Title:  Nothing Important 12:  The Truth II
Author:  Vickie Moseley  
Summary:  Total Rewrite of Season 9 from a
shipper point of view.
Category:  AU, MSR, babyfic
Rating: some violence, some language
Disclaimer:  This isn't Alternate Universe as much
as it's a dream fulfilled.  But no copyright
infringement intended.
Archive:  yes
Author's Note:  The other 11 parts are available on
my website www.vickiemoseley.freeservers.com 
 

There will be on more part -- an Epilogue to be
posted very soon.  This series may be the basis for
another series that will take our little family into a
10th season.
Dedicated to Fox Mom -- this one's for you, babe. 
Hope it's all I promised.
Thanks to Lisa for beta reading and incredible
artwork.  Visit my site soon to see all that she has
wrought.

Nothing Important 12:  The Truth II

Oregon Cave Junction, OR
3:30 am

The cabin had gone quiet at least thirty minutes ago,
but John couldn't take the chance.  He waited
patiently by a large pine, watching through high-
powered binoculars fitted with night vision. John
had checked the rental car in the driveway and
found it had been issued to Monica.  He hadn't
figured her in to the equation.  No matter, he knew
how she fought so it would be easy to take her out
early.

A figure moved past the window and he smiled. 
Krycek was in place, the rat bastard. How he'd
managed to get in on the operation was anyone's
guess, but at least John knew he wasn't going into
this alone.  Still, it wasn't like he could just go up to
the door and knock, even if he had someone on the
inside.  He'd have to wait them out, wait until they
were asleep.  Chances were good Krycek would
even offer to take first watch and then John would
have his opportunity.

There was plenty of time to think while leaning
against the old tree trunk.  John thought back to
when his buddy Knowle had first approached him
with this assignment.  John was working VICAP
and thinking about putting his name in for ASAC
when Knowle had called him up out of the blue and
asked him to meet him on the Capitol Mall by the
Air and Space Museum.

It was early May and they grabbed a couple of dogs
and started walking toward the Smithsonian castle. 
"John, what do you think about aliens?" Knowle
had asked right off the bat.

"I think we should increase border patrols and move
toward a 'read ID' where everyone would have the
same kind of license," John replied thoughtfully.

Knowle laughed.  "No, John.  Not that kind of alien. 
The kind that would be totally undocumented.  The
kind that come from above."  His old Marine CO
pointed his index finger toward the sky. 

John got the joke.  "Very funny," he said.  "I don't
think of them much at all."

"Do you think they might be a cover for a threat
against our country?" Knowle asked, staring off
toward the Capitol dome.

A threat was a threat.  As Knowle continued his
tale, John didn't worry about the reason behind why
a FBI agent was suspected of collaborating with an
enemy -- he didn't even bother to ask who the real
enemy was.  The fact that the man was missing and
assumed plotting against his country was all John
needed to know.

So he found himself in front of Deputy Director
Kersh, a thoroughly dislikeable character and a
puppet at best, who informed him of his new
assignment to lead the search for Agent Fox
Mulder.  As he sat and listened to Kersh outline his
duties, John held back a smile.  What Kersh
obviously didn't know -- and for the better -- was
that John was supposed to find Mulder, but the goal
was not to find him alive.

It all came down to that fateful meeting in Kersh's
outer office.  John always thought it was a shame
when cops or agents mixed business with pleasure. 
It was like drinking on duty -- do it a couple of
times and it didn't become a problem.  The problem
came because no one could ever manage to keep it
to a couple of times.  All that logic went right out
the window when he got a look at Dana Scully in all
her pissed off glory.

Suddenly, mixing business with pleasure wasn't
such a bad idea anymore.  John had always loved a
challenge and by God, Dana Scully was a challenge. 
Closed mouth, untrusting to the extreme, a
challenge that would turn most men's hearts to
stone.  But John saw through all that.  Challenges
always presented themselves as impossible to attain,
but just took motivation, determination and drive. 
A Marine never backed down from a challenge.

She was called Ice Queen behind her back, Doc Ice
from a few.  Other agents warned John that she was
once a good agent, but now had been totally
mesmerized by Spooky Mulder to the point where
Mrs. Spooky wasn't just a casual nickname but an
actual fact.  Even before he found out she was
pregnant, John knew she'd had sex with her partner. 
Wouldn't be a stretch for her to do it again -- just
with a different guy:  John.

If it hadn't been for that worthless Skinner, John and
Dana would be in bed together at that very moment.

John closed his eyes as bitter memories filled his
mind.  Skinner was the fly in the ointment.  He was
the one who had her ear, all because he kept the lip
service going about finding Mulder, kept her
dreams alive.  After Mulder turned up dead and they
tossed him in the grave, John was certain all that
would stop.  Dana had no interest in Skinner, so he
wasn't a direct threat.  He was only a threat in that
the Assistant Director stood as a constant reminder
of Mulder.  Until the night that Skinner called John
to dig Mulder out of the ground, John was sure that
a little more time and Mulder would fade in her
memory.

The image of that hospital room and his beloved
Dana resting her head against that traitor's chest
with tears in her eyes would haunt John forever.  He
had been so close, so very close to attaining his goal
and that dead/alive body in the hospital bed threw
John right back to square one.

But hadn't his old drill sergeant once told him
setbacks just make attaining the goal that much
sweeter?

He glanced at his watch and then picked up the
binoculars for another look.  The cabin lights were
winking out.  It looked like they were finally
settling down for the night.  They'd probably just
been up with the baby. 

Should he wait for a sign from Krycek?  One might
not be forthcoming.  He wished the slimy bastard
had given him some warning that he would be there. 
But that wasn't Krycek's style.  Always in the
shadows, a ninja wannabe, that was all he was. 
John would have to proceed as if he were alone on
this, at least until he was inside.  He lowered the
glasses and situated himself against the tree trunk. 
He'd give them another hour or so and then go in
guns ablazin'.

Inside the cabin

"Krycek, wait," Monica whispered hoarsely.  She
parted the curtain from the window casing just
enough to peer out and then let it fall back into
position.  "There's someone out there," she hissed.

Krycek drew in a breath.  "Follow me," he told her. 
He led her back to a small room off the kitchen and
kicked a throw rug to the side, revealing a small
circular handle cut into the floor.  He reached down
and pulled up, nodding for her to follow him down
a narrow wooden ladder.

"A storm cellar?" she asked.

"A bomb shelter," Krycek responded.  He fumbled
in the darkness until he found a cord and turned on
a single compact fluorescent light bulb at the
ceiling.  The room was as large as the cabin above,
furnished with a futon, an odd assortment of chairs
and a table.  Along the walls were shelves of canned
food.  In the corner sat an ancient refrigerator that
hummed noisily. 

Monica was amused until she noticed the very
farthest wall, where a bank of flat panel computer
screens showed clearly the forest outside the cabin,
as well as the cabin's front, back and sides. 
"Surveillance," she said with a wide grin.

"Insurance," Krycek replied.  "Now, let's see what
your partner is up to."

Upstairs, Maggie and Scully were packing a bag for
the baby.  "I still don't understand what's going on,
Dana," Maggie spat out.  "Why are you in this
danger?"

"Mom, I can't explain it now but later -- "

Maggie held up her hand.  "I don't want to hear it. 
It's always 'later' with you and then later never
comes.  I'm sick and tired of all the lies and half-
truths, Dana.  I want answers."

Scully closed her eyes.  "I will tell you, Mom.  I
promise.  But right now -- "

"I know.  We have to go," Maggie growled.  "But
tell me, how far do you expect to run with a 2
month old baby?  Have you thought about that?"

Scully swallowed and bit her lip.  "I need to find
Mulder.  Would you mind watching -- "

"I've been caring for him for the last week, I don't
see why I'd stop now," Maggie sneered.

"Thank you," Scully murmured.  She hurried from
the room, tears stinging her eyes.  Her mother was
right, they couldn't keep running with the baby. 
She'd been afraid of this moment from the very
beginning. 

She found Mulder tossing bread and peanut butter
in a backpack.  "Where are Krycek and Monica?"
he asked her as she came up beside him.

"I . . . I don't know," she said, looking around. 
"They can't be far."  She leaned against the
countertop and watched him for a minute.  "Mulder,
what are we going to do?"

"Well, Krycek and Monica are going to take you,
your mom and the baby and head out the back way. 
I'll deal with Doggett."

Her jaw dropped open and she sputtered.  "Are you
crazy?"

"No, that was a few years back.  Now I'm just really
tired of being pushed around," he answered grimly
and tightened the clasps on the backpack.  "Try this,
does it feel too heavy?"

She glared at him, refusing to take the offered pack. 
"Mulder, this isn't about you being pushed around. 
This is about us -- you and me and our son.  I refuse
to let you run off and do something stupid, like get
yourself killed!"

"Scully, we can't keep running.  Krycek -- Smith --
whatever you want to call him is right.  That is no
way to raise a child."

"Having his father murdered is no way to raise a
child, either," she countered defiantly.

"I don't plan on getting killed," he muttered,
fumbling with the pack.

"Well then, I'm just going to have to make sure you
don't," she answered, taking the pack from him and
heading toward the bedroom.

"No, Scully -- you can't!  Who'll take care of
William?" he shouted after her.

"I will."  Krycek suddenly appeared from the other
room, Monica trailing behind him.  "Mulder, you
have to deal with this man.  I'll make sure William
and Maggie are safe."

Mulder looked at him, doubt showing clearly. 

"Mulder, there's someplace we can stay undetected. 
You can lead Agent Doggett away from here,"
Monica explained.  "We can even see exactly where
he is.  He's heavily armed and he's just a stones
throw from the front door."

"How can you -- "

"I forgot to give you the grand tour.  Want to see
my office?" Krycek grinned.

Mulder continued to be dubious, even after seeing
the bunker-style basement.  "We can stay down
here, all of us, if necessary," Monica offered,
obviously trying to placate Mulder's distrust.

"Assuming he'll just give up and go away," Krycek
said sarcastically, leaning against the stepladder to
the first floor.

Scully peered at them all from above.  "What in the
world . . . "

Mulder waved her down and went up to help
Maggie with the baby.  Soon, all five adults and
William were in the basement.  Scully and Mulder
both were staring intently at the surveillance screen
while Monica discretely kept Maggie occupied
showing her the vast food stores.

"He's loaded, Scully.  Look at the firepower,"
Mulder whispered, pointing to the two rifles and
assorted weapons he saw on Doggett.

"And what do we have?  We can't exactly down him
with a well-aimed can of peaches," Scully muttered
in return.

Krycek raised his head and smiled.  "Oh, I think we
have enough to keep it interesting."  He got up and
walked over behind the ladder, opening a cabinet
along the wall.  Much to Mulder's relief, it wasn't
for gardening tools.  It was a gun safe. 

Mulder nodded Scully over to look at the wares. 
"I'm not happy just waiting him out down here,
regardless of all the advantages."

"If you leave here, I'm right behind you," she said
quietly, her arms crossed and her expression set.

He sighed.  "OK.  But I think we should leave
Monica and Krycek down here with your mom and
the baby.  They'll be safe here."

"Do you have a plan?" she asked.

"We lead him away from the cabin and make our
stand," he said with conviction.  "Are you ready to
face him?"  It was more than just a simple question. 
He was asking how she felt on an emotional level.

"He betrayed me, Mulder.  I was duped and that
doesn't sit well with me.  But more than that he
wants to harm you and I won't stand for that. 
Whatever trust I had in him is long gone." 

Mulder nodded and proceeded to examine the
weapons more closely, picking a handgun and
tucking it in the waistband of his jeans.

"Mulder -- I just . . . "  She stopped until she had his
full attention.  "When you . . . came back to me,
when Skinner came to tell you that Kersh was
keeping you off the X files, I said some things -- "

"Scully, please, we don't need to go into this now,"
Mulder objected but she shook her head.

"No, if not now we might never have a chance
again.  That day, on your couch I said that Agent
Doggett was above reproach.  At the time I just
wanted you to understand that he wasn't the enemy. 
But later, when I got home and thought about our
conversation, I realized that you might not have
heard it the way I meant it.  I never wanted you to
think that Agent Doggett was anywhere near a
replacement for you, on a professional level or God
forbid, a personal level.  I missed you so much,
Mulder and yes, I was very lonely.  But believe me,
I trusted him only as much as I had to and he was
never more than a co-worker to me."  She chewed
her lip and looked at him expectantly.

"Thank you, Scully.  I admit at the time it sort of ate
at me for a while.  But then everything was so
different and I just felt so lost.  Later, when I
thought about it, I realized the position you were in. 
For the record, I never doubted you.  Never."

She nodded, her chin quivering just a second before
she picked up a Beretta and tucked it into her own
waistband. 

"Scully -- " he said, his voice a warning.  He was
already having second thoughts about her joining
him.  She would have to put an end to that quickly.

"Are we still partners, Mulder?" she challenged.

He bit his lip but said nothing so she repeated her
question.

"Are we still partners, or not?  Think about your
answer very carefully."

"William . . . " he said and she shot a quick glance
across the far basement to where her mother was
cradling their son.

"William will be fine.  Mom will see to that.  But if
we don't put an end to this threat he will never be
fine.  We have a job to do.  As parents, our job is to
protect our son.  As partners our job is to protect
each other's back.  Now, I see us as partners and as
well as parents.  What do you see us as?" she asked
again.

"I think we need at least three clips apiece," he said
as he handed her four clips.  "Well, partner, let's get
this show on the road."

"Good answer," she whispered as she followed him
back to where Monica and Krycek were pretending
to watch the monitor.

3:45 am

The house had been dark and quiet for over an hour. 
Doggett checked his weapons and considered his
course of action.  It was imperative that Dana and
the baby not be injured. Monica had just better stay
the hell out of his way.  As for Mulder, he just
hoped Krycek didn't try to steal that kill from him. 
This moment had been a long time coming and he
was itching to watch the life drain out of his
nemesis forever. 

Cautiously he rose from his hiding place by the
pines.  He took one step forward when suddenly the
front door opened revealing two people, one much
shorter than the other and carrying an infant seat. 
They quickly walked over to the SUV parked off to
the side of the gravel drive and after buckling in the
infant, got in the front seat.  It didn't take using his
night vision goggles to know it was Mulder and
Dana -- about to make a get away.

He could just jump out and start firing, but the
chance of hitting Dana or the baby was too great. 
He thought about flagging them down, making up
some bullshit about Kersh hot on their heels, try to
get Mulder off and have some 'horrible accident'
take him out.  But the car was already turned around
and headed down the drive. 

He had a decision to make.  He could run like hell
and maybe get to his car hidden in the trees near the
main road, or he could just hotwire the car still
sitting in the driveway.  He decided hotwiring was
the better of the two options.  Sometimes being a
gear head had its advantages.

It took only a minute to pop the lock and get into
the front seat.  He was pulling wires and stripping
them when the tap came at the passenger side
window.  John startled and looked up into the very
serious expression of Monica Reyes.

She opened the door as if invited and sat down on
the passenger side seat.  "What are you doing,
John," she asked pointedly.

"I'm trying to go after them.  They're in danger," he
huffed.  "What are you doing here, Monica?"

"I know why you're here, John.  The only danger
they're in is from you," she replied.  "Don't do this. 
It's not too late.  Please, just leave them alone."

"You don't know what I know," he growled as the
engine sparked to life.  "Now, I suggest you get out
of this car."

"I know that your intention has nothing to do with
protecting Dana and everything to do with handing
her son over to forces of evil," Monica said, pulling
her gun out of its holster at her back.  "And I know
you are intent on killing Agent Mulder."

"You're crazy," he said flatly as he, too reached for
his gun.  "Monica, don't make me do this."

"John, get out of this car," she ordered, pushing
open the passenger side door and backing out. 

He held his gun up, backing out as she had done. 
When she pointed toward the cabin and took a step
away from the car, he saw his opportunity and took
it.  He brought his Smith and Wesson up and fired,
aiming for her head.  She went down.

Without a second glance, he got back into the
drivers seat and slammed the door.  Throwing the
car into reverse, he peeled into a turnabout and then
into drive to hurry down the path.

Mulder jerked the car at the sound of a gunshot.  He
glanced over at Scully, turned in her seat to peer out
the back window.

"He's coming," she said after a moment.

"How far do we lead him?" Mulder asked, avoiding
the pot holes and ruts in the road. 

She was busy pulling ammunition out of the baby
seat, now acting as a miniature armory.  "Find some
place along the road," she shouted over her
shoulder.  She didn't express her worry about what
had happened at the cabin.  Her only consolation
was that there had only been one shot fired and then
Doggett was hot on their heels.  There hadn't been
time for him to find her mother and William hidden
with Krycek and Monica in the basement.  At least
she prayed that was true.
 
"I remember an overlook, about a mile from here,"
Mulder told her, mostly to keep his panic to a
minimum.  He'd heard the shot fired, he knew what
it could have meant, what he hoped it didn't mean.

"An overlook?  We'll be cornered," she said,
shaking her head.

"He's not expecting us to be armed," Mulder
pointed out.

She bit her lip and then reluctantly nodded.  "I guess
it's as good a place as any and I don't want to get too
far away from the cabin in case we have to double
back."

"Just think of it as our Thermopylae," he said with a
lop-sided grin.

"300 Spartans were slaughtered at Thermopylae,
Mulder," she returned with a glare.

"Try to think Persian," he replied with a tilt of his
head. 

She merely rolled her eyes.

Krycek heard the shot fired and looked over at
Maggie.  He knew Monica would have trouble, but
the woman had insisted that she had to try and stop
Doggett.  With a glance over at Maggie and the
baby, he made his decision.

"I'm just going up for a look.  Stay here and keep
him as quiet as possible," he said.

"Alex -- you will explain all this when you get
back."  Her expression was absolute, her voice
stern.

"I'll try," he offered.  He hurried up the ladder and
ran through the house.

The two cars that had been in the driveway were
both gone.  That still left them with the car he'd
driven, still secreted behind the cabin.  He was
looking around when he spotted Monica's body on
the gravel.  She was unmoving.  As he approached,
he saw the blood spread out from under her head.

Kneeling down beside her, he touched her throat. 
No pulse, but the body was still warm.  He could
see where the bullet had entered her head, he didn't
need to lift her to confirm it had exited her at the
back of her neck.

"It's a wonder your race hasn't been eliminated for
stupidity alone," he mumbled as he laid both his
hands on her, one hand on her chest and the other
over the wound at her temple.

At first, nothing happened.  Suddenly, the body
jerked and when he lifted his hand, the wound had
vanished, leaving completely unmarred skin in its
place.  Slowly, Monica groaned and moved her
head back and forth.  Finally, she blinked open her
eyes.

"Hey," he said, smiling down at her.

"Hey," she rasped.  "What . . . "  She reached up to
her temple and felt around.  "I . . . I guess he
missed," she said groggily.

"In a manner of speaking," Krycek replied.  "C'mon,
let's get you into the house."

"No.  I have to go after him.  He'll catch them."

"That's the plan, remember.  They're prepared for
that."

"But he'll trick them, just as he did me.  All he has
to do is kill either of them, the other won't survive
that!"

"We need to protect William and Maggie," he
objected.

"OK, you stay here, I'll go," Monica said, pulling
herself up and into a sitting position.  "Whoa," she
said and blinked rapidly.  "Dizzy."

"Take a minute," he warned.

"Wish I could, but I need to get out there," she said,
using his shoulder as leverage to push herself up. 
"You have a car here?"

"I do.  But you don't know which way they went,"
he reminded her.

"I'm a trained investigator.  I'll figure it out," she
said holding out her hand, palm up, in a silent
request for his keys.  He licked his lips, dug into his
back pocket and dropped them into her waiting
hand.

"Car's just around back," he told her in resignation. 
He watched as she walked away.  When she got to
the edge of the cabin, she turned. 

"Krycek?"

He stood, waiting.

"Thanks."

He nodded.  Without a word, he walked into the
cabin and closed the door.

Oregon Cave Junction Road
5 miles from the cabin

John had been following at some distance but
slowed when he saw the car pull off to the side. 
Something was happening.   He had a decision to
make.  His gut told him to be wary, but his mind
reminded him that they had a baby in the car.  It
was possible that they could just be stopping for
diaper duty.  He drove past them and down the road,
where he pulled over and got out of the car. 
Keeping to the trees, he ran back to the overlook.

The car was turned off, just sitting there.  It was
hard to see inside, he could detect the two
individuals in the front seat.  He was in a precarious
position.  If he stayed there and they started the car
and drove off, he would have to hightail it back to
his car to keep up with them.  He had no doubt that
he could, he just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Then, a dream John didn't realize he had came true. 
As he crouched there by the pines, the driver's door
opened and Mulder stepped out of the car.  With a
long look at the person still sitting in the interior, he
closed the car door and started walking down a path
near the stone fence that served as a barrier on the
edge of the cliff -- a mere dozen yards from where
John was hidden -- and headed off into the forest.

Decision time again.  John could easily move
forward, get in the car and try to convince Dana to
come back with him.  It would complete his
assignment in the most expedient manner.  It would
be exactly what he was ordered to do.

But it would mean that Fox Mulder would still be
out there, a potential threat to any relationship John
might start with Dana.   John understood all too
well the power of Fox Mulder.  He'd watched Dana
tear herself up over the man for the 6 months he'd
been missing and then buried.  John couldn't let that
happen again.

With a furtive glance in the direction of the car,
John straightened up and started after Mulder.

There was another overlook just down the path and
Mulder stopped and leaned against the stone wall. 
He seemed deep in thought.  John stayed in the tree
line, watching.  Mulder turned his head and looked
at John over his shoulder.  "You gonna shoot me in
the back, Doggett?  No much of a manly man thing
to do," he challenged.

John licked his lips, his gun in his hand but at his
side.  He stepped out into the moonlight.  "You're
wrong about me, you know," he said.  "You've
underestimated me from the first time we met."

Mulder laughed as he turned around to face
Doggett.  "Oh, believe me, I never underestimated
your ability to paint the world in perfect black and
white -- with you on the winning side."  His mirth
grew serious.  "I just never thought you would go so
far as to allow Scully to be hurt," he growled.  "On
that, I guess I did underestimate you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," John said,
shaking his head.  "I'd never hurt her."

"No, you're more content to let others do the dirty
work," Mulder countered.  "In that complex, in
Utah.  Do you know what they were doing in those
labs?  Do you have any idea what they put her
through, you smug son of a bitch?"

"You have no idea -- " John tried to shout, but
Mulder slashed his hand through the air and cut him
off.

"Enough of your lies!  You want one thing -- one
thing you can't have and I can tell you right now, no
matter what happens to me, you'll never have her
love.  More than that, you've even lost her respect. 
You are nothing to her."

"I say we let her decide that," John said, bringing
his gun up and aiming right between Mulder's eyes.

"I think she's already made her decision," a voice
come from behind him and suddenly the cold metal
of a Smith and Wesson barrel was pressed deeply
into the back of his neck.

"Dana, this isn't what you think," John sputtered
hastily.

"I think you were about to shoot an unarmed man. 
The same man that is my partner and the father of
my son.  How were you going to explain his death,
Agent Doggett?  Some stranger happened by and
did it?  A man that can turn into metal?  A bat?  We
both know you're not one to believe in such things. 
Definitely not aliens, right?" she bit out angrily as
she shoved the barrel of her weapon harder against
his skin.  "You had me fooled, you know.  There
was a time I honestly thought you wanted to help
me.  Now I see you just wanted to get me in bed. 
You sicken me, you son of a bitch!"

He was outnumbered, but not outmanoeuvred. 
Shifting his weight he swung around and toppled
Scully to the ground, grabbing the gun out of her
hand and flinging it into the woods.  Flipping his
gun in his hand, he came down with the butt end
right on her temple.  She lay unmoving at his feet. 
Mulder let out a feral yell but before he could
advance three steps, John had the gun pointed
directly at his heart.

"I didn't want to do it this way, but my orders are
clear.  If not her, at least the baby.  Now where is
he?" John growled.

Mulder glared at him.  "He's in the car, asleep." 

John looked confused for a moment and glanced
over to the trail leading back to where the car was
parked.  That made no sense -- why would they
leave the baby alone and unprotected?  Unless the
baby wasn't there . . .

It was the opening Mulder wanted.  He lunged at
Doggett, tackling him.  The gun went off hitting
him in the side but Mulder ignored it, wrapping one
of his arms around Doggett's middle and struggling
to get hold of the gun with his free hand.  A sudden
punch on Mulder's part sent the weapon flying
against the edge of the stone wall and clattered to
the ground.

Doggett was caught off guard, but not for long.  He
used every bit of his military training to overpower
the other man, who didn't seem to realize how
seriously he was wounded.  Doggett fought and
kicked, breaking free of Mulder's grip.  He jumped
to his feet and started kicking the man still lying on
the ground.  Mulder battled to get back on his feet
and managed to remain standing.  Blood soaked his
shirt and he favored his left side, but when he
glanced over and saw Scully still unmoving on the
ground, he redoubled his efforts.  Wrapping both
hands around Doggett's throat, Mulder shoved him
against the stone wall. 

Doggett had expected Mulder to weaken, so he
wasn't prepared for the renewed onslaught.  He saw
stars when his head made contact with the
unforgiving stone and mortar.  Shaking off his
dizziness, he used Mulder's wide stance to his
advantage and soon had the former agent pinned
against the wall, where he brutally grabbed his head
and pounded it against the hard surface.

Mulder wasn't done yet.  He fought like a wild man,
but Doggett countered his every move.  The
military man pushed Mulder back, farther and
farther, bending him over the wall.  Mulder could
feel the wind rushing over the side of the cliff
ruffling his hair and could hear water in the distance
far below, even through the roar of blood in his
ears.  This was not how he wanted to die -- with
Scully possibly dead and their son unprotected from
the likes of men like Doggett.

As they struggled, his feet fought for purchase on
the rough gravel of the small clearing.  Completely
by accident, he found the edge of a large stone or
piece of cement, just enough to hook the toes of his
boots under to gain a foothold.  Mulder closed his
eyes and found his last ounce of strength.  He cared
nothing at that moment about his own life -- only
the lives of his partner and their son.  With that one
thought on his mind, the family he would never
know, he seized Doggett by his belt and pulled with
all his might. 

Doggett, not anticipating such a move from an
opponent who was obviously weakening, was
propelled over Mulder's shoulder, losing his grip in
the process.  For a split second, Mulder saw
Doggett's eyes dilate in surprise before he vanished
from view over the cliff screaming as loud as
anything Mulder had ever heard. 

Mulder slid down the wall to the ground, totally
spent.

Monica pulled up to the SUV and found it deserted;
the baby seat still had ammunition clips that she
pocketed hurriedly.  Looking around, she heard
noises down the path and then a long scream that
faded away to somewhere below.  As fast as she
could, she headed in that direction.

She found Mulder first, barely conscious, slumped
against a stone overlook.  He was covered in blood,
his shirtfront was soaked, breathing erratically.  She
ran to him and he roused.  "Scully," he gasped and
nodded off by the trees.  The sun was just starting to
come up over the mountains and in the twilight,
Monica could make out a body lying on the ground. 

Pulling out her cell phone, Monica dialed the 911
operator as she hurried over to the still form. 

"She alive?" Mulder choked out.

Monica dreaded what she might find, but when she
pressed her fingers against Scully's neck, she found
a pulse.  She breathed a sigh of relief and then
looked over at Mulder.  "She's alive," she
confirmed.  There was a 3-inch long gash on her
forehead and Monica found a large knot on the back
of Scully's head where she must have made contact
with a rock on the ground during her fall.  Monica
was about to mention that to Mulder, but when she
looked over, he had already passed out.

Frantically, she looked around, taking in the
obvious signs of a struggle, but could not find any
trace of Doggett.  She realized what she'd heard --
his screams as he tumbled over the side.  She
wanted to run over and look but the dispatcher was
calling to her from her phone, demanding an
answer.

"Oh, sorry.  Yes, I'm out on Oregon Cave Junction
Road about three miles east of the Winterhaven
Road intersection, I have two officers down . . . "

The sheriff's department was the first on the scene,
followed by two ambulances.  Monica tried to give
a complete statement to the Deputy from what little
she knew for certain, all the while watching the
EMTs working on both Mulder and Scully.  She
heard snatches of the conversations, only enough to
scare her.  They were talking skull fracture and
possible internal bleed with Dana and hypovolemic
shock and dangerously low blood pressure on
Mulder.  The technicians loaded the patients on to
gurneys and were lifting them into the ambulances
before Monica broke away from the Deputy to find
out where they were being taken.  She got the name
of the hospital and turned when she heard someone
call to the deputy.

"Sir, we found two weapons, one in the trees,
another by the wall and there appears to be a body
at the bottom of the ravine," one of the officers
reported.

Monica's heart sank.  She knew it was the body of
Agent John Doggett.  Somehow, even severely
wounded, Mulder had found a way to push him over
the stone wall.  From the looks of things and the
fact that only one weapon found had been fired --
the bullet in Mulder's side -- there was no doubt that
it was a case of self-defense. 

Even knowing the things Doggett had done and was
willing to do didn't make it any easier on her.  She
borrowed a pair of binoculars from one of the
officers and peered down at the body.  "I know who
it is," she said sadly.  "My partner, Special Agent
John Doggett."

A couple of officers were already repelling down
the cliff to the body.  In a matter of minutes, one of
the young men was signaling up to his superior at
the top.  The Deputy turned to Monica and reached
out to touch her shoulder in sympathy.  "I'm afraid
he's gone, Agent."

She closed her eyes for a moment, sending up a
silent prayer for a soul that was lost but maybe now
could find peace.

"It's gonna take most of the morning to get down
there and retrieve him.  Do you want to stay?" the
Deputy kindly asked.

"Deputy, I know this is not standard procedure, but
those two agents on the way to the hospital have a
baby and his grandmother staying in a cabin just up
the road.  I really need to get to the cabin and take
them to the hospital.  Here is my cell phone number. 
I'll be at the hospital -- if you need me to answer
any other questions, you can find me there."

"Agent, should we alert the hospital that they have
two potential prisoners and keep those people in the
secure ward?" the Deputy called after her.

Monica half turned and shook her head
emphatically.  "No, Deputy.  Those two people are
the victims here.  Please make sure they are treated
respectfully at all times."

She ran back up the trail to where she'd abandoned
her car.  There were officers going over Mulder's
SUV for evidence and she was glad she'd taken the
ammunition, leaving nothing for them to find.  She
convinced them she needed the car seat to transport
the baby to the hospital to be near his parents and
they allowed her to take it.

The cabin looked deserted when Monica arrived
and for a split second, she was terrified.  What if
this had been the plan all along -- turn their backs
and someone like Krycek would whisk William
away?  Had she failed in one half of her mission --
protect the baby? 

Quietly she stepped in to the front room, her hand
on her gun in a futile effort if no one was there. 
"Mrs. Scully," she called out.  "It's Monica Reyes." 

Relief flooded her as she heard a voice from the
small laundry room.  "We're down here, Monica!"

Hurrying, she climbed down the ladder and was
greeted by a very worried grandmother holding a
fretful baby.  "Thank God you're back.  After Alex
left -- "

"Alex didn't come back inside?" Monica asked,
rushing around the room and gathering the baby's
things.

"For a moment, after the two of you left, he came
back down.  Said he had to leave but that we'd be
safe.  That was the last I saw of him.  It's been over
an hour ago.  I was so worried.  Where are Dana
and Fox?"

"That's why I'm here.  Dana and Fox have been
taken to the hospital.  They're hurt, but they are
alive."

"What about the man coming to hurt them?  Is he in
custody or did he get away?  It was Dana's
temporary partner, wasn't it -- that Agent Doggett?"

Monica choked up.  She was having a hard time
believing what John had become, couldn't make
herself say the words.  She just nodded silently.

Maggie walked over and enfolded the young
woman in her arms.  "I'm so sorry," she whispered. 

Monica accepted the comfort gratefully, but after a
moment she knew they had to get going.  "We need
to go to the hospital.  They may need you to sign
some papers, give information."

"Of course," Maggie agreed.  Together they got the
baby and his things and headed out to Alex's car for
the ride to the hospital.

To be continued in Epilogue