�Oooooh.� Frohike and Langly exclaimed and the latter continued. �We missed that one in person.�
�Oh yeah.� Mulder replied. �That was brutal.�
�I remember those few days.� Byers said. �Not fun.�
�Skinner had fun.� Mulder said, looking at his superior. �I remember a certain Assistant Director taking off with Krycek for half an hour and getting quite drunk off tequila shooters before passing out in Scully�s apartment.�
�Alex made me do it.� Skinner said, walking back towards the house. He was followed by remarks.
�Oh I�m sure that was it.� Frohike said.
Koskie yelled after him as well. �Not like you ever had a taste for tequila or anything.�
�Saint Skinner. I�ve never seen him take a drink.� Mulder said, turning back to see Scully lost in thought. �Hey Scully.� He said softly. �What�s up?�
She sighed and looked at him. �That whole time of my life was so damn weird. It doesn�t even seem like part of my life anymore. It seems so long ago.�
�Yeah.� Frohike said. �But we had some good times. So it wasn�t all for nothing.�
Scully smiled at him and put her right hand over his. �You were all very good to me.�
Frohike looked down at her hand. His eyes were wide behind his glasses when he glanced sharply up at her. �Scully?�
She stared back, concerned at the horrified expression on his face. �What?�
He picked up her hand to look at it closer before staring in her eyes.
�How did you get your ring?�
Silence fell over the table as Scully�s mind raced for answers. Yes, between her and Mulder tripping all over their lies, things were not looking well. What a tangled web we weave�
***
Mulder and the Lone Gunmen knew about the ring, they knew that it had been sitting on the kitchen counter since she�d �died�. Koskie and Marie didn�t know, but any fool could see by the reaction of the Lone Gunmen that something was up.
�Scully?� Frohike asked.
She didn�t answer and gave a small shake of her head. She bit her lip and finally glanced across the table at Mulder. He returned her serious stare.
Skinner and Cooper returned to the table with their arms full of plates and utensils. They got a look at the somber cloud hanging over the table and exchanged a glance.
�What�s going on?� Skinner asked, setting down plates with a loud clang.
�How the hell should I know?� Koskie said. �They�ve all got their panties in a bunch over Scully�s ring.�
Skinner glanced down at Scully�s hand before meeting her eyes. He sighed and shook his head. �Damnit, Scully, couldn�t you have called first?�
�Well, how the hell was I supposed to know you were having a dinner party?� Scully asked. �You were never at the height of any social circle before!�
Koskie smiled humorlessly. �Am I the only one here who feels like there is something going on that I don�t know about?�
�Nope.� Langly said. �I�m starting to get that feeling myself.�
�Ain�t a nice one, is it?� Koskie replied. �Kinda feels like a bug crawling up your ass.�
�I�m not about to ask how you know that feeling.� Cooper said.
Frohike opened his mouth, then shook his head. �I�m not going to go there.�
�I certainly hope not.� Koskie said.
�That�s not what I meant, you Backstreet Boy looking freak!�
�Show me the meaning of being lonely�� Koskie sang as he leaned towards him.
�Somebody, please, shoot me now.� Langly said.
�This is probably not a good place to make that request, Garth.� Marie said, smiling over at him. �Too many people here will take you seriously.�
�We give custom shooting�s.� Koskie said. �We�re like Blockbuster Video. Name your preferred caliber. We�re guaranteed to have it, or your money back.�
�I�ve seen your shooting before, dear brother.� Marie said. �I�m not sure anyway would pay on the hope that you�ll be able to do the job correctly.�
He made a face at her. �Just because you were the inter-service pistol champion four years in a row-�
Byers interjected. �Can we please stop with the infighting for one minute?�
�Inbreeding?� Koskie shouted out. �None of that going on here!�
�My god!� Scully said, laughing in spite of herself. �Don�t you ever quit?�
�Now you see what I have to deal with.� Mulder said. �God forbid we should ever have him and Krycek in the same room.�
�Oh, no.� Skinner said. �That�s bad anyway you look at it.�
�What about the ring?� Byers asked, silencing the table once again.
When no one said anything, Mulder spoke up. �I�ll explain-�
�No, Mulder.� Scully looked up at him. �I�ll explain.�
Skinner stood at the head of the table. �Before we start any of this, I�m bringing out the damn food. I�m starving.�
�And I�m sober.� Marie said, standing next to him. �Who wants Chianti?�
�I�d love a glass.� Scully said.
�And who wants a beer?�
Six hands went up. Mulder, Koskie, the Lone Gunmen and Skinner.
Marie looked over at Cooper. �No beer?�
Cooper shuddered jokingly. �Not me, I�m raiding the bottle of Bombay Sapphire Skinner always has lying around somewhere. Find me some tonic and I�ll be in heaven.�
�There�s four bottles of Chianti.� Marie said, looking over at Scully. �And we�re the only two drinking it.�
Scully shrugged. �I don�t have a problem with that ratio.�
Marie smiled and walked towards the house. �Walter, where�s that cooler we used to take out to the beach?�
�Probably in the basement next to my wine glasses.�
They ate and drank and talked. Scully had decided that she could trust everyone here. If Mulder trusted them, then she did too. So she told the truth about Krycek. Well, kind of the truth. She told them that he had traded himself for her. Alone. She left out the part that Krycek could feel things, she left out the part the she could feel anything. She basically left out all the alien genetics mumbo-jumbo for everyone�s benefit. She didn�t know what Mulder might have told Koskie or Marie, and she didn�t know what the Lone Gunmen already knew. So she skipped it all together.
She left out the part where Mulder had been involved. She chose instead to tell them that Krycek had rescued her on his own just recently. That she had gone back to the beach house and been met by Skinner and Cooper, who had approached her in just the manner that they had.
Scully basically told the truth. She just manipulated the time a little. Eight months wasn�t all that much to lie about. Especially considering the circumstances. The only people who knew the truth were Skinner and Cooper. And they both had too much on the line to be complaining about anything.
She left out Mulder all together.
The Lone Gunmen were irritated, concerned, upset, any negative emotion that anyone could feel. They automatically launched into various ways of getting Krycek out, but were basically just blowing off steam. The best way for anything to get done was to let Scully continue on her way and see what was going on. They insisted that she was wired the soonest they could rig anything. They insisted on trying to hack into the security system. They insisted on sticking their noses where they didn�t belong, as usual. Only now, Scully welcomed it.
As was expected, they all drank too much and became totally useless. Scully hadn�t eaten much, considering all she would touch was the garlic bread and salad. But the ever-flowing wine had taken its toll. She was very tired, very upset, and very drunk.
That made for a bad combination.
They were cleaning up the place when Skinner turned on his stereo and an Eric Clapton CD began to play.
Scully dropped her wineglass and it shattered on the floor as Mulder�s hands went across his eyes.
��Bell Bottom Blues�You make me cry�I don�t wanna lose this feelin���
They were both reliving the moment on the beach, only this time, Mulder saw it from her point of view. He had been powerless to do anything but watch as Scully had realized that Krycek may have cared about her more than she had believed.
��If I could choose a place to die�It would be in your arms��
Krycek must have been arriving at the same conclusion, because he had seemed as surprised as she was. He had taken a step away from her, his face shocked, scared. He and Scully had stared at each other for a moment and Mulder could sense the turmoil between the two of them.
��Do you wanna see me crawl across the floor to you��
Scully had suddenly realized that Krycek caring about her didn�t bother her as much as it probably should have. She thought that this was because maybe she cared about him more than she should have. She had been trying to push her feelings away. She had tried to ignore them. But that didn�t always work.
��Do you wanna hear me beg you to take me back��
She immediately reminded herself that she was in love with Mulder.
��I don�t wanna play that way�Give me one more day please��
She was in love with Mulder and could never love anyone else.
��I don�t wanna play that way�In your heart, I wanna stay��
Especially someone like Krycek, she had thought involuntarily, then immediately tried to reverse it.
Mulder had watched as Krycek�s eyes filled with tears.
��It�s all wrong�But it�s all right�The way that you treat me baby��
Krycek abruptly turned and walked away, the look on his face concerning even Mulder.
She had stared after Krycek until he got into the house, then she dropped her face into her hands.
***
�What the hell?� Frohike asked.
�The song.� Koskie said, pointing at Byers. �Stop the CD player.�
Byers hit the FM switch and as soon as Bob Dylan popped on the radio, Scully put her hands over her face.
�I hate that.� Mulder said softly, messaging his temples.
�Hate what?� Marie asked. �What was that?�
Mulder shook his head as �Like A Rolling Stone� played in the background.
��You say you never compromise�With a mystery tramp but now you realize�He�s not selling any alibi�s�As you stand to the vacuum of his eyes�And say, do you want to�Make a deal��
�How did you know to turn off the song?� Frohike looked up at Koskie.
�It�s happened before.� He replied, looking over at Mulder. �Damn near ran us off the road.�
�What happened?� Marie asked again, looking between Mulder and Koskie.
Her brother shook his head. �Not until bedtime.�
Everyone looked strangely at Koskie.
Marie tilted her head at him, her face one of utter confusion. �Brother, have you lost your mind?�
�You really need to ask?� Langly muttered.
Koskie pointed at him. �You just want to zip that up for now, Garth?�
�You okay, Scully?� Mulder said, looking over at her.
She was leaned over the sink, her hands gripping the sides.
Skinner stepped up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. �Scully?�
She nodded. �I�m okay.�
Langly snorted. �There she goes.�
�What happened to �I�m fine�?� Frohike asked.
��You used to ride on a chrome horse with your diplomat�Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat�Ain�t it hard when you discovered that�He really wasn�t where it�s at�After he took from you everything he could steal��
�I need to get back to New York.� Scully said, still facing the window.
�I can have the jet ready anytime.� Cooper said. �We�re going to need to leave the cars here though, since we�re both too intoxicated to operate any kind of machinery. I can call a cab.�
�Jet City Woman.� Langly muttered.
Scully nodded at him, and then she walked into the living room and out the front door.
Mulder stared after her, then looked around at the faces in the room. Marie stepped up close to him and fixed the collar of his shirt.
�Go.� Was all she said.
He walked out front to find Scully standing on the porch, her hands on the railing. He stepped up beside her and leaned close, speaking softly. �Are you okay, Scully? I don�t want you taking off if�You�re not doing well.�
She shook her head and met his eyes. �We were so stupid, Mulder.�
He smiled sadly and nodded at her in response. �I know.�
�I was so stupid.�
Mulder put an arm around her and whispered in her ear. �It will all be fine, Scully. Everything will be wonderful. We�ll fix it, we always do.�
She sniffled, tears on her face. �I don�t know if I can, Mulder.�
�Oh, come on, Scully.� He said. �Where�s that feisty red-head I used to know?�
�She got tired.� She said softly. �Tired of running while standing still. I feel like I�ve been fighting this thing forever. We resolve one issue only to have ten more pop up in front of us. I�m backed up against the wall and I don�t know what to do. I can�t see anyway out. I don�t know how to fix this. I was always able to find hope or faith in something. But now there�s nothing. Everything is so messed up.�
�You�re back here, with me, with friends. That is a good thing.� Mulder said. �And Cade is safe.�
�For now.� She replied.
Bob Dylan drifted out the screen door.
��You used to be so amused�at Napoleon in rags, and the language that he used�Go to him now he calls you, you can�t refuse�When you ain�t got nothin��You got nothin� to lose�You�re invisible now, you got no secrets�To conceal��
�I�m just so tired, Mulder.� She said again.
�I�ll fix it, Scully.� He said softly, resting his head against hers. �I promise.�
She leaned against him and closed her eyes while willing her tears to go away. For once in her life she was admitting she was at a loss and taking the support he offered.
��How does it feel�How does it feel�To be on your own�With no direction home�Like a complete unknown�Like a rolling stone��
***
A week later, Scully walked into the building with Cooper, looking around at the new site. He had told her that since they were about to incorporate everyone�s efforts into one joint project, that they had chosen a location closer to the NSA, the CIA, closer to everyone in the nation�s capitol.
In response to that, Scully moved her Mom and Cade to nearby hotel. She couldn�t bear the thought of being so far away from Cade for who knows how long. Not to mention she liked the idea that Mulder and Skinner could be reached in less than fifteen minutes now, instead of a plane flight.
The Lone Gunmen had proven to be enterprising when she had given them the address of the new building. Langly had cut his hair short and put in some contact lenses in order to masquerade as an electrician installing the wiring. This way, he could guarantee that he could hack into the security system.
They didn�t know how they were going to get Krycek out, or if that�s even what they were planning on doing right now. Everything was up in the air. Again.
Scully was actually beginning to believe that maybe they could squeeze out the vaccine before any rescue attempt for Krycek would need to be implemented. Not to mention she couldn�t really imagine leaving Gibson behind. She also didn�t believe that the hybrids would be allowed to just walk away.
They decided that the best bet they had was to let Scully go on working with the NSA while they learned all they could about the building and which group was on what agenda. Learning the master plan was first and foremost the urgent business at hand.
Several people, including Dr. Jenkins and a physicist, Dr. Tanner, joined Scully and Cooper in the lab. A severe looking man from the CIA, Kaslo, was there as well as two men, Boord and Charles, from Naval Intelligence. The seven of them sat around a table, talking about timeframes. Several others milled about the room, guards and workers.
�Our contact with the Syndicate should be here any minute.� Boord said. �Then we can dive in.�
Cooper casually glanced across the table at Scully. �I wasn�t aware the Syndicate was going to be joining us today.�
�Yes.� Kaslo answered. �They wanted to transport all the prisoners themselves, considering they were who apprehended them all to begin with. They are responsible for us getting this far.�
�He�s always late.� Charles said. �Thinks the whole world waits for him.�
Scully�s blood had turned to ice. She didn�t know if she was ready to face Cancer Man yet. It had only been a week since she�d stepped into this game of charades. She was thankful she hadn�t had to see Krycek or Gibson again, but instead had spent most of her time with charts and graphs and research with Dr. Jenkins and the rest of the team.
She didn�t know if Spender would buy the whole story or not. Cooper had assured her that since he was around and vouching for her, that everything would be fine. He had been involved in the project for so long that his credibility was quite concrete.
Remind me again why I�m doing this? She thought to herself. Scully didn�t get a chance to answer the question. She heard the doors open at the end of the room behind her.
Spender�s soft voice floated to her ears an instant before she smelled the smoke from his Morley.
�Sorry to keep you all waiting.� He said, the heels of his shoes banging softly on the tile as he walked towards them.
�We�re used to it.� Kaslo replied.
�Dana Scully.� He stood behind her, crushing his cigarette under his foot. �I had heard a rumor that you were currently involved with Purity Control. I didn�t believe it, but here you are. And really, why should I be surprised? Your loyalties have always been questionable.�
Scully stood up and turned around to face him. The sight of his face brought on such a rush of anger that she was sure it was visible. �My loyalties have always been questionable?�
Spender smiled. �You were assigned to the X-Files to debunk them after all. Then you spent seven years defending Mulder and pledging your undying devotion to him and his work. It came as a surprise of the biggest kind to all of us when you deserted him and ran away with his nemesis.�
Scully couldn�t construct any coherent sentence in her mind and was saved when Cooper came around to stand beside her.
�I don�t believe we�ve officially met, Mr. Spender-�
�I know who you are, Mr. Cooper.� Spender interjected softly. �You served some military time with Walter Skinner. Fox Mulder�s first assignment in the Bureau was to go undercover with you in Twin Peaks. It is a small world.� He looked back at Scully. �Wouldn�t you agree?�
�You can�t blame me for doing what I thought was right.� Scully said to him. �You sent me to debunk the X-Files.�
�She was approached by the NSA and asked to cooperate.� Cooper said. �She has been reporting to us all along. Although we were shocked to find her holed up in the lab.�
�I wouldn�t have wanted an altercation between the NSA and the Syndicate to take place and put all of our plans in jeopardy.� Spender smiled. �Thank god Alex came along and rescued you. I guess that means we both owe him a lot.�
�I don�t owe Krycek anything.� Scully asked. �Like everyone else, he was just using me all along.�
�About time you figured it out.�
Scully had felt him a split second before he spoke. She slowly turned to see Krycek standing in between two men. He was only four feet away from her. She couldn�t breath, she felt all the blood drain from her face.
Their eyes locked on each other for a moment before he smiled wryly.
�For awhile there, I was beginning to believe I�d chosen the wrong medical student.�
Before Scully could think about what she was doing, before she could stop herself, she threw her body weight behind a right hook that connected squarely with his face.
Krycek went sprawling on the floor before the two men on either side grabbed his arms and yanked him back to his feet. She hadn�t noticed that his hands were shackled. Blood dripped from his mouth as he gave his head a small shake, trying to clear it.
�Nice to see you again, Dana.�
Spender stepped up next to her. �I do not condone treatment of this kind to be administered upon my guests, Miss Scully.�
�Guests?� Scully laughed shrilly, sounding a bit hysterical. �Is that what you�re calling them?�
�Does that mean I can request more hospitable accommodations.� Krycek said, the men on either side still holding his arms. �I think you need to upgrade your sleeping quarters, not to mention the room service sucks.�
�My son,� Spender said, taking out a cigarette, �the comedian.�
�Your son?� Krycek asked in disbelief. �I won�t even dignify that with a response.�
�Well all make sacrifices, Alex.� Spender said. He put a cigarette between his lips and looked meaningfully at Scully. �Surely you can understand that, son.�
Krycek swallowed and shifted his eyes to Scully before glaring back at Spender.
�He didn�t sacrifice anything for me.� Scully said in a shaky voice. �He was protecting his son. His investment.�
�A lot like what you�re doing now.� Krycek snapped back at her.
�I�m not the one who was going to hold out for the highest bidder.� She said, raising her voice.
�Enough.� Spender said softly, raising his lighter to his cigarette.
�There�s no smoking in here.� Scully said, glaring at Cancer Man.
Spender ignored her. He lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply.
Scully walked over to him and slapped the cigarette out of his mouth. �I said there�s no smoking in here.�
Spender blew the smoke in her face. �You�re playing a very dangerous game, Miss Scully.�
She returned his stare. She was well aware of how close she was to losing her grip. �I�m not playing any games, Spender. You do know that the future of the world is at stake here. All I want to do is create a vaccine that works so everyone will leave me the hell alone. I�m tired of this. I�m certain you can understand that.� She crossed her arms. She was shaking violently and knew that it was visible. �After all, you�ve been doing this your whole life. I�m sure you�d like to see an end sometime.�
�Your end, my end.� Krycek shrugged and looked at Spender. �I�m sure he has some kind of end in mind.�
�Alex, Alex.� Cancer Man said. �If you just would have played by our rules, you could have come out of this a hero, the savior of the human race.�
Scully stared at Krycek. Her eyes were a little wide; her face was drawn and pale. �He�s too selfish to play by anyone�s rules other than his own.�
Krycek met her gaze for a moment, his face hard and unreadable. �I will get out of here someday, you know. And the first thing I�m going to do is collect my son. I will find you. That�s a promise.�
�That�s a promise?� Scully asked in a whisper. She quickly walked over to where he was and pushed him hard. He fell back on the ground as she drew her gun and pointed it between his eyes. Her hands were shaking, the gun jumping in her grasp. Her voice was low and thick. �I swore to myself that if I ever saw you again I would kill you on the spot. No questions asked, I�d just put a bullet in your head.�
�Dr. Scully,� Jenkins said. �We still need him alive.�
�Here�s your chance, Dana.� Krycek�s eyes were bottomless pools of black. She could read nothing in them. �What are you waiting for?�
�Scully.� Cooper said, standing behind her.
�Pull the trigger, come on, put me out of my misery.� Krycek�s soft voice was calm.
�For God�s sake.� Jenkins said. �Don�t shoot him.�
�Don�t worry.� Spender said, lighting a cigarette. �She won�t.�
Scully put the barrel of her gun on Krycek�s left knee and looked deeply into his eyes. He met her gaze, his bottom lip still bleeding from when she�d struck him earlier. His eyes were wounded for a moment, revealing the human side she knew was lurking in there somewhere, then it was gone.
She leaned close to him, her face only inches away, before speaking in a voice she�d never heard before.
�Surf on this.�
She pulled the trigger, the resounding boom causing everyone in the room to jump.
Krycek didn�t make a sound as the blast shattered his knee. He winced as his face turned the color of milk. He lay on the ground and looking up at the ceiling, grinding his teeth while tears of pain trickled down his cheeks and fell onto the floor.
Scully stared down at him while Spender took a drag of his cigarette and regarded her calmly through the haze of his smoke. She turned and looked at Cooper, her face set in stone, the
