'To Kill A Nightingale' 4/11
By phoenix99 (xphoenix99@hotmail.com)
Web site: www.members.home.net/xerxes42/index.htm

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CHAPTER 4

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"Eve stands alone
 By the knock on the door
 By the thin in her bones
 She's courageous & loving
 Exhausted & cold

 You're leaving pieces of family
 How are you going to help them understand?
 I'm screaming while you're stealing babies
 Why do you want to knock us down again?"

-'Stealing Babies', Our Lady Peace

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10:23 am
St. Peter's Hospital


He could not believe this. He had been searching for a 
month and still had nothing to show for it. Despite all 
his work, all of his efforts, he hadn't found a damn 
thing that could point him in the right direction. 
Everyday he had been looking aimlessly, going from room 
to room, from hallway to hallway. How could this person 
escape him with such ease? What power did they possess 
that let them slip through his fingers? At least this 
time it was real. He could feel it all around him, it 
was undeniable. It was as if they left a trail in their 
wake, an electric charge that lingered in the atmosphere 
after they had disappeared. He had felt the energy, the 
crackle in the air and the small hairs on the back of 
his neck standing on end. He had sensed it in the halls, 
the patients' rooms, the stairs and elevators. It was 
like a calling card, and whenever he felt it he knew he 
was getting closer, that the next corner he turned could 
be the one that lead him to his prey. And if it didn't, 
he would turn another, and another, continuing his hunt... 
no matter how many corners he had to turn.

He had almost given up hope, no longer able to count the 
number of times he had been disappointed to discover some 
religious zealot faking medical records, or doctors 
misdiagnosing patients, but this time... this time was 
different. He had actually -seen- people, on the brink of 
death one minute, up and walking around the next; people 
practically brought back from the dead. But their recovery 
meant nothing to him; it was the source that kept him 
around, kept him loitering in the halls and entrances of 
the hospital. He had seen the evidence of their existence, 
and all he had to do was find them. But that had turned 
out to be more challenging then expected... 

After hearing about a few others that had popped up 
around the world, he had immediately began to search, 
but they had been snatched up by other government agencies 
before he even had a chance to locate them. They were 
being herded up like animals, locked away and used only 
to serve the agendas of their jailers. He was unsure 
which governments had possession since none of the 
different sectors even acknowledged the existence of these 
people. Their value was incalculable.

This one had been discovered by chance, and he might even 
say it was fate, even though he would never admit to 
believing in that sort of thing. 

And now, all of a sudden, despite all his paranoia and all 
the precautions he had taken, everyone had found out about 
HIS little investigation and had decided to take an interest 
in it. The phone call he had received from Washington the 
day before, warning him that Mulder and Scully were arriving 
that night, hadn't seemed to improved his situation. He'd 
been having enough trouble trying to stay away from 
Cancerman and his new posse without having to deal with 
those two damn FBI agents snooping around too. And it wasn't 
only them anymore. Now that the information was making its 
way through the covert global grapevine, everyone would be 
sending people in. 

He wasn't sure what exactly this person could be used for, 
but since everyone was hoarding them like it was the 1100's
and they were made of solid gold, he was knew they must be 
good for something. Everyone knew that as the seconds 
ticked by towards Armageddon, every advantage, every new 
weapon, every potential vaccine would become more valuable 
than all the money in the world.... There was only one 
price, one currency excepted for these items... human lives. 

Many of the former players had adapted, and so had he. He no 
longer worked alone, but with a few others who made up his 
'gang'. They were people who believed in his cause, people 
he could take a chance on. However, in truth, he was only 
using them until he had what he needed... he was sure that 
the feelings were mutual. Everyone had their own agenda.

He had made one rule very clear to his men; under no 
circumstance, was anyone to be within 100 yards of 
Cancerman. After he had stolen a chunk of Mulder's brain, 
he had surely gained the ability to read minds, and he was 
not going to risk having his plans revealed, especially to 
someone with so much power. 

CSM had adapted as well. After years of battling for power 
with the other dinosaurs that had controlled the consortium 
for so long, their deaths had given him the chance to start 
again, this time as the supreme leader... the modern 
Hitler. 

Unfortunately he was no longer on speaking terms with 
Spender and his group, ever since they had suspected he was 
a double agent; playing both sides for his own purposes. 
Suffice to say that if they ever caught him, his life would 
be worth less then a truckload of dead rats in a tampon 
factory. 

At least part of his problem had been removed. Although he 
was rather disappointed that he had not been present for 
Mulder's accident, which had most likely put him on life 
support for the rest of his pointless existence. It was a 
great stroke of luck. And the wonderful thing about Mulder
and Scully was when you take out one, the other is down for 
the count as well. 

Krycek closed the door of his SUV and pulled his leather 
jacket more tightly around him. It was a nice day outside, 
not that he noticed those things much anymore, but the air 
in the hospital parking lot was cold and damp and made him 
shiver. 

All he needed to do was pay a visit to Mulder and Scully
to make sure they really had been scratched from the 
running. The joy of seeing Scully at her most vulnerable, 
and of course the pleasure of seeing that cocky bastard in 
a hospital bed, all beat up with tubes and gadgets coming 
out of his body, never lost its appeal. It was a sight he 
anticipated as he walked with certain strides towards the 
elevators. He was pushing the 'up' button when suddenly, a 
door near the other end of the parking lot flew open with a 
bang. He was startled and instinctively stepped back into 
the shadows, hoping to go unnoticed as three people rushed 
through the door. It was probably nothing, but he always 
had to be on his guard. He frowned slightly, watching with 
growing interest as one of the three figures ran ahead to a 
car while another one, who looked like a man wearing a 
dress, was carrying the third. 

Becoming very suspicious, Krycek quietly jogged closer, 
concealing himself behind cars and vans, until he was able 
to get a better view. When he recognized the two FBI agents, 
he quickly hid himself behind a large cement pillar. 
Cautiously looking around the pillar he observed Scully 
opening the back door of their car, then running to the 
drivers seat to start it up, while a very healthy looking 
Mulder, decked out in a hospital gown and not looking the 
least bit on the brink of death, was carrying someone in his 
arms. 

Krycek's mouth dropped open and he cursed to himself softly 
as he watched the waddling barefoot man. And who the hell 
was that person slung over his shoulder? Krycek wondered. 
THe couldn't see their face, which was hidden, and he wasn't
sure if he could risk getting any closer without revealing 
himself. Whoever they were, they looked in much worse shape 
than Mulder... and he had been the one hit by the car... 
hadn't he? 

Krycek stepped out from behind the pillar slightly, trying 
to get a good look at the person Mulder was carrying. 
Suddenly he stopped, his legs seemly frozen in place as 
he watched in horror. The person in Mulder's arms raised 
their head, their eyes slowly opening and locking with his. 

It was a girl, a young girl... and she was looking right at 
him, as if she knew exactly who he was and why he was there. 
Shocked, he quickly stepped back in behind the pillar, 
praying that he wouldn't be found. He couldn't face Mulder 
and Scully together, what kind of death wish was that? 
Anxiously Krycek listened for the inevitable footsteps that 
would grow louder as they approached him, but they never 
came. Car doors slammed and tires squealed, and that was 
it. When he came out from behind the pillar their car was 
speeding out of the parking lot.

Turning around slowly, Krycek walked back to the row of 
elevators as one of them came open with a pleasant ding. 
He stood there, his heart rate returning to normal, 
uncertain about what had just happened and what to do 
next. He thought about following them, but they were long 
gone by now, and besides, he knew what motel they'd been 
staying at. Just as the doors were sliding closed, he 
stopped them with his hand, and stepped inside. 

The elevator ride was short and when he arrived on the main 
floor he went straight for the information desk. Pushing his 
way to the front of the line, he stepped up to the counter. 
The man behind him was about to say something, but thought 
better of it after the look Krycek gave him. 

"I'm looking for Fox Mulder... he was involved in car 
accident."

The ditzy woman at the desk took in his slightly haggard 
appearance with unabashed interest. Krycek sighed 
impatiently but the woman just smiled at him coyly and 
didn't seem to notice his annoyance. 

"Let me just check..." she said politely, and clicked a 
few times with the mouse that was under her cheaply 
manicured hand, "yes, he has been moved into room 225 in 
Recovery..."

They obviously didn't know he had left... dumb shits.
"What was his condition before he was moved?" Krycek 
asked impatiently.

The secretary sighed dramatically, as if it wasn't her job 
to look things up for people. "He was listed as critical up 
until...uhhh... ten minutes ago, he's now been moved up 
to good condition..." she looked up from the screen before 
she said mysteriously, "he was probably visited."

"Visited?" Krycek asked, already suspecting what the 
secretary was about to tell him.

"People don't go from critical to good condition in ten 
minutes you know." She popped a piece of gum into her mouth 
and began to chew it obscenely. "He must have been visited by 
the angel." She said, looking proud of herself for knowing 
something Krycek didn't, as if he cared at all.
 
It took him only a moment before realization hit him. Mulder 
had been run over by a car; he'd had life threatening 
injuries... but he didn't have them anymore. That girl he
had been carrying... she was it...

He turned away from the secretary, barely controlling his 
rage, and walked away from the desk and back to the elevators. 
He reached the elevator just as someone was leaving it. 
Stepping inside, he punched the P1 button and the doors slid 
shut. He stepped back, placed his good hand on his hip and 
took a deep breath. Luckily he was alone.

Mulder and Scully had somehow achieved in two days what he 
hadn't been able to do in a month. They had found her.

"Fuck!" He suddenly yelled in frustration, kicking the side 
of the small elevator, denting it. They probably didn't even 
know the power they had... they'd just do what they always 
did; piss around with it until someone took it from them, 
then they'd bitch and whine about how they've been screwed 
again... 

But how had they even found out about this in the first 
place?... Who could have possibly told them...

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10:34 am
Somewhere near Washington


"...it has been confirmed. At 10:24 this morning, Agent 
Mulder was seen leaving the hospital with Agent Scully and 
an unknown person. We are determining the person's identity
at this moment. Also, Agent Mulder seemed in good health, 
which doesn't coincide with our previous reports of his 
accident and the diagnosis that followed.."

The drab black and white stills taken from the hospital 
security cameras were laid out in front of the group of men. 
Glossy blown up images that showed the blurry figure of 
a darkly dressed girl being helped out of the hospital by 
two infamous FBI agents.

Placing another Morley between his thin, wrinkled lips, 
he lit the end with a flick of his lighter. Inhaling 
the smoke from his cigarette, he held in the fowl air for a 
moment before blowing it out as he spoke to the men who 
sat around him at the large mahogany conference table.

"Make sure their car is intercepted before it reaches the 
New York State border. I don't want any of our... 
competitors getting wind of this... you know the drill."

Some of the men nodded in agreement, except for a black 
haired man who looked unconvinced and pointed down angrily 
at the reports spread across the table.

"We should have taken care of this earlier, now all the 
different sectors are going after this without mercy. We 
should kill them all and forget the girl, then we wouldn't 
have to deal with them at all anymore. We have reports 
of another, more legitimate and easier case in France..." 

C.G.B. Spender grimaced at the man's obvious lack of 
intelligence. Out of country missions always ended up with 
greater losses. Why send people to some other country when 
you have what you need right in your own yard? And you 
don't just kill someone who has the kind of power possessed 
by this girl, especially when it would be so easy to 
control the power and the person wielding it. These 
people were such a rarity... what a waste it would be to 
kill one just because it was an 'inconvenience'.

The control of this girl would be the ultimate advantage. 
And as for the two FBI agents, well, they could be taken 
care of.

"I want the girl alive," He said, totally ignoring the words 
of the black haired man who had just spoken, "and if at all 
possible, try to bring in Mulder and Scully as well. But if
that poses a problem, then... incapacitate them."

A large man near the end of the table shifted in his seat 
before he spoke, "We could use them in the labs... they 
would both be very good specimens, especially Agent 
Scully --with her previous records and the success of 
the vaccine... " 

"No. There is too much risk in that. I won't have either of 
them near any of the facilities." He cut in, taking another 
long drag from his cigarette, and blowing it out before 
speaking "But if you have to kill one of them, kill both of 
them. I will not have either of them coming after us 
when they have nothing to lose. It is much too dangerous.
If you can, avoid killing them."

"But it's just one man... He couldn't possibly take us 
down... and as for the woman, I really don't see what 
you're worried about. We should just kill them both... I
don't know why you insist on keeping them alive," the black 
haired man argued.

Cancerman squished the remaining butt of his cigarette in 
the ashtray before replying. "You don't seem to understand," 
speaking to the man as if he were a child, "Mulder and Scully 
are much more valuable alive then dead, and when the time 
arises, they may become a very important part of our success...", 
he took a deep breath as he pushed his chair back from the 
conference table, "and I've learned never to underestimate 
either of them... because if you do, you're as good as dead." 
And with that, he stood up, "Gentlemen," he said with a nod 
and left. 
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10:30 am
Hwy. #4


Scully adjusted the rear view mirror so she could see the 
curled up body of the girl in the back. The girl would 
sometimes mumble and twitch, as if she were dreaming and 
it was making Scully nervous. She would fight with the 
air, battling an invisible enemy that only she could see. 
Her soft cries of fear and desperation were tearing 
through Scully and Mulder like knives. They wanted 
to help her, but they didn't know how. They had tried to 
wake her, but she hadn't responded to their voices or 
their soft shaking. She had woken herself up a few times, 
but just as soon as her eyes flickered open, she would be 
overcome by exhaustion, and they would slide shut again. 
Even her nightmares couldn't keep her exhausted body awake, 
so she remained trapped in whatever hell she was living 
inside her mind.

When Scully looked over at Mulder, he was still facing the 
window. Once she had convinced him that there was little 
he could do for the girl and that hopefully she would be 
all right, he had turned his attention to the blurred objects 
of the world outside the car. She couldn't help but look; 
his new appearance had her transfixed. Whenever he caught 
her curious eye she would turn away, as if ashamed of being 
found out, but he never said anything, only gave her a 
puzzled look before turning his head back to the window. 


They were leaving Albany now, since their motel was on the 
outskirts of the city. Houses, gas stations and small plazas 
lined the streets; people were walking their dogs and talking 
with neighbours. It was another world outside, the metal and 
glass frame of the car was the only wall between two separate 
universes. Outside people went about their business without 
concern or inhibition, without fear. The inside of the car 
was filled tension and uncertainty. The air was thick with it, 
and it made Mulder want to gag. Instead, he rolled his 
window down a bit, letting the cool air blow in and ruffle 
his hair. He welcomed in the relief from the outside world 
into their cage. 

The fresh air helped him relax, and let him notice more about 
his surroundings. The greys of the road and sidewalks were 
familiar to him, but the sharp contrast of the bright green 
grass and rich browns and reds of the buildings they past 
left him breathless. As every bright colour was unveiled to 
him, he wanted to share with Scully what he saw, but he 
couldn't find the words to describe it in anyway that would 
come close to how he felt. Suddenly the tall apartment 
buildings gave way and he saw what once had been a blanket of 
pale blue-ish gray covering the daytime sky had transformed 
into a beautiful deep blue, like nothing he had ever seen 
before. 

His moment of joy was beaten down a second later as his mind 
returned to his predictable self-flagellation for enjoying this 
gift. He wasn't the one who needed this, it was supposed 
to be for Scully. Being cured of colour blindness seemed almost 
trivial to what he wanted for her, what he needed to give to 
her. He could live without seeing these bright colours... if it 
could have meant that Scully would've been healed instead... of 
course along with curing his colour blindness he had been given 
back his life... an almost predictable twist of fate...

 
Scully was trying desperately to read Mulder's expression 
through the reflection of his face in the window, but she 
could not. He was still in his hospital gown, which only 
reached halfway down his thighs. If their situation had not 
been so serious she might have teased him about it.  

When she focused back on the road, she heard Mulder shift 
in his seat so he was facing her. Only a few words had been 
spoken since they had left the hospital, and neither of them 
was used to such long periods of uncomfortable silence. When 
Scully glanced over at him he was smiling sadly at her. She 
gave him a questioning look, but he just shook his head, not 
having the words to explain, apparently needing the silence 
in the car to remain for just a little while longer. 


Scully turned her eyes back to the road, and Mulder used 
the opportunity to study her. There was something different 
about her, but he couldn't seem to put his finger on it. 
He was still getting use to his new perception, his eyes 
still played tricks on him, but there was definitely 
something else... something familiar and yet foreign in 
the way she looked, but he decided it must have something 
to do with his sight...

She glanced over at him again, and this time he was 
waiting to meet her gaze. She quickly turned her attention 
back to the road. Mulder had noticed her glances, and at 
first he attributed it to the shock of his recovery... but 
maybe it was something else. She glanced over at him again, 
and this time he thought she was going to say something, but 
just like the times before, she said nothing and turned away.

"Scully..." He spoke gently, hoping not to scare her away, 
"What is it?"

She wanted to tell him then, to get him to pull down the 
sun visor and look at himself in the small make-up mirror; 
to look at his face. She wanted him to see what he had 
become... But she didn't want it to happen in the car, she 
wanted to wait till they got to the motel... it could wait...
she really didn't feel like she needed to get in a car 
accident at that moment...

She sighed, avoiding answering his questions, and glanced 
back at the girl, who was still murmuring and struggling in 
her sleep in the back seat. But something was wrong... her 
soft cries had turned to sobs and she was shaking, violently. 
Mulder saw the surprised look on Scully's face and he turned 
around to look at the girl as Scully pulled off the road. 
They were still a good five minutes from the motel, and 
Mulder wondered briefly if they should try to get there 
before stopping, but Scully was the doctor, so he decided to 
leave it up to her. 

When the car came to a jerking halt Scully quickly undid 
her seat belt and turned around so she could reach into the 
back. She reached her hand out to touch the girl's forehead, 
but the girl pulled away and cried out. 

Scully turned back around, opened her door and got out of the 
car. Mulder was right behind her. When he stepped out into 
the air, it smelled fumey, the noise of the passing traffic 
was almost deafening as the cars sped by at insane speeds. 
Mulder tried to block out the noise and focus on Scully, who
was kneeling down on the gravel shoulder beside the open 
back door. 

"What's happening to her?" Mulder felt something growing in 
his stomach, twisting and fluttering in it's small cage. It 
felt like the familiar black butterflies of fear... 
whispering the death sentence of his savior and Scully's 
cure...

"Mulder, you're going to have to hold her down..."

He nodded, and Scully quickly went to the other door and 
slipped in beside the girl. When Mulder grabbed the girl's arms, 
her skin was icy to the touch and covered with a thin film of 
sweat. "Shit Scully! She's freezing..." he gasped.

Scully laid her hand on the girl's forehead confirming what 
Mulder had just said. She seemed torn between what to do, not 
able to make her usually confident decisions. "We have to get 
back to the hospital, Mulder, she needs..."

"No, Scully! We can't do that, They'll find her if we take 
her back." 

She was going to protest, but she must have seen the 
desperation in his eyes, the small spark of insanity that 
meant he would either do it with or without her help.

"Stay in the back with her, keep her warm...." Scully was 
already getting back behind the wheel, so Mulder slipped in 
beside the shaking girl and closed the door.

The car started up, and he could feel the gravel shifting 
beneath the tires until the rubber finally hit solid ground 
and the car lurched forward into traffic. 

Mulder pulled the girl up against him and wrapped his 
jacket around her quivering body. Instinctively she 
burrowed her head against him, hiding herself under his 
jacket. When he began to sweat, he knew Scully had turned 
up the heat in the car, the cold of the girl in his 
arms and the heat of the car was making him feel queasy...

His grip on the girl tightened and he bent his head down to 
her head, which was tucked down in his jacket. He could 
feel her shaking, hear her quick breaths... It reminded him 
of a cold rainy day, years before when he had found a tiny 
baby sparrow which had fallen out of it's nest. He had 
secretly brought it to his room. He had kept it close to 
him, keeping it warm and safe. But despite all his efforts,
it died after only three days.  

He didn't want that to happen to this girl, he couldn't let 
something so innocent and so seemingly helpless die. The 
feelings he was experiencing for this girl were strangely 
familiar, and he placed them back to something he had felt 
for Sam... and Emily. A protectiveness that didn't apply to 
anything else... it was different than what he felt for 
Scully... But how was that? He didn't even know this 
girl... what was it that was creating this emotional 
response in him? 

He turned his head, and met Scully's frightened, but 
curious stare in the rear view mirror. She blinked at him 
before looking back at the road and saying, "We're almost 
there..."

The girl's shaking was starting to lessen, and she wasn't 
fighting him as much. He took that as a good sign. She was 
mumbling again, and he turned his ear to her, trying to 
listen better. Then, between her quick breaths and 
unintelligible mumble he heard a familiar name, one that 
made his heart stop. Had she said 'Missy'? ...It had sounded 
like a question...  

He pulled back a bit in surprize, but quickly rationalized 
that many people had that name, and because she was saying 
it, didn't mean it had anything to do with Scully or him...

Lots of people were called Missy...

Suddenly she jerked in his arms and he tried to hold her 
still, but she fought him. Her eyes popped open and she 
looked at him for a second before her eyes slipped shut 
again and she went limp in his arms. 

"Pulse, Mulder!" Scully practically yelled as she pulled 
the car into the parking lot of the motel, successfully 
scaring the shit out of Mulder. 

He fumbled with the girl's arm until his fingers were 
on her wrist. He heaved a loud sigh of relief when he felt 
a strong, steady pulse beating under his finger tips. Scully 
was beside him not even a second later, checked the girl's 
temperature and her pulse before she let out a breath and 
shook her head slightly, "It's so strange... the fever, 
the shaking... they're gone...it must have been some kind 
of spell..." She bowed her head, taking another deep 
calming breath. When she looked back up Mulder was still 
holding the girl in his arms, and tender expression on his 
face. 

"We can't let anything happen to her, Scully. We need to 
protect her. This girl is the key. If she isn't alien then 
she might by some kind of hybrid... or maybe just the 
result of natural selection. She may be the evidence we 
are looking for.... "  


"And if she is, Mulder? What do we do? How can we protect her? 
We couldn't help Gibson, and look at what they did to him..." 
Scully could not contain the note bitterness and sadness that 
entered her voice. She turned her head slightly away from 
Mulder so he couldn't see her face as she closed her eyes 
momentarily at the memory of Gibson. No one deserved what 
that little boy had gone through, and she wasn't going to 
let it happen again. It was like hunting down an endangered 
species just for the pleasure of killing it.

Scully stepped back from the car, and Mulder got out. He 
lifted the girl up in his arms and carried her from the car. 
Scully wrestled with the key to her room until the door came 
open with a forceful shove and she and Mulder stepped into 
the musty room. She moved her bag off the bed, and Mulder 
gently laid the girl down on the hideous yellow and orange 
comforter. Scully went to the girl's side and was about to 
check her over to make sure she was all right, but when 
she got close the girl tensed and curled up into a protective 
little ball. Frowning slightly, she laid her hand on the 
girl's forehead. It almost seemed normal, and she felt 
confident that the fever wouldn't be a problem anymore. 

She had almost finished her brief examination when she 
noticed something on the girl's neck. Pulling the hood out 
of the way, and brushing the blond locks of hair aside, 
Scully mumbled a surprized expletive at what she saw.


"What is it Scully?" Mulder asked, hearing her shock 
more than seeing it. 

She stepped back a bit and Mulder came up beside her and 
looked down at the girl. On the pale white skin of the her 
neck was a huge bruise, a welt the size of a saucer. It was 
a horrible purple colour, and it made Mulder wince. Scully 
looked back at him, and lifting the girl's lip arm, she 
rolled up the sleeves of the girl's sweater revealing more 
black and blue marks covering her forearms. They looked 
very recent, her skin still red from the blows. Scully didn't 
say anything more as she rolled the sleeves back down. When 
they stepped back from the bed, they both saw the girl's 
body relax noticeably, but she did not wake.

"Will she be ok?" Mulder asked, hovering around the side of 
the bed. He could feel a rage burning up inside him, until 
it became white hot. He wanted to smash things, preferable 
the person who had caused the bruises. He needed to protect 
this girl from the world... a world which she didn't seem to 
belong in. She looked so innocent, and unlike Scully who was 
able to take care of herself, this young girl looked like 
she would break if you touched her. Obviously this was not 
the case, as the bruises seemed to indicate. She had 
obviously taken a lot of shit from someone... but if she 
had the power to heal, then why didn't she heal herself?

He couldn't understand how anyone could hit their child, or 
any child. Although this girl was hardly a child, no one, 
including her, deserved to be treated like that. In the 
short amount of time they had been around her, Mulder had 
already accepted her as his responsibility.


"She just needs to sleep it off I think... When she wakes 
up, I think we should find out who her parents are, and 
ask her about those bruises... "

He nodded, but Scully could tell he was trying desperately 
to contain his vehemence. She shared his anger, except she 
was much better at hiding it. Mulder grabbed a chair from 
the cheap looking desk near the wall, pulled it up to the 
side of the bed and sat down. Scully stood silently as she 
watched him study the girl, worried that he was growing an 
attachment to her... he was getting in too deep, and whenever 
he did that he always ended up hurting himself. Scully had 
always been pretty good at distancing herself, but this time, 
she knew she was feeling it too. It was so strange...


Mulder was already becoming curious about this strange girl.
He had noticed how she had reacted to Scully's touch 
and it puzzled him. She almost seemed to know... like she 
had an external radar. 

Slowly, Mulder reached out to touch the girl's back, but when 
he was within a few inches, she flinched away even before he 
touched her. Mulder frowned after seeing the result of his 
little experiment and looked up to see Scully's reaction. But 
she was gone. A pang of fear hit him between the few seconds 
it took for her to return through the connecting door, holding 
some clothes. He didn't understand until he followed her gaze 
down to the trendy hospital gown he was wearing.

"I wonder what people thought when they saw me running out 
of the hospital in this?... I bet I had 'fugitive mental 
patient' written all over my face..."

When he looked back up at Scully he wasn't surprised that his 
attempt at humor appeared to have had little impact. She was 
holding out her hand to him, her expression told him nothing, 
and that made him slightly nervous.

"I think you should see something Mulder..." she said 
mysteriously. Cautiously, he stood from his chair and reached 
out to her hand. His mind immediately expected the worst and 
he began to mentally prepare himself as she lead him to the 
bathroom. When they were inside she turned to him, but said 
nothing. He became confused, "What--" he said, glancing over 
at their reflections in the mirror hanging above the sink. 
His sentence died in this throat when he saw his face looking 
back at him.

Scully let Mulder's hand slip from her own as he reached 
up to touch his image in the cool glass, his movements slow 
and dream like.

"I--" was the only element of his thoughts that made it out 
before his voice shut down. The person he saw in the mirror 
was someone he hadn't seen for many years. It was the face 
he remembered from before he had discovered the x-files... 
before he had gone into regression hypnosis... before he 
had even become a full agent. He looked leaner, but healthy; 
his hair was darker and thicker. He pulled his hand away 
from the glass and held it up, rotating it in front of his 
eyes, looking at the smooth, unwrinkled skin. He hadn't just 
been healed of his illnesses... he had been healed of his 
age...


Scully watched his reaction as he began to realize the 
extent of what had happened. His eyes were wide with 
astonishment, his hand shaking slightly as he inspected 
it. Despite her happiness for him, she felt a strange 
sense of jealousy. Why was he given this gift? Would she 
be offered the same thing? Ultimately this would give him 
more time to fight their war, but whether that was a curse 
or a blessing, she was unsure. At some point he would have 
to continue without her, she would have to step away. 

One thing she did know was that she and Mulder could not 
walk away now, and this... gift, was at least an asset to 
their quest... But what about their relationship, or 
whatever they had. How would he see her now? 
Why did she feel the floor dropping off all around her?

"Mulder... if I were a stranger I would swear you were 
twenty-five." Scully whispered as she spoke the next thing 
that came to her mind. 

He didn't acknowledge her statement, and instead brought 
his hand to his face, running his finger tips down his 
right cheek. He tugged on the neck of his hospital gown, 
revealing his left shoulder. His right hand rubbed over 
the area where his scar had been from the time Scully had 
shot him. Now there was nothing but smooth, unscarred 
skin. He turned to Scully slightly and she frowned, 
raising her hand to poke the unblemished area of skin. 
There didn't seem to be any kind of evidence of the past 
fifteen years, no scars or marks... nothing.  


He looked up at her then, and their eyes met. He watched an 
almost unnoticeable flurrying of emotion flicker across her 
face before it became a mask of stoicism. He wished he 
knew what she thought of him now. Did she see him as just a 
kid? Would this change their relationship? He prayed that 
it wouldn't. It had been growing into such a beautiful 
thing... if only it had been Scully and not him...

Mulder bowed his head, preparing his apology, an explanation 
of what he had wanted for her instead, and pleas that *he* 
hadn't changed. The only thing that was different was his 
appearance.

When he lifted his head and was about to speak, he paused. 
He was expecting to see the same Scully, the one he had 
known a few days ago, a week ago - a month, but again he 
felt the same nagging feeling he had experienced in the 
car... 

Something was different. 

He moved closer to her and she continued to watch him, her 
eyes widening as she became unsure of his intentions. 

He raised a finger up to her chin, gently brushing over it, 
"The small scar on your chin is gone..." He whispered, a 
tiny smile beginning to spread across his face. It wasn't 
just his vision that had made her look like that...

Her brow furrowed, and for the first time she turned to 
look at her own reflection in the mirror. When she saw 
herself all she could do was murmur, "Oh my God...".


This gift of youth had been given to both of them; 
whatever had happened in that hospital room, had 
effected them in a way which Scully could not even 
comprehend, or explain. 

She stared at their reflections in the mirror. She, 
looking fresh out of med. school... Mulder, looking like 
he was off to the academy... She opened her mouth to say 
something, to make some comment about what had happened,
some rationalization, but she was so blown away by her 
appearance that all words were lost to her. Mulder was 
watching her, still smiling, looking on with such joy.

Scully reached down and lifted up the bottom of her shirt, 
and they both looked down at her stomach. The scar left by 
the gun shot wound she had received from Ritter was 
indeed gone. She looked up at Mulder, suddenly remembering 
the most important thing. The scars and marks were nothing. 
He immediately understood what she was asking. 

Turning around, Scully pulled her hair aside, exposing 
the back of her neck to Mulder's nervous eyes. Gently, 
he pulled down the collar of her shirt, revealing the 
pale skin on the back of her neck. There was silence, and 
she felt his rough finger tips brush gently over the 
familiar spot before coming to rest on her shoulder. Still 
he said nothing and she could feel his hot breath on her 
sensitive skin making her suppress the shudder that was 
trying to force it's way through her body. She felt her fear 
climb in reaction to his silence, though she couldn't figure 
out why. If the chip was still there it wouldn't be any kind 
of change... and if it was gone? What did that mean? Would 
the cancer come back? Suddenly, without warning, Mulder's 
warm lips brushed across her neck. She startled, but stilled 
when she felt his smile against her neck.

"It's gone. There's nothing here."

She stepped away from Mulder, detaching herself from his 
soft touch and slowly sat down on the toilet seat. Covering  
her face with her hands as she absorbed this new revelation. 
Would there be no more fear, no threat of waking up on a 
bridge in the middle of no where, and dare she hope, no 
threat of cancer? And what about her ability to have 
children...? Could she have possibly been given that back 
as well? No, how could that be, that was virtually 
impossible. Maybe this girl could heal, but she could not 
recreate something that no longer existed... as wonderful 
as that thought was...

She took a deep breath, and when she looked back up at 
Mulder, he was sitting across from her on the edge of the 
bathtub, a puzzled expression on his face. She smiled at 
him and he rewarded her with a blinding smile of his own. 

He slipped off the edge of the tub, and kneeled down before 
her, wrapping his arms around her waist he said, "You're 
safe now, Scully... they will never hurt you again." His 
expression was intense, and he was looking at her as if she 
was the only thing in his universe. His eyes closed slowly 
as he leaned forward and rested his head against her 
stomach. 

In that moment Scully felt so happy, so peaceful. She wanted 
to ask Mulder if he felt the same, but was too afraid that 
speaking would break the delicate atmosphere in the small 
room. She ran one hand through his soft hair, her nails 
scratching lightly along his scalp. He lifted his head 
slightly, Scully's hand still in his hair. Cautiously, as 
if he though she would disappear, he leaned his head forward 
and touched his lips gently to hers. 

A strange serenity fell over the small, enclosed room. The 
only sound was the soft swish of fabric made by their 
clothing and the hollow dripping sound from the shower. 
The kiss was soft and sweet, and Scully felt an over powering 
need to cry, to hold this man whom she loved so much, and to 
celebrate what they had been given back. At that moment in 
time, she promised herself that she would not let this second 
chance go to waste.


They broke the kiss and smiled shyly at each other as the 
both remembered where they were, and how Mulder was dressed. 

"You should get dressed..." Scully whispered sheepishly, and 
Mulder was about to argue that idea. She was right, of course, 
but he enjoyed what they were doing, he liked this quiet moment 
they were sharing with each other. The single kiss they had 
shared was like pure electricity, awakening every nerve in 
his body. He was feeling a kind of passion now that he didn't 
recognize, that he had never felt before. It bubbled up from 
deep within him, and he didn't think he could contain it. But 
this was neither the time nor the place for what he had in 
mind...

Fate had finally dealt them a good card, and everything he had 
hoped for had appeared to have happened, ...he didn't feel 
worthy of asking for anything more... 

Standing up, he heard another wonderful sound... or lack of 
one, when his knees and joints didn't crack. With rekindled 
energy, Mulder slipped his boxers on up under his gown, then 
grabbed his pants and started pulling them on too. Scully 
looked as if she was going to leave to give him some privacy, 
but he was blocking the door quite efficiently and he didn't 
care that she was there, so she just watched him casually as 
he finished dressing. 
  
He was doing up the last few buttons of his shirt when the 
sound of the TV suddenly coming to life in the other 
room startled them both. They emerged from the bathroom to 
find the girl awake and sitting up on the bed watching TV. 
She was looking down at the remote she held in her hands, 
her face hidden by a curtain of hair, until she looked up 
at them with a sad expression.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice soft and hesitant. 
She dropped the remote and pulled her knees up to her 
chest, hooking her arms in front of her. "I shouldn't have 
run from you... I knew you didn't want to hurt me, but I 
was afraid... I didn't want to cause you anymore pain..."

Mulder glanced over at Scully who returned his surprised 
look, the girl was looking a lot better than before, but 
she still looked pale and tired. Stepping up to the edge 
of the bed, Mulder knelt down until he was eye level with 
her. She looked over at him with clear green eyes, her 
expression a mixture of dejection and acceptance. She 
seemed abnormally calm, and she met his gaze without 
blinking. When he looked into her eyes it was like 
looking into a mirror, but not just the reflection of his 
image in her eyes; it was as if he was looking into his 
own eyes. It made him slightly uncomfortable and it 
caused him to look back at Scully for support. She was 
standing at the foot of the bed waiting to see what he 
would do.

"What is your name?" he asked gently, turning his attention 
back to the girl.

"Karen Markston." 

Mulder nodded. Scully came up beside him and sat on the 
edge of the bed.

"Karen, I'm Agent Scully and this is Agent Mulder."

"I know," Karen's said matter-of-factly, her gaze shifting 
to Scully giving her a slight smile before yawning. She 
still didn't look very well.

"How are you feeling?" Scully inquired.

"Better," was all the girl said. 

"Do you know why you're here?" Mulder asked. 

"You think I'm in danger and you want to help me, but you 
don't believe that you can protect me. You think I'll end 
up like Gibson or Jeremiah... " She said as she gave Mulder 
a sideways look. His eyes widened slightly and his eyebrows 
went up in response. She was more than just another Jeremiah 
Smith... she was another Gibson Praise... some kind of cross 
between them. Mulder turned to Scully to see her response to 
this. Amazingly, she did not look that surprised.  

"That's why I waited for you in the stair well. No one else 
would have understood..." Karen continued. She looked down 
at her hands again, which were still clasped around her legs. 
"There was a man in the parking lot, he was there to see 
you, but he saw us leaving... I don't remember it very 
well, but I know he's been there before... he waits around 
the hospital, looking for me.... you know him. It was Alex 
Krycek."

Mulder's eyebrows went up for a second time, and he looked 
up at Scully. She was mirroring his expression of surprise. 
Mulder turned back to Karen and was about to speak again 
when he noticed her expression change and she quickly 
turned her head to the TV. Both agents followed Karen's 
gaze to the screen where a dark haired woman holding a 
microphone stood in front of a blazing inferno, which at 
one time must have been a house. Fire fighters and police 
officers ran around like chickens with the heads off, 
trying desperately to control the crowd that had formed 
and the blaze that was growing more and more out of control.

"Oh my god..." Karen murmured before the woman on the TV 
began to speak.

"~ We're here at the scene of a horrible tragedy on 315 
Chadbury Road were fire fighters are trying to control a 
fire that has reportedly killed an entire family. The 
victims that have been found are believed to be Mr. and 
Mrs. Markston and their two daughters, seventeen year old 
Karen and her twelve year old sister Natalie who were in 
the house at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire 
has not yet been determined...~"  

Karen raised a trembling hand to her mouth as she stared 
at the TV in shock. She was starting to shake her head 
as she attempted to control her emotions. Her hand fell 
away from her mouth, which was hanging open slightly.

"No... I could have saved them... I should have been 
there..." she whispered. She looked up at Scully then over 
at Mulder, her eyes filled with tears, her expression one 
of pain and horror as she asked, "Why are They doing this?" 

Before either of them could answer she slid off the bed, 
brushing past Scully and hurrying into the bathroom. The 
sounds of the door slamming shut followed by absolute 
silence made Scully close her eyes. 

Mulder's expression was pained, as he leaned up against the 
wall, his eyes locked on a water stain on the ceiling. In 
only a few hours Karen's life had been taken apart piece by 
piece until it had been totally destroyed; now she had 
absolutely nothing except for him and Scully. It had been 
their arrival that had started this whole thing. Why did 
those bastards have to do this? Why had they come? If he 
and Scully had just stayed away, maybe this never would 
have happened...

The girl was not only hunted, but she was now alone. On 
top of that, she was believed to be dead. Which could 
only mean one thing.

"You're wrong Mulder... you can't blame yourself for this. 
It would have happened with or without us, at least now she 
has a chance." Scully was so good at reading him it was 
scary, although he guessed she expected this kind of 
reaction from him. That thought made him pause, but he 
didn't dwell on it long.

"We don't have much time, Scully. If They did this, it means 
They're probably coming after us as we speak. And if Krycek 
does know what happened, he'll be after us soon too. I 
think we should call the guys... I don't know what else we 
can do... "

Scully slowly walked into the middle of the room, rubbing 
her forehead with her hand. "I think we should talk to her 
about it, and leave the decision up to her. If she wants to 
come with us she can, but if she wants to go home where she 
can mourn the death of her parents and sister with the rest 
of her family, then that's her choice. We can't force her 
to come with us Mulder," Scully said reluctantly as she 
lifted her overnight bag onto the bed.

"She has to come with us. We both know what will happen if 
she doesn't."

"I know, and that is the last thing I want to happen, but 
we can't make her come with us..." Of course they both
knew they could if they really wanted to. The police and 
FBI don't look for dead people... 

Instead of the care she usually took, Scully began to 
haphazardly stuff her things into her bag. She seemed 
pissed off, but Mulder was pretty sure it wasn't directed 
towards him. He left her room and went into his own, where 
he quickly performed the same tasks that she had started 
doing. When he returned with his bags he found Scully's 
bag packed, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. 

Stepping farther into the room, he could hear the sounds 
of quiet voices coming from inside the bathroom. He sighed 
and sat down on the bed. He wondered what they were talking 
about as he listened to the soft feminine voices filtering 
through the thin wall. He wanted to join them, to offer his 
support and understanding. But he didn't move from his spot 
on the bed. He just waited.

A few minutes later the knob on the bathroom door turned and 
Karen came out with Scully close behind her. The girl looked 
pale and about ready to pass out, but her face wasn't red 
from tears or crying. She looked stoic and totally detached 
from what had happened; it reminded him of Scully, and for 
some reason that though scared him.

"Karen has agreed to come with us... " Scully said, her eyes 
revealing only a hint of sadness. Mulder nodded in 
acknowledgement. He grabbed his and Scully's bags and they 
left the musty room, wanting to get away as soon as possible. 
Scully took the bags from him and dropped them in the trunk 
of their car while Mulder ran the keys back to the motel 
office. When he returned, the car was already running and 
once he was in, they drove off. 

As their car took off down the road, the dark coloured SUV 
parked across the street started up. It pulled out onto the 
road and began to follow them.

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END OF CHAPTER 4

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