AUTHOR: ElleThom
TITLE: Multiplicity
EMAIL: too_spooky_4u@yahoo.com
SPOILERS: Only the series, no IWTB spoilers
here
SUMMARY: How Mulder Spent his 2001 summer
vacation
DISCLAIMER: Not mine I wish but wish in one
hand.....
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well here I am again, I
have not
done this in years so I am hoping that I
have
not gotten too rusty at it. I started this
little fic before the second movie so I
guess
this this is REALLY AU. It's another
challenge
fic, I seem to like to do those for NeoX,
she
has some great challenges and this one I
think
fulfills more than one
Anyway enough mindless rambling thanks for
reading hope it is enjoyable!
I'm a doctor, right? I should know how to
handle this, I should know that the
leaking,
oozing and bleeding should all be par for
the
course, I should be reveling in the magic
of
motherhood and thanking whatever fates that
I
have this chance. I look at my son
sleeping
peacefully in his bassinet, curled on his
side,
and periodically makes an odd noise in his
sleep, he is lost in the oblivion that only
the
truly young and innocent can know.
I am reveling.
Really.
I am.
But as I sit on my once pristine living
room
floor folding what seems like dozens of
sheets,
sleepers and onesies recently laundered, I
can't
help but wonder how much more enjoyable
this
would all be without all the bodily fluids.
And endless laundry.
And endless doubts.
And endless questions.
And let's not forget that endless global
conspiracy thing. Which is exactly why I
am
sitting here folding all of my son's
laundry,
alone, along with the midnight feeding
raids,
the rollercoaster of emotions and the
endless
endlessness.
Motherhood is beautiful, but it also should
be
shared. I found myself asking the question
for
about the millionth time,
Where Are You Now?
It would be easier if our relationship had
ended, there would have been a sense of
closure
to that. There would have been a sense of
something. Now we are simply relegated to
emails and too short late night phone
calls.
I miss him. Not just for the benefit of an
extra pair of hands, or the fact that in
the ten
months that he has been gone he has missed
so
many milestones that he will never be able
to
regain no matter how many trips I make to
the
one hour photo a week.
No, I am missing him as any woman would
miss a
man, in her heart, in her mind, in her bed,
It was the phone that shook me out of my
pity
party. Ten seconds of wavering between
cursing
having awakened Will, and praying that its
him,
I managed to eek out a breathy Hello.
"Agent Scully?" It was a voice I knew well,
but
not the one I wanted to be on the other
end.
"Agent Reyes." Which came out more of an
accusation than a greeting. So you're the
one
who dare awaken The Baby.
"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time..."
"Oh. No." I may have said it too quickly
or
even too curtly, but fuck it, the baby is
crying
and Bessie has returned to the barn. The
one
good thing about being a single new mother,
bitchy behavior is not only understood and
anticipated, but often encouraged.
"Well I have something here that may be a
good
thing." Oh crap, if she tries to pawn off
one
more of those whale songs cd's as a means
to get
William to sleep, I am pretty sure I am
going to
shoot her.
"Really?" I answer in my best yeah I am
REALLY
interested tones.
"I need to come over and hand it to you
personally, but before I get there I want
you to
keep an open mind..." Oh God, it is another
Whale
Song CD. I need to head this one off at
the
pass.
"I appreciate it Monica, but I am right in
the
middle of--" Breastfeeding? Folding
Clothes?
Wallowing in self pity and doubt? "--
Working on
some paperwork." Better.
"Dana," She stammers. "Please." Maybe it
was the
quiver in her voice, or the fact that I was
desperate for grown up conversation, but I
found
myself agreeing to her visit before I had
the
chance to stop myself. Great, now I have
to
make nice-nice and do girl talk on a
Saturday
night when I could be watching some
mindless
Must See TV.
Not too late to shoot her.
XxX
She got to my apartment faster than I
thought,
faster than I had hoped. I had not even
gotten
the chance to top off. William, who was
one for
taking his time to eat, he kind of hovered
over
feeding time as if he was never going to
see the
nipple again.
I managed to shove my half engorged breast
back
into my bra before I answered the door,
which is
a good thing because Monica had not come
alone.
It is true, FBI agents really do travel in
packs.
"I hope you don't mind, John and I were
just on
our way out of town, so he wanted to drop
by and
say hi." She grinned at me a fool's smile
as
they filtered into my living room. I smile
but
I don't think it is really fooling anyone,
at
least I hope not. Ever since Mulder...left,
the
people in my life have lodged a campaign of
assistance. Now don't get me wrong, a
single
mother needs at least three people she can
rely
on, and I am not too ungracious to realize
that
I have that in spades.
Whether I wanted it or not.
"No not at all, so what is it today?: I was
trying to move this along, I still had
three
hours before I could have a bath, and
another
five hours of work yet to be done,
"Have you been in contact with any old
friends?"
John finally spoke, he had begun looking
around
the apartment as if expecting Mulder to pop
out
at any moment.
"No..." I hedged, I hadn't but I was
reluctant to
voice this to anyone, partially out of
paranoia,
but mostly out of shame. Yes ladies and
gentlemen, you read right. Shame. How
ungodly
is it for a nice Catholic girl to fall for
someone, get knocked up, left, and still
not
have a ring...."Why?"
An odd look passed between the two of them,
as
if they were trying to come up with the
right
words that would not get them into trouble.
I
knew that look, Mulder and I were guilty of
exchanging tons of them mostly in Skinner's
office. "He has gone off the radar." John
said
quietly.
"What does THAT mean, he has gone off the
radar;
he has BEEN off the radar. I don't
understand."
Ok, where did I leave my sig?
Reyes came closer to me, oh God now I know
I am
going to kill her. "Dana, relax. Breathe."
Oh
I am gonna breathe all right, but you may
not.
"What John is trying to say is that he has
moved
from where he was."
"How the hell do you know where he was?" I
screamed loud enough to elicit a What The
Fuck
cry out of my son. Quieting him down was
the
last thing on my list of things to do, but
I
faked it some how.
`
I placed the now quiet baby into the arms
of
John, who had been holding his out in the
universal gesture. "I'm gonna go into the
bedroom and see if he needs a change." He
offered magnanimously. I do forget that he
has
done this all before. "You two talk." He
flashed
a look towards Monica who nodded her
assertion
back. Were Mulder and I ever this
annoying?
Monica made herself comfortable on my
couch,
well as soon as she had cleared a spot. I
sat
in the chair across form her not knowing
what to
expect but knowing my gun was nearby. "We,
that
is to say, John and I knew of Mulder's
whereabouts, we had discovered him quite by
accident Dana." Her smug expression was
going to
get her a headlock, but I'd at least let
her
finish first.
"Well its goof to see that those years at
Quantico have paid off, but I don't
understand
why all of this has warranted a late
afternoon
meeting?" I quirked.
"We actually had hoped he was here. See,
we
were keeping tabs on him through Gibson..."
"He's with Gibson?" I asked, like I didn't
know.
He had never told me where he was, but it
was
the only logical place for him to be.
Monica nodded and briefly looked out the
window.
"When Gibson called to warn us that Mulder
may
be on his way, we were....concerned."
"I appreciate your concern Monica, but if
Mulder
has decided its safe enough to come home
then I
am sure its fine." I was talking to her
like I
would a five year old, she was annoying me
to no
end.
"The point is we don't know where he is
Dana, no
one does." She asserted.
"And I am sure he is fine Monica, I
appreciate
your concern, but this has gone far enough.
Mulder has been in situations that would
have
had you pissing in you Victoria Secrets."
Ok, I
was really agitated at this point.
"And there are things you don't know-"
"Will's asleep, and we have a plane to
catch."
John smiled rubbing his hands together.
"Who
else is gonna keep the world safe from
things
that go bump in the night?"
I glared at Monica, a warning of a
conversation
to come. "If you here from him Dana, you'll
let
us know?" she added before following
Doggett out
of the door.
XxX
I want to say that things got easier once
Monica
and John left, with Will sleeping and the
housework to do before I could reward
myself, I
want to say that my mind was eased after
they
left and I could easily blow them off as
typical
nutty Reyes behavior.
I Really wanted to
But the truth was nine years with Mulder
had
taught me to listen to that gut instinct,
to
hear that small inner voice when it starts
its
incessant niggling.
God, I am starting to sound like Monica,
where's
my gun again?
The Gunman were gone, no not dead as
everyone
believed, I went right along with that
little
play, I knew what they were doing, and I
knew
that soon I would have to do it too. Point
is,
they were beyond my reach right now, they
had no
contact with me or Mulder, save the
occasional
clandestine personal ad in the Washington
post,
usually under the guise of a lost dog
returned.
There was only one person I could contact,
and
he had better have answers or I was not
gonna be
responsible for my actions, mind-reader or
not,
you still can't out think a bullet.
"Gibson," I bark into the phone. I had
better
sense than to call him from home, it had
been a
long night's wait, but I managed to survive
until the next day when I could call from a
distant pay phone using a calling card.
He didn't sound happy, nor surprised to
hear
from me. "He's not here," His voice had
gotten
deeper since the last time I talked to him,
but
I could still tell it was him.
"When did he leave Gibson?" I demanded.
"About three weeks ago. I don't think he
is on
his way there."
"But I just talked to-"
"Agent Scully, they're being watched, I
know
where he went, and he'll be back here
soon."
"Where, is he in any danger?"
"Agent Scully, maybe you should come out
here, I
think we need to do this one face to face."
More double agent bullshit that I did not
need
in my life. But I knew I would go, I
needed to
see him, it had been almost a year and I
needed
my Mulder fix, badly. "All right Gibson,
I'll be
there tomorrow."
Next call I made was to Mom, there was no
way I
was going to sit on an airplane with a ten
month
old.
XxX
It was a long drive through the desert from
the
airport, another rental car ride to
nowhere.
These drives were so much more fun when I
was
younger and had a driving companion with an
oral
fixation. The heat was starting to get to
me,
and rolling down the window was no longer
an
option, and the air conditioner, as usual
in
rental cars, was non existent. So I had
begun
to sweat-profusely, my white tank top
rapidly
turning grey, and my patience wearing thin.
Not
to mention the fact that my breasts were
swollen
to a size that could now accommodate a
small
African village quite nicely for a year.
This secret squirrel shit was so much
easier
five years ago...and I really am getting
too old
for this shit.
The landscape changed to less civilized and
more
John Carpenter. I started to look for the
exit
that would lead me to the small bank of
mobile
park homes situated in the middle of the
desert.
Apparently, Gibson had married the deaf
girl of
his dreams, and in prime teen aged trailer
trash
livin', they were expecting their first
drain
onto society.
Thea greeted me with a smile and a wave as
I
pulled in front of the trailer. Her
stomach was
about as big as you were gonna get before
reaching critical mass.
Been There, Done That.
"Agent Scully." Gibson still short but
walking
with a much greater swagger, as if the mere
presence of Thea's distended abdomen was
proof
being a virile and studly male.
I am man, see her belly.
I plaster on a smile and hug them both,
then we
all crawl into the relative coolness of the
metal tin can that they called home.
Thea's touch was there, and by that I could
tell
that there had not been just a bachelor
crash
pad. She had even set up a makeshift
nursery in
the far corner of their living room.
"Twins?" I had noticed a second crib in
the
back where their bedroom was.
The two teens exchanged a look and I
started to
wonder if Thea wasn't able to read minds
along
with lips. "I think we need to talk Dana."
Gibson sighed heaving himself onto the
couch.
Thea had begun to pace, which was no small
feat
in the trailer. It was obvious that there
was a
heavy conversation that was to be had by
the
three of us, and I for one was done with
all the
mystery. "So-oo, you wanna tell me what
exactly
is going on here Gibson?" I tensed. "You
told
me on the phone that Mulder was fine."
"He is." The young man offered quickly.
"But
there have been some..." he trailed off and
began to fumble around the chipped coffee
table
in front of him. Seconds later he had a
cigarette lit and an irate pregnant woman.
"Pud id ou!" she screamed centimeters away
from
his face. She then signed something that
had
Gibson trailing for the back door with me
hot on
his heels.
"She don't want the smoke around the baby."
He
smiled.
"I don't blame her." I sniffed trying to
also
maintain my distance. Not just for my
continued
health, but over the years I had developed
a
real distaste for the smell of cigarettes.
Occupational hazard I suppose.
Gibson looked around as if to make sure
that we
were alone, his eyes darted back and forth
and
it was in these moments that I noticed
there was
more of a change in him than the arrogant
swagger. His eyes were different. Aside
from
the nervous darting there was something new
in
the blue pools, something that I could not
quite
lay a name to. "Dana, there was a problem
soon
after Mulder first got here." Gibson huffed
as
he blew out a long lungful of blue smoke
out
into the Arizona night.
"You know Gibson, Mulder was always the one
that
liked the games and puzzles, me,. I always
turned to the back page to go straight to
the
answers..."
"He was abducted briefly..." Gibson
sputtered,
and dare I say I witnessed a-cringe as he
delivered the news.
For ten seconds I debated the pros and cons
of
rectal disembowelment versus going through
the
abdomen. At some point I remembered Will
and
got a hold of myself...just barely. "What
happened?"
Gibson did that odd eye thing again as if
to
make sure we were completely alone. "He was
only
gone for a couple of days Dana. At first I
thought he had gotten homesick and went
home,
but then after the call from the guys, I
knew
something was up." He lit another cigarette
before he went on. "Anyway its not like I
wasn't going to call you, as soon as I
heard
from the guys I had gone to find your
number,
but then he was back."
"Just like that?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," he sneered. "Just like that. He
didn't
even believe he had been gone, til we were
sitting around watching the news and a
report
came on about some lights in the sky over
Parrump. He freaked. I was all I could do
to
keep him from leaving for parts unknown
right
then."
My mind was racing a mile a minute, it was
obvious that Mulder didn't want me to know
about
the recent abduction, but what got to me
was the
notion behind Gibson's eyes that there was
so
much more to this.
"There is." He shrugged looking away from
me,
"there is so much more Dana that I can't
even
begin to wheedle through what you ought to
know
and what will only give you nightmares."
XxX
It had started to get cold, and I guess we
would
not have known that if Thea had not come
outside
gabbing madly and gesturing wildly as to
coming
in before we both ended up in the hospital.
It
was not hard to see who wore the pants in
this
relationship. I had to smile secretly
imaging
Mulder having lived under her roof for the
last
nine months or so. And he though I was a
neat
freak. She bustled around the small
trailer in
an odd sort of silence, and that was when
it
struck me, their relationship made sense.
Thea
was born deaf, and had difficulty being
understood when she spoke, but Gibson
always
heard her, no matter how it came out
sounding
when she railed at him about the toilet
seat, or
the ashtray she found under the couch. He
always understood her.
Yeah, I guess in an odd sort of way I think
I
could wrap my brain around that particular
concept.
Gibson continued his constant twitch as
Thea
made us some sandwiches and beer.
Yeah, expectant sixteen year olds living in
a
trailer with beer, where is Jerry Springer
when
you need him?
"Its not like that Agent Scully." Gibson
sniffed
out of no where. "It's not as if we were
walking
around fucking like rabbits." A long pull
off of
the bottle of beer and he went on. "Thea
got
pregnant last year by accident."
"I'm not here to judge you Gibson..." but
he
waved me off in such a way that made me
stop in
the middle of the thought.
"Thea and I never...." he looked over to
Thea
who nodded for him to tell." What do you
know
about the breeding programs Agent Scully?"
he
had begun to search around for a cigarette,
then
seemed to remember the angry redhead next
to
him. "They're at it again Dana, and though
their
numbers are no where what they used to be,
they
are driven by an ever decreasing
timeframe."
"To what end?" I asked.
Gibson threw his head back and guffawed so
loud
that even Thea jumped at the unexpected
vibrations. "To what end? Since when do
they
need an end Agent Scully, you of all people
should know that." He turned serious again
and
glances at his wife. "Their purpose from
what
Mulder believes is to create a race of
servants,
so they use people that fit a certain
criteria,
they breed us Agent Scully, whether we want
to
be bred or not."
Now it is to be noted here that after my
illustrious nine year career on the X
Files, I
still have a hard time turning down a good
yarn,
especially one that I have heard before but
maybe a new twist. Yes I needed to know
where
my absentee former partner had disappeared
to,
but my gut was burning to hear the rest of
this
story. "So that is what happened to you
two, " I
gestured towards the young couple. "
The young man nodded as he spoke. "They
have
perfected their methods Agent Scully, but
they
were surprised at your pregnancy and
successful
birth, so much so that they wanted...more."
I was stunned; not only had this new
organization perfected the plans of the old
Consortium, but they seemed to have an all
new
and improved insidious plot. "More, more
what
Gibson?"
"Genetic diversity Agent Scully, the more
they
could do now the more they would have after
the
colonization." He played with something on
the
table and made a face, he wanted a
cigarette,
but obviously too scared to go have one.
"They
want to get as many of us as they can.
They are
actively seeking out those that fit the
criteria
or creating new criteria, and breeding us
until
we cannot possibly stand it...or until
colonization whichever one happens first."
The trailer had grown silent again as I
allowed
his words to sink in. "How do you know all
this?" I railed. "I mean this all sounds a
bit
out there even for what I have seen..."
"You aint heard the half of it yet sister."
Gibson mumbled almost low enough where I
did not
hear. Sighing he rose off the couch and
began
to pace the floor. "Mulder was the first to
tell
me about most of this, but the rest I have
seen
with my own eyes. He has seen first hand
what
their plans are.."
"I still don't understand..."
"Its not for you to understand Agent
Scully, it
is not for any of us to understand. Don't
you
get it? We have no choice, if they want
us,
they just zap us onto their playground and
do
whatever they want! Mulder didn't want to
be
some sort of freaky lab rat... He damn sure
never wanted you to know.."
"Know what?" I implored, nearly half out of
my
mind with the need to know where all of
this was
going to.
"Thea and I have always been really close,
ever
since I came here to live. She was the
only one
that I trusted with my secret." Gibson
eyed his
wife across from him, and smiled. "She was
taken
last summer shortly after the incident with
you
in the desert. I was laid up all that
month
with my broken leg and I could not do a
damn
thing to help find her."
I found myself nodding in sympathy, I had
gone
through hell trying to find Mulder when he
went
missing, only to have found him dead in the
middle of a field...but this line of
thought and
memory only lead to kicking my already over
active hormones into overdrive. Before I
realized what was happening, the front of
my
white tank top was drenched.
"Here/" Gibson spoke, but it was Thea
thrusting
a breast pump at me and motioning me to the
small bath room. God Bless her she may not
be
too young for all of this after all.
By the time I came out feeling more
relieved and
less full, Thea and Gibson were in the
midst of
a heated hand argument. I could tell only
by
the wild hand gesturing that Thea was
doing,
otherwise the room was deathly silent.
Once
they noticed my reemergence, thea whirled
past
me long enough to grab the bottles of milk
from
me and slam them into the fridge.
Gibson's 'whipped dog' look was hard not to
notice. "She wants me to tell you where
Mulder
is but I promised...he doesn't want to be
found
yet."
"Gibson regardless of what he wants or not
I
have to find him, he has been missing for
nearly
a month, there could be something wrong
with
him..."
"There's nothing wrong with him that a few
more
weeks won't cure." He laughed, though there
was
little humor in it, in fact there was a
note of
brimming insanity to it, as if just below
the
surface he was near hysterics.
The hard slap of Thea's hand against
Gibson's
cheek made me jump, the fact that Gibson
did not
know it was coming made me cringe.
OOOhh she is good.
"Dell her Gibs'n" Thea screamed into his
face
as he slid into the ratty cushions. "Dell
her
now or I will."
XxX
I figured the whole thing was a disgusting
joke,
that Gibson had told the joke that got the
whole
world laughing. I had maintained this
theory
the entire drive through the dark desert.
They
had begged me to wait until morning to
start my
sojourn out, but armed with the mere wisp
of
truths that had been whispered to me in the
hushed tones of Formica hell, I knew I
would not
be able to rest until I had the proof
myself,
until I knew just what was waiting for me
at the
end of this particular yellow brick road.
It was a small bungalow that had been
rented
illegally under some assumed name that was
supposedly safe. You had to drive up steep
hills and twisting paths to come upon the
small
two story house. There were no outside
frivolities, not even a basketball hoop to
warn
me that there was a live Mulder here.
But I knew he was here, as sure as I knew
anything, I could feel his presence like a
tv
left on in a distant room. He crawled over
my
skin like freshly wet sand-hard as hell to
finally get rid of, and sometimes grating
irritating.
The small porch held one lone rocking
chair,
bereft of anyone seated in it; I proceeded
to
the front door hesitantly yet firmly
knocking.
A soft rustling greeted me along with the
face
of the man I had come for. Seeing him peer
at
my through the window made my heart leap
into my
throat. He looked as if he had gained some
weight, darting his head from the curtains,
I
waited for the front door to be thrown open
and
to play out every reunion fantasy I had
toyed
with over the past ten months.
The door opened slowly, even creaked as it
swung
on the ancient brass hinges. "Mulder?" I
called
inside before heading into the house.
To say it was dark would be an
understatement;
Mulder had taken great pains to make sure
no
sunlight would eek through into his
makeshift
cave.
What I could make of the inside of the
small
house seemed to be pleasant enough, but I
was
not here to decorate, and after searching
the
downstairs I finally made my way up to the
second floor.
I found him in the first bedroom I came to;
he
was seated in a huge recliner in what must
have
been the master bedroom. His back faced me
yet
he spoke from his perch. "Why are you here
Scully?"
"And it's nice to see you too Mulder.' It
came
out angrier than I had originally thought,
but I
let it fly regardless. "So Mulder, I didn't
know
you were in the market for a new house, you
should have told me, I would have helped
you
pick something out." I smirked
"Don't be glib Scully," Mulder hurled back
at me
at nearly the same speed and ire. "Where is
Will?"
"Safe." I was not going to hand him the
satisfaction of a complete answer until I
had a
few of my own, and he could at least have
had
the decency to turn and face me.
"What do you want Scully? You come to
stare at
me, to gawk at what is sure to become a
medical
feeding frenzy?"
Ok, so now not only was I completely
confused, I
was also rapidly beginning to freak. "What
are
you talking about Mulder?" I asked
pointedly,
slowly inching upon his reclining form.
He chuckled in a morose tone, not even
bothering
to get up from his seat. "Don't come in
here
Scully." He nearly moaned. "Go home to
Will, go
do something that is going to make a
difference."
I was incensed. "What the hell is your
problem?"
I fumed. "At the very least you could
pretend to
be happy to see me. I have been through
hell to
get out here then find out where you
were..."
"You don't know what hell really is Scully.
"
his voice was scaring me more than a
little, and
I decided to end the charade, quickly and
without giving Mulder enough time to react
or
run, I advanced upon him like a hungry
lioness.
"Mulder," I accused as I spun him around.
Once
I had I instantly wished I hadn't, but that
is
the problem with knowing, once you know you
truly cannot go back.
His face and composure crumpled under my
scrutiny. I don't even think he realized
what
he was doing as he clutched his arms around
his
middle.
His Middle.
"Mulder...?"
"Don't fucking stare at me Scully, I'm not
a
freak!" he yelled. Mulder rose to his
feet,
only to swagger under his own seemingly
crushing
weight.
"Whoa...take it easy there big fella..." I
soothed as I eased a very rotund Mulder
back
onto the bed. I had so many questions, but
the
last thing he needed right now was an angry
shrew in his face, and the last thing I
wanted
were answers to mostly impossible
questions.
He lay on the bed breathing heavily from
the
head rush, eyes closed he seemed to be
sleeping
but I knew him better. "So now you know..."
"How did this happen?" It was the safest
way I
could find to phrase the question.
"Oh come on Scully,' a small smile spread
across
his puffy face. "Birds do it, bees do it
even
educated MD's..."
"Mulder!" I admonished trying hard not to
cry.
"How?"
He sighed, and then the tears came, in big
wet
drops that his hand could not wipe away
fast
enough. "I was abducted again Scully."
Sniffle.
"I was taken again and held against my
will."
Sniffle. "I was only gone for two days, and
I
had no idea what was done to me, or even
that I
had gone missing. Gibson had to tell me."
I chose silence as a supportive means, I
knew he
was going to spill his proverbial guts,
talking
during his confession would only serve to
delay
the inevitable. "And this was not an
important
enough occurrence to let me know what the
hell
was going on?"
He recoiled noticeably from my words, but
fuck
it; I want him to know how scared I was,
and how
utterly panicked I am right now.
"I came here to die Scully." The words hit
me
like a wall of ice cold water. "I didn't
want
you to know that I was dying...for the
second
time. What did you think would happen at
the
end of all of this?" he spoke the last
words as
he gestured at his expound middle.
Oh yeah, did I mention that the father of
my son
was either pregnant or had some serious
weight
issues. "We need to get you out of here
Mulder..." I stammered, not really wanting
to
make an already volatile situation
completely
untenable.
"And go where?" he raged. "Where do you
suggest
we go Scully? Oh I know, let's go to the
local
hospital, or better yet, let's cut to the
chase,
let's get the major media in on the fun."
His
words had come in a hoarse torrent,
followed
swiftly by another round of coughing and
wheezing.
"You shouldn't lay on your back like that
Mulder; it'll compromise your breathing."
My
attempts to nurture were rewarded with a
scowl,
though I noticed he did make an effort to
lay
onto his side, in a manner reminiscent of a
five
year old who had just learned why not to
touch
the stove. I wasn't sure how to approach
him,
but I felt a driving need to give him a
quick
once over. "You need to talk?" I asked, but
what
I really meant was 'how did all of this
happen?'
Mulder, always the show off, decided now
was as
good a time as any to come out with the
truth.
"I was abducted." He said so simply as if
to
explain the whole thing.
Nodding, I took the opportunity to advance
upon
his lanky prone frame. His middle was so
distended as to be comical in any other
form,
but the situation would not broker any
humor
from me, and I needed to know more details.
"If you want to know the high tech medical
term
for all this Scully, then you are barking
up the
wrong tree..." eyes met mine as I did my
rudimentary examination, surprised at how
pliable he had become to my ministrations
in
such a short amount of time. "I woke up in
the
front yard of the trailer, Gibson had to
convince me that I had been missing. " He
moaned
as I tried to check his abdomen. "That
doesn't
come off you know." He sneered.
"Mulder, we have to get you out of here. I
am
not comfortable with the progression of
your...condition and if I have to do
something
particularly radical I would feel safer
doing so
in a more sterile situation."
"No."
I was prepared for a fight, I knew Mulder
could
be a difficult patient, having been his
personal
physician for so many years had toughened
my
resolve against his tantrums. "Mulder we
have to
get you into a better environment, at the
very
least a sonogram so we know what we are
dealing
with here."
"I know what I am dealing with Scully, and
I am
not equipped with the plumbing necessary to
see
this through. "a small sigh escaped his
lips as
he shifted positions on the large bed.
"This is
going to kill me."
He seemed so sure of it, so damn positive
that
this was going to be the end of his life, I
wanted to reassure him, I wanted to tell
him
that things were going to be fine, but I
had to
start to believe that myself. "Mulder,
there are
options, let me make a few phone calls, I
promise that no one has to know what is
going on
here, I promise you that you will not be
poked
and prodded by anyone you do not want to."
A slight nod of his head was all I received
before he drifted off into sweet bliss.
XxXxX
I had a hard time getting him into the car,
my
friend from medical school offered her
vacant
offices no questions asked, of course I had
to
use my creds to access privacy, but Kersh
could
crawl into my ass later, I had bigger and
mouthier fish to fry.
Said fish was passed out in the back seat
of my
rental car, and snoring loudly. He wore
the
only things that would now fit his girth,
sweats. They gave him the look of a man who
had
too many visits from the clown and too many
dances with Sara Lee. Driving through the
desert at midnight was hardly my idea of a
great
time, but the wind was blowing well enough
to
encourage the open window, and the late
night
talk show on the radio kept me annoyed and
awake
with its preponderance of end of the world
doom
and gloom. Who the hell was Major Ed Dames
and
where was he getting his info from, cause
from
my vantage point he was way the fuck off.
"I'm going to die from this you know." He
mused
plaintively from under the arm slung across
his
face. I am used to him as a downtrodden
man, I
have been witness to him deal with the loss
of
both his parents and the final resolution
of his
sister's death. But seeing him deal with
his
own mortality in the face of such
humiliation
was nearly too much for me to deal with.
My
hands wanted to pull the car over and cry,
but
it was everything else that kept me pointed
towards Flagstaff and the only possible
salvation that Mulder may have.
"I don't see this killing you off Mulder,"
though my voice may or may not have cracked
on
one or more of the words.
He responded with another faint chuckle, a
half
hearted one that seemed to have gotten
stuck in
his throat. "Don't tell me you are now
claiming
to see the future..." I could see him
smirking
even though both eyes were firmly fixed on
the
road. "Someone get Yappi..."
"Mulder I am serious, we will get through
this."
"Why this Scully? I mean of all things
they
have done to me or tried to do to me, why
this?"
A smile played at my lips. "Well, killing
you
didn't seem to work."
"Not funny Scully." He sat up and leaned
back
into the faux leather of the back seat. "I
don't
know if I can live through this Scully. I
don't
know if you know this but I am not exactly
properly wired for this kind of thing."
What could I say? 'Oh yes Mulder it will
all
work out. Yes Mulder things are going to
be
fine this is the kind of thing that happens
all
the time, Yes Mulder this is going to all
end
perfectly naturally.' What could I say and
what
I should say were on two separate planets.
In
the end I opted for what we knew, what we
were.
"Well Mulder, you could always go back on
jerry
Springer..." At some point I will learn
bedside
manners, more than likely whenever I start
treating live patients.
Mulder did not answer the quip, did not
even
snicker. It was the silence that scared me
most. "Mulder I am sorry I was kidding..."
No answer, pulling over the car I made a
mad
dash for the back seat, imagining the worst
but
hoping, hoping.
I checked his vitals, his breathing was far
more
labored than when we first set off. I had
debated transporting him across the state,
but
given the options I knew the only answer
was to
get him to my friend's office. "Mulder?" I
asked
desperation had taken over my voice and I
could
hear myself squeak. "Mulder!' I tugged at
his
arm which seemed the only safe place to
touch.
He seemed completely lax to my touch. Any
other
time I would have grabbed for my cell and
frantically dialed for help. But this was
not
the time for outside help. I didn't want
Mulder
to become a spectacle, nor drag out into
the
light the horrid life that we had been
forced to
lead. I touched his forehead gingerly and
whispered his name once again.
"See, nothing to laugh at Scully."
XxX
"Char, I told you this was a bureau matter
and
that I would need complete privacy, no one
was
to be here including you." I was sticky
and
hot, still dressed in the same clothed that
I
had flown in. Charlene Carson was standing
at
the front door of her clinic, the only car
parked in the lot was her Lexus. She was a
pretty blonde but had a real yen for drama.
"Someone had to let you in Dee.' She loved
using
that nick name from college; I was in turn
glad
that Mulder was in the back seat and could
not
hear it. She dangled a set of keys from
her
elegant hand, jingling them as she spoke.
"Besides, you would not want me to miss out
on
such an exciting event as a real life FBI
case."
Did I mention she watched way too much TV?
It
was almost her downfall in med school. If
it
weren't for a rich father and a mid term
shift
in priorities, I would be sitting here
discussing what color I wanted my hair
dyed.
The same cold hard stare I gave her during
finals when she wanted to throw a party
backed
her off. "OK." She surrendered along with
the
keys. "But at least let me in on the
details
afterwards/" I granted a non committal
smile as
she hauled herself back into the car. I
watched
her drive off before securing my package
from
the back seat. He was none to happy at the
jostling and warned of urinating on me in
protest. Definitely a side of Mulder I can
do
without. Remind me never to knock him up.
By the time I got him settled onto a bed in
the
back, his color had begun to fade.
Mulder's
face was becoming a mask of grey glannel
and his
heart rate began to fluctuate. I knew I
didn't
have long to get whatever it was out of
him,
worst fears consisted of a hybrid that
would
ultimately was a hybrid that would
eventually
eat its way to freedom. These were fears
that I
wisely kept to myself in the memory of my
own
thoughts and fears during labor and
delivery.
Oh God,
Labor and Delivery.
It dawned on me then as I dragged the
portable
ultrasound through the empty back rooms
that I
would have to perform a C Section on
Mulder,
there was simply no other way. The
operation
was dangerous even under the most ideal
circumstances; this was what my father
would
have called a goat fuck.
He trusted me to get him through this, he
held
out the hope that I had dangled in front of
him.
What the hell was I thinking? I am a
doctor
that operates on the dead, and while I knew
the
basics of the procedure, there was so much
that
could go wrong that I could not begin to
list.
I held not only Mulder's life in my hands,
but
that of William's too. One wrong move on
my
part and my son is forever without a
father.
And that is when the anger hit. How dare
they?
After all that he had been through, we had
been
through How dare they use him in this
manner?
What right did They have to turn this man
into
Frankenstein's monster? Just because they
have
the ability to do it does not make it
right. I
wanted to stamp my foot in some way, scream
thousand angry curses, break something.
Instead I solemnly prepared the small
operating
room and breathed a prayer with each
instrument
laid out.
XXxXX
It is funny to note here that for a man of
Mulder's penchant for trouble, he harbors a
lot
of fears. Bugs, fire, needles and yes
surgery.
To say he was less than happy at being
strapped
down was less than accurate.
"Victor," he murmured. "Have I not a soul?"
"Shut up Mulder, you passed English Lit a
long
time ago, we are now in the Final Exams of
Anatomy." I glared at him. "I have to put
you
out Mulder, and here is the thing, I am not
sure
how this will affect the ba-situation. "I
stammered over the baby word I had done a
cursory ultrasound with the portable
monitor
while Mulder was tapped out. Thee was
nothing
there more than what seemed to be a full
term
infant. Mulder had never acknowledged this
as
anything more than a health issue, and I
could
not help but feel that in a lot of ways I
was
performing an abortion.
His blood pressure was starting to rise
to a
level that concerned me, "Mulder?" I asked
again
not knowing if he were unconscious, or just
trying to consider if he wanted to do this
or
not. "What I am saying Mulder that even in
the
best of circumstances, a C-Section is
dangerous."
"You have terrible bedside manners Scully"
Mulder muttered."Are you trying to talk me
out
of this? What are my options, maybe I
should
get a second opinion."
"Mulder..."
"I trust you Scully,' was all he said
before
closing his eyes. As I administered the
anesthesia, I found myself again praying
for his
safety.
Maybe we were just all out of miracles.
VvV
As I began to cut into my partner I had to
shake
the feeling that I was working on a corps,
I had
to remind myself that he was not dead.
It's not
as if this was a high tech sort of surgery
I had
working here, Char had almost no monitoring
equipment, save for a sonogram machine and
the
very basics.
I knew that once I made the first incision,
there was a ten minute window of
opportunity to
remove the fetus from whatever setup inside
of
Mulder.
What I found inside of him made no sense
whatsoever. Once past the abdominal
musculature, I encountered a web of fibrous
tissues. Not quite a womb, more like a
net.
Slicing inside revealed a thick
pearlescent,
gelatinous material. There was enough of
the
material to make me question the existence
of a
fetus at all.
Well whaddaya know?
The baby was tucked tightly into itself,
curled
around its own body. The gelatin made it
difficult to get a hold of the infant.
Clock
ticking away, I knew I only had a few
minutes
before Mulder's pressure dropped to
dangerous
levels.
But in the end, whether God heard my
prayers, or
I was still at home asleep in my messy
apartment
with a ton of laundry covering my head
having
the trippiest dream I ever had without the
aid
of self medication; either way this had
been too
damn easy. Mulder's vitals never slipped,
the
fetus slid right into my grip at the last
minute. Not that I would ever want to do
this
again, but if you are going to perform a
Caesarian in a tight spot, this was nearly
textbook.
XxX
Mulder didn't begin to wake up until three
hours
later. It was nearly two in the morning
and I
had successfully cleaned the evidence from
Char's observation area. She would love to
see
this one and knowing her predilection for
anything on a television, I made enough
time to
make sure all of the security tapes had
been
erased. Didn't need more of us on
television
thank you very much.
"Wow that was a helluva party Scully, but
next
time I get to be the one with the scalpel,
ok"
I smiled, just grateful to hear his voice,
grateful that he would live through it,
grateful
I didn't have to explain to William that
his
father was dead. "Hey Mulder, or should I
say,
Mom?" I had waited three hours for that one
damn
it.
He didn't smile, merely groaned and tried
to sit
up. "oh no you don't, we have to leave
soon, but
I still need you to lie still for another
hour
or so."
He snorted, but lay back down again. "So
what is
it?" he asked making a gesture at the
infant
happily relieving my swollen breasts.
"It's a boy Mulder, you have a son.
Another
one."
"I didn't cheat on you Scully," I guess he
picked up on the slight exasperation in my
voice. Leave it to Mulder to be
perceptive,
even while healing from what can be called
major
surgery.
I was angry, but on about twelve different
levels. "I know that Mulder, what I am
feeling I
can barely wrap into so few words as we
have
time for right now. I need to get us back
to
your little hideaway in the desert, then
after
you have healed, we can figure out where to
go
from there."
XxX
In the end, I left Char a thank you note
and
contact information in case there was
anything
she needed in return. I had to use the old
wheelchair to get him and the baby into the
car.
As unsafe as it was, I had to rely on
Mulder to
hold the baby as we made the six hour trip
back
through the desert.
XxX
We ended up staying at the house for a
week. We
had stopped along the ride to max out my
emergency credit cards on baby shit.
Seemed
almost pointless considering I had so mucho
f
this shit at home.
Home, that was another world away. I was
having
a hard time reconciling the two worlds into
one;
the one I left three days ago, and this new
odd
existence that consisted of a child that I
could
not account for, a life that included more
of
the weirdness that I thought would have
left us
alone by now.
I knew Mulder and I were in serious need of
a
discussion, but I wasn't sure how to go
about
insisting that he come home with me. How
would
we explain another baby that looked too
much
like Mulder to not be from him? Which
begged a
whole new line of issues. If Mulder is the
father of this baby, then who is the
mother?
Whose eggs contributed to this new miracle
squishing his face readying for an ardent
insistence upon an early breakfast.
"Mulder, we need to talk." I began as I
helped
him into the house being as careful as
possible
not to break open his stitches. I had not
slept
in two days, and I knew this was going to
catch
up to me sooner or later.
"Can we get a little sleep first before you
decide what we should do.' He smiled in
earnest
then.
"Well, you need to make some decisions
about-"
"I know that Scully, I want, I think I want
to
keep him Scully. I know ts not the best
thing
in the world, but, I know he's mine Scully,
I
can't leave him out there."
"Mulder, you're right. We should sleep on
this,
and decide when you are not so hormonal"
"You know that is not a very nice thing to
say
to the man who-" He stopped in mid
sentence.
Following his gaze, I realized what made
him
stop talking. "Gibson? What are you doing
here? Is everything ok with Thea?"
Gibson seemed different somehow, I could
not put
my finger on it, but it was something I had
not
felt in a while.
Gibson smiled as he sat in a nearly perch
like
stance in the modest living room. "Nice to
see
you up and about Mulder, and noticeably,
smaller." He grinned a little nervously.
"Gibson, how did you get here?" I told you,
seven years with Mulder has made me
question
things. We had not seen another car when
we
pulled in, and I doubted hw would have
walked
here.
"I see that the surgery was a success, is
that,"
he looked pointedly at the infant in my
arms.
"Him?"
Mulder gave a small shift in weight, I was
suddenly conscious of his need to lie flat.
"Gibson, can you please help me get him
settled
down on the couch."
Once I had a blanket over him, I sat in the
chair next to him cradling Mulder's baby in
my
arms. I was hesitant to feed him in front
of
Gibson, but I knew he was ready to eat
again.
"Go ahead Agent Scully, it won't bother
me."
I keep forgetting about that 'can read
minds
thing' he should have to wear a sign on his
head
or something.
"Now that would just give too much away
don't
you think Agent Scully?" His voice, not the
timbre, it was the cadence of speech that
made
the hairs on the back of my neck stand at
attention.
"Gibson?" Apparently I wasn't the only one
mildly put off by our late night visitor.
Mulder began to sit up a little, despite
the
apparent pain it caused him.
"I know you wonder if this child is safe
Agent
Scully, I assure you he is quite healthy."
Gibson began to search his pockets for
something. "I know your other questions
too.
It is so wonderful to know.'
His face contorted into a sort of placid
horror.
I knew that look, how could I have missed
it all
these years. How could we both have been
played
for fools for so long? How?" I asked
clutching
the baby closer as if to save him from the
evil
being next to me.
"My dear, the same way you hold that child
now.
We have had the ability to clone humans for
nearly eighteen years, thanks to our
friends. I
was the first batch that made it. It was a
good
idea your father had, Fox. He thought it
would
be good to clone one of us as a means of
continuing the Project." He found what he
was
looking for, no surprise it was a pack of
Morely's. Gibson placed one long tube into
his
mouth before going on, "I wanted to come
and
ensure your safety. The two of you have
served
us well in the past, but it is time for a
new
generation." He looked pointedly at the
baby, a
cold chill ran down my spine. "I am not the
only
one cloned in this room."
Mulder and I exchanged dumb stares as we
tried
to understand what was going on here.
"We knew the project would out live us, we
knew
that Colonization may or may not happen in
our
lifetimes. We needed a little insurance
that
our fight will continue."
"What the hell does that have to do with
us?"
Mulder stormed as loudly as the pain would
allow
him.
Gibson's smile made me shudder as he went
on.
"Very little now, but I am hoping that your
next
'incarnations' will be able to pick up the
fight. I have changed the rules just a
little
bit though." Gibson rubbed the unlit
cigarette
back and forth in his fingers. Old Smokey
would
have lit it baby or not, but I could not
help
but think that Thea's presence may have
changed
a little of his nature.
"Changed indeed Agent Scully, and that is
not
the only thing changed. This time it is I
who
has the advantage now."
My gut wrenched inside of me, I could not
imagine how to begin to fight someone who
knew a
move before you made it. I have no idea
where
this leaves us as far as hope; maybe there
is
none left at this point. Looking at him
there
were some similarities that I should have
sen
all along, aside form the small facial
similarities, the child had always fostered
within a realm of shadows and secrecies
that I
originally chalked up to his unique skill.
"What do you mean another clone?" Mulder
asked.
He looked at me holding his son as if I
could
morph into an alien bounty hunter at any
time
and wolf down the infant in one gulp. I
had
never felt that level of distrust from
Mulder
aimed my way, for the ten nanoseconds it
lasted,
I felt completely alone in the universe.
"You are making Agent Scully nervous Fox.
I
will put both of you out of you misery.
The
child is you Agent Scully." He smiled
"That is impossible, this child is male," I
ranted.
Mulder was oddly quiet as he mused over the
possibilities. "Its possible Scully, it's
only
the manipulation of one chromosome. But
aren't
you worried that would alter the outcome of
things?"
Gibson made to light the cigarette hanging
from
his mouth, a slight nod from me in the
direction
of the baby made him change his mind. "I
wouldn't worry too much about that Fox,
there is
a version of you that will soon know the
joys of
womanhood. We figured you may be quite a
bit
more docile as a woman."
"You don't get out much do you Smoky?" he
muttered.
"Be that as it may Fox, you will be quite a
bit
more reserved."
"Where am i?"
I guess this is the part of the story where
all
of the lies are explained, all of the ends
are
neatly tied into a perfect bow and you the
reader can leave feeling satisfied that you
have
read a great piece of fiction.
Would that it were fiction that is.
The fact is that after Gibson finished
explaining the whole thing to us, I felt
helplessness that I had not felt in years.
There was no hope. We were destined to
play out
these roles in one form or another ad
infinitum.
I didn't like the sound of that, nor did
Mulder
like the idea of his other, more curvier
self
being raised by Thea and Gibson.
Gibson left in a hail of conspiracy and
cigarette smoke and all I could think was
that I
truly was too old for this shit.
I guess that's the whole point isn't it?
XxX
In the end I convinced Mulder to come home.
Gibson had pretty much guaranteed our
safety,
they were done with us.
Mulder seemed completely different. It was
almost as if the fight had gone out of him.
We
had been home for a month before I got up
the
nerve to ask him about it.
"What's the point Scully?" he asked after
having
tucked the kids into bed. Mulder decided
to
name the baby Joshua, a name as far from
anything resembling my name as possible. I
can
understand Mulder's reasoning; wanting to
give
this kid his own chance in the world, maybe
steer him away from the medical and
criminal
justice field too. What this family needs
is a
nice, greedy CEO.
I tucked into the couch beside my other
half,
keenly aware of his feelings of
hopelessness. "I
don't think we are looking at this in the
right
light Mulder. " I offered "Who is to say
that
these children will grow up to be us
anyway? We
are not merely a product of our genetic
code, we
are a series of decisions made by us and
others
as well."
He looked at me but I could tell that this
was
far from over. "there is one other thing
Mulder,' I offered trying to give him one
last
bit of hope to cling to, to keep fighting
the
good fight wherever and whoever it may be.
"There is still an unknown variable."
"Scully, you know I love it when you go all
Algebraic on me."
I could see the small glint of hope cross
his
face as the humor came back to him. He was
beginning to see the light at the end of
the
tunnel, and I had turned it on for him.
"Our
little unknown variant, he was never part
of
this before, they can breed us, and clone
us,
but Will is all natural, no additives or
preservatives."
"Yeah,' he nodded as if it were all making
sense
to him. "Yeah, we can affect the future
from
right here Scully. We can stop this, in
our own
way." Raising himself off of the couch,
Mulder
ambled toward the computer.
"Mulder, what are you doing?" I asked
shocked at
his sudden surge of positive energy.
"I am affecting the future. " he smiled
"Hey
Scully, how do you feel about England?"
The End