Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 1/?
Author: Maria O'Rourke
Feedback: dk_scully_101@yahoo.com
Webpage:
http://geocities.com/begininng_and_end/index.htm
Summary: Sequel to Divine Intervention. It's November
2003, three years since Scully left the X-Files,
Washington and Mulder behind. She's finally managed to
move on when she becomes entangled in a strange case
that involves a killer with a terrifying proposition
for his victims. Will the life she's fought so hard to
build crumble as she's faced with the past she's tried
so hard to escape?
Rating: R
Keywords: Angst, RST, Alternative Reality.
Spoilers: Spoilers for the fic Divine Intervention.
Thanks: Once again, thanks go to Judith, my
wonderfully talented beta-reader!
Disclaimer: This piece of fanfic belongs to me; please
ask before you use it. The characters of Dana Scully
and Fox Mulder and all related X-Files characters
belong to FOX, 1013 PRODUCTIONS and used without
permission. Detective Knowles & Special Agent Cornwell
belong to me.


Catholic Church.
November 17th 2003.
9:11pm
        The flame flickered, appearing as a smudge as
her
vision blurred, the tears falling silently as the
flame continued to waver in the dimness of the church.
She knelt on the soft cushion that was placed in
front of the candles for those wishing to stay
longer than the two minutes it took to light the small
candles that stood steadily no more then ten inches
from her face.

        The soft red and gold flashed across her pale
skin,
reflecting from the wet tracks that remained from
tears that traveled from her eyes, down the curve of
her cheek, to fall softly on her clasped hands as they
rested against the cold metal of the donation box in
front of the candles. She closed her eyes, her lower
lip quivering slightly as she swallowed, trying to
stop the tears.

        "My child?" a gentle voice sounded behind her,
startling her, she had thought that she was alone. She
turned to see a priest whose hair was silver with age,
smiling sadly at her, as if feeling her pain. "Are you
alright?"

        "I'm fine father."

	He continued to smile as he sat on the pew directly
in front of the candles.

        "You don't seem fine."

	She forced a smile and rose, dusting the front of her
jacket unnecessarily as there was no dirt or dust on
the navy wool.

        "I didn't realise that there was anyone
here..."

        "You don't have to apologise for being here. I
try to
leave it open as late as possible, that's what its
here for, to be used by anyone who needs it."

        "I just came in to say a prayer."

       He nodded. "May I ask for whom?"

       She stared down at him and felt awkward
standing in
front of him like this so she took the place beside
him and he turned so that he faced her, the light of
the candles providing light on one side of his face,
the other seemed almost hidden in the darkness.

        "Someone I lost..."

        He nodded. "I see."

        She closed her eyes, trying to avoid another
outburst
of tears. She felt him slip a light piece of material
into her hands and she opened her eyes, looking down
at the handkerchief.

        "It is alright to cry."

        She dabbed her eyes and nose and forced
another smile.

        "Was this recent?"

She stared at the handkerchief.

        "Three years ago today."

He nodded.

        "Has the pain lessened any?"

        "It's complicated..."

He sighed softly and smiled.

        "Few things in this world are straight forward
my
child..." he stared at the candles. "But it's not good
to keep things bottled up."

        "As I said Father, it's complicated, there
aren't
many people that I can talk with ..."

        "No family?"

        "No."

He looked at her hands that held no wedding band.

        "Do you feel guilty?"

        "Partly." She paused. "I feel angry."

        "Towards yourself?"

She closed her eyes.

        "I lost my child."

        "The loss of a child is particularly hard on a
person, spiritually and emotionally."

She swallowed.

        "It was due to..." she paused and shook her
head. "I
left everything behind me so I could forget."

        "Sometimes forgetting isn't the best option."

        "It has been..."

        "Then why are you here?"

        "It's only on this day that I think..."

	There was silence except for the wind rustling
through the pews, bringing a chill to her body.

        "Something tells me that isn't the case..." he
paused.
"Do you wish you hadn't left?"

She shook her head.

        "Is it wrong to wish that you could go back to
the
beginning and start again? To just wipe everything out
and get a second chance instead of waiting for this
failed one to end?"

        "Are you suggesting suicide?"

	She sighed softly and stared away from the priest.

        "No, but do you wish that you could relive
your life
so that you could make different choices?"

        "That's why you have the choices in the first
place."
He replied simply. "The choices you make determine
your life and the path you arrive at, that's the point
of having free will. You can't go back simply because
you made one mistake."

        "Try a hundred..."

         He smiled and patted her hand with his and
she felt
how cold his skin was.

        "Everyone makes mistakes, nobody is perfect in
this
world, no matter what they may tell you." He smiled
again. "You're not the only one who makes mistakes."

        "But I do repeat them." She sighed and wiped
her eyes
again with the handkerchief. "I feel that I could have
prevented..."

        She stopped and he removed his hand from hers.

        "You feel that you could have prevented your
child's death."

        "I know I could have."

        "No, you don't." he stared absent-mindedly at
the
altar. "What was meant to be was meant to be. If you
didn't lose your child then, it would have happened in
a different way."

        "You're saying that it was fate?"

        "Fate?" he chuckled softly. "I don't know
about that, but in a way I suppose so."


        "I will never have a child of my own."

        "There are many forms of children." He sighed.
"In my
profession, we have no biological children, but I do
consider my flock my children in a way. If I can touch
them in a certain way, then that touch may spread to
others, in a way... isn't parenting about teaching
your
values and passing on your own teachings?"

        "I'm afraid that my job doesn't allow for that
much."
He looked intently at her for a moment.

        "Your job provides valuable lessons to us all
Dr.
Scully."

She stared at him.

        "You know who I am?"

        "I do have a television." He smiled. "What you
do
takes great courage and trust me, you have more
children then you like to think."

        She would've have asked him what he meant but
her
pager beeped and she took it from her pocket, staring
at the number.

        "I'm sorry Father, but I have to leave..." she
began
and he touched her hand, raising his right hand and
giving her the sign of the cross.

        "I'm just glad I was here to listen Dr
Scully..."

        "Dana."

He smiled.

        "I hope I have the chance to speak to you
again Dana
and May God be with you and protect you."
        She watched silently as he rose and walked
behind the
altar and through a back door to where she assumed the
vestry was located. She rose when she heard the soft
bang of his door close and walked the few short steps
it took to exit the church.

        As she stood outside the large oak doors, she
was
acutely aware of the chilling wind that was biting
into her when she reached into her pocket and
retrieved her cellular phone, dialing the number
on her pager.

        "Hello?"

        "Dana?" a voice enquired and it was the
familiar
voice of Knowles, a detective with the local PD that
she'd become fairly familiar with over the last few
years. "It's Matt."

        "What is it?"

He paused.

        "We got a victim that I think you should get
over
here and look at."

	"What's the condition of the body?" she asked,
walking over to her car and inserting the key into the
lock.
"Well, she ain't alive if that's what you're getting
at."

	She paused momentarily as she sat in her car,
marvelling at the majestic creature that was Matt
Knowles and wondering if that joke was ever going to
get old with him.

	"Where are you?"

	"You know the old tunnel beside the forest?"

	"Vaguely."

"Well, we're there. Will you be able to find it?"

	"Sure."

And he hung up, no good-byes with Knowles. He was
direct and once he'd gotten what he wanted to say off
his chest, he was finished and didn't hang around for
any chitchat, but Matt Knowles was one of her closest
friends since she'd...

	She paused, clearing her mind of everything that
wasn't relevant to her life now. She didn't have time
to reminisce about things gone wrong, she didn't even
know what had made her talk like that to the priest.
Being in a church was strange enough in itself; she
hadn't stepped in one since...

	"You're doing it again Dana...." She muttered to
herself, turning the ignition and putting the car into
drive.



Crime Scene
9:46pm
        As soon as she had neared the forest, she
spotted the
area where the victim's body was found. There were
lights and cars surrounding a small clearing on the
left. The variety of lights made her squint as she
pulled over, parking beside Matt's familiar blue sedan
with the scratch along the driver's door that had been
there since she'd first met him. His policy was that
it didn't need to be fixed, just as long as he was
still able to drive the damned thing.

	The police cars, ambulance and of course the media
swarmed everywhere. Already news crews were
surrounding the scene, trying to catch a glimpse of
anything that would look great on the front page of
any paper or even better on the 11 o'clock news. She
sighed and grabbed her medical bag from the back seat.

        Before she'd fully stepped out from her car,
reporters demanding everything from the victim's name
to the situation of the hunt for the killer, besieged
her. The next thing she expected was for them to ask
what it was she'd had for dinner and if that related
in any way to the situation of the body now. She hated
reporters.

        "Do you think it's a serial killer Dr.
Scully?"

        "No comment."

        "What about the victim? Are the rumours true
that this woman was the..."

        "No comment."

        She felt an arm reach out from the mass of
microphones and camera lights that pinned her against
the car and Matt's face appeared in front of her, a
crooked grin on his lips as he cleared the path for
her, swatting the reporters away like flies.

        "Damn idiots wouldn't know when to shut up..."
he commented as he lifted the yellow police tape so
she could step under it, away from the reporters who
would stop at nothing tonight to get their scoop.

        "So, what have we got? You were very evasive
over the phone..."

        "Aren't I always doc?"

        "Well then..." she smiled as his eyes stared
intently at the slightly puffy skin surrounding her
own eyes.

"More then usual."

        He didn't mention her eyes and instead averted
his
gaze towards the woods as they neared a clearing
surrounded by police and yet more tape. He nodded in
the direction of the gathering and swallowed uneasily,
he'd never taken scenes with bodies well, especially
ones of the dead variety. This always amused me as,
even though he'd been to more then either he or she
could count, it was like the first time every time.

	She did have to admit that he was handling the
autopsies better though, with the aid of nose-plugs.
She smiled in spite of the situation.

        "She's over there."

        Dana took a deep breath and walked towards the
body, the police moved out of her way the closer she
got and all eyes were on her. It was a weird feeling,
almost as if this case wasn't something that anyone
wanted to be near. She took the last step needed to
get a clear view of the body and held her surprise at
bay as she stared at the body, or what was left of it.

        "Holy Shit..." Matt muttered, it was one of
the few times that she had heard him swear in the
three years that she'd known him. She didn't look at
him in surprise though; her eyes were glued to the
body. She swallowed.

        The woman was lying with a little, if anything
more then a few shreds of fibres, covering her
mutilated body. Her face was unrecognisable, cut and
slashed so many times that one feature ran into
another and nothing really was distinguishable except
for the laceration that spread from one ear to the
other, she swallowed again, her stomach becoming a
little queasy. Matt's hand touched her arm but she
shook her head, changing into professional mode and
kicking all emotion to the back of her mind, she was
efficient with emotion.

        "Is this exactly as you found her?" she asked,
to nobody in particular and a young man in a suit
stepped forward.

        "Yeah, nobody's touched her..."

	Scully lowered herself to the ground, careful not to
disturb anything. She reached into her pocket and
snapped on a pair of latex gloves, touching a bottle
in the victim's hand.

        "Any idea who she is?"

The young man, presumably a detective, coughed.

        "No, there was no ID with the body..."

        "She's got some pills...." Scully paused and
stared down at the bottle and her voice trailed off.

"What?" Matt asked, not nearing any closer, despite
his curiosity.

	"They seem to be glued to her hand...."

	"What?"

        "Glued, I'll need to get her to the morgue to
find out more. It seems that some of her teeth are
missing but I can't be sure..."

        "Why not?"

Scully sighed.

        "Because her lips are glued partially
together..."

        "Jesus..." Knowles muttered and Scully reached
into her medical bag.

        "What have we got?" a man asked, pushing past
Matt.

	Matt stared at the man as if he were mentally
throwing a thousand pins into the back of the
stranger's head. She rose.

        "FBI I presume?" Matt asked and Scully shot
him a warning glance. She knew how much he hated the
way that FBI agents assumed command of an
investigation and had nearly fainted when she'd
disclosed to him that she was a medical examiner from
Quantico. FBI was like being an advocate of the devil.

        "Agent Cornwell..." the stranger stated
matter-of-factly, retrieving his badge from inside his
trench coat and showing it to Scully, ignoring Knowles
standing behind him. "I'm assuming you're the ME?"

        "Agent Scully..." and indicated her gloves
when Cornwell held out his hand. "Quantico..."

        "I wasn't aware that Quantico sent out ME's to
normal crime scenes..."

Scully shrugged.

	"It happens from time to time..."

	Cornwell nodded and nodded down at the body,  not
looking at it directly.

        "So what have you got?"

        "So far, not a lot to go on. She's been
mutilated beyond immediate recognition and there's no
ID..."

        "Jane Doe then?"

        "Obviously...." Matt muttered behind them and
Scully tried to suppress a smile.

	If Cornwell had heard what he'd said, then he paid no
attention to it. He directed all his questions to
Scully and kept his eyes away from the body. He was
either afraid of what his reaction might be or he was
saving the delight of examining her later.

        "What's that in her hand?" he asked and Scully
couldn't hide her surprise. When had he looked at the
body? She didn't see him look down. She swallowed and
looked at the woman's hand again.

        "It seems to be a bottle of tablets."

        "What kind of tablets?"

        "We don't know yet, the bottle is empty and
there's no label..."

Cornwell nodded and his jaw clenched as he looked at
the woman.

        "What's that?" he asked and Scully turned
around.

        "What?"

        "That..." he said, bending down and pointing
to the victim's other hand. "It's in her hand, an
object..."

        Scully walked around the body and stared at
the object, reaching inside her pocket and taking out
her small flashlight and shining it on the victim's
hand.

        "It's a phone..."

        "A phone?" Matt asked, walking around and
kneeling beside Scully, staring at the phone. "What is
she doing with a phone?"

        "I don't know..." Scully muttered, staring at
the phone in confusion. "I think we better get her to
the morgue..."

        "I agree..." Cornwell stated and Scully rose,
removing her gloves as the stretcher was wheeled over.

        "You do, do you?" Matt asked and Cornwell,
once again, ignored him.

	They began to walk back to the parked cars and
Cornwell shook his head.

        "What?" Scully asked and Cornwell smiled
slightly.

        "I'm just thinking," he paused and smiled
again.

	"He'll love this..."

Matt looked at Scully before looking back at Cornwell.

        "Who?"

        "My partner..."

Matt nodded.

        "Your partner likes dead bodies, right... And
they wonder why people don't trust the FBI..."

        "I don't mean he'll love the body, nobody
could condone the state of that body..." he lifted the
police tape for Scully. "He thought that was a routine
homicide, if any homicide is routine, but when he
hears about this..."

        "What? He'll jump for joy?"

        "He'll go nuts, he'll come up with a theory
that will blow your mind!"

Scully swallowed and stared at him as the cameras
started to move toward them. Cornwell made a few
gestures to Knowles but Scully stopped, interrupting
them.

        "What division did you say you're from?"

        "Oh..." Cornwell stared at her, his forehead
wrinkling.

	"The X-Files: have you heard..."

But as the cameras started to swarm around them,
Scully was already walking away.

        "What did I say?" Cornwell asked and Knowles
walked off after Scully, leaving Cornwell to face the
media.

        "Damned FBI..." Knowles muttered.


Author's Notes: Okay, you wanted a sequel to Divine
Intervention, so what do you think? Any suggestions
about where you'd like the story to go, I'd love to
hear them! Send (as usual) to dk_scully_101@yahoo.com

Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 2/?
Author: Maria O'Rourke

Dana Scully Residence
November 17th 2003
1:21am

	She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to clear her
head. She hadn't slept at all since she'd lain down
over two hours ago. She had yawned, she had turned and
she had tossed but she hadn't slept. She just kept
hearing his words in her ear.

	"The X-Files: have you heard..."

	She sighed. Silly question. She'd seen the look that
Matt had thrown her. He knew. He alone knew. He'd held
her in his arms and watched her cry for what seemed
like hours
hours, he'd seen and heard it all and he was biased.

	She knew what he'd do if he ever met Mulder. She'd
explained that he'd done nothing wrong but every time
that she cried in his arms, she'd re-affirmed his
fears, she was scarred, there were parts of her
missing that would never be replaced.

	She hadn't thought about Mulder for so long and now
it was all she could think of. She reached over and
picked up her diary where she'd left it three hours
ago and read the last passage.

	"It's the first time I've thought of you and yet the
pain 
is still new, raw, untouched. It seems to have
festered, digging in its heels and setting up camp
inside of me." 


	She sighed and let the leather-bound book fall to the
ground with a thud as she pulled the quilt from her
legs and switched on the bedside lamp, illuminating
the room with a soft glow. She sighed again as her
feet touched the cold wood of the floor.

Having spent time in both New York and Seattle, she
had wanted to get back to Washington, without seeing
Mulder and being stationed in Quantico was supposed to
mean she would never have to think of him, it was
supposed to mean that she could forget. She switched
on the bathroom light; it had worked fine up until
now.



	She pulled open the mirrored door of the cabinet
where she kept all her medicine and got a bottle of
the prescription sleeping tablets from the top shelf.
She opened the lid and slid a single green pill into
her mouth then stared at the bottle.

	"I haven't needed these, not since..." she replaced
the bottle on the shelf and closed the door, staring
at herself in the mirror. "Well aren't you a sight for
sore eyes? You haven't even seen him yet. What then?"

	She touched her cheek. "Tears?"

	She smiled faintly, her hands slipping away as she
shook her head. "I don't think so Dana. You've got a
reputation to uphold, all those surging emotions will
get you into trouble..."

	She touched her stomach and stared at the mirror
again, her fingers massaging the skin through the
cotton nightshirt. "All that emotion..."



Quantico
November 18th 2003.
10:23am.

	"You look tired Dana, you getting enough sleep?"
Dillon Hunt, her assistant, asked. Scully looked up
from the autopsy table and smiled slightly.

	"I'm fine Dillon." She looked at the table again,
checking the instruments. "Would you do me a favor and
get the lab results from upstairs?"


	"Sure." He dropped the cloth he'd been using to wipe
the tables and took off his latex gloves. "Be back in
a jiff."

	Scully smiled as she picked up a scalpel. Dillon was
walking out the door.

	"Dana?" she looked up and saw a stranger walking into
the bay. "Agent here to see you..."

	"So you're the doc then?" he asked and Scully stared
at him.

	"And you are?"

	"Agent Maxim, Dave Maxim..." he paused and stared at
the body, as if only noticing that she was there. "My
partner will be here soon."

	"Well, we can't wait." She paused. "Are you alright
Agent?"

	"Yeah..." he professed, swallowing. The pale color
his face was turning told a different story.

	"Have you ever witnessed an autopsy before?" she
asked and he nodded.

	"Yeah, in the beginning... I eh, think you might have
done it."

She smiled and pulled down the mask from her face.

	"You can wait outside if you'd prefer, you won't miss
anything."

	"I'll go through the victim's belongings if you don't
mind..."

Scully shrugged.

	"They're over there..." she nodded towards the side
bench. Maxim began to go through the small collection
of items and turned around to Scully.

	"Do you know where these keys came from?" he asked,
holding up a bunch and she sighed.

	"They were taken from the scene, not on her though,
she hadn't any clothing that could've held keys." She
replaced her mask and picked up a knife. "I have to
get started, okay?"

	Maxim nodded but as soon as Scully began the
Y incision, his eyes widened and he swallowed hard.
She tried to hide the smile behind her mask but
couldn't tell if he could see or not. She never could
figure out why grown men insisted on being in the room
if they knew they were going to throw up.

	"Are..." she began but he held up his hand.

	"I'm fine Doc, don't worry about me..."

	She pulled back the skin from the breastbone and
revealed the ribs and tissue, Maxim made a noise and
Scully stopped and turned to face him.

	"Why don't you go and see what you can do with those
keys..." she suggested and he looked at her, half in
thanks and half affronted by her gentle suggestion.

	"I don't think I should..."

	"I can handle anything here..."

	They both turned as the door opened and Mulder
entered the room. He stopped by Maxim, not noticing
Scully at first.

	"Hey Max, what you doing in here? You never could
handle slice and dice, sorry Doc.." he stopped as he
turned around and saw Scully staring at him.

	"I'm just leaving anyway," Max began and Scully kept
her eyes pinned to Mulder's.

	"You never could handle it..." Mulder repeated and
Max turned and threw him a funny look.

	"Thanks for pointing that out, again..." he picked up
the keys. "See you later doc."

	Scully didn't respond and he didn't say anything. She
simply pulled the mask back over her face and turned
around, picking up the knife again.

	"Scully." He began, his hand reaching for his arm.
She stared at it, momentarily shocked, as she saw the
ring. It was as if he were flaunting it for the world
to see. He looked down at it and then stared at her
again, not moving his hand away until she took a step
away from him, pulling the mask down again.

	"You're married."

He remained silent, studying her the way he used to
before answering, his voice almost a whisper.

	"Almost 3 years."

He paused, her eyes rose to meet his. He licked his
lip.

	"3 long years."

She swallowed, asking the question before she'd
realised it was in her mind.

	"Is there..."

She stopped, catching herself in time before
completing the sentence. He knew what she was going to
say, he stared at her intently.

	"Kids?"

He finished; he couldn't let her away with it. He had
to do it, had to test her, had to see how far he could
push still.

	"Yes."
	"How many?"

She felt a mixture of emotions, mainly confusion.

	"1"

She nodded, feeling faint. The smell of the body was
becoming unusually overpowering. He seemed so calm, so
nonchalant. She felt infuriated.

	"I..." she stopped and stared at the body. "Should
get back to this."

	"Its not as if she's going anywhere..." he stated
dryly and she threw him a look.

	"This isn't personal Mulder, there's a case to be
solved."

	"That's why I'm here..." he replied, his eyes not
blinking, staring at her.

	"You didn't have to come."

	"I did, I'm head of a division now Scully."

	She didn't say anything about the growth of the
X-Files, she didn't want to know, all she could think
about was the ring on his finger. Why was she so
surprised? Was it surprise she felt? Or was it
something else, something deeper?

	"No, you didn't. Why did you come?"

	"To solve the case." He stated simply and she looked
intently at him for a moment.

	"There were two other agents here."

He was silent and, finally, he looked at his shoes.

	"I had to see you."

	"Why?" it was a stupid question but it had to be
asked. She felt a need to know.

	"I don't know!" he threw his hands into the air
helplessly, the first sign of real emotion that he'd
shown since walking through the morgue doors. "Maybe
because I missed you."

Her jaw clenched. Since when had Mulder decided to
tell her everything he was feeling without a second
thought?

	"You can't just turn off the tap Scully, I can't make
all my feelings disappear overnight."

	"It's worked for me."

	It was as if she ripped out his heart with a
sentence, he felt his chest almost hurt as the memory
of every moment he'd spent with her passed before his
eyes. She saw the look on his face as soon as she'd
finished. It stung her to see his
reaction more then it had to see him walk away from
Tara's house all those years ago.

	"You can't say that..." his hand reached for the
metal tray that the instruments lay on, his fingers
ran across the smooth metal and his eyes failed to
meet hers.

	"I left for a reason Mulder and that reason hasn't
gone away just because 3 years have gone by. I lost
too much, the stakes were too high."

	"I wasn't enough."

It wasn't a question.

	"Do you want to talk about this now?"

He looked up at her.

	"You didn't give me a chance to before."

	"I'd waited 7 years for you Mulder, I gave up my life
for you."

	"Do you blame me?"

She swallowed.

	"Do you blame yourself?"

He closed his eyes and she didn't have to ask.

	"We both have different lives now, we've changed."

	"I haven't." he stated and rose his eyes to met hers.


	"You're telling me that having a wife and a child
hasn't changed you?"

	"Not the way you think."

She swallowed and he continued.

	"I had a wife for 7 years before..."

She couldn't take it.

	"What's your theory on the case?"

	"Don't change the subject!" he shouted, slamming his
fist on the wooden counter-top beside him. She looked
at him startled but quickly regained her composure.

	"What do you expect Mulder? I lost everything 3 years
ago, any chance at a normal life. I chose to leave and
now you waltz back in here and tell me things that..."
she paused. "I've worked really hard..." her lower lip
quivered and he moved to hold her but she pulled away,
glared at him.

	"I've worked hard to forget, I've worked hard to
build this life and I'm not allowing you to come back
and ruin it because of what happened in the past. The
past is over Mulder. Go home, go home to your wife and
your child and let me do my job."

It didn't take him a second to react.

	"Who will you go home to Scully?"

He stared intently at her and she only noticed now how
old his face had become.

	"You have no right to ask that..." she meant for it
to sound like she meant it but it came out as a half
whisper. She was losing her resolve and all those
emotions that had threatened to break through last
night were at the door, banging.

His eyes held hers again and they seemed a dimmer
green then she remembered, almost as if they were
weathered away.

	"And you have no right to tell me that I've changed."

There was silence and Scully couldn't meet his eyes
but he continually stared at her, challenging her.

	"What do you expect?" she replied, her voice taut
with the suppression of tears. "For me to welcome you
back with open arms?"

	"A hello might have been nice." He smiled. "For
starters anyway."

	"Dr. Scully?" Dillon's head appeared around the door,
followed by the rest of his body as he saw her quickly
wipe the tears from her eyes. "Are you alright?"

He stared accusingly at Mulder.

	"I heard shouting."

Mulder swallowed, obviously not liking the intrusion,
he returned Dillon's stare.

	"I'm fine Dillon."

	"Do you want some help?"

She was about to say no when she realised how much she
wasn't ready for this confrontation with Mulder, not
yet.

He stepped inside and donned his gloves and gown,
never moving his eyes from Mulder. There was silence
until Dillon spoke.

	"You really should get gloves and a gown on." His
back was to Mulder now as he spoke and the tone he
used was the kind he saved for reporters, nosy
reporters, who he wouldn't mind seeing on his tables.
He didn't like Mulder; you could sense it even if you
didn't know him.

	"I'll be fine Dillon." Mulder replied
matter-of-factly and Dillon turned around, his face
perfectly calm, his eyes raging.

	"It's Dr. Hunt, can I ask who you are?"

	"Special Agent Mulder."

	"Well..." he paused. "Special Agent Muld-er, you
could be the president for all I care but in here...
You wear scrubs." He returned to the body. 
"Or you get out."

	"Scully, will you..."

She looked up from the body. Her eyes told him her
answer.

	"You heard me." Dillon stressed, without turning.

Mulder lingered staring at Scully for a moment before
getting a pair of gloves and a gown. Dillon looked at
Scully, his back still to Mulder and he winked. She
didn't see it though; she was staring at the Y
incision on the body of the woman, feeling faint.


Before she knew it, she was on the floor and both
Mulder and Dillon were standing over her.

Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 3/?
Author: Maria O'Rourke

Quantico
November 18th 2003.
11:16am.

	Her lip trembled and she swallowed before her eyelids
fluttered but didn't open and she could feel a severe
thumping sensation in the back of her mind, as if
someone was pounding on her head with a hammer.

	"Dana?"

	"Scully?"

There was a pause and then a female voice began to
speak.

	"Dr. Scully, if you can hear me please open your
eyes,
or squeeze my hand."

It was more out of curiosity then necessity that
Scully opened her eyes as she felt a cold hand enter
her own and saw a tanned woman staring down at her.

	"Dr. Scully?"

Scully swallowed as Mulder and Dillon's hands reached
under her armpits and helped pull her up as she
tried to steady herself. They led her to a chair and
sat her down.

	"I'm fine..." Scully insisted and Dillon stared at
her,
not convinced.

	"Dana, for three minutes, you were out cold."

	"Look, Dillon..." she began and dusted her jacket
down. "I'm fine."

	"Have you eaten?" the female voice asked again and
Scully stared at her.

	"Excuse me?"

The black-haired woman smiled again and kneeled in
front of Scully, her hand reaching up to Scully's
forehead.

	"You don't have a fever."

Scully rose abruptly and the woman followed.

	"Thank you for the examination, but I'm fine, I'm
just tired."

	"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

	"Right..." she paused and stared at the woman. "Can I
ask who you are and why you're here?"

The woman held out her hand.

	"Patricia Bracknell, Dr. Patricia Bracknell."

Scully looked confused, her mind still thumping.

	"Dr.?"

Bracknell looked at Mulder.

	"You haven't told her I was coming?"

Mulder scratched the back of his neck.

	"I didn't have time..."

Dillon looked at him.

	"You had long enough." He commented. "You were
here..."

	"Dillon..." Scully began and Dillon sighed.

	"Patricia is our on-call pathologist in the
division." Mulder stated and Scully nodded.

	"I see..." she paused and turned to Mulder. "When
were you going to tell me?"

	"It doesn't matter when I was going to tell you, you
know now!" Mulder stated and Scully sighed. Dr.
Bracknell picked up gloves and a gown.

	"What are you doing?" Scully demanded and Bracknell
turned and stared at her.

	"You're not in any state to do an autopsy."
Scully took a deep breath and took the scalpel that
Bracknell had just picked up and held it tightly in
her hand.

	"*I'm* fine, I told you I was fine. I can handle
an autopsy. I am a medical doctor, I think I can judge
for myself."

	"Are you sure?" Bracknell asked and Scully nodded.
"Well, since I'm already here, I'll assist."

	"I think you might be better getting out of the suit
Dr. Bracknell. There are scrubs in the changing rooms
that you can use." Dillon suggested and Bracknell
looked at Mulder before nodding.

	"Alright, can you show me the way?"

	"Sure..."

Scully watched them leave before turning to Mulder.

	"You called in another pathologist without telling
me?" she demanded and Mulder stared at her.

	"Scully...."

	"That woman is obnoxious!" she snapped and Mulder
threw his gloves and gown to the floor and stared at
her.

	"Well, she's not the only one!" he retorted and took
a deep breath, turning and leaving. He opened the door
and faced Dillon and Bracknell who stared at him and
saw Scully furtively wiping her eyes.



Dana Scully Residence,
November 18th 2003,
8:24pm

	She sighed as she opened the bottle of wine, pulling
the cork from the bottle and placing it on the
sideboard.

	"What I don't understand Dana..." her mother began,
staring up at her daughter from the kitchen table. "Is
how you can have a bruised and swollen jaw..."

Scully sighed again, sitting down opposite her mother
and filling out two glasses of wine.

	"I told you Mom, I tripped."

	"Dana Scully, you do not trip. What happened?"

	Scully stared at her mother, calculating her chances
of getting away with a lie and deciding it wasn't
worth it, her mother would eventually find out.

	"I fainted."

Maggie swallowed her wine slowly, placing the glass on
the table and staring at her daughter.

	"Fainted?" she repeated. "Are you eating enough?"
	
	"Yes Mom."

Maggie nodded and stared at the glass of wine on the
table.

	"It's not..." Scully stated and her mother didn't
look up.

	"I never said anything."

	"I know what you're thinking Mom."

Maggie stared at her daughter and smiled sadly.

	"Something is upsetting you."

Scully laughed.

	"You always think that when I don't call..."

Maggie smiled and stared at Dana.

	"You took the pills last night, didn't you?"

	"What makes you say that?"

Maggie shrugged.

	"Well, the fact that you took the spare set from my
bathroom was a clue." Maggie reached across the table
and took Dana's hand. "There is something happening in
your life Dana and I'm afraid, afraid of what it will
do to you. I saw you the way you were three years
ago."

	"This is different."

	"Why?"

Dana shook her head.

	"I don't want to talk about it Mom, there is
*nothing* to talk about."

	"I don't believe you."

Scully shrugged and removed her hand from her
mother's.

	"So what, I'm taking sleeping pills, it's not the
end of the world."



Maggie rose and followed Scully to the counter where
she forced her daughter to turn around and stare her
in the face.


	"It was the end of the world three years ago."

Before Scully could respond, the phone rang. She
untangled herself from her mother's hands and walked
over to the phone, taking a deep breath before picking
it up and placing the receiver to her ear.

	"Hello?"

	"Agent Scully?"

	"Yes?"

There was a pause.

	"There's been a murder, we need you to come to the
scene," a male voice stated and Scully nodded.

	"Can't another ME go? I'm not working tonight."

	"Usually, yes, but the Agent here says that you'll
want to come."

	"Agent? What agent?"

As if she needed to ask, there was only one person who
it could be.

	"Fox Mulder..." the voice stated and Scully felt her
skull begin to pound again.

	"Agent Scully?" the voice came again and she shook
her head, trying to clear it.

	"Yes, I'll be right there."

She wrote down the address he gave her, hung up the
phone and turned, facing Maggie. Her mother stared at
her sternly.

	"Who was that?" she asked and Scully walked around
her couch to the desk beside her window.

	"I've got to go to work."

	"Is something wrong?" Maggie's voice held worry.

	"There's always something wrong in the world Mom..."
Scully walked over and kissed her mother on the cheek.
"Or else I'd be out of a job."

	"You haven't been called away like this for awhile."
She retorted and Scully's jaw clenched, what her
mother really meant to say was "you haven't been
called away like this since you left Mulder."

	"I know." She stared at her mother, trying to calm
herself down and keep a straight face at the same
time; she knew her mother could read her every
expression as if it were her own. She reached over and
kissed her cheek again. "I'm fine. I'll call you
later. "

She opened the door and stepped outside.

	"I'm sorry."



Crime Scene.
9:22pm

	Scully stepped under the police tape, carrying her
medical bag under her arm. Mulder and Cornwall were
both there, talking to the local law enforcement.

	She walked past them and knelt by the body. She
tried to hold in her revulsion but her stomach turned
and she had to raise her hand to her mouth.

	"I know..." Cornwall's voice came from behind her and
she didn't look up at him. "No matter how many you
see, it never gets easier."

	"When was she found?" Scully asked, beginning to
examine the body.

	"We got the call just around 8:50."

Scully stopped moving.

	"You and Mulder got the call at 8:50?"

	"Yes, I got the call and rang Mulder."

Scully looked around the crime scene.

	"You're the only agents here? What about police, when
were they called?"

	"Around ten minutes before us, maybe a little more."

	"No, it's just the call I got to come to the
scene..."

	"Yeah?" Mulder asked, stepping from behind Cornwall.
Scully swallowed and shook her head.

	"It's probably nothing but I got a call at 8:40, that
was at least ten minutes before you."

Cornwall shrugged.

	"So they got their wires mixed up, it's not uncommon
for them to call the ME before us."

	"They used Mulder's name, he said that Mulder asked
for me specifically and how would the local PD get my
home number?"

	"Maybe your friend Knowles gave it to them..."
Cornwall commented and Scully glared up at him.

	"She's right..." Mulder stated, "if it wasn't an
agent then I want to know who it was, get around and
see who made the call, maybe it was one of the local
PD, but if so then how did he get her number."



Cornwall grumbled under his breath as Knowles made his
way towards them.

	"Looks like our guy anyway." He stated and Scully
stared up at him.

	"What makes you say that Agent Cornwall?" she asked
and Cornwall kept his back to Knowles as he
approached.

	"I know because the set-up is the same, glue,
pills... everything!"


	"How do you know 'everything'? I mean have you seen
the autopsy reports?" Knowles asked from behind them
and Mulder and Cornwall stared at him in surprise.

	"I mean," he continued. "Have you ever heard of a
copy-cat? There is a saying, don't count your
chickens..."

Cornwall looked at Scully.

	"Where is the report?"

	"I have to get labs back, you'll see it tomorrow at
the meeting."


	"You're coming?" Cornwall asked in surprise and
Scully smiled faintly.

	"Unless Dr. Bracknell has reserved the honor I might
make an appearance."

	"You examined the body yet?" Knowles asked and Scully
shook her head, looking around the narrow alleyway.

"Well, I'd hate to see any pics of the poor gal in the
paper...."

It was a signal and both Mulder and Cornwall got it
clearly. He wanted them to leave her alone; they
turned and began to walk away.

	"You think they're dating?" Cornwall asked quietly
and Mulder's expression didn't change.

	"Each other?" he asked and Cornwall stopped and
Mulder faced him.

	"No, the Easter Bunny...."

Mulder was quiet, staring over Cornwall's shoulder and
watching Scully touching Knowles' shoulder as Knowles
smiled down at her.

	"You know you can talk to me if it's bothering
you..."

Cornwall stated and Mulder shrugged, turning.

	"What could be bothering me?"

	"The situation."

	"There is no situation Andy..." he replied, walking
over to the nearest policeman and began to ask him
questions about the phone call.

	"Talk about 'Deny Everything'."


FBI Headquarters,
Washington DC.
Basement Office.
November 19th 2003.
8:14am.

	Her footsteps slowed as she came closer to the
basement door. The little hairs on the back of her
neck were standing on edge as she felt the cold metal
of the handle under her fingers. She pushed open the
door and swallowed, stepping inside, autopsy reports
under her arm.

	"Mulder?" she called and Agent Maxim's head appeared
from around the corner on the left. She stared at him,
surprised to see where he was sitting. There were two
desks sitting side by side in the area where they used
to have the 
light projector.

	"Sorry to disappoint you Doc, just me. Can I help?"
he said, rising from his swivel chair and walking over
to Scully. She continued to stare at the room as if
she had never seen it before. It was as if it were
new. Nothing remained from when she was there; even
the "I Want to Believe" poster was gone.

	She stared at Mulder's desk and swallowed, the
autopsy reports suddenly becoming heavy in her hands.
Mulder's desk held no photo frames at all; even the
ones of Samantha were gone. This wasn't the office she
had left. It was as if everything that had been
evidence to her existence had been moved.

	"I know what you're thinking Doc."

Scully turned to him, slightly dazed.

	"You do?"

	"Yeah, you're wondering why we're down here in this
hovel. I mean there are four of us down here, squashed
into this little office!"

	"Hmmm..."

	Scully continued to look around and then she saw her
old desk, the small place that she had used as her
own. She touched the top and noticed there was dust
sitting across the entire surface.

	"Yeah, there's another little problem..." he stated
and smiled slightly.

	"Oh, why's that?"

	"Well, it's bad enough that we have to share this
crummy piece of real estate without the added benefit
of not
being able to use the only other free desk in here..."

	"You don't use this desk?" she asked and Maxim smiled
again, scratching his jaw.

	"Don't worry, we tried. All of us took a turn, but he
wouldn't have it."

	"Why?" she asked and Maxim walked over and stared at
the desk for a moment before answering.

	"Because this seat..." he touched the back of the
chair. "Was once sat on by the infamous Dana
Scully..."

	"Infamous?" she had to hide a smile.

Maxim looked at her in mock surprise.

	"You haven't heard of Dana Scully? *The* Dana Scully
that worked here for 8 years, if anyone other then
Mulder could be so crazy."

	"8 years huh? That's a long time..."

Maxim sighed.

	"Sure is. And from what I've heard, most of it wasn't
exactly working case files, if you get my meaning."

Scully's mouth smiled but her eyes pierced into him.

	"Oh, I think I get your meaning alright."

Maxim laughed but his expression changed as the door
opened and Mulder stepped inside.

	"Hey partner..." he greeted Mulder and Mulder
stopped, staring at Scully.

	"I didn't expect to see you before the meeting." He
stumbled and Scully held up the autopsy reports.

	"Thought you might want a copy of these..." she
handed them to him. "Autopsy reports on the first
victim, any name yet?"

	"No, we're still trying those keys. One appears to be
a locker key..." 

Mulder looked at the file. 

	"So you two already know each other from the autopsy
bay right?"

Maxim looked at Scully for a Moment and his brow
creased.

	"Actually, I don't think I know your name..."

Scully stuck out her hand.

	"We never introduced ourselves formally Agent
Maxim..." he took her hand in his and shook it.

	"Agent Maxim, meet Dr. Scully." Mulder said as he sat
at his desk, still staring at the file. Maxim turned
to Scully.

	"Special Agent Dana Scully."

Maxim's face dropped.

	"I..." but he stopped and swallowed. Scully's hand
tightened around his.

	"Thanks for the tour..." she stated warmly and again
her eyes pierced his and he felt his heart thump
against his chest but he couldn't get any words out.

	"I'll see you at the meeting." She finished, opening
the door and stepping out into the hall.

	"So..." Maxim paused. "That's Dana Scully?"

Mulder looked up from the file.

	"Yes, why?"

	"No reason, she just wasn't what I expected, that's
all..."


9:03am

	"Well, we've got two victims, both female, the first
in her early twenties and the other in her
mid-thirties." Cornwall stated and looked to Scully.
"Agent Scully,
would you like to tell us what you've found in the
autopsies?"

	"The first victim..." she clicked the slide projector
to the first slide, showing the mutilated corpse of
the first victim. "Was found in a position where her
hands both held objects. These objects consisted of an
empty bottle of pills and a cellular phone. Both these
objects were glued to the victim's hands."

	"Glued?" a voice asked from the end of the table and
Scully nodded, clicking to the next slide.

	"It was a strong glue, we think maybe epoxy as this
would have made it very difficult for the victim to
struggle once the objects were in place."

	"Were the hands the only things glued together?"

Scully clicked to the next slide,

	"Her mouth was glued. This was done before the pills
were ingested. As you can see on the slide, there are
pills stuck to the lips."

	"Why would he have done that?"

Scully cleared her throat.

	"Maybe to stop her cries for help, I'm not sure at
this time."

She looked down at her report. 

	"The cause of death was an overdose."

	"What? You mean he tortured her and she died from an
overdose?"

	"We're currently getting the tablets she ingested
analyzed to see what they were, but that's what did
it."

	"What injuries did she suffer and did they contribute
to her death?" the agent beside her asked and Scully
cleared her throat again.

	"She suffered extensive head trauma, which would have
rendered her unconscious for a time. She was sexually
assaulted and there are cuts, bruises and bite marks
all over her body."

	"Bite marks?" a female agent said with a mixture of
disgust and confusion. "Human?"

	"I would assume they are but they've been removed..."

	"Removed? How?"

Scully swallowed and looked at the file.

	"It seems to appear like filing, maybe with a razor."

Maxim sighed.

	"Why?"

	"You can identify people by their dental records
Agent Maxim, he scraped the bite marks so that it's
harder, nearly impossible, for us to use them if we
catch him. There are almost four teeth missing as a
result of the facial wounds she suffered so
identifying the victim from her own records is
impossible also."

	"We're sure it's a man then?" another agent asked and
Scully nodded.

	"Yes, judging by the sexual assault but there could
possibly be a female counterpart."


	"Everything else is in the reports..." she stated and
looked around the room as the lights went on. "Any
questions?"

Nobody muttered a word, just stared absently at the
photographs of the first victim.

	"Okay..." Skinner rose. "I think that does it, we'll
have a briefing tomorrow morning."

	"Scully, Mulder.... I'd like you to talk to you both
for a moment."  he added and Scully stared across the
table at Mulder and swallowed, watching as the last
agent closed the door.

	"I wanted to let you know in advance, Agent Scully is
temporarily assigned to the X-Files."

Mulder's hands disappeared under the table and he
stared at the file sitting on the wooden surface and
swallowed.

	"What exactly does temporarily mean, Sir?" Scully
asked and Skinner stared at Mulder before answering.

	"Until this case is solved is my understanding."

	"I have a meeting in twenty minutes..." Mulder
stated, rising and Skinner nodded watching silently as
he left.

	"How are you?" he asked and she stared at him.

	"I'm fine."

	"You're always fine Dana."

She stared at her hands.

	"Sir, why did you assign me to this? I mean, they've
got an ME already..."

	"It's different this time Scully and you know it.
You've got a better background on the X-Files than
Bracknell ever will. She does it because she's ordered
to..."

	"And I did it for fun?" she stated and
Skinner stared at her.

	"You never kept in touch."

She closed her eyes and stared at her hands.

	"I'm sorry."

	"I understand, really I do. I know it was hard."

	"Do you?" she retorted and he sighed.

	"He took it badly Dana, he nearly quit."

	"He seems alright."

	"You of all people should know that what you see with
Mulder isn't what's in his head."

	"Maybe I've just lost my touch."

They were silent and Skinner thought for a moment.

	"He's married." Scully stated and Skinner looked up
at her in surprise.

	"Was."

Now it was Scully's turn to look surprised.

	"He's divorced?"

	"It's not my place Dana..."

	"It's not my business either." She rose. "I'd better
go, I've got a few things to get from my office and
labs to get back."

	"If you want to talk Scully..."

She smiled.

	"I know."

She closed the door softly after her and Skinner
sighed and stared at the table. She'd become pale and
had become thinner, she was a shadow of her former
self. She didn't look like she had before.

	"It's 3 years..." he muttered to himself, his jaw
clenching. Something didn't fit right though. Seeing
the two of them sitting on opposite sides of the table
didn't seem right.

Skinner had seen them both after she left. He'd
visited Scully before she moved to New York and had
seen Mulder everyday. He'd convinced
him not to quit. He shook his head to clear his
thoughts and rose, staring out the window. This case
was worrying him.

Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 4/?
Author: Maria O'Rourke

FBI Headquarters,
Washington DC.
Basement Office.
November 19th 2003.
3:23pm.

        "What I don't understand is the glue..."
Scully stated,
for what seemed like the hundredth time since she'd
entered the office. Maxim sighed and leaned back in
his chair, stretching his arms behind his back and
making a noise from deep within his chest.

        "I've been thinking about that and I think its
part
of the ritual."

Cornwall sighed and scratched his neck.

        "You come up with that all by yourself Max?"

        "Shut up Andy!" he stared back at Scully. "I
mean,
what if he doesn't kill them?"

        "What do you mean?" Cornwall asked, his
attention
caught.

        "What if he doesn't give them the pills?"

        "You're saying suicide? You're saying that
they
mutilate themselves, assault themselves sexually and
then glue all the things to their hands and then take
their own life. Why the hell didn't I come up with
that?"

        "I think you might have a point Agent
Maxim..." Scully
agreed and Cornwall sighed again.

        "Would someone care to share?"

A voice came from the door.

        "It's a choice."

Scully turned to the man and stared at him. He was the
most astonishing man that she had ever seen. He had a
scar running from under his left eye to his chin. His
blue eyes pierced her own and she was mesmerized.

        "Think about it..." he said, stepping inside
and
closing the door. "From what I understand, the two
victims have died from an overdose?"

        "Yes..." Scully confirmed.

        "Well, he disfigures them, assaults them. It's
a
dreadful ordeal and then comes the glue to the hands
and the items."

Maxim stared at him.

        "The phone and pills."

Scully swallowed, the thumping in her head returning.
She blinked.

        "They take the pills, they die. They use the
phone,
they live."

The stranger nodded.

        "I'm guessing looks are important to these
women,
like a kind of asset. He doesn't kill them, he gives
them a choice."

Scully nodded.

        "A chance to redeem themselves."

Maxim stared dubiously at her.

        "You're thinking religious connections?"

        "Maybe."

The stranger stepped over to Scully and held out his
hand.

        "Ferro, Agent Dan Ferro, you must be Agent
Scully?"

        "It seems everyone knows my reputation..." she
smiled
faintly and took his hand. Cornwall looked puzzled for
a moment, staring off into space.

        "You got something?" the man at the door asked
and
Scully stared up at him, he must have been at least
6'6.

        "Eh..." he paused and licked his lip. "You
ever seen
the film 7?"

        "I can vaguely remember it..." Maxim stated
and
Cornwall picked up his pen and pointed it at Scully
and the man in the door.

        "The two of you are describing one of the 7
deadly
sins...."

        "Hold it." Maxim stated and shook his head.
"We
started off with a choice, now we're on to copycat of
a film? Big leap."

The man at the door smiled and slapped Maxim on the
back.

        "Isn't that what we do here?"

Scully's phone shrilled and she smiled apologetically
and reached into her pocket, retrieving the vibrating
device.

        "Scully." She stated in her usual tone.

        "It's me..." a voice came down the line,
barely
audible.

        "Mulder?" she asked and there was a pause.

        "Yeah."

        "I can barely hear you."

The office stared at her.

        "I'm at the forest." He stated and Scully's
eyebrow
rose.

        "What?"

        "There's another victim."

        "What?"

There was another pause and she was sure that she
could hear rustling in the background.

        "Get down here."

And then the line went dead.

        "What's up?" Maxim asked and Scully stared at
him.

        "That was Mulder, there's another victim, at
the
forest."

        "Jesus, we better get down there...." Cornwall
stated
and rose, staring at Scully as he grabbed his jacket.
"You alright?"

        "How did Mulder get my number?"

Cornwall shrugged.

        "Maybe he kept it..."

Maxim and Ferro stared accusingly at him and Scully
shook her head, ignoring the stares waiting for her
reaction to Cornwall's assumption.

        "I changed it..."

Maxim slid his jacket on.

        "Did you give it do him?"

Ferro swallowed and scratched his jaw.

        "Wait a second, why didn't he ring the
office?"

They turned as they heard footsteps and Mulder
appeared around the door. He stopped and stared at
them, looking at them.

        "What?" he asked. "I got something stuck to my
face?"


Crime Scene
3:59pm

        Mulder ran from the car, followed by Scully
and
Maxim, Cornwall and Ferro parked their car behind
Mulder's and quickly followed.

        "Ah Jesus..." Mulder said as he came up to a
clearing,
seeing the body straight away. He swallowed and turned
his back. "He's getting more daring, he's doing it in
broad daylight!"

Scully bent down beside the body and shook her head.

        "I don't think so, judging by the state of her
body
and the rate of rigor mortis, I'd say that she's been
dead for at least 10 hours..." she looked up. "He's
only
telling us about it now."

        "I don't care when he did it, chances are he's
still
around."

Cornwall stared at the body.

        "The trace led to a cell phone Mulder, he's
miles
away...."

        "Listen, why would he go to the trouble of
getting us
down here? He got Scully's cell number for a
reason, if he's here, I want him found!"

        "Mulder?" Scully began as Mulder kept talking.
"Mulder!"

He stopped and faced her as she stared up at him. She
rose and swallowed.

        "The last numbers dialed are my home and cell
numbers."

        "What?" Cornwall asked as he stepped closer to
Scully.

        "He was the one who called me about the 2nd
victim,
he's got my numbers... My numbers are both on this
phone."

	"The phone in the victim's hand?" Maxim asked and 
Scully nodded, visibly stunned. 

        "Why the hell is he calling you?" Cornwall
asked and
Scully sighed, frustrated.

        "I don't know, I'll be sure to ask him if I
meet
him!"

Mulder stepped between them and stared at Scully.

        "Calm down. The fact that he dialed your
number from
this phone means he was here..."

        "And doing his homework..." Ferro stated,
staring at
Mulder "We can't do anything, we haven't got a
description Mulder, we got nothing."

        "Search the woods anyway."

Cornwall and Ferro headed off and Scully began to head
into the woods with Maxim. Mulder touched her arm
before she was out of his reach.

        "You alright?"

She sighed and removed her arm from his grasp.

        "I'm fine."




Morgue.
5:45pm


        "Dillon Hunt..."

Scully sighed as she stared at the white sheet
covering the body.

        "Dillon, it's me."

        "Dana? I thought you'd deserted me for good!"

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

        "Looks like I'll be here a little longer than
expected."

        "Don't tell me..."

She could almost see him laughing.

        "I'm assigned to the X-Files..."

        "Does Knowles know?" he asked and Scully
smiled.

        "Not yet."

Dillon laughed.

        "Well, you better tell him before someone else
does..."

        "He'll be fine."

        "Dana, you haven't been out of his sight since
he met
you. You know how he feels about you."

        "Dillon..." she warned and she could, again,
she his
grin plastered across his chiselled features. "Don't
make me hurt you..."

        "Okay, you're the boss."

        "And don't you forget it."

        "I take it there's something you want or else
you
wouldn't have called me..." he sniffed pathetically as

if he was hurt.

        "I need to know if the results from the second
victim
are in yet," she said and Dillon rustled through his
desk, she tried not to imagine it visually because,
right now, she didn't need a headache.

        "Yeah, interesting thing found from the
swabs..." he
stated and Scully listened carefully. "He's a
non-secretor."

        "You're kidding."

        "I kid you not, so the chance of identifying
him from
a semen sample is out the window."

She felt like swearing or hitting her fist on
something that would make a loud noise but held back
and bit her lip.

        "Dana?"

        "Yeah, I'm here Dillon."

        "Well, there's nothing else to report that's
unusual.
I'll send them down to you tomorrow. Where do I send
it to?"

        "My mothers, that's where I'm staying."

        "Okay. You alright?"

        "Yeah Dillon, I'm fine."

There was a pause.

        "Have you eaten."

She held back from sighing.

        "Yes Mom, I've eaten."

        "Okay, get the message. Don't stay too long up
there,
okay?"

        "Okay. Bye."

        "Bye Dana."

She placed her phone on the counter-top and slapped on
her latex gloves and pulled back the white sheet. She
stared at the woman and sighed.

        When she looked at the mouth, she saw
something she
hadn't seen on either of the previous victims. A hair,
it was light and short and fine. It seemed too light
for baby hair. She used the forceps to pick up the
hair. She stared at it in the tray.



7:34pm

        Scully allowed the door of the lift to close
fully
before she turned and walked away from it. Parking
lots made her nervous, especially when she was on her
own. She crossed the nearly empty lot and passed a red
Ford before she reached her own car. She felt the
hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She turned
around and looked at the parking lot, nobody was
there. She pushed the keys into the door and sat into
the car. Just because she was an FBI agent didn't mean
she couldn't be afraid once in awhile, even if there
was no reason for it. She smiled and put the car into
drive.

        For a moment I almost thought that you saw me.
I was
so careful, standing here in the shadows where I knew
you couldn't see me. I'm standing less then twenty
feet away from you and you don't see me. Call yourself
an FBI agent?

        Would you recognize me if I stood right in
front of
you, that's the problem. You see, you're looking for
me and you don't even realize that you had me. You had
me. It's enough to make someone laugh.

        You see, I can walk across this parking lot
without
so much as a second glance from anyone, but if you
were here. That's a different story. Don't worry Dana,
we'll see soon enough if you recognize me.

Margaret Scully Residence.
November 19th 2003.
7:34pm

        "I'm here Mom!" she called and her mother came
out
from the kitchen.

        "You're late."

Scully dropped her briefcase to the floor.

        "I'm sorry, the autopsy took-"

        "It doesn't matter, I want to talk to you
Dana..."

        "About what?" she asked, returning her
mother's
stare.

        "Your fall."

        "There's nothing *to* tell Mom, I fell, end of
story.
People faint all the time."

        "People may, Dana Scully does not. Dana you
haven't
fainted since..."

        "Don't Mom." Scully warned and Maggie
watched her for a moment before walking up in front of
her.

        "Since you left him."

Scully's eyes closed and she shook her head.

        "You fainted for a reason."

        "Yes."

        "Are you overworked?"

        "No more then usual."

Maggie shrugged.

        "I'm your mother."

Scully opened her eyes as her jaw clenched.

        "And I'm a grown woman."

The doorbell rang and Scully turned and reached out,
opening the door and staring at Knowles.

        "What the hell are you thinking? Are you
crazy?" he
demanded, abruptly grunting. "Have you lost your
friggin mind?"

        "Knowles." Scully began and stared at him,
warning
him to shut up.

        "I had a little chat with your friend Cornwall
down
at the good old FBI..." he smiled sarcastically.
"Guess
what news he had for me?"

        "Matt..."

        "I mean..." he looked at Scully's expression
but didn't
stop. "It's bad enough that I have to face the SOB,
knowing what he did to you, but to have to find out
that you're assigned back to the X-Files by that ass?"

Knowles stared at Scully and saw her hand move and
pull the door open. When he saw Mrs. Scully, he was
lost for words.

        "Mrs. Scully..."

        "Matt."

Knowles stared at Scully and she raised her eyes, they
seemed like they were firing bullets at him.

        "I'll talk to you later Dana..."

Scully didn't respond and closed the door. Maggie
placed her hand on Scully's shoulder and turned her
around to face her.

        "Nothing going on?"

Scully was silent.

        "You said that you never wanted to see him
again. You
made us cut every link to him and now you're going
back to work with him and don't even tell me?"

        "I don't have a choice Mom, do you think I
want to
see him every day, do you honestly think that after
the
3 years I've had I would want to go back?"

        "You have a choice."

        "No Mom, I don't. I have a job."

Maggie stared at her and Scully shook her head.

        "I love my work. It's all I have."

        "You have your family, you have me."

Scully's eyes were empty and Maggie removed her hand.

        "At least you did until you pushed us away.
You're
not the only one who made sacrifices Dana."

She shook her head.

        "I never said I was the only one to make
sacrifices..."

There was an awkward silence.

        "You might have told me."

        "I only found out this morning."

Maggie's eyes filled with tears.

        "There was a time when you couldn't wait an
hour to
tell me."

She removed her apron and laid it on the dresser in
the hallway, keeping constant eye contact with Scully.

        "But everything changes, doesn't it?"

Scully watched her mother as she walked up the stairs
and she reached up to her nose, feeling the hot liquid
dripping from her nostril.

She moved her fingertips in front of her eyes and
stared at the dark crimson liquid and turned, looking
in the mirror as the first hot tear made it's way down
her cheek.

The water mixed with the blood to create a light pink
waterfall that slid down her chin and dropped to the
floor. She stared at herself in the mirror.

        "Everything changes."

Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 5/?
Author: Maria O'Rourke

Margaret Scully Residence
November 20th 2003.
7:31am

        Her phone rang and she reached for it
automatically.

        "Scully." She stated, her mind still half
asleep and her voice 
groggy.

        "It's me."

It was Mulder, she was immediately awake. She hadn't
answered a phone that way in three years. She
swallowed and sat up.

        "Mulder?"

As if she needed to ask! She rubbed her eyes, trying
to clear her head.

        "Yeah, we've got something. It's a key that
was at the 1st 
crime scene."

        "What's it for?"

        "A locker, at a bus station, I'm going by your
mother's house, you want me to pick you up?"

        "Sure."

Sure? What the hell was she saying? The last thing she
or her mother needed at the moment was Mulder calling
to pick her up as if 3 years hadn't passed and they
were back to usual. She paused, uncertainty flooding
into her mind.

        "Okay, I'll be there in about 15 minutes..."

	"Mulder..."

There was a hesitation before he answered.

	"Yes?"

	"How long did I work with you on the X-Files?"

	"What?"

She paused, closing her eyes.

	"I need to know you are who you say you are..."

She could feel him smile.

	"It's me Scully, trust me. and it was 8 years. I'll 
see you soon."


He hung up and she held the phone in her hand for a
moment. No image of Mulder appeared before her eyes,
all she saw was that ring. It floated into her
thoughts without her even realizing it until all she
could think about was that golden band.

Part of her always thought that he wouldn't move on.
Maybe a part of her wanted to punish him, however
small. No. She shook her head and rose from the bed.
She never blamed him, she wasn't capable of blaming
him. But 3 years? What did he do, go out into the
nearest parking lot and pick the first woman he saw?

It was sticking in her mind and she couldn't get his
voice out of her head.

        "3 long years."

What did that mean? That it was long because he missed
her? Long because he was happy?

        "Great Dana..." she said, rising from the bed
with a sigh. 
"You're talking to yourself..."


7:47am

        She picked up her jacket and sighed, looking
in the mirror and 
fixing her hair.

        "You forgot these." Her mother's voice sounded
from behind her 
and held up her daughter's car keys. Scully stared at
Maggie in the 
mirror. She looked tired, as if she hadn't slept.
Scully swallowed and 
turned.

        "I..." she began and the doorbell rang before
she
finished. Maggie went to it, looking behind her at her
daughter. She pulled open the door and stared at the
man standing in her doorway.

        "Hi." He greeted, smiling slightly. "I'm here
for
Agent Scully?"

        "Dana?" Maggie stated as she turned around.

        "Agent Cornwall..." Scully stated, almost
breathing a sigh of 
relief. She wasn't in the mood for a
Mulder/mother meeting this morning.

        "Yeah, Mulder's in the car." Cornwall
shrugged. Scully wondered 
how 
she could have ever thought that
seeing Cornwall was a good thing. He always managed to
get his foot in his mouth. "You ready? We really ought
to go."

        "Sure..." Scully stated, smiling and he turned
and headed 
towards 
the car. Scully turned to her mother.
"Mom..."

        "Dana..." her mother's hand clasped her
daughter's. "Just be 
careful."

        "I will..."

Scully felt her mother's eyes as she walked towards
Mulder's car and as she sat in the back seat, Mulder
immediately drove away.

        "I thought I shouldn't..."

        "Thank you." She stated, not wanting Cornwall
spreading all kinds of things around the office and
God knows where else. He looked at her in the mirror
and nodded.


7:58am

        "Maxim is here already, he went around every
place that had a 
locker..." Mulder stated as they walked
through the doors, flashing their ID's to the guards
that were posted at the entrance. "He didn't say much
though, just told me to get down here."

        "That's Maxim for you, always a surprise."


Scully closed her eyes, wondering what she had truly
done wrong to ever meet Cornwall. She sighed as they
spotted Maxim talking to an officer.

        "I want someone at that address now." He
stated and smiled as 
Mulder 
reached him. "Have I got news for you."

        "You found something?" Cornwall asked and
Maxim
nodded, his smile increasing.

        "You might say that."

        "Well..." Mulder began. "Are you going to tell
us or do we have 
to guess?"

Maxim reached behind him and handed an evidence bag to
Cornwall. Cornwall opened it.

        "Damn." He muttered, dropping something from
the bag. Scully 
reached down and retrieved it, staring at the brooch
for a moment. 
She swallowed, the color draining from her face.

        "Something wrong?" Cornwall asked and Scully
took the evidence 
bag from him, spilling the contents onto the floor.
She was on her knees, 
searching through the various objects until she came
to an ID. She 
paused and Mulder bent down beside her.

        "Scully, what is it? What's wrong?"

Scully shook her head.

        "Please...."

She closed her eyes and opened the ID, staring at the
face that looked back at her. Her eyes filled with
tears and her lower lip quivered.

Mulder's hand reached across to her and he touched her
shoulder.

        "Scully? Please, tell me what's wrong."

She swallowed and stared at the ID, not moving or
blinking.

        "I know her."

Mulder failed to hide his surprise.

        "Are you sure?" Mulder asked and Scully
removed his hand from 
her arm and rose, handing the ID to Cornwall. Maxim
began to pick 
up the discarded objects that Scully had spread across
the floor.

        "Of course I'm sure!" she snapped, wiping her
eyes. Cornwall 
was persistent though.

        "It says here that she's from New York."

Scully closed her eyes.

        "She..." Scully stopped and took a breath,
steadying her 
nerves. "We worked together three years ago when I
moved to New York."

        "She's an FBI agent?" Mulder asked, surprised
and
Scully nodded.

        "We were partners for a short time, I spoke to
her last week on 
the phone." Scully's lip quivered slightly as she
stared at the ID in 
Cornwall's hands.

Maxim rose and touched Scully's shoulder.

        "I'm sorry Agent Scully..."

        "I..." she paused, her eyes filling with
tears. "I think..."

But she couldn't complete the sentence and after a
brief silence Maxim and Cornwall left Mulder alone
with her as she stared at the ground.

        "How could this happen?" she demanded weakly
and
Mulder led her to the nearest bench.

        "Do you remember investigating a case like
this
before?"

        "No, I would have mentioned it already."

Mulder was silent.

        "You think he's after me," she stated, not
looking at Mulder. 
She didn't need to look at him, she knew what he was
doing, 
staring at her but he didn't say anything.

        "He knows my phone number, he probably knows
my
address too." She stopped speaking and closed her
eyes. "My mother."

        "I'll send a car to her house." He rose and
spoke 
to Maxim briefly but left Scully alone for not more
then a few 
minutes. "Is there anyone that you've been involved
with?"

    "Nobody." She stated, swallowing.

        "Any-"

        "I said, nobody."

Mulder nodded.

        "He might have singled you out in New York..."

Scully stared at Mulder.

        "And waited three years to get me? I don't
think so Mulder."

        "I want you under guard at all times."

She shook her head.

        "I don't need a babysitter Mulder, I need to
catch him 
before..."

Maxim walked over and stood in front of them, he held
his cell phone in his hand.

        "There's another victim." He stated and Mulder
rose.

        "Shit, where's the body?"

Maxim swallowed and looked to Scully.

        "That's the thing..."

        "What?"

He shrugged.

        "There is no body, she's alive and on her way
to 
Washington General."



Washington General Hospital
November 20TH 2003
8:34am

        Ferro was at the hospital by the time that
Mulder and Scully 
arrived, closely followed by Cornwall and Maxim.

        "Mulder..." Ferro stated, walking towards him
and
sighing, running a hand through his hair. "She's in a
critical condition."

        "Is she alive?"

        "Yes, from what they tell me in bits and
pieces,
she's suffered major injuries to her face and chest.
They won't tell me more than that."


Mulder turned to Scully but she was already walking
towards the nearest doctor.

        "What's she doing?" Maxim asked, reaching
Mulder and Mulder 
sighed.

        "She's going see the victim..." Mulder stated
and 
Maxim shrugged and smiled.

        "Damned pushy doctors..." he muttered, smiling
at Cornwall. "Seems
our agent Scully is quite the example."

Mulder turned and glared at him.

        "What?"

Maxim's smile disappeared.

        "I only meant..."

        "Never mind." Mulder stated, raising his hand
to stop Maxim 
from 
speaking. "I don't want to hear it, just
keep your mouth shut and concentrate on your job."

He walked off and Maxim stared at Cornwall and Ferro.

        "Just what the hell was that?" Ferro demanded
and
Maxim swallowed, fully away of how Ferro hated office
rumours.

        "You know, the rumours. You've heard them
Ferro..."

        "I've heard the shit that you tell me, yeah.
Do what he says 
Dave, or you'll find yourself in trouble. Just because
he hasn't seen her in 
3 years, doesn't mean he's gonna let you go bad
mouthing her."

        "I didn't bad mouth her." He protested and
Cornwall sighed.

        "Leave him alone Tim, he didn't mean anything
by it."

Ferro shook his head.

        "You two dummies stick together then, but
don't blame me when 
you get re-assigned, Mulder won't put up with any
shit, not now."

Ferro turned and walked away with Cornwall and Maxim
staring after him.

        "He thinks he owns the place, I didn't say
anything." Maxim 
stated and Cornwall smiled.

     "Look, the guy's a ticking time bomb, just
waiting to explode. I 
wouldn't want to set him off." Cornwall said, sitting
in the closest 
plastic chair. "You know, since Scully's come back,
we've been 
walking on egg shells. It's getting on my nerves."

        "Hold it Andy, I'm not that far gone yet.
Sure,
having Scully back has changed a few things, but she's
here doing her job."

        "Or trying to get her boyfriend back. You know
the story Dave, 
you've heard it too."

Maxim shook his head.

        "I've heard rumors Andy, and *rumors* are all
they are. Look, 
Scully's a good agent..."

        "Is that what you meant by saying she was back
to her old 
ways?"

Maxim sighed and placed his hand in his pockets.

        "Look, she likes to take charge, she's a
doctor and she's just 
lost what might have been a close friend. The victim
was her partner 
for Christ's sake, and we've got no right to talk
about her behind her
back, I was wrong in what I said."

Cornwall nodded.

        "Yeah, well... this is still our case too,
let's get going and 
see this victim."



9:56am

        Mulder paced the hallways. He sighed and ran
his hand through 
his hair and then stopped, staring at the door before
beginning to pace 
again.

        "I know what you're thinking. It's wrong."
Ferro
stated and Mulder stopped and stared at him.

        "Really? I thought I was the one with the
psychology degree." 
He smiled.

        "You can't blame yourself for any of this."

        "I don't."

Ferro laughed.

	"You never could lie worth a damn Mulder."

Mulder shrugged.

        "I feel that there's something we're missing
here."

        "Missing? Like what?"

Mulder sat down on the chair beside Ferro.

        "The murderer maybe..."

        "Hmmm."

Mulder stared at Ferro.

        "Hmmm?" he repeated. "What does 'hmmm' mean
exactly?"

        "Well, before Scully got that call in the
office, we were 
beginning to put together a pretty good theory."

        "Really?"

        "Basically, we figure that he doesn't kill
them..." he stated 
and looked at Mulder for approval.

        "Go on..." Mulder said, almost too familiar
with
Ferro's need for permission to speak his mind. "I'm
listening."

        "It's a choice. Scully figures he allows them
to either redeem 
themselves by living in their lacerated state, or by
admitting that he 
was right and killing themselves because they can't
live with the fact that 
they've lost their looks."

        "You're thinking vanity?" Mulder asked and
Ferro nodded but 
Mulder looked troubled. "What about plastic surgery?"

Ferro sighed.

	"According to Scully, the wounds that are inflicted
are
severe enough that plastic surgery wouldn't even be an
option. It
would help but from the damage they suffer, their
appearance would
be severely affected."

Mulder nodded.

        "You think that it's religious?"

        "We were heading that way before he
interrupted us."

Mulder didn't respond because the door to the room
opened and Scully stepped outside.

        "She's as well as can be expected."

        "How is her face?"

Scully looked at the floor.

        "She's not in the same condition as the
previous
victims because they were interrupted before he could
finish what he started. She had the objects glued to
her hands though and she's practically unrecognisable
at the moment..."

	"Do we know who interrupted them?"

Scully sighed.

	"She thinks that he heard someone coming. The 
forest is pretty secluded so hearing a noise would
have made him 
think that maybe someone was coming. I haven't had the
chance
to get a full statement from her yet."

        "Can she talk to us?" Ferro asked and Scully
nodded.

        "She can do more then that, she says that she
can get us a 
sketch."

        "She knows what he looks like?" Mulder asked
and
Scully nodded.

        "It seems he doesn't worry about his victims
seeing him, he 
doesn't think that they'll be around to identify him."

Mulder was silent for a moment as what Scully had sent
sunk in. He looked up at Scully.

        "When can you get a sketch artist down here?"

        "I've already called from my cell phone, 
he's coming now."

Mulder nodded.

        "What are you thinking Mulder?" Ferro asked,
staring intently 
at his partner.

        "I don't know..." he replied and stared at
Scully as she walked 
back into the room. "I don't know."

        "As I said Mulder, you're a bad liar and not
improving with age."

He shrugged.

        "Well, you'll just have to wait and see."

        "Tell me Mulder."

Mulder stared at Ferro for a moment and then sighed.

        "If he is following Scully and she's going to
be a victim, then 
she might recognize him."

        "How do you figure that?"

Mulder sighed.

        "Okay, we'll work under the assumption that
you're right and he 
is giving them a choice. Obviously he chooses women
who he feels 
value their appearance. Correct?"

        "Correct."

Mulder swallowed.

        "Then he also assumes that he knows them well
enough to know 
that they'll take the pills."

Ferro nodded.

        "So there isn't any reason for him to hide his
appearance because they'll won't be there to identify
him." He stated and Mulder sighed. Ferro finally
realized what was on Mulder's mind. "You
think she's already met him?"

Mulder cleared his throat.

        "It's a possibility. He's already spoken to
her twice and there 
is a chance that he's been watching her. The only
question is, 
has she seen him?"



10:46am

        Scully sipped her coffee, clutching the paper
cup
between her two hands and allowing the steam to rise
in front of her face. She could feel the warmth
against her skin as the aroma of the coffee filled her
nostrils. She sighed and placed the cup on the table
beside her chair as Ferro sat beside her.

        "How you holding up? I heard about your
friend, I'm sorry Agent 
Scully."

        "Scully." She stated and Ferro looked at her,
confused. "Just call me Scully."

        "Did you know her well?"

Scully picked up the coffee and stared into the brown
liquid.

        "Nearly 3 years..."

Ferro nodded.

        "That was after you left the X-Files?"

        "After a month, I moved to New York. I was
immediately partnered with Susan. We were partners for
about 4 months before I moved back here."

        "Did you keep in touch?"

Scully wiped a strand of hair from her eyes.

        "Yes, we were talking..." she paused and
stared at the wall 
opposite her, her eyes blinking rapidly to prevent the
onslaught 
of tears that threatened to fallany moment. "She was
planning 
on coming for Christmas, she doesn't... she didn't
have any 
family."

        "It's alright, you don't have to tell me, I
just
thought it might help to get it off your mind."

She wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.

        "I'll have to do it sometime, if we want to
catch
him. I don't know how this is all happening."

She propped her elbow on the seat and leaned her head
on her hand, her fingers cupping her chin.

        "It could be my fault that she was killed..."

Ferro shook his head.

        "You can't say that. You don't know that
Scully."

Scully closed her eyes.

        "She lives in New York, Agent Ferro, what was
she
doing in DC?" Scully asked and when Ferro offered no
answer, she faced him, staring into his eyes. "How
long have you been on the X-Files?"

        "Almost 3 years."

She nodded and turned away from him.

        "Why do you ask?" he probed and she shrugged,
lifting her head 
from her hand and rising.

        "No reason, looks like our sketch artist is
finished." She stated as he emerged from the victim's
room, a piece of paper in his hand. He stopped in
front of them.

        "Is one of you Agent Scully?"

Scully nodded and the man sighed, holding the piece of
paper up in his hand.

        "The Agent in there said you'd want to take a
look at this."

Scully took the sketch from him and stared at it,
Ferro looked at her to gage her reaction. He knew as
he looked at her face that Mulder was right. She was
the intended victim. She recognized him.

        "Who is he?" Ferro asked and she shook her
head, her forehead 
creasing.

        "He's..." she stared up at him. "He's a
priest."

        "What?" Ferro asked, surprised.

        "He's a priest, I talked to him the night that
Susan was 
found."

        "What?"

Scully shook her head.

        "This can't be happening." She stated, shock
enveloping her as she stared at the sketch that she
loosely held in her hand.

        "Are you sure?" Ferro asked and Scully stared
at him, her jaw 
set and her eyes raging with a mixture of fury and
confusion.

        "Of course I'm sure, the bastard murdered my
friend!"

Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 6/?
Author: Maria O'Rourke

Catholic Church
November 20th 2003
11:23am

The two Bureau cars screeched to a halt outside the
church,
Maxim and Cornwall running in ahead of the others,
guns held high. Scully stepped out from the passenger
seat of Mulder's
car and swallowed.

	"You alright?" Mulder questioned from across the
roof. She could barely see over the top of the car but
nodded, taking a deep breath.

How could she have been so stupid? The night that
Susan was murdered she had been talking to the killer,
she'd been sitting beside him and had actually thanked
him for talking to her. How could she have been so
naïve, so blind?

She had to remind herself of the stakes to keep from
breaking down. Maybe if 
she's seen what made him different she could have
prevented the other 
murders. She might have saved those women's lives.


	"Scully?" Mulder's voice interrupted her thoughts and
she turned her 
head 
in his direction only to find him standing beside her.

	"Sorry..." she apologised, wiping a stray strand of
hair from her eyes. "Were you saying something?"

	"Are you alright?"

	She looked at him for a moment before answering.

	"I'm fine..." she replied evenly, walking past him.

	"Nice to see some things haven't changed..." he
muttered, watching as she headed towards the open
church doors where the mass attendees were rushing out
in small groups, gossiping about why exactly their
parish priest had been manhandled by two FBI agents.

He felt the eyes of the passerbys on him as he
followed Scully.  He felt their questioning gaze
penetrate his back as he entered the church where
their mass had been interrupted.

Churches spooked him, he didn't know why; they always
managed to give him a chill. For others, they held an
air of hope and expectancy but God had never answered
his prayers for his sister so he had always held
cynicism where the church was concerned, maybe that's
why he had reacted so badly to Scully's previous
beliefs.

He stared at the artwork
on the wall as he entered the main area and was half
relieved, half surprised that Scully was standing two
feet from the door, waiting for him. She turned
expectantly when he entered.

She swallowed, the same embarrassed flush crossing her
cheeks that did 3 years ago when she thought she'd let
her guard slip and appeared vulnerable. She sighed and
licked her upper lip, clearing her throat.

	"I..." she paused and Mulder touched her arm gently.

	"You ready?"

She forced a smile and nodded, closing her eyes in
relief, as Mulder didn't question her further. He was
about to place his hand on her back to guide her up
the aisle, but paused, his hand in mid-air before he
withdrew it and mentally chided himself.

	"Where is he?" Scully demanded, now the picture of
professionalism. Cornwall turned around and sighed.

	"Maxim has him in the vestry, it's the door at the
side of the altar."

Scully didn't utter another word, just walked in the
direction that Cornwall pointed and promised herself
that she would keep her temper but she wasn't
prepared for what she saw.

	"It's not him." She stated, staring at the greying
hair and aged face of the priest. "Where's the other
one?"

The priest looked at her in confusion as did Maxim.


	"The other what?"

	"Priest." She demanded, becoming frantic,  "The other
priest!"

	"I am the only priest in this parish." He replied and
Scully shook her head, running her hand through her
hair.

	"He was here!" Scully stated, taking a breath. She
didn't know who she was trying to convince, herself or
the other occupants of the room. She stared at the
priest who sat, Maxim's right hand pinning him to the
seat, and felt a combination of guilt and shame. It
was her fault that he was being pinned against his
will.

	"It's not him..." she repeated, watching the priest's
thankful look towards her as Maxim removed his hand.
She didn't know what to think. 

Mulder reached into his pocket and withdrew the sketch
composite, showing it to the priest.

	"Do you recognize this man?"

The priest reached into his pocket and took out his
reading glasses, staring at the piece of crumpled
paper that Mulder held.

	"Yes."

Maxim sighed, frustrated.

	"Would you mind telling us who he is and when you
last saw him?"

	"He's the church attendant, he looks after the mass
preparations..."

	"Do you have an address where we can reach him?"

	"Certainly..." he paused. "But you might catch him
now, he left just before you stopped my mass."

Mulder stared at him.

	"Where?"

	"Out that door..." he replied, the confused look
still on his face. "He usually stays after I'm gone,
to clear away the altar."

	"Maxim, Cornwall, Ferro...." Mulder began, pulling
his gun. "Get out back and see if he's there, what car
does he drive?"

The priest faltered.

	"I don't know the make, I never was good with cars,
it's green..."

	"Green?" Mulder asked, exasperated. "Is it big,
small? Van, car?"

The priest made an absent movement with his hands and
Maxim stared at him, eyebrow risen expectantly.

	"It's a sedan I think, it's got rust near the tires
and doors. He always said that he was going to get it
re-sprayed."

	"Yeah, well he was probably busy with other things..."
Maxim commented and Mulder threw him a warning look.

	"Get out there and look for him in a green car."
Mulder ordered and they ran from the room, Scully
stared accusingly at Mulder.

	"Where are we going?" she demanded, a sharp edge to
her voice.

	"We'll check things out here." He replied and Scully
shook her head.

	"I'm not going to jeopardize this case because you're
trying to protect me, we need to go look for him."

	"Scully..."

	"He talked to me and I didn't know...." She said
staring at the floor as if reality had just hit her
and Mulder closed his eyes briefly.

	"You can't blame yourself Scully..."

	"Susan's dead Mulder."

Mulder stared at her, as if wanting to say something
but sighed as she walked past him, towards the front
entrance. Before leaving, she paused and faced the
priest.

	"I'd..." she paused, sensing Mulder looking at her with
that stare he always held when she mentioned religion.
"I'm sorry about what happened during your sermon
Father..."

He smiled and walked over to her, touching her arm
gently. She blushed slightly.

	"My understanding of your work is limited, but may
God protect you."

Scully nodded briefly and opened the door, walking
down the centre aisle. 

	"His name is Benton, Benton Mayor," the priest stated
and Mulder nodded his thanks, rushing after Scully.

	"You don't have to protect me Mulder." She said as
she walked past the pews.

	"I wasn't, I'm not."

	"The priest said that he went out back, you wanted us
to stay in here..."

	"He could be lying."

	"Or you're trying to protect me."

	"What if I am?" he asked, stopping and she stopped,
her back to him. "Is it so wrong after what happened?"

Scully's back tensed and her jaw clenched.

	"Now isn't the time Mulder..."

He walked past her.

	"Okay, if that's the way you feel about it, I'll drop
the subject. The past is history."

Her lip quivered but she was thankful he hadn't looked
at her face when he passed. If he had, he would have
seen the tears. Her hand trembled slightly as she
raised it and wiped the remaining few drops of water
from her eyes.

When she left the church, it was raining and Mulder
was watching as Maxim and Cornwall left the parking
lot and entered the adjacent cemetery. Ferro drove off
in Mulder's car, probably going back to the office.

Mulder watched her as she approached him but before
she could speak, the priest came from behind her.

	"Will you please tell me what this is about?" he
asked and Mulder removed his gaze from Scully and
focused on the priest.

	"I'm sorry father..."

	"Murray, Patrick Murray."

Mulder sighed.

	"Father Murray, we believe that this man you call
Benton Mayor may be involved in a police
investigation."

	"What investigation?"

	"A series of murders."

Father Murray looked shocked, his forehead a mass of
wrinkles.

	"Murders? Is Benton a suspect?"

Scully nodded.

	"I talked to him the night a murder occurred. If you
know where he was headed after mass if would help."

	"I told you before." He began, looking shaken. "He
usually doesn't leave until after the ceremony."

Mulder nodded and stared at the priest.

	"Is there something that you're not telling us
Father?"

	"No."

Mulder continued to stare at him.

	"Are you sure?"

He opened his mouth to speak when his eyes focused on
something behind Mulder and Scully.

	"What?" Scully asked as she and Mulder turned around.

	"There's someone in my car!" Father Murray said,
alarmed and before they knew what happened, the car's
headlights blinded them as the sound of pebbles flying
echoed in the otherwise empty parking lot.

The car sped towards them, less then 20 feet away
before Mulder pushed Scully and Father Murray out of
the path of the speeding car.

The car swerved and hit Mulder full force, knocking
him to the ground with a heavy thud. He had flown a
ten feet from the car when it stopped, reversed and
the driver's door opened.

Mulder moaned as feet wearing muddy army boots
appeared in his line of sight and the car heaved a
sigh of relief as the man
stepped from the car, picking an unconscious Scully up
and opening the back door of the car at the same time.
He half threw, half placed, Scully on the back seat
and entered the driver's seat again, speeding off as
soon as he had the door closed.

Maxim rushed to his car as Cornwall knelt beside
Mulder.

	"Scully..." Mulder muttered before his eyes closed.



12:32am

Skinner slammed his door shut and walked over to the
paramedics standing at the open doors of the
ambulance.

	"Where is he?" he demanded gruffly, hands on hips
when a hand appeared from within the ambulance and
pushed
the doors open further so that the occupant could see
Skinner.

	"I'm here Sir." Mulder's voice answered. Skinner
moved closer to his injured agent and sighed.

	"What the hell happened here Mulder?"

	"He got her Sir, he got Scully."

Skinner sighed and closed his eyes.

	"So not only has he killed a New York agent, but he's
kidnapped one of ours too? The press will have a field
day with this!"

Mulder rose, removing the bloodied gauze from his head
and sighed.

	"Sir, I don't give a damn what the press think. At
this moment, the only thing I care about is getting
her back; alive..." he stated and closed his eyes,
sitting down again.

	"I know Mulder, I'll do everything I can. You need to
get to a hospital."

	"I'm fine."

Skinner shook his head

	"What does it take for you to realize you're not
superman, you're not infallible and you can get hurt.
Just because you won't be there, doesn't mean she
won't be found. You're going to the hospital."

Mulder rose again, beginning to protest but Skinner
placed is hand on the agent's shoulder.

	"Don't force me make it an order Mulder."

Mulder stared at him, resentment and anger flooding
his veins. He was forced to close his eyes as the
pounding in his head overwhelmed him.

	"Mulder?" Skinner's voice entered Mulder's ear as his
head became unbearably heavy. He clutched his temples
and felt himself fall, hitting something hard and
metal on his descent as Skinner attempted to reach
him, only grasping the bottom of Mulder's jacket
before he fell to the ground.

	"Mulder?" Skinner's voice filled Mulder's head again
and he moaned before finally passing out.

	"He is alright?" Skinner demanded and the female
paramedic nodded.

	"He'll be fine, he's got a severe concussion and
wouldn't rest when he woke."

	"What other injuries does he have?" Skinner asked,
calming down as he watched Mulder being strapped onto
the stretcher.

	"A few bruised ribs, nothing serious, he'll be fine
in a couple of days."

They motioned for Skinner to move away from the door
before they closed it. He turned and saw Agent Ferro
issuing orders to other agents at the site.

Maybe Scully was right; maybe she had lost too much
already. One case back with Mulder and she had been
kidnapped by some psycho. He closed his eyes and
sighed.

If they didn't find Scully alive, or if something
happened to her, he knew it would kill both him and
Mulder. Both men had felt Scully's absence in the last
three years but at least they knew she was alive. Now,
she could be dead and it was because she was back on
the X-Files.

He blamed himself, maybe he shouldn't have forced her
back to the X-Files, she could've been an advisor on
the case, sitting at her own desk, not out on the
field, not with *him*.

He looked at the mass of agents and police swarming
the site. If they had gotten this many people on the
case before this had happened, they might have caught
the son of a bitch already.

He viewed the approaching news vans and reporters with
cynicism and wondered if anyone would care if he drew
his gun and killed every god damned last one of them.
As the first camera appeared before his face and a
microphone under his chin, he wondered if this would
work out or if he'd not only lose Scully, but Mulder
too.


8:45pm

	There was a thudding in the back of her head and her
left temple felt sticky with something. She knew she
was moving but didn't know why and as vague memories
of a car hitting Mulder re-surfaced, she opened her
eyes.

But the sudden movement made her head thud even harder
and she let an involuntary moan escape her lips as the
movement stopped and a door slammed.

A light consumed her as the door at her feet opened
and it was only now that she realized that someone was
there. She felt a hand on her leg and jerked, opening
her eyes and facing an unfamiliar man. She opened her
mouth and began to scream. The FBI agent hidden within
her was cowering, afraid to rear it's head in the face
of the confusion and fear that was pumping through her
dazed mind.

The stranger raised his hand and hit her across the
face harshly, causing her to cry softly. He shook his
head and hit her again and the crying stopped as she
entered unconsciousness again.

He sighed and reached into his pocket, withdrawing
some blue twine and pulling her hands from under her,
tying them behind her back. He could already see the
bruising begin around her wrists and couldn't help but
smile. She'd pay, she'd pay big time.

His hand moved to her face and he wiped a strand of
matted bloody hair from her face, smiling. He stared
at her milk white skin and couldn't help but pride
himself on his latest capture. She was the best of the
lot,
the one he'd been saving till last.

He rose from the back seat, shutting the door of the
car and sitting back in his driver's seat, starting
the
car. He had some ground to cover before the
next morning and she should be out for at least half
the night.

She was a better prize then all the others because she
was the most deserving, she needed his lesson more
then any other woman he'd even met. And boy would he
teach her.


7:56am

        The thudding had returned but it wasn't as
severe as before. This was different though, she
couldn't see when she opened her eyes and she couldn't
speak. She struggled and found her hands were tied.
She wrestled with the bonds only to be suppressed by
two large hands.

        "Stop it!" a voice ordered and she swallowed,
calming down and remaining motionless. "If I removed
your gag will you scream?"

Scully shook her head and he removed the blindfold
first and then the gag.

        "You'll never get away with this." She
threatened. "They'll 
find me, I'm an FBI agent."

He stared at her.

        "I know what you are."

Something in his voice told her that he wasn't
referring to her job.

        "I'll run," she threatened and his face
emotionless.

        "You won't, you can't."

        "I won't let you do this."

His face moved until it was inches from her own.

        "If you run..." he began, pulling a photograph
from his pocket and showing it to her. "She dies."

Scully stared at the woman in the picture and saw that
she was gagged and blindfolded, handcuffed to a
radiator.

        "You see..." Benton continued, looking at
Scully's reaction. "I took out a little insurance. The
principle is simple. You run, she dies."

        "You're sick, do you know that?"

Benton replaced the photograph into his pocket.

        "Flattery will get you nowhere Dana."

Her face froze.

        "How do you know my name?"

        "I know a lot about you." He stated and she
swallowed.

        "Including my phone number."

He shrugged.

        "How do you know?" she demanded and his hand
grabbed her throat.

        "Shut up! Stop asking questions! You do
exactly like I say, 
understand?"

She nodded, gasping and he released his grip and stood
up, wiping his hands.

        "I gotta take a leak, don't you move."

Scully coughed, nodding and clutching her throat.

        "You're not so tough when you're trapped and
without your 
precious gun are you?" he said, smiling as he made his
way into the woods.

She sat, trying to recover her breath and composure.
Composure? She was worried about composure in a
situation like this? FBI agents aren't supposed to
show fear; they're brave and are trained for this.
Right?

Was it a trap? Was he watching her right now to make
sure that she took what he said to be true? Or was he
really away and she was alone? The image of the woman
flashed before her eyes. She couldn't imagine what the
poor woman was feeling, if she was still alive.

Why did he want her? Did he know that they'd come
after him because he'd been identified? She swallowed
and felt her throat again; it hurt like every other
part of her body.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys,
surprised that he hadn't removed a potential weapon.
But, after she thought about it for a moment, she
wasn't surprised. He was too confident to
worry about her fighting. He had her trapped.

She looked at the keys and pulled the key chain that
Mulder had given her for her birthday one year and
removed it from the keys. She looked around the car
and finally picked up the bloodied gag that he'd
removed from her only moments before. She swallowed,
keeping the rag and key chain behind her back.

She was an FBI agent; she was trained for these
situations. She should be able to keep calm and not
let him know that she was.... Petrified. Because, when
it came down to it, that's what she was, frightened.
Every bone in her body was seizing as she saw him
re-appear from behind a bush.

        "I'm glad to see you know I'm not kidding."

She looked around her and felt her heartbeat increase.

        "Sit there and shut up."




Washington General Hospital
November 21st 2003
7:34am


        "It wasn't your fault." Skinner stated again
as
Mulder sighed; touching his scalp where the three
stitches had been put in over an hour ago.

        "I led her right to him." He muttered,
mentally
kicking himself.

        "You didn't know."

Mulder rose.

        "You know, maybe she was right. 3 years ago
she left cause she lost too much, here she is, back
one minute, and she's kidnapped by some maniac. I
wouldn't blame her if she ran." He sighed, anger
boiling inside him. "Hell if I was her, I wouldn't
have come back."

        "She did."

Mulder stared at Skinner.

        "She came back because of her job, not me."

Mulder reached for his clothes.

        "I'm not going to let her die just because
some asshole 
decides he likes redheads."



8:24pm

        The engine was the only thing that broke the
silence as she 
stared from the backseat at the passing signs and
scenery, trying to see if anything could tell her
where they were or where she was going. Going to die.

She'd thought it before she'd realised just how bad
the situation was. She was God-knows-where with some
maniac who thought that defacing women was the ideal
hobby. But why her? Of all the women in all the
places, why her? She had to know, it was eating away
at her as much as the physical injuries.

        "Why did you take me?" she asked, swallowing
in the expectance of either an outburst or an
indication to keep quiet. This man had worn down any
reserves she had, facing her with the prospect of
being what she feared the most - unable to do her job.

But this wasn't her job. She didn't enroll in the FBI
to get kidnapped. She didn't enroll to nearly get run
down. She was headstrong and independent but what was
she now? A quivering emotional wreck.

Half way through this monologue of
self-pity that she finally realised that she hadn't
received any reaction, bad or indifferent, from
Benton.

        "Where are we going?"

The same silent stone-cased face remained.

        "Is that girl alive?"

He pulled the car to a halt and she cursed herself for
asking the stream of questions. Why did she never take
her father's advice and learn when to shut up? As he
got out of the seat and opened the back door, he
grabbed Scully by her hair.

She managed to resist the temptation to scream aloud,
knowing it would anger him further, and cried slightly
as tears sprung to her eyes from the pain soaring
through her already banging head.

        "What are you doing? Do you think that you can
talk me into 
setting you free? That if you just keep up your little
act of appeasing me that you can go?" he demanded,
yanking her hair to emphasize his point, she cried
aloud.

        "I've done nothing wrong!" she yelled at him,
clutching her hair to try and ease the pain but he
swatted her attempts away as if she were a child.

        "And the Devil never sinned..." he retorted
and shook his head.

        "I'm not the one who's murdered innocent
women!"

He released her, pushing her to the ground.

        "Is that what you think?" he demanded. "That
they were innocent women? Well, coming from you that's
rich! I never killed anyone!"

        "What you do is worse than death!"

        "You think you know it all, don't you? Just
because you get a sheet of paper telling you that
you're a goddamned doctor and you get all high and
mighty!"

The fact that he knew she was a doctor as well as an
FBI agent didn't register.

        "I'm not high and mighty. I just want to know
what I've done 
wrong!" she screamed back at him, some of her
detachment returning and enabling her to treat him
like a suspect, not as a captor.

        "You took away my life!"

She paused, momentarily stunned.

        "What?"

He shook his head.

        "That's right, you don't even remember me, do
you? I was just another number for you, another case
file on your desk that you had to deal with. "He spat
at her and she wiped her face with the back of her
hand, the ever-growing fear that she wasn't just
another random selection increasing.

        "Please, why are you doing this?"

He stared at her.

        "For an FBI agent, you sure do have a rotten
memory!"

Scully swallowed.

        "You know me."

        "Well, 10 years ago, you seemed to know me
pretty well."

Her mind froze, trying to recognize the man's face.
Recognition filled her eyes as she remembered, his
face finally finding a place in her memory.

        "You killed your wife."

He shook his head, spitting behind him as he kept his
eyes on her.

        "*You* said that I killed my wife! I didn't
but you got me sent 
away for 10 years."

Scully shook her head.

        "You killed her, you beat her so badly that
she lost 7 teeth 
and we couldn't even identify her from her dental
records..."

He stared at her, anger building up in him until he
raised his foot, kicking her in the abdomen. She
crumpled over, clutching the aching muscle as he stood
back and watched her.

        "You bitch! That's what you said then too! It
wasn't my fault, 
I shouldn't have been punished I was..."

        "Acting under God's orders?" she asked,
raising her eyes to 
meet his.

        "What did you say?"

She swallowed, propping herself up on her right hand
as the pain in her stomach exploded and she found her
body shuddering from the pain.

        "You think that what you do is God's work!"

He kneeled in front of her, gazing into her eyes. But,
in his mind, he wasn't looking into the eyes of an
equal, he was looking into the eyes of an animal, an
animal that needed to be tamed and brought under
control.

        "I am, vanity is not pretty especially when a
woman decides 
that she is above her male superior simply because..."
he pulled at the top button of her bloodied white
blouse, ripping open the first button. "She's got a
lump of fat hanging from her chest that she flaunts at
every given opportunity. I tried to show my wife and
then Susan but they wouldn't listen..."

She stared at him, Susan's name bringing a new fear to
her. Not only had she not been able to stop him from
killing her former partner, but she'd led him to her
too?

        "What? Why Susan?"

He smiled.

        "She never told you, did she?"

Scully could not hide the fear from her face.

        "What?"

        "She was my daughter. But then, the almighty
Agent Susan Martin couldn't let the precious FBI know
that her father was a convicted murdered, could she?"

Scully noticed him remove his gun from his jacket
pocket and hold it in front of him, staring at it.

"But I couldn't have a piece of that slut of a wife
walking around, tormenting me."

Scully felt tears come to her eyes.

        "You killed your own daughter..."

He shook his head, raising his eyes to her and smiled,
waving his gun in disagreement.

        "You see, I know that you'd say that... that's
why I've been 
very careful and filmed them all. She took the
pills..."

        "You taped it?" she felt the disgust rise in
her
throat like bile.

        "Well, didn't want someone like you,
especially you, coming 
along and saying that I did it, did I?"

        "That's how you found me, you were watching
Susan and you found me."

Her arm weakened as the ground began to spin wildly.

        "You're not as slow as I suspected Dana," he
said, pressing the cold barrel of the gun to her
throat.

        "Why? I did my job, you're killing me because
I
helped convict you, that's not God's work, that's your
own selfish-needs..."

        "As I said before, vanity is a sin, every
woman has it but 
some," he pushed the gun harder against her skin.
"More then others..."

For some reason, Scully felt slightly light-headed and
the ground was spinning again, Benton's voice seeming
to come from farther away, like someone was blocking
her mind so that her thoughts were muddled.

        "You... you don't know me."

He smiled, watching as she leaned against the car,
perspiration beginning to form on her forehead.

        "I've watched you, that night in the church,
that little Miss 
Vulnerability act. I must admit, if I didn't know you
better, I would've fallen for it."

        "It wasn't an act."

He sighed.

        "Just like it isn't an act for you around
every man I've seen 
you with, you flirt as if your life depends on it.
I've seen it with the 
men you work with, no wonder crime has increased...."
He shook his head. "It's because women should be at
home, not interfering with investigations....
Distracting men."

        "I do my job," she said, struggling to breath
normally. Suddenly it was very warm.

        "Does your job include sleeping with
colleagues?" he laughed at her reaction to his words.
"It surprises you to learn that I know that? You think
I wouldn't have figured it out after watching you,
after that little show in he church? You're not as bad
as any woman, you're worse!"

She took a deep breath but felt as if she was gasping
hot air.

        "What was my crime? That I loved someone?"

        "Love? You don't know the meaning! I watched
the way you 
torment men, you wreck and destroy them, tear them
apart and then laugh as they try and rebuild their
lives."

        "I don't..." tears filled her eyes as she felt
she was losing 
control of everything around her. "I do my job."

        "Explain that to your partner then."

        "What?"

        "I know, the person you were talking about was
your partner and you've destroyed him. Imagine, *he*
chose to save you from my car? He sacrificed himself
so that a useless slut like you could live?"

        "It..."

        "Wasn't your fault. Yes, we've been through
that
already. You didn't know the meaning of love. You
deserve to be alone and I'll make sure that you are.
You'll have the final choice Dana, but you'll take the
pills, I'll make sure of it!"

She swallowed.

        "What did you give me?"

He stared at her, grinning.

        "Why? Are you feeling a little light-headed?
Lost control? Now you know what it feels like not to
be in control of your life!"

        "What did you give me? WHAT DID YOU GIVE ME?"

He smiled.

        "You shouldn't be worried about that Dana, he
replaced the gun in his pocket, staring at the road as
lights emerged from the darkness. He lifted her up and
propped her up against the back seat, pushing the door
over, but not closing it.

The car pulled to a stop and the door opened and the
driver stepped out.

        "You alright buddy?"

Benton nodded, shielding his eyes from the headlights.

        "Yeah...." He said, swallowing. "Fine."

The stranger lowered the headlights and Benton saw
that he stood behind the open door, leaning on the
frame.

        "What about the little lady?"

Benton lowered his hand from his face.

        "She's just a little car sick, that's all."

        "Why is there blood?"

Benton cleared his throat.

        "What?"

The stranger pointed to Benton's shirt.

        "There's blood, on your shirt. I'm a doctor,
if I can help in 
any way..."

        "We're fine..." Benton repeated. "I told you."

Benton walked around to the driver's side and
something from the back door caught the doctor's gaze.
He turned to Benton again.

        "Are you sure?" he stepped away from his own
car. "I mean, 
if..."

        "I told you!" Benton yelled, producing his
fist.
"We're fine. I don't appreciate anyone messing around
in my business okay?"

        "Fine."

The doctor watched as Benton closed his door and sped
away.

        "Josh?" his wife's voice came from the
passenger
seat. "Come on, there's nothing you can do. He's gone
now and the creep didn't deserve your help."

        "Barbara, something's wrong." Josh said,
walking over to where the car had been parked and
bending down on
one knee.

        "Look Josh..." his wife began, exiting their
silver car and 
standing behind her husband. She paused as she saw
him pick something up from he brush. "What is that?"

        "It's..." he paused, studying it for a moment.
"It's a rag."

        "A rag?" his wife sighed. "You're examining a
rag?"

        "It came from that car."

        "So what, the man's a litter bug, what are you
going to do? Sue him?"

        Josh reached into his pocket and retrieved his
phone. Barbara sighed.

        "Who are you calling?"

        "The police."

        "What on earth for?"

He held the rag up in front of his wife and she
swallowed.

        "It that..." she trailed off.

        "Yes Barbara, it's blood..."

        "What..."

Someone came on the line.

        "I'd like to report something..." Josh began
as Barbara simply stared at the glistening key chain
attached to the flimsy material.


Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 8/?
Author: Maria O'Rourke

November 21st 2003
10:32pm

        Mulder tapped his fingers on the dashboard
impatiently, reached up and felt the stitches on his
forehead and then resumed tapping the dashboard. He
fidgeted with the sling that held his sprained left
arm and Skinner threw him a look but Mulder didn't
notice, he just kept his eyes on the road.

        "We've been driving for over two hours Mulder,
will you quit 
the damned finger drumming?" Cornwall's face appeared
in Mulder's side-vision as Skinner licked his upper
lip.

        "Cornwall, sit down and shut up." Mulder said,
his voice 
tight.

        "Oh come on Mulder, I'm not the-"

        "Shut the fuck up!" Mulder yelled, spinning
around in 
his seat and staring squarely at Cornwall who
swallowed before staring at Skinner in the rear-view
mirror.

        "Mulder." Skinner's voice was low but held
that
hidden threat that Mulder knew so well. He turned back
in his seat and stared out the window.

        "There they are," he said, motioning to the
parked squad car up ahead.

Skinner sighed as he pulled up behind the green Ford
that, he presumed, belonged to the Agent that had
called them down. Why was Mayor so far from DC? They'd
driven over 100 miles for 2 hours and they'd come
because some snooty doctor thought that he found a
clue.

Mulder got out of the car, closing the door with his
right hand and walked towards the squad car
surrounded by three policemen and a suited woman.

        "So he said nothing more to you?" the woman
asked, checking her notepad and then staring at Mulder
as he approached.

        "AD Skinner?" she asked, looking at Mulder's
arm and stitches before he got the chance to answer.

        "Mulder, FBI."

        "Well, Mulder FBI, can I see some ID?"

        "What?" he asked, stunned. "You're joking. I
come
straight from the hospital in DC and you expect me to
have ID?"

She smiled.

        "I'm not joking, I'm saying that without any
ID you could be a 
nosy reporter looking for a story."

        "Agent Whittle?" Skinner said, approaching her
and Mulder.

        "I'm assuming you're AD Skinner?"

Skinner reached into his pocket and withdrew his ID,
showing Whittle and she smiled.

        "I'm guessing that you can vouch for Mulder
FBI?"

Skinner looked at Mulder whose jaw was clenched.

        "Let's just cut the chit-chat Agent Whittle,
one of our agents 
is missing."

        "I know that Sir, that's why I called you.
This is Dr. Josh 
Elvin and he claims that he saw your suspect. But I'm
afraid that you might have had a wasted trip, there's
nothing much that he seems to be able to tell us that
says Mayor was here."

        "Did you see a woman with him?" Mulder asked
and
stepped in front of Dr Elvin.

Dr Elvin swallowed and fidgeted with the backseat of
the squad car before looking up at Mulder.

        "I thought that I saw him put someone in the
back of his car, 
before I'd pulled up but I didn't hear a woman's voice
when I spoke to him."

        "Why did you pull over?" Skinner questioned
and Dr. Elvin 
shrugged.

        "It was getting late, nobody parks on a road
unless there's 
something wrong, I figured I could help him if he was
in trouble."

        "Dr. Elvin claims that there was blood on this
man's shirt."

        "I'm not claiming anything, it was there. I
saw it."

        "It was dark." Agent Whittle stated. "We can't
be
sure."

Dr Elvin rose.

        "It was him! I know it; the way he acted
was..." he paused. 
"Suspicious."

        "Suspicious? In what way?" Mulder asked, his
arm
suddenly thumping painfully. "Did he mention anything
specifically?"

        "I asked if he needed help and he warned me
not to interfere 
with his business."

        "Look, so the man doesn't want help! It's not
a
crime."

Dr Elvin threw his arms up in the air.

        "I saw someone throw something out from the
backseat before he closed it! There was someone with
him that he didn't want anyone to know about! Whoever
it was, was bleeding."

        "Wait a minute. You saw something thrown from
the
car? What?"

        "It's a rag." Whittle replied dryly. "And in
your own words Dr. 
Elvin, you claimed that you thought it came from the
car but you couldn't see clearly."

        "Look, what do I have to do here to make you
believe me?"

        "Your wife has been interviewed and she claims
that she saw nothing thrown from the car or anyone
other then the man you were with."

Mulder sighed and glared at Whittle, throwing mental
needles into her.

        "Can I see this item?"

A policeman opened the front of the car and pulled out
an evidence bag.

        "Here..." he said, handing him the bag.

Mulder took it from him and stared at it through the
bag.

        "Get it out of the bag." He almost ordered
Skinner but his 
superior aid nothing to reprimand him.

        "It looks like a key chain..." Skinner said as
he put on latex 
gloves and stared through the bag.

        "It is." Mulder said, taking the rag and key
chain from Skinner and staring at it as he swallowed.
"It was Mayor and he was here, with Scully."

        "How can you be sure Agent Mulder?" Whittle
asked and Mulder turned the key chain over to reveal
the inscription on the back.

        "Because I gave her the key chain. She left us
a clue, she's alive."


        "And bleeding..." Cornwall added from behind
Mulder but he 
ignored him and stared at Dr. Elvin.

        "Is there anything else that you can tell us?"

        "No, I can't think of anything else, I knew
the guy was weird."

Mulder closed his eyes and Skinner smiled to the
doctor.

	"Thank you Dr Elvin, you have no idea how much your
evidence will help us."

        "We have to find her."

        "We will Mulder." Skinner assured as Whittle
called her office, ordering more back up. Skinner
turned
around as a car came speeding up behind them.

A door opened and Detective Knowles came rushing out,
heading straight for Mulder and Skinner. Mulder heard
his footsteps and remembered the last encounter he had
with the aging Detective. He realised that nobody had
informed Knowles of Scully's disappearance. He was
pissed. The
headlights of his car shone on the squad car.

        "You damn son of a bitch!" he yelled and
Skinner
looked at him, stunned.

        "Oh look." Cornwall began. "It's detective
Know-it-All!"

Knowles was standing less then two foot from Mulder
and before either Mulder or Skinner had a chance to
speak, Knowles raised his fist and punched Mulder,
square on the nose.

        "Hey!" Skinner began, pulling Knowles back
before he hand a chance to have another clock at
Mulder. Cornwall reached down and helped Mulder up as
Whittle stared at the scene, still talking on the
phone. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

        "It's all your fault!" Knowles shouted,
pointing his finger at 
a bleeding Mulder. "She was fine until you came back!"

       "Hey, Detective." Skinner began but Knowles
pulled away from him.

        "I'm not in the mood for your FBI attitude!
Where's Dana?"

        "Look..." Skinner said, standing between
Knowles and Mulder in case the detective decided to
lunge at Mulder, who was less then capable of
defending himself at the moment. "I'm not the one
who's got an attitude. You need to calm down!"

        "That sick son of a bitch has got her, hasn't
he?
Just because I'm PD means you guys keep me in the
dark."

        "Nobody is keeping anyone in the dark."

        "She's been missing nearly 48 hours and I find
out 6 hours ago and it's taken me that long to get
anyone to tell me where the hell you are. Where is
she?"

        "That's what we're trying to find out. It's
obvious that you're close to Agent Scully..."

        "Oh, so it's Agent Scully again is it?"

Skinner stared at him in confusion.

        "What do you mean?"

        "Nothing..." he replied, staring at Mulder
over Skinner's shoulder.

        "You obviously know Scully well..."

        "Does her mother know yet? Have you even
bothered to tell her that her only daughter is
missing?"

Skinner swallowed, embarrassed and looked at Mulder
who lowered his eyes.

        "No, we haven't..."

        "Gotten around to it." Knowles finished.
"Yeah, I get the 
picture."

He reached into his pocket and withdrew his cell
phone.

        "Don't worry *Agents*, I'll tell Mrs. Scully."

He turned and walked back towards him car. Skinner
didn't look at Mulder before following Knowles.
Obviously Knowles was close enough to Scully to know
the history between her and Mulder, at least the
latter part of their partnership.

        "Hey?" Skinner said, putting his hand on
Knowles'
shoulder and turning him around. "This isn't anyone's
fault.

        "You would say that wouldn't you?"

        "Look, will you listen to reason..."

        "The only reason that I can see is the one why
she's missing, and it's standing over there with a
bloody nose."

Skinner sighed and shook his head.

        "It's no use talking to you."

        "No, it's no use. I never knew Dana when she
was on the X-Files but I know enough to realize that
she gave up everything, I've heard the rumors and I'm
PD for Christ's sake! What I do know is that after she
left, she was a wreck and the biggest mistake she ever
made was even thinking that she could work with him
again. You're telling me that he's not the reason
she's missing?"

        "I'm telling you that Agent Scully was doing
her
job."

Knowles snickered.

        "All of a sudden, she's welcomed back into the
family with open arms is she?"

Skinner faced him.

        "I'm not good at playing games, you've got
something to say. Then say it."

Knowles walked over to him.

        "You'd think she had leprosy the way she was
treated after the X-Files. She was left with nothing
while hotshot over there got to keep the perks and
swim free. Nobody referred to Dana as anything but
doctor over the last three years. It's ironic to think
that she was always told that the X-Files would bring
her
down but, in the end, it was leaving them that left
her with nothing."

Skinner stared at him.

        "She can't blame Mulder for that."

        "She doesn't, at least if she does, she
doesn't say it. Dana 
Scully is the strongest woman that I've ever had the
chance to meet but it's all a front. There's only so
much one person can take before they fold. The X-Files
and Mulder are the reason that she's missing now."

Skinner didn't reply as Knowles turned and walked
away, stopping at his car and holding his phone to his
ear.

        "The guy is an asshole Mulder..." Cornwall
assured and Mulder nodded.

        "Sometimes even assholes make sense..." he
replied, dabbing his nose with the tissue again as
Skinner reached them.

        "He's worried and annoyed and just looking for
someone to take it out on."

        "What did you tell him?" Mulder asked and
Skinner
shrugged.

        "Not much, he's calling Mrs. Scully."

Mulder sighed and remembered the way Scully had
reacted after he'd picked her up outside her mother's
house less then two days ago and he closed his eyes.

        "Next thing you know I'll have Bill to deal
with."

        "Bill?" Cornwall asked and Mulder shook his
head.

        "Doesn't matter, you don't want to know." He
ran his hand 
through his hair. "Trust me."



The Kylemore Coffee Stop
November 21st 2001
10:23pm


She picked up the dirty plates, walking over to the
counter and leaving them there before returning to the
table and wiping it down with a damp cloth. She sighed
and turned to the cook's window.

        "Frank?" she called, looking at the
practically empty coffee shop. Frank's balding head
appeared at the
window as Marlene threw the cloth at the counter so
that it landed on top of the dozen or so dirty plates.
"I'm going to the bathroom!"

        "You'll have to use the one round back
Marlene, the one in here is broken..."

She grumbled.

        "You really have to get that fixed Frank..."

The older man smiled.

        "Sure thing."

        "You said that yesterday!" she replied, mock
exasperation filling her features. "You're stuck in
the mud Frank Simon!"

He waved at her to go before he changed his mind and
she'd be forced to cross her legs until her designated
break. She smiled her thanks and opened the door,
banging into someone on their way in.

        "Sorry sweetie." She said, looking up at the
man's face. He remained silent and simply walked to
the counter. "Charming!"

She closed the door after her and took out a
cigarette. Frank wouldn't notice if she took more then
5 minutes. She deserved a break anyway; she'd been
working since 8. She sighed and placed the cigarette
in her mouth, rummaging in her uniform pocket for her
lighter.

        "Where the heck are you?" she muttered,
exasperated. She was sure she'd put it in there before
work. She heard a noise from the parking lot and
looked up.

        "Who's there?" she demanded, not sure what
she'd do if someone actually materialized. "I'm
warning you"

She walked away from the Coffee Shop and into the
parking lot. The noise was louder now, of like a
moaning noise. She looked into the window of the first
car but there was nothing in it. Maybe it was a dog
locked in the backseat of a customer's car. But it
didn't turn out that way.

        "Hey?" Marlene began, staring into the
backseat of the next car.  "You alright in there
honey?"

But there was no answer, only the same moaning noise
as the person moved slightly. There was something
wrong with this woman. Marlene looked back at the
window of the Coffee Stop and saw the rude man
ordering his food. This car had to belong to him, she
recognized all of the others as the customers were
regular.

Seeing that he was busy and occupied, she opened the
door, reaching inside and turning the woman around.

        "Holy Shit!" she exclaimed as she saw the
state of Scully's face. Scully's eyes suddenly sprung
open and
Marlene fell back, momentarily shocked.

        "Honey?" she began, wiping a stray strand of
hair
from Scully's face, her face full of pity. "Can you
tell me your name?"

        "I'm... sorry..." Scully muttered, her eyes
glazing over 
slightly as she swallowed.

        "For what precious?" Marlene asked, staring at
the front window of the Coffee Stop again.

        "I'm so sorry Mulder..."

        "Mulder? Honey you have to tell me your name?
Who did this to you?"

Scully shook her head and began to moan, tears filling
her eyes.

        "Mulder knows..."

Marlene looked at her, slightly confused.

        "Mulder knows what?"

        "He... knows...."

Marlene saw the man at the counter pick up his food
and she closed the door to the car gently. She
couldn't take the woman from the back seat, judging
the state of her face, God only knew what that bastard
was capable of! She moved behind the car and memorized
the number plate, repeating it in her head.

When she heard the driver's door open and then slam
shut, she moved behind the adjacent car and waited
until whoever the son of a bitch was moved out of the
parking lot before she stood up.

She ran towards the Coffee Stop, pulling the door open
and running to the counter, mumbling a number plate as
Frank emerged from the kitchen.

        "For Christ's sake Marlene! What the hell were
you at out 
there?"

She reached into her pocket and found 
nothing. "I need a pen Frank!"

        "What are you doing Marlene?" he demanded and
she
took the pen he held out, scribbling down the number
plate.

        "That man Frank, did he seem odd to you?"

Frank stared at her as if she was crazy.

        "Maybe a little on the quite side, why? He say
something to you?"

She was clearly shaken.

        "No, but he's got a woman in his backseat that
looks like she's been beaten black and blue!"


Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 9/?
Author: Maria O'Rourke

The Kylemore Coffee Stop
November 21st 2001
11:34pm

	"Her face was bruised all over." Marlene motioned to
different parts of her face. "And..." she paused,
almost
in a moment of regret. "Cuts all over her face..."

Skinner walked in, holding up his badge.

	"Skinner..." he stated, staring at the police officer
taking the waitress' statement. He stared at Marlene.
"Are you the woman who reported the incident?"

Marlene lifted her gaze from the female detective
questioning her.

	"Yes."

	"Can you-" he stopped as the restaurant door swung
open and footsteps stormed towards him. He turned and
stared at Mulder's bedraggled form charging towards
them.

	"Are you Marlene? Marlene Bell?" he demanded,
stopping a few feet from where Skinner was standing.

	"Yes." Marlene replied, swallowing and staring at
Mulder.

	"What were you thinking?" Mulder shouted.

	"I-"

	"She was in that car and you left her with that
animal!" Mulder yelled as tears began to fill
Marlene's eyes and she clung to the handkerchief that
was already damp with her tears.

	"I'm sorry..." she apologised, dabbing her eye with
the tissue. "I didn't know what to do."

	"I'm sure you didn't Ms. Bell, it's simply-" Skinner
began but Mulder pushed past him until he was inches
from Marlene.

	"She was here and now he has her?" he
asked as Skinner grabbed his arm, jerking him away
from the crying waitress.

He waited until they were outside to say anything to
Mulder.

	"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded angrily,
red flushing his cheeks. "Your shouting won't make her
come back and yelling at the only witness that has
seen Scully alive will not help matters."


Mulder lowered his head and stared at his feet.

	"If you repeat that performance I'll send you
back to DC with the knowledge that it's you who is
jeopardising this case because of your high-up
attitude and belief that you're the only one that
knows her well enough not to want to see her dead!"

Mulder swallowed.

	"Are you done?"

Skinner shook his head.

	"You've got to be objective and treat this case the
same way you would any other. Pretending to
investigate a case won't help Scully. She doesn't need
for you to try and atone for the past, she needs you
to work this case."


Mulder's jaw clenched and he stared at his superior.
His eyes were locked, his emotions imprisoned in a
fortress of steel but he heard what Skinner said, and
he knew he was right.

	"Now, are you ready to apologize to Ms. Bell?"

Mulder closed his eyes, days of sitting in front of
the principal's desk suddenly flashing before his
eyes. He nodded and as Skinner's hand rested on the
handle of the restaurant door, Mulder opened his
mouth.

	"Sir..." he began and Skinner turned, staring at
Mulder. "I can't let her die."

	"I know." Skinner replied and nodded, opening the
door. The walls around Mulder's emotions crumbled for
a moment and he stared at the road behind the
restaurant and sighed.

If they found her and she wasn't alive... He closed
his
eyes as his hand reached for the door, pushing it
open.

11:49pm

	Marlene stared up at Mulder and flinched. He 
looked away, unable to meet her gaze.

	"So you didn't see his face?" Skinner asked and
Marlene shook her head, clutching the wrinkled
handkerchief between her fingers and swallowed.

	"No, I didn't know what to do. I just asked her to
tell me her name. When I saw him coming I suppose I
could've..." she paused and stared at her hands. "I
should've taken her from the car but I don't know, I
panicked."

	"It's not your fault Marlene..." Mulder stressed,
looking at her. She stared at him, her eyes telling
him that what he'd said to her less than 10 minutes
ago had left a mark on her and she was petrified.
Another wonderful accomplishment in his life, making
an innocent woman feel it was her fault for something
she had no control over. Benton Mayor would have taken
Scully if Marlene had or hadn't delayed him.

	"She was so..." Marlene closed her eyes as the tears
began to trickle. Mulder rose and handed her a tissue.
She took it without looking up and sighed. "She kept
muttering something though."

	"Muttering something?" Skinner asked.

	"Yes, when I was asking her what he name was..." she
shrugged. "But in the state she was in..."

	"What was it?" Skinner asked, staring at Marlene and
she raised her head, licking her lips.

	"It was..." she paused. "Mander..."

Skinner looked at her.

	"Mander?" he repeated and Mulder closed his eyes,
rising and turning his back to Skinner and Marlene.
"Are you sure?"

Marlene shook her head, a wisp of her greying hair
slipping from behind her ear.

	"No...." she paused.

	"What about Mulder?" Mulder asked without facing them
and Marlene nodded.

	"That's it! That's what she said, tell Mulder I'm
sorry." She paused and shrugged.

Mulder walked from the restaurant and Skinner rose.

	"You see, it doesn't make sense..."

Skinner looked at Mulder walking towards the parking
lot.

	"Ms. Bell, I don't believe that you and Agent Mulder
have been formally introduced...." Skinner stated and
Marlene stared at him.

	"You mean..."

	"Yes, Agent Mulder was who Agent Scully was referring
to..."

	"Is that why he was so angry when he came in here
earlier on?"

	"Yes...." Skinner turned to her and sighed, removing
his glasses and looking around the restaurant. "Are
you the only person that was here tonight and saw this
man?"

	"No. The chief, Frank. He was here too."

Skinner stared at her and replaced his glasses.

	"But the police that talked to the chief said that he
wasn't here, he said that he didn't even know what
they were referring to."

	"He doesn't."

Skinner stared at her in confusion.

	"You said-"

	"I said that Frank was here, but Jake took over from
him shortly after I came back in. In fact, Frank was
just leaving when I called you."

Skinner sighed.

	"You have two chefs?"

	"Frank is in his seventies, he works here till 11,
couldn't stand the whole night. Jake comes in to do
the night shift."

	"Would Frank be able to recognize him?"

	"Well, he would have had to serve him and probably
did."

Skinner rose and removed his notepad.

	"Do you have an address?"


Frank Masterson Residence
12:19am

	"Mr. Masterson?" Mulder yelled again, banging on the
door again. "Mr. Masterson?"

The front window illuminated and a shadow appeared
behind the curtains.

	"Who's there?" a voice demanded from behind the door
and Mulder held up his badge.

	"FBI, we're here to ask you about an incident that
was reported at the restaurant-"

	"Damned woman!" Frank muttered, cutting Mulder off as
he opened the door and stared at Mulder's badge and
looking him up and down. "Are you sure you're FBI?"

	"Excuse me?"

	"Nothing, come in. I suppose you want me to say that
I saw him and would I be able to give you a
description?"

Mulder reached into his pocket and removed the sketch.

	"Actually Mr. Masterson, we have a sketch composite
here that seems-" Mulder began but Frank cut him off
again, without looking at the paper in Mulder's hand.

	"So you know it was him then."

	"Him?" Skinner stated and Frank nodded.

	"You mean Benton Mayor?" Mulder asked and Frank
stared at him as if what he'd said was the most
preposterous thing in the world.

	"The man I saw tonight wasn't Benton
what's-his-name."

	"Is this the man you saw?" Mulder asked, holding up
the paper so that Frank could see it.

	"Yeah."

	"And you're saying that this man is not Benton
Mayor?"

	"That's what I'm saying, yes."

Skinner looked at Mulder before speaking to Frank.

	"But you do recognise him."

	"Of course I do, every person in this state should
know that son-of-a-bitch."

	"What? Mr. Masterson, are you implying that you know
this man?"

	"Of course I do, he's the one who murdered his wife
about 13 years ago..."

Mulder paused, the room suddenly spinning.

	"Murdered his wife?"

Frank sat down in his recliner and stared up at Mulder
and Skinner as he folded his arms.

	"Yeah, grisly affair as far as I can recall. Didn't
even go to prison, went to some loony bin but looks
like he's out and up to his old tricks."

	"You're telling me that you knew there was a woman in
the back of his car, beaten to a pulp, and you didn't
think to tell the police?"

Frank began to shake his head and rose.

	"Listen here, you don't mess with Karl Anker."

	"Karl Anker?"

Frank sighed.

	"That's the real name of your suspect, isn't that
what you're calling them these days?"

	"Mr Masterson, what did he say to you?" Skinner
asked, sensing that Mulder was ready to explode.

	"Nothing. I didn't say anything to him, he just asked
for a cheeseburger, paid and left. That's it. He kept
looking at his watch though."

Mulder threw up his hands in the air.

	"This is hopeless! We have no idea where he's going."

Frank sat down in his recliner again and shook his
head.

	"That's because you don't ask any questions." He
stated, pointing at a sofa across from him. Mulder and
Skinner sat.

	"You're saying that you can tell us something?"
Mulder asked, reaching breaking point. "Then tell us!"

	"You're the FBI, you're supposed to ask the
questions."

	"You're a cop." Mulder stated and Frank smiled.

	"Shows does it? Even after all these years?"

Mulder closed his eyes.

	"An agent is missing. Karl Anker has murdered at
least three other women in the space of the last two
weeks.


He has my partner and for some reason has decided to
come down here and play some sick game of hide and
seek."

Frank crossed his hands in front of him.

	"I know what he did, I know what he's capable of and
that's the reason 
I left when I did. I prayed that it wasn't him, I
hoped that I would never have to see
that demon again."

	"How do you know him Mr. Masterson?"

	"For God's sake, call me Frank!" he said and closed
his eyes. "13 years ago, Karl Ankler beat his wife,
Emma, so badly that nearly every rib in her body was
broken. She had so much bruising that you wouldn't be
able to tell who she was if you were offered a million
dollars."

	"Was he arrested?"

	"Of course he was arrested, for attempted murder.
Before he'd even been locked in his cell, the poor
woman died in the hospital. Maybe it was just as well,
the state she was in."

Frank sighed.

	"We'd never seen anything like it. The state that
he'd left her in was worse then anything I'd ever
seen, worse then any animal abuse. His daughter
testified against him, the poor girl was terrified.
Anker didn't care, didn't show one ounce of remorse.
The jury was overwhelmed, didn't know where to look or
what to think and the only thing they could do was put
him in one of those padded cells because his lawyer
was able to prove that his father had beaten him as a
kid and it had affected him."

Frank shook his head.

	"That's it!" he almost shouted, rising. "That's where
he is!"

	"Where?" Mulder rose.

Frank paused and closed his eyes, moving his index
finger as if tracing a route.

	"There's a house that belonged to Emma's father,
that's Karl's wife. It was left to Susan when Emma
died."

	"Where is it?"

	"It's three miles from here roughly but you have to
go through a lot of back roads, it's not near the main
road.

	"I'm asking FOR your help."

	"I'll come." He replied, rising and grabbing his
jacket. Mulder was walking out the door when he
paused.

	"Do you know the family well? I mean the Ankers?"

	"Yeah, I know Emma well. Her father was a good friend
of mine before he had his stroke. I never did know
Karl though, he always kept to himself. I'll never
forget him though, that arrest was one of the hardest
that I've ever had to make."

	"So you know Emma's maiden name?" Mulder asked and
Skinner threw him a confused look.

	"Yeah, Reese, Emma Reese."

Mulder closed his eyes.

	"What?" Frank asked and Mulder shook his head.

	"It's nothing." He replied and began to walk out to
the car. Frank and Skinner followed and Mulder got in
the driver's seat and immediately started the car.

	"You know something, don't you?" Frank said and
Skinner looked at Mulder's reflection in the rear-view
mirror. He swallowed.

	"The name of Scully's partner in New York was Susan.
Susan Reese."

With that, Mulder pulled out of the parking lot and
headed back to the main road.


Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 10/11
Author: Maria O'Rourke


En Route to the Timothy Reese Residence
November 22nd 2003
12:19am

	His knuckles were white; his fingers clenching the
wheel as if doing so would make the car go faster.
The dirt from the road rose around the car, creating
the image of a mini-tornado heading down the
side-road.

	"Do you think she's alive?" Frank asked from the
passenger seat and Skinner couldn't help but stare at
Mulder's eyes in the rear-view mirror. From the back
seat, the Assistant Director could see the worry lines
embedded in Mulder's forehead that had appeared in the
space of a few days. The bruises that Mulder had
suffered as a result of Karl Anker's attempt to mow
him down were fading but inside the scars were raw.

	"I don't know." He replied, not moving his eyes from
the road ahead. The moon gave little light in the face
of the looming trees that blocked nearly all the glow.
The headlights lit the road ahead but combined with
the dust from the road, they could barely see in front
of them. "Are we close?"

	"Nearly, about 10 minutes." Frank replied and Mulder
nodded, swallowing and pressing his foot down on the
accelerator.


Timothy Reese Residence
November 22nd 2003
12:19am

	It looked almost majestic. The way it caught the
moonlight reminded her of the reflecting pool outside
the FBI buildings. But almost wasn't enough because
this wasn't majestic, it was dangerous. It was a
knife.

He held the curtains open loosely with his hand,
staring at the sky as if looking for inspiration. What
could he be thinking? As she stared at him, she
couldn't imagine and believed that she would find out
all too soon.

He released the curtains, immersing them in darkness,
surrounded by unfamiliar shadows that were memories of
people she didn't know. The curtains weren't
completely closed though because a thin sliver of
light beamed on her face. It was her blood and not the
knife that sparkled in the moonlight now. She heard a
click 
as the lamp on the night stand was turned on, Karl
Anker's
face now illuminated, showing everything from his
greying 
hair to the thin scar that began at his left ear and
ended
somewhere in the mass of curly hair that lay like a
mop 
on top of his head.

The restraints, probably handcuffs, which bound her

to the bed, were cutting off the circulation to her
hands and her fingers felt strangely numb. Her own
pantyhose tied her feet to the posts of the bed, her
legs
feeling cold in the freezing house now that they were
bare. Her mouth was gagged with a bloody cloth and she
closed her eyes, tears stinging the tired flesh that
was now battered and bruised.

	"Do you know why I took you?" he asked. His voice
sounded thoughtful as he continued to stare at the
curtained window. The knife lay on the bedside locker
and she swallowed, shaking her head. He must have
heard her rustle and took it for no. "14 years ago."

He began to shout. By doing so he silently stated that
there was no point in screaming now, nobody would
hear.

	"1989."

She didn't move.

	"Karl Anker."

She stared at him; suddenly she was sitting on the
witness stand. She looked away.

	"That's right. You remember now, don't you?"

She felt her breath come as if it were short bursts of
fire invading her lungs.

	"1989, when you lied to a jury and got me sentenced
to a life in a loony bin!" she felt the cold steel of
the knife against the skin of her neck and felt his
warm breath in her ear. "But guess what?"

She turned around to look at him.

	"I got out."

He pushed the knife up against her skin and she felt
the first prick of the metal piercing her skin. She
winced but he forced her to keep eye contact. His face
was covered in shadows because he was blocking the
light with his back but the whites of his eyes seemed
to glow. She couldn't swallow because if she did, she
felt the knife embed itself deeper in her flesh.

	"You see, I've heard all the excuses that you were
doing your job. They have a thing called therapy where
I went and in order to get out of that hell hole, I
had to pretend to forgive you!"

He smiled, removing the knife from her neck and rising
as she gagged slightly, trying to take deep breaths
through her nose.

	"You see, you convinced them that I killed my wife.
You told them that it was me when I did nothing. I
taught her a lesson, a lesson that she deserved and
had earned." He paused, the smile disappearing.
"Just.Like.You."

As he ripped her tattered shirt from her body, she
felt as if she was floating above the scene, staring
down like she was watching a horror movie, except she
had the starring role. But the floating only lasted a
moment because before she knew it, she was straining
against the restraints that kept her hands from
stopping what was happening.

The scorching pain began in her abdomen where he
plunged his knife in the first wave of his attack. Her
internal organs seemed to scorch as if being heated 
and then they froze. The whole scene froze in time 
while she was paralyzed with fear.

She could feel the tears running from her eyes, feel
the sheets soaking underneath her with blood but she
could feel no pain. When he began to run the knife
along her collarbone she whimpered, closing her eyes
as she felt the continuous movement of the blade, the
blade that was marking her forever.

She felt the sudden pain again as he plunged the knife
once more into her body and then it stopped. There was
a bang and it stopped. The next thing she knew was a
heavy weight lying on her legs and then it was over. A
comforting hand wiped her forehead gently and her eyes
came into contact with the familiar hazel eyes that
she had known forever.

At first, his hands didn't linger anywhere too long as
he
quickly released her from one restraint after another
until the only restraint that remained was her own
body, paralyzed by trauma and pain. 

His hands were careful as they searched her battered
body for injuries. He reached her face and she had
never seen such sadness in his eyes as when he removed
the rag from her mouth and she inhaled a painful
breath as he saw the wounds to her chest and stomach
and pressed his hands on them, desperately trying to 
contain the blood flow. There was blood everywhere.
She closed her eyes.

She could hear the world "ambulance" in the background
but concentrated on his touch. It moved like feathers
across her skin until his touch was all she could feel
and the pain subsided momentarily and she re-opened
her eyes.

	"Shhhh..." he pleaded, his eyes filling with tears as
he gazed down at her. Someone had draped a jacket over
her but she still felt cold and his voice seemed
further away.

	"I-" she began but his fingers touched her lips
tenderly.

	"Don't speak. You need to keep your strength." It
almost sounded like a plea rather then a command. "The
ambulance is coming."

	"Fatal injuries."

Mulder shook his head.

	"Don't say that! I don't want to hear you talking
like that, you will be fine. You are going to be
alright."

She closed her eyes and swallowed painfully, tears
streaming down her face.

	"I'm sorry."

	"You don't have to say anything Scully. You have
nothing to be sorry for..." he professed, taking her
hand soothingly in his own.

	"I did, I do." She winced and squeezed his hand. "I
have so...many things to be sorry for...Mulder."

He shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks.

	"You listen to me. You are going to be alright."

She shook her head.

	"This is it."

He bit his lip, looking fleetingly at Skinner before
returning his gaze to Scully.

	"This isn't goodbye Scully, it can't be."

Tears streamed from her eyes as she gripped his hand
tighter and her body felt as if it were on fire,
invisible flames enveloping her body, swallowing her
whole. The sound of distant sirens echoed in the room
and Frank and Skinner ran down the stairs.

	"I never wanted to leave you."

Mulder bowed his head, as the sound of screeching
breaks sounded outside. Her hand went limp and he
clutched it tightly.


12:56am

	"I'm sorry..." the paramedic looked up at Skinner as
his hands finally stopped doing compressions. "It's
too late, there was nothing we could do."

Skinner nodded.

	"Would you like me to tell Agent Mulder?" he asked
and Skinner shook his head.

	"I'll tell him."

He looked down at the body before turning and
descending down the stairs, stopping on the stairs and
closing his eyes, removing his glasses and wiping the
single tear from his eye.


Title: The Choice (sequel to Divine Intervention)
Part: 11/11
Author: Maria O'Rourke


	"Kiss me I'm dying,
		 Put your hand on my skin.
		 I close my eyes,
		 I need to have your protection."
-	Madonna (Skin)
 
 
Emergency Room
November 22nd 2003
1:43am
 
	The surge of emotion that Walter Skinner had felt 
as the paramedic told him that Karl Anker was dead was
something that he had never experienced before and
doubted, short of a miracle, that it would be
something that would happen again. He had never wished
death upon anyone.
 
He felt relief. He felt happiness. He felt that
justice had been done. Both he and Mulder had pulled
the trigger on the bastard at the same time, each
aiming for the shoulder. FBI training had taken over
and the gun had fired before Skinner or Mulder had
fully realised what was happening. They couldn't
comprehend what had taken place, what had been done to
someone that they had known, that they thought they
could protect.
 
During her work on the X-Files, Dana Scully had gotten
into trouble. Sometimes that trouble led to dangerous
situations where she was physically threatened and
even he was no stranger to seeing her beautiful face
marked with anything from frostbite to bruising or
stitches. What had transpired in that room miles from
here, was not something that he could've prepared
himself for. Seeing Dana Scully in that room would
haunt him for the rest of his life.
 
Blood, flesh, bruises, slash marks. He closed his
eyes, trying to wipe the images from his mind. He had
tried to concentrate on his job but that was precisely
the problem: concentrating on those images was his
job.

He walked from one endless corridor to another until
he came to a waiting room with a glass window. As he
looked through the open blinds, he saw him. A shell of
a man.
 
Fox Mulder stood, hands clasped in front of him,
staring at the world moving below him. To a stranger,
the statement on his face would appear to be one of
nothingness, of no emotion. Skinner saw
confusion, pain, sadness, guilt and above all, shock.

He had watched her walk out of his life once before
and now she could leave again, only this time forever.
Skinner had spoken to the nurse, he knew the
possibilities, or lack of them. She was in danger and
for one of the first times in his life; Mulder was
powerless to do anything.

There was no cure for him to find.
 
There was no person for him to hunt down for answers.
 
There was no support he could give.
 
All he had was himself and, in his eyes, that wasn't
enough.
 
Mulder didn't turn to face Skinner when he heard the
door open. He hadn't moved from this spot since he'd
been led in here by the nurse what seemed like hours
ago.
 
	"Karl Anker is dead."
 
Mulder let it hang in the air before responding.
 
	"I hope the bastard suffered."
 
Skinner stood, staring at Mulder's reflection in the
pane of the window. He swallowed, sighing.
 
	"I talked to the nurse."
 
Mulder lowered his head. It seemed to Skinner that 
single move had caused him pain, as if every movement
made without helping her was doing something wrong.
 
	"You know her chances then?" he asked, staring at the
ground before turning and facing his superior. "You
know that she has less then a 50% chance of
surviving?"
 
Skinner didn't say anything.
 
	"We got there as quick as we could."
 
	"Not quick enough though or else we wouldn't be
standing here and she wouldn't be in there..." he
paused, wiping his face. "She wouldn't be in there
dying on a table."
 
	"You don't know that she won't survive."
 
	"And if she does? Because of those stab wounds, she
could be paralysed. If she lives then she'll remember
what happened in that room for the rest of her life."
 
Skinner swallowed, unsure of what to say. He knew when
Mulder buried himself in self-blame that there were no
words strong enough to dig him out. Mulder saw what
happened to Scully as his fault and only his fault.
Skinner rose and handed Mulder a file folder.
 
	"I got this from the Washington office." he said,
watching as Mulder opened the file and stared at the
photographs.
 
	"What is it?" he asked, not lifting his eyes as he
sifted through the graphic photographs.
 
	"A murder that took place over a decade ago." He
replied, watching as Mulder skimmed through the
report. "A murder committed by Karl Anker."
 
	"This is his wife?" Mulder asked and Skinner nodded.
Mulder's eyes stopped mid way down the page and he
paused, re-reading the beginning of the paragraph
again. He lifted his eyes to meet Skinner's. "Scully?"
 
	"She was the doctor that examined Emma Anker. She was
the doctor that testified in court against Karl Anker.
She was their chief witness."
 
Mulder closed his eyes.
 
	"He blamed her for getting him convicted?" he raised
his eyes to meet Skinner's again. "She didn't
recognise him from the photo?"
 
Skinner produced a newspaper clipping and handed it to
Mulder.
 
	"This was Karl Anker 13 years ago."
 
Mulder stared at the black and white photograph. The
Karl Anker he had shot was nowhere to be seen. The
Karl Anker from 13 years ago was at least a hundred
pounds heavier. That would mean that the present day
Karl Anker was at least half his previous weight.
 	
	"It would have been impossible to recognize him."
Mulder muttered.
 
	"That's not all. There's something that I think you
should take a look at."
 
	"What?" Mulder asked, fearing the worst. Skinner
handed him the sketch of Karl Anker that they had been
using over the last few days. Mulder stared at it
before looking up at Skinner.
 
	"This doesn't look anything like Karl Anker." He said
and looked back at the page. "This is the sketch we
were given by the last victim?"
 
	"Yes."
 
	"Then how...." Mulder trailed off, knowing that
Skinner
was thinking the same thing. If this was the sketch
they had been given, then how could Scully have
recognised Karl Anker from the composite? If the man
in the picture looked completely different than Anker.
Mulder paused and closed his eyes.
 
	"Scully didn't do this though, it was the previous
victim Janice Carpenter...." Mulder trailed off,
staring
at the composite now. "And we saw it too, when I saw
Anker, I thought that it was this picture. What's
going on?"

	"I don't know..." Skinner replied. "I wanted to tell
you because I thought you should know, before Scully
wakes up..."
 
	"If." Mulder stopped himself and closed his eyes. He
held back from finishing his sentence. She would get
better, she had to. "I'll go and see Janice and see if
she can tell us anything."
 
	"I can go." Skinner offered but Mulder grabbed his
jacket and shook his head.
 
	"It's alright, I'll go..."
 
	"You do realise that it's 2 am don't you?" he asked
and Mulder shrugged, walking away without saying a
word.
 


 
Washington General Hospital
3:26am
 
	Mulder's feet felt heavy and his head was thumping.
He closed his eyes, wiping a stray strand of hair from
them
and sighing as he stopped in the corridor. With a deep
intake of breath he opened his eyes, leaning against
the wall.
 
How did it end up like this? How did he end up hurting
her again? He had promised that he'd protect her; he
had known that Anker was stalking her and what did he
do? He let the bastard get her! He sighed again and
licked his upper lip as the thumping increased. He'd
lost her for good.
 
Nobody was at the nurse's station when Mulder reached
it and he took the chair closest to the desk. Folding
his arms across his chest he leaned his head against
the wall, staring at the ceiling.
 
	"You knew."
 
He lifted his head, looking around.
 
	 "Hello?" he demanded, getting up. "Who's there?"
 
	"You knew..." the voice came again, this time it was
accusing. "You knew and did nothing to stop it."
 
Mulder turned around as he felt a hand on his
shoulder. Scully stared up at him, her face horribly
disfigured.
 
	"I'm sorry Scully..."
 
She stared at him, her eyes piercing his.
 
	"Sorry doesn't work anymore Mulder. You promised to
protect me and you failed. You failed and I'm dead.
I'm dead Mulder and it's all your fault!"
 
	"No!"
 
	"Sir?" a hand pressed on his shoulder and Mulder
opened his eyes, immediately expecting to find Scully
standing beside him. "Sir, you were shouting, are you
alright?"
 
Mulder rose and took a deep, calming breath. He must
have dozed off. He sighed and ran a shaking hand
through his hair. He looked at his watch and saw that
it read almost 8 o'clock.
 
	"I'm..." he paused, regaining composure. "I'm here to
see Janice Carpenter."
 
	"May I ask why?" the nurse said, walking away from
Mulder to behind her counter. She picked up a bunch of
papers and placed them in a box underneath the table
behind her.
 
	"I'm an FBI agent..." he paused, showing his badge.
"I
was investigating her case."
 
	"I haven't seen you here..."
 
	"I was after the man who attacked her..." he replied,
replacing his badge into his pocket.
 
	"Did you catch him?" she asked, leaning on the
counter.
 
	"Yes."
 
	"I'm glad after what he did." She paused and looked
almost thoughtfully at her hands. "Janice Carpenter
died 12 hours after she was brought in, the injuries
were severe, and there was nothing we could do."

Mulder's breath burned his lungs and he felt the
ever-present thumping sensation return to the back of
his skull, almost as if there was someone with a
hammer, constantly hitting him.
 
	"I... I didn't know..."
 
	"The funeral was yesterday. It was so sad; her whole
family was there. She was married you know."
 
	"Yes, I did. Thank you..."
 
	"You're welcome..." she replied smiling. "I'm just
glad
you caught him."
 
Mulder nodded, turning from her and walking down the
corridor. He stopped at the small shop at the
entrance, picking up the first bunch of flowers that
he saw and walked into the parking lot.
 
There were barely any cars in the lot apart from his
and he stood still for a moment, the realization that
Scully could actually die fully hitting him. He closed
his eyes briefly and walked to his car, wiping the
tears from his eyes.
 
 


Cemetery
9:34am
 
	If she could, she would be here. That's why I came,
out of guilt, because it's my fault that she's not
here. It's my fault that she'll die. Her injuries are
more sever then Janice's, God knows how long
she was bleeding for. We had found blood at the scene
where she left my key chain, which means that she was
hurt then and that was days ago.

I have to blank it out, I have to force myself to
abandon the images of her lying there, sobbing and
tied up. I still can't believe that he did that to
her, I can't imagine that she was left defenceless
while.... BLANK IT OUT! I just keep screaming at
myself
to stop thinking about it. I need to forget more then
I've needed anything in my life.
 
I place the flowers on the grave and the soil sticks
to my shoes as I stand and read the headstone.
 
	<<Janice Ann Carpenter,
		1964	-	2003
		Beloved Daughter, Wife and Mother.
	Rest In Peace>>
 
She was a daughter. She was a wife. She was a mother.
Somewhere today there is a child who knows his mother
is dead. She's the same age as Scully. There's a
mother who craves to know that her daughter is all
right, that it was all a lie, that Janice is not dead,
she's alive. It would be a lie though, because she's
not all right and Janice's mother is not the only one
wishing for her daughter's safety.
 
I know that Mrs Scully must be there by now, that's
the reason that I left because I am not in the mood to
fight and Mrs Scully will be looking for a fight. 
She thought her daughter was safe again. I know it's
my
fault and I don't need anyone to tell me because
whatever I touch turns to dust and, as much as Mrs
Scully hates me now, I can't hurt her any more. I
never wanted to hurt her in the first place.
 
But I can't help but wonder, will I be standing here
again soon? Will I be staring down at Scully's
tombstone instead of a stranger? I'll stand and watch
as her family cries and the usual token FBI Agents
gossip at the back about what a low-life I am to have
let this happen to such a promising agent. Everyone
will know, everyone will know that I failed, that I am
the cause of her death.
 
I would say a prayer for you Janice, but I don't know
any that would atone for what I've done. It's time to
go, it's time that I found out for sure. I need to
know, I need to know if she's all right and I know
that either way I've lost her.
 
As I reach for the handle of the door of my car, snow
begins to fall, landing on my skin and it feels as if
the snow melting on my skin is a crime that I have
committed, every perfect thing that I come into
contact with, I crush. As I turn the key in the
ignition, the image of Scully's tombstone passes
before my eyes. It's the same one that I picked out
with Mrs Scully over 10 years ago. All that time ago I
was the cause for her hurt, some things never change.
 


 
Emergency Room
11:23am
 
	As soon as he entered the hallway he heard it,
everyone did. People were standing in the corridor,
staring in the direction it was coming from.
Screaming. It was loud, angry and very familiar.
Mulder ran to the door, opened it and saw Mrs Scully
being held back by Bill as she screamed at Skinner.
 
	"You let-" she stopped mid-way, seeing Mulder and
disentangling herself from Bill to walk over to him.
She stopped in front of him, raised her arm and
slapped him across the face. Her hand stayed in the
air as Mulder closed his eyes, not moving.
 
He opened his eyes and faced her. Her face was stained
with tear tracks and her eyes were bloodshot from
crying. Her face held nothing but contempt.
 
	"Get out of here."
 
	"Mrs Scully...please..."
 
	"I said get out, get out, GET OUT!" she screamed at
him and he sighed.
 
	"Mrs Scully."
 
	"I defended you, I said that she was being too harsh
on you, that it couldn't be your fault." She stared at
him, tears pricking her eyes, "You're nothing but a
parasite Fox, you feed off other people, you stole
Melissa from me, well you're not getting Dana. You're
not taking my baby from me!"
 
	"I never wanted her to get hurt," he almost pleaded.
 
	"I don't care about what you did or didn't intend or
what you did or didn't do. All I know is that I have a
daughter who is dying and I don't want you anywhere
near her. You don' have the right to hurt her
anymore."
 
Mulder glanced briefly at Skinner before turning and
leaving. The people in the corridor stared at him as
he left and the door to the family room closed as
Skinner came down the hallway after Mulder.
 
	"Mulder, wait! Don't go..."
 
Mulder stopped.
 
	"Why not? Nobody wants me here..."
 
	"Scully does."
 
Mulder exhaled and looked at the ceiling before bowing
his head and staring at the floor, he had
reservations.
 	"How do you figure that? She never came to see me
in 3 years. She told me that the only reason she came
back on the X-Files was because she was assigned to
them. It wasn't because of me."

	"People say things when they're angry that they don't
mean..." Skinner assured but Mulder shook his head.
 
	"She meant it, the same way Mrs Scully means it and
they're both right. It's my fault she's hurt. It's my
fault that he found her. I
am the reason that she's nearly dead. I'm killing her,
she's getting hurt just by being around me."

	"What are you saying Mulder?"
 
	"I can't do it anymore, I can't hurt her."
 
	"You're leaving..."
 
Mulder sighed.
 
	"It's my choice."
 
	"I can't let you leave everything behind because of
this. You've worked so hard..."
 
	"You and I both know that's not true. Since she
left, I've just been sitting in that office. 11 years
and I'm still no closer to the truth then before. She
kept me going and I can't search for any truth knowing
that it will hurt her. I
can't do it anymore. I won't."

	"Don't you want to be here when she wakes up?"
 
	"Why? So she can tell me again that she doesn't want
to see
me? I know I've hurt her; I don't need to hear her say
it. I've gotten my heart broken and I
can't patch up again if it breaks. If I saw her
again then..." he paused and pulled his wedding ring
from his finger, handing it to Skinner. "Give this to
her when you see her. Tell her that I'm sorry."

	"What if she doesn't make it?"
 
Mulder bowed his head and turned to walk away.
 
	"Then I won't have a heart to break." He pushed the
door open. "Or anything else..."



Fox Mulder Apartment
3:34pm
 
	He scribbled the word "books" on the outside of the
cardboard box with his dried-out marker, throwing it
across the room after it failed to finish the word. He
sighed and stared at the empty box.

	His hands glided along his shelves, lifting book
after book and putting it in the box but he stopped as
a piece of paper fell from the shelf, floating on the
air from that the open window until it
landed under his couch.

	Purely out of curiosity, he lay on his stomach and
reached under the couch, finding the paper and pulling
it out. By touching it he know that it was a
photograph and he turned it over, staring at the scene
pictured as if he were back there, reliving the
moment.

	He had smiled at her then shook his head as she
promised to get a picture of him holding Matthew, her
nephew, who was at the stage where he thought it
extremely funny to grab people's ears and pull them
until the person either screamed with pain or
chastised the child. The latter never happened because
the child was so innocent that nobody had the heart to
tell him that it was wrong.
 
15 minutes later he had a boisterous toddler sitting
on his lap, surprisingly not pulling his ears, but
yanking his nose with a very giddy Scully egging him
on.
 
	"I'm having a hard time believing that a straight
laced FBI
agent is assisting a minor in an attack on a fellow
FBI agent..." he said in between trying to remove
Matthew
from his nose without Bill punching him for child
abuse.

Finally, he tickled the child until the baby let go
and
Matthew was content to then sit on Mulder's knee as
long as Scully was close by. Margaret had come by
smiling and returned in no time with camera at the
ready.
 
	"Mrs Scully!" Mulder squealed and Scully began to
laugh.
 
	"He's camera shy..." she muttered, playfully tugging
at
his tie and Mulder defiantly shook his head.
 
	"Am not!" he taunted, holding Matthew still. "Ready
and waiting!"
 
	"Dana, get in there..."
 
Scully shook her head and Mulder grinned.
 
	"What's the matter, camera shy?"

Scully threw her eyes in the direction of the ceiling
before nodding and standing above Mulder.
 
Mrs Scully had given them the photo a week later and
as Mulder stared at the picture he had known. He had
known that Scully was the person he wanted to spend
the rest of his life with. She was staring down at him
with such love in her eyes that he thought his
heart would burst with happiness. Three days after
seeing the photograph he proposed to her. Four
days after the photograph he had lost her. Now, he was
losing her again.
 
He threw the photo into the box as the first tear
trickled down his cheek. He rose from the floor,
sitting on the bed and staring into the box at the
photograph. Where had it all gone wrong? Where had he
lost her?
 
Lying on the bed, the hot tears fell slowly until
finally he fell into a dreamless sleep, exhausted.

Intensive Care Unit
November 22nd 2001
10:55pm
 
	"I knew that I shouldn't have left you. You had to
wake up alone. I'm so sorry Dana and after all you've
been through..." her mother was prattling on but she
wasn't listening, she just remembered the look that
Skinner had given her when she asked if Mulder was
leaving. It was pity and she knew why he had
felt pity for her. He knew what she'd lost and
he knew what it would be like for her because he'd
been there, he'd been there after she'd left Mulder.

Not only did she feel his going, but she felt as if
she
had been ripped from her life and put back, only
something was missing. Karl Anker, Benton Mayor or
whatever his name was, had ripped from her something
that she didn't realize she had. He had taken a part
of her soul. It was something that, now that it was
gone, she knew she'd lost but before had taken for
granted.

She felt as if she were facing the world for the first
time, newborn and naked, not knowing anything,
and the only familiar thing, the only thing she
wanted, 
needed, was gone.

Skinner hadn't said anything about how Mulder had been
during the time they'd been apart. She knew though.
She knew that he had been close to the edge. It was
the way that Skinner had edged his way around the
subject, the same way he had after the return from her
abduction. How close had he been to finishing it? How
close was he now? She almost cringed, what had she
done?

In that moment she realized he was really gone, she
understood his anger, she understood for the first
time how he felt. Empty. She couldn't stop the tear
falling from her eye.
 
	"Dana?" her mother's hand was on her shoulder and
Scully jerked involuntarily. Nobody had touched her
since Karl Anker, apart from Mulder. In Mulder's arms
she had felt safe and protected, knowing that he would
help her. But without him, she felt abandoned and
alone. She had never felt so alone in her entire life.

	"I lost him mom," she muttered. "I've lost him
forever."
 
	"Dana, you're better off without him. You need to get
well, you didn't need him before, I'm here for you..."
her mother soothed.
 
	"Its not enough mom. I may not have had him before,
but I always thought that he was there. I always
thought
that he would be waiting and now I know he's gone..."
she began to cry softly. "He's gone and I'm alone..."
 	
Her mother stared at her.
 
	"If you didn't go back on the X-Files, then this
wouldn't have happened, you wouldn't be..."
 
Dana stared up at her mother.
 
	"What? I wouldn't be what? If I hadn't been on the
X-Files, Karl Anker would have found me anyway and
Mulder wouldn't have been there to save me this time.
He *saved* me mom!"
 
	"You don't know that..."

	"If I hadn't rejoined the X-Files how many more women
would be dead? Karl Anker would've raped me; he
could've let me to bleed to death with nothing but the
choice of a bottle of pills or a phone call. Mulder
saved me..."
 
Mrs Scully looked at her daughter.
 
	"3 years ago you couldn't wait to get as far away as
possible from Fox Mulder and now you're telling me
that you want him back because he's saved your life?"
 
Scully looked away from her mother and stared out the
window at the falling snow.
 
	"Things change mom. People change and for the first
time in years I felt safe. I felt safe because he held
me."
 



Lone Gunmen Residence
November 22nd 2001
10:43pm
 
	"Hold on!" Langly yelled, glancing at the TV monitor
that showed Mulder holding a box before opening the
door. "What's up? You in some major hurry or what?"

	"I need you guys to do me a favor..." Mulder said,
walking in with a cardboard box under his arm.
 
	"What's going on?" Frohike asked, appearing from the
back of the room. He stared at a bedraggled Mulder
warily.  "And what is it this time?"

	"What he means Mulder is how can we help?" Byers
added, sitting at the computer. "You need some
information?"
 
Mulder shook his head.
 
	"I need you to drop something off for me, a package."
 
Byers looked at the box.
 
	"Sure, what is it?"
 
	"Just some things I need delivered."

	"Can't you go yourself?" Frohike asked and Langly
took the box from Mulder, opening it. Frohike stared
into
the box, recognition gleaming in his eyes and looked
up at Mulder in surprise.
 
	"What's in it?" Frohike asked. Mulder stared at the
wall, unable to look at the box in Langly's hands.

	"It's Scully's stuff."
 
Byers looked at Mulder.
 
	"Where are you going?" he asked and Mulder sighed.
 
	"Will you give it to her? The address is inside."
 
	"You're leaving, aren't you?" Frohike said. He stared
intently at Mulder, noticing the dark circles around
his eyes and the numerous worry lines embedded in his
once youthful skin. 
 
	"Where can we contact you? We'll need to talk to
you..." Byers said and Mulder shook his head.
 
	"You won't."

	"Hold it..." Frohike began, fears beginning to fill
his mind. Mulder had left before but had always left a
forwarding address. "This isn't some sick form of
revenge is it? She did it to you so now you're doing
it to her?"
 
	"No, I'm doing this to protect her..." he muttered,
watching Langly closing the box.
 
	"How does that add up?" he asked, looking him in the
eye. He had seen Mulder like this once before, when
Scully had left, he didn't like it. He didn't know
what Mulder was capable of in this state. "Last time I
heard, leaving didn't protect anyone..."

	"Scarecrow's right, by all accounts she's pretty
banged up..." Frohike stated, leaning on the desk and
folding his arm.
 
	"You know how she is?" he asked, immediately perking
up.
 
	"Skinner called..." Byers replied. "She barely made
it through the surgery but she's stable."
 
Mulder nodded.
 
	"Will you give her the box?"
 
Frohike laughed and shook his head.
 
	"No way! What do we do? Walk in there..." he began to
open an imaginary door in order to illustrate his
point. "Hey Scully, how you doing? Oh, by the way,
instead of some flowers, here's another kick in the
teeth and all your old stuff from the office. By the
way, Mulder says hi?"
 
	"Yeah man..." Langly admitted and jumped from the
desk, picking up the box and handing it to Mulder.
"You'll have to do your own dirty work."

Mulder took the box from Langly and sighed, staring at
Byers and Frohike but saw that they agreed with
Langly.
 
	"I would've expected more from you Mulder, especially
after what happened 3 years ago. Never thought that
you were into revenge..."




Intensive Care Unit
November 23rd 2001
2:02am
 
	He pushed the door open gently and walked in,
allowing the door to close softly after him. He didn't
look at her; he didn't allow himself anything but a
quick glance to make sure that she wasn't awake.
 
He placed the box on the table beside the door and
stood there for a moment, with his back to her. There
were flowers on the table and he took the card,
reading it.
 
		<Dana,
	         All my love.
		Matt.>
 
Knowles, he should've known.  He sighed and replaced
the card. His hand was on the handle but he couldn't
resist the urge to turn and see her one last time. She
was awake, staring straight at him.

"You were going without saying goodbye."
 
It wasn't a question.
 
	"I thought that you were asleep."
 
	"I thought that you were gone." She retorted and the
moonlight reflected off her tears.
 
	"I came to see how you were and to drop off some
things."
 
	"Is that the only reason?"
 
He looked at the floor.
 
	"You know it isn't."
 
	"I got the ring."
 
Mulder's eyes moved from the floor to her hand and saw
the ring on her finger.
 
	"The box has things from the office."
 
 
	"Why leave now?" she asked, her voice a whisper
and he took a step closer to her.

	"Because it's over. I can't fight the good fight
anymore, knowing that people are being hurt by what I
do."
 
	"People always got hurt." She retorted and he avoided
her gaze.
 
	"You never did, not like this. I can't stand to see
something like this happen to you."
 
	"So you're leaving because of me?"
 
	"You have no right to question my motives."
 
She was silent for a moment and he saw her hand clench
the sheet of the bed.
 
	"I'm sorry. You're right."
 
Mulder closed his eyes.
 
	"How did we get like this? What went wrong?" he
asked, the years apart had taken their toll on him, he
looked older then she remembered.

	"I didn't leave because I blamed you." She replied
and Mulder remained silent, staring at the floor. "I
couldn't stay."
 
	"Why not?"
 
	"If I stayed then it would have hurt you."
 
	"And by leaving you thought you wouldn't?"
 
She paused.
 
	"Are you telling yourself that if you leave you're
protecting me?" she questioned and he didn't answer.
"I lost something, a part of me, and without it I
couldn't love you the way you deserved. I left to find
it, I left to give you the chance to find someone and
you did."
 
Mulder stared at her.
 
	"You didn't read the inscription on the ring, did
you?"
 
	"I can't." she replied. "Nobody would. Skinner said
I'd better read it myself, and my mother..."
 
She trailed off.
 
	"I never found anyone, not anyone that measured up to
you."
 
	"I never wanted to hurt you but I knew I did. I've
been so selfish Mulder and I've hurt so many people
all
because I'm looking for something I'll never find."
 
	"You never called or wrote."
 
	"I'm sorry."
 
	"You disappeared."
 
	"I needed a clean break."
 
He stared at her broken body and closed his eyes,
turning his back on her.
 
	"Just tell me what you want."
 
	"I need to know that you forgive me."
 
	"I don't know if-"
 
	"It's alright Mulder, I understand."
 
	"I don't know if I can risk losing you again."

She closed her eyes.

	"I won't leave you, I can't. If I leave, I lose. You
are what I lost Mulder, that's what I realized. After
what happened in that jewelry store 3 years ago, I
pushed you away. I pushed you so far way that I lost
you; I didn't allow myself to know you." Tears began
to trickle down her swollen cheeks. "Seeing you again
made me realize that you complete me. I know you can't
love me, I'm not asking for you to, I just need to
know that you can forgive me."
 
	"I never stopped loving you Dana."
 
	"I didn't mean what I said in the autopsy bay
Mulder..." she paused, turning to look at him again.
He seemed dishevelled. "I
was afraid."
 
	"Of me?"
 
Her lower lip quivered.
 
	"Of hating you."
 
	"Hating me?"
 
	"I left so that you could be free but seeing that
ring made me realize that I didn't want you to be free
because being free meant that you forgot me."
 
Scully watched as he bowed his head, rubbing his eyes
with his hands.
 
	"Scully, I need to know..." he paused, turning around
to face her. "I need to know that you will be there
for me as much as I will be there for you. You broke
my heart..." a tear fell from his eye. "3 years ago
you
broke my heart and I can't cope if you do it again."

	"I can't promise Mulder. I can't promise that I will
always be here for you, I can't do that and I can't
lie and say I will..."
 
Mulder stared at her and she looked away.
 
	"I can't ask you to love me Mulder, I'm not asking
that you pretend I never left. I can't ask that. Just
forgive me.
 
He took her shaking hand and she avoided his eyes.
 
	"What is it? What aren't you telling me?"
 
She closed her eyes as the tears continued to trickle.
 
	"I can't."
 
	"What?"
 
She turned and faced him.
 
	"I can't say that I love you. I can't break your
heart again..."
 
He smiled.
 
	"You won't, you won't leave me Scully."
 
He knelt so that he was eye level with her, still
holding her hand.
 
	"Not by choice."
 
His face froze. As if those three words had tore a
piece from him.
 
	"What are you hiding? What is it?" he demanded but
she turned away from him.
 
	"I can't..."
 
	"Scully! If you don't want me, this time I have a
right to know why!"
 
	"I want you Mulder..." she stared at him. "I've
always wanted you."
 
	"Then what? Is it the scarring?"
 
She shook her head, wincing at the pain.
 
	"Then what? Your mother, your family?"
 
Her lip quivered and she opened her mouth, faltered
and closed her mouth again, swallowing.
 
	"Please Scully, tell me."
 
She looked away from him.
 
	"I'm..." she paused and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm
dying."
 
	"What? I thought that the doctor said that you were
alright, that you-"
 
	"Cancer."
 
	"What?" he asked, releasing her hand and rising,
running a hand through his hair and then staring at
her in shock.
 
	"It's back.
 
	"You're sure?"
 
She sighed.
 
	"I guessed, I've been having nose-bleeds, it's
confirmed now."
 
	"But Skinner said-"
 
	"I didn't want him to know, nobody knows..." she
turned to look at him. "You're the only one I've
told..."
 
Mulder paused and stared at her.
 
	"You're not going to fight are you?"
 
She looked away.
 
	"I don't know how long I have and I don't want to
spend it fighting a losing battle."
 
	"What? How can you give up?" he demanded angrily.
 
	"It's my choice."
 
	"Why?"
 
	"It doesn't matter why Mulder. Everything happens for
a reason. Everything leads to a bigger picture."
 
	"That's bullshit Scully and you know it. If that's
true then why am I here?"
 
	"To say goodbye."
 
	"I never wanted to say goodbye Scully, never."
 
	"Mulder, you married. For three years you loved
another person...."
 
	"I didn't."
 
	"The ring Mulder, even Skinner told me that you were
married."
 
Mulder sighed.
 
	"The inscription on that ring reads <17.11.01>" he
paused as she faced him. "Sound familiar?"
 
She swallowed and shook her head.
 
	"I can't-"
 
	"It's the day that I proposed to you Scully, it's an
eternity ring, *your* eternity ring."
 
	"You said you were married..."
 
	"In my mind, I was. There was never anyone else
Scully. There was never anyone but you."
 
	"I can't let you love me. I can't hurt you again and
if I stay that's precisely what I'll end up doing. You
will watch me die."
 
	"Not if you fight this. Scully, I'll do whatever it
takes
to make you realize you have to fight, you can't
give up."
 
	"Mulder, we've been apart three years. We can't just
pretend nothing happened and-" she stopped, unable to
continue as the tears overwhelmed her and she began to
sob. "I'm so sorry Mulder." He reached down and kissed
her head."
 
Mulder held her face gently between his two hands and
kissed her gently on the lips, careful not to hurt
her. He felt the salt of her tears on his lips and
closed his eyes as he rose.
 
	"You mean more to me then anything in this world
Scully. I was going to leave you but I couldn't. If I
could've stopped loving you, I wouldn't have come.
I've missed you, more then you can imagine and you are
going to fight this Scully do you hear me?"

She stared up at him and closed her eyes.
 
	"I can't condemn you to a life of waiting for me to
die. I love you Mulder but I can't watch you suffer
again."
 
	"Do you love me Dana?" he asked solemnly and she
blinked as a tear fell.
 
	"Oh Mulder...." She began to sob again as he
enveloped her carefully in his arms. "I do, I do..."
 
	"It can never be like it used to..." he said after
she stopped crying. "You do realize that."
 
	"I want a fresh start."
 
Mulder nodded.
 
	"I'm leaving."
 
Scully stared at him in surprise.
 
	"What?"
 
	"I'm leaving the X-Files."
 
	"Mulder-"
 
	"I want to be with you Scully and I need to know that
you're going to be alright, not because of the cancer.
Because I love you too much to see a job destroy you."
 
She stared up at him and smiled. He knelt beside her,
taking her hand and replacing the ring on her finger.

	"I came so close to giving everything up Scully..."

The smiled disappeared from her face and she stared at
him, her lower lip quivering.

	"I..." she paused, staring at him and seeing how much
pain she had truly caused him. He closed his eyes,
pressing his lips to hers.

	"We are going to fight..." he muttered, holding her
gently against his chest. "I'm never leaving you."

 
 
24th December 2003
Catholic Church
11:58pm
 
 
	It was painful. Her chest hurt like hell and her arms
throbbed from the pressure. The pain itself was nearly
unbearable but she pushed the wheelchair along slowly,
watching where she went carefully so she wouldn't bang
into anything. After spending almost 4 weeks in the
hospital, she wasn't ready to return to lying in bed
just yet. 

Mulder was standing at the doorway, ever vigilant but
ready to let her do things for herself. The priest saw
her before she saw him and he came rushing down
towards her.
 
	"What are you doing here?" he almost sounded as if he
were demanding an answer from her. He stared at her
leg cast and the fading bruising on her skin and
sighed, sitting down on the nearest pew beside her. "I
thought you were ill..."
 
	"I am, I need your help. I left messages for you but
you never returned my calls..."
 
He smiled.
 
	"I've been in Lourdes, on a pilgrimage." He paused
and stared intently at her. "How are you feeling?"
 
She returned the smile.
 
	"Better then I look, I just wanted to ask you
something..." she paused, picking up a piece of paper
lying on her lap. "Do you recognize this man?"
 
He took out his reading glasses and stared at the
picture, squinting for a moment before shaking his
head.
 
	"No, I don't. Why?"

 
	"Do you remember when we came here for Karl Anker?"
 
	"Benton Mayor?" he asked, nodding. Then he paused.
"You think that's him?"
 
	"Father, this is the picture that we showed you that
day and this is the picture that you and I identified
as Karl Anker."
 
He looked at the photo for a moment and then looked
behind him.
 
	"May I?" he asked, rising and indicating Scully's
chair. She nodded and he pushed her down about 6 pews
before stopping and holding the picture up to a
painting on the wall. She stared at the painting and
it was exactly the same as the picture.
 
	"I don't understand, it's a priest?"
 
	"This picture is the same man, I'm sure of it." He
stated, lowering the picture from the sketch artist.
"I don't know what to tell you."
 
	"I came here and talked to this man on the night that
Karl Anker-" she trailed off.
 
	"May I ask what about?"
 
	"I was going through a difficult time..."
 
He nodded.
 
	"And you needed comfort?"
 
	"Yes."
 
The priest nodded, sighing.
 
	"Speaking to this man gave you solace?"
 
	"In a way, yes."
 
	"And the drawing led you to Benton?"
 
	"Yes..." she replied, feeling a strain in her neck
from having to constantly look up at the priest.
 
He nodded.
 
	"God works in mysterious ways. The only reason that I
can think of why I thought that photo was Karl Anker
was because it's what I was supposed to see. Sometimes
we don't know what we see because we're not supposed
to know. Just because you don't see him, doesn't mean
that God isn't there."
 
	"You're saying that God led me to this man?"
 
	"I'm not saying anything except that He always has a
plan. One thing always leads to a bigger picture,
nothing happens without a reason."

Scully sighed.
 
	"I hope that helps."
 
She smiled.
 
	"It has father, believe me. I appreciate you talking
to me, I know that it's close to Christmas."
 
	"It's alright Mrs Mulder, I'm happy to help."

Scully began to push herself back down towards the end
of the church, towards Mulder. He smiled as she
approached and took the handles behind her, pushing
her along.
 
	"What did he say?" Mulder asked and Scully smiled.
 
	"God works in mysterious ways..."
 
	"He thinks that God spoke to you?" he asked, hiding
his smile.
 
	"He thinks that everything happens for a reason."
 
	"Amen to that."
 
The reached the car and Mulder opened the door,
picking Scully up from the chair. She reached up and
kissed him.
 
	"I still don't know why you had to come so close to
Christmas." He muttered and she smiled.
 
	"I wanted a total new start. I wanted to start
Christmas off on the right foot." She stared at her
legs. "Or lack of them..."
 
	"The doctors said it wouldn't be long before you can
walk again, you just can't overdo it."

She grinned up at him as he placed her in the
passenger seat. He placed her wheelchair in the back
of the car and sat in the driver's seat.
 
	"Anyway..." he began, fastening his seatbelt. "You
missed Christmas by a whole 10 minutes..."
 
She smiled and pulled him over so that she could kiss
him again.
 
	"Happy Christmas Mulder..." she said and he smiled.
 
	"Same to you Mulder..." he muttered and she shook her
head.
 
	"That's going to get confusing."

	"I wouldn't have it any other way, no other way at
all..." he grinned, staring at her for a moment.
"Mulder..."
 


=====
"A woman always has the last say in an arguement, anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new one."