Chapter 1: All or Nothing

Mulder sat on the steps gripping his overnight bag. Scully sat next to him gripping his arm. She was staring down at the steps, her grip on him tightened.

"It's all or nothing, Scully."

"Mulder!"

"All or nothing," his voice rose.

"How can you say that to me after all these years?"

He turned to look at her. He could tell she was holding back her tears. "I'm coming back, Scully. But you have to let me do this."

"Mulder...I'm scared."

He smoothed the hair away from her forehead and ran his fingers around her face. "I have to do this Scully. I can't stay here like this."

"What if you don't come back this time?" her voice quivered.

"I will. But I can't sit here all day anymore. I don't have too anymore. Scully, you know what this means to me."

"Mulder, he left you out in the woods for four days. Do you know what that did to me?"

Mulder had gone on a Bigfoot investigation in the woods in Kenwood, Oklahoma. The guide he had hired had gotten spooked and took off with Mulder's equipment, leaving him in the woods for four days. Scully had been frantic, calling anyone that she could to find him but hour after hour she heard nothing about his whereabouts. On the second day she flew out to Oklahoma and helped organize a search party. They found him two days later huddle up against a dead tree bark, bug bites littering his skin, cold and nearly unconscious. She hadn't left his side from the minute they found him. She had even supervised him in the hospital until nearly a week later when he was able to leave. They'd flown back to Virginia and Scully had clung to him more than ever.

"Scully, I won't let anyone take off with my equipment again. I'll take my cellphone, I'll take a CB radio...but I can't NOT do anything...I need to do this for me."

"Does it even matter what I feel about it?" her voice low. Her face was as red as her hair and tears threatened to fall but she wouldn't let them.

"Of course it does," he said, turning her chin so she looked him in the eyes. "Scully, all I thought about for those four days was getting back home to you. That's all I've ever thought of was getting back to you...and to be there when we find William."

He brushed away a stray tear that streamed down her face. He sat in silence for a moment. He knew he had caused her stress again. It was unusual for her to be clingy but he could tell that she was more than worried at this latest trip of his.

"Mulder, I'm not sure I can go through this again..." she nearly whispered. "I haven't had to worry like this in years. The last time I went through this you were dead..." her voice trailed off. "I've lost so much Mulder. I can't lose you again..."

Mulder wrapped his arm around her. "Scully, you'll never lose me...that's impossible," he said, smiling. "I promise to be more careful. I promise not to worry you so much."

"Now that's impossible," she said shooting him a look. He burst out laughing and she smiled back.

"But seriously Scully, I won't worry you this time..."

Scully placed her hand in his. "How can I be sure, Mulder?"

"Scully, do you know how many years I worried about you?"

"You were worried about me!" she huffed. "No, I was more worried Mulder. You'd run off to god knows where and not tell me...I'd always have to find you. It's a wonder I don't have a head full of white hair."

"Let me just finish what I was saying..." he said, turning towards her. "I know I worried you more than you worried me...or at least I put myself more in danger than I should have and I worried you. But after Duane Barry took you Scully, I wanted to protect you then and I was terrified that something would happen to you. I knew then that I had feelings for you and I was scared something would happen to you."

Scully breathed deeply. She looked up into Mulder's sincere eyes. "That was very early...I didn't know you had feelings for me that early."

He squeezed her hand. "I did, Scully. It went from thinking you were very cute to truly caring about you...and worrying about you. And every time something did happen to you I felt like a failure for not being there. Like when that alien bounty hunter kidnapped you in exchange for Samantha's clone..."

He turned to look out across the field in front of him. "And then your cancer..."

Scully could see the rise in his chest. She leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder. "Mulder...it's okay."

"I wanted so many times to tell you to run away from me...go off and live your life without me but I was scared you'd do it and I couldn't imagine being without you."

"You did tell me to go and be a doctor."

"I did?"

"Yes...twice," she said reflecting back.

"But you said you wouldn't, your place was with me," he said, his voice quivering a bit.

"The second time you said that I had to stop then. That you were making that decision for me."

"That was different."

"How?" she asked.

"Because you were mine then."

Scully turned her head to face him. "What do you mean?"

"I meant that before I had no right to tell you not to be a FBI agent...to be what you wanted to be but when we were together, I had the right then."

Scully shook her head. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing..." he said, looking off.

"Mulder! Wait, you're saying you had the right to tell me to stop being an FBI agent but I don't have the right to tell you not to go off and get yourself killed...again."

"No, I was trying to say I didn't stop you before...I didn't try to stop you."

"If they hadn't taken you Mulder we probably would still have William with us and I probably would've quit the FBI and been a doctor, just like you wanted me too."

"So you're saying you would've done it had I asked?"

"We both know I only stayed because of you. And yes I had decided, remember that night when I was cold and we spent it together in your hotel bed with you were keeping me warm... when I didn't know I was pregnant with William...you told me you wanted me to quit and go live my life, Mulder. I didn't argue with you. I had decided that I could still be with you as a doctor...they were pretty much shutting down the X Files permanently anyway. I understood your fears Mulder. I understood that you wanted me safe...that's what I want for you."

"But Scully...I've been living like a hermit for so long. I just need to do like I've dreamt...to go investigating the paranormal while we still have time before the end."

"Why can't we spend that time together, Mulder? We've had too many wasted years, Mulder. If I'd known the end was coming so soon...I wouldn't have wasted it searching for the truth Mulder. I would've spent it with you."

He kissed her forehead. "Just let me do this. I promise I won't put myself in that situation again. I promise, Scully. You have your work...let me have mine."

Scully stood up, but Mulder held her arm. He stood up next to her. "I love you Scully, that will never change. I'll be back tomorrow, I promise. Just a quick little trip into the woods..."

Scully's blue eyes got wide. He smiled. "Just joking...just joking!"

"Mulder..."

"Scully, will you let me go?"

Scully looked up into his eyes. "CB radio, cell phone...gun?" she said, placing her small hand into his.

"Yes, I have my gun. I have two."

"Ghosts, huh?"

"Just a little ghost hunt..."

"Where?" she said, folding her arms in front of her. She was wearing her white doctors coat.

"North Carolina...Asheville. I will call as soon as I get there."

She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him. He took her into him and kissed the top of her head and then pulled her back and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll call as soon as I get there and meet my source. I promise you..."

Scully watched as he threw his overnight bag into his white truck attached to a silver 1972 Airstream Over lander. He had bought the vintage silver trailer setting up his computers, and equipment used for surveying the paranormal. He had purchased infrared thermal scanners, EMF detectors, compasses, motion detectors, professional grade video cameras and other equipment and dedicated his little business to Max Fenig. He had a Giant Alien decal on both sides of the vintage silver trailer with the words 'Believe in Everything" written across it with his phone number. Business had picked up for him and he had been traveling more than she wanted him too. She was now used to him being there with her every morning and every night, so it was hard for her to see him leave...but even harder since he had been found in the woods clinging to life. She had thought that was behind them.

Mulder kissed her deeply, his arms wrapped around her small waist. She breathed in his scent as they kissed. They held each other's hands as he climbed into his truck and sped off.

Chapter 2: Just A Little Ghost Hunt

Mulder sat in the dimly lit diner starting at the street lights that dotted the Asheville view. It was another city, another new case, and his last conversation with Scully before he left weighed heavily on his mind. He pushed the half eaten pancakes away from him and pulled out a file. He scanned it quickly; he had every detail memorized but he scanned it anyway. The waitress, a young blond haired woman flirted with him. He smiled politely but kept his eyes on his files. His chest vibrated and he reached into his jacket and pulled out his cell phone. "Mulder."

"Mulder, it's me."

"Hey, me. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"It's been a long night, I'm exhausted. I had an emergency surgery on a four year old little boy."

"Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he's gonna be. I'm tired..."

"Scully, shouldn't you be trying to get some rest? Or can't you sleep because of the boy?"

The waitress noticed he was talking to a woman and she backed off. He waited for Scully to answer. "Mulder, I'll sleep in a minute...but..."

"But what? What's wrong?"

"That's not why I called you."

Mulder tried to steady his voice. "Everything okay?" He could see his contact enter the restaurant and he waved to him, gesturing for him to come to his table.

"I...I just needed to hear your voice..."

Mulder was silent a moment. He knew Scully worried about him when he was gone. He knew also that she had a hard time sleeping when he wasn't next to him. He could barely sleep without her himself. "Scully, I'll be home soon. This is a simple ghost sighting."

He could hear her sigh. "I know...I'll be okay. I'll talk to you later."

"I love you, " Mulder said.

"I love you too," she said, hanging up.

"The wife?" the brown haired bearded man asked.

"Yeah, sort of..." Mulder smiled. "Would you like anything Dr. Walters? An ice tea maybe?"

"No, no!" the man said, shaking his head. "I'm just glad you could come Mr. Mulder."

"So tell me, what kind of ghost do you hear at your pediatric clinic?"

"Various voices have been reported by my staff."

"Are they children's voices you hear?"

"I've heard a few children crying, " the man shook his head. "It's disturbing. My intern though, she heard a woman's voice. She isn't one to make up anything...she's a prodigy, a young girl that graduated from college at age 14. She's now 18 and interning at my clinic."

"I'll need to interview her as well."

"Not a problem. She can meet us at the clinic this morning."

Mulder was writing in a notepad as he asked the doctor the questions. "What time of day do you hear them?"

"Morning mainly, that's why I had you meet me this morning. I hear them before any or our patients arrive. We hear laughing and occasionally crying, just as if the waiting room was full of children."

"Any objects move? Anything unusual besides the voices?"

"Yes, actually. We've had machines turn on all by themselves."

"Machines?"

"Our equipment...computers, even had the door to the fridge in the nurses lounge open by itself."

Dr. Walters was flustered, pulling out a handkerchief, and wiping at his beard that beaded with sweat. Mulder kept his eyes on his notepad but looked up at the doctor when he noticed a break in his story. Dr. Walters was staring at the tape recorder that sat next to Mulder's plate.

"I'm not the best note taker," Mulder explained. "The tape recorder doesn't miss details."

Satisfied the man continued. "It's very strange...this situation. I've had this office for five years and this never happened before."

"When did it start?"

"A few months ago. One day we were getting ready to open and we hear a scream. One girl dropped her coffee on the floor breaking it. Ever since then it continued. I even had a few girls quit over it. Now we're over worked and under staffed."

"What time do you close?"

"6 pm I am the first to open the clinic and the last to leave and I don't hear anything then."

"Well, it's 6 am., lets head over there," Mulder said, pulling out a few bucks for his half eaten breakfast.

There was a time he lived on diner food but nothing compared to Scully's home cooked meals when she wasn't exhausted from work. He followed Dr. Walters out of the diner to their vehicles. Dr. Walters smirked at the silver trailer attached to Mulder's white truck. He chuckled at the green Gigantic alien logo with Believe Everything written on it. Mulder had been reluctant to start a paranormal investigation business without the Lone Gunmen but decided it would be the best way to honor their memories. "What's the matter? You don't believe in Aliens?" Mulder asked amused.

"I guess a guy calling you about ghosts in his doctor's office should believe in Aliens and Bigfoot even!"

Mulder smiled weakly. "Just lead the way...I'll follow you doc..." he said, hopping into the front driver's seat.

The doctor got into his Cadillac SRX and Mulder trailed behind him as they wound through the city that was beginning to wake up. They pulled into the clinic's parking lot. It was brightly painted with 2 wooden cut-outs in the shape of children holding a sign that read Dr. Leo Walters Care Clinic" in bright bold letters.

"Cerulean blue," Mulder said taking in the scene.

"What's that?" Dr. Walters asked.

"Nothing."

The Doctor opened the office and took Mulder on a tour as Mulder checked his barometer as they walked through. He had no readings. He then began setting up his equipment, his digital voice recorders, his camera's, temperature gauges, and motion detectors.

"Your intern?, is she coming?" Mulder asked as he opened the door to his silver 1972 Airstream Over lander. He turned on his monitors and offered the doctor a seat.

"She'll be here in a minute, " Dr. Walters said, closing his cell phone. Mulder turned on his voice recorders. It was hard not having any help and he knew that as his business was beginning to expand and soon he would need some help but he no longer had anyone he trusted. He missed the Gunmen.

A knock on the door startled them. But Mulder was too busy to notice as the door swung open and a young woman came in and sat next to them. Mulder was snacking on a few sunflowers seeds not noticing the young woman trying to kick away a few old sunflowers that littered the floor.

"Mr. Mulder, this is my intern Cindy."

Mulder turned to face the young woman, extending his hand but his face froze as he stared at the young woman. His eyes were locked onto her as she wiggled around uncomfortably in her seat under his gaze. She stuck out her hand. "Cindy Douglas."

He shook her hand but said nothing as he continued to stare at her.

"Is something wrong Mr. Mulder?" the young woman asked.

"You're Scully!"

The young woman raised her eyebrows and shot a glance over to Dr. Walters who returned her look. "I'm sorry...I'm who?"

"You're a clone!" Mulder managed to say as he reeled back from her.

The woman's blue eyes darkened and she shot up out of her seat, her red hair cut into a well maintained bob. He barely moved as she stared down at him angrily. "Is this what I was awaken so early for Dr. Walters?"

"No, no!" Dr. Walters said reassuringly. He then turned to Mulder. "Clone? A clone? You can't be serious Mr. Mulder."

Mulder jumped up grabbing the woman's shoulders, spinning her around to look at the back of her neck. He ran his fingers across her neck and she flinched. "Get this lunatic off me," she screamed.

Mulder let go of her shoulders. "They created her!', he said, screaming at Dr. Walters. "She's one of them."

"I think I'm gonna have to cancel this session, Mr. Mulder. " he said, reaching for his wallet, pulling out some cash. "Thank you for your time." he said, handing it to Mulder.

Mulder knocked the money onto the ground. "What's going on here! Are you in on it!" he said, glaring at the five foot three red head. She looked like Scully the day she walked into his office several years before. "She's a clone and I'll prove it!"

"You're crazy!, " the woman said, rolling her blue eyes. "Dr. Walters, what is wrong with him?"

Mulder pulled out his cell phone and browsed through the photos until he found one of Scully by herself. "Here this is Scully. This is who they modeled you off of! The woman they created you to look like!"

The woman laughed nervously and then took the phone out of Mulder's hand. Her smile quickly diminished as she stared at the photo.

Mulder pulled out the gun from in his holster in his back and pointed it to the doctor. Dr. Walters fell back into his seat, his hands raised. "Oh my god! Damn the internet!"

"Tell me what's their plans! Tell me what they're doing making a clone out of Scully!"

"This is my mother?" Cindy said, a tear falling down her cheek.

"What?" Mulder said, his gun pointed to the doctor.

"Is this my mother?" the woman's voice rose.

"They genetically manipulated you out of Scully's ova. You're a hybrid just like Emily."

The woman heard nothing of Mulder's ramblings as she browsed through each photo. One was of Scully as an FBI agent that Mulder had taken when she wasn't looking. They had later laughed at how he had kept the photo, even secretly made copies of it that she later found in his apartment. The girl searched each photo of them together as a couple. She studied each one carefully. She stared at the photo of Scully holding William and of Scully wrapped in Mulder's arms, standing in front of their current home. The woman was silent as she looked up into Mulder's blazing green eyes.

"Look crazy guy...I was adopted. I never knew my real mother...I look just like her."

"You're a hybrid!" Mulder said, pointing down at her. "You're an agenda."

"Are you saying she didn't want me?" the girl asked, still gripping Mulder's phone.

"What?"

Cindy looked hurt as she handed the phone over to Mulder. He noticed the hurt look in her eyes, it was same look Scully gave when he hurt her feelings. He softened his tone. "She doesn't know anything about you."

A tear trickled down Cindy's face. "What do you mean?"

Mulder placed the gun back in his holster and then sat down in his chair, his assignment completely forgotten. He was silent for a moment as Dr. Walters looked from confused at Mulder to saddened at Cindy.

"Where were you born?" Mulder asked.

"San Diego, why?"

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen, why?"

"They grew you older..."

"What?" the young woman said, turning again to Dr. Walters for reassurance.

"You're a prodigy? In the medical field...you want to be a doctor like Scully!"

"She's a doctor!', the girl seemed happily surprised. "I can't believe it...but what do you mean she doesn't know anything about me?"

"You're a product of an experiment. They took her ova and created children. Her daughter Emily was created that way and God only knows how many more children they created...you're one of them."

Cindy crossed her arms in front of her, one eye brow was raised and she stared at him in a way that reminded him completely of Scully. "You're telling me that my mom's ova was removed...if that's even possible, I don't know...and that I was created in some lab...in vitro fertilization...for what purpose?"

"Colonization! It's Gene Splicing...human DNA with non-human DNA" Mulder spat. "You're one of their attempts at creating a race that will survive Colonization."

"The colonizing of what?" the girl said with a smirk.

"This planet by extraterrestrials."

Dr. Walters grabbed up the money and placed it on top of one of Mulder's monitors. "Gather your equipment from my office and leave or I'll call the police!"

Mulder looked at the doctor and then back at Cindy. "I need to take your photo. I need proof! Proof that they're still working on their plans."

"What about my mother?" Cindy said looking at her boss. She turned towards Mulder. "Where is she? Can I see her?"

Mulder answered cautiously. "Give me a few more answers and I'll take you to her!"

The young woman nodded and sat back in her seat. Dr. Walters opened the silver door of the trailer and slammed it shut. Mulder pulled his camera out and snapped several photos of the girl. She just smiled but her eyes hardly moved from the photo of Scully on Mulder's photo that sat near his computer.

"Can I talk to her?" the girl asked.

Mulder was resisting calling Scully, he didn't know how she would take it, after all she had lost Emily years before and had to give up William...he didn't want to deepen any wounds that had never healed.

"Let me ask you some questions," he said, pulling out his video recorder. "Okay, Cindy Douglas, tell me, did your adoptive parents take you to the doctors obsessively? Were you ever sick?"

"No," she said, shaking her head, looking confused. Mulder was surprised by her answer.

"Anything unusual in your upbringing?"

"Like?"

"Did your parents ever have meetings with strange men?"

Cindy raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm sorry...nothing unusual."

"Did you move a lot as a child? Did you have the same doctor or did you see a variety of doctors?"

"Various doctors...and no I grew up in San Diego. Same house, same school...I knew I was adopted. They loved me...nothing was unusual, sorry."

"They were working on several types of hybrids..." Mulder said thinking.

"I'm sorry, I'm still confused," the young woman spoke. "Why do you keep saying clone? There's no such thing as clones, you do know that Mr. Mulder. Cloning of human's is still decades away."

Mulder waved her off. She swung around in her chair to face the door and then back to Mulder. "I'm a little confused also...you said she doesn't know I exist. Are you saying she didn't donate her ova?"

"No, they were forcibly taken."

"How is that possible? "

Mulder noted the girl had short muscular legs like Scully, her face was the spitting image of Scully with long red hair down past her shoulders. Her blue eyes were striking just like Scully's and her lips were just as pouty. Scully had quickly changed her appearance right after their first case together to make herself appear my professional, but here was this girl looking just like she did when she'd first entered his office, except she was younger, dressed in doctors smocks just as he'd seen Scully many times.

Cindy's face reddened. "Can I meet her? Can I meet my mother?"

Mulder looked at the girl and had to resist calling her honey. "I need to talk to her first. I need to prepare her. You see she met Emily, her daughter who was 3 at the time. Emily died and she's never gotten over it. She and I had a son William and we had to give him up. I know she'd be very happy to meet you...I'm just worried..."

"About what?" she asked, her blue eyes so intense Mulder had to remind himself she wasn't Scully.

"That she may break this time, " he sighed.

"I need to see her!" Cindy said, jumping up. "Take me to her now!"

The door swung open and Dr. Walters shoved two boxes full of Mulder's equipment into the trailer. "Alright, get off my property!"

Mulder smiled a little. Cindy turned to Dr. Walters. "He knows my birth mother." she said, shoving Mulder's cell phone in her bosses face. He looked surprised but then looked over to Mulder. "The wife?"

"Yeah you can say that..."

"She's Cindy's real mother," the doctor asked.

"Looks that way."

Dr. Walters entered the trailer. "I think you're crazy and I'll be more careful in choosing paranormal investigators the next time," he huffed.

"I'm former FBI!" Mulder smirked.

The Dr. dismissed Mulder's statement and turned to his employee. "Cindy you've worked for me for several months now. I've never met your adoptive parents, but don't you think you should call them?"

"No sir, I really need to find my real mother!" She turned back to Mulder. "I need to know..."

Mulder looked at her intensely. "I'm sorry but I told you I need to prepare her...I need to protect her."

"But she's mother!" the girl said, bursting into tears.

"I know but..." Mulder began.

"Take me to her now!" she said, standing directly in front of Mulder.

Dr. Walters was surprised by her tone. "Cindy you can't demand. I'm sure things can be arranged between you and your birth mother..."

Cindy turned slowly to face Dr. Walters. Suddenly he dropped to the ground, blood pouring from his chest. Mulder jumped up pulling out his gun, pointing it towards Cindy. He looked down at the doctor bleeding from the gaping hole in his chest. Cindy's small frame suddenly morphed into the bounty hunter. Mulder looked horrified as he stood facing the tall bounty hunter with toxic green blood. "Where is she, Mulder?"

"What do you want with her!"

"You know what we want Mulder!"

"Don't come near me or I'll shoot!"

"You know what will happen if you do, " the bounty hunter said, he stood over Mulder. Mulder was trapped standing at the back of the trailer. The door out was blocked by the Bounty hunter.

"What do you want with Scully!"

The Bounty Hunter just stood there. There was no expression on his scarred face.

Mulder screamed again. "What do you want with Scully!"

Chapter 3: The Alien Agenda

The Bounty Hunter had Mulder cornered in his trailer as Mulder held out a gun towards him. Dr. Walters lay dead on his floor, his blood streaming down the steps of the vintage trailer. The Bounty Hunter approached Mulder but he didn't fire. "What do you want with Scully!" he screamed.

"She has something we want!" the alien said, knocking the gun out of Mulder's hand. Mulder tried to move past him to the door but the alien grabbed him up by his collar, punching him in the stomach, Mulder fell to the floor, doubled over in pain. "We need more of what she has..." the alien continued.

"What!" Mulder gasped. "What could she have that you want!"

The Bounty Hunter kicked him in the stomach, Mulder gasped, his body wasn't able to take the beatings he had when he was younger. There was a disturbance outside the trailer, Mulder could hear someone scream, "There's blood...there's blood!'

The Bounty Hunter morphed back into Cindy, and looked down to Mulder. "We will find her and take what we need!"

The alien then opened the trailer door and walked out. Mulder grabbed up his gun and walked out into the sunlight. He could see two nurses gathered near a car and he raced over to the small red car. The nurses were frightened as they stared at Mulder with his gun in his hand. He put it away. "It's alright, I'm former FBI." He then looked down at what they were looking at...a green bubbling in the shape of a person was sizzling on the pavement. He recognized what it was. He told the women to call the police, and he ran back into his trailer and grabbed his camera. He re-approached the women, handing them the digital camera. "Do you recognize this young woman?"

The two nurses nodded. "That's Cindy...this is her car."

A police car shot through the parking lot and stopped directly in front of Mulder. The bald headed officer walked up to Mulder. "You have a gun!"

"It's alright, officer, I'm former FBI," he said, handing him a card from his pocket. "My name is Mulder. I'm a Paranormal Investigator now."

A younger officer laughed, but stopped when Mulder looked at him coldly. "Well what happened here?"

"Dr. Walter called me in to do a ghost hunt."

Again the younger officer snickered but he turned his back to avoid Mulder's stare and instead walked over to Mulder's trailer, he could see the blood spilling out from inside. He pulled out his gun and walked in. "There's a dead body in here."

"A dead body," the older officer said.

"That's right...a woman...an 18-year-old woman named Cindy Douglas killed her boss in my trailer."

The two nurses stood behind Mulder nodding their heads. "She went that way!" one of the women said. "Her hands were bloody."

"Now, why would she kill her boss?"

Mulder shuffled his feet. "I'm not sure. I'm just here to investigate the paranormal."

The officer eyed Mulder suspiciously. "Don't move. I need to call this in."

"Can't go nowhere with a dead body in my trailer," Mulder said, smirking. His head was slightly bruised and the officer could see he had been roughed up a bit.

"She hit you?" the officer asked.

"She got me good in the stomach," Mulder nodded. "She was startled by these two young ladies and that's why she left...she probably would've killed me too."

"What did she look like?"

Mulder handed the officer the photo, though he knew they would never find the Bounty Hunter.

"She don't look tough enough to kill her boss and attack you," the officer said, looking at the photo.

"Oh she is..." Mulder nodded, thinking of how small but tough Scully was. "She killed him with her bare hands!"

The older officer looked surprised. "Bare hands! What's her name?"

"Cindy..." one of the ladies spoke. "Cindy Douglas."

"You won't find her," Mulder said.

"Oh, why is that?"

"I don't know," Mulder said. "Just a hunch."

After being interrogated by the Asheville Police for several hours, Mulder returned to his trailer, still covered in Dr. Walters blood. He pulled out a rag and began mopping it up. He could hear his phone ring and he searched around the trailer for it. There were 8 calls from Scully.

"Mulder."

"Mulder...where've you been? I've been trying to reach you."

"Just been a little busy..." He said, looking at the mess in his attached trailer.

"I was worried."

"Scully, I need to ask something." Mulder said, the rag with blood still in his hands.

"Yeah..." she said, sipping on her coffee at her desk.

"The aliens...they abducted women and took their ova, right."

Scully didn't want to think about that right now. "Mulder...wrong subject...bad timing!"

"Just bear with me, Scully. Now, the women you met like Betsy Hagopian. The women of the MUFON group...they were abducted several times right."

"Yes...that's what they told me."

"And they were all barren..."

Scully sat at her desk, she said nothing...this subject was way too painful for her. "Scully!, Scully...I know you don't want to talk about it...but I need you too."

"Mulder...why?"

"Just answer me...they were taken more than once and they were barren, right."

"Yes," she answered reluctantly.

"And you were taken once...but yet we managed to have William."

"Does the words bad timing mean anything to you?" she asked, her face tightened.

"Scully...I think they didn't take all of your eggs. That's why William was conceived. He was special because the alien virus was in me... William was part alien because of me...but they used you to create hybrids...I think that's what they still want with you. I think they want to finish extracting your eggs."

"Mulder, I've been to doctors! They said William was a fluke."

"William...Scully...he's our proof that you can conceive."

Scully sat up at her desk. She pulled off her glasses, taking in what he had said. "So William being special wasn't my fault?"

"No, it's mine...or because of the virus given to me, Scully."

"Ah," he heard her say, as she cried quietly into the phone.

"Scully, they are still creating hybrids out of your ova."

"What!" she nearly screamed. "Oh sorry..." she said, apologizing to her fellow doctor whose office she shared.

"A young woman named Cindy Douglas, Scully. She was the spitting image of you..."

"Of me!" she choked. "Like Emily?"

"Except this one was 18, a doctor."

He could hear Scully gasp. "She was a clone...a hybrid...Emily was special, Scully. This one I think was just like a drone or something, a means to an end...but she's dead now, Scully. A bounty hunter killed her and assumed her identity...and he killed my contact, a Dr. Walters."

Scully was silent on the phone. "Are you okay Mulder?"

"I wanted you to know...that they're still using your eggs to make children...half human, half alien children...Who knows how many are out there...I think they want the rest or your eggs now."

"How come they don't use my implant to track me down? How come they don't abduct me again like the others?" she whispered into the phone.

"Maybe the one we inserted back into your neck was different...maybe it was used only to trigger ovulation...maybe that's why they can't find you..."

"How'd they know you would be there, Mulder?"

"I don't know, Scully."

"Mulder...get back here now!"

"What if they follow me Scully? Then they'll know where you are."

"What do I do?"

"You remember where the tool is?"

"Yes," she said, remembering where they kept the most valuable weapon they had, an alien stiletto used to puncture the shape shifting aliens in the base of the neck. They both knew it didn't work on the new breed of Super Soldiers that were now assuming identities of humans and positioning themselves in power as the end neared.

"You know what to do Scully. I'm gonna take the long way home...try to shake them off if they're following me..."

"Alright," she said, gathering up her keys, heading for the door. "So much for a little ghost hunt, huh Mulder."

"Yeah Scully... Be careful...call me...be safe!"

"You too," she said, opening the door to her office and raced off to her car.

Chapter 4: The Cloning Experiments

"I Knew it, I knew it," Scully mumbled under her breath as she reached her car, unlocking it and speeding off towards their home. She had an uneasy feeling about Mulder's trip...He had begged her to let him go though it was hard for her especially after finding him half dead in the woods of Kenwood, Oklahoma. Mulder never knew how it affected her when she did not know where he was, the constant worrying about him. It was something she hadn't had to do for a few years until he started his paranormal investigation business. He had thought it was a simple little ghost hunt, just as he had thought the other trip was a simple little Bigfoot sighting and now they had Bounty Hunters after them again.

Mulder's words to her played around in her mind..."She looked just like you" he had said. What did that mean, she wondered. Emily had looked like her but she also looked like her sister Melissa. But she had her face, her eyes, and even her strawberry blond hair cut into a bob, like hers had been. She was her child...so who was this Cindy Douglas? And how did she make it to 18? Mulder had said she had been killed by the bounty hunter...Scully knew that meant she dissolved just like the other clones, but did that mean she was like Emily, a child created of her ova? Mulder seemed convinced that there were more...but this Cindy had been a doctor, a medical intern. "Is she trying to replace me?," Scully wondered. "Could they be replacing me because I'm a doctor and be putting their own hybrids in position...but with my face?"

She pulled out her phone and dialed Mulder. Mulder had managed to sop up as much of Dr. Walter's blood as he could from his trailer floor tossing the bloody rags onto the pavement. He jumped into his white truck, pulling out from the parking lot, his bright green alien logo making him stand out amongst the other travelers. He wished at that moment he hadn't put the Giant Green Alien on both sides with the words, Believe Everything and his phone number on his vintage trailer. Fortunately the number was his cell and could not be traced back to Scully. He knew he had to get home to her but he couldn't be sure he wasn't being followed. His phone rang and he answered it. "Mulder, it's me...what did you mean she looked like me?"

"Scully...are you safe, did you get the tool yet?"

"No...I'm...I'm almost home. What did you mean, Mulder?"

"She looked like you did the day I met you, Scully. She looked exactly like you."

She said nothing and he could hear the cars whizzing past her as she pulled off onto the country road that lead to their home. "Mulder...is she my child too?"

"You can't think of it that way, Scully. Technically yes...but not like Emily...Emily was special. I think Cindy was a drone used to have access to D.N.A."

"How's that? Because she was a doctor? And how was she a doctor at 18, Mulder?"

He looked in his rear mirror to see if a car was following him. None seem to be, so he continued. "She worked in a pediatricians office. Her boss said she was a child prodigy...that she graduated from college at age 12."

"There has to be information about her then."

"But she just began working at his clinic a few months before, Scully. They could've created her history."

"So there may be no proof that she existed?"

"I have photos of her and I have her on tape."

"What did they want, Mulder?"

"I think they want to extract the rest of your eggs Scully. One of the clones once told me that women abducted like you were their mothers, Scully. I think they extracted most of your eggs but not all and they may have felt that creating clones of you would benefit their cause."

"How?" she said, opening her car door and then opening the tall gate that lead to their home. She jumped back into the car and drove up the long driveway. "I'm here."

"You got a gun?"

She pulled out her weapon from her glove box. "I do. Keep going..."

"I think that maybe they could easily replace you...she was you, Scully...a few years ago but she was you. Maybe it was like the situation with Jeremiah Smith...remember they had several clones in several states all working for the Social Security Administration."

"Yes," she said, carefully walking up to her door, gun pointed out. She noticed that the door was still locked. She unlocked it and carefully walked through, checking every door, window, and corner. She felt inside Mulder's nightstand and pulled out the tool that was taped to the inside drawer. "I got it!"

"Alright..." he said. "Meet me somewhere, Scully."

"Where Mulder?"

"Damn it, we should've designated a safety spot. Ugh," he sighed.

"Mulder, I'll go to Skinners, okay?"

She locked their front door, and rushed back to her car. "Mulder? Mulder!"

"Sorry, I dropped the phone," he said on the other end.

She drove towards the gate and relocked it. She then sped off towards Washington D.C. "Mulder...explain this...how did they know you would be there?"

"I've been thinking about that Scully...and I don't know."

"Did we ever check you for implants Mulder?"

Mulder moved his hand to the back of his neck. "The X-rays, remember after I came back to life...was there anything there?"

"No...you were supposed to be a super solider. I guess there was no need for implants if you were going to become one of them. All your illnesses and problems all self-corrected themselves."

"Yeah...I'm a new man," he managed to joke. He kept his eyes on the rear view mirror and on the sky, trying to see if any daytime UFO's maybe following him.

"You think they could've made clones out of you too, Mulder? They did experiment on you for months. And you already have the virus...wouldn't you create more children like our William? Could there be clones of you walking around."

"My God!" Mulder said. He hadn't thought of that. He had very few memories of his own abduction. He remembered seeing something come from above his head and he could remember being in extreme pain. Had they extracted some of his sperm? Men could regenerate sperm while women were born with the amount of eggs they would ever produce. But was he the father of other children...alien hybrid children...just as Scully was the mother of other clones?

"Where are you, Mulder?"

"I'm taking the long way, Scully...I-85. It'll be a few hours."

"Let me know when you get close...I need to hang up Mulder. I need to call Skinner and let him know I'm coming."

"Alright. Be safe. I love you."

"I love you too," she said, hanging up the phone.

Mulder spotted a black helicopter in the sky that seemed to be trailing him. He pulled off the highway until a dirt road. He unhitched his very expensive trailer with all his equipment, locked it up, and left it under a tree. He climbed back into his white truck and waited to hear if he heard the helicopter. He couldn't hear it or see it so he sped off back to the highway.

Chapter 5: Protective Custody

Skinner opened the door of his condo to find Dana Scully standing in his doorway. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in. "What's wrong, you wouldn't tell me on the phone."

"Sir, I need protection."

He took in her appearance. She was still dressed in her doctor's smocks and coat. He hadn't seen her since she'd called asking to locate Mulder during the investigation of the whereabouts of Agent Monica Banan. "Where's Mulder?"

Scully sat down on Skinner's couch. "He's trying to get back. He went to Asheville. I had a bad feeling about this case of his, sir. It didn't sit well with me."

Skinner had rushed home from work to meet her at his condo. He was still dressed in his suit, pin-striped shirt and tie. "Tell me what happened."

"He went investigating a simple ghost case. He said there was a woman...an 18-year-old girl named Cindy Douglas...she was a clone of me."

"What!" he said, trying to gauge her. "A clone of you?"

"Only younger...obviously. He thinks she's the product of one of my eggs. He thinks that they are trying to replace me or set up clones in position of power for the purpose of colonization...this girl...this clone was a doctor. It's like the Gregors..."

"The Gregors?"

"Remember when we investigated the set of identical clones with access to human tissue."

Skinner sat down across from her. "I remember something like that..."

"The girl...was killed by the Bounty Hunter."

"I thought the Super Soldiers were replacing them."

Scully shook her head. "No, the Super Soldiers are a new form of hybrids, sir. The Bounty Hunter is an alien, a shape shifting alien that disguised himself as this clone Cindy, which looks like me."

"Go on..."

"He killed her boss and then demanded from Mulder that he take him to me."

"For what?"

"My eggs sir."

Skinner removed his glasses and pinched his nose, trying to relieve the pressure from his head. "What do you mean, Agent...I mean, Dr. Scully."

"Mulder thinks that because I was abducted just once that they didn't take all of my eggs, sir. That I wasn't completely barren."

"We know that because of your son..." Skinner said, placing his glasses back on his face.

"I thought it was my fault that William was...special," she said, her face strained. She looked down at her hands, and then moved a strand of red hair out of her face. "Mulder thinks it was the virus given to him that made William special."

"It makes sense," Skinner said, his jaw tightening a bit. The subject of Scully's ova made him uncomfortable.

"Mulder thinks that they want to retrieve the rest..."

Skinner looked alarmed. "Were you followed?"

"I don't think so," she said, glancing nervously at his front door. Skinner got up and looked through his blinds to the street. He saw no suspicious cars parked in front.

Scully's phone rang and she answered it. "Mulder?"

"Scully, you there at Skinners?"

"Yes...Mulder where are you?"

"Let me talk to Skinner."

She handed the phone to her former boss. Skinner grabbed the phone. "Mulder?"

"I need your help...I need you to keep Scully safe, sir. I also need you to send someone to retrieve my trailer. It's at an exit outside Charlotte. And sir..."

"Yes?"

"You need to go somewhere safer."

Skinner looked over to Scully. Her eyes were glued to the window. Her mouth was gaped open. Skinner turned towards the window and could see a form standing in front of it. "Scully, let's go!"

The window broke and Scully was instantly on her feet, pulling out her gun. Skinner pulled out his, waiting against the door, his gun aimed towards his window. The Bounty Hunter stepped through the window and Skinner fired into his wall, knowing that if he hit the bounty hunter, he and Scully would be laying down in pain exposed to the toxin. "Stop right there!"

The Bounty Hunter looked slightly amused. "Skinner, you know you can't stop me! She has something we want!"

Scully backed up until she could feel the wall of the small condo kitchen. The Bounty Hunter stood still looking from Skinner to Scully. "What do you want with me!', she screamed, already knowing the answer.

"The time is nearing...your ova is needed," the alien spoke taking a step toward Scully. She reached into her doctor's jacket, feeling the cold steel of the alien stiletto.

"You took it all!" she said, trying to stall...looking desperately at Skinner.

"The chip in your neck...we can control your ovulation. You still have ova and we need the rest!"

Skinner grabbed up a chair and slammed it against the Bounty Hunter's head, knocking him down. Scully jammed the stiletto into the back of his neck, causing the alien to disintegrate. She retrieved the tool and Skinner grabbed her hand. They ran out to his car and sped off. Skinner looked through his rear view mirror, "You know they'll be more."

She knew there would be. She dialed Mulder's number. "Mulder he found us. We're okay...we're on our way to some place safe."

"How will I find you Scully?" Mulder asked speeding as fast as he could on the highway. He was still hours away from D.C.

"You will Mulder...Just get here!"

Chapter 6: The Road to the Truth

Skinner pulled out into the street. He turned towards Scully, "Where do we go?"

She thought a moment. "Sir, Rhode Island..."

"That's a few hours away..." he said, looking out his rear view mirror.

"Mulder's parents...they have a summer home there in Quonochontaug. We should be safe there."

Scully pulled out her cell phone and sent a message to Mulder with the initials Q.R. "Ouch," she cried out, suddenly realizing that her arm was hurting. She could see a small piece of splintered wood sticking out of her arm from the chair broken over the head of the alien.

"You're hurt," Skinner said.

"I'm fine," she said, pulling the wood from her arm. She felt around in her doctors coat and found a few pens, and a tiny roll of gauze. She wrapped her arm and then looked over to Skinner. He seemed relieved that she wasn't in serious pain.

"I haven't been to his parents' home since his mother was alive," she said, thinking about her son's grandparents, people she barely knew or ever thought of.

"I'm sure it will be strange for you to be there," Skinner sighed.

"Sir?" she said, turning towards him.

Skinner cleared his throat. "Is the place still standing?"

Scully had never asked Mulder about his parents homes after they had died so she wasn't sure in what condition the place had been left. She couldn't hide at her mother's home endangering her so any one of Mulder's parents homes would be the best place for them to go. After an 8 hour trip to Quonochontaug, they arrived at the island cottage and found it to be still well maintained.

"Mulder must still be paying for its upkeep," she said, surprised.

Skinner searched around the doorway for a key, as Scully walked around to the patio and double doors facing the beach.

"Skinner!" she said, managing to open a window. She slid in and then opened the door for Skinner.

Skinner checked the lights switch but no lights were on. The house looked a mess like someone had tossed furniture and lamps around breaking the lamps against the wall. The dusty furniture was dated, some with plastic still covering it. It was a damp stale smell to the house and she could tell that no one had been in the home in years. Scully pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number.

"Mulder," he answered.

"We're here...where are you?"

"Just pass D.C. I'll be there soon."

"Mulder, we weren't followed. But it does look like someone had tossed around this home. There's broken lamps everywhere..."

Mulder was surprised, a suddenly rush of anxiety rolled through his body and then he relaxed. "Oh, that was me a few years back, Scully. When my mother was hospitalized with the stroke. That's when I got the tool."

"Oh..." she sighed. "There's no power on but it looks like the place is still being maintained on the outside at least."

"I have a maintenance company come...look I need you to get a hold of any guns in the house. I know my father kept a few...and use them if you have too Scully. I'll be there soon."

She hung up and walked over to Skinner who was staring out the windows. "Mulder's dad had guns...let's find them."

They searched the cozy cottage, finding a few guns hidden in a gun locker on a shelf in a closet. Skinner located a few other guns in Mulder's parents room. Scully walked over to the small kitchen window. They had found the bullets and she sat at the table, loading the guns. Skinner had positioned himself near the front door. He had a shot gun pointed at the door. "I guess we just wait..."

"Mulder!" he answered.

"Mulder, it's me...we left...we're at a hotel in Wilmington."

"Scully..." Mulder said, surprised, as his car weaved through traffic on the long stretch of highway. Traffic was sparse this early in the morning but he knew that rush hour would be coming soon. "What are you doing? That's not safe."

"We thought maybe that being at your family's home wouldn't be too safe, Mulder. We're at the Relax Inn. Get here soon..."

Skinner was surprised when the door opened and Mulder walked into the cottage.

"Mulder," Scully said, confused. "I just spoke to you. I thought you were outside D.C."

"Got here faster than I thought."

Scully looked at Skinner and pulled a gun on Mulder. "You're not Mulder!"

Chapter 7: The Journey Within

Scully's gun was pointed at the figure standing at the doorway. Skinner pointed his gun to Mulder but looked uncertain. Scully watched as Mulder smiled slightly. "We're not done with you!"

"Skinner, it's not Mulder!" she screamed, backing up.

Skinner turned towards Scully. "RUN!"

She shook her head, "NO, not without you!"

"SCULLY, RUN! Don't worry about me!"

She turned and bolted out the double doors. The Bounty Hunter morphed from Mulder into his own image and hit Skinner against the wall, knocking him down. The air had been knocked out of his lungs. He gripped his stomach, and then his head. He could feel the cool rush of blood down his neck. Scully ran for Skinner's car, jumping in, slamming and locking the door. She could see the bounty hunter out of the corner of her eye coming from around the back of the house. She started the car but he caught up to her, grabbing at the car door. She pressed on the gas pedal, speeding off, knocking the bounty hunter to the ground. He then stood up and stared off in her direction as dust clouds obstructed his view.

Mulder pulled into the parking lot of the tacky hotel. He scoured the parking lot finally finding a car that resembled a government issued sedan parked in front of the hotel room. He knocked on the door and it opened quickly. Scully stood in the doorway with Skinner seated on one of the chairs. Scully hugged Mulder, but he scanned the hotel room, noticing there were no guns laid out or in either of their hands. "What's going on here?" Mulder asked.

"Nothing," Scully said. "Come on in Mulder."

Mulder walked in but he turned in a circle taking in the scene. "Scully, I told you to get my father's guns."

"We didn't have time to find them," Skinner spoke.

Mulder turned back to Scully but a bounty Hunter stood in front of him, grabbing him up by the neck. "Where is she?"

Mulder could see Skinner morph back into another bounty hunter. He gagged for breath as the alien held him in the air. He then dropped Mulder to the ground. He grabbed at his neck, gulping in the precious air. 'I...I don't know."

"Where is she?" the other bounty hunter asked.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Mulder managed to scream. "What more do you want!"

"We have a mission, Mulder! The end is nearing!"

"He's dead...they're all dead. You won...why are you still abducting women and taking their ova!" Mulder said, sitting up on the floor.

The two aliens looked down at him. "We are sent to locate her. We're sent to locate them all."

"For what purpose?"

The other alien spoke. "You know the reason."

"You can't have her!" Mulder said, standing on his feet.

"They will take her! They will extract her ova!"

"They will create more!" the other one said.

Mulder looked up at the two aliens. "You can't have her! And you can't have our son!"

The Bounty Hunters looked at each other. Suddenly, they walked past Mulder and opened the door. They walked out towards the government issued sedan. They turned towards Mulder who stood in the doorway. "It's a matter of time, Mulder! We will be back!"

He watched as they sped off and jumped back into his white truck. He dialed Scully's number but the phone continued to ring. It rang and rang and then someone picked up. "Mulder...it's Skinner," he said, breathlessly.

"Sir, are you alright? Where's Scully?"

"They came here Mulder...I told her to run. She left everything and took off in my car."

"Did they hurt you?" Mulder said, directing his car towards Quonochontaug.

"I'll be fine. I'll call the ambulance. Mulder, don't worry about me...don't even try to come to the hospital. Just find Scully and get home safely!"

Mulder hung up but the phone rang again, an unknown number appeared on the caller I.d.

"Mulder!"

"Mulder, it's me..."

"Scully!" Mulder said, breathing deeply. "Where are you!"

"I'm at a pay phone at a road side diner, Mulder. I had to leave Skinner..."

"He's fine, he's calling the ambulance for himself, Scully. What diner are you at?"

"I'm in Westerly."

Mulder knew exactly where she was. It was only a few minutes from Quonochontaug. "Scully, get back in your car, cross over to Connecticut and I'll meet you in Pawcatuck."

"Alright, Mulder," she said, hanging up the phone. She looked around to see if anyone looked suspicious but the streets of the quaint town had very few people busying about. She placed her gun back into her doctors coat and climbed back into Skinners sedan.

Mulder reached Pawcatuck and searched each restaurant down Broad street. He ran into a little deli and saw her seated in a chair facing the door. He knew it was Scully from her bright red hair and doctors smocks. She had a sandwich in front of her that she barely touched, instead she sipped on her slightly cooled coffee. When she spotted Mulder, she grabbed him around the waist and buried her face into his chest. He could feel his shirt becoming wet though she made no sound. He hugged her tightly, his entire body shuttered..."Scully...I'm so sorry...I should've listened to you."

She looked up into his face and he could see the tears streaming down. She looked worn and tired. "It's not your fault, Mulder. We just know now that we have to be more on guard."

The diner was silent as the locals watched the two strangers hug each other tightly. He continued to hold her and she gripped him tighter. He bent down and placed a kiss on her wet cheek and then wiped a tear from her eyes. He glanced over to her food. "You didn't eat, I'm sure you're hungry Scully."

She broke from him and then sat back down in her seat. "I guess I am hungry," she said, waiting for him to sit down across from her. He then noticed his own stomach growling. He turned towards the older white haired deli owner who had moved closer to them, washing down a table and no doubt listening to their conversation nosily. "Can I get a liverwurst sandwich, please."

The man nodded and Mulder turned his attention back to Scully who seemed finally content enough to begin to eat. He reached out and touched her hand. They held each other's hands until the old man returned with Mulder's sandwich. They ate in silence and Mulder then stood up and paid for their meal. He reached his hand out and Scully grabbed it, standing up. He placed his hand in his normal position, at the small of her back and guided her out the door.

Scully looked at Skinner's car. "What do we do?"

"We'll tell Skinner where it is. He can get it transported." Mulder said, taking the keys out of Scully's hand and locking Skinners door.

They climbed into Mulder's truck and took off for the 13 hour journey back to their rural home deep in Virginia. They arrived home very early in the morning and he noticed that his trailer with the Gigantic Alien Decals was parked in their driveway. Mulder cautiously checked out their home, his gun drawn. After the house was cleared, Scully walked in and went straight to the answering machine which was lit up. There were 10 messages from Our Lady of Sorrows. She pressed the button to hear the messages all from Father Ybarra. She rolled her eyes and picked up the phone to explain to her boss about her sudden disappearance from the hospital the day before. Mulder smiled and winked at her. "I've got something to do," he said, a few items in his hand.

Mulder walked down the front steps and headed straight for his vintage trailer, and pulled out a razor blade and began peeling off the gigantic decal. He was halfway done with one side when Scully walked out and noticed. "You're not giving up on your dream are you Mulder?"

He smiled and then looked up at her. "No, Scully. I just don't want to be so obvious. If I hadn't ditched it they would've had no problem finding me sooner."

"Ah..." she said, walking down to the driveway. She reached down and picked up the pieces of green alien that littered the ground.

"What did pain in the ass Ybarra have to say?"

"He was infuriated with me but I explained it was a family emergency and that I had no time to think...So, I'm on probation."

Mulder stopped and turned towards Scully. "It's my fault. If I hadn't gone on this trip, none of this would've happened."

"Mulder," she said, grabbing his hand. "We know more about their plans now. We know they're placing clones in medical positions, they haven't stopped. We know that they are looking for the abductees to gather more ova! We know they're still going on with their plans, Mulder."

"We've got 2 years, Scully. They want not only William but they want you too..."

She pushed back a stray strand of red hair. "We'll get through this...we always do and we'll find William and somehow we'll stop their plans. But I don't want you to stop living Mulder. I don't want you to stop enjoying life."

He kissed the top of her head. "You are my life..."

She smiled and then turned to go up the steps. She looked back and was surprised that Mulder was watching her. She blew a kiss in his direction and he smiled. She walked back into the house and he turned his attention back to his trailer, pulling off the alien. He scraped until the words Believe Everything and his phone number were removed. He gathered all the pieces together and then threw them away in the trash.

Chapter 8: Chasing Hybrids

Mulder walked past the kitchen, barely noticing Scully in the kitchen cooking breakfast. He could smell a burst of strawberries and kiwi's he recognized from her shampoo and the crisp smell of country bacon. "Smells good," he said, as he went into his office. He sat down at his desk and noticed a newspaper folded over sitting directly in front of him. "Scully did the paper come?"

"I've got the paper in here, Mulder!" she called from the kitchen. "Breakfast will be ready in a minute."

The Georgetown Current lay before him. He opened it and saw a circle drawn around a name, Dr. Edward Latham. Mulder read the headlines, "Dr. Edward Latham, a Gynecologist formally of Zeus Genetics, more recently of the Georgetown Gynecologic Oncology Associates is under investigation for the trafficking of human ova."

Mulder turned to his file cabinet and pulled out a file he had started years before. He found it labeled Zeus Genetics. "Dr. Parenti's associate, Dr. Edward Latham..." he read to himself.

"Mulder, breakfast!" he heard Scully yell.

He grabbed up the newspaper article and the file and went into the kitchen. He sat down and Scully looked him over. "Mulder...don't you think you need to shower, I can smell you from here. You haven't showered since Asheville!"

Mulder was silent as he stared down at the newspaper that lay next to her. She poured them both some coffee and laid his plate in front of him. She sat across from him, looking at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Someone was here..."

She put down her fork. "How do you know?"

"This paper was sitting on my desk..."

She grabbed it up. "Georgetown?" she said and scanned it until her eyes rested on the circled figure of a man. "Zeus Genetics...My ova, Mulder!"

"Maybe the reason our attempt at artificial insemination, Scully, was because they took it. They had already had it before I took it...maybe they took it back."

"How did you get it, Mulder? You never did tell me..." she said, pushing her plate away.

"There were clones...drones...workers. I came across a group of them working in a lab. They told me that you and other abductees were their mothers...they had tanks filled with other clones...they were creating other serial ova-types like them...just like the clones of my sister...and now the clones of you."

Scully's head was lowered. "And Emily?"

He looked Scully directly into her eyes. "No, not like Emily. I think Emily was unique...an experiment that failed but I don't think she was a serial ova-type. I think she was a unique clone all to herself."

"How do we know that Mulder? I mean...this girl, this Cindy Douglas you met, wouldn't she look like Emily at age three?"

"They were created from you Scully. They are half of your D.N.A., they are half of you, so in a way, they are your children..."

"So they're continuing to use my ova to make drones...for what purpose, Mulder?"

"A slave race, Scully. That hasn't changed...the men may have died...including CGB, but they still are going to enslave us. They are putting the super soldiers in place in positions of power but they're still making drones. The Syndicate... they were cooperating with hybridization but they were also secretly trying to make some clones immune to the black oil...to resist colonization, Scully."

"Mulder, I know that...then why if they are making a slave race do they suddenly need the rest of my ova?"

"They've already abducted you Scully. They've already been using your ova to create clones...maybe something happened that they needed more of the original ova...I don't know. Maybe they need it to generate more like William. "

"I thought that you were the reason William was special?"

"Maybe it's the combination of the two of us...Your manipulated ova and my sperm with the black oil virus...Dr. Parenti's clinic is where I donated my sperm, right? Even though William was conceived naturally, maybe they're trying to recreate him. We need to find out."

Scully looked down at their uneaten breakfasts. "Mulder, we just got home...not even an hour ago!"

"I know...I don't want you to go," he said, stuffing a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

She looked at him surprised. "I couldn't go anyway, I'd lose my job."

"Plus I don't want you nowhere near D.C. It's best you stay low."

"What will you do?" she said, picking up her fork and skimming her eggs.

"I need to find out if Skinner is out of the hospital...and see if he can help me locate this Dr. Latham."

After Mulder was showered, he packed up another overnight bag, and kissed Scully who stood nervously in the doorway. This time he knew she wouldn't beg him to stay, but he knew her anxiety was now much greater than it had been just a few days before. "You got your gun, Scully?"

"Yes, of course," she said, looking down. She turned her eyes up towards Mulder. "Will it ever go back to the way it was so briefly, Mulder?"

"I...I have to believe it will, Scully. But we can't believe that staying hidden will stop them. It's our destiny...and that of our son. We just have to hold on to hope, that's all..."

A tear streamed down her cheek as she covered her face with her hands. He grabbed at her hands but she wouldn't let go. She finally let her hands fall down to her sides and he kissed her deeply, holding her as tightly and gently as he could. Scully could see a tear in Mulder's eyes as well, and she reached up and wiped his tears away. "Mulder, I love you so much...please come back home to me," she said, and then tears again began to fall.

Mulder gulped down his tears and kissed her again, reluctantly letting go of her. He waved to her but this time she ducked back into their home. He knew she was crying and didn't want to be seen. He drove off, watching the house disappear in his rear-view mirror. Mulder arrived in D.C only three hours after leaving Scully at home. He dialed Skinners cell phone number and on the third ring, Skinner answered. "Mulder...did you get home safely?"

"Yes sir. How are you doing?"

"I just got back home...they told me to take it easy. My car is on its way back here."

"I'll pick you up..."

"You're here? Dammit Mulder, I told you to take her home and not come back here."

"I did...I'll explain it after I get you."

Mulder reached Skinner's condo and knocked on the front door. Skinner opened the door, a bandage was wrapped around his head and around his ribs. He grabbed a shirt and put it on, yelping from the pain. "Come in, Mulder..."

Mulder sat down on his former bosses sofa and placed the newspaper article and file down on his coffee table. "Oh by the way, thanks for getting my trailer back home, sir."

Skinner looked perplexed. "What are you taking about? I didn't get the chance..."

Mulder sat there a minute..."I've got to get it checked for bugs then...I'll have to replace my computers etc..."

"What's going on now, Mulder?" Skinner said, impatiently.

"This was placed on my desk at home. It's a paper from Georgetown...apparently Dr. Parenti had an associate that is under investigation for the trafficking of human ova."

Skinner looked at the article carefully. "Scully!" he said, turning towards Mulder. "You think this is why they're after her now?"

"That's why I came back...I need to find out. But they have my samples there too."

"Your samples?"

Mulder sat back trying to think of the words to say. "You see...When Scully was suffering from cancer, I found a clone, a worker, that was using Scully's ova to create more clones. It was an advanced hybridization program...they made clones using her ova after they took all of her ova...or so we thought, when she was abducted. She was told she was barren."

"Mulder, I know all that..." Skinner sighed.

"Well, I had taken one of her ova...I was told they weren't viable. But she wanted a second opinion...so she went to the Parenti Medical Group where her Doctor..."

"Dr. Parenti...who you found out worked with Zeus Genetics," Skinner said.

"Told her that she could conceive artificially...but she needed a donor."

"So you were the donor?," Skinner looked confused.

"This is before we..." Mulder said, trailing off. He squirmed uncomfortably under Skinner's gaze. "It didn't take...William was conceived naturally."

"So you think that they may still have your sperm and may need more of her ova... for what?"

"To recreate William...or special children like him."

Skinner took it all in. "What do you need from me?"

'I need to know where this Dr. Latham is and I need your help to confront him...You're FBI."

Mulder's phone rang and he answered it. "Scully, I made it here. Everything Okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Father Ybarra and I butted heads a few minutes ago but he is leaving me alone, for now..."

"We're gonna go to Dr. Latham's...I'll call you when I find out more."

Mulder drove up to the dark red brick colonial home in Arlington, Virginia. A car was parked in the driveway. Mulder followed behind Skinner who knocked on the front door. He then rang the doorbell and again there was no answer. Mulder walked over to the front window and peered in. "There's someone hanging in there!"

Skinner reached in and pulled out his gun and then busted through the door with Mulder following behind him. They walked over to ceiling fan in the living room where a man was hanging. His face was blue and his body was still warm. Mulder noticed that no chair was present. "He didn't kill himself...there's no chair. They did this to him..."

"What's that on his forehead?" Skinner said, looking up at the man who was hanging by a rope wrapped tightly around his neck.

Mulder strained to see..."It looks like the letter Q...I wonder what that means?"

"Another mystery..."

"Put your hands up!" a man said behind them.

Skinner held his hand up. "I'm Walter Skinner...I'm the Assistant Director of the F.B.I." He pulled out his badge and flashed his credentials to Officer Barrett.

"What about him?" Officer Barrett asked, motioning to Mulder. He still had his gun pointed at Mulder.

"He's former FBI," Skinner answered.

"What are you doing here?"

Officer Randall surveyed the dead man hanging from the ceiling fan. "This man is dead...this is Dr. Latham...the guy in the paper this morning."

"We came to question him..."

Both officers turned towards Skinner and Mulder. "About?"

"His connection to Zeus Genetics," Mulder said, pointing to the newspaper in his hand.

"The door is busted..." one of the officers noticed. "I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to take you both in for questioning...this looks a little suspicious."

A few other officers entered the home, as Skinner and Mulder were guided out. They could see more Arlington police were beginning to section off the home and surrounding area. The officer opened the car door and Skinner and Mulder sat down in it. Officer Barrett nodded towards Officer Randall. "Let's take these two in and question them..."

Chapter 9: She is Mine

"Mulder, what are they holding you for?"

Mulder said, using the jails payphone. "They're saying breaking and entering. Skinner's trying to get me out."

"I'm coming up there."

"Scully, they're after you...this is playing into their plans...don't!"

"What am I supposed to do, Mulder? Leave you in jail?"

"Skinner will get me out. Just stay put...and be alert. They may be watching...Skinner didn't arrange for the trailer to get home..."

Scully was silent on the phone. "I can't be home alone then Mulder...another reason I need to come there."

"I don't think it was them...Scully. Someone else planted the paper at our house...someone else arranged for my trailer to get home. "

"Mulder...please don't ask me to stay here alone..."

Mulder bit his lip. "Go to your mother's Scully. Don't come here."

"Alright," she said, hanging up the phone.

Scully walked into the Arlington Police Station to the surprise of Walter Skinner. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the hallway. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to come..." she said, looking him over. "Are you okay?" she said, touching the bandage on his head.

"I'm fine," he said, shyly. "You shouldn't have come here, Scully."

"Are they releasing him?" she said, ignoring Skinner's statement.

"I'm waiting for him to be released right now."

Just then, Mulder came around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. His face was tight as he stared at Scully angrily. He grabbed her by the arm and walked out of the police department door. "I told you not to come here!"

"Mulder!" she said, as he gripped her arm. "Let go!"

He released his grip. "What are you doing here, answer me that!"

She turned from him and walked off a little, past a few curious police officers. She turned back towards Mulder who stood next to Skinner. "I'm sorry but I was afraid...I couldn't stay home alone. What if they came for me?"

Mulder walked up and stood right above her. "I told you to go to your mother's!"

"I can't put her in danger!" she said, pushing a stray strand of red hair out of her way. She folded her arms, looking down at the sidewalk.

A police officer walked up to them. "Is everything alright?"

Skinner answered the officer. "We're just leaving..."

Mulder, furious, turned and walked down the steps towards the parking lot. Scully glanced over to Skinner and he walked over to her. "Come on, let's go..."

Skinner helped Scully up into the white truck next to Mulder who refused to look in her direction, and then he climbed in as well, slamming the truck door. "Where do we go from here?" Skinner asked.

Scully looked over to Mulder but he was staring in the opposite direction. "Georgetown Gynecologic Oncology Associates...Where Dr. Latham worked."

They sat in silence as Mulder drove across the key bridge into Georgetown. He pulled up in front of the Georgetown Gynecologic clinic and then maneuvered his truck into the parking lot. He hopped out of the truck, slamming the door, not looking back. Scully knew he was still angry so she waited for Skinner to get out on his side and she hopped down. She shot a glance at Mulder but he was still fuming as they walked up to the front door of the clinic. They walked in, past the pictures of babies all over the colorful walls and approached the counter. Skinner flashed his badge at the young receptionist, who stared at Scully baffled. "I'm sorry...you can go in the back..." the young woman said, looking them over.

They eyed each other but walked through the side door the receptionist held open for them. The receptionist guided them to the waiting room. "I'll go get her," she said, looking at Scully.

"I'm sorry?" Scully asked confused.

"Teresa..." the receptionist added. "I'll let her know that her parents are here..."

Mulder turned to Scully who was sitting frozen in her seat. "What is she talking about, Mulder?" she managed to say.

The waiting room door opened and a young red head walked in. She looked at Mulder and then at Scully and her eyes stayed glued to her. Scully's mouth was gaped open as she stared at a younger version of herself. She stood up and walked over to the young girl who nervously looked at Mulder and then Skinner and then back to Scully. "Who are you?', the girl said.

"Who are you?" Scully said. The young woman had red hair and looked exactly like Scully from her blue eyes, to her height, to her build. She was in shock looking at herself. "You're a clone...of me!"

"A clone?" the red head said, stepping back. "You look just like me...only older."

Scully's blue eyes were wide in shock. She looked over to Mulder and he too looked surprised. She glanced back at the girl who sported long red hair past her shoulders. She was dressed in smocks, a clipboard in her hands. Just then a man walked in behind the girl. "Teresa...I..." the man stopped and looked at Scully. "What's going on here?"

"You tell us!" Mulder said, approaching the man. The girl continued to edge back towards the door.

"I'm Dr. Hernandez," the man said, still eying Scully.

"Tell us what's going on here!" Mulder yelled.

Skinner pulled out his gun. "Dr. Hernandez, you better explain this!"

"Follow me..." the doctor said. He turned towards Teresa who looked frightened. "Come with me Teresa."

The trio followed behind Dr. Hernandez and Teresa until they came to a room in the back of the clinic. They entered a lab and the doctor gestured towards the refrigerators he had marked Human Ova. "I guess you've come because you've realized that we're making clones..."

"Clones?" Teresa said, looking confused.

"Yes, Teresa...you're one of them," he said, speaking to the young girl. "You were created out of her ova," he said, pointing to Scully. "She is in essence your mother..."

The girl looked at Scully and Scully looked nervously at Mulder. He grabbed Scully's hand and squeezed it tightly. The doctor pulled out a vial marked Dr. Dana K. Scully and handed it to Scully.

"We have improved upon our clones...they are still identical, but we now have them more human than they were previously...you see. They are created with a history...they believe they have parents, a complete childhood...friends...they even have memories but they are immune to the black cancer. They will survive colonization. We succeeded in that...they are still drones...workers but they are much more. As I guess you know by now that there are more than a few types of hybrids...these hybrids like Teresa, are created to continue the creation of more hybrids...with access to human tissue, human DNA."

Scully looked at the vial that held her ova. Mulder grabbed it out of her hand and placed it in his pocket. The doctor continued. "You came to Dr. Parenti for genetic counseling, correct?"

Scully looked up at Mulder and then back to the doctor. "What happened to my ova and what happened to Mulder's sperm?" she asked.

"Well, your son William was a surprise...he was an incredible miracle. A special human...I've been tasked to try to duplicate him. That is why they need the rest of your ova, Dr. Scully. They want to recreate William. Our clones," he said, pointing to Teresa. "Are fallible. Their identical natures creates a problem with their plans, you see."

"Who's plans?" Scully asked.

"The aliens...they want a worker force that blends in undetected until colonization...but that's not possible with the serial ova-types...yet they do make a good workforce. So creating them is not unreasonable. But what they would like is to create more like your son William. They would like to reproduce him...mostly human, immune to the end, with alien abilities."

"So they're trying to abduct Scully again and take the rest of her ova? And they're using my sperm from when I donated it?"

Dr. Hernandez smiled. "They already have your sperm, Mr. Mulder. They took it during your abduction. At the time they weren't aware of how special your son was...but when they learned, they tried finding him...but then they realized that maybe they could recreate him. They have her ova and your sperm...you were exposed to the black oil and lived, Mr. Mulder. And her ova was manipulated...she still has ova...they weren't able to extract them all, but they would like to, so they can continue with the experiments to create more like William."

"What's your role in all this?" Skinner asked. "Are you clone, a super solider...what are you?"

"A clone, Mr. Skinner," Dr. Hernandez smiled. "You'll find us stationed in various cities around the world...Once they find out you've found us, she and I will be destroyed," he said, looking over to Teresa. "We are expendable. They've already killed Dr. Latham."

"Was he a drone?" Skinner asked.

"No," Dr. Hernandez smiled. "He worked for a consortium. He oversaw our progress and made sure we had access to human DNA. They will close down this clinic, make it like it never existed...and they will then open up another clinic in another city and put more of us in place to continue gathering human ova, human sperm...and continue on with our work."

Mulder watched Scully who was looking at Teresa, her own reflection. He squeezed her hand and she glanced up at him. He could see the hurt in her eyes. "You okay, Scully?"

"Yes, I'm fine..." she said, looking back at the girl.

"You need to leave now," the Dr. spoke. "They will be coming soon. Oh...you must not try to use the ova in your pocket," he said...looking at Mulder. "It will only produce another Teresa..."

Mulder pulled out the vial and handed it to the doctor. Scully looked back at Teresa one last time and then grabbed Mulder's hand. Skinner walked out first and then Scully and Mulder. They got back into the truck and sped off. A few minutes later they heard an explosion, shaking the ground. Mulder looked over to them both and they sped up faster towards Skinner condo.

Chapter 10: What's the Truth?

Mulder paced around the Skinner's condo. "Something about this whole thing bothers me..." he said. "I don't think we were being told the entire truth."

Skinner turned up the volume on the television. "One person was found dead at the Georgetown Obstetrics clinic...Police have confirmed that there was a strange green substance found in two places within the clinic...they are unsure if that substance was used to ignite the explosive device that leveled the clinic. The clinic was in the news recently because of Dr. Edward Latham was being investigated for the selling of human ova...Dr. Latham was found dead in his home...Witnesses said that a man was seen leaving the clinic moments before it exploded. Police are working to come up with a composite of the suspect..."

Skinner turned off the television. "They're cleaning house..."

"Mulder what don't you believe? We have proof that they're using my ova...we saw it...I saw it for myself!"

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm getting that feeling like I used too when we worked on the X-Files...that we're being given a piece of the truth but not the whole truth...I mean, it was like he was waiting for us...though I believe your clone's reaction was genuine."

Scully stood up and grabbed Mulder's arm. "Mulder, doesn't it bother you that they're using our our ova and sperm to try to recreate William. Doesn't it bother you that they're using our children, Mulder?"

"Of course," he said, looking her in the eyes. She ran her hand down his arm and then grabbed his hand. "But...I don't think they've succeeded...I don't think they ever will..."

"Mulder, I'm sure if they have the technology to create human alien hybrids, they have the technology to use my egg and your sperm and create children," she huffed.

"I know that...but what if your eggs really aren't viable Scully. What if my sperm is damaged...just think how long it took for you to get pregnant. It was..."

"Almost two years..." she said, and then turned to look over at Skinner.

He looked very uncomfortable and stood up heading for the kitchen. "I think we all need a beer...anyone want a beer?"

"Scully, that was us just being together that wasn't even counting our actual attempt to have kids using your ova. All that time we used nothing because we thought it was impossible. But even then...it still took almost 2 years before you became pregnant."

"So what are you saying Mulder?"

"I'm saying that I don't think they're succeeding. Even if they had the rest of your ova, I don't think they could create another William."

She looked confused. "Why not?"

"Because they are missing one element, Scully, and that's love..."

Scully rolled her eyes. "Mulder...you can't be serious..."

"I know it sounds hokey but that's the one element that's missing in their labs...William was created out of love..."

"Of course he was created out of love...but Mulder there's an actual scientific reason that William was created..."

"Okay, " he said, noticing that Skinner was stalling in the kitchen, trying to wait to rejoin them. "Maybe there is a scientific reason, Scully, that they have not yet succeeded in recreating William. Maybe your manipulated ova and my damaged sperm created an anomaly...William and maybe they cannot replicate that anomaly. Think about it Scully, it's been 7 years since we had William and you've never been pregnant since, right...I think that they are trying but can't. I think they have used up all of the ova they had stolen from you and they are now in need of more, so that's why they want the rest..."

Skinner handed them both a beer and Scully looked at him shyly. He smiled but turned away quickly and then sat back down on the couch. Scully sat down in a chair and Mulder sat next to Skinner on the couch. "So," Skinner said to break the silence. "Now what..."

"Well, I've still got a few things that are bothering me...like the Q on Dr. Latham's forehead...and who arranged for my trailer to be brought home and placed the paper on my desk..."

Skinner glanced over to Mulder. "Either they were watching you the whole time or they tapped into my cell phone, Mulder."

"The question is...who are they and what do they want...I don't think it was the Bounty Hunters...because if it were them, why not wait until Scully and I got home and take her. Or wait until I left and take her?"

"You have no more friends in the FBI," Skinner stated. "Who could it be?"

"Someone lead us here...to find the truth."

"Or at least part of the truth," Scully said, sipping on her beer. "You know...the letter Q on the forehead...if the Bounty Hunters are getting rid of evidence...why would they leave something so obvious?"

"Good point," Mulder said, taking a swig of his beer.

"They wouldn't," Skinner said. "Who is still alive? I thought everyone was dead...Krycek, CGB, all of the members of the Syndicate."

"We don't know that they're all dead because we don't know who they all were..." Scully added.

"I think I know who it is...they wouldn't do it themselves but they would have it arranged...there's only one person left."

"Who?" Scully said, looking up. "Mulder, who?"

"Marita Covarrubias..."

Chapter 11: The Decision

Mulder drove Scully to a brightly painted apartment building in the heart of D.C. He and Scully went up the elevator doors coming to the familiar apartment door. He knocked and it swung open and the woman invited them in. "Come in..."

Scully hesitated, pulling out her gun that she had in her back holster. Mulder pulled out his gun also and they walked in. Marita Covarrubias sat at a desk, smoking a cigarette. Her platinum blond hair was well groomed and she was dressed in a business suit. She smiled at both Mulder and Scully. "Have a seat," she said, gesturing to the arm chairs in her living room. "I was wondering when you'd arrive, Mr. Mulder..."

Scully looked over at Mulder and then put her gun away. He put his away as well, and they sat down in the chairs. Marita came over and sat across from them. She looked at them both and Mulder could tell she had aged...her eyes were worn with bags under her eyes. "The mission hasn't changed...you know that. The date is set. Most of the men are dead...but it still continues...they are either gathering abductees for removal or they're gathering them for creating more super soldiers...or they're using them for more experiments..."

"And?" Mulder continued. "What's your role, Marita?"

"I'm still in with them, Mulder. I have no other choice...but I was hoping you would still want to fight."

"Why should we trust you?" Scully asked.

"I've protected you..." she said, puffing on a cigarette. "It's a matter of time before they succeed with their plans...They want to recreate William...the ultimate human hybrid...but they want control of these hybrids...your offspring. They've attempted these experiments with other women, just as they attempted to create alien babies from human mothers..."

Scully looked over to Mulder. Marita saw her nervousness but continued. "None of these other women resulted in children special like William. They will find you...unless you stop them."

"How? How do we stop them?"

"By exposing them, Mr. Mulder. Expose them and expose their plans...they're systematically erasing proof."

"But how?" Scully asked.

"There's still proof...you have to find it, document it and expose them..."

Mulder shook his head. "How many years did we attempt that, Marita? How many loses did we suffer in trying to do that? We have just a short time before the end...maybe we should concentrate on spending it together!" Mulder said, rising up.

"You think they'll let you live it in peace?" she smiled. "They want her ova...and they won't stop until they get it. And in getting it they will kill her, Mr. Mulder."

Mulder turned to Scully. Scully grabbed Mulder's arm. He looked down at Scully. "We'll figure it out...but we will not be chasing after demons again. We wasted too many years doing that..."

"So you'll let it happen?"

"What can we do? We're out numbered..." Mulder said, turning towards the door, his arm around Scully's shoulders.

"I never thought you'd give up, Mr. Mulder." Marita said, standing up.

"He hasn't," Scully said. "It's just a daunting task...one we may have chased after when we were younger...but now...I think if we are to fight we need to find our son...I think that's our only chance..."

"It's not your only option."

"What have you given us?" Mulder screamed. "Just another chase...another chase into the abyss...Tell us where our son is and maybe we can fight them then!"

"You think if I knew I would be contacting you? I would just arrange to take him. But if they get a hold of more of your ova...and create another hybrid like William...not even your son can stop them!"

"Then we'll make sure they can't get to me...if there's no ova they can't take them, right?"

Mulder looked over to Scully. "What? What are you saying?"

"Full hysterectomy..."

"NO!" Mulder screamed, walking over to the door. "There's got to be another way..."

"There isn't, Mulder," Scully said, glancing at him and then back to Marita. "If it's true...that my ova is what they want...to continue the experiments...then we'll take that away from them. And we'll continue to search for William..."

"What about what they're doing? What about the clones and other experiments..." Marita continued. "How will we fight them?"

"William," Scully answered. "We've got 2 more years...we will fight them...after we find him."

Mulder stood in the doorway staring at Scully. She turned to address him. "Like you said, Mulder...William was an anomaly. I haven't been able to have kids since him...I'm getting older...it just makes sense...nothing will change..."

Mulder nodded his head and then looked over to Marita. He opened the door and waited for Scully to walk back out into the hallway. He clasped her hand and they walked to the elevator. They walked out of the apartment door and Mulder spotted a large man heading in their direction. "Scully, run!"

Scully ran quickly to the white truck, hopping in. Mulder turned the key, speeding off just as the Bounty Hunter reached their truck. "Let's get out of here, Mulder!"

"We need to get your car from the police station, we can't leave it there," Mulder said. They sat in silence until he was sure they were safe. He then turned towards Scully. "Are you sure, Scully?"

"I'm sure...think of it as my way of fighting back Mulder. They took everything away from us...this is my way of taking it back."

"I was always hopeful it would happen again..." he said, placing his hand around her shoulders.

"I was too," she said, leaning into him. "But this isn't the time to bring another child into this world, even if we could...plus we don't want them to create any child that could defeat William...We need him to fight, Mulder."

"We've got to get more prepared, Scully. I know it was my dream to be a paranormal investigator, but we've got to get prepared...And I certainly can't leave you alone now."

"What about my job?" she said, turning to look at him.

"That pays the bills," he laughed lightly. "Being isolated out there we forget what's going on out there...that they are taking over..."

"I guess it's selfish of us...but then again, Mulder, don't we deserve it?"

"We do...we fought for so long...we won't give up but we do deserve some peace of mind...to be together."

They arrived back home in a few hours. Mulder scoped out the place to make sure it was safe. There were no other newspapers laid on his desk and nothing seemed to be amiss. He had arranged for a tow truck to bring Scully's car back to their house. He met the driver in Arlington and she had driven in front of him all the way home. When Mulder walked into the house, Scully was on the phone with a colleague of hers. "Yes, that's great...thanks."

"What did he say?"

"He said that full hysterectomies were usually only performed if there was a condition but he figured, me being a physician, I understood that...so he is gonna arrange for it in the next few days...I'll be on bed rest for a few weeks...you'll have to take care of me."

"I can do that..." he said, pulling her in by the waist. "I'm sorry you've lost so much, Scully. I'm sorry now it's come to this."

"Like I've told you countless times before, Mulder, it's not your fault. They did this to me...and now I'm gonna stop them from doing this again to me...Alright?"

"Alright," he nodded. "What's next?"

"Letting Father Ybarra know I'll be gone awhile...he should be thrilled." she laughed a little.

"He doesn't hate you that much, Scully. It's the stubborn Irish in you he hates...a stubborn former FBI woman that can kick his ass..."

She punched Mulder in the arm and he screamed out loudly, "OUCH!"

"Well, I've got to get ready for my surgery..." she said, walking towards the kitchen. "I've got to make sure there's food to eat so you don't burn the kitchen down..."

"I make the best frozen dinners ever Scully," he smiled.

She smiled back, shaking her head. "Of course you do, Mulder. I think I better have my mother come anyway..."

Chapter 12: Crippled Efforts

"Was this absolutely necessary?" Maggie Scully fumed as she paced the hospital room where Scully lay in bed.

Scully looked over at her mother, whose hair was whiter but was still just as spry as she had been. Mulder was turned towards the window looking outside. He could see the view of Georgetown from his vantage point. Scully coughed and Mulder turned towards her. He glanced briefly at her mother and then sat down next to Scully.

"Mom...it's nothing to worry about. Nothing has changed, I was unable to have children prior to this...except William, and I'm unable to have children again now."

"Was it cancer? Did your cancer return?" Maggie questioned.

"No, mom...it hasn't," she said, shaking her head. "I'm still cancer free."

She looked at her daughter and then over to Mulder. "Would you tell me if it were?"

Scully went to speak but her words were lost. Mulder stood up and touched the older woman's shoulders. "She's fine, Mrs. Scully. This was just a decision Dana and I made...there's no physical reason."

She shrugged off Mulder's hands, her lips quivered and she folded her arms. "They don't just do full hysterectomy's for no reason!"

"Mom, I would tell you if I had anything wrong...there's nothing wrong. It was just a procedure. A decision Mulder and I came too together."

Mrs. Scully looked over to Mulder and he smiled shyly. "Mrs. Scully, you have nothing to worry about."

She shook her head. "I'm going to the cafeteria to get some coffee..." she said, looking at them both. "I'll be right back."

Mulder watched as Mrs. Scully opened the door to her daughter's private room and went down the hall. "She's really mad!" he said, finally turning to Scully.

"I know you didn't understand why I did it either...do you understand now, Mulder?"

He walked over to Scully's side and kissed her on the forehead. "I understand Scully, I just wished it didn't have to be..."

She winced from the pain as she tried to shift herself in the bed. "What's done is done, Mulder. Now I don't have to live in fear of them coming to get me again."

The door opened and Marita Covarrubias walked in, carrying flowers. Her pale white skin and white hair contrasted against the bright flowers in her hands. She handed the flowers to Scully and nodded to Mulder. "They won't be after you now...you did stop them...for now."

"For now?" Scully said, placing the flowers on the nightstand next to her.

"You crippled their efforts...but they've increased their search for your son. William is the key and if they can't duplicate him using your ova and your sperm," she said, looking at Mulder. "They will try to find him and duplicate him and then destroy him."

Scully looked over to Mulder and he grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "Why are you telling us all this, Marita?" Mulder asked. "What's in it for you?"

"You saved my life once...Mulder. During your trial...I'm just repaying the favor. They won't come after her again...but they are still around, Mr. Mulder. They will still be making clones...they will still be making super soldiers...until the date."

"Do they know where we are?" Scully asked.

"No...I've kept that from them the best I could. As you know I do...and what I know they can easily know."

The door swung open to the hospital room and Maggie Scully walked in, two coffee's in hand. She stopped suddenly and looked at the tall blond in front of her. "Everything okay?"

Mulder nodded to Maggie. "Yes, everything's fine..."

Marita looked at the couple and then turned towards the door, walking past Mrs. Scully. She handed Mulder a coffee and then sat down in a chair. "A friend of yours?" she said looking at her daughter.

"Sort of," Mulder answered.

"Mom, everything's fine now..." Scully said, trying to comfort her mother. "It's fine..."

Mulder sat back down holding Scully's hand. The door opened and Dr. Nerum walked in. He was a friend of Scully's, who had worked at the Georgetown University Hospital since their time in medical school. He came in and shook both Maggie's and Mulder's hands. "I'm still confused of why you needed this procedure done, Dana, but you're healing well..." He looked over to Mulder, "You can take her home now...there's no need to keep her."

"Thanks," Mulder said, sitting up. Maggie had already began packing up Scully's belongings, so he sat back down.

"Bill..." Scully said, looking at Dr. Nerum. "Thanks again..."

"No problem," he smiled. "Anytime you need another unnecessary procedure, call me!"

Scully smirked but he was already out of the door. She turned to Mulder, "You okay?"

"Am I okay, are you okay?"

"I'm fine...a little in pain but I'll be fine...you're staying with us right, Mom?"

Maggie stopped folding her daughter's nightgowns and turned towards them. "Of course...whatever you need."

"She doesn't trust me to cook," Mulder smiled to Maggie.

"I think I understand," she smiled back, the worry lifted from her eyes. "I'll be there as long as you need, Dana."

A few weeks had passed by and Scully pulled into their driveway, closing the car door, her briefcase in hand. Mulder came out to meet her and they kissed on the lips. "Where you going?"

"To clean out my trailer...I haven't touched it since the trip..."

Scully tossed her briefcase onto the steps and walked over to the trailer that was parked on the side of the house. She watched as Mulder opened the door and she could see dried blood on the floor and steps of the trailer. Mulder maneuvered past the blood and she followed and he sat down at the table with his computers, surveying his equipment. "I need to find her picture..."

"Who's picture?" Scully said alarmed, sitting next to him.

"Cindy...Cindy Douglas, the girl that started this whole thing..."

He searched amongst the mess that had been created during the fight with the bounty hunter and he found a picture of her. "This was her..." he said, handing Scully the picture.

She looked at it carefully, noticing every detail. "It's amazing, Mulder."

"What?"

"I guess...even though it sounds crazy...but it's like I'm looking at a picture of an older Emily...I don't know why I feel that way..."

"I think we all desire to see a reflection of ourselves in our children, Scully. I think about it all the time with William...will he look like you...will he look like me? Will he have your evil eye or my sense of humor...I think, it's understandable. You never got to see Emily grow up...so this clone...this other experiment using your ova...just conjures up those feelings...it's understandable."

He flipped on his video recorder and rewound it back to his interview of her. They sat in silence both knowing that the clone Cindy Douglas was actually dead during this interview...that he had been unknowingly interviewing a bounty hunter. "Her mannerisms..." Mulder said..."I wonder if the bounty hunter actually was copying her mannerisms..."

"Why?"

"Clone or not...she is still part of you, Scully. It's curious to me how many of her mannerisms are like yours..."

"I'm sorry Mulder but it's a little creepy to me!" Scully scoffed. "Mulder, have you answered any phone calls to your little business lately? Anymore investigations to go on?"

"After all that happened Scully, do you really think I'd go off an leave you now."

"Mulder, they won't come after me anymore. I no longer have what they need..."

He looked at her carefully. She could tell from his eyes that the subject saddened him. She reached out and touched his arm. "I'll be okay now. I have my work, you have yours," she mimicked their earlier conversation. "Now...what's the next case of Believe Everything, minus the gigantic alien decals...Oh, and dried human blood covering the floors..."

Mulder smiled. "I got a call about a few sightings of the Skunk Ape..."

"Ah, the Skunk Ape..." she smiled. "I thought you were the only one..."

Mulder laughed and then picked up his phone. He dialed the number of his contact. Scully tuned out his conversation until he hung up. "I leave in the morning...you sure you gonna be alright?"

"I'm sure," she said, kissing the top of his head. She stepped carefully out of the trailer, slamming the door back behind her. She smiled quietly to herself, grabbed up her briefcase and walked into their home.

The END

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