TITLE: The Valley of Shadows 10: Precious Gems
AUTHOR: bellefleur
E-MAIL: bellefleur1013@yahoo.com
DISTRIBUTION: sure, but let me know
RATING: PG-13
CATEGORIES: X/mythology
SPOILERS: Conduit; S.R. 819; Trust No 1; William; and 
everything in between
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; they belong to FOX, CC, etc.  
SUMMARY: A surprise visitor makes the small community 
question their commitments and priorities.

Notes: This story is the tenth part in a series that 
rewrites the end of season 9 and then branches off in its 
own direction.  Read Parts 1 through 9 at: 
www.geocities.com/bellefleur1013/shadows_toc.html

Since it is taking me so long to finish and post this series, 
I have also added a page with a detailed summary of each 
previous part to help refresh your memory on the story so far: 
www.geocities.com/bellefleur1013/shadows_det_summ.txt

Special thanks to Mims for the beta.  Any remaining glitches 
are my own.  The pseudo-science is all my own fault.

Part 10 is finished.  I will post it in three segments over 
the next few days.

*****
 10a
*****

"Are you sure about this?" Scully asked.

"Just try it on," Frohike said.

She repressed a sigh and fastened the beaded necklace around 
her neck.  This was the fourth one in the last week.  As much 
as she appreciated their efforts to find a portable means of 
blocking her chip's transmissions so she could leave the cave, 
she had her doubts this would work.

"So, what do you think?" Langly asked her hopefully.

She hooked a finger around the short chain and pulled it out 
far enough to get a good look at it.  The beads--polished 
magnetite pebbles, actually--weren't as large and bulky as the 
third necklace, nor as small as the first one.  And they were 
painted a more convincing shade of turquoise than the last two 
tries.  From a distance, the necklace might pass for a genuine 
Navajo creation.

Scully turned back to the two expectant faces.  "They're nice.  
Very tasteful."  Met with their satisfied grins, she withheld 
any comment on her real concern--would the magnetite beads 
actually work?

The gadgetry that Frohike pulled out of his large duffel bag 
was familiar from the last couple of attempts, but Scully 
still had no idea exactly what it consisted of or where they 
got it.  But apparently, this weird concoction of cables and 
antennae was supposed to determine whether any transmissions 
could be detected from the microchip in her neck.

Familiar with the drill by now, Scully obediently stood at the 
center of the small cave while Frohike walked in progressively 
wider circles around her, and Langly did something on their 
recently procured laptop.

"So far, so good," Frohike proclaimed.  But she took that with 
a grain of salt.  They'd had the same success on the third 
necklace, two days ago.  Yet the thing had been ridiculously 
large and too unsightly for her to wear on a regular basis, 
which she would have to do--in order to serve its purpose, the 
necklace could never come off.  That included bedtime and 
showers.  While that previous necklace was effective, Scully 
had to explain gently how uncomfortable it would be, 
essentially sleeping on a pile of rocks.  The question now was 
whether this smaller, lighter model was too downsized to do 
the job.

Having reached the limits of the small room, Frohike and 
Langly took their equipment and started down the tunnel.  She 
waited patiently while they disappeared from sight for a few 
minutes, no doubt testing out her range.

When they finally returned, she heard Mulder's voice 
intermingled with their conversation.  "So, what do you 
think?"

"Everything looks good," Frohike answered.

Mulder came into view first, talking over his shoulder to the 
guys as they filed down the tunnel.  "How sure are you?  
Because we can't afford to take any risks with this."

"I built this equipment myself," Frohike replied.  "It tests 
every frequency known to man--and even a few that aren't.  We 
all know what's at stake here.  I wouldn't let her leave if I 
wasn't sure."

Stepping into the room, Mulder smiled at Scully in greeting.  
He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before returning to 
the conversation.

"What about internally?" Mulder asked.  "Do we know that the 
dampening field won't affect how the chip works?"

This was the dual problem they always encountered: they had to 
stop the chip from serving as a transmitter and homing device, 
but they couldn't affect its function inside her body as a 
suppressant for the tumor.  

"No more than the walls of the cave would," Langly said.

Mulder turned to Scully with a look of concern.  She knew he 
wanted assurance of her condition.  "I haven't had any 
nosebleeds in almost a month now.  I can't offer a definitive 
diagnosis without an MRI or x-ray, but I have no reason to 
believe that the tumor has progressed any further."

He nodded thoughtfully.  Now that cancer had reared its ugly 
head once more, she knew it would be difficult to ever put 
this beast completely to rest.  The fears that had once been 
assuaged with the illness's long absence were now resurrected 
and would continually lie close to the surface, for both of 
them.  

Scully looked to the two Gunmen for reassurance of her own.  
"So, you really think I can leave?  There's no chance anyone 
can detect the chip?  Because if there's even a slight 
possibility, I won't take the risk.  I'd rather stay here than 
put any of you in jeopardy."  Actually, she couldn't stand the 
thought of spending another day in this prison cell, but where 
her son's safety was in question, there was no sacrifice too 
great.

Frohike and Langly shared a look, apparently seeking each 
other's agreement.  They turned back to her as one, both 
radiating confidence.

"As long as you wear that necklace, no one can track your 
chip," Frohike stated resolutely.

Mulder glanced at Scully, awaiting her decision.  She smiled 
at the Gunmen.  "Thanks, guys, for all your hard work."

Frohike turned away with a shy half-smile, while Langly just 
nodded awkwardly.  Thankfully, they accepted her words as 
dismissal and didn't linger long.

Once the two men left, Mulder untied the curtain over the 
doorway to drop closed behind them and then returned to stand 
before Scully.  He took her hands in his and looked into her 
eyes, his gaze questioning.  She knew he wanted her real 
opinion--the truth, and nothing but. 

She took a deep breath.  "I want to come home, Mulder, but 
this almost feels too good to be true.  I don't know that I'm 
ready to trust this will work."

Mulder shrugged.  "I trust the guys.  And you know how much 
Frohike cares about you--and about William.  If he had any 
doubts, he would've told us."

"So, you're sure about this?" she asked.

He paused for a moment, then stated confidently, "Yeah, I am."

Relief washed over her, triggering her smile, which Mulder 
reciprocated.  "Come on home," he whispered, releasing her 
hands to hold out his arms slightly in invitation.  She 
gratefully fell into his embrace.  

They just stood like that for a moment, rocking slightly.  "Do 
you want me to help you pack?" Mulder asked.

Scully loosened her hold and stepped back.  "Yeah, there isn't 
much, so we might as well get everything in one trip."  As 
Mulder shifted away, her eyes fell on the table behind him.  
"Oh wait--"

He watched curiously while she crossed to the table and 
retrieved what she had placed there a short while ago.  There 
was one significant drawback to being permanently sentenced to 
a necklace made of magnetic material: she couldn't wear any 
metal jewelry with it.

Scully turned around and held up her cross necklace.  She saw 
the sympathetic apology on Mulder's face as soon as he 
recognized what she was holding.  

"I'd like to give this to William someday," she said, "but 
he's really too young for it yet."  She hesitated, not wanting 
to force this on Mulder by asking, and still unsure whether he 
might gracefully object.  But it was important to her.  She 
kept her eyes on the necklace, rather than his expression, as 
she asked, "Will you keep this safe for me, for a while?"

He reached out and lifted the cross with his finger, the chain 
remaining in her grasp.  "I'd be honored," he replied softly.  

Scully looked up then to meet his sincere and loving gaze.  He 
let go of the necklace and held down his collar on both sides, 
baring his neck to her.  As she fumbled with the clasp, she 
was amused that she was suddenly nervous over such a simple 
action.  It felt almost ceremonial, like confirming a 
covenant.  Or maybe it was just an affirmation of a commitment 
made long ago.

Once the chain was securely fastened around Mulder's neck, 
Scully tucked the cross away beneath his collar and then 
rested her hands on either side of his chest.  His own hands 
dropped away to her hips, pulling her slightly closer.  He 
leaned in, his kiss soft but lingering, and she knew it was 
just a foretaste of the homecoming festivities yet to come.

Scully pulled back with a smile and new eagerness to get out 
of this place.  "Let's go home."

* * * 

Mulder cursed silently as the plastic cup slipped from his 
soapy hands and clattered in the sink.  He held his breath and 
listened for a moment, but the back of the trailer remained 
quiet.  Grateful, he released the breath and made another 
attempt at rinsing off the cup.

Since putting William down for his nap, Mulder had managed to 
tidy up the mess of toys in the living room and clean up the 
table, floor, and chair decorated with the remains of 
William's lunch.  It was amazing how someone so small could 
make such a mess.  Although, whenever Mulder commented on that 
to Scully, she would make some reference to the boy's 
paternity.

As happy as he was for Scully to be living with them again, 
Mulder relished these brief moments of solitude.  For two 
people who had lived so independently for so long, they still 
had problems adjusting to being crammed into a limited space.  
The winter months were only more confining; at least in the 
summer, the front "yard" (dirt patch, really) had become their 
living and dining room, but the winter chill kept them 
indoors.  

A car rumbled up the drive as Mulder set the last dish in the 
drainer.  He figured Scully was back from shopping and would 
need a hand with the bags.  Pulling the plug on the sink, 
Mulder just then registered that more than one car door had 
closed, in rapid succession.  That wasn't Scully.

Footsteps clomped up the stairs, followed by a knock.  Mulder 
grabbed a towel to dry his hands on his way to the door.  He 
mentally took stock of his gun still strapped to his ankle 
from when he had gone out earlier, although he didn't 
anticipate needing it. 

Mulder opened the door and grinned.  "Joe!  We were wondering 
if you guys were ever coming back.  That was a long holiday."

Joe returned the offered handshake, and Mulder stepped back, 
their hands still clasped, giving Joe a subtle tug inside.  

"We had some business to attend to on the ranch, and I wanted 
to make sure everything was settled so we wouldn't have to 
rush right back," said Joe.  He stepped through the doorway, 
followed by his wife Pat--and then Mulder realized there was a 
third person with them.  A stranger.

Joe moved to Mulder's side and explained.  "We brought someone 
back with us, an old acquaintance of yours who was eager to 
see you again."

Mulder scrutinized the young woman standing opposite him, 
still on the top step.  She was in her mid-20s with shoulder-
length blonde hair draping the coat, sweater, and turtleneck 
that she was bundled in.  She seemed thin, but not frail.  He 
couldn't place her, but there was something about her eyes 
that seemed familiar.  They were eyes he'd looked into many 
times, sometimes even in the mirror--the haunted eyes of an 
abductee.

Then recognition struck.  "Ruby?  Ruby Morris?"

She smiled a little, obviously relieved that he remembered, 
then nodded and looked away.

It had been eight years or more since he and Scully had found 
her returned by Lake Okobogee and then were summarily 
dismissed by her mother and told to have no further contact 
with the family.

"It's been a long time," Mulder said.  "How are you?"  The 
question seemed trite, but he meant it sincerely.

"I'm okay now.  Better than I was a few months ago."  She 
shivered and rubbed her hands on her arms.  Only then did 
Mulder notice he had left her standing on the porch.

He backed out of the way and extended an arm in invitation.  
"Come in.  Have a seat.  I'm sure it's been a long drive."

"We stopped off for lunch just before the reservation," Joe 
said.  "But we're all plenty glad to be out of the truck."

"The boys are parking the Winnebago down by the compound," Pat 
added.  Mulder assumed she was referring to Hank and Cody, the 
two friends who had accompanied the Fuhrmans previously to 
help with the construction.  "But we wanted to stop by and see 
you first."

Mulder gestured for them all to take a seat around the table.  
Tucked away in a corner between the cramped kitchen and the 
front door, it wasn't as comfortable as the living room, but 
it was farther from the bedroom and would hopefully keep their 
conversation from waking William prematurely.   

Pat and Joe headed around the other side of the table, leaving 
Ruby the seat at the end.  Mulder grabbed the chair closest to 
the door and waited while they removed coats and gloves to 
settle in.  As everyone stilled, there was an awkward silence.  
It was clear that Ruby had a story to tell, an explanation for 
why she was here, but she seemed to need a prompt.

"How's your family?" Mulder finally asked.

Ruby watched her hands fidgeting on the table while she spoke.  
"Oh, you know.  Kevin's in high school now.  I haven't seen 
them in a while, though.  Mom and I haven't really talked ever 
since I moved out.  I don't think she cared much for the guy I 
was living with."

"But you're not living there now?" Mulder prodded.

"No, not since that August.  Not since they took me again."

Mulder said gently, "You were abducted, weren't you?  By the 
ship."

She nodded and bit her lip.  "I only remember flashes of it.  
They did things to me, horrible things.  I was strapped to 
this chair, and there were lasers, and saws, and..."

Mulder could feel the searing pain down his chest, a phantom 
pain that he hadn't felt in so long.  He placed a hand over 
Ruby's.  "It's okay.  I know.  They did it to all of us."

Ruby's sad eyes met his.  "They did it to you, too?"

Mulder nodded.  He didn't want either of them to relive those 
memories further.  "Do you remember being returned?"

Her hand squirmed beneath his, and Mulder withdrew his palm 
from her clammy fingers.  "Not at first.  I just remember 
waking up a few days later, at the camp."

"The camp?" he asked.

"Absalom's camp."

Mulder was surprised at that news and encouraged her to 
continue.

"Absalom wasn't there anymore--I never met him.  But his 
followers were even more determined after his arrest.  They 
found the ships whenever they could and rounded up the 
abductees.  These healers would come by.  They traveled from 
camp to camp and saved whoever they were able to.  But not 
everyone made it."

"Is that what happened to you?" Mulder asked.  "You were 
healed?"

Ruby nodded.  "All I remember was this warm tingling, from my 
head to my toes.  It's the first thing I felt when I woke up.  
I was afraid I was still on the ship, but somehow I knew I was 
finally safe.  When I opened my eyes, there was this man 
standing over me.  I don't know who he was, and I never saw 
him again.  But by the next morning, I was completely healed.  
Even the scars I had from when they took me before were gone."

"Jeremiah Smith," Mulder murmured, mostly to himself.

The front door swung open next to Mulder, startling him.  
Scully struggled through the doorway juggling bags and keys, 
and he jumped up to help her.  

"I couldn't find that beer you wanted.  They only had--"  
Scully stopped short as she saw they weren't alone.  Mulder 
wasn't sure if she'd even noticed Joe and Pat since her gaze 
was fixed on their unexpected guest.  

Mulder lifted two of the plastic bags from her hand and turned 
to reintroduce her to the young woman.

"Scully, this Ruby Morris.  You remember that case?  Iowa, 
about eight years ago?"

Surprised recognition dawned over Scully's face.  Her eyes 
flickered warily to him, but she maintained a mask of courtesy 
and reached out a free hand to greet Ruby.  "Of course.  It's 
good to see you again."

Ruby stood and reached to shake Scully's hand.  As they made 
contact, Ruby went rigid, like she had been shocked.  She 
pulled back from the handshake, looking confused by her own 
reaction, then quickly sat and covered with a smile.  "It's 
nice to see you again too."

Scully turned to Mulder with a look of uncertainty.  The 
moment was odd, to be sure, but he guessed Ruby was just 
startled by an electric shock from their contact.  It was a 
common hazard with the dry winter weather.

A grocery bag slipped lower down Scully's arm, reminding them 
both of the interrupted task.  Mulder hurried over to the 
counter to set down the two bags he had already appropriated.  
"Do you want me to help you put these away?"

"No, that's okay, I've got it."  In the kitchen, only a couple 
of steps behind their guests, the two of them had a little 
more privacy--but not enough for a conversation.  Scully 
looked at Mulder intently, clearly communicating that she 
wanted a further explanation of why they suddenly had this new 
visitor in their home.  But all she said aloud was, "Is 
William down for his nap?"  She turned to the counter and 
started pulling groceries from a plastic bag.

"Yeah, I put him down in the bedroom.  He'll probably be up 
soon."

"Good.  I passed Gibson on my way back.  He was biking over to 
see William."

"You didn't offer him a ride?"

She frowned at him before returning to the groceries.  "Of 
course I did, but he said he was fine.  The wind isn't as cold 
today.  Besides, there isn't really room for his bike in that 
car."

Mulder noticed Ruby sitting sideways in her chair to watch 
them, but she quickly turned away when he looked over.  Joe 
and Pat were quietly talking, and he realized the young woman 
was probably feeling a little left out.  Mulder gestured to 
Scully that he was going back to their guests, and she nodded.

Returning to his seat, Mulder noted that Ruby seemed a little 
less at ease.  Her eyes shifted around, flitting toward the 
hallway, the front door, the table--anywhere away from his 
gaze.  He imagined discussing her abduction experience had 
brought up some long-ingrained anxiety.

"So, Ruby," he ventured, "you haven't explained yet why you 
wanted to see me.  Actually, I'm kind of surprised you knew I 
was here."

"Well, I didn't know where you were.  But the word around the 
camps was that Joe had been helping you.  I figured he'd know 
where to find you."  She leaned forward on the table.  "It 
gives people hope, you know?  To see that someone's out there 
trying to find an answer.  For most of us, it's just enough to 
survive this.  But we know you're still looking for a way to 
fight it."

Mulder hoped he wasn't becoming some kind of hero figure to 
the abductees.  He hadn't given up on looking for answers, it 
was true, but life circumstances prevented him from looking 
too hard, and he always came up with more questions than 
solutions.

"Is that why you wanted to come here?" he asked.  "To see the 
work we're doing?"

Ruby frowned a little and rubbed her forehead.  A motion 
behind her drew Mulder's attention.  He glanced up at Scully, 
who had moved to the cupboards closest to the table.  She 
lingered there, trying to look casual, but he knew she was 
listening intently for Ruby's answer.

"Yeah, and because, I'd heard they took you too.  I thought 
maybe you'd understand.  And maybe you could help me.  Things 
have been so hard, so...confusing.  I know you tried to help 
me before.  Mom doesn't want to have anything to do with it.  
I don't know if she even believes they took me this time.  She 
probably thought I just ran off again."

Something had been nagging at Mulder ever since Scully 
returned home, and as he listened to Ruby speak, he couldn't 
help but notice a pattern.  Whenever Scully moved farther 
away, to the fridge or the shelves on the opposite wall, Ruby 
relaxed a little.  But when Scully came closer, Ruby grew more 
agitated.  He had no idea what the connection was, but for 
some reason, Ruby was having a physical reaction to Scully's 
proximity.

A piercing wail from the bedroom interrupted his thoughts.  
William only screamed that loud when he was in pain.  For a 
split second, Mulder and Scully shared a worried look before 
they both stepped toward the back room.  But Mulder's path was 
suddenly cut off by the front door bursting open.  

Gibson rushed into the room.  His eyes quickly settled on 
Ruby.  "She's one of them!  She's a Super Soldier!"

At the announcement, Ruby stood and began to move away from 
the table, but Mulder drew his gun and leveled it at her 
before she could get anywhere.  Scully had paused at Gibson's 
unexpected entrance, but as soon as Ruby moved, Scully ran the 
rest of the way to the bedroom.

Ruby looked down the barrel of Mulder's gun and laughed 
coldly, sending a shiver down his spine.  He knew as well as 
she did the limited effect his bullets would have on her, but 
they could at least buy enough time for Scully to get away 
safely with the two boys.

"Show me the back of your neck," Mulder demanded, trying to 
assert his control over the situation.  Ruby just stared at 
him, her eyes still icy but losing their humor.  "Do it!" he 
yelled when she didn't comply.

Ruby's face went impassive, and Mulder remained on his guard 
for any move she might make.  But then she surprised him by 
doing what he requested.  She turned around, lowered her 
collar, and tipped her head forward.  There on her neck were 
the telltale bumps.  What Scully had referred to as a 
distinctive mutation.

Ruby released her collar and turned, in slow, controlled 
movements.  "You can lower your weapon.  There's no need for 
me to harm you.  I only came for the boy."

Mulder's eyes flashed over to the young man standing next to 
him.  "Gibson?"  

"No.  William."

The chill down Mulder's spine turned to ice.  He followed 
Ruby's gaze down the hallway, where Scully stood clutching 
their hiccupping son to her chest.  They were both watching 
Ruby with terrified eyes.  Mulder knew that emotion well.

William's fist clutched the beads around Scully's throat, 
pulling so tightly Mulder feared he might hurt her or yank it 
off.  Not that it mattered anymore whether she was wearing the 
necklace or not.  But it suddenly gave him an idea.

Mulder quickly tried to formulate a plan without giving 
anything away.  He hoped that Gibson could read his incoherent 
thoughts and tried his best to focus them into clear 
instructions.

Taking a step to the left, Mulder placed himself directly in 
Ruby's line of sight to draw her attention.  "Why don't we 
have a seat so we can talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about.  I came for the boy.  I will 
kill you if I have to.  You know I'm capable.  And you know 
you can't stop me."

*We'll just see about that,* Mulder thought.  "Fine," he said, 
"but at least you can explain to me why you need to take him."  
He gestured toward the table, hoping he could keep her 
occupied for a little longer.

Ruby shrugged, as though the delay was inconsequential to her, 
and resumed her seat.  Mulder glanced over at the Fuhrmans, 
huddling together scared and bewildered on the other side of 
the table.  They were an unknown variable in all of this, and 
he hoped they would just stay still and not tip his hand.

Mulder returned to his seat, keeping his gun trained on Ruby 
but outside of her immediate reach.  "So, tell me why you want 
my son."

Out of his peripheral vision, Mulder saw Gibson slowly back 
away from them and into the living room.  Mulder did his best 
not to let his eyes wander from Ruby.  He wanted to maintain 
her focus strictly on himself.

"You assume I know things that I don't.  Really, we're just 
wasting time."

"They don't tell you why you should do these things, and yet 
you simply do them?"  Skilled profiler though he may be, 
Mulder had no experience with the Super Soldier psyche, if 
there even was such a thing.  He didn't know if they had any 
sense of conscience or individualism to appeal to.  

"It's not my place to question, only to obey.  They tell me 
what I need to know.  No more."

"And who are 'they,' exactly?" Mulder asked.  

Gibson had paused in the living room long enough to retrieve 
what Mulder directed him to, and now was circling around into 
the kitchen, behind Ruby.  Mulder feared that Ruby's abilities 
might extend to mind-reading or some kind of clairvoyance, but 
so far she showed no signs of recognizing their plan.

"My superiors," she replied matter-of-factly.

"The military?  The aliens?"  Mulder didn't really expect 
helpful answers; he merely wanted to keep her talking.

"Is there a difference?"

Mulder raised his eyebrows at that curious response.  But 
there was no more time to pursue this line of inquiry.  Gibson 
was in place.  He seemed to be hesitating, so Mulder offered a 
mental push: *Now.*

Gibson darted forward just long enough to drop a string of 
blue magnetite beads around Ruby's neck.  Her eyes went wide 
and her brow creased in puzzlement.  Ruby lifted one hand to 
her forehead, and the other to the necklace, but she 
immediately recoiled from it as though she had been burned.

Her eyes met Mulder's for a moment as some sense of 
understanding began to sink in.  The confusion yielded to 
determination.

Ruby leapt up from her seat and lunged toward the hallway, but 
Mulder's bullet was faster.  He shot for the chest, at close 
range, dropping her immediately.  She convulsed for a moment 
before falling motionless, her eyes fluttering shut. 

The room remained silent in the sudden stillness, the shot 
hollowly echoing in Mulder's ears.

Pat let loose a choked sob.  Mulder looked over to meet Joe's 
shocked eyes, as he held his wife tight to his chest.  
"Mulder, we had no idea--we've never seen one of them before--
we couldn't have...  Oh, God, Mulder, I'm so sorry."

Mulder clenched his jaw and nodded tightly, quickly casting 
his gaze back to the body at his feet.  He didn't look up 
again as he commanded, "Scully, take William and go to the 
cave."

"No."  His head snapped up to meet her defiant look.  Cradling 
William close, she slowly approached down the hall.  "I'm not 
going anywhere until I get some answers."

Mulder heard footsteps behind him through the doorway.  He 
instinctively swung around with gun raised, lowering it once 
he saw who had entered.  In all the commotion, he had 
completely forgotten that Skinner said he was going out for a 
jog and was due back soon.

Lowering his own weapon, Skinner looked from Mulder to the 
body on the floor.  "I heard a gunshot."  Skinner's chest was 
heaving, and he swiped the sleeve of his shirt over his sweaty 
forehead.

Mulder glanced down at Ruby once more.  She had not moved 
since falling unconscious, but the blood oozing from her wound 
had slowed.  In fact, it almost looked like the blood was now 
flowing in the opposite direction, retreating back into the 
wound.  

"I'll explain later," Mulder said.  "We don't have much time.  
We need to find some way to secure her before she wakes up."  
He looked pointedly at Scully.  "And we need to get William to 
safety."

She nodded and shifted her gaze past him to where Joe and Pat 
sat watching on, eyes full of fear and remorse.  Scully 
straightened her spine and headed toward them.  She carefully 
made a wide circle around Ruby, studiously avoiding looking 
down at the body and keeping William's head averted.  Mulder 
knew what Scully was about to do, and he admired her strength 
and courage.  He didn't believe that the Fuhrmans had 
intentionally brought this danger into their home, but he also 
didn't think he could force out even two civil words to them 
at the moment. 

Mulder only peripherally listened while Scully asked the 
couple to take William to the pueblo and they solemnly agreed.  
His mind was preoccupied, making plans, while his eyes were 
fixed on the bright red spot at Ruby's chest.  He couldn't 
physically see the spot shrinking, but he didn't think it was 
just his imagination that it looked smaller than a minute ago.  
Whatever effect the magnetite was having, it clearly wasn't 
enough to kill her.  He just hoped it might allow them an 
advantage until they could extract some answers.

Looking up at Gibson, Mulder saw the boy nod in agreement 
before he could even get the full statement out: "Find the 
other necklaces.  We need all the magnetite we can get our 
hands on."

*******
End 10a
*******


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