him to agree. He nodded and moved toward the front door.
After a moment, Dana and Mulder followed him. Bill was looking at the man's badge. He nodded for the two of them to join him. "This is Detective Lewis. My sister, Dana."
Lewis held out his hand and after the briefest hesitation, Dana shook it. "I'm very pleased to meet you Dr. Scully." Then the detective looked over at Mulder and waited.
"This is a friend of mine from school - " Bill motioned toward Mulder.
Mulder extended his hand then, "Marty Fox. Pleased to meet you."
"Family friend?"
"Yeah, I heard Dana was home and wanted to offer my congratulations. I can wait in the kitchen."
"No, that's okay. I just wanted to ask Dr. Scully a few questions."
Bill motioned toward the living room. "Why don't we have a seat in here? Do you want me to get my mother? She's resting upstairs."
"No, that won't be necessary. Thanks." He took the seat offered and watched as the two men flanked Dana on the couch.
Detective Lewis closed his notebook and stood. He was clearly not satisfied with what he'd heard, but it seemed to be all he was going to get. "Dr. Scully, I am very happy to have you home safe. I hope your memory returns soon and I'd like to talk to you again."
She nodded.
"Are you seeing anyone about . . . "
Dana glanced at Mulder. "Marty is a psychologist. I'm comfortable with him, so maybe . . . "
Lewis looked over at the young man and visibly relaxed. "Well good. I'm glad you're getting some help. Please let me know how you're doing."
Dana rose then, as did Mulder and Bill. "I will and thank you for coming over . . . and for searching for me."
Lewis nodded and turned toward the door. Bill let him out, then returned to them. "Okay, want to explain why you didn't want him to know you're FBI?"
Mulder looked down at Red, "Not really, not yet. This is an ongoing investigation, but . . . "
"Bill, please. When I remember, and I will, we'll tell you everything. Mulder's just trying to protect me."
"You need protection?" Bill tensed.
Mulder faced them, "Not as long as she doesn't remember."
"I don't like the sound of that."
"I don't blame you, but I want to make sure she's not taken again."
"You . . . I thought the guy released her or, or died, and she got away."
"She got away." Mulder said solemnly.
Bill looked at him for a minute, "You'll keep her safe?"
"Or die trying." Mulder responded.
Dana's eyes grew wide, "Mulder - "
"Red." It was all he said but she subsided. Bill watched the two; it was almost as if they didn't need words to communicate.
"Maybe I should look in on Mom." Dana said.
"She'd like that." Bill nodded. Once she was out of sight up the stairs, he turned to Mulder. "Exactly how long have you known her?"
"Uh, a week tomorrow."
Bill blinked but made no comment.
Maggie came downstairs with Dana, slightly embarrassed she'd slept so long. "I understand I missed Detective Lewis."
"It's okay. Dana answered his questions. You needed your rest."
She sighed lightly. "It's nice to have both of you here. What about some lunch?" Her look included Mulder.
"Uh, I appreciate it, but there are a couple of things I need to do. I'll drop by later, if you don't mind."
"Come for dinner Mr. Mulder. It'll be just the four of us."
He looked over at Dana, who nodded. He smiled then, "Thank you, I'd love to."
Dana walked him to the door after he said his goodbyes to Maggie and Bill. "Mulder, you will come back, won't you?" She sounded young and uncertain.
"Red, I'll be here. I promise."
He saw the tension leave her shoulders. "You're the only one I know." She whispered.
"Red, it's going to come back, it already is. Ahab."
She managed a tremulous smile and nodded. "She says we eat at seven."
"I'll be here before that. I'll run by the office and - "
"Diana?"
"No, not Diana. She does know you're back and with your family."
"I'm sure she was thrilled." Dana sniffed.
"Don't worry about Diana. You have no reason to worry about her at all. There's something I need to check out, but I will be back. I'll help you set the table."
"You're on." She gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek and even then he looked to see if they had been observed.
He looked better when they let him in their apartment this time.
"Mulder? Something happen?"
"I don't know, it's a . . . a feeling. Bill says the family didn't even know about the engagement before she disappeared. How long has this Dr. Waterston been divorced?"
"Uh, Mulder, we were looking into that. He's not divorced."
"What?" Mulder stopped in mid stride and looked at Byers.
Byers shook his head, "He's not divorced, not even a legal separation."
Frohike rotated his chair from in front of the computer. "I talked to a friend of mine that works at the hospital. He and his wife separated a couple of weeks before Dana disappeared, but he went back to her about three weeks after she . . . "
"Three weeks?" The SOB had given up on Dana after three weeks? He'd been looking for Samantha for over twenty years. "Are you telling me that he went back to his wife without even - "
"Guess he didn't want the scandal. He's a very important man, one of the top cardiologists in the country. He was her mentor."
"Her mentor. The bastard was her teacher?"
"A little more than that. He was guiding her into an important field."
"But she left it and went into pathology."
"Yeah. Makes you wonder how that went over, doesn't it?"
"He's not divorced." Mulder said again, shaking his head. "Okay, what have you found?"
Diana was startled to see him in the office. She hadn't been aware he'd returned. He certainly hadn't bothered to look her up. He was so absorbed in the computer that he hadn't noticed her. The man was certainly going the hell out of his way to make her feel like she was his partner.
She stepped around to see what had his attention so riveted. Her movement alerted him and he snapped off the screen, but not before she had seen it.
"Uh, Diana, I didn't hear you."
"And I didn't realize you were back. Is everything okay?"
"I was able to help. Does Blevins need me?"
"No. I finished up." She waited to see if he would offer any more.
He didn't. It was almost as though he was waiting for her to leave. Instead she moved to the files and opened a drawer. She had nothing in mind, but wasn't about to walk away. He watched her for a minute, then seemed to sigh and pulled open a file.
To her honest amazement, he began working on his expense report. He never did that, not until she harassed him for days. Damn it, damn him! She pushed the drawer closed and left the office without a word. He didn't bother to call after her.
She hurried to the cubicle she used on occasion and booted up the computer. He'd been looking at the website of Georgetown Memorial, some doctor named Watson or something. She began her search.
It didn't take long, Waterston. Daniel Waterston. But why? Who was the man? A cardiologist, famous if the website was accurate. Maybe he had been on a personal errand, if his father had developed a heart condition Fox would relent and want to see him, wouldn't he?
She wasn't accomplishing anything here. Maybe she should check it out. If there was a health problem in his family, she needed to know. She grabbed her suit coat and headed out.
Her badge intimidated the receptionist in his office. She called the man's assistant and again Diana flashed her badge.
"Is this something that I could help . . . "
"No. I need to speak with the doctor himself."
The nurse sighed slightly, but the woman was FBI. "He should be finished with his patient in about fifteen minutes. Can you wait and see him between appointments?"
After a moment, Diana nodded. "Thank you." She moved to a small sofa and picked up a magazine. It was only about ten minutes before the nurse called her back.
"He's almost finished. Why don't you wait in his private office."
"Thank you; that would be fine."
The doctor was hurrying when he came through the door. "FBI? Is this about Dana?"
Diana blinked, rethinking her approach rapidly. What did he have to do with Dana?
"Have you seen her since she - " Diana started.
"I saw her Sunday afternoon, but her mother . . . I allowed the woman to send me away. I could tell Dana was upset, but that's all the more reason to have stayed. I am her fiance. I need to help her through this time."
Diana struggled to keep her face impassive. This man was her fiance? He had to be close to twice her age. And Mulder had been investigating the man. He had to know this doctor had nothing to do with her abduction, so it was personal.
"Of course you do. I just wanted to make certain that you knew about her rescue and had been in touch."
He seemed a little surprised at that, then squared his shoulders. Of course the FBI would be in touch with him. He was a leader in his field. It made sense that they would send someone to inform him.
"Yes. I appreciate you stopping by. I should not have let Maggie send me away. I do have another patient. Is there anything else?"
"No. I'm sorry I took up your time, but we wanted to be sure that you had been informed."
"Thank you." He glanced at his watch and Diana took the hint. She had things to do anyway. She held out her hand to shake and after a moment he took it, then held the door open for her and moved away from her down the hall.
The nurse seemed relieved to see her leave, but no more than she was. Diana hurried to her car and sat there for several minutes. Mulder was checking up on her fianc. He wasn't going to walk away from her, which meant that he would be working on her memory. Shit.
Mulder helped set the table with Dana, while Bill helped their mother in the kitchen. It was fun; they laughed and Bill told embarrassing stories about her as a child, until she begged her mother for help.
Mulder was surprised at his appetite. He usually grabbed a burger or ordered a pizza, but here he was with a full dinner and rivaling Bill in cleaning his plate. The two women laughingly complained about not getting enough to eat.
Maggie watched her daughter, frankly amazed seeing the difference Mr. Mulder's presence made. She had become a little distant when he had left that afternoon and watched for his return, but not to the extent of the night before.
It had been a mistake to send this man away last night. The problem had been Daniel. His presence had upset her, but Maggie hadn't been aware of the bond between these two. In fact, it hadn't occurred to her, and it should have.
"Why don't we have dessert in the living room? We can look at those albums that I laid out."
Dana blushed, "We're not talking bearskin rug pictures, are we?"
"Well, there are a few in the tub."
"Red, I'll need to investigate everything." Mulder grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes, but with him here, nothing was really upsetting her. She felt safe. Mulder made himself comfortable beside her on the couch and took the cup of coffee Maggie handed him. This was truly outside of his lifestyle, coffee and dessert, hell he didn't even have a living room. But it felt good.
Mulder was smiling down at the little girl with the red curls, listening to her mother's stories, but looked up when the doorbell rang, and caught Bill's eye. Bill stood and moved toward the door, looking out the glass side panel. Mulder couldn't see his face, but noted that his step faltered.
Mulder tensed immediately and cautiously unsnapped his gun.
Returnee 8
Bill opened the door, but didn't move to allow the person entry. "Daniel, what are you doing here?"
Dana tensed immediately and re