Title: Jordon
Author: Pamela Olumoya
Summary: Circumstances bring Mulder into contact with a former 
girl friend who is convinced that Samantha was involved in the 
birth of her six year old daughter.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

			Jordon

 
It had been six hours of driving without a break. The last hour and a 
half had been particularly bad because of the tremendous downpours. A 
couple of times Beth knew it would be wise to pull over and wait but she 
didn't dare stop. It would not have been too safe for a woman alone in 
the middle of the night and besides, she could no longer postpone facing 
the fact that her marriage was over, nor facing the custody battle her 
husband was planning to mount. Such spite. Such a mean-spirited,  evil 
thing to undertake and all to punish her. Everything would work out 
she told herself. Mulder would not disappoint her.
 
She pushed the scan button again on the radio. Not only did this give 
her something to do, but the inane comments of the all- talk radio host 
could only be tolerated in very small doses. "I should be in range, " 
Beth decided as she dialed his number.

"Fox Mulder" he answered, almost whispering, having been awakened. "It's 
4am," he thought, "this can't be good."

"Mulder, God I'm glad your home. This is Beth. Beth Janson."

"Beth? Beth. Name and voice recognition finally sank in. Where are you?"
"I'm here. I have to see you."

"All right, sure. What is it?" Mulder now had the phone in his lap, his 
feet on the floor. It only took seconds for anxiety to push sleep away.

"I will tell you when I see you."

"Where are you?"

"I'm about fifteen minutes away, I think."

"I'll put the coffee on."

In the time it took to get dressed and get the coffee started Mulder had 
a chance to reminisce about the person belonging to the voice on the 
phone. The last time he'd seen Beth was what? almost 3 years ago? 
His mother had said she and her husband had attended his father's 
funeral. She always looked good in black-- another reason he was sorry 
he had been unable to attend the funeral a year ago. She was about 5' 
6" Her complexion,  flawless and very touchable. He smiled recalling how 
her mid-length dark brown hair always smelled like strawberries. He 
remembered beautiful large brown eyes with lots of lashes.

There was a rapid knock at the door. Mulder checked to see who it was 
then admitted Beth. She was dripping wet.

"Mulder, I don't know where to begin. I'm sorry to get you up." 

"Here, give me your coat," Mulder said, as he checked the hallway behind 
her and closed the door almost in one motion. "Have you been driving all 
night?"

"Just about. I know . I must look bad. I just --I don't know what to 
do next. I didn't want to involve you but,  here I am."

"You never look bad- that's just not possible." he said. Well, she 
didn't actually look bad but it was clear to him that Beth was physically 
not doing too well. As he hugged her he could feel that she was 
extremely thin. He brushed her wet hair from her face and stared for a 
moment into her eyes made even more prominent by the gauntness of her 
face. "What happened?" he asked.

"Mulder, it's just so incredibly unreal what has been going on in my life 
for the past six months." Very close to tears, Beth began to pace the 
living room.

"Here, this coffee will warm you up." Mulder said, handing her cup. I'm 
listening."

"Thank you--I hope this is decaffeinated because I haven't slept in days."

"Maybe I'll just turn up the heat." Mulder said, taking the cup from 
Beth's shaking hands. 

"It's about Jordan, Mulder."

"Go ahead."

"James thinks Jordan is your daughter."

Not missing a beat Mulder said, "Why would he think that, Beth?"

"Tests show that he is not her father. Here are pictures of her," Beth 
said, pulling three of them from her wallet. 

"The resemblance is startling I must admit, " he said, moving to have a 
better look under the light from the lamp on his desk. "If I got my mom 
to give me a couple of pictures of me at this age, I think we'd be quite 
a match. She's about six now, right? But, we both know she is not my 
daughter. If James isn't her father, who is?"

"I don't know who is. I just know who isn't."

"Meaning what? That there are more than a couple of possibilities here?"

By now Beth was no longer pacing but sitting on the couch. Mulder sat
next to her. "No, no not at all. I was shocked at the test results. I
have had them repeated four times . I don't know who Jordan's father is
because to my knowledge James is the only person I have slept with in
eight years."

"To your knowledge? So, something obviously happened without your 
knowledge . What? What do think happened?"

Beth was unable to answer him, she wanted to but the words would not 
come. 

"Do the tests show that you are her mother?" Mulder asked, trying a 
different approach for the moment. 

"What?" For a second Beth thought Mulder was not taking her seriously. 
She looked at him closely in order to read him. Other people found him
difficult to know-she had never had that problem. Relieved to see
sympathy and not sarcasm in his eyes she continued, "Yes, they do. 
Actually, that was my first thought too. You know, that at the hospital
there had been some kind of dreadful mixup--the kind you only read about-
but she is mine. I know it's truly bizarre ..." Mulder and Beth's eyes
locked as if the word bizarre was a buzz word that immediately
crystallized what was at the heart of this conversation. Beth said, "She
isn't yours, I know. Maybe -- maybe she is Samantha's." 

Now he missed a beat. Mulder stood up. He needed some distance to 
better process what was being said. 

"I spend my days now", Beth continued, "convinced that I am losing my 
mind and I need someone to believe me-that's why I am here. I would 
never do anything to dredge up memories of Samantha,  you know that. 
But, I knew if anyone could believe me, it would be you."

"Where is Jordan, now?"

"She's with my mom at home."

"What about your husband?"

"I'm not sure where James is. I haven't seen him in about two weeks.
He is convinced, of course, that you and I conceived Jordan. That we have
lied to him-that I have lied to him and continue to lie. He can't live 
with it and I can't blame him. I made the mistake of telling him that 
I thought maybe this could somehow be related to Samantha's 
disappearance and so now--not only am I an adulterous wife but insane to 
the point of believing that aliens had something to do with Jordan's 
birth. Can you help me?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Mulder, I was just about to call you, " Scully said, sitting at her 
desk in their office. "Late night?"

"Early morning, as a matter of fact, A friend of mine dropped by." 
Mulder said into the phone.

"Oh, that's nice. Well, I need your notes from that last interview ...
are you coming in ?"

"No, do you think you can come here? "

"Are you sure everything is all right?"

"Yeah, I'll explain."

It took Scully twenty minutes to reach Mulder's apartment. Five minutes 
after that, she returned her gun to it's holster, having determined it 
was not needed. She did not understand the circumstances that had 
motivated her partner's request . Fortunately, he did not appear to be in 
trouble. She asked, "What's going on?"

"It's an x-files. My friend, Beth Janson, is here to get help with a 
problem. Her husband is not her daughter's father and she doesn't know 
who is."

"Oh, is *that* what the "x" stands for? Scully asked.

"Take a look at these." Mulder said, handing her Jordan's pictures.

"Who is this? She looks like...Mulder? Is there something you forgot to 
mention?"

"That's what Beth's husband thinks."

"And, of course, he is mistaken."

"Absolutely."

"Well, if you believe her when she says there was no one else, there is 
obviously a major emotional or physical trauma preventing her from 
remembering." 

"No doubt that's part of it. Beth thinks Samantha is involved." 

"Samantha?"

"I had this in my personal files but I never connected it to Beth because 
of the different last names" Mulder said, handing Scully a folder.

"James Colby?" Scully asked as she inspected how the dark brown folder 
was labeled.

"Her husband." Mulder clarified.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hi, you must be Dana," Beth said as she joined Mulder and Scully in 
the living room.
 
Mulder knew that a couple of hours of sleep could do a person a world of 
good. but he hadn't seen such dramatic proof in a long time. A pair of 
his jeans and one of his shirts only enhanced that certain appeal Beth 
always possessed. In a room full of people, this is someone he would 
always be drawn to. The short hair was different than what he'd been used 
to but very becoming. She could easily gain 10 pounds and still be at 
the weight she was in college. The lack of make-up made her look like 20 
instead of 30 and oh so vulnerable. 

"Yes, Beth, hello." Dana said, shaking Beth's extended hand. "Your 
daughter is lovely despite the resemblance to Mulder." Too late, Scully 
realized that this joke was not the most appropriate one. Moving on she 
asked, "When was she born?"

"Thank you." Beth smiled a very strained but forgiving smile. "Jordan 
was born on April 23rd, 1989 . I know how it must sound. You probably 
know that Mulder's sister's disappearance was never solved. I knew 
Samantha when we were children. When she was abducted like that right, 
out of her home... Well, I have followed the story for a long time and 
I believe she was taken by ......visitors."

"And you think you were too?"

"I don't know. I have no memories of it, but would I?"

"Do your recall anything strange happening or time unaccounted for near 
the time of Jordan's conception?" Scully continued her questions. 

"No nothing."

"And was the pregnancy and delivery uneventful?"

"Yes, she was full term. Weighed seven pounds. Labor was long, about 22
hours. Is any of this consistent with...is it called hybrid births? Beth
stared intently at Scully, as if she knew a fully comprehensive answer
would be forth coming." 

That intense look that demanded an answer caught Scully off guard and 
she shifted her gaze to Mulder. 

Mulder, reacting to Scully's discomfort responded, "Beth, there hasn't 
been enough data to formulate any kind of statistics or to rule anything 
out. What can you tell me about Jordan's personality?"

"She's a regular kid. She really doesn't stand out in anyway. She's 
bright gets a long well with her peers and with adults. Loves animals, 
does well in school...
Do you think they will come back for her? I mean, if she is part of 
some kind of experiment I don't care because I love her so much. It 
really doesn't matter to me at all. But, you see, if they come back 
for her...if they come back for her....." Beth suddenly stopped talking, 
sat down, folded her arms, and slowly began rocking back and forth. 
"I would not want to live without her, that's all."

Mulder's and Scully's eyes met. Mulder know instantly that Scully would
be inquiring about Beth's psychological health status as soon as they were
alone. Before she could finish her inaudible sigh, Scully knew full well
that Mulder was going to, once again, seek another truth when *the* truth
was already as plain as the nose on his face. 

"Come lie down for a while. We will talk more later," Mulder said as he 
led Beth back into the bedroom.

A few minutes later Scully asked Mulder, "Who are you calling?"

"I'm calling Beth's aunt . I don't want to leave her alone."

"Mulder, I am concerned that Beth needs to be under a doctor's care-not 
necessarily spending time with her aunt. She does not sound very stable."

"It just so happens that Beth's aunt is a doctor. How could you relay 
what she just told us and NOT sound unstable. Trust me, I know."

Scully raised her eyebrows, folded her arms and nodded-there was no arguing 
with that.


"As soon as she comes we can leave," Mulder said. "Let's see what we can 
find out about James Colby from the Department of Agriculture. That's 
where he was employed. We can save the tax payers money if you ride 
with me."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What's in this file that makes you believe her? Scully asked sitting 
in the passenger seat. "You know that if we compare Jordan's and 
Samantha's medical data the findings will be inconclusive. And as for 
locating her husband, that could take months, especially if he doesn't 
want to be found."

"I know. See for yourself."


Scully read:
Ridge Lake Gazette--July 11, 1988

Be The Best Foods Company, based in Ridge Lake, Vermont not only employs 
the latest in bio-tech to produce, care for, and market their beef, 
the company has now instituted the latest in psycho-tech designed to 
keep the cattle happy while they are in residence. Nearby residents have 
reported seeing an irregularly shaped machine that dispenses a pink, 
sunrise-type light that, in effect makes the calmest part of the day 
for the animals, last virtually all day long. 

"Pink light? Is this for real?" Scully asked.

"Jason Colby wrote the report. Notice the date? He was there near the 
time of Jordan's conception. It's my guess, Scully, that this pink 
light is generated from a non-earthly source."

"Mulder, there are pink lights on stages across America. That doesn't 
mean that "visitors" are providing entertainment. I'll admit it sounds 
weird but maybe this company is involved with some legitimate research.

"We've got to get you out more-you don't know the half of it." 
Mulder teased. Let's see what we find out."

"Do we have a picture Mr. Colby?" Scully wondered out loud.

"Yes. It should be in the folder."

"Mulder, we just passed this guy a couple of blocks back."

"You're kidding. I guess this means he wants to be found, Scully."


Two u-turns later their car was stopped in front of a tall,  balding 
man, wearing a long black leather coat. He was alone and appeared to be 
waiting at the bus stop.

When he would think about this later Mulder knew his instincts should have 
told him this situation was wrong-they didn't. Mulder got out of the 
car and showed his badge over the roof of his red Ford. "Mr. Colby, I 
am Fox Mulder..."

The gun appeared from nowhere. The shot grazed Mulder's left temple.
Stunned, Mulder crouched beside his open car door and reached for his 
gun. Scully, knowing that she offered an even better target decided to 
take her best shot. Her first shot missed, diverted by a street sign. 
Her second shot hit him center chest.

"Mulder! How bad are you hit!" 
"It's not bad, It was close, but it's not bad, Mulder said, holding his 
hand to his face. Are you ok?"

"Yes."

Satisfied Mulder was not underplaying the seriousness of his injury, 
Scully walked over to the body lying on the ground. She kicked the gun 
away, checked for a pulse and then checked his wallet before she 
confirmed, "This was James Colby."
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"How is Beth?"

"She's coping. Now that James is not forcing the issue Beth doesn't want 
to discuss it anymore.

"So, that's it?"

"That's it for now." Mulder said, sitting down at his desk.

Taking a break from the paperwork related to the shooting Scully asked,
"Mulder, why do you suppose Beth looked at me the way she did? It was 
as if she....Anyway, I have been thinking. What if there was an 
explanation that didn't involve Samantha at all?" 
 
"Like maybe my father, or uncle or cousin?"

"Did you check that out already?" Scully asked.

"I did. The timing is just not in sync. And, there are not that many 
family members for me to eliminate."

"That's not what I was going to say," Scully informed him.

Mulder looked up at her with added curiosity, glad he could still be 
surprised by her thinking.

"Let's look at this; we have Samantha, we have aliens, we have a former 
love interest,  we have a child who looks like you but is of unknown 
paternity. Any one of these elements is enough to pique your interest. 
All four together must be..."

"...a nightmare come true," Mulder said, completing her thought. "You 
think this was somehow orchestrated for my benefit? But that would mean 
Beth is lying. No, I believe her."

Scully felt a little irritated because nothing she offered seemed to 
provide Mulder with an alternative perspective on things. Seeking to 
understand why she probed,"You two seem to have some sort of special 
bond."

"Scully, you know how some things you just keep to yourself your whole life?"

"Yeah, of course. If that is the case now, just say so." Scully's body
language did not support her statement. If the two desks weren't between
them she would have been practically in his lap. As it was, the edge of
her desk pressed into her rib cage as she strained to get closer to him. 
Up to now their personal past had not been a topic for discussion. She
was more than a little curious. 

"This is going to sound---but you're used to it by now. Beth and I got 
together for about 2 months the summer I came back from Oxford. We'd 
known each other growing up-same high school. I was on the rebound 
because things had not worked out with Phoebe. Beth knew this and 
offered to be my "distraction"--that was her word. We both knew it 
would not go anywhere because, basically, I was in love with someone else. 
One night, we were lying there and I looked over at her and I swear I 
saw Samantha. After that, everything felt too uncomfortable. I just 
stopped seeing her and she accepted that it was simply time for me to move 
on. That's why even a *sentence* with both Beth and Samantha in it gets my 
immediate attention."

"Mulder, you were in your home town, upset over the breakup... unhappy 
memories can have strange effects." Scully attempted to explain.

"Scully...." Mulder's tone said, 'don't even try it.' He stood up, 
preparing to leave.

"Never mind that. Beth's truth could still be the truth that someone 
else wants you to have."

"It must get uncomfortable, Scully." Mulder suggested.

"What?" 

"Riding that fence. First you think that Beth is an unstable yarn 
spinner, and now you think she is a pawn in the master conspiracy ."

"The scary thing is, she could be both," Scully said, leaning back in her 
chair.

"Or, she could be just-telling-the-truth." his voice separated the 
last four words so that even his lips could be read if all other 
communication methods were closed.

"Or, Beth could have found a way to have her husband murdered," Scully said 
to herself, after Mulder had left their office and closed the door 
behind him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Mulder, I changed the sheets and put my mother's number by the bed."

Mulder listened to Beth as she spoke to him from the bedroom. He pushed 
play on his cd player in the living room and the apartment was filled with 
music.

She came out and stood in front of the stereo. "I haven't heard that one 
in a long time," Beth said. "Is there anything more life affirming than 
music?"

Mulder had come to stand behind Beth. He circled his arms around her. He 
gently kissed the right side of her neck. "It's high on the list, but I 
can think of others."

Beth faced him to better return his embrace. "Thank you so much. You have
been a true friend through all of this," she said, gingerly touching the
wound her recently deceased husband had caused. "Will you come see us?"
she asked. 

"Definitely." Mulder replied.

 
 The End