|
Title: It Summary: A baby left on Scully's doorstep raises more questions than answers. Author's Note: Written for The Nursery Files "Foundling's Tale" Challenge. Dana Scully's Apartment *How much time does it take to restock an overnight bag?* Scully wondered, as she tucked a freshly laundered pair of socks away. *Maybe I could calculate that, figure out how much time I've spent doing this in the past year, and charge them for overtime.* She added a bar of scented soap and was just about to close the bag when the phone rang. "Scully." "Please listen, I haven't much time." A female voice spoke quickly and quietly. "There something on your doorstep I want you to take care of... " There wasn't another word from the person. "Hello? Hello?" She considered the possibility it was a prank call, but she thought perhaps it was something Mulder might need from a source, possibly even a wrong number. She looked at the display: "Unknown Name, Unknown Number," Scully sighed. When she opened her apartment door, she found out why this person did not want to be identified. Safely ensconced in a cardboard box was a baby, wrapped in a yellow blanket. It couldn't have been more than a few days old. The moment she saw the child, she felt a sense of awe and wonder. How could someone leave such a precious gift from God in the hallway? "Think, Dana. Your blood pressure will naturally rise when it cries, you'll feel all motherly and try not to get attached to it, so just call the DSS and report an infant found on your doorstep." Despite her inner voice of reason, Scully's instincts took over, and she carried the box, along with a bag of spare diapers and some formula into the living room, and gazed upon the sleeping infant. It had an amazing hypnotic effect on her. She didn't quite know how or why she felt that way. She had seen adorable babies before, but this feeling was like no other. A short note was taped to the box. "Please take care of my baby for a while. I'm in danger. Elizabeth." Well, that sure helped. What would she do next? There was no name to the child, no papers to give even a clue as to the identity of the child, and this was disconcerting. The doctor in Scully wondered about health issues. The woman in Scully knew it must have been hard to let go of such a gift, and also knew someone could have been running in shame -- scared that her parents would know, an abusive mate might be on her heels, maybe a victim of rape running away from pain and embarrassment. Then the phone rang. "Scully." Good. The baby had slept through that. "Scully, have you ever wondered -- " Mulder. "Mulder, something's come up. I can't talk right now." "You've got a date?" "Don't try to be funny, Mulder. We just got back from Gawdawful Idiotville, and someone left a baby outside my door..." Mulder smiled. "A baby?" "A baby, and it looks like it's waking up. I'll talk to you whenever. Bye." "A baby on Scully's doorstep?" Mulder was amused. He knew she wanted a normal life, but this was practically instant motherhood. He just knew she wanted children some day. The child's cries were met with Scully's soothing voice and warm arms. "Oh, now what's the matter? Are you hungry? Maybe wet? Let's take care of things right now. Yes. Whoever you are, you sure are beautiful." While she waited for a bottle to warm up, Scully changed the infant's diaper and wiped the tears from it's eyes. "Well, now that I know you're a girl, that's something to help me find out where you come from. Yes." It felt so natural yet scary to hold the little tyke, rocking her and reaching for the bottle. She tested the formula on her wrist and then offered it to the child, who drank as if to save her life. "You really ARE hungry, baby Jane Doe. My God, that sounds so cold." Scully debated the position she was in. As any other decent citizen, aside from her status as a Federal Agent, it was her duty to report her find to the Department of Social Services. But couldn't it wait until morning? Since she was a doctor, she could examine the child and write a medical report, thus saving time and effort. "Well, I guess I have a guest for the night, whoever you are. Yes. Pretty girl, why would your mother ever want to let you go?" When the baby had consumed half of the 4 ounce bottle, Scully burped her and continued to feed her. She burped her again, and rocked her until she fell asleep, which wasn't that long. Since the baby was in a new environment, Scully felt she didn't need to be startled by a ringing phone, and shut off the volume. Perhaps if the baby was asleep in the box in the living room, she could leave her cell phone on and answer any calls in another room. So, she walked into her bedroom and dialed Mulder. "Mulder." "Mulder, it's me. I'm going to keep the baby overnight and check her out before I call the DSS." "Are you sure you want to do that, Scully?" "Yeah. I'm pretty sure. I don't know why anyone chose me, but it's obvious they knew something about me if they called me and asked me to take care of her." Mulder smiled. "Her? Does she have a name?" He was watching one of his movies, and turned down the volume. "Uh, no. But whoever left her here cared enough to leave some diapers and a few bottles of formula. There was no name or number for me to go on, so I'll try and get a trace on it. I'll let you know if I come up with anything. She appears to be about three days old. I'd better trace that call. If anything comes up, call my cell." "Okay. Scully?" "Yes?" "Congratulations." Scully sighed and went to check on Baby Jane Doe.
1:49 AM Scully had fallen asleep on the couch when the little girl's cries woke her. She went to pick the child up, took another bottle out of the fridge and warmed it up. As she was changing the child, she was startled into full wakefulness. She cleaned the baby's bottom and grabbed the bottle, heading straight to the couch and called Mulder on her cell phone. He had been fast asleep, and picked up the phone without opening his eyes, "Yeah. Mulder." "Mulder, you're not going to believe this... " "I believe in all kinds of things, Scully." He looked at his watch. "Isn't it past your bed time?" "Jane Doe appears to have become John Doe." She kept her eyes on the infant and waited for her partner's reply. "What?" Mulder sat up. Now HE was fully awake. "She's now a he." Scully burped the baby half-way through the bottle and continued to feed it. "Mulder, I swear I know my Gray's Anatomy, so please don't say anything even remotely snide. I don't have any explanation for this. The call came from a phone booth at Fenmore and Main, but I'm guessing the mother is on the move." "Okay. I'll check the hospitals to see if there were any women who... the Amish who weren't Amish, but Kindred., Scully. I wouldn't rule them out." "Omigod. Do you think one of them might have gotten someone pregnant before they left?" Her heart sank as she once more burped the little boy, or girl, or boy, and she rocked 'it' gently in one arm. "Maybe. Or maybe one of them liked life so much here they got pregnant and didn't want anyone to know they'd been doing the forbidden game with one of the terrestrials." "But we know very little about them. I didn't even get the chance to examine any of them, let alone get a DNA sample." "Well, it was offered," Mulder admitted sarcastically. "Look, it's Saturday, so you can sleep in. Relax. I'll check the local hospital for any early releases and see if any pregnant runaways were reported. You get some sleep." "Yeah, thanks, I will. And Mulder?" "Hmm?" "No more cracks about brother Albert." "Okay. Just sit tight and I'll see what I can come up with. Maybe brother Martin's back for a little rest and relaxation." 6:01 AM The cries of the infant signalled that it was feeding time again. Scully changed the baby, and noted Baby Doe had reverted to being little 'John Doe'. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" As she gently placed the bottle to the child's mouth, she wondered about life wherever his 'people' came from. Had they always been able to change genders? Were they family types or just breeders? Did they know about her? Then it hit her: It was reality check time. Two years with Mulder on The X-Files. What was she thinking? Extraterrestrial baby lands in her lap? What were it's people all about? She waited until Baby John was asleep before showering, then made a pot of coffee and some scrambled eggs. By the time she leafed through the morning paper on her doorstep, it was 7:30, and she was silently debating whether to take a DNA swab from the child's mouth. As she went to get her doctor's bag, her cell phone rang. "Scully." "Is it... is my baby all right?" It was the baby's mother. "Yes. Uh, how did you get this number? Can I..." The phone went dead, and Scully knew the call, in all probability, would be impossible to trace. She thought perhaps Mulder had found something pertaining to the child's birth. Mulder had been out for a run and was reading a file. "Mulder." "It's me. The mother called again, and Baby Jane is Baby John again. Any news on the hospitals or runaways?" "Nothing. Well, there was a woman from Nebraska vacationing in Washington. Went into labor on the steps at the Lincoln monument. Mother, father and twins are doing well. No police reports or word on the street about a woman with a three-day-old baby. The free clinics hadn't seen a three-day-old baby with any of their clients, or even attended to a spur of the moment labor. I think you should do a DNA work-up." "Already on my mind. I think I can count on the lab not to let this go anywhere but our ears. The next time he wakes up, I'll take a swab and a physical. I'd hate to take a blood test on a little baby, but... " "You're getting attached to it?" "Mulder, it's an adorable baby. I know it's natural to get attached. I also know I'm a scientist, and we need some answers soon. And I forgot to tell you: the mother's name is apparently Elizabeth. The note referred to her baby as 'it.'" "Okay. Let me know when you get to the lab and I'll head into the Hoover. Maybe there's something similar in the older files." "All right. I may as well give 'it' a bath, buy some more diapers and formula and get the samples down there. I'll probably be there at noon. Sorry to spoil your Saturday." "Oh, I was just going to take my dry-cleaning in. I can always take it into Washington. As for the basketball shirts and skins, I was going to pass anyway. I'd better get going." "Okay. I'll get the samples and meet you at the office then. I'll borrow the Klevins' car seat." J. Edgar Hoover Building Scully had been sure to leave her answering machine on in the event the mother would call again. Her cell phone was turned on and if the woman called again, the call would be traced. As Scully gave the lab technician the vial with the DNA swab, Mulder searched his files for anything they might have overlooked regarding the mysterious 'Kindred'. Files were cross-referenced while blood samples and the DNA sample went through an assortment of tests. At 2:04 PM, Scully received another call. "It's me. Elizabeth. I know I didn't tell you much, and you're kind of confused by all this, but our babies generally don't settle into a long-term gender until the age of one of your years. Gotta go. I know I can trust you, and I will be back soon for -- I'm sorry. Now I really have to go." "Elizabeth?" *So much for that*, Scully thought. A trace yielded nothing. "They don't settle into a long-term gender until one of our years?" Mulder entered the lab as Scully was feeding the foundling. He smiled as he gazed into the baby's face. For some reason, he felt very drawn to it. "I couldn't get anything more than we already had. He or she really has an effect on me. I didn't think I'd feel like being a father any time soon. It sounds to me she's one of them, and took a liking to our forbidden ways, perhaps killing the father, perhaps not. Maybe one of the others is involved. For some reason this kid is growing on me, and not like any other cute baby." "Yeah, I know the feeling. It's not exactly the same as the pheremonal influence the adults had, apparently. I couldn't get a trace on the last call. I don't know how she got my cell phone number, but this woman is terrified. She's definitely running from somebody." "Maybe a communicator?" Mulder smiled. "Maybe they're intuitive." "At this point, I really wouldn't be surprised. Jane is John, John is Jane, and the mother did tell me they settle on a gender at about one year of age. However long that lasts, I don't know. I'm still waiting for the blood tests. Mulder?" "Yes?" "It seems I've run out of formula. Would you mind -- " "I guess not. What brand?" "Non allergenic, I suppose. Just to be on the safe side." A lab tech emerged from behind a door. "Well, I don't know what type of blood this is. It appears to be regular, red blood, and while it has some properties of A positive, I'm not sure it's safe to say what type the child is. We're seeing some rather unfamiliar genetic material here." "What about the DNA?" Mulder wondered. "It's going to take a while, I'm afraid. Look, why don't you go home and I'll call Agent Scully when the full results are in?" "We'd prefer one of us were here," Scully replied, all the while smiling at the child. "I can call you, and this little one reminds me of my little nephew. Look at those long eyelashes..." "Look, Alan. I'd prefer none of this gets out, and I'm sure Mulder and I can take turns sitting right here." "All right. I bet you're tired, though. You look like you could use some rest." "I'll get some ready to use formula," Mulder announced. "I can relieve Scully when I get back. I'll even take the baby home with me if necessary, but we are going to get to the bottom of this." The tech shrugged. He didn't know anything except some strange blood test results. "Okay. Well, suit yourselves. I'm going to see what Stevens has come up with. What a cutie." "I'll be back soon, Scully. Then I want you to go get some sleep." "I'm not going home." "Then, stretch out on my desk or sleep in Skinner's office. Just make sure you do get some sleep. Okay?" He knelt to face her and brushed a lock of hair aside. "The baby will fall asleep in the car seat. You know that." "Uh huh. Thanks, Mulder." Scully's Apartment Because the tests proved inconclusive yet quite interesting, Scully and the baby went back to her apartment. Mulder sat watching the child as Scully warmed a bottle for little Jane/John. It was amazing. The manner by which this child could draw such protectiveness was so strong, yet so puzzling. "Scully?" His partner was warming a bottle. "Just a sec. Okay, here's our bottle, yes, and we're so hungry." She held the baby and watched her little blue eyes. Mulder sensed Scully had forgotten he was about to ask her something. He cleared his throat. "Uh, Scully, I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but don't you think we should call CPS about an abandoned baby? I know the mother's out there, but we can't hold onto this baby forever." Scully shook her head and shot him an angry look. "Mulder, don't call them. The mother's not far away and she wants her baby back. Let's just wait for her to call again." "How long, Scully? What's to say Sister Elizabeth isn't just like Brother Martin. Maybe she's getting some and then killing her partners, escaping as Brother Whoever?" Scully burped the child. "Mulder, you really do trust no one. If anything, there haven't been any similar cases like that of Brother Martin's recently, and I believe the mother just wants to get on with her life with her baby." "Maybe they don't bond with their partners the same way we do, Scully. Maybe we're not meant to know what they are, but you know what happened the last time one of their's decided to take in some of the night life here." Scully didn't bother to answer. She burped the baby again and changed her diaper. Now it was his diaper. just as she finished fastening the sleeper the phone rang. "I'll get it." She took the child to the phone with her while Mulder jotted down a few notes. "Scully." "Agent Scully, I don't have too much time so listen carefully. You've got to help me get somewhere they can't find me, away from this city." "Elizabeth? What about the child's father?" "He's... he's alive, and I was living with him until he left me. I have no money or trade in your world and no one to count on. I know my elders are looking for me. I feel them getting closer. Meet me down at Ramble and Briar as soon as you can, with my baby. It can't be raised among your people and you can understand why. I have to take her with me. They won't kill one of their own. I will be punished, but not too terribly." The young woman ended the call abruptly. "Elizabeth? Hello? Mulder, we've got to get to Ramble and Briar as soon as possible. We have to protect the mother... " "Let's go!" Mulder grabbed his coat as his partner packed a few extra cans of formula, and held the door for Scully and the infant. Corner of Ramble Street and Briar Road Mulder stopped the car five car length from the corner and sat waiting. "C'mon, Mulder. We have a chance not only to help the mother, but learn something more about the Kindred." "What if it's a set up, Scully? They only said they never kill one of their own." "Well then, you'd better have your gun because I left mine at home. Let's go." They walked to the corner and there stood a young woman, not more than 20 by all appearances, dressed in worn blue jeans, blue tee shirt and black leather jacket. "My baby!" The woman cried. "I'm so happy she's all right. She reached out for the child," but Scully was hesitant to let Jane/John go. "Please!" Her long, dark hair shimmered under the street lights, and Mulder seemed to be daydreaming. "Keep your mind on business," he reminded himself silently. "How do we know you didn't kill the father?" Mulder asked the woman, staring straight into her eyes and trying not to be attracted to her. Yes, this woman had that effect as well. His tone was more gentle than that of the usually serious FBI Agent questioning a person of interest in a case. "I... We're not all like Brother Martin, Agent... ?" "Mulder." Scully saw that look in his face. Wasn't that how she must have looked when she first be Brother Albert. "We need to know if the father's okay," Scully said softly. "He is. We couldn't stay together. He didn't... didn't understand the ways of my people, and I was something of a mystery to him. The people you call 'the Kindred' are coming for me. I have to go. I'm taking a bus out of here tonight. Please, give me my baby." Moments after Scully had given Jane/John to Elizabeth, the woman began to run for the bus station, shouting: "They're here! Don't let them get me!" "We have to think up a diversion, Scully." "Like what? Arresting them for trespassing on our planet? Mulder, I doubt we can stop them. They took care of Brother Andrew, and they'll take care of Elizabeth and her baby." "Her part human baby, Scully." "That's true, but they weren't a threat until Brother Martin got so tied up in his crimes. Just how do we explain this, Mulder? Do we write up a report on it? What do we do?" "We can't call it an official case, and frankly I don't know how to add it as a follow-up to the first case. Just how would we refer to the child?" "You've got a point there. Who wants to go on record as being an 'it'? The baby obviously wasn't a born hermaphrodite, and I doubt anyone at the Bureau would believe the term 'shape-shifter'. I'll write it up privately, and just keep it to myself. Just between you and me." "Can you really do that, Mulder?" "I think so. Let's call it a night." The next day, Mulder wrote a report and simply labelled the file 'IT'. No one would ever believe the file was about such a child. Or would they? END
|