�The same as everyone else, I�m afraid.� Cooper smiled. �We try to create a vaccine against the virus while trying to preserve the natural order of the world. We want to keep our race and our planet as pure as possible throughout this. We try to control as much of the change as we can. We need to keep the others from making a mess of our ecological system while creating the purest solution we can.�
�Aye!� Koskie jerked his feet up and looked down at the floor. �Cucaracha!�
�Damn OCD.� Cooper shook his head as Mulder drank some more of his beer.
The silence that came with the ending of �Road House Blues� was deafening and the three of them waited until an Eagle�s song kicked off.
��All alone at the end of the evening�When the bright light�s have faded to blue�I was thinking about woman who might�ve loved me�And I never knew��
Mulder winced at the song. The lyrics seemed too familiar. He didn�t have time for this right now.
��You know I�ve always been a dreamer�Spend my life running around�And it�s so hard to change�You can�t seem too settle down�But the dreams I�ve seen lately�Keep on turnin� out�And burnin� out�And turnin� out the same��
�What about Gibson Praise?� Mulder interrupted. He leaned closer to the two of them, symbolically disassociating himself from the music.
Cooper shook his head. �I don�t know who that is.�
�Little boy. Telepathic. Chicken has the same DNA.�
�There are actually several �subjects� as the Company calls them.� Cooper said, grimacing at his use of words. �I�ve seen a few. Their DNA is used to try to create the ultimate hybrid. A human with alien powers or an alien with a human thought process. A couple of them have come close.�
Mulder thought of Krycek. He wondered how many people knew that he was half alien. He couldn�t have hid it his whole life. Spender knew, of course, but did anyone know that he had such amazing abilities? Would they have let him loose if they did? And how much did Spender know? Krycek could have kept a lot of secrets.
�They just what, live at the lab?� Koskie asked. �Are they tested, do they exercise whatever telepathy they have? Or do they just stay there�getting blood taken. I don�t understand��
�Neither do I, Agent Koskie.� Cooper said.
�It doesn�t seem, worthwhile, to just keep these people wasting away when they could be used for far better purposes.� Koskie said. �For them to be wasting away in a lab, having tests run and blood drawn, when they could be communicating with the aliens, gray, rebels or chickens�Or even doing something else. As much as it sickens me to think this way, we could be trading them with the aliens for time or information or something. It makes no sense.�
�I don�t even know how to qualify any answer for that.� Cooper said. �They�ve been trying to create the perfect hybrid, as I�ve said. The perfect hybrid can be the solution to all of our problems, or the beginning of a horrible catastrophic chain of evens. And I know they�ve come close, but beyond that, I don�t know much about the dealings of everyone else. The whole thing gives me a headache. I just try to keep a clear mind of everything that�s going on while Purity Control tries to find ways to keep this as painless as possible.�
�I thought Gibson was the solution�. Mulder said. �I�ve always got the impression that he was the child we were all waiting for.� Mulder held up his hands and made quotation marks in the air. �I thought he was �the one�.�
�Maybe they thought that at one time.� Cooper said. �But he�s not the one.�
Mulder stared back at him, a horrible thought beginning to take shape in his mind as Cooper shook his head.
�Not anymore.�
***
Mulder couldn�t reply. Memories were crashing into his head. He and Cancer Man were sitting at the table in Scully�s apartment. Spender�s soothing, elegant voice floating to his ears.
'So then you know why Alex and Scully were chosen to be the parents of this child?'
Mulder hesitated. 'No, they didn't tell me that. I know that Krycek is supposedly the perfect alien-human hybrid.'
'And Scully has the perfect genetic make-up to resist the virus. Thanks to the vaccine you injected her with. The two of them are very important to the human race. They are very important in every way. I have no doubts that Alex can care for himself.' Spender smiled. 'And I don't know if you have noticed, but Alex has become very protective of Agent Scully. Which is perfect, she needs all the protection she can get, considering what is at stake. With those two DNA strands, the child is the next step in human evolution.'
Mulder suddenly stood up from the small table in the bar, fatigue, alcohol and memories making the room spin around him.
He remembered waking up on the beach, the whole bottle of Scotch he�d killed making everything fuzzy and disconnected. Skinner in jeans, sitting down next to him in the sand and asking him if he really thought Scully was dead.
�When all this first started,� Skinner had said, staring out over the ocean, �Alex had said that Scully and the baby were very important. That she wouldn't be safe. And Scully had said that she was warned by Cancer Man that she needed to go into hiding, that her physiology was changed, that she carried an anti-agent.'
Mulder stared back at him. 'Of what?'
'The virus.'
Mulder walked out of the bar while fumbling his cell phone out of his pocket and dialing.
�Hello?� Krycek�s voice sounded tired and defeated.
Mulder couldn�t say anything. He tried to force something out, but no words would come.
�Hello?�
Mulder swallowed a lump that had risen in his throat. �It�s me.�
�Fox?�
�Yeah.�
There was silence for a moment before Krycek broke it. �You okay?�
�I�m fine.�
More silence. �Where are you, Fox?�
The sympathy and pity in his voice caused Mulder to shove away any comfort, however slight that came from hearing Krycek�s voice. �I�m only calling to tell you that I think the baby might be in danger, Krycek. I�ve been having a conversation with someone from the NSA. I used to think that Gibson Praise was the child they needed, but now I�m thinking it�s yours. There was an alien and we followed it and it had Gibson�s DNA and-�
�Fox.� Krycek softly interrupted.
�It�s killed so many people, Krycek.� Mulder babbled on, knowing that his level of anxiety was climbing as he spoke faster and faster. �It was in a naval shipyard, a naval shipyard, Krycek, what the hell would it be doing there?�
�Fox.� Krycek tried to interrupt again.
�And it killed Senator Fletcher and we followed it to where I�ve been working with Diana and the NSA was there and I�ve been told that Gibson wasn�t the one, Krycek. So I�m thinking it�s yours. I�m thinking he�s talking about Scully�s baby.�
�Where are you, Fox?� Krycek asked sharply, urgency evident in his voice.
�I just wanted to make sure you knew.� Mulder said, snapping his voice shut against his rambling. He took a deep breath as the silence stretched out. He felt his emotions spiraling out of control and was powerless to do anything about it. The psychologist in him analyzed his actions. That he would begin to crack while talking to Krycek, how very odd. Detached, viewing himself from far away, he thought maybe he felt comfort from Krycek. Knew that Krycek loved Scully too, so he could understand what he was feeling. Or maybe he�d been cracking all along and hearing Krycek�s voice brought back bad feelings, worsening his already thin stability. More likely, it was a combination of both.
The fact that he didn�t mind Krycek calling him Fox was another oddity all together. He couldn�t begin to explain that one.
Mulder reminded himself that this was the reason he didn�t hang out with Skinner, that he didn�t call on the Lone Gunmen or Scully�s mom, or even Krycek when the strange desire to hear the man�s voice suddenly popped in his head. It was so much easier to ignore the whole thing if they weren�t around.
�Maybe you should come spend some time out here, Fox.� Krycek�s voice interrupted the diagnosis he was spinning for himself. �I don�t think it�s a good idea that you�re involved in all this right now. Maggie�s still here. You can meet the baby, get a tan, and drink some margaritas. It�d be good for you, Fox.�
The offer sounded good. He could hang out on the beach, play with the baby in the sand, and visit with Maggie� Mulder hesitated. He was too stubborn, had too much pride, and he knew it.
�Fox, it�d be so much easier if you�d just give in.� Krycek said softly.
Mulder sighed, head bent towards the ground. He shook his head and stared at a crack in the sidewalk. He hated that Krycek always knew what he was thinking. That he probably knew more about was going on in his head than Mulder himself did. �I don�t know, Krycek.�
�We can all get through this together, Fox. There�s no need for you to be alone.�
Mulder smiled. Evil Krycek, the voice of reasoning, the picture of compassion. Krycek was looking out for him, worried that he was alone in the big, bad world. Mulder began to shake. He was alone.
He had made damn sure of that.
�I really don�t like the thought of you alone on Christmas.� Krycek said.
Mulder quit breathing for a moment. Tears suddenly filled his eyes. Christmas? When was that? What was the date? He was losing it and it scared him.
�Come on, Fox.� Krycek was making it hard for him to say no. �Go get on a plane.�
The thought of heading straight to the airport and hopping on the next flight to California was very appealing. He could leave this cold, icy place and head out to the beach. Maybe Krycek could teach him how to surf. That�d be a sight, the two of them surfing together. They�d be bound to get into trouble. They had misbehaved enough at Thanksgiving dinner. It had been fun, acting like children. Probably because neither of them had ever had a brother before.
That thought ended it all. Krycek was not his brother.
�I can�t.� Mulder said softly, voice trembling as the tears threatened to fall. �I�m sorry.�
�Fox-�
�I just wanted to tell you to be careful.� Mulder said, hanging up before Krycek could say another word.
He turned to see Koskie staring at him, surprise and confusion sweeping his face.
Mulder put his phone away, hoping desperately that Koskie wouldn�t see the tears in his eyes. �You always sneak up on people?�
�Mulder, you ran out of the bar, looking like you�d seen a ghost.� Koskie said, sympathy clear on his face. �I wanted to make sure you were okay.�
�I�m fine.� Mulder snapped, walking past him back into the bar.
�Oh yeah.� Koskie replied, following close behind. ��I�m fine�. That was real convincing. Hearing you talk to Krycek about his baby, Scully�s baby. What the hell is going on?�
Mulder spun around and pointed a finger in his face, his face dark with anger. �I told you before, Koskie. Don�t say her name. I don�t want to talk about her�
Koskie flinched back, this sudden viciousness from Mulder totally unexpected.
�Does that make it easier to accept all this, Agent Mulder?� Koskie asked softly. �If we don�t talk about her? If we pretend she never existed?�
Mulder stared back at his partner face, sad with empathy. He put his hands over his face and lowered his head. Keep it together, Mulder. Just keep it together. Counselor, counsel thyself.
Hearing Krycek�s voice had definitely not improved the situation. Hearing that compassionate, calm and collected voice. Krycek seemed to be able to express his sympathy and sadness with such ease, while Mulder found it difficult to think at all.
�Let me take you home, Mulder.� Koskie said. �You need some rest. We both do.�
Mulder sighed and hesitated before nodding. �Let�s at least finish up with Cooper. Then we�ll go home.�
�Actually.� Koskie said as they headed back towards the table. �Since we�re in New York, maybe we should get a hotel. It�s a long drive back to DC.�
�Either way, I don�t care.� Mulder said as he sank back down in his chair.
Cooper was returning to the table with another round of drinks.
�Must have read my mind.� Mulder said. �I�m thinking I need to get drunk tonight.�
�Now.� Cooper said, setting their drinks on the table. �Where were we.�
Mulder raised his beer. �We were about to make a toast.�
Koskie and Cooper followed suit, the latter looking surprised. �And what are we toasting?�
To family, to friends, to the future. To Scully. Mulder shrugged. �I was just looking for a salut.�
�Salut.� The other two said as the three of them clinked glasses.
They were silent as they drank and Mulder thought of Krycek, of Scully, and their baby that may or may not save or destroy the world.
�What is on our table?� Koskie asked, picking up his napkin and scrubbing at something. �Is that food?�
Mulder smiled before noticing Fleetwood Mac on the jukebox.
��Time cast a spell on you, but you won�t forget me�I know I could have loved you�But you would not let me��
Mulder�s smile faded away. How many chances did they have that he decided to throw away? Because of his pride? And when it counted, when she was pregnant and running away to safety, what did he do? He hid. Hid in his work, hid in the X-Files. He never went to visit her. And why? Because he was jealous of Krycek? Because he was wrapped up in the Verein? What a crock of shit.
When he was in California, Krycek had warned him.
'Where have you been, Agent Mulder?� Krycek asked. �What is important enough that you give up a woman like Dana?'
'I'm not giving her up.' He said softly.
'But you are. The more time you keep away, the more she doesn't need you. The more you ignore her, the more she questions your relationship. This is the most important time in her life and you are missing it.' Krycek looked away and resumed his cleaning. 'And you are losing her.'
'What would I be losing her to?' Mulder had asked.
Krycek huffed in exasperation, looking up at him. 'How can you be so smart and so stupid at the same time?'
The music kept playing, bringing Mulder back to the present. To the dingy little bar he was in.
��Time cast a spell on you�But you wont forget me�I know I could have loved you�But you would not let me��
Mulder put his hands over his face, trying to get away from the feeling that Scully was speaking to him from the grave.
��I�ll follow you down till the sound of my voice will haunt you�You�ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you��
Scully, blonde and pregnant, covered in orange slime and giggling.
�Mulder?� Koskie asked, placing a hand on his arm. �You okay?�
He nodded in response.
Scully smiling at him in the candlelight as he reached over to wipe some marinara sauce off of her cheek.
�Mulder.� Koskie was insistent. �Are you okay?�
Mulder didn�t take his hands away from his face. He could hide in them. They were his comfort.
Scully drunk and giggling over a carafe of sake they were splitting in a Japanese bar.
�Mulder, you�re shaking.� Koskie�s voice was far away as the music pounded into his brain.
��I�ll follow you down till the sound of my voice will haunt you�You�ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you��
Scully, in a white robe, face drawn and pale in the hospital, telling him that Penny Northern has died.
�Mulder!� Koskie�s voice was alarmed, but Mulder couldn�t respond, the darkness spun around him.
��You�ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loved you��
Scully, frightened and trembling as she threw herself into his arms years ago in Bellefleur, Oregon.
Strong hands grabbed his arms as he felt himself falling. Koskie and Cooper were saying his name, asking him if he was okay.
Mulder grinned through the hazy image of Scully, smiling at him and asking, �Oh, is that what you were extending?�
�I�m fine.� He whispered before giving in to the blackness.
***
�Mulder, what are you doing?�
He turned and looked at her as he walked back into the kitchen. �What?�
She hesitantly walked in his direction, arms crossed. �You�re not making pipe bombs in there, are you?�
He feigned hurt. �Why Scully, I�m cooking you dinner.�
She stared at him, not sure what to say.
He smiled. �How am I supposed to take that?�
�Mulder, I didn�t think you knew what the kitchen was really used for.� She said, gesturing towards the refrigerator with her head. �I thought you used it to store beer and magazines.�
He stopped. �Magazines?�
She reached down and opened one of the drawers by the stove to reveal a stack of magazines that he probably didn�t want her to know about.
�Oh those.� He grinned at her.
�I know, I know.� She walked over to stir the marinara sauce. �They�re not yours.�
He smiled and stood close behind her. �You know me so well.�
Scully tasted the sauce and turned to Mulder, her eyes wide. �You did not cook this.�
�I did.� Mulder laughed at her surprise.
�You�re lying.�
�I�m not.�
She glanced in his trash. �Where�s the jar? Prego, Newman�s, Sutter Home, Classico��
Mulder laughed. �I cooked it myself. I made it this morning. It�s been simmering all day.�
Scully gave him a look and he nodded in response. �I used the Joy of Cooking book.�
She burst into laughter and he joined her.
***
�Mulder, I cannot tell you how good this manicotti is.�
He smiled back at her. Really wanting to do something about the smear of marinara on her left cheek. �You didn�t think I could cook?�
�Mulder, I know you can�t cook.� She said, taking a sip of Chianti. �So, it leads me to wonder where on earth you got this wonderful marinara sauce.�
�I made it, Scully.� He said, glancing again at the spot on her face. �I�ve been slaving all day and instead of praise, I get berated.�
�You have been busy today, that much I�ll give you.� She glanced around at his apartment again. It was picked up, clean. They were having dinner by candlelight. He had even managed to get some flowers for the table. A wonderfully mellow song that was one of her favorites by U2 was playing.
��Love is blindness�I don�t wanna see�Wont you wrap the night�Around me��
She narrowed her eyes at him playfully over the rim of her goblet as she took another sip of wine.
He nearly choked on his food trying not to laugh. �What�s that look for?�
�Fox Mulder, if I didn�t know you better, I�d say you were trying to seduce me.�
He stopped chewing, blinked at her, and swallowed his food. She giggled and he grinned in response.
��Love is clockworks�And cold steel�Fingers too numb to feel�Squeeze the handle�Blow out the candle�Love is blindness��
�Miss Scully, I do believe you�ve had too much of the red stuff.�
�You can never have too much of the red stuff.� She replied, holding out her glass so he could refill it.
�I seem to remember a time or two that you�ve had too much of something.� The wine gurgled out of the bottle. �And it wasn�t pretty. Not that night or the next day. As a matter of fact, you weren�t very amiable at all.�
�Four syllable word, Mulder.� She said. �Nervous about something?�
�Scully�� He leaned back in his chair and grinned at her. �Have you ever known me to be nervous? This is me we�re talking about. Sly Fox.�
�Uh huh. Sly Fox.� She nodded, mock sternness on her face as she lifted the glass up to her lips. �That�s right, I must have forgotten.�
�Are you making fun of my high school alter ego?�
�No, not at all.� Scully shook her head. �I just figured you�d be more the kind of guy that would rather have something like Big Daddy Fox.�
Mulder nearly sprayed her with wine. �And where would you get that amazing deduction?�
�Your Oscar-winning movie collection.�
�Really.�
�Oh yes.� Scully said, nodding seriously. �All sorts of education to be gained by viewing.�
�Oh, I never got that impression at all.� Mulder said smiling. �I guess we�ll have to watch them together sometime.�
Scully gave him a dirty look and they were both silent.
��Love is drowning�In a deep well�All those secrets�And no one to tell�Take the money�Honey�Blindness��
Mulder reached over, towards her face. She stared back at him, eyes slightly widening. He brushed his thumb across her cheek and grinned at her.
�Marinara.�
Scully released a breath she hadn�t realized she�d been holding. She smiled at him as the flickering of the candlelight played across her face.
�Tease.�
Mulder smiled. Ever since they�d gotten a bit closer, she was much more playful with him. The few kisses they�d shared, they couple of �dates� they�d managed to head out on, it had been interesting, to say the least. Their relationship was being redefined and neither of them was sure if it was good or bad.
�I�ll help you clean up.� She said, picking up their plates and walking towards the kitchen.
He grabbed their glasses and the bottle of wine off of the table. �Just leave them on the counter, Scully, I�ll get it tomorrow.�
They passed each other as she walked out of the kitchen. He set the empty bottle of wine and their glasses on the counter. When he turned back, she was two feet away, staring up at him.
The silent moment stretched on, feeling like an eternity had passed. It was as if an unspoken signal had transpired between them. She reached her hands up towards his face as he tangled his hands in her hair and their lips crushed against each other.
She backed him up a couple of steps, until he was against the wall. Mulder put his hands on the small of her back and pulled her against him. Their kiss intensified and Scully slid her hands under his shirt, letting them rest on his chest.
He smiled against her lips, and walked her in the direction of the couch. She giggled, her sweet, warm breath flooding his mouth, and fell back. Mulder sprawled the length of his body on top of her, loving the way her tongue curled around his.
MTV popped up on the television and �Living Dead Girl� by Rob Zombie filled the room.
��Crawl on me�Sink into me�Die for me�Living dead girl��
Mulder pulled the remote out from under her and pointed it towards the television.
�Leave it on.� Scully whispered breathlessly into his ear.
��Blood on her skin�Dripping with sin�Do it again�Living dead girl��
Mulder smiled down at her, loving that his face was a mere inch away from hers. �You like this?�
She grinned evilly and began to sing along as she threw one of her legs over his.
��Crawl on me�Sink into me�Die for me��
Mulder dropped the remote.
***
Mulder opened his eyes against the drill hammer pounding in his head. Where was he? He turned his head to the right, towards a window, and all he could see were trees. Trees and bars. Bars? Where the hell was he? He vaguely remembered sitting in a bar with Cooper and Koskie. It all came flooding back and he winced. He had been talking to Krycek. He mind had overloaded. He passed out.
Damn. He was back in the sullen, solitaire present. Where Scully was dead and he was alone. Could it suck anymore than it did? He wanted to go back to the memory he�d been dreaming about.
He tried to sit up, but couldn�t. The thumping in his skull wouldn�t allow it. He turned his head the other way and his gaze settled on Koskie. His partner was sleeping; head against the back of the chair he was slouched down in.
Mulder tried to whisper, to call Koskie without causing the damn elves to tap dance across his forehead. He squeezed his eyes shut and took slow, deep breaths for a few moments. Feeling slightly rejuvenated, he reached his hand over to the side table and searched until he found a piece of paper. Crumpling it up, he took careful aim and gently flicked his wrist. The makeshift ball sailed over and hit his partner in the face.
Koskie quickly stood up, fumbling his gun out of his holster and knocking his chair over. Mulder couldn�t help but laugh softly at his partner�s amazing display of no coordination. The chuckling only made the elves pound harder and he forced himself to stop.
Koskie relaxed and approached the side of the bed. �I guess someone�s feeling better.�
�Where am I?� Mulder asked in a whisper.
�Hospital.� Koskie said, leaning closer to Mulder so he could whisper as well. �Psychiatric ward.�
