The Naked Kitties: Headers, Notes, and ProloguePay attention because this is gonna get confusing.


Title: The Naked Kitties: Headers, Notes, and Prologue

Classification: SRA
Keywords: Mulder/Scully RST, Scully DAL for Mulder, Mytharc 
          (kinda)
Rating: NC-17 for just about anything you can imagine
Spoilers: the last one specifically is "Requiem," but knowledge 
          of the entire Mythology Arc is recommended
Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me, they belong to 
            Mr. Chris Carter, lucky bastard
Thanks: to realb, Karri, Vicki, and Liam for betaing, 
        cheerleading, and ass-kicking.
Notes: So realb asks me one day as we're having lunch, "will you 
       write a post-ep for "En Ami?"  I said no, but she offered 
       to buy me cheesecake, so here's the closest thing she's 
       gonna get.  It's not a post-ep, but it does deal with the 
       events of the episode that have gone largely ignored by 
       most people.

       I've taken the liberty of re-writing the second part of 
       "Requiem" for this story.  Assume that the Cigarette 
       Smoking Man is NOT sick or dying.  Also, this fic starts 
       right before the final scene in the hospital (where Scully 
       tells Skinner she's pregnant), replaces it, and continues 
       into it's own little universe from there.

       I've written this story in four parts, not including this 
       one, and will be posting them approximately two weeks 
       apart.  The whole thing is finished, though, and comes to 
       about 220K.  My main concern with this story is that no 
       one is interested in reading it with the premise that it 
       has.  If so, I apologize for wasting your time.  If not, 
       let me know that you're reading it and what you think 
       about it.  Please?



Summary: Scully is offered the one thing she never thought she 
wanted.  All she has to do is give up the one thing she can't 
live without.



<><><>Prologue<><><>

The Gunmen rushed me to the hospital after my graceful fainting 
spell last night.  Frohike is funny when he panics, but he's also 
sweet.  They're all sweet; so concerned and careful with me, 
treating me like I was a soap bubble that would either burst or 
float away if they turned their backs.  Of course, fear had a lot 
to do with it.  Fear for my well being, but for their own as 
well.  They know that if anything ever happens to me in their 
presence, Mulder will kick their asses individually, then as a 
group.  Then probably individually again.  It's very heroic in an 
annoying, patriarchal sort of way.

The doctor made a simple diagnosis of acute dehydration 
aggravated by exhaustion.  I just need a few days rest, according 
to him, but he wanted to keep me overnight for observation so 
that they could monitor my vitals.  Patients who are dehydrated 
and a little sleep-deprived rarely faint out of the blue, he 
said.  Langly told him to shut his "pie hole" and that I was a 
doctor myself.  Byers added that I could make the proper 
diagnosis.  Frohike finished by telling the doctor that I had 
been diagnosing patients since he was taking his teddy bears' 
temperatures.  It made me smile.

I did tell the doctor, who was much more respectful towards me 
afterwards, that I would need to be out of the hospital by one 
tomorrow afternoon.  I have to pick up Mulder at the airport.  
His flight from Oregon gets in at two thirty.

"Just one night, Scully," he kept saying.  "Skinner will be 
there, nothing will happen.  With any luck, we'll come back 
disagreeing about the 'weather balloon' he thinks we saw."  He 
kissed me on my cheek, giving me one of those, "I would do more 
but I'm afraid you'll shoot me again," looks and I hugged him 
again.  For ten minutes.  I just didn't want to let him go last 
night, so we ended up sleeping in my bed together.  Not 
"together" together, just together, fully dressed, holding each 
other, like we did the night his mother died.  In the morning, he 
was gone before I even woke up.

I'm lying on my side, facing the window, when I hear the door 
open behind me.  Must be the doctor coming to check on me and 
remind me to stay off my feet as much as possible for the next 
twenty-four-to-forty-eight hours, like I need the reminder.  The 
muffled squeakiness of expensive dress shoes catches my 
attention, though, and I turn my head, wondering why Mulder took 
an earlier flight.

"Good morning, Agent Scully," the Smoking Man says politely, 
sliding his hands in the pockets of his slacks.  "How are you 
feeling?  Rested?"

I sit up a little too quickly - dizziness.  Dammit.  "What are 
you doing here?"  Is all I can think of to say.

"I came to pay you a visit, see how you were," he pauses, 
suppressing a grin and stepping closer anxiously.  "Reacting to 
the news."

"What news?"

His withered old face falls, disappointed.  "You mean you haven't 
heard yet?  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spoil your surprise."

"Why don't you cut the bullshit and tell me why you're here," I 
seethe.

He just grins again.  "Doesn't it strike you, a physician, as odd 
that you're only suffering from a mild case of dehydration and 
yet you're fainting, having dizzy spells, an upset stomach?"

My eyes grow wide - how did he know about that last one?  I kept 
it to myself.

"If you were on the other side of the table, Dr. Scully, what 
would your diagnosis be?"

I think for half a second, almost telling him what kinds of tests 
I would order.  "You have thirty seconds to get out of here 
before I call security," I say instead.

He looks down at his shoes, then back up to me, stepping close 
enough to sit beside me on the bed.  "It'll just be our little 
secret for now, okay?"  He asks.

I raise my chin at him, daring him to continue.

"You're pregnant, Agent Scully.  Consider it a gift from me to 
you.  To make up for my...most recent betrayal."

Black edges my vision as I squint my eyes and my mouth goes dry, 
opening involuntarily.

"Don't get excited yet until you've heard the details," he says 
sarcastically.  "It gets better."

"I'm pregnant?"  I ask him, not believing one word that comes out 
of his nicotine-stained mouth.  "That's impossible, or did you 
not get the memo?"

"During our vacation together, I had one of our doctors implant a 
zygote into your uterus.  While you were unconscious, it 
implanted itself.  You're about six weeks along now."  He smiles, 
proud of his ingenious plan.  "Congratulations."

I swallow the rising bile in my throat and my eyes go out of 
focus.  "Why?"

"I told you, it's a gift.  It does come with a price, though."

Of course it does.  "What price?"

"It's not human.  Well, not entirely.  It's a hybrid, much like 
the little girl that you believed to be your daughter, only this 
time, the technology is much more advanced.  Your baby will not 
be sick like, what was her name?"

"Emily," I whisper.

"Like Emily was.  It will be perfectly healthy."

"And you expect me to believe this?"

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not, it's true.  But 
don't start getting visions of motherhood just yet.  You won't be 
allowed to keep it, of course.  We just need it to gestate inside 
a human mother and when I was informed that it was your 
ova...well, I decided to be generous.  It's the only chance 
you'll ever have to feel your child growing inside you, Agent 
Scully.  I suggest you make the most of it."

I can't wait until Mulder hears this.  "So, what, you're going to 
steal it from the hospital after it's born?  That's a little 
uncreative for you."

"Oh no, Agent Scully.  You'll be abducted again and the fetus 
will be taken from you at eight months.  No need to risk its 
birth in a hospital when it's so valuable.  Don't worry, though.  
You'll have no memory of the procedure."

"I'm not worried about that.  I'm worried about what I might do 
to you if you don't get out of my room right now!"  I growl at 
him in a low, dangerous voice.  I still don't believe him, but 
he's getting a little specific for my tastes.

"You don't seem too thankful for my generosity.  I thought we'd 
cleared up any ill feelings we had towards each other."

"Was that before or after you used me against my partner for your 
own dirty work?"

He looks down again, frowning slightly.  "Yes, I imagine it was 
difficult to explain that to Agent Mulder.  Which brings me to 
the second part of my offer."

"What offer?"

Looking up, he grins again, enjoying this show-and-tell.  "You 
don't need to worry about picking him up at the airport this 
afternoon.  He caught a connecting flight in Oregon."

My heart stops beating for a few seconds as I decipher his 
riddle.  "You son of a bitch..."

"Hear me out, Agent Scully.  He was taken for insurance and he 
will be returned to you safely, provided you meet our 
requirements."

"What requirements?"  I ask breathlessly.

"The alien bounty hunters want your baby for their research.  We 
had the technology to create it, so we made a deal.  They took 
Agent Mulder to ensure our cooperation.  When your baby is ready 
to be born, we'll give it to them and they'll return Agent Mulder 
to us and I'll turn him over to you.  Simply, really."

"You take my baby and I get Mulder back?"

"Yes," he says flatly.

"I don't believe you," I tell him again, moving to stand.  
Another wave of dizziness hits me and I fall back against the 
bed, shaking.

"Your doctor will be in in a moment to confirm your pregnancy, 
Agent Scully.  It has nothing to do with your beliefs."

"Even if it is true," I say slowly, taking deep breaths through 
my nose.  "It's still my body and my baby; I'll be damned if I'll 
let you have either of them."

"Then hear this: If you attempt to abort this pregnancy, if you 
try to run and go into hiding, we'll find you.  We know your 
every movement by that chip in your neck.  I'm sure you know the 
consequences of removing it.  This baby will be born, Agent 
Scully, and if it's not, Agent Mulder will pay the price.  I have 
it in my power to kill him and I will."

"Why kill him now, after all these years?"  I ask, trying 
desperately to poke holes in his argument.

"This is my last chance to be on the right side when colonization 
begins.  I won't let you or him cheat me out of that," he says, a 
deadly serious tone in his voice.

I look down at my feet dangling above the shiny tile floor and 
blink tears back from my eyes.  "You selfish bastard," I say 
under my breath, but he hears me.

"Not selfish, Agent Scully.  Self preserving.  You'd be wise to 
try it yourself."  His shoes squeak loudly this time as he walks 
across the floor, opens the door, and leaves me in an eerie 
stillness.

I don't believe him, I tell myself as I pick up the phone on the 
bedside table, dialing Mulder's cell phone with shaking fingers.  
I don't believe him, it can't be true, he's trying to scare you, 
Mulder answer the phone, I don't believe him.

No answer.  Not even the recorded message telling me that the 
cellular customer I'm trying to reach is unavailable.  After 
twenty six rings, I hang up.

I don't believe him.  Mulder's flight gets in at two thirty, I 
need to go home and shower and change so I can be on time.

As I'm dressing, the doctor comes in and crosses his arms, 
scowling when he sees me defying his orders.  "Well, we figured 
out what's caused all these fainting and dizzy spells," he says, 
pacing around behind me.  "Congratulations.  You're pregnant."

<><><>End Prologue<><><>