Title:  Nothing Important 11:  The Truth I
Author:  Vickie Moseley   
Summary:  First part of the series conclusion.  
Category:  Mytharc, MSR
Rating:  E-13 for language
Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement intended.
Archive:  yes
Author's notes:  Lisa, again, I couldn't do this 
without you.  Xfilesx, I live for your emails.  To 
everyone who has encouraged me to continue this 
story, THANK YOU!  I started it as an experiment 
to see how it would go and I'm very happy to say it 
went swimmingly, for me, at least.  If you can't 
please yourself, who can you please?
Other instalments will be in place on my website 
vickiemoseley.freeservers.com

Nothing Important 11:  The Truth I

49th Street 
New York, New York

The unofficial leader of the group, an older man 
with a face lined by time and tanned by the heat of 
the strong Tunisian sun, rapped his cane on the floor 
to get the attention of those gathered.

"Please, please, let us begin.  We have much to 
discuss and I don't wish to stay in this miserably 
humid city one minute more than necessary," 
Strughold said in his oddly stilted Germanic accent.

As the men settled into overstuffed leather 
armchairs with cigars and brandy, he nodded in 
approval.

"Thank you.  I know that some of you came a long 
way and we intend to give you all the information 
you've been seeking.  Alex, if you please."

From the shadows Alex Krycek stepped forward.  
With a flick of a remote, the blinds on the windows 
darkened and the panels in the wall slid open to 
reveal a 50-inch panel television.  The screen 
blinked to life, showing an operating theatre with a 
body on a gurney.  The camera closed in on the 
body.  There are leads around the hairline and a 
respirator tube in the patient's mouth.  The monitor 
to the left of the gurney showed a straight green 
line.

"This, gentleman, is patient K, the man formerly 
known as Knowle Rohrer.  For the benefit of those 
of you without a medical degree, Mr. Rohrer's brain 
waves are completely flat."

"This is our savior?  This is the 'hope of the human 
race'?" one of the gentlemen asked in derision.

"This is our last attempt at creating a supersoldier, 
yes," Strughold responded, his voice terse but even.  

"Mr. Rohrer wasn't a complete failure," Krycek 
interrupted the disgruntled murmuring.  "He was 
well enough to operate for over a six month period.  
During that time, he was successful in recruiting 
John Doggett to our cause."

"But this man Rohrer was supposed to save us from 
the colonists.  Obviously, like the elimination of 
Fox Mulder, or Cassandra Spender before him, this 
is another failure!"  There was loudly muttered 
agreement with this statement.  

Krycek flicked the remote again and another picture 
filled the screen.  It was a picture of William 
Mulder, taken through a telephoto lens.  William 
was lying in his bassinet in Scully's Georgetown 
apartment.  "This, gentlemen, is the true saviour of 
the planet."

"A baby?"

"A baby born with a natural immunity to the alien 
virus.  An immunity he received from both of his 
parents," Krycek said firmly, showing standard FBI 
photos of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

"You mean -- Fox Mulder -- "

"Is immune to the alien virus," Krycek said, 
lecturing to his audience.  "Gentlemen, this is not 
rocket science.  When Fox Mulder was exposed to 
the virus, not once, but twice, it affected his very 
DNA.  That immunity has only increased due to his 
recent exposure to the virus while in the company 
of the alien colonists.  When we used Dana Scully 
in experiments of our own choosing, she too 
became immune to the virus.  When the two 
immune individuals mated, for lack of a better 
word, and conceived a life, that child was born with 
a natural immunity that we can hope will only 
become stronger as he grows."

"We have to have that child!" one voice shouted 
from the corner of the room.

"For what purpose?  He's only two months old," 
came another voice in the opposite direction.

"He could be the salvation.  His blood could be the 
serum we've been searching for to perfect the 
vaccine!" came yet another voice.

"Gentleman, gentleman, please," Strughold said, 
fighting for control of the assembly.  "There are 
already plans in the works.  Even as we speak we 
have an operative staging a 'retrieval mission'.  We 
just have to be patient."

As Strughold got and held their attention, Krycek 
moved toward the door.   His actions caught the old 
man's eye.  "Alex?  Going somewhere?" he asked.

"Just to check on the food you requested.  It should 
have arrived by now.  I'll see what's holding it up," 
Krycek replied with a wane smile.  He was waved 
away.

Outside the room, he turned to the wait staff 
standing in the hall.  "They're ready," he said.  As 
he walked past the line of waiters, they turned to 
look at him.  Each man had his eyes, nose and 
mouth sewn together.

As Krycek cleared the stairs at the ground level, he 
could still hear the last of the screams echoing off 
the concrete firewalls and the faint scent of burning 
flesh was just starting to waft down the steps.

TransAmerica Flight 1013
10:45 am

John Doggett nodded his thanks to the flight 
attendant as he was handed his Diet Pepsi and 
miniscule bag of pretzels.  He sipped his drink and 
leaned back in the seat.  It had been close, but he 
managed to get on this flight.  If he'd been ten 
minutes later, he wouldn't have been able to leave 
Dulles until after lunch and that would have 
included a three-hour layover in Dallas.

He couldn't believe his luck when he got the 
message on his cell phone.  Oregon Cave Junction, 
Oregon, almost as far as you could get from 
Washington DC and still be in the continental 
United States.  Scully was on her way, but equally 
important, so was her son.

The baby was already two months old.  Hard to 
imagine, but it happened.  Babies grew to be men.  
And what a man William Doggett would grow to 
be.  John smiled at that thought.  After he and Dana 
were married, he would adopt William.  Hell, with a 
little imagination, he could make himself believe 
that William was their child.   Mulder who?  If it all 
went as planned, Mulder would be dead -- and this 
time he'd stay buried.  God, how John dearly wished 
he'd never taken the assignment to find the bastard 
in the first place, but if he hadn't he wouldn't have 
met Dana.

He chuckled when he thought about the first time 
they'd met.  He'd heard all the rumors.  The X files 
was jokingly referred to as the 'sex files' by most of 
Quantico.  But he'd also heard that Mulder had a 
roaming eye.  More than one support staff was 
willing to give in depth, three-dimensional 
descriptions of the missing agent.  Still, the reaction 
Dana had given when John had suggested that 
Mulder might have been stepping out -- whoa, boy!  
She was a spitfire, that one!  Just made him love her 
all the more.

He hadn't fallen off the turnip truck, he knew from 
the minute he got the assignment that he wasn't 
supposed to 'find' Fox Mulder.  It was all a ruse, just 
a way to keep Dana out of the way.  John didn't 
know and he didn't much care what had happened to 
the Bureau's pet 'nutcase', but he couldn't let on to 
Dana.  He had to appear sympathetic, seem to be 
working hard to find Mulder.  

When his buddy Knowle approached him with 
information on the real reason Mulder was out of 
the picture, it all seemed too good to be true.  
Mulder was a liability.  Not just a political 
embarrassment to the Bureau, Mulder'd actually 
infiltrated national security installations with the 
intent to expose state secrets.  Fox Mulder was a 
traitor and had to be put down.  John Doggett had 
never wavered when he thought his country needed 
him.  He signed on the dotted line.

When Mulder turned up dead, it was everything 
John could do to keep an even expression, to keep 
from dancing a jig right then and there.  But one 
look at Dana, at the devastation she felt was enough 
to sober him up.  Besides, it was the perfect 
opportunity.  He was right there, a handy shoulder 
for her to cry on.  He was careful, giving her as 
much space as she seemed to need after the funeral.  
He was just about ready to make his move when 
Skinner called him that dark and fateful night.

Walter Sergei Skinner, that royal screw up.  Who 
would have thought that a guy getting fished out of 
the water and being alive would cause Skinner to 
connect the dots that resulted in digging Mulder out 
of the ground?  John figured Skinner for a military 
type and those people usually don't go in for that 
kind of 'creative speculation'.  So when he found 
himself standing on the edge of newly opened 
grave, it was like the whole world was going topsy-
turvy.

Fast forward to the master plan that Alvin Kersh 
devised.  Mulder was going to be 'let in' on a threat 
to his life.  He was a coward, everyone said so.  He 
was only after his quest.  The scenario called for 
him to take a powder, run out on Dana.  That would 
leave the door open for John to step in, take care of 
the little mother and the baby whose father had 
abandoned him on a whim.  

No one expected Dana to run off with the bastard.

John closed his eyes and sighed.  Mulder 
brainwashed her.  It was that simple.  She was in an 
abusive relationship with him and he had her 
believing him hook, line and sinker.  John had seen 
it before, but it was never easy.  She had so much 
going for her without that loser.  

John would make her understand what it was like to 
be loved and cared for by a real man, a man who 
wouldn't put her in dangerous situations.  Like the 
time she ran off to Utah and John had to dig that -- 
slug thing -- out of her back.  It was everything in 
him not to haul off and teach her exactly what a 
dumb thing that was!  But John had held back, 
knew not to go too far.  Even so, he felt totally 
justified in treating her like a child when they'd 
returned to the office.  Dana needed a firm hand, 
that much was obvious.  A firm loving hand would 
help her see the error of her ways.

As he drifted off to sleep, lulled by the planes 
engines, John dreamed of the day Dana Scully 
would come to him and say 'I was so wrong about 
you'.  It was just a matter of time.

Oregon Cave Junction, OR
9 pm

The sun had set but it was still faintly light outside 
as Mulder pulled the car into the narrow gravel 
drive leading to the cabin peeking out between the 
trees.  Scully had relinquished the wheel after 
letting him sleep for about 6 hours.  Now, both were 
too hyper to sleep.  Scully kept watching out the 
back window, as if expecting something or someone 
to come up behind them.

"Relax," he told her, although he was feeling 
anything but relaxed.  "We're almost there."

Scully chewed on her lip.  "I know.  I'm . . . I'm just 
afraid we'll get there and find they're gone.  Or that 
this is the wrong place, or something happened and 
they couldn't make it -- "

He reached over to grasp her hand, which was 
fidgeting on her lap.  "Scully.  I know.  And I 
promise, we'll have him back with us before this 
night is over."

"How can you promise that, Mulder?" she asked 
fearfully, finally meeting his eyes.

"I just know," he said simply.  That was what she 
needed to hear, apparently, because she forced a 
smile and squeezed his hand.

They turned a corner and there it was, a functional 
one-story cabin tucked into a stand of tall pines.  
"It's pretty," Scully offered.  Just as they pulled to a 
stop the cabin door opened and Maggie Scully 
walked out on the porch, holding William on her 
shoulder.

Mulder didn't even bother to take the keys from the 
ignition.  Both of them were out of the car and 
running to their son before they realized it.  Maggie 
laughed and handed the baby over to her daughter.  
Scully took William and snuggled him to the crook 
of her neck. 

"Oh Baby Boy, I'm so glad to see you!" she 
exclaimed, tears of joy running down her face.  She 
turned to Mulder and let him take the baby, who 
seemed oblivious to all the emotional upheaval.  He 
smiled at his father and looked over to his mother, 
gracing her with another such smile. 

"He smiled," Mulder commented, looking at Scully 
with amazement.  "You can't tell me that was gas, 
Scully.  He smiled at us."

Scully took a moment to wipe the tears from her 
cheeks.  "You're right, Mulder.  That was really a 
smile.  You smiled for Mommy and Daddy, didn't 
you, Pretty Boy?"

"Hey, can another mom get a hug here?" Maggie 
asked with a raised eyebrow, but a twinkle in her 
eyes.

"OH, Mom!" Scully laughed and hugged her mother 
to her.  Mulder shifted the baby so he could get a 
hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

"Mom, I'm so sorry.  We left in such a hurry and I 
didn't feel safe calling you -- "

"Sweetheart, you did what you had to do," Maggie 
said firmly.  "And I've made so many new friends," 
she added with a hint of sarcasm.

"The gunmen," Mulder said with a sigh.  "Do I need 
to kill anyone when I see them again?"

Maggie chuckled.  "No, Fox.  They were perfect 
gentlemen in all our dealings.  And they've been 
such a help to me.  I think you need to thank them, 
not harm them."

"I will be happy to do that.  And I want to thank the 
person who got you out of San Diego and brought 
you here.  Where is he?"

"Yeah, Mom.  I want to thank him, too," Scully 
added.

"He's just inside.  He wanted to give us a minute to 
get reacquainted.  He's a lovely young man, Dana.  
And very handsome," Maggie said with a smirk.

"Mom," Scully said, rolling her eyes. 

"Well, I can look, can't I?  I'm old, Dana.  Not 
dead."

"Mother, please, not in front of -- me," Scully 
pleaded.

"Oh, I'm just teasing.  Come in.  You can see for 
yourself."  She led them into the cabin and found no 
one in the living room.  "Alex?  Are you in the 
kitchen?"

Mulder was so interested in William's every 
expression that he hadn't really been paying 
attention.  So when he looked up and saw who was 
coming in through the kitchen doorway, he startled 
and handed the baby to Maggie, shoving them 
behind him.  "Scully," he said, his voice full of 
warning.

"Mulder, Scully.  Good to see you both again," Alex 
said casually and proceeded to sit down in an arm 
chair facing the sofa.  "Please, make yourselves at 
home.  Maggie, I put one of the frozen pizzas in the 
oven for everyone.  I'm sure they're hungry after the 
long drive."

"Krycek, you rat bastard!  What the hell are you 
doing here?" Mulder demanded.  He pulled his 
weapon, as did Scully and both were pointed 
directly at the other man's forehead.

Alex held up his hands to show he was unarmed.  
"Would you two please just cut the dramatics?  Sit 
down, have some pizza.  I can explain everything."

"Mom, get William in the car.  We'll be right out," 
Scully ordered.

"Dana!  Fox!  What are you doing?  Alex is a friend 
of your friends," Maggie objected.

"Mom, this man killed Melissa," Scully ground out, 
her expression hardened and never leaving Krycek.

"No, I didn't," Krycek corrected, shaking his head.  
"There are things you don't know -- "

"Maggie, do as Dana says, OK?" Mulder 
intervened.  "We'll deal with this.  It's not safe to be 
here right now.  Please, just go to the car."

Maggie looked over at Alex, confusion plain on her 
face.

"Go ahead, Maggie.  Let me talk to them alone.  I'll 
listen for the timer on the oven."

Maggie clutched William close to her and left the 
cabin.

"OK, Krycek, you have just as long as that oven 
timer to explain what the hell you're trying to pull 
or we start target practice," Mulder sneered.

Krycek rolled his eyes.  "Fine.  First of all, you 
should know something about me," he said, and 
suddenly his face morphed and changed into that of 
Jeremiah Smith.

"What the hell," Mulder whispered.

"Alex Krycek, at least as you know him, died in a 
silo in North Dakota.  You might remember -- you 
left him there."

"We didn't leave him.  We were arrested," Scully 
said, breathless with disbelief.

"Well, whatever, by the time we got there, he'd been 
infected with the virus and there was nothing we 
could do."

"But I thought you could -- "  Mulder waved his 
free hand in the air.  "You know -- heal people."

"We can.  But there are some things even we can't 
fix.  However, finding him there gave us an 
opportunity.  We realized that Alex Krycek was 
deeply involved with the men working with our 
enemies."

"So you took his appearance," Scully said, filling in 
the blank.

"Exactly."

"So you've been working on the inside -- "

"For several years now," Alex/Jeremiah replied.

"Are you the same group who killed all those 
people on Ruskin Dam and at El Rico Air Base?" 
Scully asked.

The alien nodded mournfully.  "Although I am not 
one of that legion, I am of that race.  Yes, we had to 
eliminate some collaborators."

Scully glared at him.  "The people on that dam 
weren't collaborators.  You have no right -- "

"Agent Scully, you understand war, don't you?  
Your father was a warrior, was he not?  This is a 
war for your planet.  Yes, innocent people died.  
But it would have been far more costly in human 
lives if they had lived.  They would have been used 
by the collaborators."

"Why was I spared?" she asked, licking her lips.

He cocked his head and smiled.  "Because we need 
you.  Both of you," he said, looking over at Mulder.  
"And William.  You are essential to defeating the 
enemies of your planet."

"We aren't pawns," Mulder growled.

"Absolutely not!  You are the leaders of the 
resistance.  You have been for years.  You just 
didn't know that," the alien said, morphing back into 
Alex Krycek effortlessly.  "I do apologize for the 
subterfuge.  It was necessary to the larger plan."

"What about Spender and the complex in Utah?" 
Mulder asked, still dubious.

"Also part of the larger plan.  The work there is 
vital to the continued success of the operation."

"What operation?" Scully demanded.

"Why, protecting your planet from the invaders," 
Alex said with a smile.  Just then, the oven timer 
went off.  "I should get that.  And it gets pretty 
chilly up here at night.  You should probably let 
Maggie bring the baby back inside."

"We aren't finished with this discussion . . . 
Krycek," Mulder said angrily.

"No, I realize that.  But it would be best not to talk 
about it in front of Maggie," Alex said, getting up to 
go to the kitchen.

Scully looked over at her partner and frowned.  He 
forced a smile and nodded toward the door.  "I'll go 
get them," he said quietly.  "You keep an eye -- "

She nodded emphatically and matched his smile 
with one of her own.

Outside he found Maggie sitting on the swing that 
was on the far end of the porch.  "Hey, how're we 
doing out here?" he asked casually, carefully sitting 
down next to her so he didn't disturb the swinging 
motion she had in place.

"He fell asleep just a minute ago.  He was fussy 
when we came out.  I think he missed you," she said 
with a raised eyebrow.

"Technically, he's too little to miss more than a 
meal every four hours," Mulder replied, lifting the 
baby off Maggie's shoulder and placing him on his 
own.  "But then, who knows for sure."

"Fox, I know you won't tell me everything, but -- "

"It was a case of mistaken identity," Mulder rushed 
and then leaned back putting the swing back in 
motion.  "We, uh, we thought he was someone we 
used to know."

"The man who killed Melissa?  How can you make 
that accusation and then expect me to just ignore 
it?" Maggie asked, her tone hurt and angry.

"Mrs. Scully, I'm sorry.  Believe me, when we first 
saw him  . . . the resemblance is uncanny," Mulder 
said defensively.  "But we talked, he explained 
himself, it's all good now."

"So I'm supposed to just forget it happened?" she 
asked, crossing her arms.

"I'd consider it a personal favor," Mulder said with a 
crooked grin.  "Of course, I'm probably about out of 
chits," he added, letting his eyes rest on his son's 
tiny back as the baby breathed in and out in deep 
sleep.

Maggie sighed and then touched Mulder's arm.  "I 
don't like it, but I don't think I have a choice.  Fox, 
why didn't you call me when Dana left?"

Mulder looked out on the forest just yards from the 
swing.  "I couldn't put you in that kind of danger," 
he said quietly.  "If they found out that we were in 
contact . . . "

"I must say, I was shocked when Tara called.  I 
never would have thought you'd turn to her . . . or 
Bill."

"I didn't have much choice in the matter.  I needed 
someone fast.  At the time I had no idea that Bill -- 
"  He stopped suddenly, afraid of how much she 
might know about her son's part in her daughter's 
imprisonment.

"He regrets what happened, Fox.  He was absolutely 
beside himself when he figured it out.  Of course, 
that was after the damage was done.  I just hope that 
someday Dana -- "

"All he has to do is talk to her.  I think Dana can 
understand how easy it is to be fooled by a good 
line from a smooth talker," Mulder replied.

Maggie gave him a full smile.  "Yes, I know she 
can," she offered and Mulder ducked his head at the 
direct shot.  "That pizza should be about ready.  I 
was so nervous waiting for you two to show up, I 
didn't really eat much at dinner."

"Well, we didn't bother to eat at all, so what are we 
waiting for?"

Scully was cutting the pizza while Krycek got 
glasses and ice and served the drinks.  When  Scully 
saw William, all thoughts of pizza flew out the 
window.  She reached for her son and took him into 
the living room where she sat down and cradled him 
in her arms.

"He's grown so much in a week," she said, not 
bothering to hide her tears.  

Mulder got them both plates and went over to sit 
next to her on the sofa.  "He won't remember any of 
this, Scully.  It will be a fairy tale we can tell him 
when he's older."

She looked up at her partner and shook her head.  
"No.  I hope we never have to tell him about any of 
this."

"But what if it has a happy ending?" Mulder 
whispered, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead.

"Promise me it will," she replied, kissing him back.

After dinner Maggie volunteered to clean up the 
kitchen and Krycek showed Mulder and Scully to 
the bedroom he had been using.  He even brought in 
the bassinet from Maggie's room so that William 
would be close by.

"Where will you be?" Scully asked as Krycek while 
Mulder headed for a quick shower.

"That sofa is pretty comfortable," he replied.  "And 
I don't think I'll be sleeping much tonight.  Just in 
case."

"You really aren't him," Scully asked, still unsure.

"The man who killed your sister, who killed 
Mulder's father is dead.  But finding his body 
actually turned the tide on something that would 
have been inevitable.  If you're not comfortable with 
this image, I could change -- but I suspect we'd have 
to do a lot of explaining to your mother about things 
you really don't want her to know."

Scully shook her head.  "No, that's not a good idea.  
You're right, there is a lot of this I would just as 
soon she doesn't know.  I'll just have to get used to 
it, I guess."

"Just try to get some sleep.  I'll keep watch."

Rogue Valley International Airport
Medford, OR
11:25 pm

Monica Reyes pulled her cell phone out of her 
pocket as soon as she walked off the jetway.  
"Where is he?" she asked the moment the line was 
picked up.

"He left Portland about two hours ago," came the 
quick reply.  "He rented an SUV.  We're tracking 
gas purchases, but he had a full tank, so it's possible 
he won't need to get gas before he arrives at the 
destination."  

She closed her eyes.  "Frohike, are you sure you 
have him?"

"Agent Reyes, I promise.  This is the right guy.  I 
know we messed up at first, but now we have him."

She sighed deeply and started walking over to the 
rental car booth.  "I hope you're right."

"Did you get the directions we sent to your cell 
phone?"

"Yeah," she said as she walked up to the Lariat 
counter.  "I just wish there were some way to warn 
them."

"I've sent emails to our contact, but so far he hasn't 
picked them up.  If you leave now, you should beat 
Agent Doggett by about an hour, hour and a half.  
You're much closer in Medford than he was when 
he landed in Portland."

"Well, I better get going.  I'll call when I can."

"Be careful, Agent Reyes.  We're counting on you."

Monica smiled faintly as she pocketed the phone.  
To have the trust of some of the most paranoid 
people on the face of the earth was a high honor and 
one she surely never expected.  It was time to put 
that faith into action.  She had a family to protect.

Oregon Cave Junction, OR
2 am

Scully was out of the bed before William finished 
his first whimper.  Mulder rolled over and watched 
her in the moonlight, cradling their son her to chest, 
even though all chances of breastfeeding him were 
nil.

"Want me to get the bottle ready?" he asked in a 
whisper.  

She started slightly at his voice, but relaxed 
immediately.  "If you don't mind.  Do you know -- "  
She caught herself.  It was easy to forget that 
Mulder would have had to learn how to feed their 
child when she had run off, effectively ditching 
them both.  "Sorry.  Of course you know how to fix 
a bottle."

He snagged his boxers off the ground by the side of 
the bed and pulled them on.  He made a point of 
going over and squeezing her shoulder.  "The only 
one who needs to forgive you is you, Scully.  Wills 
and I have already forgiven you."

"Wills," she murmured with a faint smile that he 
could just detect in the silvery moonlight.

"Yeah.  We talk, us guys.  He's OK with Wills but 
he drew the line on Billy," Mulder deadpanned.  At 
that moment the young man in question screwed up 
his face and let out a lusty cry for food.  "See what I 
mean?" Mulder added quickly over the squeals.

"Go get your son his bottle," she commanded, but 
her eyes twinkled merrily.  It was good to tease.  It 
was good to laugh.  God in heaven, she thought, it 
was good to feel normal if just for a little while.  
She hugged her son tenderly and tried to sooth his 
cries. 

As he passed into the kitchen, he could see Krycek 
sitting by the window to the cabin.  Moonlight 
shimmered off the end of a Glock rest in his lap.  "2 
am feeding?" the alien asked quietly.

"Yeah.  I'm just gonna -- "  Both men stilled at the 
sound of tires on gravel.  Mulder closed the 
refrigerator door and quickly turned off the kitchen 
light, plunging the rooms in darkness again.

"Great thought, too late," Krycek noted wryly.  
"They would have seen it already."

"You got a better idea, Dipstick?" Mulder muttered.

"Ah, you still remember your pet name for me," 
Krycek replied with a steely grin.

"I didn't realize your type had a sense of humor," 
Mulder whispered.  He moved over to the closet and 
got his own spare weapon, then moved flat against 
the door.  

"Survival instincts.  Especially on this planet," 
Krycek explained as he stealthily moved the 
window curtain aside to get a better look at the 
driveway.  "It's a woman.  Wait --  Get ready, she's 
headed straight for the door!"

Mulder nodded his understanding.  Krycek 
positioned himself to fire at the door and anyone 
trying to enter.  Both men jumped a foot when there 
was a loud knock and a muffled "Dana?  Agent 
Mulder?  Are you in there?"

"So much for her surprise attack," Krycek said with 
a shrug as he lowered his weapon.  "Shouldn't you 
let her in?"

"She's an old friend of Doggett's.  It could be a 
trap," Mulder replied, biting his bottom lip.

"Dana, I'm alone.  Please, I have some very 
important information," came the voice beyond the 
door.

"It's your call," Krycek said.

Mulder nodded and then waved Krycek to stand in 
the hall to the bedrooms, out of sight.  He kept his 
own weapon in his hand but lowered it to rest 
against his leg.  He sorely wished he'd put on more 
than just his boxers.  Before he could reach for the 
lock, Scully entered the room, carrying a crying 
William.

"Did I just hear someone at the door?  It sounded 
like Monica," she said, brushing past Mulder to 
unlock and open the door.  Krycek gave Mulder a 
sympathetic look and stayed tucked in the doorway.

"Monica?" Scully asked as the woman rushed in a 
hugged her for dear life.

"Oh, thank God I made in time and you're both all 
right.  Well, all of you, I mean."

William was having none of the 'happy reunion'.  
He wanted his bottle and made that fact known.  

"I'll get his bottle," Krycek offered.  "You can find 
out the important information."

"I'll go get dressed," Mulder agreed.

Scully nodded over to the sofa and Monica sat 
down beside her.  Monica couldn't take her eyes off 
the baby and Scully smiled in encouragement.  The 
agent looked unsure and then slowly reached over 
and caressed the baby's head.  "Oh, my, Dana.  He's 
gotten so big."

"He has, hasn't it?  Hard to believe it's just been two 
months," Scully murmured.  William was interested 
by the new face, but it was obvious he wasn't going 
to have his dinner held off for much longer.  He 
squirmed and screwed up his face just as Krycek 
came to the rescue.  

"Hey, big guy, look what I have," he crooned as he 
handed the bottle to Scully.  William's eyes lit up, 
his little mouth opened and when the nipple was 
finally in his mouth, he quickly got down to 
business.  

"So, Agent Reyes, you have something you needed 
to tell us?  But I have a question -- how the hell did 
you find us?" Mulder asked brusquely, standing by 
the door.

"The Gunmen.  I've been . . . well, working with 
them, I guess you could say.  They put me onto 
some clues and I followed them.  They asked me to 
come here to tell you what I found."

"OK, I'm buying that, for now."  Mulder held her in 
his gaze, not budging an inch.

"John Doggett is on his way here," Monica said in a 
rush.  "And I think he has intentions of harming 
you, Agent Mulder."  She looked over at the woman 
next to her.  "And he has definite intentions where 
you're concerned, Dana.  But I think most of all, he 
wants William."  She concluded by touching the 
baby's tiny fist as it rested against the side of the 
bottle.

Scully's mouth moved but no words came out.  She 
looked frantically to Mulder.  "When?" she asked 
breathlessly.

"He landed in Portland about 2 and a half hours ago.  
It takes 4 hours to get here.  I would expect him in 
about an hour."

Scully's face showed her panic.  "Mulder," she said, 
swallowing and then licking her lips.  "What do we 
do?"

"Make a stand," Krycek said from the doorway to 
the kitchen.

"Krycek, stay out of this.  You're not in danger, we 
are."

"You're right, you're absolutely right," Krycek 
agreed.  "And unless you eliminate this threat, you 
will remain in danger."  He walked into the center 
of the room, addressing all of them.  "Is that how 
you intend to raise this baby?  On the run, always 
looking over your shoulder?  That's not a life.  He 
should never have been born rather than live like 
that."

"Shut the fuck up," Mulder growled.  "You know 
nothing."

"I know everything," Krycek countered.  "You 
eliminate Doggett, your worries are over."

"He's getting his orders from someone.  If not him, 
they'll send someone else," Scully shot back.

"Not necessarily," he said with a cryptic grin.

Mulder was across the room in a second and 
slammed Krycek up against the far wall.  "What do 
you know?"

"About what?"

"How did Doggett find us, for one.  You're the only 
one besides the Gunmen who knows our location," 
Mulder said, his eyes narrowing.

"Mulder, it only makes sense -- "

"There is a baby in this cabin, you son of a bitch!  
My son!" Mulder yelled.

"Oh dear," Maggie said entering in a robe and bare 
feet.  "Fox, Alex, please!"

"Mom, we're in danger here.  We have to leave," 
Scully said quickly, standing up and heading toward 
the bedrooms.

"Danger?  Oh, hello?" Maggie said, noticing 
Monica for the first time.  "Agent Reyes?  When did 
you get here?"

"Hello, Mrs. Scully.  I got here just a few moments 
ago."  She stood nervously.  "I'm afraid I bring bad 
news.  Dana's right, there is a danger in staying 
here."

"Fox?"

Mulder gave Krycek another shove, bouncing his 
head against the wall and then released him.  "Mrs. 
Scully, put on some clothes, there isn't much time."

"You're making a mistake," Krycek said, shaking 
his head.  "This is the only way to end it."

"Then you stay here.  You fight him.  I'm through.  
I'm taking my family and getting the hell out of 
here, now."  Mulder spun on his heel and stalked 
from the room.  

Krycek looked over at Monica.  "What about you?" 
he asked.

She drew in a deep breath.  "What do you have in 
mind?"

Krycek chuckled, but it had an edge to it.  "Ever 
seen the last scene of 'Butch Cassidy and the 
Sundance Kid'?"

"Going out in a blaze of glory?" she asked, raising 
one eyebrow.

"Something like that.  But we take the bastard to 
hell with us," he said with a truly evil grin.  

Monica swallowed, her throat was suddenly very 
dry.  "Yeah, I think I can get behind that plan," she 
said with a confidence she didn't really feel.

"Good.  I'll tell the others."

2:20 am

John parked the SUV between two tall pines where 
the road met the gravel path.  He closed the door 
silently, even though he was certain he was far 
enough away that the sound wouldn't reach the 
occupants of the cabin.  With his night vision 
goggles in place around his forehead, he made his 
way down the makeshift driveway.

What the hell?  The lights were on and he could 
hear the shouting from 100 yards away!  Damn, this 
wasn't good.  He had hoped to catch them while 
they were sleeping, make good on the plan he had 
in North Carolina.  He breathed in deeply.  This was 
not an obstacle, it was a challenge.  He smiled.  He 
always did love a challenge.

"Soon, Dana.  Soon we'll be a family," he promised 
under his breath.  Checking his weapons and the 
multiple clips of ammunition, he crept toward the 
cabin.

to be continued . . . soon.