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* * *

Morrissey's Bar
Baltimore, MD
Saturday, 11:10 pm
 

The music was so loud that she truly couldn't hear
herself think. The bourbon wasn't helping much,
either. She squinted through the blue haze of
cigarette smoke, trying to see the neon-ringed clock
on the far wall. Jake caught her doing it and grabbed
her chin, tugging her attention back to him.

"I told you, he's fine. Jeez, you're really bringing
me down with this crap." He was shouting in her face,
but this time it was just because of the noise.

Carly jerked away from his grubby fingers. "He's too
little to be alone this long! I'm gonna go home!" She
shouted right back at him as she began to gather up
her cigarettes and purse from the sticky bar. Jake's
hand landed hard on hers, his fingers closing around
her wrist.

"You. Owe. Me." He ground the words out through
clenched teeth, and even in the deafening din, she
heard him, loud and clear. "Leave now, and you got
nothing to come back to."

Fear and conditioning and too much bourbon won out
over maternal instinct, and she dropped her purse
back onto the bar. "All right."

He won. He always won.

* * *
Baltimore, MD
One block west of Morrissey's
11:14 pm

Three hours in the front seat of a Bureau-issue
Taurus with her fidgeting, seed-crunching partner had
Scully on the brittle edge of control. And half an
hour ago, the rain had started, turning the car's
cabin into a musty steam bath. She rubbed a clear
circle in the side window and peered out.

"Tell me again how you narrowed your search to this
particular building. On this particular night." Ten
bodies in four weeks. All homeless men. All missing
their livers.

The sound Mulder made in response wasn't quite a
sigh, but it was close enough to raise her eyebrows.
He gave her an irritatingly patient look. "This
building is equidistant from each of the murder
sites. It's vacant. It fits the profile. And tonight
just... feels right."

"You profile buildings now?" she observed dryly.

He gave her his 'ha ha' look, then turned back to the
windshield. "Ten more minutes. If nothing turns up,
we'll go."

She'd seen his 'feelings' confirmed too many times
over the years to discount this one out of hand, no
matter how much she believed him to be wrong. "Look,
if you really want t--"

He held up one hand and shushed her. "I just saw
something." He leaned over the steering wheel,
squinting through the rain-streaked glass.

"Yeah, so did I. A building that would be a vacant
lot if there was a decent bone in the owner's body."

Mulder snorted. "We'll talk urban renewal after--"
This time, he shushed himself.

Scully tried to follow his gaze, but it was too damn
dark. "You can't possibly see anything, Mulder. What
the hell are you looking at?"

He tugged at the collar of his trench coat and
hunched his shoulders. "I'm not sure." He popped the
locks and reached for the door handle. "Sit tight. No
sense both of us getting drenched." He was out of the
car and jogging toward the building before she could
blink.

Common sense warred with instinct for a long moment.
She had the door half open before common sense won
out. The odds that Mulder had managed to pick the
killer's next target out of all the possibilities in
the Baltimore area, let alone the exact night he
would strike, were just too remote to contemplate.
She pulled the door shut with a satisfying bang.

There's nothing in there but rats and graffiti.

He'd be back in five minutes, dripping wet. She sat
back to wait with one eye on the dashboard clock.

* * *

Mulder heard the car door slam as he sprinted through
the rain. When he reached the front door, he glanced
over his shoulder expecting to see Scully splashing
grimly after him. She wasn't. He shrugged, braced one
shoulder against the badly warped door and shoved.

Inside, the air was damp and foul. A musty blend of
urine and wet cardboard. He wrinkled his nose and
started into the room, stepping directly into a soft
pile of something he really didn't care to inspect
too closely. He edged carefully around the mess and
began to shine the flashlight over the walls in
search of the basement door. He found it rather
quickly.

An ancient oil furnace occupied the center of the
room, looking like a giant black octopus in the dark,
with ductwork for tentacles. He walked the perimeter
of the room and found nothing but solid cement-block
walls. No openings that might offer nesting
opportunities. He circled back to the stairs and
climbed back to the ground floor, planning to check
out the upper floors before calling it a night.

The stairway that led from the lobby to the second
floor was rickety at best, and the hand rail hung
loosely from broken brackets. Mulder proceeded with
caution, testing each step before putting his full
weight on it. When he reached the second floor, he
skirted yet another pile of rubbish and turned to his
left.

"Shit!" His shin had connected painfully with
something low and hard. He bent down to rub at the
spot, cursing under his breath.

A cough--- or a sob-- somewhere off to his right.

He stood up and listened, holding his breath in the
silence. There was nothing more. He took a deep
breath and started picking his way toward the source
of the sound.

* * *

Ten minutes. That was twice as long as it should have
taken him to realize there was nothing to see.

So, what the hell was he *doing* in there?

She eyed the horn button, her fingers itching to give
it a good blast and get Mulder's ass back out here.
Not that he'd come running if she did, Scully mused.
He'd just jump a foot and drop his flashlight. Or his
gun. Or trip down the stairs.

Liver-eating mutants aside, there were still too many
ways Mulder could get into trouble when left to his
own devices.

She'd give him ten more minutes.

Two minutes later, she grabbed the keys from the
ignition and got out of the car.

He'd left the front door ajar, obviously hoping she'd
come after him. The place reeked of urine, even with
the wind blowing through the open door. She opened
her mouth to call him--

The gunshot was so loud and so unexpected that it
stunned her for an instant. She heard something hit
the floor upstairs, followed by what sounded like a
child's voice. Screaming. "LEAVE US ALONE!"

She pulled out her gun and ran for the stairs.

* * *

The muzzle flash blinded him a split second before
the impact slammed into his right leg, throwing his
body hard against the doorframe. The leg immediately
collapsed and he dropped to the floor like an anvil.
He managed to hang on to his flashlight. His gun, he
noted with no surprise, was gone.

"LEAVE US ALONE!" A child's voice, shouting at him
from the darkness.

Getting out of the room would be the smartest move,
and if he could stand up, that's exactly what he
would be doing. He flashed his light toward the
voice, and his mouth dropped open in surprise.

A child no more than ten years old stared back at
him. Pale face. Huge, terrified eyes. And a snub nose
.38 revolver, shakily pointed at Mulder's chest.

He quickly ran the light over the rest of the room.
The boy was alone.

"Put the gun down, okay? I won't hurt you."

"I--I thought you were--" The gun lowered slightly,
and the sobs began. Deep, wracking sobs that made the
gun waver dangerously.

"MULDER!" Scully's voice, and it was very close.

"Stay back, Scully!" The child had roused at the
sound of her voice and the gun was now aimed directly
at the doorway.

"Are you alright?"

He had one hand pressed against the hole in his
thigh, which was bleeding like there was no tomorrow.
*How's that for a cheery thought?* "For now, yeah.
Just stay back."

He kept his eyes on the boy-- more specifically, on
the gun in the boy's hands. He lowered his voice to
what he hoped was a soothing timbre. "I'm an FBI
agent. My name is Mulder. What's your name, son?"

The boy was squinting into the glare from the
flashlight. Mulder lowered it slowly.

"J--Jason" He was holding the gun with both hands,
his elbows braced on his knees, and he had both index
fingers curled around the trigger.

"Your arms have got to be hurting. That gun's very
heavy, isn't it? Why don't you put it down?"

Jason's eyes narrowed. "He sent you to get me."

Mulder leaned his spinning head back against the
wall. The blood flowing over his fingers wasn't
slowing down, and he was getting dizzier by the
second. He had no idea what the kid would do if he
passed out. "I don't know who you're hiding from, but
I can help you."

The child sniffled and took one hand off of the gun
long enough to swipe at his nose. Mulder held his
breath as the boy adjusted his grip, tightening his
fingers around the trigger.

"Jason, I know you didn't mean to shoot the gun, but
it's going to happen again if you don't put it down."

"Jason?" Scully again.

Mulder looked to his left and saw that she'd crept up
next to the doorway without making a sound. The boy
looked up quickly when she called his name, his face
filled with hope.

"Mom? Is that you?"

"No, Jason. I work with Mulder. Can I come in?"

Mulder flashed her a warning look, which she ignored.
"We want to help you, Jason, but I need to help
Mulder first. Will you let me do that?"

Having another person to deal with was apparently
more than the boy could handle. He pointed the gun at
the doorway and fired.

Scully's body jerked in reaction to the gunshot, but
the round buried itself harmlessly in the opposite
wall with a shower of plaster dust. She sidestepped
away from the door, weapon held high in her right
hand. "Jason, I won't come in! I'm not coming in!"

She heard panicked breathing inside the room, not
sure if it was the boy or Mulder. Then a cough. That
was definitely Mulder. He was talking softly to the
boy, calming both of them.

Sirens in the distance brought a rush of relief and
alarm at the same instant. All the boy needed was
something to push him over the edge, and this might
well be it. She'd called 911 when Mulder warned her
to stay out of the room, hearing in his voice that
he'd been hit and having no idea what he was facing.
Now she wished fervently that she'd told them not to
announce their approach.

Movement in the room made her breath catch. Too heavy
to be the boy, it had to be Mulder. A shout from the
boy confirmed her impression.

"Don't move!"

Silence.

Scully stepped toward the doorway. "Jason, I called
for an ambulance for Mulder. No one is going to come
in there unless you say it's okay. I'm going down to
tell the ambulance to wait." She waited for a
response. Nothing. "Jason, do you understand?"

Mulder answered her. "Jason's a little shook up right
now. I think he'll be okay, though. Right, Jason?" No
response. "He's okay, Scully. Go tell the ambulance
to wait."

He sounded terrible. "I'll be back soon." She pressed
her head against the wall and closed her eyes for a
moment. *Hang in there, Mulder* She headed for the
stairs with her heart pounding in her throat.

* * *

Morrissey's Bar
12:04 am

Carly had her back to the room, but she could see him
in the dirty mirror. Jake was losing at pool. Nothing
put him in a nastier mood-- except maybe Jason, when
he ran through the apartment. Or slammed a door. Or
looked at Jake the wrong way.

Or breathed.

And what did *she* do? Why, she did her maternal duty
and made the boy stay out of Jake's path. *Don't
upset him, Jason. He's had a rough day.*

But *every* day was rough for Jake. The world was out
to get him, and Jake was damn well going to make the
world pay for all the wrong it had done him. Starting
with Carly. And Jason. And anyone else foolish enough
to displease him.

The problem was, you never knew what displeased him
until it was too late. Not until his fist connected
with whatever part of you wasn't quick enough to get
out of the way.

Jason was usually quick enough. But not tonight.

*Please, mommy. Let's just GO! Let's just go away!*

Red finger marks on his pale cheek, crisscrossed with
tears.

But he'd sassed Jake. Jason knew better than that.
Her own father would have used the strap on her
behind if she'd talked to him the way Jason did with
Jake. And she had turned out all right.

Spanking was a normal part of raising a kid.

Spanking. Not beating.

She'd gone out with Jake tonight to get him away from
Jason.

*Mommy, please!*

Carly took a long swallow from her drink. It was
mostly melted ice, now. Not enough alcohol left to
mute the shame. There wasn't enough alcohol in the
world to make her forget what her life had become--
what her son's life had become-- because she was too
weak, too afraid, to do the right thing.

She needed some air. She pushed her stool back from
the bar and stood. Jake's back was to her. Five
minutes. He'd never notice.

The door closed behind her, silencing the racket as
if someone had pulled the plug. Her ears rang in the
silence as she took a deep breath of fresh air. It
made her a little dizzy.

Sirens. A lot of sirens.

And they were stopping nearby.

Fire. There could be a fire in the apartment
building, and Jason was alone. She'd left him alone
to go drinking with the man who hurt him.

Tears of terror and regret blurred her vision as she
took off at a dead run for home.

* * *

"I'll send a team around back. There's got to be a
rear entrance. We'll--"

The street was rapidly filling with emergency
vehicles and people drawn to the commotion. Scully
knew she could do nothing about the noise, but she
would damn well keep everyone out of the building
until she was ready for them.

"You can't do that. All I did was *talk* about going
into the room and he shot at me. Send a SWAT team in
there, and you'll get my partner *and* the boy
killed."

The SWAT lieutenant planted both hands on his hips
and glared down at her. Scully raised her chin and
glared right back. Finally, he nodded. "I'll give you
fifteen minutes."

"You'll give me as long as it takes to get my partner
out of there alive."

This stare-down was much shorter. He reached inside
the door of the van and came up with a two-way radio
which he thrust into her hands. "Leave the mike open.
I want to hear everything that goes on in there. If
things get dicey, we're coming in."

Scully's cell phone rang before she could respond.
She tucked the radio in her pocket and snatched the
phone to her ear. "Scully."

"I'm on my way. What's the situation?"

Skinner. The Baltimore police must have called him.
She hadn't done so herself for the same reason she
wasn't going to fill him in now. They were running
out of time. "Sir, I'm going in to get Mulder. The
lieutenant can give you the details." She handed her
phone to the man in front of her, pulled the radio
out of her pocket and sprinted back toward the
building.

* * *

Direct pressure wasn't working, judging by the puddle
growing around him. "Jason, I need to take my belt
off--"

"NO! NO!" The gun, which the boy had lowered to his
lap a few minutes ago, came up again. "DON'T!!"

Mulder raised his hands, feeling the blood rush over
his leg when he lifted the pressure. "I need to put
it around my leg, that's all. I'm not in any shape to
come after you, Jason. Can't you see that?"

Jason seemed to really look at Mulder for the first
time. The gun dropped to his lap. "Are you gonna
die?"

"No, I'm not, but I need to put a tourniquet on my
leg. That's what I'm going to do with the belt. Is
that okay, Jason?" He lowered his hands and began to
unbuckle his belt, keeping his eyes fixed on the gun.

The boy nodded. "I--I didn't mean to hurt you. I--"

Footsteps in the hall. The gun was back in play, now
aimed at the door.

"Scully?"

"It's me, Mulder. How are you doing?"

"Don't come in yet. Jason and I were just talking
about how we're gonna get out of here."

Jason looked at Mulder as if he'd just sprouted a
second head. Mulder moved the flashlight so the boy
could see him smiling. "We just need a little more
time."

Scully stayed out in the hall, but Mulder could feel
her nervous energy. He could use some of that
himself. Things were getting very fuzzy.

"Jason, are you looking for your mother?" She was
evidently not going to sit quietly and wait.

Mulder had the flashlight sitting on its end while he
worked on his belt. He looked up to see Jason's lips
quivering as he tried to respond to Scully's
question. He succeeded on the third try.

"Do you know my mommy?"

"I don't know her, Jason, but I'll find her for you.
Is that what you want?"

"Shit!"

"Mulder, what's wrong?" There was an edge of panic in
her voice.

The curse had slipped out before he could stop it. "I
just got the tourniquet on my leg. I didn't expect it
to... feel like this." There was no need to tell her
how much pain he was in when there was nothing she
could do about it. "It's okay now." She wouldn't
believe that any more than *he* did.

* * *

Scully could hear Jason crying.

"You won't under-arrest her, will you?"

The childish term squeezed her heart. What the hell
could have driven a child to do something like this?
And where did he get the gun?

"Of course not, Jason. I just want to bring her to
you. Will you tell me where I can find her?"

"Tell her, Jason." Mulder's voice had deteriorated to
a hoarse whisper. Scully's heart sank at what that
told her about his condition.

"Jason, you've got to let me come in there and help
Mulder." She didn't try to disguise the urgency in
her voice. The boy needed to understand how serious
the situation had become. "I won't come near you,
okay?"

"What about my mom? You said you'd get my mom! Her
name is Carly Mathers, and she's at Morrissey's Bar
with *him*." He was crying again. "You have to bring
her to me NOW!"

"That's in the next block, Scully. Go get his mother.
I'll be okay."

'Okay' was a massive overstatement. The thought of
leaving him like this... "Okay, Mulder. I'll go get
her. Do you hear that, Jason? When I come back with
your mom, you've got to let me come in there, too."

Silence. Then, "Okay. But only you."

"I'll be right back." That was for Mulder's benefit
more than Jason's.

As soon as she reached the first floor, she spoke
into the radio the lieutenant had given her. "Did you
copy that?"

"Yes, Agent. We've got a car on the way to pick up
the mother."

It was Skinner, and it sounded as if he'd taken
charge of the scene. Thank God. Scully spoke into the
radio as she jogged out of the building. "I need an
emergency kit and all the O neg blood or plasma you
can get your hands on."

Skinner spotted her coming across the yard and
started forward to meet her. The SWAT lieutenant
stopped him. They were still deep in conversation
when Scully reached them. Skinner turned and grabbed
her shoulder with an intensity that alarmed her.

"The woman isn't there. Her boyfriend is, and he says
he didn't see her leave."

"What about her home?"

"Car's on the way to check it out."

Scully felt her stomach roll over. They didn't have
time for this. "Get me the medical supplies. I'll go
back and talk my way in."

"Sir?"

Scully and Skinner turned toward the voice to find a
patrolman approaching. He was accompanied by a blonde
woman who was struggling to run ahead of him. Her
face was streaked with mascara-stained tears.

"Please! I've got to get in there! My son!"

She was babbling drunkenly, but it was immediately
obvious to Scully who she was. "You're Carly Mathers,
aren't you? How did you know Jason was here?"

"W-We lived here before they condemned the building.
He's come here before to hide when--"  She shook her
head, and the crying took on an hysterical edge.

Skinner took a step toward the woman, but Scully got
there first. She grabbed Carly Mathers by the
forearms and squeezed until the woman focused on her.
"We can't go in until you pull yourself together. My
partner is bleeding to death, and your son won't let
me help him unless you're there." She gave the woman
a none-too-gentle shake. "Do you hear me?"

Carly took a shaky breath and nodded. "Yes. I just
want to see my son." She gave Scully a pleading look.
"I need to see him."

* * *

"I understand more than you think," Mulder whispered.

Jason kept his eyes on the gun in his lap. "No you
don't. Nobody does."

"I know it feels that way--" He'd shifted his leg to
get a better grip on the belt and was rewarded with a
bolt of pain that shot all the way to his belly.
Mulder rubbed gingerly at the area above the
makeshift tourniquet, trying to slow his breathing.
"You think you're alone, don't you? That no one can
help you?"

"My mom doesn't know. She--" the boy sniffled and
took a shaky breath. "She's afraid to be alone. She
told me if I don't behave, Jake will leave and she'll
be alone." He looked at Mulder with eyes much too old
for his face. "It would be my fault."

"Does he hit you, Jason?" Mulder was afraid he
already knew the answer. "Is that who you're hiding
from?"

The boy shook his head. "Not hiding. This used to be
my room. Before we moved in with *him*. I come here
sometimes."

"Is that Jake's gun?" The room started to spin
lazily.

Jason looked down at the gun in his lap, nodding. "I
took it. He can't stop us now."

The room speeded up. "Jason, I want you to listen to
me. You don't have to do this on your own. There are
people who can help your mom. They can help both of
you." Mulder pressed his head back against the wall,
trying to steady his failing equilibrium.

"Can *you* help me?"

"I'll do whatever I..."

"Mister? Hey, are you okay?"

Mulder swallowed down a rush of nausea, breathing
raggedly. "Yeah, I'm just a little... lightheaded.
Hang on a second." He was a *lot* lightheaded, trying
desperately to stay upright. Scully should be back by
now...

"Mister?"

Someone poking at his shoulder. But he couldn't get
his eyes open. "I need... res' a minute..." He could
feel the wall sliding along his back.

Then nothing.

* * *

"Scully, I don't think this is the best w--"

"It's the *only* way, Sir. We can't wait any longer."

An EMT rushed up to Scully carrying a large, orange
plastic chest. "Four units O neg, 2 plasma. That's
all we've got in the rig." He set the case down at
her feet, eyeing her doubtfully. "It's pretty heavy.
You might need some help getting it upstairs."

Scully gave him a withering look and hoisted it up
with one hand. She traded her flashlight for a high-
power lantern. "Put the radio in my pocket," she told
Skinner. He did, and Scully headed back to the
building with the child's mother in tow.

Scully called to Jason as they approached the silent
room. "I'm back, Jason, and I've got your mom with
me." She pulled Carly to a stop just outside the
door. "Jason?"

"Jason, it's mommy!" Pause. "Jason?"

Carly looked at Scully. "What's wrong? Why won't he
answer me?"

Scully took Carly's hand and spoke quietly. "He's
hiding from someone. Do you know who that might be?"

The woman's face twisted in anguish. She dropped her
gaze to the floor. "Yes," she whispered. "I know why
he's hiding." She took a breath, gathering herself.
"Honey, Jake's not here. He won't hurt you anymore."
She squared her shoulders and her voice strengthened.
"I won't let him hurt you anymore."

So much suddenly made sense. Scully looked at the
woman beside her with a mix of pity and disgust,
calling out to the boy. "Jason, your mom can't come
in until you put the gun down."

He called back, tears in his voice. "Okay. Here." The
gun came sliding through the door and stopped against
the far wall. "Go to your son." Carly ran, and Scully
followed, speaking into the radio as she went to her
partner. "All clear. Send in the EMT's."

Mother and son were embracing a few feet away, but
Scully's attention was focused on Mulder. He was
slumped against the wall, one hand loosely tangled in
the belt around his leg.

"Mulder?" She pulled the tourniquet tight. Locking
the barn door after the horse is gone, her mind
gibbered hysterically. The pool of blood around him
was horrifying. "Mulder, can you hear me?" His skin
was like ice.

Footsteps pounding up the stairs, Voices shouting.
The rattle of equipment coming down the hall.

"Mulder?"

"Ma'am, you'll have to move aside."

Hands pulling at her shoulders. She touched his face
one more time, and stood up.

Uniformed officers ushered Carly and Jason from the
room. People were everywhere, blocking her view of
her partner. An arm came around her shoulders. She
looked up into Walter Skinner's worried face.

A moment later, one of the EMT's kneeling at Mulder's
side turned around to look at them. "If one of you is
Scully, he wants to talk to you."

She all but knocked the men aside. "Mulder?"

He was trying to look at her, but couldn't keep his
eyes open. His voice was so low, she had to lean in
to hear. "Don't let... take... home. Jake..." He
swallowed hard and tried again. "Hurt him..."

He was gasping now, and the beeps from the heart
monitor became erratic.

"We have to transport him NOW."

She put her hands on either side of Mulder's face and
kissed his forehead. "I promise, I'll take care of
it. Don't worry, okay?" Mulder's eyes were closed
now, and he wasn't responding to her at all.

"Ma'am, we have to go." He looked ready to haul her
away bodily.

"I'm coming with him in the ambulance."

Skinner resumed his place at her side, as if daring
the EMT's to deny her. Wisely, they didn't.

* * *

St Agnes Hospital
Baltimore, MD
One week later

The worst part about crutches was that they made your
armpits so sore, it was worse than the injury that
forced you to use them.

*Well, almost,* he winced, edging off the bed to step
gingerly on his damaged leg.

Scully walked into the room a moment later, in time
to catch his quick scoot back onto the bed while his
crutches stood idly against the wall where she'd
placed them.

"Hi, Scully." He was trying not to look as guilty as
he felt. Judging by her expression, he failed.

"I'll put you in five-point restraints until your leg
is healed if you try that again."

He gave her his best leer. "Oooh, kinky!"

"You wish." She turned to pick up his duffel bag, but
not before he saw her smile.

"Mister...um, Mulder?"

A blonde woman stood just outside the door. He
assumed she was someone from the admitting office
with his discharge forms. "You here to spring me?"

The woman's face went blank, and Scully cleared her
throat. "Mulder, this is Carly Mathers."

"Oh."

Silence.

Scully cleared her throat again. "I'll just go see
about those discharge forms." She avoided his eyes on
her way out of the room.

Carly Mathers stepped out of his sight for a moment
to let Scully pass, then came hesitantly into the
room. She was avoiding his eyes, too. "I know you
probably don't think much of me."

"I don't know you, Mrs. Mathers." He waited for her
to look at him. "How is your son?"

Her eyes filled. "He's good, Mr. Mulder. He's here.
He wants to see you, but I wanted to talk to you
first. The police told me what you did for us, and I-
-" Her voice failed. She swallowed hard and tried
again. "I wanted to thank you."

It had taken a lot of talking, but the authorities
had finally agreed with him. The boy had acted under
extreme duress resulting from physical and emotional
abuse by the mother's live-in boyfriend. The man was
criminally negligent in leaving a loaded gun where
the boy could get it, and he had violated his parole
by possessing the weapon in the first place. Even if
the mother was unwilling to press charges, the state
of Maryland certainly would. Jake Lipscomb would not
hurt Jason again.

"The only thanks I want is to know that you're going
to do whatever it takes to make a life for your son."

"Jason could have died. So many things could have..."
She paused to get her voice under control. "You got
us a chance to start over. I swear to you, I'll do it
right this time."

He studied her face for a long moment. "I'm holding
you to that."

"Mom?" Jason appeared at the door, ducking his head
shyly when he spotted Mulder.

Carly held her hand out to the boy. He came to her,
head still down, but stealing peeks at Mulder. "I'll
let you two talk for a few minutes." She bent down to
whisper something in her son's ear, and the child's
face lit up. She straightened, giving him a peck on
the cheek on the way up. Then she left them alone.

Jason watched her go, then kept his eyes on the
doorway.

"Your mom made you come here, didn't she?"

The boy shook his head, still facing the door. "I
have to talk about what I did. The doctor said." He
turned around and looked at Mulder. "Are you okay
now?"

Mulder smiled. "I'm okay now."

After a long pause, Jason pointed at the crutches.
"You gotta use those?"

Mulder recognized the deflection but decided to go
along. "For awhile, yeah."

Another long pause. Then, "I just wanted to tell
you... I'm sorry." He trailed off to a soft whisper,
but Mulder heard him.

"I know you are, Jason."

The boy's face relaxed into a genuine smile. "I gotta
go now." He started for the door.

"Jason, wait."

The boy skidded to a stop. "Yeah?"

Mulder dug through his duffel and came up with a
business card. He held it out. The boy walked slowly
up to him and took it. "That's my office number. My
cell phone number's there, too. I want you to promise
me that you'll let me know how you're doing."

"I can call you at the FBI?" Awestruck, saucer eyes.

"Anytime. I mean it. Day or night."

Jason's smile lit up the room. "Cool!" And with the
limitless energy reserved for eight-year-old boys, he
bounded from the room, nearly colliding with Scully
in the doorway. She side-stepped him with the grace
of a matador.

"I'd say you've made a friend for life." She came
over and sat next to him on the bed.

"I think he's gonna be okay."

Scully studied his face, then leaned over and kissed
him on the cheek. "Let's get you out of here." She
got up and headed directly for the dreaded crutches.

"Can't I use a cane? Or hop on one foot? Those things
*kill* me."

She grinned evilly. "Oh, you don't get to use these
yet. Your chariot awaits." She made a sweeping
gesture toward the door, where a nurse stood waiting
with a wheelchair. Scully waved her in.

He settled into the chair, grumbling under his
breath.

Scully dropped his duffel bad [bag] in his lap,
propped the crutches on the footrest, and started
pushing him toward the elevators.

"By the way, Mulder. Your liver-eating mutant was
captured this morning--"

"No shit?"

"--in the process of subduing his eleventh victim."

"No shit!"

"You're repeating yourself."

They rolled to a stop at the elevator, and Scully
reached over him to push the 'down' button. Mulder
snagged her hand and tugged her around in front of
him.

"So, who *is* it?"

The elevator dinged its arrival. Scully made him wait
while she maneuvered his chair through the doors.

"Not *it*, Mulder. *He*. Your mutant turns out to be
a very human freelance organ procurer. He wasn't
*eating* the livers. He was *selling* them."

Mulder considered that for a moment. "I think that's
worse."

"I'd have to agree."

The doors opened and she began wheeling him through
the lobby. "If it's any consolation, Mulder, you were
right about the building. He was dragging his victim
in through the back entrance when a squad car spotted
him."

"You're just saying that to make up for the
crutches."

* * *

The End