WARNING: If you haven't read the first installment in this series, Generation Next, then you might be just a little lost. At any rate, if you want to continue, you're going to get a good, old-fashioned X-file, and Mulder (And Scully, I guess you could put it that way) is even going to be investigating it. that is. Mulder and Scully's son, Spencer.

Author's notes: GO L.A.!!!! The first chapter in this story is dedicated to my favorite underdogs, the Los Angeles Lakers, who, with perseverance and sheer spirit were able to pull through and make it to the finals. You go, guys. Let's get Kobe and Shaq those rings!

Disclaimer: Everyone X-files belongs to CC. Everyone GenNex belongs to LM, that is, ME. At any rate, screw the establishment.

OTHER Author's notes: Okay, guys, well, maybe I didn't get the recs at Ephemeral that I wanted, but I'm not going to sweat about it. The way I figure it, at least I enjoy what I'm writing. At any rate, I hope that you that do read this little ditty are happy with it and slightly intrigued. I promise this is the last of the author's notes until the last chapter.

Tonight I'm tangled in my blanket of clouds.
Dreaming aloud.
Things just won't do without you, matter of fact.
Oh, I'm on your back. -
The Foo Fighters - Walking After You

Chapter One

"Rockford, Oregon." The file slammed down on the desk with a dull thump. The man behind the desk paused from his incessant typing, looked at the file. Then, slowly, his gaze drifted upwards.

The man smiled down at him. "Need I repeat the words again?"

"What is this?"

"Agent Mulder, this is an X-file."

Spencer Mulder grinned up at the man. "Fletch, you are amazing. Where's Adrienne?"

"At the range, my friend. We leave tomorrow at eight. That is, if you want to."

"Are you kidding? Of course I want to," Spencer practically yelled, running out of the bullpen. "And besides, you're the boss."

Fletch laughed. "I think we all know who the boss is here, Mulder."

Spencer's grin was thousand-watt as he stumbled backwards into the elevator.

"Rockford, Oregon."

The man in the room looked up. "What does this mean?"

Alex Krycek smiled down at the older man. "He's getting close."

"I don't understand why we're letting him get so close, Krycek."

"Because, my friend, if he sees what he has to loose, then he won't be concerned with what he has to gain."

"You sound just like Spender," the female voice echoed off the walls.

Alex did not turn. "You know, Marita, you're really not welcome here. I hope you realize that."

There was laughter in her voice. "You didn't seem to have anything to say about that last night with your tongue shoved down my throat."

He smiled smugly. "You didn't seem to be complaining."

"I came to offer you a proposal." She walked around in front of him.

"Marriage isn't really my alley."

Marita ran a finger down his face, around Alex's chin. "The Consortium is split, Alex. Those few that don't hate you hate me. Let's fix this. Get on the same side of the fence."

"The bed, you mean?"

Marita smiled coyly. "If you wish."

Alex returned her expression and leaned down close to her ear. "Oh, I don't think so." He snaked his tongue out, running it the length of her lobe.

She gasped softly and he pulled away. "Don't ruin this, Krycek. We've been waiting for this boy for a long time."

Krycek pulled back and looked at Marita in all seriousness. "Yes, we have. The prodigious son."

"Mr. Krycek, this is no man we're talking about here. The boy is only twenty-four."

Krycek looked over at the older man sitting in the corner chair. "Mulder wasn't much older when he began his work."

"Four years, at least. Besides, Mulder was already more grown up, harder."

"Mmm," Krycek nodded. "I'll take that into consideration." Then, Alex turned smoothly and exited the room.

"Does he know what he's doing, Ms. Covarrubias?" the same man spoke up once more.

"Alex Krycek, my friend, has known exactly what he was doing for quite a long time."

"But he over looked Agent Lee. And what of this other man? Agent Fletcher? He hasn't planned for them."

Marita laughed. "They weren't planned for because they don't matter."

"Eight ball, side pocket."

"You know," Spencer murmured, "it would be a lot easier to sink it in that corner."

Jonas laughed from the back of the large basement. Adrienne's huge German shepherd, Orion, watched the game passively from behind his owner. He was a beautiful dog. Orion looked at Spencer and cocked his head, tongue lolling, lips pulled back in a smile. "That dog bite?"

"Yes." Adrienne glanced at Jonas and smirked, then chipped the cue ball off the side rail. It nicked the eight ball, and that ball went flying into the top rail, then bounced neatly into the side pocket.

Spencer groaned and fished a twenty out of his billfold, his eyes momentarily catching on the couple in the front picture of his wallet. He flipped the billfold closed. "You, my friend, have far too much timeon your hands."

"I think," Jonas laughed, "that you've just been hustled Spencer."

"So how does a white kid from the Bronx end up with a huge house just outside of D.C. and an entertainment room worth more than my entire household?" Spencer asked, sipping from his Budweiser. "By the way, let's go one more game, double or nothing."

Adrienne began to rack up. "Well, my grandmother, it seems, had a bit of inheritance that she didn't trust to my mother and father. I spent a lot of time with her, and when I turned eighteen, she turned everything in her will over to me. This house was hers."

Spencer nodded. "My break?"

"Sure."

He edged the cue ball and sent the rest of the balls flying around the table. He sunk two stripes, then took another hit, sending two more stripes into various pockets. "Looks like I'm stripes this time."

Spencer circled the table, time and time again until there was only one striped ball left on the table. He cut the pool stick a little short, and the striped fourteen ended its roll just short of the corner pocket. "Damn." He'd missed the shot on purpose.

Adrienne narrowed her eyes at him, then started her turn, polishing off four balls. Spencer sunk the fourteen. "Eight ball, corner pocket."

"Easy shot."

Spencer grinned. "Not that corner." He sent the cue ball flying, hitting it so hard that it almost went airborne before settling into its roll. The eight ball flew towards the pocket opposite from what Spencer had called, but just before it sunk, the cue ball chipped one of the solids its way, and sent the eight ball parallel, sinking it into the correct corner.

Adrienne stared at the table, openmouthed. Spencer smiled smugly, not noticing Fletcher bury his hands in his head, whispering, "Oh, fuck."

Adrienne glared up at Spencer and threw the twenty on the table, then threw her pool stick across the room. It hit the wall with a loud crack and slid to the floor, then Adrienne stormed up the stairs with a muttered, "See you guys on the flight out tomorrow."

Spencer stared up the stairs after her. Then, he looked at Jonas. "The hell did I do?"

Jonas smiled softly. "You won, man. Adrienne can't stand to loose, at anything. All be it, most of the time, we don't have to go easy on her for her to kick our asses, but I think that, just maybe, she's met her match."

Spencer frowned and rubbed his neck and shoulders, sighing.

Jonas walked over and slapped him on the back. "Look man, don't worry. She'll be over it by morning. Just pick up your money, and let's get out of here. She had automatic door locks installed."

Spencer nodded and followed Jonas up the stairs and out the front door, not missing the classic rock of Pink Floyd banging the walls from the second floor.

Spencer wheeled his electrically powered BMW into his apartment parking space. As he got closer to his door, the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up. He frowned and felt for his gun, but didn't draw it. "God," he murmured. "I'm going insane."

He ran his keycard through his locked door, and waited for the green light, then stepped inside. Immediately, he knew something was out of place. Someone had been inside his house. Frowning, he pulled his gun, his hand shaking nervously. Spencer breathed in deeply and began to walk his house.

After he thoroughly searched the domicile, he returned to his living room and sunk down on his sofa with a watery smile and laughed softly at himself. It was then that everything around him seemed to haze as his eyes focused on the manila folder sitting innocently on his television. Someone had been there.

He walked slowly over to the folder, his eyes darting around his house. Then, he read the label. An X-file from Bellefleur, Oregon. Spencer glanced around the room, then lifted the file and returned to his sofa. He switched on the table lamp.

Spencer read the file in awe, seeing how it all started. As he neared the end of the first segment, his frown deepened. There was another date in this file, from May of 2000. He ran his fingers over the date stamp. He would have already been conceived. Spencer had been born December 17, 2000, a month early, The doctors needed to perform a C-section, and Spencer was already fully developed at the time, so it had been safe. He inhaled deeply and began to read.

As he read the final notes, Spencer's eyes began to widen in almost-horror. At the end of the file, neatly typed and worded in his mother's voice, Spencer read the words.

"It was determined once back in Washington D.C. that Agent Mulder would return to Bellefleur on his own. Assistant Director Walter Skinner accompanied him back. When the Assistant Director returned, he proved, though an eyewitness account, that Agent Mulder was abducted by an alien vessel, an unidentified flying object. I retain no objections to this observation. My only hope is that through perusal of my own rigorous investigation, Agent Mulder will be returned safely in the shortest time possible."

A personal addendum was attached to the file. It read more like a letter than anything else. It was dated almost two months after the last page. The addendum had been handwritten with neat, flowing cursive.

"Mulder, I thought I knew how you felt when Samantha went missing. I thought that with as much loss as I had endured in the X-files, that I knew exactly how you felt. I've lost people, Mulder, that were so important to me, and I've felt guilty about every incident, but nothing can compare when you implicitly know that you were responsible. The fainting spells have lessened, and for now, I can continue my investigation without threat to the baby. Our baby, Mulder. The amnio came back to me yesterday. I will find you, Mulder. I will. Always, Scully."

Spencer was breathing hard as his trembling fingers ran over the handwriting. He could feel a headache creeping up behind his eyes, and his vision began to dim peripherally. Spencer shook his head, but that only made the headache worse, and with a groan, Spencer sunk down his sofa, eyes closed.

Spencer grunted with the effort of pushing the swing higher and higher. When his stomach began to push into his throat, he grunted and eased the swing to a stop.

"That was pretty high there, young man," the voice came from behind him.

Wide eyed, Spencer whipped his gaze around to the man that was stepping up beside him. The man sat in the swings, wrapping his arms around the chains. He turned and smiled at the boy. "How old are you, son?"

"My mother told me not to talk to strangers."

The man laughed quietly and looked back out at the horizon, tearing his gaze from the boy painfully. He shook his head to himself and began to stand up. "She was right. You should listen to your. mother," the last word was choked out.

Spencer frowned at the man that was walking away, somehow knowing that he was safe with him. "Five," Spencer called out.

The man stopped in his tracks, then turned around, smiling. "Five, huh? That's pretty old there."

Spencer grinned toothily at him. "I think so too, but Mom still doesn't let me stay up past eight thirty."

The man returned to him slowly. "That's good, though. You get smart when you sleep."

"Really?"

The man laughed. "No. At least I don't think so, but it makes your parents feel better that you take care of yourself."

"I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, big guy. What grade are you in, Kindergarten?"

"Kindergarten?" Spencer's nose wrinkled. "I was in that a long time ago. I'm in second grade."

The man's eyebrows rose, but he didn't seem that surprised. "Second grade? Gosh, you are a smart one."

Spencer grinned again. "Yup. I'm graduatin' early."

The man laughed. "Don't grow up too soon, kid." He ruffled his hair lightly, then squeezed Spencer's shoulder. Spencer didn't shrug from the contact. It felt right, not bad.

"I need to be going, son."

The man began to leave. "Maybe I'll see you again," Spencer called out.

The man stopped, but didn't turn. "I don't think so, Spencer." Then he continued walking from the park.

Spencer frowned, then called out, "Hey mister, how'd you know my name?"

The receding figure didn't answer, instead kept walking. Soon, he just disappeared.

Spencer jolted awake from his sofa, almost falling off, and sending the file that lay on his chest straight to the floor. "Oh, my God," he muttered, rubbing his hands down his face. The memory had been so hazy, it felt more like a dream, but Spencer distinctly remembered it happening.

He also distinctly remembered the face from his dreams. The man he'd talked to had been none other than Fox Mulder, alive and in the flesh.

"They didn't die," Spencer whispered softly. Then, he threw his Laker's jacket on over his Ralph Lauren polo shirt, and rushed out the front door, hurrying to his car. "They didn't die," he repeated, louder, and then, Spencer Mulder was off to the J. Edgar Hoover building with only one file in mind. Fox Mulder's.

Chapter Two

Fox Mulder's file, it seemed, was missing. Or maybe it had never been there at all. Hell, Spencer didn't have a clue. He slammed the file cabinet in frustration. The old X-files office was dank and drab, just as it seemed it had always been. The small, chain-hung electrical light swung back and forth. The office seemed more like an old restroom or something.

Spencer's body fell back into the chair behind the desk in the middle of the room. The chair slid back, bumping the wall. He took out his wallet and fingered the card that the man, Skinner, gave to him in what seemed like years ago. The number was written distinctly on the back in bold, decisive handwriting. Skinner's number.

Spencer walked out of the office and took the elevators up to the darkened bullpen. The room was deserted, and Spencer checked his watch, groaning. It was almost one in the morning. No matter. This had to be done. He strode to his desk, his strides long, even for his 6'4'' frame. He picked up the receiver of the phone that was on his desk, oddly thinking that he really needed to get a cell phone. He was probably the only person in the world that did not, at the time, have one.

Spencer dialed the phone number, and it rang three times before a person on the other end finally picked up. "Hello?"

"Hello. I'm looking for a Walter Skinner."

The phone was silent for a moment. "May I ask who's calling?"

"Agent Mulder."

Click. The phone went dead. Spencer glared at the receiver before slamming it down. Then, he picked up the phone and redialed.

"Look," the voice answered. "I don't know who the hell you think you are-"

Spencer heard Skinner's baritone voice on the other end. "Ask him how the beaches in New Jersey are."

Spencer answered before the man on the phone could ask. "They're windy."

Instantly, Skinner's voice was on the phone. "I'm sorry about that, Agent Mulder. We have to be very diligent about security. In fact, you shouldn't talk on this line. Meet me in front of the building in ten minutes."

Ten minutes passed, and Spencer was in front of the J. Edgar Hoover building as an old Ford F-150 rolled to a stop. Skinner was at the wheel. "Get in the truck," he said through the window. Spencer obeyed.

A few minutes later, the truck rolled to a stop. The building was run down, but sturdy. Spencer followed Skinner inside. They stopped at a large, heavy door at the end of a dark hallway. Skinner knocked. "Open up."

Spencer heard what sounded like several bolts being slid across the door and a lot of clicks. Finally, the door swung open. Spencer looked straight ahead and saw no one at the door. He frowned. The voice that came from below startled him. "Try looking down."

The man that stood in front of him was impish and elderly, probably close to his late sixties. His beard was rough and rugged, not neat at all, and his clothes were a blast from at least forty years ago. His glasses were thick and wire-framed, something that had gone out with titanium plastic in the tens. The little man cocked his head Spencer's way, though his eyes were trained on Skinner. "That who I think it is?"

"Christ," Skinner swore, pushing past the troll. Spencer followed him. "Just look at his eyes, Frohike. It'll be like seeing your true love all over again."

The diminutive man, Frohike, looked up at Spencer, caught his eyes. "Hey, you're right. I guess you pass, kid."

Two more men emerged from a room that branched from the main, dull lobby. One of them was dressed and pressed, his expensive brown suit impeccably tailored, as was his short hair cut. The brown in this man's hair had begun to fade and gray at the temples. The other man was distinguished in that he was by far the most casually dressed. His stonewashed blue jeans looked ages old, and the Van Halen shirt was clearly vintage, at least twenty years old. His gray hair was tied back in a neat ponytail and Spencer guessed that, untied, it probably hung to his shoulders.

"Agent Spencer Mulder," Skinner began the introductions, almost proud. "Meet John Byers, Ringo Langly, and Melvin Frohike. The Lone Gunmen."

The neater man, introduced as John Byers, stepped forward. "We've been waiting a long time, Mulder."

"Just. Spencer, please," Spencer said politely. Then, he smiled ironically. "The only people that call me Mulder are people that seriously knew my father."

John nodded solemnly. "We did."

"Why am I here?" Spencer asked.

"Because," Skinner stepped forward, "the things that you are looking for that happened in the months prior to your birth and the first two years after are not things that you will find in the X-files. The only thing you will find in your father's file is the date of his return from Bellefleur."

"And why is that?"

Skinner continued. "After Mulder was returned, your parents shut down the X-files. They both requested transfers that the FBI was only to happy to provide."

"His return?"

Byers spoke up. "Come into the living room, Spencer. This is going to be a long story."

The living room that John had spoken of was not a living room at all, but more of a casual observatory. Spencer was impressed at the equipment that was harbored in the little room, for all of it was top of the line. Radar scanners and CB radios lined the room. There were two twenty-inch computer monitors in the middle of the room, and several smaller monitors around the walls. Off to one side, a small laboratory was set up, with microscopes and electron analyzers. On the other side of the laboratory, a beat up sofa and armchair, along with two old office chairs were arranged in what looked like an attempt for normalcy.

Spencer sat on the sofa, and Skinner sat on the end opposite him. The three other men took the chairs. Skinner looked over at Spencer. "You've decided, then. Completely."

Spencer sighed in frustration. "I'm here, right? So why don't we just cut the bullshit and get to what I asked you. You've never once answered any of my questions directly, neither you nor Alex, and I would really like to start getting some answers."

Then, Walter Skinner began to talk and remember. And it became clear even as it blurred.

When Fox Mulder opened his eyes, he wished that he hadn't, and closed them again immediately. The bright sunlight gleamed down into his eyes through the canopy of trees above him. Slowly, he tried to open his eyes once more, and this time, succeeded. The first thing he noticed, oddly enough, was that he was naked. The second thing he thought was not an observation at all. It was simply a word, a name. Scully.

He leapt up, every vertebrae in his back popping in protest, his knees cracking as he extended to his full height. Mulder stumbled forward, disoriented and unbalanced. All he could remember was the previous (or was it the previous?) night with Skinner. The air was cold and wet, not unusual for Oregon. Mulder tried to get his bearings, but nothing provoked memory. He continued in an uneasy gait straight ahead, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he would come in contact with civilization.

Mulder fell once, almost an hour after he'd started walking. He allowed his body to take him all the way back, and just lay, a blessing in itself. Not a minute after his fall, Mulder heard it. The sound of traffic. He pulled himself to his feet once more and plowed towards the grinding noise, having never been so happy to hear cars in his entire life. At last, the road appeared and Mulder pressed forward. As he reached the road, his weary body gave out and he fell, face forward, to the asphalt. The only sound he heard before his eyes shut was the squeal of tires as a car roared to a stop behind him.

Skinner flashed back. "At least, that's the way Mulder told it. He was able to give the EMTs his name, and Scully was contacted immediately. Mulder didn't remember anything after he stepped away from my side that night in Bellefleur. He was gone for five months."

Spencer frowned at the injustice of it all. "He didn't know about me, did he?"

"Not until your mother walked into the hospital. It was by sheer will that she was able to see him. Mulder was dropped in Michigan. They wouldn't let Scully fly because it was her third trimester."

"I have to see him."

"I'm sorry, Scully, there's nothing I can do." Skinner huffed. "Wait, yes there is. We'll drive. They can't stop you from driving."

Scully nodded, maneuvering her taunt body around his office. When she arrived at the door, she looked over at her superior, and smiled. For the first time in months, those harsh blue eyes had softened. "Thank you, sir. For everything."

Skinner found himself staring at the same pair of sea-blue eyes. Those eyes stared back at him intently, younger and more inexperienced, but infinitely wise. Skinner sighed. "Then, for two years, they were always with you. And with each other. It was the happiest I'd ever seen either one of them, even if they were still carrying quite a heavy schedule. They worked Violent Crimes for the two years that they remained at the Bureau. Mulder's eyes cleared up, and the dark circles left. Scully put on a little bit of weight. Healthy weight. One day, they were in my office, and the dark circles were back. The hollows in their faces. All I could think was 'Oh, shit.'"

"We're resigning." Scully stepped forward with the badges and the service weapons. Skinner did not miss the bulge of the other gun she was packing as it stood out from her hip, nor did he miss the rumple under Mulder's blazer.

Skinner was speechless, accepting the badges wordlessly. Finally, he choked out, "Why?"

Mulder finally stepped forward from the back of the room. "Sir, we know that you'll respect our need for complete secrecy. You'll get our formal resignations later today. I'm sorry about the short notice."

Then, Mulder slipped an arm behind Scully, pressing against the back of her waist. Scully bit her lip as she looked at Skinner. They had been close during the search for Mulder. "I can't. I can't thank you enough for all that you've done." And they were out of his door and his life.

Skinner sighed. "They left, Spencer, and I don't know why. They left, taking you with them. I searched and searched, and your name finally appeared about a year and a half later on an enrollment sheet. But it was your name only. And, of course, your foster parents. I will say one thing for Mulder and Scully, they left you with well to-do people."

"They just left me?" Spencer leaned back in the sofa and put his face in his hands. "Just like that?"

"No," John spoke quickly. "It wasn't 'just like that,' Spencer."

For the first time, Ringo Langly began speaking. "The best we can figure is that Alex Krycek offered them some sort of deal in exchange for your safety. They made no move to change your name or anything."

Frohike nodded. "They loved you, man. And each other, very deeply. They would never do anything to willingly give you up."

Spencer was silent for a long time. After many minutes, he looked up at Skinner. "Is there any chance that my parents are still alive."

Skinner looked for a long moment at Spencer, studying him. His face was square and strong, but somehow softer than his father's. His hair was deep red, so dark, crimson and liquid soft. Spencer's eyes were hooded with long lashes and soulful depths. The boy was extremely good looking, deriving what seemed like all of the best qualities from his parents and yet, none of the worst. He wasn't Mulder, and he wasn't Scully. Somehow, he was more. And he deserved the truth. So after the long moments of silence, Skinner answered with complete honesty.

"Spencer, we have every reason to believe that Mulder and Scully are, indeed, completely alive."

Chapter Three

"You're quiet," Adrienne noted to Spencer as the plane lifted off, leaving Washington D.C. behind. Adrienne turned to look out the window, not wanting to miss the take off. God, she loved flying. The thing that Adrienne hated most in the world was standing still.

Spencer shrugged. "Maybe I was thinking about how pissed you got last night."

Adrienne nodded. "I have a tendency to do that." She didn't apologize.

Spencer sighed again and looked forward. His lips quirked as he spotted Fletch up ahead, being pestered by a small child. The child handed Jonas a plastic airplane he'd managed to hold onto aboard the flight, and to Spencer's amazement, Fletch broke into a wide grin, enjoying the child's company.

"You're a pretty big hotshot at pool," Adrienne remarked.

"There isn't one preppy kid going to a private school that doesn't hit the pool room at least once in a while. Besides, I aced geometry. And you're no slouch yourself."

"Yeah, well. hustling was just one more way to make money growing up, and it was a lot safer than dealing." Adrienne sat back in her seat as the plane began to level off and the seat belt light flashed off. "So what was private school like?"

"Hell," Spencer remarked. "It was a Catholic school, and I've never been one for organized religion. The skirts were great, though."

Adrienne laughed. "So, Spencer, were you the good little Catholic boy, or were you the rare wild card."

Spencer huffed with a smile. "I was the rare wild card, I guess. Trouble through and through. My parents gave me a brand new convertible when I turned sixteen, and I would roll into the parking lot every morning with rock blaring out my speakers and the top down."

"The real ladies' bad boy."

"I was just in high school to make a statement. You know, to show everyone I knew that the smart kids weren't necessarily the geeky kids and that the jocks weren't necessarily the ladies' men."

"And did you?" Adrienne inquired.

He laughed. "No." Spencer looked to his lap. "Not really. I was a gawky kid, lanky as hell, and lots of pimples. And I don't know which side of my family had the braces but."

Adrienne looked up and down Spencer's built body. The man must have worked out at least five times a week, and it wasn't just running, either. He obviously did lifting. "Lanky, eh, what happened?"

"I swore that in college I would look better, be better, and I was. I worked out every day my senior year, and it paid off. Of course, no one in my high school got to see that. What about you, how many miles a day do you run? Twenty?"

Adrienne grinned up at him. "Four. Some" s six. And I kick box. And I practice Hap Ki Do and Tae Kwan Do."

Spencer eyed her with respect. "I guess you could probably kick my ass any day of the week, then."

Adrienne nodded her head. "I could. You know, I called you last night to apologize. You weren't home."

"Checking up on me?" Spencer asked, with a grin.

"No." The silence that descended was heavy, but not completely uncomfortable.

Leaning back in his chair for the rest of the flight, Spencer left it at that, and not a word more was spoken.

Oregon

"You asked us to come down here for this?" Spencer frowned. Not only was the Bureau paying for three agents to fly across the country, they were also paying a decent room and board. This was not encouraging.

The photo he held in his hands was blurry, at best, and at worst, completely indecipherable. "This proves absolutely nothing."

The police officer standing in front of Spencer gave a small, beseeching smile. "Well, Agent Mulder, the truth is, that's not the only reason that we asked you to come down."

Jonas and Adrienne, who were sitting in back of the undersized captain's office, shared a look of aggravation. Spencer, who was standing in front of them, had his mouth drawn into a tight line, clearly dismayed.

"Okay," he said, keeping his temper in check, "why were we brought down here?"

The police officer, Lieutenant Sergio Gamez, his identification tag read, scratched his cheek with his right index finger, then grimaced. "The story is," he plowed forward, "that we've been having these murders."

Spencer groaned. "Lieutenant, we don't have time for this, and we weren't sent down for this, either. We could get fired for investigating a case that isn't in our jurisdiction."

Sergio held up his hands. "Hold on. The locals here think that the murders are related to these lights that they've been seeing. In fact, there hasn't been a murder in this town for over thirty years, and this has, needless to say, stirred things up. Now, if the murders are related to the lights, then it's in your jurisdiction, and if, at the end of your investigation, you find that they weren't related, then, maybe you'll have helped us solve a couple of murders."

The Lieutenant's face was earnest and open, and Spencer could understand, completely, what it felt like to need help. This man was admitting that they weren't equipped, in any fashion, to deal with collective homicides. 'Empathy,' Spencer thought with a small smirk, 'breeds captivity.' He sighed. "Okay, Lieutenant. We're here for one week, and if this case doesn't seem to tie in, then we're gone, but you've got seven days to convince us to stay."

Sergio beamed at him. "Thank you so much, Agent Mulder."

Even towns with under three thousand in population had a Denny's. The franchise seemed to be everywhere, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. Spencer grimaced as he swallowed the last bite of his overcooked hamburger. The food was terrible, even more so than he usually found it. 'Of course,' Spencer smirked, remembering the long, drunken nights in college that concluded with breakfast at three or four in the morning, 'when you're smashed and tired, the food really isn't that bad.'

Adrienne sat across from Spencer, and next to her, Jonas wolfed down an omelet that Spencer wouldn't have touched unless he was dying. And maybe not then.

Adrienne was more high strung than usual, digging into a chef's salad with a little more enthusiasm than was warranted, and when Spencer asked, she gave him a pained look. "This is the longest I've ever been away from Orion. One of my friends, Amy from Behavioral, is taking care of him for me, but I'm still a little nervous."

'Who? Oh, right, the dog,' Spencer's memory supplied. "He's just a dog, Adrienne."

"He is not just a dog. Orion worked as a narcotics dog for the D.C. K-9 unit. One of my friends is a cop in D.C., and I drove him to the station once. He started talking about this dog. Orion had taken a bullet for his handler, and two months later, they had him working again."

"And?" Spencer asked, curious as to where this story was going.

"And so I stole him." Adrienne wasn't joking.

Spencer laughed, almost choking on his iced tea. "You stole the dog? And didn't get caught?"

Adrienne shrugged, "Yeah."

"Why?" Spencer was dumbfounded.

"Because, I can't stand to see any living thing put in a situation that it probably doesn't want to be in, in the first place, and get shot at for it. Rings a little too close to home." She took a sip of her drink, a watered down Dr. Pepper.

"So, now do you think I'm crazy or something?" Adrienne asked. Spencer had been quiet.

"Yes," he replied, but he went on, "But I also think that we're being watched," Spencer murmured, and he could practically see the fine hairs on Adrienne's arms rise to attention. "There is a man two tables down that can't seem to take his eyes off me."

Adrienne feigned a stretch and turned, spotting the man Spencer was talking about. He was possibly mid to late fifties, or even older, and had carrot colored hair. Freckles were dusted lightly across his face, and his eyes, characteristically blue, narrowed as he realized he'd been made. He lowered his gaze back to his food.

Spencer sighed. "Well, there's only one thing to do." He rose from his chair and walked over to the man.

"Excuse me, sir," Spencer said politely. "Do I know you?"

The man stood. "That's what I've been trying to figure out."

Spencer studied him curiously.

"You look familiar, that's all," the man spoke. "Like someone I used to know. What's your name, son?"

Spencer sighed, getting really tired of his newfound nickname. Everyone was either calling him 'son,' or 'kid,' or something equally condescending. Still, he remained amicable, and extended his hand. "Spencer Mulder."

The man's face froze completely, and Spencer eventually lowered his hand. "Are you all right, sir?"

"You don't know," the man was breathing heavily as he sat down, "how long I've been looking for you." All the color had drained out of the man's face.

Spencer pulled up a chair next to him, his face contorted with that strange uneasiness that began settling over him every now and then since his start in the FBI. He swallowed, disquieted, and asked, "What's your name, sir?"

"Bill Scully. I'm your uncle."

The hotel was a refreshing change of venue. Spencer, had he not been preoccupied, would have changes his clothes to get Denny's off him. The smell of food clung to his dress shirt like smoke on cotton. He felt saturated, but would not leave the man in front of him.

Bill, it seemed, had been searching for Spencer for a little over twenty-two years. Or course, Spencer hadn't been the only one he'd been looking for.

"When Dana and Mulder took off, we all thought they'd been abducted again. Then we found that they completely cleaned out their bank accounts, and even took the time to disconnect their phones. It took us off guard. We couldn' t imagine them just running off like that. Especially when there seemed to be no reason." Bill sighed, and colored slightly. "Eventually, I just went searching for any reports of bright lights that I could find. Anything that seemed like a UFO, I went after, job permitting. Of course, I didn't have a lot of free time until I retired."

Spencer nodded. "Did you ever find anything?"

Bill shook his head. "Your parents just disappeared, and took you right a long with them. I never did find out why."

"Do I- I mean," Spencer stammered, "Do I have any other living relatives?"

Bill looked at the beige carpeting. "My brother, Charles, died some time ago in Saudi. He was also in the Navy. Charles never married. Your grandmother passed away ten years ago. As far as Mulder. All he had left Dana."

Spencer laughed wryly. "And all I have left is you."

"Well, there are your cousins, Matt and Paul, and my wife, Tara." Bill sighed. "I never really liked your father, Spencer, and it was no secret between us. But the fact is, he's as much of you as Dana was. And right now, both of them are missing." Bill rubbed a large hand through his hair. "What I'm trying to say is that you're welcome, any time. If you ever need a place to stay, or anything, we'll be there. Spencer, you are all I have left of my sister."

Spencer clapped the older man's shoulder, and they both stood.

Bill laughed, breaking a little of the tension. "My God, you're tall."

Spencer grinned at Bill, looking down on his slightly.

"You're probably the only guy in the family taller than me," Bill smiled. Then, he jotted down his number. "This is my cell phone number, and it's always on. I'll be in town for another day before going back to California. Call me for anything, and come down to meet my wife."

Spencer shook his head affirmatively, accepting the small, folded piece of paper Bill had written the number on. "I will. After this case, maybe."

Bill smiled stiffly at him and gave Spencer an awkward hug. Spencer returned it a bit easier. "I'm looking for them, too, you know."

Bill pulled back and gave Spencer a sober look. "I know. Mulder never gave up on his sister, and you'll never give up on your parents. I'm glad I saw you here."

"Me, too," Spencer nodded.

Bill left then, and Spencer flopped down on the motel bed. Just as quick as he was down, he was back up. After all, there was a case that needed to be solved. Spencer was, after all, the lead investigating agent of X-files division, at least in his fellow agents eyes. It wouldn't look good for him to start slacking off.

Spencer unrolled his shirtsleeves and pulled on his blazer, straightening the rumples over his sidearm. He ran a hand lazily through his hair and checked himself in the mirror. Then, Spencer left the hotel room, completely unaware of the small taping device innocently patched on the hardwood that surrounded the television.

Chapter Four

Five deaths in the space of one week were the current bane of Rockford, Oregon's existence. Spencer stepped out of the nondescript rental car and stretched, walking towards the small house on North Carriage Street. The house belonged to Mr. Bobby Barnett, and his wife, Anne. Their oldest son, Kenneth, had been found in the woods not far from their home. His throat had been slit from ear to ear.

Spencer grimaced slightly, remembering the pictures. It didn't seem like the work of aliens; at least, from his limited experience, it didn't. Spencer remembered the previous case in New Jersey, with the abductions and subsequent returns on the beach. Those people had just seemed to die, without reason. There were elevated oxygen levels in their blood, but that didn't explain why they just passed away.

Spencer glanced at his surroundings, realizing for the first time that Oregon really was beautiful country. The mountains stood majestically in the distance, tall and proud. It was easy to see where the city turned to forest, because the houses just simply stopped. Huge pines and spruces lined the foothills, and also dotted the face of the mountains.

Spencer whipped off his sunglasses as he strode to the house. The other three agents were interviewing two other families, then he would interview one more and Adrienne and Fletch would speak with the last of the people on the list. That would cover all five of the victim's immediate relatives.

The young agent knocked lightly on the door of the old home. He'd noticed the shutters on the windows were in need of repair, but other than that, the house seemed to be in excellent condition, with what looked like a fairly new coat of paint on the outside.

A man of medium build, who looked to be in his late thirties, greeted Spencer. He had light brunette hair that was cut flattop style. "Good afternoon, sir, my name is Spencer Mulder. I'm with the FBI," he flashed his badge. "Are you Mr. Bobby Barnett?"

The man nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Sir, I came to ask you a few questions about Kenneth."

Bobby paled visibly and braced his right hand on the door frame. "I'm sorry," he explained quietly. "I'm still a little shaken up."

Spencer nodded sympathetically with a small smile, "That's perfectly understandable sir."

"Come in, please. We can talk in the living room."

Spencer followed the man in through an entryway to a large front room with a chandelier that hung from the ceiling. Against the wall was an oak entertainment center, and a black, leather sofa was tucked alongside the opposite wall. Bobby led him to the sofa, and they took their seats on opposite ends.

Spencer took a notepad and a pen from the inside pocket of his blazer. "Kenneth was eighteen, right?"

Bobby nodded, eyes downcast.

Spencer sighed quietly, becoming depressed as well. It was so hard, he imagined, to loose a child. "Tell me about him," he asked.

Bobby rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Kenny was highly intelligent. He was going to Stanford this fall. God, I was so damn proud of him." The man snorted back his tears and plowed on. "About two months ago, he started acting really weird, not studying like he used to. He was so smart it didn' t matter, because he still graduated at the top of his class. But it was different here, at home, you know?

"Kenny loved to mountain bike, and every weekend he would go up to the forest and bike through the foothills. One day, almost a month ago, he didn 't come back. We went looking for him, and then, finally, almost two weeks later, he just showed up on the doorstep. He looked fine, but that's when things got really bizarre. Kenny lost his appetite, and he lost his acceptance letter. He didn't talk about what happened to him.

"We were going to get him therapy, but he wouldn't stand for that." Bobby went on with his story. It seemed that Kenny showed signs of mental abuse, but physically, he was fine. Bobby believed that maybe Kenny had been kidnapped and held somewhere in the forest, but whenever they tried to talk about it, Kenny would clam up. "What could we do?" Bobby shrugged. "He was eighteen, you know? Legally, we couldn't force him to do anything, anymore, and Kenny would constantly throw that in our faces. Before, he'd seemed like he was miserable about leaving, but after those few weeks, he couldn't wait to be rid of us.

"He just kept talking about how he wanted to be anywhere but here, and the week before he died, he talked about wanting to go back. We asked him where, but he wouldn't answer. Then, Kenny didn't show up one night for dinner, and the next day, some campers found his body in the woods." The last word was uttered brokenly and Bobby took a moment to compose himself before continuing. "I don't know what happened, Agent Mulder, and no one else can figure it out either. Kenny was the first, but there have been so many since then."

Spencer nodded. "I know, sir. That's why I'm here."

"I'm so glad," Bobby mumbled through his hands. He rubbed them down his face in nervous tension and looked at Spencer. "You do whatever you need to do, Agent Mulder, but make this stop. There aren't very many people in this town, and there won't be any if this keeps up."

Spencer stood, and Bobby followed suit. They shook hands firmly and Spencer said, his voice smooth and honest, "Mr. Barnett, I will do everything in my power to find out what happened to your son. I will solve this case."

"Thank you, Agent Mulder. You have no idea how much Anne and I want closure."

Spencer looked evenly at the smaller man. "I think I do, sir. I really think I do."

The interview with the other family, Link and Jody Hayes, went just about the same way. Link and Jody were the mother and father of Wilson, their sixteen-year-old son. Interestingly enough, Wilson was also near the top of his class, and a candidate for valedictorian. Other than the age and gender, and the class placement, however, Spencer couldn't find any other similarities in the victims' histories.

Both young men had started acting out of character about a month to two months before their deaths, and both had stated that they wanted to "go back." What Spencer couldn't figure out was why they would want to go back to whatever had seemed to cause the mental abuse.

In his studies at Harvard and then at the FBI, Spencer learned that victims from well-adjusted homes rarely took violence well, and certainly not with the receptiveness that these people seemed to have taken it. In fact, if they had been abused, they seemed to want to go back to that environment. That fact alone made Spencer wonder if the instigator of these murders was not human at all, but something much more alien.

The sun in Washington D.C. had begun to set almost an hour ago. Alex Krycek watched the horizon from the window of his office. Voices carried on in the background, emanating from a small speaker box. The voices were completely unaware of their eavesdropper.

"So, what do you think, Fletch? Adrienne?" The normally smooth tenor was ragged from a day of dealing with death.

The female came over the speaker. "Well, we came up with pretty much what you came up with, Spencer. There's really not much more here. Just a couple of different ages."

Then, another male voice, deeper than the first, "We still have time before sunset if you guys want to go into the forest, do some investigating."

Spencer spoke once more, "Yeah, I think we should at least go check it out. We can walk the grid a couple of times. Even if it's nightfall, that's all the better, because that's when the victims were returned."

"Returned, eh?" Fletch spoke again, his voice rumbling the small speaker on the desk behind Krycek. "You're sure this is alien, then?"

"No, I'm not sure of anything," Spencer murmured. There was a rustling, like someone lying down on a bed, and then, Spencer spoke again, his voice tired. "I'm not sure of anything anymore, Fletch. I just know that right now, I want to get some closure for these kids' parents. I want to get closure for myself."

Krycek smiled softly at those words. The voice behind him was soft and feminine, and in the room with him. "What's the smile for?"

Krycek turned to Marita. "It's ironic, really. All Spencer Mulder wants is some closure on what happened to his parents, and he doesn't understand."

"You're losing his trust, Alex. He's going to believe Skinner."

Krycek sighed and turned again. "I know, Marita. Skinner believes he's working for the greater good. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just not the correct way to work for the greater good."

Marita slinked closer to him and ran a hand up his back and around his left shoulder, caressing him. "You need to draw Spencer in, Alex. We need him. Especially with the abductions starting again."

"It's a bit more complicated, now, Marita."

"And why is that?"

Krycek turned in her arms, nipping at her lips with his before moving away. "Mulder and Scully were spotted yesterday. They're moving towards Oregon."

Chapter Five

Krycek turned in her arms, nipping at her lips with his before moving away. "Mulder and Scully were spotted yesterday. They're moving towards Oregon."

Spencer was awakened early by the ringing of the hotel phone. He groaned, checked the clock, and groaned again realizing it was almost two in the morning. He picked up the phone with a mumbled "'Lo?"

"Agent Mulder, this is Sergio Gamez, from the police."

"Yeah, yeah," Spencer sat up on the bed, swinging his feet over the side. "What's up?"

"We've got another victim, this time a man in his twenties. I think you better come down to the station and we can go up to the forest together."

Spencer was almost awake by now. His voice was stronger. "We'll be there in a few minutes, but don't let your men on the scene. We want to walk the grid, first."

Gamez was compliant. "Sounds good. Do you guys need anything once you get down here?"

"You have a Geiger counter, by any chance, Lieutenant?"

The disheveled agents showed up at the police department shortly after the call. Fletch was really the only one that made an attempt to look professional. His suit was wrinkled, but at least he wore a suit. Spencer was wearing black slacks and a sleeveless muscle shirt, and Adrienne had on a pair of khakis and a white button-up shirt that could barely be considered buttoned up. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail.

Fletch smiled at them slightly and shook his head. He had a feeling they would have to get used to these early morning phone calls.

Sergio came out to the front of the police station with a smile, trying to be cheerful even under the circumstances and at this ungodly hour. "We've got coffee if you guys want any."

"I'm up for a cup," Fletch nodded.

"I don't drink caffeine," Adrienne said, catching the odd look Spencer threw her way.

"It's two in the morning, Adrienne. Caffeine would probably help you out some." Spencer looked Sergio's way. "Count me in for coffee." He turned back to Adrienne. "I've seen you drink tea."

"Decaf," Adrienne shrugged. "That shit'll kill you, Spence."

"I'd rather die young and happy, thanks," he replied as he was handed his cup. "Shall we get going?"

The woods seemed strangely quiet. Spencer had never been a camping kind of guy, but those times that he actually accompanied his friends on camping trips, the forest always seemed alive with noise. Even at night.

Extraordinarily enough, Sergio had been able to find a Geiger counter. Spencer looked at him strangely when the Lieutenant presented it to him, but instead of offering up an explanation, Sergio shrugged and smiled.

Spencer remembered reading in some of the X-files that quite often, UFOs left trace evidence in the form of radiation. Spencer looked at the yellow box with the various range markings, then at the black tube connected to it. He frowned. "Do we have anybody that can read this thing?"

One of the medical examiners stepped forward. "I can."

"Okay, go around a look for high levels while we check the grid. Do not walk on the grid area while we're examining it."

The M.E. nodded and walked a few yards away.

Spencer at last turned to the body. The man looked peaceful enough, given that he was dead. There seemed to be no signs of struggle, and the body looked to be unbruised.

Adrienne stepped forward with a small evidence kit and began to comb over the body. Fletch was walking around the clearing, examining the trees for any peripheral evidence.

That was when the footprint caught Spencer's eye. "Don't move, guys," he said. "Any of you step over here?"

The other two agents shook their heads. Spencer looked at Sergio. "Lieutenant Gamez, did anyone that you know of get this close to the body?"

"None of my police officers were even out here until we got here, so no. And I don't think that the person that found him wears shoes that big."

Spencer looked at the footprint and put his left foot next to it, using his size twelve and a half Nikes for comparison. The print was slightly smaller than his, probably an eleven or an eleven and a half. "Who found the body, again?" Spencer asked.

"Sixteen-year-old girl. Stacy Levinson. Apparently she'd been in the process of running away from home," Sergio grinned. "Hell of a time to run away, eh?"

The agents looked at him blankly for a moment before continuing.

"Jeeze," Sergio muttered. "You'd think they don't have a sense of humor or anything."

Adrienne followed Spencer back away from Gamez. She looked over her shoulder, then back at Spencer and groaned, "That man is not funny."

Pictures and samples were taken and sent back to the police office for later examination. Once back at the station, Spencer met up with the M.E. that he 'd asked to take radiation samples.

"Anything?" Spencer asked the man.

The medical examiner looked up at him curiously. "Actually, yeah. The samples were about five percent higher than they should be. I was going to have Dr. Warren check the body." Dr. Warren was the pathologist. "Hey, uh, Agent Mulder? How'd you know?"

Spencer shrugged. "Just a guess, man. Thanks."

He began to walk back to the front of the station, fully intended to go back to the hotel and get some rest. He didn't feel like he could be of any help on two hours of sleep. Adrienne stopped him mid-stride.

"That explanation might sate the medical staff, Spencer, but not me. How did you know about the radiation levels?"

Spencer put an arm around Adrienne's shoulders, leading her away from the staff and to a more private area in the station. He lowered his voice. "Look, there were circumstances noted in the X-files about elevated radiation levels around hot zones like this. We could be very close."

"Close to what?" Adrienne asked.

Spencer smiled down at her. "I have no idea. But it's kind of exciting, don't you think?"

Adrienne laughed. "Yeah, Spence. It's pretty exciting. I have an idea about what to do next."

"Good, 'cause I don't have a clue. Come on, let's sit down." He guided her over to two chairs in the lobby. "I'm tired as hell," He explained as he flopped down in the chair unceremoniously. "So what's your idea?"

"That girl, Stacy Levinson? She's in the right age group of victims. Now, these victims have been coming in increasingly shorter margins. Fletch is pulling up some information on her right now, but if she fits the profile, I think we should do a little stakeout for the next few days. See if we can't find out where these guys go."

Spencer nodded. "That's a great idea, Adrienne."

Walter Skinner didn't feel like he'd made much of a dent in his dream retirement. His single bedroom apartment was drab and undecorated, and in fact, seldom used. There were no pictures of loved ones because there were no loved ones anymore. The men he worked with, the Gunmen, were as close to relatives as he had, and the infamous duo he searched for were more an obsession than anything else.

The months that Mulder had gone missing were harsh on him. He watched over Scully like the guard dog he'd been in Nam.

Scully was relentless, not allowing her pregnancy to stand between her and the search for her partner. Skinner smiled slightly, remembering her words. "I've fought with cancer and held on long enough to beat it, sir. I think I can handle pregnancy."

The ringing of his home phone jarred Skinner out of reminiscing. He lifted the receiver, but did not speak into the phone. There were only three people that knew his number, and they all lived in the same place.

"We booked a flight for Oregon, Skinner. We're all leaving in two hours."

Skinner rose in indignation at Frohike's voice. "What the hell are you talking about, Frohike?"

"Look, Skin-man," Langly's voice filtered through to Skinner's ears, "we bugged the buggers. The Consortium's egotism has never failed to amaze me."

"Byers," Skinner broke in impatiently, "explain."

"I think I'll just let Krycek do the explaining for you," Byers spoke, the picture of calm as always.

A recording of Krycek's voice came over the receiver. "Mulder and Scully were spotted yesterday. They're moving towards Oregon."

Skinner wasted no time in his response. "I'll be right there." He hung up and took a calming breath.

"I'm too old for this shit." Then Skinner was out the door.

Three Hours Later

"Sir, I think there's something you'll be interested in knowing." The young man had a fresh face and bright eyes, something Alex Krycek hadn't seen in ages.

"What is it?" he replied groggily. It was close to three in the morning. Krycek sat up on his bed, still dressed in his work clothes.

"One of our agents has tracked Skinner down. He wasn't all that hard to find."

Krycek groaned. "Skinner has never tried to hide himself, Agent. What's so damn important?"

"It seems he's joined the Lone Gunmen, sir. They boarded a flight one hour ago to Portland, Oregon. We assume they'll head to Rockford from there to rendezvous with Agent Mulder."

"Shit," Krycek hissed. "Get Marita Covarrubias on the phone right now. Tell her we'll be boarding the Leer jet in one hour for Oregon."

Chapter Six

The plane hummed quietly in the way that most well conditioned Boeing 797 airplanes do. The drone of the engines faded away into nothingness as the passengers aboard the redeye flight drifted into a sleep born of the traveling crowd. There were, however, four men that remained wide-awake.

They sat in the back of the plane, and as people fell to sleep, they began to speak in hushed tones worthy of conspiracy.

"Why now? Why have Mulder and Scully suddenly surfaced?" Skinner was confused and disoriented. The last he'd heard of his agents had been the day they disappeared, when they handed him their resignations. The somber looks of that day were what he remembered most, and the other expressions that crossed the partners' faces in the years before that were hard to recall; especially the looks of happiness.

Byers took the lead in the conversation. "What we established was this, Skinner: Mulder and Scully left at the end of 2002, just after their son's second birthday. They had Spencer placed, somehow, without being tracked. They didn't change his name."

Langly broke in. "Again, the egotism of the Consortium. And the egotism of ourselves. We checked every anagram and every codename we could think of, and then, we checked everything else. All they did was fudge the fingerprinting records and eye scans. The rest, we fudged ourselves. We can only assume Krycek did the same."

Frohike smiled in admiration of his lost friends. "Never once did we check for a Spencer Mulder. Never once."

Byers nodded. "Indeed, if hadn't been for you, Skinner, finding his name on the enrollment sheet for home-schooling, we probably wouldn't have found Spencer then. The thing we still don't understand is why the Consortium left Spencer alone. Surely they had to have found at the same time or before we did."

Skinner shook his head. "Maybe not. Krycek did only show up when Spencer joined the FBI."

Byers shook his head furiously. "That's simply not plausible. There had to have been something that was bargained; something that kept Krycek and Marita from coming near Spencer."

"Look," Skinner spoke, "none of that matters right now. What matters is what the hell is going on in Oregon. If we can meet up with Mulder and Scully, then we'll get our answers. Until then, we need to figure out what we're going to do when we land."

Somewhere over the Central Plaines of the United States, the faster Leer jet over took the heavy commercial airliner.

Alex Krycek swallowed the prescription strength Naproxen tablet dry, his hand shaking. Marita glanced at him curiously from the seat next to him.

"Shoulder joint," he cocked his head to the prosthetic arm. "The muscles around it tense up like hell at high altitudes nowadays."

Marita nodded, accepting the explanation for what it was: an admission of age. "When did Mulder and Scully drop off our scope, anyway? Spencer was almost twenty-one, right?"

"Right," Krycek nodded. "I guess they figured he was old enough to watch out for himself for a little while."

"They, of all people, should know that you can't protect yourself from the Consortium."

Krycek smiled and motioned the private flight attendant, asking for a scotch. He didn't really care that he'd just taken a huge dose of painkillers. He turned to Marita. "They knew we wouldn't go after the boy, Marita. Not when he got old enough to do something stupid like fight back. We can't afford to kill him."

Marita narrowed her gaze at Krycek. "And just why is Spencer Mulder so damn important to us?"

"You always had trouble putting two and two together. Spender had a plan when he gave Scully the cure for her infertility. Despite all the knowledge the Consortium had discovered, they never discovered how to keep a biogenetically engineered child alive past a certain point. They could never find that one link in the chain that allowed the child to progress to adulthood, so, it had to be done the natural way." Krycek swallowed back with shot with hardly a grimace. The half-Russian was not bothered by liquor.

"What had to be done?" Marita persisted.

"For Christ's sake, Marita!" Krycek exclaimed. "Don't you see it? Mulder gets shipped to Tunguska in 1996, and in 1998, Scully is taken to Antarctica. Both survived the black oil, Marita. In 1999, Mulder experienced elevations to areas of the brain that have never been used. Scully has been cured of cancer and infertility. This child, Marita, this man, is the cure to an invasion that could months, years, or even days away. Spencer Mulder is the key to everything human. We just have to learn how to use him."

Marita took in a deep breath. "And that's why we recruited Mulder and Scully?"

"We couldn't afford to experiment on Spencer. That's why we made them a deal they couldn't resist. Either they work for us, or their child would be taken. But now, Spencer is old enough to resist. The mind, Ms. Covarrubias, is a very powerful tool. Spencer's is probably more powerful than even we know. He just doesn't know that yet, and we can't risk allowing him to find out."

Marita looked at Krycek in understanding. "That's why you let him work the X-files?"

Krycek knocked back another shot. "Exactly. Through the Bureau, we control everything that he knows."

"And now, more than four years after their escape from the Consortium, Mulder and Scully have been seen. Do you honestly think they'd be that careless after four years, Krycek?"

He laughed. "Hell no. This is a calling card, Marita. They've found something out, and though they don't want to admit it, they are going to need our help."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because," he looked at her, "the abductions have begun again. The Rebellion is once more on the rise. Those little bastards up in space have figured something out, and now, it's happening again.

"When the Rebellion managed to stop certain apocalypse, they didn't end it completely. It was merely stayed."

Marita felt her stomach twitch with nervousness. "Alex, if They decide to finally proceed with colonization, humans alone can't stop them."

"No, no we can't. But Spencer Mulder is more human than human. In fact, Spencer might just be the one to save us all."

The belch rang raucously through the government sedan. Adrienne crinkled her nose in disgust and looked over at her partner. The more she spent time with him, the more she was finding that Spencer Mulder was more of a slob than she'd gathered on her first impressions. She kind of liked it.

Spencer smiled sheepishly. "That one calorie crap isn't going to cut it for much longer. The aftertaste is about to turn me away from all things healthy."

Adrienne smiled back. "That six pack is going to turn into a gut if you aren't careful, my friend. Plan for your old age now, and you can be youthful far longer."

"That's really interesting, Adrienne. Did you read that or just make it up?"

"You know that you're an asshole, right, Spence?" Adrienne quipped, grinning.

Spencer mirrored her expression. "How many times have I asked you specifically not to call me 'Spence?' Or 'Junior,' or the billion other horrible nicknames you manage to come up with?"

Adrienne laughed. "Well, Agent Mulder, I find it terribly interesting that you let me call you those horrible nicknames, anyway."

Spencer shook his head, cocky grin plastered on his face. "I'm just luring you in with my masculine charms."

"Ha!" Adrienne guffawed exaggeratedly. "Look, Pretty Boy, I'm not lured by a damn thing, much less your masculine charms."

Spencer chuckled and looked down at his palms. When his eyes returned to Adrienne's they were lighthearted. "You make me feel better, you know that?"

Adrienne sighed, her smile melting. "Spencer."

"Look, I wasn't coming on to you. I was just saying, you make me feel better. I haven't been able to talk to many people like I can talk to you." He broke his gaze away from hers and turned it to the woods beyond the driver-side window. "I don't trust people easily, Adrienne. But you've always made me feel comfortable. Maybe it's the way that you don't hide who you are, or the way that I know you're going to tell me the truth if I ask it."

He smiled again gamely and turned back to her. "You're a very blunt person, Adrienne. I kind of like that."

Adrienne's smile returned. "God I wish you weren't my partner some" s."

"Fatal attraction?"

Adrienne sniggered quietly. "Something like that."

The walkie-talkie in the backseat chose that moment to crackle alive. Spencer picked it up just as Fletch's voice rang over the speaker. "Wakie, wakie, you two lovebirds. We've got movement in the woods. I suggest you get your asses over to my position stat, over."

Spencer brought the car to life and Adrienne spoke into the small mic. "You really get into this spy shit, don't you, Fletch?"

His laugh roared over the speaker. "Who wouldn't give the chance to act like James Bond, eh? C'mon Adrienne, you don't have a little M in you?"

"She's to old, Fletch. Gimme that chick from that old ass 'Get Smart' show any day."

Shortly after, Spencer pulled alongside Fletch's car. He hopped out at the same timeAdrienne did. Fletch met them.

Spencer grinned. "It's show time, man. What've you got for us?"

"Strangest damn thing, man," Fletch looked at the younger agent. "I swore I saw a campfire a couple of minutes ago." He looked down at his feet sheepishly. "I feel asleep for a few. When I woke up, I saw the flames. The second I stepped out of my car, it was like someone threw water on it or something, but I couldn't track anything. So I called you."

Spencer nodded, his grin long gone, his face serious. He pulled his gun from his holster and checked the magazine silently. The other two agents did the same. Then, Spencer checked the chamber. "Okay," he spoke, "I don' t want to have to shoot anything. The odds are, we won't have to. This could just be campers, guys, remember that. We don't want to scare anyone. It also could be another abductee. By all means, do not make any quick movements if they are still alive."

"There was a campfire, Genius." Adrienne thumped his ear. "Obviously they' re alive."

Spencer glared at her, rubbing the lobe gently. "That fricken' hurt, Adrienne. I'm being serious here. We can't just go out there, guns blazing. This isn't a damn Western movie. We're the FBI."

"I'm well aware of what my badge says." Adrienne sighed, "Look, let's just go in there together and see what we can see. When we get close to the area Fletch saw the fire, we'll split up and circle around. Either way, we've got'em trapped. Nothing to it."

Jonas shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

Spencer sighed and shook his head.

Adrienne stepped away first and headed towards the end of the clearing. The trees began to get larger as they got a little ways into the forest.

Fletch whispered, "I think it was maybe a few more yards ahead."

Spencer nodded, and motioned to Adrienne, then motioned around to his left. He waved Fletch to his right, and he began to walk straight ahead, his body low to the ground.

Spencer could smell the fire, wherever it had been. They were definitely close. He crept forward slowly, trying to avoid the various twigs and sticks. A few feet more and the smell of smoke hit him, thick and heavy.

Spencer breathed out strongly, attempting desperately to remain quiet. His eyes were almost fully adjusted, and he could make out the dying embers not more than ten feet ahead of him. Slowly, he stood, his blood pumping rapidly through his veins. His heart was pounding.

When the twig snapped loudly behind him, he jumped forward and spun, midair. When his feet hit the ground, he was facing the opposite way, gun out in front and cocked. "FBI!" he screamed hoarsely.

The sharp click of another gun caused his blood to run cold, and he found himself starring down a thick black barrel. He couldn't see very well in the almost absolute darkness provided by the canopy of trees, and the only thing he could make out was the white flesh of the hand holding the gun before the arm disappeared into a black sleeve.

"Stay where you are!" the other person holding the gun spoke sharply.

Spencer found the voice vaguely familiar, but held firm.

The next sharp click was from his right and a female voice he'd never heard spoke. "Drop the gun!"

Spencer didn't look over at the other person, instead focusing on yet another click as a fourth gun was cocked and ready. This female voice brought some measure of comfort as Adrienne spoke into the darkness, "I've got you covered, Spencer." Then, "If I were you, ma'am, I would be the one dropping the gun. You're outnumbered."

Fletch's voice emanated from the back. "Let's all just settle down, here. Just settle down. I found a nice little lantern a ways back, and I'm going to turn it on. Then, we're all going to stay real calm and figure out what the situation is. No one has to get hurt."

Not one of the guns budged. The small clearing was bathed in light seconds later.

Spencer was confronted by the man behind the barrel. Spencer found himself looking into extremely familiar hazel eyes. Moments before he grew faint and his body hit the ground, Spencer heard the woman uncock her gun and say, "Oh my God, Mulder."

Then, Spencer passed out.

Chapter Seven

When Spencer climbed his way from nothingness, he found himself laying flat on his back in the sodden dirt of the forest. The moon filtered down through the trees, and the area was a little more lit than he remembered.

He sat up sharply as it all came flooding back to him. "Oh, God." He grabbed his head in pain.

"Hey, hey, take it easy there," the steel voice he'd been confronted with early was soft and open. "You hit your head pretty hard."

Spencer looked up at the man that sat, crouched in front of him. Spencer pushed himself further away, startled slightly. Every time he stared into those eyes, it felt like dj vu. He'd seen those eyes before, and lately, they haunted his dreams.

The man's face was open and honest, the slightly smile on his lips inviting. Spencer shook his head.

The man spoke, then. "You know who I am Spencer. I saw it right before you passed out."

"You're my father."

The man nodded. Spencer cocked his head and for the first time in conscious memory, registered, in person, the face that belonged to Fox Mulder. His eyes were set close over a proud nose and pouty lips. His jaw was strong and wide, the dark mole standing out on his peach flesh. Spencer ran an unsteady hand over his own jaw, then down his lips.

"Oh, God," he uttered again.

Mulder smiled unsteadily. "You have no idea, Spencer, how long we've waited for this."

"We." Spencer's voice trailed off. "My mother."

Mulder nodded eagerly. "She needs to know you're awake. We were standing guard in shifts with your friends." Mulder stood and offered his hand. The offer was not insistent, and Mulder was letting Spencer take the lead.

Spencer began to reach unsteadily, then paused. Mulder waited. Spencer's decision was made as he grasped Mulder's hand.

Mulder couldn't believe that his son's fingers wrapped completely around his hand. It was amazing. Mulder helped Spencer off the ground and pulled him in to his arms. He laughed through his tears as the younger man's arms came around his back. "God, you're tall," Mulder laughed, his voice full of wonder.

Father and son came up behind Dana Scully quietly. Mulder cleared his throat softly and Scully turned.

"" to change." her voice dropped off as her eyes shifted from the older man to the younger one. "Spencer," she whispered.

Spencer stood away from Mulder, coming to rest in front of the tiny woman that looked back at him. He found his eyes mirrored by hers. Scully's hair was still fiery red, and Spencer's was maybe two shades darker.

"Sit down," she ordered. "You're bleeding."

Spencer obeyed without a word. He closed his eyes as his mother's hands ran down the back of his scalp. Her touch was gentle, and yet, still firm. A doctor's touch, he knew.

"You might need stitches. Mulder, we need to get him to the nearest hospital-"

Mulder cut her off. "Slow down, Scully. He's not going to die."

"Mulder, I haven't seen my son in twenty-two years! I'm not going to have him fall into a coma just because we didn't take him to a hospital!" Scully glared at him, then turned back to Spencer, her eyes softening.

"Hi, Spencer."

Spencer laughed at the absurdity of the whole situation. Twenty-two years, and he finally met his parents in the woods in Oregon. He held a gun on his own father for crying out loud! He laughed again and looked at Scully. "Hi."

Spencer had chosen to ride with Adrienne alone to the hospital. He saw the hurt fall over his parents' eyes, but he didn't feel up to talking, and his head was spinning more from the recent circumstances than from any concussion.

Adrienne glanced over at him from the driver's seat as they lead Jonas's car back into town. "Are you all right, Spencer?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes.

Adrienne nodded. "Of course you're not all right."

"What happened after I blacked out?"

"I almost shot your father."

Spencer smiled.

Adrienne glanced over at him again. "No, I'm serious. I thought he'd shot you. Then, they both dropped their arms, and I didn't see a bullet wound. I remembered the picture of them from your wallet, and I called Jonas off.

"They are really worried about something, Spencer. They put us on guard as soon as Dana patched your head up."

Spencer sighed again. "I don't want to be in the hospital any longer than I have too. I just want to get to the hotel with those two and sort out some things."

Adrienne agreed with him. "I'll take Jonas and we can get coffee or something, wait until the sun rises. Maybe catch some sleep. There is still a case to solve."

"Look, Adrienne, I know this is a big favor to ask but-"

"No way," she interrupted him. "I'm not playing referee between you and your parents. No way."

"Adrienne, either you or Jonas. Please. Look, you guys are the only thing in my life right now that even bares resemblance to normal, okay?" He looked over at his partner. "I'm scared. I really am. This is all way to soon. I thought I was ready, but I'm not, and now I know that, but-"

"Hey, buddy, calm down. I'm there, okay? I'm there." She reached over and grabbed his hand. "I won't leave your side until you ask me to, okay?"

He smiled and chuckled. "Why are you so good to me, Adrienne?"

Adrienne's gaze softened. "Some day real soon, Spencer, I'll tell you about Kyle."

Spencer turned serious and fixed his eyes on her profile. "You're ex-partner."

Adrienne winced. "You did your homework. Kyle Merchinson was my partner about a year and a half ago. And, some day, hopefully not a year and a half from now, I'll tell you the story behind him."

Spencer frowned and looked forward. He had read about Kyle in Adrienne's personnel file. He had been killed in the line of duty while on an FBI raid. Spencer hadn't bothered to look any further than that. The logistics hadn't concerned him at the time. Now, he wondered if maybe he should have looked when he had the chance.

Adrienne sensed his fretting and said, "You have much larger things to worry about right now than an ex-partner of mine, Spencer."

Spencer nodded, but said, "Adrienne, I'm going to worry about you whether you like it or not. Just like I worry about Fletch. You two are the closest thing I have to a real family in my life right now. Remember, I just met those people, too."

"You've been searching for them for a while. I would think they would mean more to you than that," she chided.

"I don't know what to think," he confessed. "I want to reach out like they' re doing, but I can't get it out of my head that they left me on the doorstep of some stranger when I was just a little kid."

"They had their reasons, I'm sure. If not, then I'll personally kick their asses."

Spencer smiled.

Adrienne gasped melodramatically. "Look, Spencer, it's the hospital."

The hospital had been a quick visit. Adrienne pushed her way indoors and flashed her badge and her gun. After sending the staff into a momentary panic, she calmed down enough to say that Spencer had been wounded in the line of duty. When the doctor complained about other, perhaps more critical patients in the waiting room, Adrienne stormed through the doors.

She was greeted with an elderly man with a small cut on his forearm and a child with scrapes on his knees. She turned and looked blandly at the doctor. "Look, my partner has bled more in the last hour than those two have bleed in the last week. It'll take twenty minutes to stitch him up, Doc. What do you say?"

The doctor sighed in resignation. "Come on, sir. I'm going to need you to fill out a couple of forms."

Adrienne smiled in victory and flashed Spencer a thumbs up.

Spencer smiled tightly. His head hurt too much to laugh.

Back in the hotel room, Mulder and Scully sat next to each other on one of the beds. Spencer pulled up the small desk chair to sit in front of them. Adrienne stood off in the corner by herself.

Mulder looked over at the woman that seemed to have become one of his son's best friends.

"She's staying," Spencer said simply.

Mulder nodded in agreement, and Scully took the lead in the conversation. "Spencer, I know we have some explaining to do-"

"You're damn right you do," He butted in.

Scully wouldn't be pushed around. "And if you'll stay quiet I could probably begin to talk."

Chastised, Spencer sat back in the chair.

Scully began again. "Twenty-two years ago, Spencer, Mulder and I were offered a deal in exchange for your safety. Alex Krycek, who by that time had taken over the Consortium along with Marita Covarrubias, came to us with a bargain. If we would work on the cure for them then they would leave you alone."

"The cure? I'm afraid I'm not following. Last I heard, the Cure was a really old, bad rock band."

Scully rolled her eyes and glanced at Mulder. "He has your sense of humor."

Mulder shrugged, then he spoke. "Spencer, you've read about the alien virus. We have been in the process of developing a cure for that virus."

Spencer eyed him suspiciously. "How do you know I've read about that?"

Mulder motioned to the dresser in the corner of the room. "Scully's file is on top of the desk, Spencer."

The young man groaned and shook his head. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Scully chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Look, Spencer, the fact is, if we didn't work for Them you would have been taken away. Mulder and I couldn't let you be experimented on, so we chose the trade. We felt that, at the time, it was our only option."

"And now?"

"Now, circumstances have intervened. In the course of your reading, you may have come across Tunguska." Mulder's voice trailed off.

Spencer nodded. "You were taken there in, what, 1996?"

Mulder spoke, "Yes, I was. Then you've also read about the Black oil. The reason Scully and I were chosen to work for the Consortium is because we are now immune to the alien virus. Me, through experimentation in Tunguska, and Scully, though Antarctica."

Spencer felt realization dawn and his mouth fell open.

Mulder bobbed his head eagerly. "Now, you know."

"Oh my God," Spencer uttered.

"Someone care to clue me in? I don't want to intrude or anything, but I'm a little lost," Adrienne spoke up.

Spencer turned her way. "My parents were immune to the alien virus."

"Yeah, Genius, I got that. I can still hear outta this one," she pointed to her right ear, her voice tinged with sarcasm. "What are you so shocked about?"

"Adrienne, think about it. If they're immune then I'm-"

She cut him off, a look of wonder falling over her face. "You're the first child born immune to the virus."

The room grew silent. Mulder and Scully looked on at their son as he processed the information.

Spencer shook his head. "If I was safe, though, why leave me? There wasn't a point to that."

"Yes, there was," Mulder began. "Krycek only promised that he wouldn't look for you. If you were out in the open, you would have been anyone's game, Spencer. There are far more people after you than just the Consortium. Not only that, you've risked abduction all your life. It was safer if you weren 't with us."

"We wouldn't just leave you," Scully spoke. "You are our only son, Spencer. It killed us to leave you with someone else."

Spencer was looking down at his palms folded on his lap. "Look, I think I can understand why you left me. But right now, I just. It's really hard to." Spencer stammered.

"What he's trying to say is he doesn't forgive you yet, right Spence?" Adrienne butted in.

"Thank you, Adrienne!" Spencer spoke sarcastically, then turned to Mulder and Scully once more. "I will forgive you. I do forgive you. What I'm is, it's just going to take some time."

Mulder nodded in understanding. Scully, too, was acquiescent to Spencer's explanation.

Just as Spencer was about to speak again, the door swung up. Fletch stood in the entry. "There's a man and a woman here that say they know you, Spencer. An Alex Krycek and I didn't catch the woman's name."

"Ah, hell," Mulder muttered and jumped up from the bed, Scully following suit.

"Mulder, the bathroom." She headed for the small room and Mulder followed quickly.

"Get him outta here," Mulder said before closing the door. "Krycek is not here to help you, Spencer."

Moments later, Alex stepped in the room, followed by Marita. "Well, well, Spencer, we meet again." Alex walked straight to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"You can come out, Mulder, Scully," he spoke. "Your son hasn't learned to sweep the room, yet."

Adrienne spoke up at that moment, catching sight of the small bugging device on the television. "Ah, shit, Spencer, look."

Just as she held the bug out to Spencer, the door burst open again. Everyone in the room turned and Mulder and Scully came out of the bathroom to see Walter Skinner and the Lone Gunmen spill through the doorway.

Krycek laughed. "Well, we're having quite the reunion, I'd say."

Skinner had seen some weird shit during his term in Nam. The weirdest thing he could swear he'd ever seen in his entire life, however, was Mulder and Scully sitting at the same table with Krycek and Marita, drinking coffee, while their son and their son's loyal friends watched on. Not only that, the Gunmen, too wired for coffee, were sitting the table across from Mulder sipping diet sodas. Skinner shook his head and sat to join the Gunmen.

The moment Walter had practically fallen through the door to Spencer's hotel he'd felt them. His body was on constant alert for Dana Scully, and it was no secret that he harbored some feelings for her. When he looked up and saw them for the first time in over twenty years, he'd done everything short of passing out.

They looked excellent for their age. Incredible, even. Skinner had lost what was left of his hair long ago, and his skin was growing more mottled with liver spots by day, it seemed. Even the Gunmen had grown tired and haggard looking.

Though Mulder and Scully looked tired, their physical state was incredible. Not a trace of gray lined the hair on their heads. Mulder was actually slimmer and more toned than the last time Skinner had seen him. Scully, too, seemed to be in excellent physical condition. Scully, in fact, appeared more in shape than Mulder.

Skinner frowned, and made a note to ask them about this strange circumstance when they were finally able to rid themselves of Krycek and his willing sidekick, Marita. 'If they were able to get rid of them at all,' he thought with a grimace.

Spencer glanced at his friends as Krycek began to talk. Adrienne was looking off towards the lobby, her expression thoughtful. Jonas was fully immersed in the upcoming conversation, and Spencer had to smile. Jonas always seemed to give himself one hundred percent to anything he did.

Spencer listened as Krycek began to speak. "Well, Mulder, I never thought I 'd be asking to partner with you, but it seems that you have outfoxed me. Pardon the pun."

Mulder's eyes narrowed and Spencer felt himself tense instinctively. Mulder was, after all, family. Mulder spoke, "Krycek, I wouldn't partner myself with you if you were my last dying hope. Give me one good reason I should even consider it. And while you're at it, why don't you try to explain why you're here in the first place?"

Krycek smiled. "I think you know why I'm here, Mulder. I'm here for the same reason you are."

Scully broke in, "We came to get our son, Krycek. That's all. But I'd like to know what the hell you're here for. Answer the question."

Krycek's eyes skittered over to Mulder, then back to Scully, and his lips quirked upwards in a smug smile. "Spencer wasn't the only reason Mulder came, Scully. In fact, I'd say Spencer was secondary." He turned to Mulder. "How does your head feel, by the way?"

Scully's head whipped to the side as she turned to face Mulder. "Mulder, what's he talking about?"

Mulder squirmed in his seat. "Look, I was going to tell you later-"

"The voices are back, aren't they?"

"What? No!" Mulder tugged the collar of his maroon polo shirt. "At least, not like they were. I can control them."

"Dammit, Mulder!" Scully rose up out of the chair and began to walk away.

"Scully, wait," Mulder said insistently, following her. The pair walked towards the back of the hotel diner.

Spencer slid across the chairs into his father's seat. He looked evenly at Krycek. "You were talking about the artifact right now?"

"You've read. Yes, in a way, I was. You see, Spencer, New Jersey was connected to Oregon in only one way. Previous abductees were killed after being abducted a second time. The thing that you never thought to ask was not whether or not it was aliens that were the abductors. But were the aliens the abductors the second time?" Krycek looked over at the Gunmen and Skinner, who were staring at him intently, but plowed forward.

"Spencer, you have to think of the aliens like the viruses they are. The alien virus is like cancer. It uses a host, slowly killing it from within. But unlike cancer, this virus is then able to survive outside the host body." Krycek sat back in his chair and sipped his coffee. "The thing about the aliens is that as smart as they are, they haven't figured out how to kill us off. So they experimented. Ebola, AIDS, Hepatitis? All alien viruses to figure out how the human body relates to the virus. Thing is, we keep coming up with cures. In fact, after the AIDS vaccination in 2007, it seemed the aliens had just about given up.

"Now, the abductions have started up again, turning the abductees against society. Brainwashing. They are turning the abductees into foot soldiers to wage a war that isn't far off."

Spencer glared at Krycek. "You. You're the one that's been killing the abductees. Or at least your men have been. Right? To prevent them from beginning a ground war against the human race."

"You catch on quick, boy. But let me put your brain to work. Why? Why kill the abductees when we have you? You should be the answer to everything in this world, right?"

Skinner jumped in. "You can't figure out how to process the antibodies in his blood, can you? You can draw all the blood you want, but it won't work if you can't formulate it into a vaccine."

Krycek grinned again. "Congratulations, Skinner, you win the door prize! The fact is They are creating a race of alien-human hybrids that will begin the war against anyone that's left. What we believe They are hoping is that the hybrids will win the war, then the aliens can kill off their soldiers. Complete and total colonization.

"Unfortunately, the only vaccine that we had was what went into Scully's blood in Antarctica. Then, Mulder and Scully bumbled their way through the Consortium and tore up more than what they found. Tragic heroes, really. So, we threatened them, and it worked, until Mulder began to get the ESP again. And the only explanation we can come up with is perhaps he can still manipulate his brainwaves when near alien craft. It's basically an activation of the antibodies he carries in his blood when exposed to alien energy." Krycek smiled. "Your Father is quite the X-file, Spencer. Not that your Mother isn't extraordinary in her own right. You might try asking her some" about how she some" s experiences futuristic visions."

Krycek rose and Marita followed suit. "Tell Mulder to think about our offer. If we're going to save this miserable planet, we might as well do it together."

They turned to leave, but Krycek left parting words. "Oh, and Spencer, you might want to watch that partner of yours. Her temper can be deadly."

If looks could kill, Krycek would have been dead where he stood from the glare Adrienne drilled his way.

Adrienne stood and slammed her chair into the table. "We were given ten months, Spencer! Ten months to make these files work. And what do we have to show for this God damn case? No evidence, nothing! Just a theory from some insane fuckin' guy that keeps popping into your life! Look, I'm to my room, and tomorrow morning, I'm going to tell Gamez that we can't do one fucking thing to help him out."

"Adrienne!" Spencer stood and grabbed her arm.

"Let go of me, Spencer," Adrienne's voice was deadly soft.

Spencer didn't back down. "We can do more than that, Adrienne. That guy Krycek all but admitted to the murders. If only we could find evidence to link him to it, just one shred of evidence, then we could bring down the whole damn thing!"

"From what I understand, your parents spent more than half their lives looking for that shred of evidence, Spencer. No one pays for this shit, and I'm not even sure I want to try." Adrienne yanked her arm out of his grasp. "Look, Spencer, the fact is, I just want to go live my life, okay? I don't want to know if the world is going to end."

"Live your life? How? Vexing over the fact that you think you somehow got your ex-partner killed? I've seen your house, Adrienne! All you have is the damned dog!"

Spencer felt the punch rather than saw it. The momentum of her fist connecting with his jaw spun his head to the right and he could feel his body go up off the ground. Seconds later, he was looking up at the ceiling with a very concerned Jonas Fletcher standing over him holding up fingers.

Then, Scully was over him. "Oh my God, Spencer!" Her hands were on his face as she leaned over his body. Her right hand came away with a little bit of blood on her fingertips. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three," he mumbled. "I'm all right. Just help me up."

He felt Mulder's large hand grab his own as he was slowly hoisted off the ground and moved to a chair.

Spencer squinted his eyes as Scully shined a small light in his eyes. "I think you're going to be okay."

Scully straightened and Mulder rubbed the back of his neck, then coughed. "You know Scully, that girl's right hook is better than yours."

Scully glared Mulder's way and rolled her eyes.

Skinner was busy sating the hotel staff, telling them that yes, indeed, everything was all right and no, they did not need a doctor.

Spencer looked over at Jonas. "Where did she go?"

Jonas shrugged. "Out the front doors, man. It wasn't you, Spencer, it was that other guy. He really pissed her off. She just didn't-"

"Jonas," Spencer cut him off, "it's cool, okay? I just want to talk to her. Look," he stood, a little unsteadily, Scully hovering around him, "I'm going to go clean up a little bit, and then I'm going to go look for her."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, man. Adrienne needs some time to cool off," Jonas warned.

"I don't give a shit if she needs time. She punched me dammit, and I want to know why." Spencer began to walk towards the elevator, then turned towards Scully, "Ah. Sorry 'bout the language." Then, he walked towards the elevator doors again, not waiting for a response.

Scully smiled up a Mulder slightly. "At least he's got manners."

Frohike came up behind them. "Did you see that chick smack him? That was pretty hot, Mulder."

Scully rolled her eyes once more. "And some things never change."

Spencer just finished washing his face when he heard the knock on his bathroom door. Not bothering to pull his undershirt back on, Spencer opened the door.

Mulder stood in front of him.

Spencer nodded. "What's up?"

"Your mother and I are going to get a room. It's late. What are you going to do tomorrow?"

Spencer shrugged. "Try and find an answer for these people, I guess. I don 't know if I can stop what's happening right now, but I want to give them some answers."

"We've found that reabductions like this normally take place over the span of five months. If they can find a way to retain all past abductees, then maybe you can prevent any more deaths."

Spencer nodded and walked past Mulder into the bedroom, pulling a sleeveless shirt from his suitcase and tugging it over his head. He headed back into the bathroom and snapped on his holster and gun.

"Paranoid?" Mulder asked, nodding to the sidearm.

"Wouldn't you be?"

Mulder stretched the side of his shirt across his right oblique and hip, revealing the handle of a gun. "I am. Scully is, too."

An awkward silence fell over the room. Mulder broke it. "We'll meet up with you in the morning, then."

"Are you and." Spencer stuttered over what to call Scully, "her doing okay? I mean, tonight you-"

"I just had Scully a little misinformed, that's all. I think I'm forgiven because I didn't intentionally lie to her. Don't cross your mother, Spencer." Mulder smiled. "Now, go after that partner of yours. Make sure she doesn't get in any trouble."

Spencer smiled. "Adrienne can be a little temperamental."

"Ya think?" Mulder quipped. "Look, I understand."

"I'm not, we're not involved." Spencer didn't understand this need to explain himself all of a sudden.

Mulder nodded. "I know. You try to get some sleep, Spencer. And, you can call us whatever you feel comfortable with. I know this is awkward but."

"To say the least. I'm not very comfortable with the Mom and Dad bit, yet, but I think I can get used to it."

Mulder clapped Spencer on the shoulder. "I think I can get used to it, too. Goodnight."

"Yeah, goodnight."

Luckily, Spencer had the keys to the rental car. He drove around for about thirty minutes before he found Adrienne, laying on the ground at the edge of town. She'd gone back to the forest.

Spencer laid down beside her without speaking. They stared up at the stars in silence. The night was clear, and without the hamper of light pollution, the stars shown in billion watt brilliance. Spencer sighed heavily.

The silence stretched on before Adrienne began to speak, minutes later. Her voice was rough and soft, lower than usual. "Kyle was the first guy that everyone asked out to Bureau functions. He was charming and cute and an all around good guy. Faithful to his wife and kids, the whole nine yards. I'd never seen anyone happier than Kyle, and it was infectious.

"I found myself talking to him like I never talked to anyone. I could trust him, and Kyle was always there to listen. He was my first real friend since I can't remember, and I loved him for it. I wasn't in love with him, but I loved him. He was like the brother I always wished I had.

"We were partners in Behavioral, and one day, we got a call about a hostage situation. We weren't the negotiators or anything, but the Bureau was sending out all the free agents from Behavioral to accompany the negotiator. They thought it would create a more stable situation." Adrienne snorted, her voice oozing sarcasm

She continued. "When we walked into the situation, the man had ten people against the wall, lined up execution style, and he was carrying a little girl in one hand. He had a sawed off shotgun in the other. The negotiator wasn't getting through to him; he only seemed to be pissing him off more. I felt like we were just standing around, and not getting anywhere, so I began to talk.

"They couldn't shut me up. I was arguing back and forth with the guy, goading him. I thought, 'if only I can get him to turn away from that little girl and aim on me instead.' It almost worked, too. The second he dropped the little girl, we opened fire on him, but he got one shot off at me. Kyle pushed me out of the way, and took the bullet. He never stood a chance." Adrienne heaved a sigh and ignored the tear that was tracking down her cheek.

"I was reprimanded, but wasn't fired because I saved that girl. The truth is, though, that maybe if I could have just shut up, not only might we have saved that girl, Kyle would probably still be alive. It ripped his family apart, loosing him."

Spencer turned to his side, looking at Adrienne. "You don't know that, Adrienne. You don't know that the killer wouldn't have taken the girl's life. You were a hero."

Adrienne laughed self-deprecatingly. "Yeah, right. Don't kiss my ass, Mulder."

Spencer huffed and rolled onto his back again. "Don't call me that."

"So why'd you come, anyway? To persuade me to stay or something?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Thanks, that's real tact, Spencer."

Spencer shook his head, his mouth a tight grimace. "Look, Adrienne, I came because I cared, okay? There was no ulterior motive. My father told me how to help the people here, and I thought you'd like to know that, too. Obviously, I was wrong." Spencer rose to his feet and walked back towards the car.

"Spencer, wait. We can help this place?"

Spencer was already angry, and her softer tone didn't lighten his. "You always have to come out the hero, Adrienne. I've noticed that about you. You can't stand to be thought of as no help, or as anything less than first place. I didn't come to persuade you to stay; I came to ask you to stay. Not because I need you, not because I can't go on without you, okay? I want you and Fletch here, with me. But not if you can't pull your head out of your ass." Spencer pulled the car door open roughly.

"What the hell is it you want from me?" Adrienne yelled at him. "I told you about Kyle!"

"I don't want you to think you have to ask forgiveness, dammit!" Spencer slammed the car door shut. "I don't want you to shut yourself off from me. I don't want you to lie to me. What I want is for you to open up willingly! Not as some damned apology! I confided in you, I trusted you, and I asked you to be there for me! You don't have to do any of this alone, but dammit, you do! I just want to know why the hell you can't trust me?" Spencer was breathing heavily and he looked at Adrienne. She gave no response, but instead crossed her arms and looked away from him.

"Ah, hell, I give up," he muttered, his voice defeated.

The sun was peaking up over the horizon, beginning to bath the land in early dawn light. Spencer sighed and ran a hand through his already mussed hair. He shook his head and opened the car door again, when he was still met with silence. Spencer got in the rental and turned it on, then, rolled the car in a u-turn and pulled away.

Adrienne looked on after the car, blinking back hot, angry tears of frustration. It was silent, but that silence was broken as birds began chirping in the early morning light. Adrienne let forth a gut-wrenching scream of anger and spun, pulling her gun from its holster and firing shots towards the woods.

One brave blue jay squawked petulantly at her from a branch on the nearest try. Adrienne took aim and shot the narrow branch off at the trunk, sending the small bird flapping off.

She shoved her gun in the holster and frowned, looking off in the direction Spencer had gone. Adrienne rubbed her forehead and sighed. Her decision was made.

Spencer had decided to forego sleep. He would have only gotten an hour, at most, anyway.

Jonas was crashed out on the bed nearest the balcony window, snoring softly.

Spencer pulled on a clean dress shirt, and began buttoning it up. The knock at his door was only slightly startling and he made his way over to answer it.

He hadn't expected Adrienne to be the visitor.

"Look," she started right in, without bothering to enter the room, "I'm really sorry about hitting you and everything. It's just, I've always had this temper, and I don't know how to control it, but I'm willing to try. I want to work with you, Spencer. I want to get to the bottom of this whole thing.

"You were right, I do have some sort of a hero complex. And working with you, hey," she smiled slightly, "I just might have the chance to save the world. But, Spencer, I want you to know that I do trust you, more than anything. You're the first person since Kyle died that I've been able to really work with, and I don't know whether it was just your timing or what, but. The truth is you puzzle the hell out of me. I can't figure you out. But for all that I don't know about you, you are the only person I can talk to, and the only person that I trust to cover my back, even if you are a rookie."

Spencer grinned down at her and pulled her into a tight hug. Adrienne went willingly, if a little stiffly. "I guess," he murmured, "that's as a close to an apology that I'll ever get from you, but it's definitely accepted."

Adrienne nodded and pushed away. "I have to go get cleaned up. We have to talk with Gamez today and you need to tell me how you're planning on saving this town."

Adrienne was halfway down the hall and to the elevator before she turned around to Spencer. "You're my best friend, Spencer."

He smiled widely at her. "You're my best friend, too, Adrienne."

END Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

It was almost seven when Skinner stumbled down to the breakfast buffet the hotel provided for its customers. He found Mulder and Scully, along with the Lone Gunmen, sitting at a table towards the back of the small dining room. He picked up a cup of coffee, and moved to join them.

He sat down at the table across from Mulder, Scully, and Byers. Frohike and Langly were sitting on his side. The young FBI agents were nowhere to be seen.

They sat at the table in silence for a few moments before Skinner began to speak. "You two have no idea how long we looked for you."

Mulder nodded. "I think I do, sir. I think we both have an idea. Don't forget our searches over the course of the years.

"We lost track of Spencer after he graduated high school. When he enrolled in college, of course, we found him, but for the three months that we didn't know..." Mulder sighed.

Scully spoke then, "Sir, why have you risked it? We were some of the first to know that you resigned, but we had no idea you were working with the Gunmen."

Skinner sipped his coffee and grimaced. Hotel coffee never seemed to taste very good. "I felt that I owed it to you. You two saved my life quite a few times."

Mulder bit his bottom lip. "I think there's more to it than that."

Skinner shook his head. "Mulder, some" s, the largest decisions in life are prompted with the simplest answers."

Frohike nodded. "Speaking of not seeing you guys for a long time... You two look great!"

Byers jumped in. "In fact, you two don't look a day over forty. Maybe even a little younger."

Mulder smiled, but Scully was the one to answer. "In our research we found that having this immunity to the black oil slows down aging to a certain degree. Over the course of the years, we've found maybe five other people that have this immunity. None of them look their age."

Mulder jumped in. "We met a man that was over a hundred years old, and he looked maybe sixty. Let's just call it the benefits of having a little bit of alien inside you."

Byers was awed, as were the others, but it was Byers that spoke. "That is fascinating, Mulder. Do you have the research?"

Mulder nodded. "Of course we do." Nothing else was said, for Mulder and Scully were as they had always been - unforthcoming.

The group sat at the table a while longer, and were joined by Jonas Fletcher. "Hey," the man smiled. "Good to see some familiar faces."

Mulder nodded his head at the new acquaintance.

Fletch smiled faintly and said, "It would appear that I've been ditched. Spencer was gone this morning, and Adrienne isn't in her room."

Scully cocked an eyebrow and Mulder quirked his lips as Byers coughed. Frohike had an amused grin on his face that Skinner and Langly rolled their eyes at.

"Ditched, eh?" Skinner mumbled. "Funny how well I know that feeling."

Lt. Sergio Gamez looked at his desk, hands on his head. It was just about time for another body to show up, and to say that he was panicky would have been an understatement. The young police officer had a stellar career in front of him. At least, it had been stellar until this case. His solve rate was impeccable, and until now, there was no reprimands in his file.

Sergio never encountered a dead body on the job before, though. It wouldn't look good to the supervisors if Sergio's first 'real' police case was a failure. So far, more people died on his watch than had died in the entire last five years in Rockford.

His forensics teams seemed to be tied, and his best detectives were lost as to what to do next.

When two of the FBI agents walked in the front doors of the police department, Sergio hurried over to them, anxious.

Spencer spoke. "I'm sorry to say, Lieutenant Gamez, that we can't offer you a true explanation. We believe that these are alien abductions, to some degree. The only thing that we can offer to do is to ask that you find all previous abductees in this town and detain them. For how long, we don't know, and I have to apologize for that."

"In fact," Adrienne began, "we really don't have anything concrete to offer you. This may or may not work. We don't know. But we want to help, and this is the only thing that we can think of."

Sergio nodded. "I'll do my best. There can't possibly be that many abductees left. I'll send my men out searching the town today, and get people on the phones. I only ask one thing, agents."

Spencer nodded for him to continue.

"Stay behind for one more week. I know that it's a lot to ask, but according to the time line we've formulated, there should be another body turning up any day now."

Spencer smiled at the man. "We'll see what we can do."

Adrienne stepped in front. "We will stay, Lieutenant, I promise."

Spencer walked briskly to the car, and Adrienne, for the first time, almost had trouble keep up with his longer strides.

"Spencer, wait up!" she called. "What's wrong?"

Spencer wheeled around to face her. "Adrienne, you told that man a lie in there! What if A.D. Bordina doesn't approve the extra week?"

Adrienne frowned and looked away. "Then A.D. Bordina can kiss my ass. We' re needed more here."

Spencer threw his arms up in the air. "I'd like to keep my job, Adrienne!"

"Spencer, if we can at least write a resolution, then that counts as a solve. If we don't stay here and raise our solve percentage, you might not have a job to go back to in ten months! We have seven days until the first month is up, and we haven't solved one damn thing. We have to stay."

Spencer sighed in defeat. "You're right," he muttered, opening the car door.

Adrienne shook her head, "No way, buddy. Today I'm driving."

Spencer rolled his eyes and tossed his partner the keys, making sure to buckle his seat belt as he got in the passenger side.

Spencer and Adrienne walked into the hotel lobby, then through the doors into the larger dining room. They headed for the elevators, but Spencer stopped as he caught sight of his parents and their friends, along with Jonas. The partners headed over.

Jonas stood. "Hey, guys, next time wake me up, okay?"

"Sorry, Jonas," Spencer apologized. "We felt like we had some information for Sergio Gamez that couldn't wait. He's pretty torn up over this case. I can't believe he bought the alien abduction theory so readily, though. I'm not quite sure that the townspeople are going to buy it either, but it's the only shot we have."

Jonas thumbed Spencer lightly on the chest. "I'm pretty torn up over being ditched. On paper, I am the supervising agent, you know."

Spencer smiled. "C'mon, Jonas, it was just once. You can forgive us."

Jonas laughed. "Of course I can. When I fire you, I'll forgive you real well."

Spencer's smile disappeared suddenly as he began to play along. "Jonas, don 't do this to me... to us."

Adrienne stepped in front of Spencer. "What Spencer hasn't told you is that he's having an affair with me."

Jonas pretended to be completely broken up. "I'm crushed! Spencer, you dog!"

The three laughed as Jonas took his seat and Adrienne and Spencer pulled up chairs.

Skinner groaned and looked over at Mulder and Scully. "They aren't FBI agents, they're actors, and one of them is your son."

Spencer pretended not to hear Skinner. "So, what's up guys?"

They relayed the information on to Spencer about the anti-aging process of the immunization, along with a little more information on Mulder and Scully' s history with Krycek.

Spencer nodded, but held up his hand. "Look, I'm not interested in the past right now. I'm interested in the future. From what Alex Krycek said, these aliens are making a move for colonization. Now, I'm not sure I believe the whole pod people bit, but I do know that I've read up on this abduction thing, and we seem to be getting quite a few cases that don't normally pop up."

Mulder nodded. "Exactly. Which is why we're here. We didn't know when you joined the FBI that you would find the X-files."

At this point, Scully glared at Skinner, who stared right back at her, unapologetic. Scully shook her head, lips pursed. "In fact, Spencer, we were hoping you wouldn't decide to join the X-files."

"I hope that you aren't telling me that you hunted me down just to tell me to quit. I won't."

"We know you won't," Mulder said. "Call it a family trait. We came to help out. No offense, but until you kids get some experience, you don't stand a chance on the X-files alone; especially with it heating up like this. You' re going to need the help."

Adrienne rolled her eyes. "Look, no offense, but we aren't kids, here. And personally, I'm a little bit tired of being told to sit on my ass while the grown-ups go in and do the real work."

Scully stepped in. "We're not telling you to back off. All we're saying is that you're going to need help."

Adrienne shook her head and stood up. "Hey, I'm not the one that's been out of the loop for twenty years, here. You two are. Spence and I are primed and ready, along with Jonas here. We don't need anybody. You just decided to step in." She walked away from the table and towards the elevators, hitting an empty glass of a table further down the aisle. It shattered on the floor with a muffled clatter and a member of the hotel staff rushed to pick it up.

"Oops," she muttered, but she kept walking forward.

"Hey!" the person yelled at her back. "You're going to have to pay for this!"

She turned and flashed him a cocky grin. "Bill me." Adrienne flashed her badge at him, and his eyes grew large. "Yeah, didn't think so, Junior." She turned back and continued to the elevator.

Spencer watched the scene transpire with a frown, then shook his head and turned back to the table.

Skinner mumbled, "I'd have her ass in a sling so fast. You two are lucky I' m not your superior."

Mulder nodded. "Adrienne is a wild card, Spencer."

Scully agreed. "Maybe you should consider having Agent Fletcher transfer her out."

"Fletch, ma'am," Jonas smiled.

Spencer groaned. "I'm not going to transfer her out. I trust Adrienne a lot, and she's a very tough person. I know she's not the calmest-"

"And that's what we're afraid of," Mulder interrupted. "I was high strung enough as it was when Scully and I were working the files. I almost got us killed more than a couple of times."

Scully looked straight at Spencer. "Adrienne might not be dependable under fire."

Mulder jumped in. "We read a report about her partner, Spencer, and I think you should know that-"

"I already know about her partner, okay? She told me all about it early this morning, and it doesn't scare me one bit. Adrienne did what she thought she had to do, and personally, I want a person guarding my back that won't hesitate to act on her instincts." He stood, as well. "You're my parents, and you've worked the files before, but you aren't me and you're not my boss. Don't think that after twenty years you can come in here and tell me how to run my job or my life. I won't stand for it." Spencer followed Adrienne.

The table's silence was broken with Frohike. "He's got it bad."

Mulder nodded grimly. "I'm afraid for him. I really am. Adrienne Lee shouldn't have even passed her psych exams."

Jonas was angry for the first time in a long time. Adrienne was his friend. "From what I understand, Mr. Mulder, you shouldn't have passed your psych exams, either. Adrienne's right, you're out of the loop. Next time, don't try to tell my agents how to run their investigations." Jonas stood, but Scully's voice interrupted him.

"Agent Fletcher, I would like to think that you three are smart enough to understand that Mulder and I aren't, and never have been, out of the loop. In fact, the research that we've conducted and the years prior to that research have placed us right in the middle of it all. We don't want any of you to get hurt, and we have the first hand experience that you are going to need."

Mulder agreed and stepped in. "In fact, when you run off to join Spencer and Adrienne, I suggest that you tell them exactly what we've just said. Fletch, you seem to be the only one without a horrendous temper. Talk to them."

Fletch huffed. "Yeah, okay." Then he, too, walked the way Spencer and Adrienne had gone.

Scully groaned. "I can't believe it."

Mulder huffed. "Neither can I. Adrienne's the leader of team, it seems."

Skinner spoke, then. "Mulder, seriously, why did you guys come back? What are you preparing for?"

Mulder looked evenly at Skinner, evaluating him. It had been so long since he'd fully trusted his ex-superior. That day, Mulder chose to trust him once again. "The aliens aren't preparing for colonization, sir. They're preparing for extermination."

"Oh my God," Skinner murmured. He looked to Scully for conformation, and there was no disagreement in her eyes. It was true. "When?"

"We have three months. They will invade some" in late August, maybe early September. That's why they are reabducting. They're building their army." Mulder leaned back in his chair. "That's why Krycek was here last night. He wants us to join the Rebellion, and he was going to ask Scully and myself to lead the charge with Spencer. Krycek and the rebels have been building their own army, and there are underground colonies being built..."

Scully took over. "We're talking about a full scale invasion of this planet, sir, and we are the only ones in the entire world that know anything about it."

Skinner took off his glasses and set them on the table, rubbing his eyes. "It's always been you two against the world. I never thought it would be you two against the aliens."

Mulder smiled. "Three, sir. Spencer."

It was about that moment that Spencer reappeared, Adrienne at his side. Spencer leaned down over where he'd been sitting and reached under the table, pulling a small bug from the cloth. Then, he straightened and looked evenly at Mulder. "Better make that four."

Mulder groaned. "You bugged us?"

Langly leaned over to Byers, muttering, "The kid's definitely a fast learner. By the way, Spencer, when did you get the transmitter for that thing?"

Spencer shrugged, and smiled. "Adrienne broke into your room." The Gunmen looked stunned. Spencer added, "I wanted to know what I was missing. And I want to join you."

Adrienne stepped forward. "I do, too. I know that you don't trust me, and I expect that, but I will fight."

Mulder turned to Scully who evaluated the pair critically. Spencer was close enough to brush Adrienne's shoulder with his own. They were, evidently, friends formed through hard times. She understood exactly how they felt. "Sit down, both of you. We have some planning to do."

Langly whispered to Byers, "I knew there was a reason we never left home. Now, our equipment's been stolen and there's probably twenty different cameras that have my picture on them." They were drawn away from their conversation as Adrienne clapped once, loudly.

She sat down with a large grin and turned to look at Spencer, "We're gonna kick some ass."

Spencer laughed and nodded.

END Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Spencer sat on the edge of the indoor pool at the hotel. Lt. Gamez said he would notify them when he'd rounded up everyone that fit the profile. Spencer was bored, but at least the pool was tranquil, with it being midday.

He was wearing his black swim trunks and nothing else. Spencer didn't miss the admiring glances shot his way from the two women sitting in the Jacuzzi next to the pool. He smiled back at them, and then turned once again to his thoughts.

He uttered a muffled "Oomph," as he was pushed from behind and fell into the pool with a splash. When he surfaced, he tossed his head, throwing the water out of his eyes, and looked upwards at a very bikini-clad Adrienne.

She grinned down triumphantly at him. "You've really got to learn to be more aware of your surroundings."

He smiled up. "That's what I have you for. The water's great, by the way." Spencer floated up on his back and began to backstroke around the pool.

The pool was large for the hotel, and it was ten feet deep. Adrienne stood up on the diving board, backwards. Spencer began to tread water, admiring the muscled line of her back and the tone to her legs. He hadn't overlooked the tautness of her abdomen, either. Adrienne was more than simply in shape. Everything about her seemed to contract and relax in harmony; even her temper tantrums seemed to have a certain... natural melody to them.

Adrienne flipped off the diving board effortlessly and hit the water with barely a splash, earning amazed looks from everyone around the pool. She came up and whipped her head to the side, sending her short hair back from her face. "Beat that entrance."

Spencer laughed, shaking his head. "No can do, Adrienne. I've never been able to dive."

"You're joking?" Adrienne dunked herself, and when she resurfaced, it was with a smile. "I was thinking about how we just learned this extraterrestrial plot to overthrow the world, and we're taking an afternoon swim. That's not very responsible of us."

Spencer sighed and eased into a backstroke again, easily slicing through the water. Adrienne came up beside him, equally relaxed. Spencer spoke, "Maybe it just hasn't hit me yet, or something. I do know that as much as the end of the world scares the shit out of me, I'd rather not think about it. Call me a procrastinator."

Adrienne snorted her laughter. "Yeah, well, you, my friend, are talking to the master procrastinator. And I almost don't blame you for wanting to forget about it. Tell me this doesn't seem like some weird dream."

Spencer smiled as they hit the back of the pool, and he began to tread water. "Hey, you weren't born into the weirdest family in America, okay?"

"They aren't the weirdest family in America, Spencer." Adrienne sound sincere. "They're the weirdest family in the world."

Spencer's smile faded. "Don't you ever wish you could go back and do you childhood differently?"

Adrienne nodded. "You're forgetting where I come from, Spence. Of course I do. Why? What would you do differently?"

"I don't think I would skip the grades I skipped, and I would go to a public school."

"Missed out on the whole friends experience?"

Spencer shook his head. "Missed out on the whole youth experience. I was always mature for my age, and my parents treated me like a grown-up or an employee more than ninety percent of the time. Somehow, though, I don't think I would have fared much better with my real parents."

Adrienne cocked her head. "Why?"

Spencer huffed. "They would have tried, but look at them, Adrienne. They have to be involved, and yet, they don't show much physical affection in public or anything. Tense would probably be the best word. They're too intellectual."

"Give them a chance, Spence. They can't help you reclaim your childhood, but let them act like your parents. They might surprise you."

Spencer smiled at Adrienne. "That's what I don't get about you, Adrienne. You have this immense capacity for understanding people and how they think, but your temper would say otherwise."

Adrienne agreed. "I know. It's just, when you grow up where I grew up, your temper has to be fast to let you survive. It provided the adrenaline rush that I needed to fight guys that were twice my size. And just because I can understand people doesn't mean that I like them or agree with them all the time."

"I get the feeling that you and my mom aren't exactly going to get along very well."

Adrienne sniggered. "Hey, man, that lady is tight-assed to a tee. Don't get me wrong, I respect her authority, and she's not someone I would really want to get in a fight with, physical or otherwise. And I can forgive the hard attitude. With the life it sounds like they live... At any rate, it's more her problem with me than mine with her. She's just watching out for you, Spencer."

Spencer grinned. "You're dangerous, Adrienne."

"I took a high school life expectancy test that asked how fast you drove and other questions about the chances you take."

"And?"

Adrienne gave Spencer a wide grin. "I'm not expected to live past thirty-eight. The only reason that I got that high was because I exercise more than four times a week."

Spencer chuckled, then sobered. "Adrienne, this is going to be dangerous."

"I know. That's why I like it. It's like I said, Spencer. With you, I can save the world." She grinned and swam towards the other end of the pool. "Race you."

Spencer let Adrienne win.

Scully came up behind Mulder silently in their small hotel room, but he felt her anyway. "I'm doing our son's legwork," he mumbled, concentrating on the small desk computer.

Scully rubbed his shoulders lightly then walked away and lay down on the bed. It was midday, but she already felt worn out from the day's events. It wasn't easy learning how to interact with people you hadn't talked to in twenty years. "What legwork?"

"Sergio Gamez's brother was abducted when Gamez was sixteen. His brother Michael was five. Gamez had taken him camping, from what I read in the report, and he woke up in the tent to find his brother gone and bright lights illuminating the tent. When he ran outside, he saw what he could only describe as a giant Frisbee floating upwards."

Scully sat up, interested. "That explains his readiness to believe, I suppose. I still don't understand how you expect to get an undersized police department to search the entire town."

Mulder shrugged. "The town's not exactly huge, Scully. If he checks the police records for abductions in the past ten years, that should narrow down the search. And the locals, from what I've read, seem to buy the UFO idea already, anyway. And those that don't let Gamez do his job," he sighed, his voice dropping off.

"At least it's a plan, Mulder. I'll give you that. Detaining some number of people possibly against their will for an undetermined amount of time, but at least it's a plan."

Mulder smiled. "I did a little bit more research while you were in the shower-"

"I'm going to have to take quicker showers," Scully interrupted with no reaction from Mulder, who continued on.

"And checked up a little bit on Adrienne Lee."

"Don't leave me hanging."

Mulder handed Scully the small computer. "There's her FBI file, but we've already looked at that. I dug a little deeper, used some of the Gunmen's sources. Adrienne grew up in the projects in the Bronx with her brother and two parents. Her parents were drug addicts, enrolled twice in treatment programs that they were later thrown out of because they couldn't foot the bills. Her brother was arrested four times for stealing and once for dealing, and then put in Juvenile Detention for five months. Two months after his release, he was shot, the only witness being Adrienne. She's got quite the record herself. Want to hear it?"

Scully bobbed her head. "Shoot."

"She was taken in three times for shoplifting, once for illegal possession of a handgun. Then, she cleaned up her act and got excellent grades in school. Her freshman year, she was expelled, however, after breaking a peer 's arm and nose. She threw him over her shoulder, from what I've read, and snapped his arm right in half. Two years later, she was expelled once more from public high school, and sent to an alternative school." Mulder leaned back in his chair.

Scully looked up from the computer to him. "What was she expelled for the second time?"

Mulder smiled. "She called in a bomb threat, then stayed behind while her classmates went outside. Adrienne released all the animals from each of the science labs, loaded them up in four duffle bags, and got one of her friends to help her carry them out and set them free in the wild. She was caught going out the front door, but not before she opened the duffle bags and set snakes, rabbits, and mice running as they pleased over the school grounds."

Even Scully cracked a smile at the last one. "Well, she's definitely not worried about her reputation with authority." She glanced back down at the computer. "Bronx, eh? I knew she had a faint accent."

Mulder agreed. "I couldn't figure it out the first time, myself. She's almost lost it, but it's there. I'd say her accent is more smart ass than Bronx, anyway."

Scully huffed. "What's our next move, Mulder? I'm worried about your exposure to whatever is in the forest."

Mulder grinned. "Twenty-nine years together and you still can't say alien craft without being coerced."

"I'm serious, Mulder," Scully countered. "I don't want what happened back with the drawings to happen again."

"Scully, it happens a lot. Any" we're near anything alien, which is quite a bit. I think I remember feeling it around Jesse Ventura."

Scully rolled her eyes and began to launch into her reprimand, but couldn't resist, "Well, he had to have some sort of powers to get people to vote him into the presidency." She paused for a moment, and then started in again. "Mulder, you have to tell me about these things. We agreed a long time ago not to keep anything from each other, especially illness."

"It's not bad anymore, though, Scully. I don't really consider it an illness. More like enlightenment. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but we' ve had so damn much to worry about that I didn't want to add any more."

Scully sighed. "But you worry, Mulder, even though you don't show it. And if you are going to worry about it, then I want to worry with you." She turned away from him, rotating her body around on the bed so her back was to him.

Mulder stood and came around to face her. "Honestly, Scully, I don't even think about it that much anymore. When the voices come, they aren't loud, and I'm used to it now. I can even control it to some extent."

Scully looked up at him warily. "Mulder, you don't-"

"Scully I wouldn't even try. Even if I could read your mind, I wouldn't invade your privacy that way." He looked at her seriously. "Just because we're back in the mix of the real world doesn't mean we have to turn away from each other again, Scully. I won't have it."

She bit her cheek and turned her head. "Neither will I." She laughed wryly. "Jesus, Mulder. Over twenty years together and I'm still getting used to you - to this."

Mulder smiled gently and grabbed her right hand with his own.

Skinner and the Gunmen had managed to rent two rooms between them, but the four were currently beached out one of the rooms' balcony.

Skinner sighed restlessly. "I feel like we should be doing more."

Byers nodded emphatically, but added, "We're old men, now. The youth have left us behind."

"And Mulder and Scully have once again managed to hit the jackpot," Langly muttered, looking at his own gray hair in his reflection of the balcony's glass sliding doors. "Eternal youth."

Frohike shook his head. "Just delayed age, Langly. Remember they said that their antibodies don't stop aging completely."

"But what about Spencer? He looks like your everyday twenty-four-year-old," Langly commented.

Byers jumped in. "I've been thinking about that. When you do the research, you find that maturation and aging are separate processes. Remember Scully' s branched DNA? Whatever this stuff is, it alters DNA, maybe repairing it. In other words, to protect the host, it has to prevent aging, since the aging process is essentially the result of gradually accumulated damage to DNA. In fact, they are probably even resistant to retroviruses and cancer."

Skinner stared blankly at the man. After a moment, he spoke. "In English?"

Langly looked over at Skinner. "What he's saying is that this immunization lives like a virus, except that it protects the host instead of killing it. Basically, it seriously turbo-charges the DNA."

"An immunization that thinks? That's a stretch, Byers. Even in today's world," Skinner added.

Byers shrugged. "It is alien technology, relatively. Spender Senior had the cure for cancer fifteen years before today's cure even reached its trial stages. And today's medicine is still only eighty-eight percent effective."

"How do we know his is completely effective?" Skinner counted.

"This hotel has metal detectors at the front doors. Scully walked in fine."

Skinner, his mind slowed slightly, partly to age and partly to being overwhelmed, shrugged. "So?"

Byers gave him an exasperated look, but answered quickly and professionally. "The chip in the back of her neck that sent her cancer into remission is metal. Hence, Scully is no longer a carrier of the chip. Which is probably why she hasn't been called back to the aliens again. And, we assume that whatever Spender gave her when she ran off with him was able to aid her body in reovulation. Hence, Spencer."

Spencer called Mulder and Scully to his room that afternoon. He and Adrienne had spent almost the entire day lounging around the pool until his beeper went off with the police department number. Gamez had rounded up fourteen of the twenty listed abductees. The other six were skeptical, and didn't agree to detainment. The fourteen that agreed had done so out of fear. They didn't want to be the next ones to die.

Spencer relayed this information to Mulder and Scully, who were sitting in two of the hotel chairs. Adrienne had heard the story once before, though, and mid-conversation she began to nod off on the bed that Jonas used, completely bored with the monotone way Spencer told his tale. Fletch was already at the police station, choosing to take what Gamez had called the "first watch."

The first watch consisted of Fletch and Gamez only, since it was during the day with the entire police department on hand. Later that night, Spencer, Adrienne, and his parents would relieve Gamez and Fletch, who would catch a little bit of shut eye in one of the conference rooms. It seemed that though the police department was relatively understaffed, they had six on-hand cots that were available for use, and a kitchen in the basement.

Mulder spoke after Spencer was done. "I don't have a very good feeling about this. It hasn't been the aliens doing the killing, from what Krycek said. It's been the Rebellion. I have to warn you, Spencer, if it is the Rebels, and they take the police station, we have to find a way out. Don't be a hero."

"How would I recognize a member of the Rebellion?"

"They don't have faces," Mulder stated, and left it at that.

Spencer understood enough of the X-files not to ask. He would simply read more files when he got back to D.C. That thought prompted him to ask, "Are you going back to D.C. with Adrienne, Fletch, and me?"

Scully responded, "Yes. We believe that we have to, and it's time to resurface. With what could possibly be on the horizon, Mulder and I want to make full use of our investigative talents. And you might be preoccupied with other X-files cases. We can work unofficially through you."

"Ooh, Scully," Mulder quipped. "Unofficially. I always wanted to hear you say those words in a context I would like."

Spencer tossed the older man a grin, but Scully simply ignored Mulder. She got up, pulling a stack of papers from the dresser's top. They had brought in the stack when they entered Spencer's room, but he dismissed the papers, assuming they would tell him what they contained when they felt ready. Spencer wasn't necessarily one to push.

Scully tossed them on the bed beside Spencer. "What are these?" he felt compelled to ask.

"Those are the result of a background check on Sergio Gamez," Mulder explained. "Spencer, you have to do your legwork, even though it might not appeal to you. If someone believes you as readily as Gamez did, it's your job to find out why. And even if they don't believe you, check them out."

Scully spoke, "You could get killed if you don't cover every step you take. Mulder and I made that mistake more than once, and it almost cost us our lives several times. Some" s, the people you think are on your side turn out to be your worst enemies."

Spencer flipped through the papers. "This feels like an invasion of privacy. Not only that, it's boring."

Frustrated, Mulder stood. "You went to Harvard, son! That's the definition of boring! Grow up, Spencer, and start acting responsible. If you and your partner can't learn to live with leg work, then you might as well get shot where you stand, because you won't last for a year on the X-files, or even the ten months that it's going to take to get full approval to work on them."

Spencer glared up at Mulder. "Don't talk to me like I'm five. You did the legwork for me. Thank you. I won't forget again, but you don't have to ride my ass. You don't have the right."

"I'm-" Mulder stopped speaking, and turned, completely frustrated. "Spencer, I just don't want to see you get hurt. Scully and I are pretty defiant people, so we know where you get it from, but some" s, you have to listen to the people that have been there. And we've been there."

Scully jumped in, "We can't do the legwork all the time. I refuse to do it. Mulder and I still have to concentrate on getting the antibodies in our blood to multiply into acceptable quantities of the vaccination. We don't have the time to do everything for you."

Another voice entered the conversation as Adrienne spoke up. "Look, you're all arguing the same point over and over again just for the sake of arguing. You woke me up and now I'd like to go back to sleep, so shut up or get out." She turned over on her stomach, her eyes staying closed.

Spencer was incredulous. "This isn't even your room!"

Adrienne popped one eye open. "It is now, Junior. Look, we've all got to pull guard duty tonight. I'd say we get some sleep."

Mulder cracked a smile at Adrienne's audacity and supreme overconfidence. She might be temperamental, but at least she had common sense and a smart brain. Mulder nodded his head towards the door and Scully caught his gaze, agreeing. It was time to go.

"Just think about what we said, Spencer, and try to get some rest," Scully said. Mulder followed her out the door, his hand slipping around her waist lightly.

The door closed behind them and Adrienne's voice popped up again. "They're gonna get it on."

Spencer looked over at her in disgust and fell back on the bed, pulling a pristine white pillow over his head. "Christ, Adrienne! They're my parents."

She sniggered, and not five minutes later, she was snoring softly.

Spencer sat up and looked over at her. Adrienne had thrown on a sleeveless shirt and blue board shorts after their swim, but her hair was still damp. Spencer nudged her gently. "Get under the covers."

Adrienne mumbled something, but managed to pull the covers down while still lying on the bed. Before she pulled them back up, though, she simply fell back to the bed and began snoring again.

"Hey, that's not exactly under the covers there," Spencer spoke quietly.

Adrienne didn't stir this time, so Spencer gently pulled the covers up over her shoulders and got back on his own bed, setting the alarm clock for seven that night. It was three when he set it, so they would get at least a little sleep.

Spencer lay back on the bed and fell asleep quickly, his body over the covers.

END Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Sergio Gamez had worked hard to get where he was. He was one of the only Hispanics in a predominantly white community. The people that lived in Rockford were by no means racist, still, Sergio came from a different community closer to Portland where, in high school, the circumstances had been different altogether.

His classmates were blatantly biased, as were a few of his teachers. Some of his teachers even went easy on him during high school, giving him higher grades on essays than friends that had done twice the job. Once, he asked his English teacher why that was. She simply responded, "Sergio, I was reading a demographic that said the average Hispanic male was more predisposed to academic underachievement. I want you to be able to advance."

Sergio smoldered for days over that one, but he was too easygoing to let it bother him for long. His parents told him to just work that much harder. Sergio did work that much harder, and was able to attend UCLA, where his major was criminal law enforcement.

It was hard to get a good job, though, with a degree like that. Most of the major police departments didn't want to pay a college cop, so Sergio found his way to Rockford. He wasn't in the job for the money, and the police chief in Rockford understood that. Since then, Sergio had been the rising star in Rockford's community, and he was just starting to get used to the denizens' unbiased views.

Sergio allowed his mind to drift out of the past and back to the present. When people started dying, those left in their wake looked for someone to blame. The blame naturally fell on the chief investigator, who happened to be Sergio.

He sighed heavily, and his thoughts were interrupted by the deep voice of Jonas Fletcher.

"Rough day?"

"More or less," he responded. He glanced at Fletch. "You FBI guys sure did accept the whole UFO bit pretty quickly. I know that it's your department, but I was still a little surprised."

Fletch smiled. "I'm a little surprised, too. Hell, a month ago I wasn't even thinking about UFOs."

Sergio smiled back. "UFOs are kind of a staple in this town. Every since I moved here, I've heard the tales. About fifty percent of our calls in this department are about UFO sightings. Funny thing is, in Rockford, a UFO sighting is serious business."

"Hotspot, eh? That's interesting, I guess. Do you ever feel like you're missing out on the real police work?"

"Of course I do. I'm a college cop, Agent Fletcher. I miss the fact that I 'm not working the crime scene unit, some" s, but what's a guy to do? Besides, every time I think about leaving, I imagine some horrible circumstance in which this town suddenly becomes the scene of the crime, and I'm not there to do anything about it."

Fletch laughed. "Like now?"

"Yeah, like now. But I don't seem to be able to do anything about it." Gamez leaned back in his chair. "So how long are we going to have to keep these people, again?"

Fletch shrugged. "From what I understand, it could be as long as two weeks."

Gamez groaned. "I don't know if I can hold them that long. The facilities here just won't manage it. Besides the fact is that they're not prisoners. They're good people, good kids, that have basically been thrown in lockup. I hate having to do this."

Fletch sympathized with Gamez. "This might not make you popular in the public eye."

Gamez snorted. "No kidding." Then, he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"What?" Fletch asked.

Gamez shook his head and bit his lip. "I can't shake the feeling that we're just serving these people up to whoever wants them. Fourteen abductees in one building. I feel like we're offering a silver platter."

"Sitting ducks?"

Sergio nodded. "Exactly."

At eight o'clock, Spencer, Adrienne, Mulder and Scully entered the police station doors.

They each seemed to dress according to their specific personality. Mulder was comfortable in jeans and a gray tee-shirt. Scully was slightly more conservative, wearing fitted khaki pants and a white tee. Spencer was in black Dockers that rode low over his hips and his black tee-shirt was tight, showing off his muscles. Adrienne was wearing a different pair of board shorts, light blue and dark blue blended together, and a broken-in basketball jersey.

Each was armed, as well, but Adrienne showed off her guns blatantly. The twin magnums she carried were strapped into shoulder holsters.

If Fletch was a strict section leader, he would have jumped her ass for her disregard of concealing her weapons. Fletch, however, was an easygoing guy and he found it rather amusing, if not a little sexy in an odd way, that Adrienne felt the need to show everyone up at all times and in all ways.

"Fletch, my man!" Spencer called to the agent as he spotted him. "Tell us where we need to go."

Fletch smiled, walking up to the group, high-fiving Spencer and Adrienne, and nodding at Mulder and Scully. "I guess you guys can meet up outside the rooms where we're keeping them and decide how you want to stand guard. Serge and I are going to catch a few zees. You down?"

Spencer laughed, feeling drawn to Fletch's good demeanor. "Serge?"

Fletch shrugged. "Yeah, you know, Gamez?"

"Oh, okay, Fletch. You're as bad as Adrienne," Spencer remarked.

Fletch grinned. "Sue me. Wake us if you need anything." He disappeared down the left corridor of the police station to one of the interrogation rooms.

Fletch had informed Spencer earlier that the local hospital lent the police department enough cots to suit everyone's needs, and the fourteen people were currently housed in four conference rooms, with four to a room and two people in the last room.

Adrienne shrugged and moved to the chairs that Fletch and Sergio had set up earlier. She arranged the chairs so that the seats were facing, and lay down across them.

Spencer chuckled. "God, Adrienne, is there ever a time that you don't go to sleep when you're bored?"

Adrienne grinned up at him. "Four hours of sleep, my friend, is not near enough for my metabolism. I've got to rest the beast, you know?" She closed her eyes and relaxed, and Spencer shook his head.

Spencer had his chair propped back against the wall, drifting in and out of wakefulness, fully bored with the assignment. It seemed everyone else was bored as well because as Spencer glanced around, he noticed that everyone was asleep. It was almost midnight when he heard the sound that brought him fully awake. The small click he heard sounded like someone had begun to move around.

Spencer glanced around the room, spotting Mulder and Scully in chairs next to each other. Scully's head was resting on Mulder's shoulder, and his head was tipped back, the pair sleeping deeply.

Spencer heard the noise again, and this time, it brought Mulder and Scully awake as well. Adrienne slept on.

"What was that?" Mulder asked as he sat up.

Scully rubbed her eyes and straightened her shirt, then looked at Spencer, who shrugged.

"I just heard it right now, too," Spencer said. "Adrienne," he spoke softly, walking over to his sleeping friend.

She grumbled, but didn't rouse.

"Adrienne!" he hissed, again with no response.

He tapped her on the shoulder and Adrienne sprang forward, up and off the chairs, gasping. She looked over at Spencer, then looked around the room in a post-sleep confusion. Finally, it occurred to her that Spencer was just trying to wake her up.

"Damn, Spencer," Adrienne snarled. "Why don't you just call a four alarm fire or something? Saying my name would have sufficed."

Spencer groaned, but there was a crash from the front of the department that sent everyone into a still silence. No one breathed. There was another sound, this time footsteps.

Adrienne strapped on her holsters and pulled out both guns, cocking the semi-automatic weapons. Spencer, too, drew his gun, as did Mulder and Scully.

Mulder stepped forward and Scully sighed, cracking her neck, then followed. Adrienne was right behind them, with Spencer bringing up the rear.

As they neared the door that lead to the front of the police station, Mulder stopped, raising his hand. He turned, and whispered, "Look, Spencer, you and Adrienne go back to the conference room doors. Stand guard there until Scully and I can find out what's up."

"But-"

"Spencer," Scully cut him off. "Go." Her tone brooked no argument, and Spencer and Adrienne grudgingly returned.

Mulder looked at Scully and held up three fingers. Scully put her hand on the doorknob, and on Mulder's count, she threw the door open. Mulder was the first in and Scully came around from his back, their guns drawn.

It was quiet in this room. The desk sergeant wasn't there, and Mulder felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise up. He shot Scully a quick look and met her gaze, each thinking the same thing. Danger.

Suddenly, the lights were shut off in the front part of the police department, and all went dark. In the next moment, gunfire rippled through the air, and Mulder slung his arm around Scully's waist, throwing them behind the front desk.

A man's voice yelled out, "Where are the abductees?"

Mulder frowned. This couldn't be the Rebellion. But if it wasn't the Rebellion, then who was it? "Who are you?" He called out.

"We are the Rebellion, Mr. Mulder," the voice answered. "We don't want to take you, but we will if we have to."

Mulder glanced at Scully, who was as puzzled as he. The Rebellion must have done some recruiting, and this time, they carried machine guns and rifles instead of flamethrowers. Mulder wasn't quite sure which one he liked better.

He leaned down to whisper in Scully's ear, "Let's make a break. I'll go right, you go left, and see if we can assess our chances, here."

Scully nodded. "Shoot to kill, Mulder. I don't want you dying on me."

"Same goes. On three. One, two, three!"

The pair broke, Scully staying lower to the ground than Mulder's taller body would allow him. She scanned the room and spotted three men, then dove behind another desk.

Mulder glanced, spotting the same three men, then rolling to a stop behind an inlet in the wall. "Federal agents!" he yelled out of habit more than anything else.

He was greeted with laughter from the man that had been talking. "You're no longer a federal agent, Mulder. I didn't want to have to kill you and your partner, but now you've left me no choice. Krycek said to kill the abductees at all costs. You're just an expense."

As suddenly as the lights went out, they were back on, and a new, familiar male voice joined the conversation. "They might not be federal agents, but we are."

Spencer made a run from the corridor into the room and jumped behind the front desk.

"Spencer, the abductees!" Mulder called.

"Fletch and Gamez got it covered!" Spencer called back.

There was a temporary stand off, but a female voice soon came into the mix. "Ah, hell, fellas, let's just get this show on the road." Then, Adrienne was bursting forth from the hallway, guns drawn. The room erupted in gunfire.

Adrienne dove behind the desk with Spencer.

"Jesus!" Spencer yelled. "You're going to get us all fucking killed!"

Adrienne grinned, "Miss me, honey?" She stood then, whipped to the front and fired off three shots at the mysterious men.

The Rebels began to press forward, four more entering the police department.

Mulder leaned out and got a shot off, hitting one of the men. He fell to the ground with a cry.

"How many are left?" Adrienne called at Mulder.

"Six!"

"I've faced worse odds," she murmured, and Adrienne jumped up again. This time, she barreled over the desk, shots firing, and took out two more men. She turned left and fell in with Scully.

The doors opened and two more men came in.

If Adrienne's aim was excellent, Scully was the only one in the room whose eye was better. Scully was up and firing, then back down, in less than ten seconds, but she took one man out with a shot to the head.

Spencer was about to raise up, but he slouched down further as one of the men went hurtling over the desk, making a break for the hallway, his comrades covering him.

"Who's going to-" Mulder began to ask who was going to get him, but before the words were out of his mouth, Adrienne was up again.

"Ah, shit," Mulder hissed, and swung around the small barrier provided by the wall, opening fire and providing cover.

Scully was up, too, their shots rattling off.

Spencer ran after Adrienne, staying low to the ground until he was in the hallway, where he rose to his full height and opened up his speed, stretching his stride as far as it would go.

He stopped at the t-junction of the corridors, wondering whether to go right or left. That question was answered for him as Adrienne was slammed down the right hall, a much larger man wrapping his arms around her football-style.

Spencer heard more gunfire from Fletch's direction, but ignored it, and raised his own weapon, looking for the shot. Sweat beaded his brow, and his hands shook as Adrienne fought with the larger man. "Adrienne, get clear!"

Adrienne jammed her elbow back into the man's stomach with a yell, "What do you think I'm trying to do?" She turned in his grip and brought her knee up into his groin.

The man doubled over and Adrienne ran around behind Spencer. "Take the shot!"

The man fell to the ground, and looked up, his eyes catching Spencer's, wide with fear.

Spencer's finger froze on the trigger.

"Take the shot!"

The man down the hallway jumped for the gun that Adrienne had knocked from his grasp.

"Take the God damned shot!" Adrienne yelled at Spencer, her own guns having been lost over the course of the battle.

The man rose, aiming his gun.

"Holy shit!" Adrienne plowed into Spencer, knocking them both down. There was the roar of a fired gun, and both winced. The hall was silent.

Spencer opened his eyes to see Sergio Gamez standing against the wall. His eyes were wide. At the other end of the corridor, the gunman had fallen to the floor, blood streaking the clothes on his chest and pooling on the floor under him.

Adrienne rose with a glare at Spencer and ran to Gamez. "Sergio!" she called, but the man slid to the ground, the wall behind him streaked with blood. "Oh shit, oh shit," Adrienne repeated, falling to the floor.

Spencer stood, shell-shocked, and then ran back into the front of the building.

Scully was still crouched, but most of the men had either retreated or lay dead on the floor. Some had gotten by, though.

Mulder motioned to Scully and they stood, making a break for the back to get to the abductees.

Spencer yelled, "Sergio's shot!" He looked at Scully. "He needs you!"

Spencer led the way back and Scully dropped to her knees by the wounded man. He groaned and forced his eyes open.

Gunfire from the back reminded them that Fletch was left alone.

Adrienne looked up at Spencer. "Give me your gun!"

Spencer handed it over without so much as a thought.

Mulder didn't have time to question the exchange, and he ran off towards Fletch, Adrienne behind him.

"Spencer," Scully said sharply. "Help me do compressions. He's not breathing."

Mulder and Adrienne saw Fletch at the end of the hallway, his gun at the ready, and his back to the conference room doors.

"Fletch!" Adrienne yelled, "Get covered!"

Fletch turned, and then ran down the hall, taking refuge behind the wall. Adrienne and Mulder caught up with him.

"Okay," Mulder began. "How many?"

"Three more," Fletch said.

Mulder nodded. "All right, I'll go out first, Adrienne, take my back."

Adrienne shook her head. "No way, old man. I got it." She jumped into the hall, gun raised.

"Dammit, Adrienne!" Mulder yelled as he ran after her.

There was more gunfire and Mulder felt his body get driven back, and then, the pain hit him. A bullet ripped through his abdomen. He hit the back wall with an muffled "Oomph."

Fletch joined the fight.

Adrienne took aim and clicked off two shots, taking down two of the three men. The other man disappeared behind a wall.

"Adrienne," Fletch called. "Mulder's down!"

"No time for that," Adrienne grunted. She fell back against the wall, aiming at the passage further away. A machine gun was tossed out, and a young man, hands in the air, walked out from his cover.

"I surrender!"

"Fletch, cuff him," Adrienne motioned, and then turned back to Mulder.

"Oh, shit."

The older man was unconscious on the floor, his gray tee shirt slowing turning deep red. Adrienne ripped the shirt off Mulder, trying her best to pull it over his head without moving him too much. Then she pressed down on the wound. "Fletch! Get Scully!"

Fletch ran as fast as he could, out of breath when he reached Scully and Spencer. "Scully, Mulder's down!"

"Oh, my God," Scully was instantly on her feet. "Stay with Gamez, Spencer." She took off, easily matching Fletch's longer strides, driven by adrenaline.

She slid to a stop in front of Mulder, and turned to Fletch. "Call an ambulance, now!"

Fletch ran for the phones in the front of the department.

Scully fell to her knees in front of Mulder, and pulled his head up on her lap. She pushed Adrienne's hands out of the way, and compressed the wound herself. "Mulder, c'mon, Mulder. Come back around to me." Her voice quavered.

Mulder moaned, his eyes fluttering open. "Scul..." he swallowed, his voice catching.

"Shh, don't talk. Just try to stay awake for me."

He nodded weakly and tried to swallow again, tasting blood. The warm liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth. He felt Scully's finger wipe the blood away from his chin, but his mouth was full of it. Mulder coughed, groaned as the action contracted his stomach. More blood spilled forth. "Gam-ez," he stammered.

"I think he's going to be fine. A through and through to his left shoulder. Now be quiet. They're coming, Mulder, just hold on."

"Scully..." he whispered. "Damn good gun fight."

Scully laughed through the lump in her throat, more for his sake than any amusement she might have felt. "Stay alive for another one, partner."

Mulder groaned and felt his eyes slipping shut again, against his will.

"No you don't, Mulder. Keep those eyes open." Scully patted his cheek roughly, trying to jar him back awake.

"Was this - how it felt in New York?" Mulder asked, his voice soft and weak. "Ritter?"

"Yeah, Mulder. This was how it felt." Scully sniffed harshly, chasing the tears away once more, and swallowing. She rubbed his cheek.

"Sorry." His eyes were unfocused and glassy.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to talk?" Scully tried to make her voice light. She looked up at Adrienne. "Where the hell are the damn ambulances?"

Adrienne shrugged ineffectually, but ran to the front of the department, leaving the pair.

Mulder looked up, mouthing Scully's name.

Scully leaned down, her right ear close to Mulder's lips. She could barely make out his words.

"How many times does this have to happen before we stop the damn car?"

Nothing Scully said this time could stop Mulder's eyes from slipping shut.

END Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

The waiting room was silent during that pre-dawn hour. Small town, small hospital.

Spencer sat in an uncomfortable, straight-backed beige chair. His legs were spread, his hands resting on the insides of his thighs. His head hung downcast, his hair messy and heavy looking with drying sweat. Spencer's deep blue eyes looked at an unfixed point on the white tiled ground.

There was no movement from Adrienne's chair, either. She was slumped down in her chair, clothes bloody. She stared straightforward, shell-shocked. Every few moments, she would shake her head in denial of the recent events.

Spencer looked over at her. "I don't know what happened. I couldn't pull the trigger," his voice was a faint whisper. Spencer didn't feel like disturbing the silent peace.

Adrienne flicked her eyes over to him, then back forward. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine. The whole thing was my fault."

"Adrienne-"

She looked back over to him, her eyes glazed with tears she wouldn't allow to fall. "Spencer, don't. Mulder said to wait, and I ignored him. If he doesn't make it through, it'll be my fault. Both his and Gamez's blood is on my hands."

Spencer shook his head. "Sergio was my fault-"

"No. No, Spencer, he wasn't." Adrienne stood slowly, and dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, pushing the tears back. She sighed and looked heavenward. Then, she moved to the hospital exit.

Spencer watched her go, and then slumped back in his chair.

Fletch stood from the corner of the hospital room and made his way to Spencer. "It was nobody's fault, man." He sat down next to the younger man. "We all made mistakes, but it was inevitable that someone get hurt."

"I froze, Fletch. I saw the fear in that man's eyes, and I couldn't take his life." Spencer looked at Fletch, wide-eyed. "I'm gun-shy. I can't pull the trigger."

"Spencer, it was one time-"

"No, it wasn't. It'll happen again. I know it. I can't take someone's life like that." Spencer hung his head again. "Gamez could die because of me."

The emergency room doors swung open and Spencer looked up to see a nurse escorting Scully into the waiting room.

Scully's shirt was stained with the blood of two men. Scully looked at the nurse angrily. "I'm a doctor, dammit. I should be in there!"

The nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but not without proof of credentials. Even if you did have credentials, we can't allow outside doctors into the operating rooms."

Scully paced the waiting room like a lioness, but her pace slowed as her eyes fell on Spencer. Scully tilted her head, contemplating her son. She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder stiffly. "He stands a good chance, Spencer. Mulder won't give up."

Spencer nodded, but his eyes remained downcast. At long last, he found his voice and spoke, "It's my fault. If I could have pulled the trigger then I-" his tone cracked.

"It's not going to do any good to place blame, Spencer. We were all fighting on the same team, and it was a team loss. There were things that just need to be done better next time." Scully moved away from him a bit.

The sliding doors opened as Adrienne once again made her way into the hospital.

Scully's eyes tracked the younger woman across the room, her gaze narrowing. Scully stood and slowly made her way over to Adrienne.

Adrienne turned and faced down the smaller woman. "Look, I already know it' s my fault so if you-"

"If you ever pull that hero crap again I will personally see to it that you never hold a badge again." Scully's voice was dangerously low. "I'm not placing the blame this time, Agent Lee, but I will see to it that my family is safe. If Mulder dies..." Scully let her voice trail off.

Adrienne backed off, lowering her eyes. "I can't begin to tell you how sorry Iam
Scully. I wasn't thinking."

"No, you weren't. But the fact remains that you saved more lives than you almost took. You have one more chance." Scully turned and walked back to Spencer.

Adrienne headed for the exit again. She stormed out into the parking lot, finding their beat-up rental car. "God dammit!" Adrienne yelled, kicking the hubcap. She kicked it twice more and punched the door, not uttering so much as a whimper as the blood flowed over her fist from a small cut formed by hitting the door handle.

Adrienne slid down the car to the pavement below, burying her face in her hands. "Dammit," she uttered again, softly, and let the tears flow.

It was hours of silence before two doctors, both male, stepped into the waiting room. Scully, Spencer, and Jonas all rose quickly to their feet. Scully stepped forward.

"Ms. Mulder?"

"Scully," she corrected, shaking both doctors' hands.

The doctor on the left, a tall man with blonde hair, spoke. "I'm Doctor Sanders, this is Doctor Phillips. I was the surgeon for Mr. Mulder, and Dr. Phillips operated on Lt. Gamez."

Scully nodded.

Dr. Sanders continued. "Let me start with Mr. Mulder. We had to do a lot of repair work; the bullet nicked his stomach. It was touch and go from there, but we didn't find any bleeders, which was an excellent sign. All in all, he's a very lucky man. He's still not completely out of the woods; we have him in recovery right now, but it looks like he'll be fine. In fact, Mr. Mulder should make a full recovery."

There was almost a visible sigh of relief from the three.

Dr. Phillips continued, "Sergio wasn't quite as lucky. The through and through managed to tear up his left lung badly. The bullet clipped the wall of the right atrium on the way out, but there was no substantial damage to the heart. The real problem was his lung. It collapsed during surgery, and still isn't working. We have him on a respirator and an artificial lung, but he's got a fever and his respiratory sounds are weak. I suggest that we make all attempts possible to find any family or significant others. It's not looking too good right now."

The relief for Mulder was tinged with the more recent news. Spencer looked away quickly.

Scully grabbed his hand, murmuring, "It wasn't your fault, Spencer."

Fletch walked off with Dr. Phillips. He would help with trying to locate Sergio's relatives.

Scully turned to Dr. Sanders. "Can we go see Mulder?"

"No one's allowed in the recovery room, but we'll be transferring him to a private room in a few hours. If you'll give us a number where we can reach you, it would probably be best to go home and get a few hours of sleep."

Scully nodded and scribbled down both hers' and Spencer's hotel room numbers. She thanked the doctor and started for the exit, Spencer in tow.

When they stepped outside, Adrienne was nowhere to be seen. Scully shrugged, "We can't leave without Fletch, anyway. Let's go back inside and regroup, then head back to the hotel."

Spencer was despondent, but followed Scully back into the emergency waiting room.

Eventually, Fletch walked slowly back from the phones. "We can't get a hold of Serge's family or anything. He doesn't have anyone listed from in town that he would like contacted."

Spencer sighed and looked away.

Scully asked, "Where's Adrienne? Right now, we all need to get out of here."

Fletch shrugged. "Don't worry about Adrienne. She's riding a serious wave of guilt right now, and she's not going to want to be around anybody. If she wants back to the hotel, she'll get there, but it's best not to contact her. That's pretty much asking for it."

Scully sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, let's get back to the hotel, then." She stood, and Fletch and Spencer followed her to the doors. Scully stopped, and handed the keys to Fletch, who seemed to be the only other person capable of driving. "I'm, um, going to see if the doctors around here need any help or anything. I'll just call your room if I need to get back."

Fletch nodded. "I'll be on standby."

Scully gave the man a truly appreciative smile, grabbing his right bicep and giving it a quick squeeze in thanks. Then, she turned back to the ER.

Fletch slapped Spencer on the back. "C'mon, buddy. We could both use a little shut eye."

Spencer simply followed Fletch on out of the hospital.

Scully watched them leave, then looked over at the desk nurse, who was clipping away busily on a keyboard. Quietly, Scully snuck past the double doors that led further into the ER. Up the hallway a little and to the right, there was another set of double doors, with the big red letters "Recovery," marked on them.

She pushed one side open quietly and slipped in after she checked to make sure none of the staff was inside. There were several beds and monitors around the room, but only one bed was occupied. Scully walked over to the bed. It was Mulder.

He was breathing easily on his own, and his vitals were strong and steady. His right hand was out above the covers, an IV line protruding from his right elbow.

"Oh, Mulder," Scully sighed, frowning. She grabbed his palm in her right hand and held it tightly.

"You're not supposed to be in here," the voice she recognized as Dr. Sanders spoke from the doorway.

Scully jumped and looked up at him, but offered the doctor no apology.

Dr. Sanders smiled softly, "I'll have one of the nurses bring you a chair."

"Thank you," Scully said gratefully.

Adrienne had snuck past the occupied desk nurse, as well, but her destination was different from that of Scully's. She jumped into a closing service elevator, remembering from a hospital sign that ICU was on the floor above. She punched in the two and waited restlessly for the elevator to ascend.

Once the doors opened, Adrienne sprinted silently down the hall until she came to the area designated as ICU. There were two patients, and Sergio Gamez was at the very end of the room. She quickly made her way over to him.

The respirator he was on was loud with each mechanical breath. His chest expanded and deflated automatically. Adrienne closed her eyes tightly, and then reopened them, trying to gain composure.

He would have an intubation scar later, if he survived. His throat would be sore for several days, as well, from the respirator.

Adrienne grimaced tightly, biting her lip as she inhaled deeply. "Maybe if I'd been just a little faster, Gamez, you wouldn't be here right now. But that's not why I came to talk to you." She grabbed his hand, marveling at the fact that she was having a heart to heart with a man she barely knew. Of course that man was unconscious, but Adrienne didn't stop to think about that.

"I don't want you to blame Spencer. If you blame anyone, Sergio, blame me. We stopped them, Sergio, the rebels. Your department is taking care of it right now I think. Scully is going to let them go back home. You're going to have a hell of a lot of paperwork to come back to, which is great since you'll be pulling desk duty for a while. But I wanted you to know that we stopped them, and the abductees are safe for now. We don't know for how long, but you did you job five times over. You saved Spencer and me." Adrienne didn't feel the twin tears that made their way down her cheeks, and she kept talking.

"I overheard that your chances aren't too good, but I know you have the strength to pull through. You don't deserve to die for me." Adrienne gulped back a small hiccup and turned, exiting the ICU as silently as she'd entered it.

Twelve Hours Later

The private room was silent except for the aggravating beep of the EKG. It was close to two in the afternoon, and Mulder was still out of it.

Scully's head rested atop the back of Mulder's hand. Her eyes were closed, her breathing slow and even.

She started as Mulder's voice, weak, but steady, interrupted her sleep.

"Anyone get the license plate of that bullet?"

"Mulder!"

He smiled feebly at her. "That would be me."

Scully's grin was wide. "Oh, God, Mulder!" She brought his hand up and kissed his palm gently. "That was so close."

Mulder agreed, but said, "It'll take more than an MIB to bring me down, Scully. You know that."

"Let me go get your doctor," Scully told him as she began to head for the door. Mulder's voice stopped her.

"After you do that, find Adrienne. We both know the damage that guilt can do."

Scully didn't say anything, and turned the doorknob.

"Scully." Mulder's voice was reproachful. "We've both made mistakes that have cost other people their lives. She's young."

Scully's fist tightened on the doorknob, but she nodded in agreement. "Okay, Mulder."

Spencer was sleeping so heavily that the ringing of the phone didn't jar him awake. He could still feel the cold steal of the gun in his hands; still feel the pressure of the trigger. Even in his dreams, he couldn't pull the trigger.

Fletch woke Spencer after he got off the phone. "Spencer, wake up. You father's awake."

Spencer snapped to alertness, raising up off his bed quickly. He ran a hand through his hair, already headed for the door.

"Uh, Spencer-"

Spencer stopped and turned. "What?" He snapped.

Fletch looked him up and down. "I know they're your parents and all, but they probably would feel a little uncomfortable talking to you in your boxers."

"Huh?" Spencer looked down. To his complete embarrassment, his black boxers were, indeed, the only thing he had on. Even worse, they were wrinkled up around his package and he was five cen" ters to the right of peeking out. "Aw, shit," he groaned and headed for his suitcase, too worried about Mulder to be embarrassed. Besides, there wasn't anything he had that Fletch hadn't seen.

Skinner answered the phone quickly, anxious to hear of the previous night. Scully's voice was weary on the other end as she quickly relayed the events and hung up.

Byers looked over at Skinner, as did Langly and Frohike.

Skinner was already on his feet. "We've got to take the other rental and get over to the hospital. Mulder got shot last night."

"And we're just finding out?" Byers was incredulous.

"Talk about being out of the loop," Frohike muttered.

"He's okay," Skinner added. "But we should probably get over there right now."

"Did Scully say that?" Byers asked.

Skinner smiled slightly and shook his head. "She said to stay here and wait for more news."

Langly grinned. "Anarchy. Excellent."

Scully found Adrienne asleep, laying across four chairs in the waiting room, her arm over her eyes. Scully sighed softly and stepped forward, gently nudging her.

Adrienne mumbled and turned over on her side. At Scully's second, less gentle nudge, Adrienne was up and out of the chairs. "Scully," she said, groggy.

"Mulder's awake and doing good, Adrienne. Sit down, I want to talk to you."

Adrienne frowned, confused, but complied. Scully sat down next to her, and looked straight ahead.

"Mulder wanted me to tell you that it's not your fault. Adrienne, Mulder and I have dealt with guilt long enough to know that if you allow it stay with you it'll devour you." Scully turned then, and eyed Adrienne. "That's not to say you weren't wrong in a lot of the things you did last night, but we might have been, too. Know where you went wrong, and fix it. That's how you beat the guilt."

Adrienne cocked her head and evaluated the small, and yet strong woman that sat before her. "I'm going to fix this," Adrienne said. "Whatever this problem is that I have, I'm going to fix it."

"You can't always do it alone, Adrienne. Remember that." Scully stood, and looked over towards the entrance, where Spencer and Jonas had just walked in. "I think that my son would like to help, if you let him."

Adrienne quietly contemplated Scully's words, then stood and joined Scully as she walked towards the other two.

Five Days Later

Mulder put his signature on the final hospital document, effectively signing himself out. His gunshot wound hadn't been severe, and his recovery had been one of the fastest that Dr. Sanders ever witnessed.

He joined Scully, Spencer, and Adrienne in the waiting room as they gathered their things together.

"Hey guys!" Dr. Phillips shouted as they headed for the door. The group stopped as the doctor caught up with them. "I just thought you would like to know that Sergio Gamez began breathing on his own today. His vitals are picking up, and we expect him to wake up today or tomorrow."

Everyone in the room grinned brightly. Adrienne scribbled down the hotel number and her home number quickly, pressing the paper into his hand. "You tell him to give us a call when he wakes up. We're going back to D.C. tomorrow, so..."

Dr. Phillips grinned back, and Adrienne didn't miss the appreciative pass his eyes made over her body. "I'll be sure to tell him that."

Adrienne laughed. "Don't keep that number for yourself, Doctor."

Dr. Phillips laughed loudly and began his walk back to the ER. "You guys take care."

"Let me help you," Scully said as Mulder pulled his clothes out of the hotel closet, folding them back up. Their suitcases were worn from the long journey to Oregon. Worn, but intact, a lot like their owners.

Mulder pulled his shirt back out of Scully's grasp. "I can fold my own clothes, Scully."

She looked at him guiltily. "Sorry. I'm just trying to get used to this whole injury thing again."

Their days in the laboratories had been relatively safe. There were no gunshot wounds to worry about, and the usual wear and tear they accumulated on the road didn't exist inside the lab's walls.

Mulder smiled gently. "Hey, I know. I haven't been in a hospital bed in years."

"Let's not make this a regular thing again, okay?"

Mulder agreed. "I plan not to. But you have to remember that we're not the ones working the files, anymore." His voice was heavy with concern.

"I think about that every day. I never wanted Spencer to find the X-files, Mulder."

Mulder sat on the end of the bed and Scully joined him. He grabbed her hand tightly. "Truthfully, neither did I. I always used to think that if I ever did have a child, I would want him to be my legacy, but I don't want that at all."

Scully nodded. "He's our only son, Mulder." She blinked rapidly. "I don't think I could stand to have what happened to us over and over again happen to him."

"We can't protect him, Scully. Spencer's twenty-four, and he made it this far on his own."

"But now that we're here, all I want to do is protect him."

Mulder raised a hand gently to her cheek. "And we will. We are always going to be his biggest defense, just like we are for each other."

Scully put her hand atop Mulder's on her cheek.

Mulder leaned down and softly kissed her on the lips. He pulled back after a moment. "Despite it all, I'm glad we're here now."

Scully smiled up at him. "Me too."

Spencer walked up behind Adrienne, who was staring out at the forest-line, her face drawn tight in thought.

"Don't you ever stop worrying?" he asked.

Adrienne turned to face him. "I was just thinking about what your mother told me. About how I shouldn't face the world alone."

"I think both she and my father have first hand experience in that," Spencer murmured. He took a step closer to Adrienne. "This whole fiasco was as much my fault as yours. I hope that I can pull the trigger next time."

Adrienne rubbed her hand up and down Spencer's arm. "I'm sure, Spence, that if you had the motivation, you'd pull the trigger. We'll work on it."

Spencer smiled softly and nodded. "And while we're at it, we can work on temper management together. What do you say?"

"Sounds good to me," Adrienne confirmed.

Spencer lowered his gaze from her eyes to her lips. He saw her do the same. Spencer felt his breath quicken in the silence, and he tilted his head ever so slightly to the right, lowering his lips closer to hers. Right as he could feel her breath across his lips, right as his eyes began to slip shut, he felt the firm pressure of her hand against his chest.

Adrienne pushed him back, and Spencer groaned. "Dammit, Adrienne! I can't figure out what you want from me."

She shook her head. "I want you to be my friend."

"Don't say you aren't feeling what I feel!" Spencer stepped back. "I see the same thing mirrored back at me every time we get close to each other, but you keep pushing me back."

Adrienne turned. "It's too clich."

Spencer threw his hands up. "Then let it be cliché for God's sake! I don't really give a shit! All I know is that I think I could be falling in love with you and you keep pushing me away."

"You wear your heart on your sleeve, Spencer."

"It's better to feel it that way than not to feel at all, dammit!" Spencer turned from her and drew in deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He spun to face Adrienne once more, but her back was turned from him. Spencer plowed forward, anyway. "My mother was right, Adrienne. You don't have to face the world alone. But maybe I'm not the guy that should be facing it with you."

He turned slowly and began the walk back to the hotel so he could finish packing.

By the time Adrienne spoke, Spencer was too far away to hear her whisper, "But I think you are the guy I should face the world with." Adrienne shoved her hands deep in the pockets of her tight fitting Calvin Klines, and started back for the hotel behind Spencer.

"They are all catching a flight back to D.C. today, sir. Even Mulder and Scully."

The room was dark and damp with the afternoon rain. Alex Krycek stood wearily from his desk to face the fresh-faced man before him. "Thank you, Mark. Is there anything else?"

"Marita wanted to know if you would like to proceed with Rockford, and eliminate the abductees there?"

Krycek shook his head. "Tell Marita to call off the rest Rebel team we have in Rockford for the moment. We have far larger places to visit."

Mark, the informant, nodded. "Anything else, sir?"

"Make sure to keep tabs on Sergio Gamez," Krycek remarked. "The Rebellion is always looking for man that can die for his cause."

"Yes, sir."

Mark exited the room.

Krycek walked to the mini blinds across the room and looked out at the rain filled horizon. "Mulder and Scully... What are you two going to do now?"

The rain fell in Washington D.C. and Alex Krycek allowed himself a few quite moments. He was secure in the knowledge that he was one of the few who knew that colonization wasn't necessarily months or years away. He would allow Mulder and Scully to come out of seclusion if it meant results, because the alien colonists did not work on a sure time frame. For all Krycek knew, colonization could happen tomorrow. He could only hope the Rebellion Army would be ready.

The End

Author's End Notes: I had no idea when I set out to write Chapter Twelve of Ten Months that it would be the last chapter of this story. Mind you, it will not be the last chapter in the series. I would like to thank Amy, my beta from the start, and Becky, who joined in on the last few chapters and whose incredible (and profound) pickiness will not find it's way into the End Notes. If these are full of errors, blame me! On a side note, as I might have previously mentioned, I'll be doing quite a few gigs starting in July, so if my writing slows, I apologize. This story is thoughtfully dedicated to all the new writers in the fanfic world that start on WIPs. Guys, I know it's tough, believe me, I know. I still have not gotten the response I completely hoped for, but there are people out there that will enjoy your writing if it's good, so stick with it! That's the best redemption, anyway. END - June 26, 2000

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