By Kathy Foote
kmfoote@charter.net
 

Date: December 4, 2004
Spoilers: None
Summary: Mulder and Scully can't seem to get to a seminar
without running into trouble
Rating: PG
Category: MT, Adventure
Disclaimer:  Fox and Carter own the characters.  I don't make
any money off this (who would pay me anyway), but I sure did
LOVE playing with them for a while.
Archive:  Sure thing, I'd be honored, but it would be nice if you
dropped me a note letting me know.
Acknowledgements: This is for Emmy who insisted that I write
another seminar story.  Thanks to my Mom for all her
wonderful help and to Vickie Moseley for her exceptional beta
work.
Note: This is not sequel to my earlier stories of the same name.
It is merely another story in, what has become a series of stories
with a common theme.  If you interested in reading the previous
stories, they can be found at: http://x-files.bytewright.com.

Feedback should be sent to kmfoote@charter.net.
 

How to Avoid Seminars Without Really Trying III

Patsy's Diner - Off Interstate 95 near Aberdeen, Maryland
7:55 a.m.

"How much longer before they get here, Stu?" Pete whispered
nervously.

"About 5 minutes sooner than the last time you asked" Stu
answered impatiently.  When Pete simply continued to stare at
him, obviously wanting more of a definitive answer, he looked
at his watch and rephrased his answer, "One hour...he said he
would be here by 9:00.  Would you just relax?"

He sighed, "I don't know why I didn't go with my brother when
we split up instead of you."

Stu was beginning to get irritated with Pete's whiny attitude.
"I'll tell you why.  Because I wanted to make sure that Max and
you didn't skip out with all the diamonds.  That was a big haul
we made last night and I wasn't about to be cut out.  Either you
or the diamonds were coming with me.  Now shut up and drink
your coffee"

Pete picked up his mug, took a big drink, and looked around the
diner, noticing that he and Stu were the only people there.  The
diner had eight booths along the window, eight tables, and a
long counter that separated the restaurant from the kitchen.
There had been a couple of truck drivers sitting at the counter
earlier, but they had left about 30 minutes ago.  This place sure
didn't get a lot of business, which was probably why Max had
picked it.

The sound of bells ringing signaled the opening of the front
door.  Stu looked towards the door to see two nicely dressed
people entering the shabby diner.

"Mulder, I'm warning you, this breakfast had better not delay us
from getting to the seminar on time.  It's still a couple of hours
to Philadelphia and we can't afford to be late.  We are already
skating on thin ice with Skinner."

"Actually, it's only an hour and eighteen minutes from
Aberdeen to Philadelphia; according to MapQuest", Mulder
countered.  He could tell by the lethal look in her eyes, she was
not amused.  "Relax, Scully.  I have it all planned out.  Based on
my calculations, we should get to the hotel no later than 11:00
a.m.  We have plenty of time for breakfast."

She examined him with a skeptical eye for a few moments
before finally giving in.  "Well, this place had better at least
have good coffee."

"Scully, you wound me.  Would I take you to a less than stellar
restaurant?" he said giving her one of his patented pouts.
Exchanging his pout for a smile, he continued, "Frohike says
this place is really good.  He says they make the best waffles
and I'm dying for a waffle.  Aren't you?  Besides, this place
isn't busy at all."

She looked around the diner, noticing only one other set of
customers.  "Yeah, I noticed the lack of customers.  Hummm, I
wonder why?"

The waitress poked her head out of the kitchen.  "I'll be right
with you folks.  You can sit anywhere you like."

"Come on, Scully.  I'm hungry.  Let's grab a booth", placing his
hand on her lower back, he guided her toward one of the open
booths.

Stu kept an eye on the couple as they moved to the booth.
Scully slid into one side of the booth with her back to Stu, while
Mulder, undoing the buttons of his jacket so he would be more
comfortable as he sat, took the other side.  As he unbuttoned his
jacket, it flapped open just enough to reveal his sidearm.  Stu
quickly averted his eyes, whispering "Shit!"

Pete looked up at him, "What?  What is it?"

"That couple that just came in...the guy...he's carrying a gun."

Pete started to turn so he could get a look at them, but Stu
grabbed his arm, "Are you an idiot?  Don't look at them."

"Now what do we do?  Do you think they know about us?
What about Max?" Pete nervously rattled out a series of
questions.

"Would you shut up and let me think."  Stu kept a covert eye on
the couple in the booth, desperately trying to come up with a
plan.  Maybe the couple would leave before Max showed up,
maybe not.  He didn't want to take that chance.  He and Pete
could leave, but he didn't want to miss Max.  He could call Max
and find out what he should do.  No, he didn't need Max telling
him what to do; he would figure it out on his own.  Maybe he
should try and take them.  The guy was probably some kind of
cop; more than likely a detective by the way he was dressed.

The waitress came over to Mulder and Scully carrying a couple
of menus, a pot of coffee, and two mugs.  "Coffee?"

"Yes, please", they answered in unison.

She placed the mugs on the table and filled them with hot
coffee.  She also placed a menu in front of each of them.  "I'll
give you a few minutes and then I'll be back to take your order."
She checked on Stu and Pete, warming up their coffees, before
she returned to the kitchen area.

Scully doctored her coffee with cream and sugar and took a
tentative sip.  She closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh.

"Well?  How is it?" Mulder queried.

She opened her eyes to see him intently staring at her.
"Ok...you were right, the coffee is amazingly good.  If the food
is half as good as the coffee, I will be happy."

Shortly after reviewing the menu, the waitress returned
intending to take their order.  Looking at Scully first, she
asked, "What would you like?"

"I'll have half a grapefruit and a toasted bagel.  Do you have any
light cream cheese?"  Mulder rolled his eyes hearing her order.

"No.  We only have regular cream cheese.  Will that be okay?"

"Yes, that'll be fine.  Thanks."

"Boy, Scully, you sure know how to live dangerously."  Scully
narrowed her eyes at his comment.  "I'll have the Patsy's special
breakfast, with eggs over easy, crisp bacon, and a waffle on the
side."

Now it was Scully's turn to roll her eyes.  "I can hear your
arteries hardening from here.  Talk about living dangerously"

As the waitress left to place their orders, Mulder started looking
around the diner, spotting the restroom sign at the entrance to a
short hallway.

"Ummm, be right back."  He left the booth and disappeared
down the hallway.

"He's on the move.  Go cover that hallway from the counter. I'm
going to have a talk with the lady."  Stu rose, pulled out his
gun, and approached the other booth.  Suddenly, he slid into the
booth beside Scully, shoving her over, with his gun jammed
into her ribs.  "Keep your hands on the table, lady, where I can
see them.  Just keep enjoying your coffee."

Scully was taken by complete surprise and she gasped as she
felt the gun against her ribs.  Where had this guy come from?
"What's this ab...?"

"Quiet!" emphasizing the point with a quick jab to the ribs.
"Let's just sit here calmly and wait for your friend."

Scully's eyes were glued to the hallway where she had seen him
go.  A thousand questions flooded her mind; primarily who the
hell was this guy and what did he want?  She heard what
sounded like a door closing down the hallway and figured
Mulder was coming back.  As he stepped back into the dining
area, he spotted some guy sitting with Scully and she didn't look
too happy about it.  As he was walking back to the booth, he
reached his hand inside his jacket to unsnap the strap on his
holster, in case he would need it.

"Hey you!" Pete called out from behind Mulder.  As he turned
to see who had yelled, he heard a gunshot.  At the same instant
he felt fire burn through his side.  The force of the bullet
knocked him off his feet.  He immediately clasped his hands
over the point of pain.

Pete pointed his gun in the direction of the waitress and cook in
the kitchen area.  "Don't move or someone else will get shot."
The cook was an old guy and he didn't look like he would cause
any trouble.  The waitress was a young woman in her twenties
and she stood there hugging herself, looking scared to death.
Pete decided they would not be a problem.

For a moment Mulder was disoriented, but he soon realized that
he had been shot and that Scully was still in danger.  He reached
for his weapon, but was stopped before he could grab it.  Pete
took Mulder's gun and pointed it at him.  Mulder looked up into
the barrel of his own gun, being held by a guy wearing a
sadistic grin.  He remembered he had seen this guy earlier
sitting a few booths away.

"_Why_ does this shit always happen to me?" he moaned, as he
pressed his hands against the wound trying to stop the flow of
blood.

"Mulder!" Scully screamed as she saw him go down.  "Move!
Let me out...I need to check on him."

Stu quieted her with a poke of the gun and asked in a calm
voice, "Who is that guy?  He some kind of cop?"

Her only answer was a very staccato "Let.Me.Go.To.Him!"  Stu
shook his head and refused to budge; they were at a stalemate.

"Check him out!" Stu yelled at his partner, who was standing
there nervously pointing his gun at the fallen man.

"Want to tell me who you are?" asked Pete as he reached into
Mulder's jacket pocket and removed his badge.  He flipped open
the badge and his eyes widened as he read FBI.  "Hey Stu!  He's
FBI!"  Pete held out the badge for Stu to see.  "Woohoo!  I
bagged me an FBI agent.  I can't believe it!  I can't wait to tell
Max.  What are we going to do with him?"

"Just calm the hell down, Pete."  Looking back at Scully, "So
he's FBI, huh?  What about you?  Do you work with him?"
Scully just continued to stare daggers at him.  "Listen lady, you
had better start answering my questions.  Get up!"  He dragged
her out of the booth and patted her down, finding her gun in its
holster behind her back.  Shoving her gun into his waistband, he
rummaged through her purse, finding her badge.  "Great!
They're both FBI agents.  Make sure he isn't carrying anything
else."  He couldn't believe their luck; all of them showing up at
the same restaurant.

Pete roughly searched through the rest of Mulder's pocket,
eliciting several gasps of pain.  He pulled out his keys, cell
phone, and cuffs, throwing them on the ground nearby.  He
patted down each leg and discovered his ankle gun.
"Bingo...got another gun."  He took the gun and slipped it
inside the waistband of his jeans.

Stu told Scully to get back in the booth, but she wouldn't move.
She kept looking at Mulder as he lay bleeding on the floor.  She
made a move toward Mulder, but Stu stopped her, tightening his
grip on her arm.  "Look", she said, "_I_ am going to care for my
partner...like it or not.  If you want to stop me...shoot me."

Stu could see the determination in her eyes and decided it
wouldn't hurt to let her take a look at him.  "Fine...go!"  He
shoved her in the direction of Mulder, releasing her arm.  "Pete!
Keep an eye on the lady."

She rushed over to Mulder and dropped to her knees at his side.
"Mulder?  Mulder...can you hear me?"

She felt the barrel of a gun poke her in the shoulder.  "Hey".
She turned to see Pete standing over her, one gun pointed at her
shoulder and the other trained on Mulder's head.  "You try
anything, and I will put a bullet in his head.  Got it?"  She
nodded in agreement.

While Pete kept an eye on the agents, Stu ordered the cook and
waitress into the corner of the diner furthest from the door,
where he could watch them.  No one attempted to confront the
criminals and they moved quietly into the corner.  Stu quickly
frisked each one to ensure they weren't carrying anything.
Better safe then sorry.

The blood was seeping through Mulder's shirt from the gunshot
to his side.  It had bled quite a bit, but it was not gushing.
Thank God, she thought, the shot must have missed any
arteries.  Mulder had his eyes clenched shut and his hands
pressed firmly against his side.  She needed to examine the
wound and tried to pry his hands away.  He only moaned and
pressed harder.  "Mulder?  Come on Mulder, I need to take a
look.  You have to move your hands."  Reluctantly, he removed
his hands and placed them palms down on either side of his
body.

She pulled his shirt out of his pants and unbuttoned it, revealing
the blood soaked t-shirt beneath.  She gently pulled up the t-
shirt exposing the wound.  The bullet had entered his left side
below the rib cage, leaving an angry hole seeping blood.  Based
on the location of the wound, it looked like all vital organs had
been missed.  A welcome change from Mulder's usual luck.

"I _need_ towels or napkins or tablecloths; anything to stop the
bleeding," she yelled in Stu's general direction.  He just glared
back at her and made no move to answer her request.

The waitress tentatively stepped forward, raising her hand as if
asking for permission to leave the room.  "I...I can g...get her
some."

Stu turned his attention to the waitress when she spoke and she
took a step backward, scared of the man who wielded the gun.
He retuned his eyes to Scully, who continued to stare at him
with a determined look on her face.

"Fine!  Go!  Get her what she needs," he directed the waitress.

Satisfied, Scully returned her attention to Mulder.  "Mulder?
How are you feeling?  Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Just...peachy.  If I was able, I'd...get up and do a...happy
dance."  He cracked his eyes open and saw the serious look on
her face, which meant she wasn't amused with his answer.
Closing his eyes once again, he said with a sigh, "It burns like
Fire...okay?"

"Yeah...well, it's about to hurt a lot more."

His eyes flew open at her last statement.  "Why?  What do
you...mean?"

"I need to see if the bullet went straight through or is still
inside.  You need to roll onto your right side a little."

"O...kay, but be...gentle with me, Scully."

With her help, Mulder rolled onto his right side, accompanied
by a painful groan.  Scully could see a hole, matching the one
on the front, although larger in size.  The waitress returned with
tablecloths and napkins.  She knelt next to Scully and asked if
she could help.

"Thanks...uh."

"Linda."

"Thanks, Linda.  You don't have a first aid kit here, do you?"

"No, I'm sorry.  We don't even have a band-aid in the diner."

Scully took a couple of napkins, pressed it against Mulder's
side, rolling him onto his back, which put constant pressure
against the back wound.  She took some more napkins and
applied pressure to the wound on the front side and tied them in
place with a tablecloth.
 
"Pete!  Come here", Stu called to Pete.  "Don't worry about
them, they ain't going anywhere."

Pete gave one last glance at the agents and then he strolled
across the diner to talk with Stu.  Stu grabbed his arm and
pulled him in close.  "Now what the _hell_ are we going to do?"
he hissed.  "Did I tell you to shoot him?  No!  I said cover him.
Cover him!"

"You saw him going for his gun.  What was I supposed to do?
Let him shoot you?" Pete countered defensively.

Stu lowered his voice to a whisper.  "For Christ's sake.  He
wouldn't have shot as long as I had my gun on his partner.  Face
it...you're just trigger-happy.  You always have been.  Dammit!
What are we going to do if someone else comes in here?  Max
is supposed to be here within the hour."

Pete's eyes lit up as an idea popped into his head.  "Max!  Call
Max.  He'll know what we should do."

Stu hated the idea of calling Max and letting him know that he
couldn't control the situation or his little brother.  Max had put
him in charge of keeping Pete out of trouble and look what
happened.

"All right.  I'll call Max."  Stu pulled out his cell phone and
dialed Max's number.  Finally the phone was answered, but it
was the voice mail.  "Shit!  Voice mail.  This is Stu.  We have a
bit of a problem here at the diner.  Call me as soon as you can."

"Now what?' queried Pete.

"We wait."

Scully had been straining to hear as much of their conversation
as possible, but she could only catch a few snippets.

"Can you hear what they're saying?"

Mulder's comment startled her and made her jump.  He yelped
as her hands jerked, putting pressure on his side.  She had been
concentrating on their conversation so hard, she had forgotten
about Mulder.

"Sorry, Mulder", she said apologetically.  "I caught a little.
Their names are Stu and Pete.  Pete is the one that shot you and
Stu seems pretty upset at him.  I think they are supposed to meet
someone here."
 
"You think we unwittingly stumbled in to their meeting place
and this trigger happy idiot shot me?"

"In a nutshell?  Yes.  Stu made a phone call, but I don't think
anyone answered the phone.  Stu is evidently in charge of these
two, but I think the one he called is the boss."

"We need to try and take these two, before anyone else shows
up.  Two against two are better odds than two against...who
knows."

"Take them how?  Mulder, they have our guns, not to mention
their own guns."  She turned to the waitress who was still sitting
at her side, "Linda?  Is there anything here we could use a
weapon?"

"We got knives.  That's about it."

"Knives?  Are they big sharp knives?" Mulder asked with
enthusiasm.

"Knives against guns, Mulder?  The odds would be poor at best.
We will have to think of something else."

With that, the entire diner lapsed into silence, people deep
within their own thoughts.

The silence was broken with the ringing of Stu's cell phone.
"Max?  We got trouble.  Our freakin' luck, a couple of FBI
agents walked into the diner here and your idiot brother shot
one of them."  Stu listened to the conversation on the other end,
alternately looking from Pete to the two agents.  "Yeah, he'll
live, but what if someone else walks in here.  We sure don't
need any more hostages...four...the two agents, the cook, and
the waitress...Yeah...Yeah...Emory Grove?  Yeah, I heard of
it..."  Stu moved the phone away from his mouth and told Pete
to get something to write on.  He ran to the counter, grabbed the
waitress's pen and order book, and brought them back to the
table.  Stu spoke back into the phone, "Go ahead...765 Roberts
Ave...got it.  What do we do with the hostages?  Ok, we'll see
you in an hour or so."  He closed and pocketed the cell phone.

Pete looked at him expectantly, "Well?  What did he say?"

"He ain't coming here, that's for sure.  He wants us to meet him
at your sister's house in Emory Grove.  He said to tie up the
hostages and leave them here, _but_ we should bring the FBI
agents with us.  They might come in handy in case we run into
any trouble.  See if you can find some rope or something and tie
up the cook and waitress."

Scully had been eavesdropping on his cell phone conversation.
When Pete went looking for some rope, she filled Mulder in on
what she had heard.  "Sounds like this Max isn't coming.
They're planning to meet him at his sister's house in Emory
Grove."

"What are they going to do with the hostages?"

"They're going to tie up the cook and waitress."

"_and_ what about us?"

"We will be accompanying them on they're trip.  They seem to
think we would be insurance."

Mulder groaned at the prospect of going anywhere other than a
hospital.  "Scully we have to look for an opportunity to escape.
We _cannot_ let them get to where they are going, especially
with us.  This may be our only chance."  She nodded in
agreement.

Pete found a stack of clean aprons behind the counter and used
them to bind the cook and waitress.  He tied their hands and
ankles together, so they couldn't get away.  He also used a
couple of napkins as gags, so they wouldn't be able to call out.
Satisfied with the job, he returned to Stu's side.  "Now what?"

"Let's pack up our agents and get out of here", Stu replied as he
moved to stand next to the agents, followed closely by Pete.
Looking down at Scully, he announced gruffly, "Come on.  Get
up.  We're getting out here.  Pete, grab those car keys."   Pete
bent over to take the keys he had earlier removed from Mulder's
pocket.

"What about their Ids and cell phones?  Should we take  them
too?"

"Naa, just leave them.  They ain't any good to us anyway."

Scully stood and addressed Stu, "He cannot be moved or he'll
start bleeding again.  Leave him behind and take me."

"No...No way.  You're not going by yourself, Scully", Mulder
managed to spit out in between painful groans as he attempted
to sit up.  "You're not leaving me behind."

"Mulder, you need a hospital," she stated adamantly.

"What makes you think I'm going to get to one if you leave me
behind?  I'm going."

"Enough!" Pete shouted, pointing his gun at Mulder's head.  "If
we leave him behind, it will be with a bullet in his head.  Your
choice."

"Fine", Scully huffed out and she bent down to help Mulder to
his feet.  He cried out several times at the pain, as he rose to
his feet.  By the time he made it to his feet, he was panting and
had broken out in a sweat.  Scully placed his arm over her
shoulder and she wrapped her arm around his waist to provide
support.  They slowly exited the diner.

As the group approached the car, Pete opened the back
passenger door and ordered Mulder inside.  Scully tried to
maneuver him into the backseat, but was not quick enough to
please Pete.  "Jeez, we don't have all day", exclaimed Pete.  He
seized Mulder's arm and shoved him inside, eliciting a yelp of
pain.

"Take it easy with him", Scully shouted.

Stu stepped in, "Shut up and get in the passenger seat."  She
decided not to argue and climbed into the front seat.  Pete and
Stu went around to the other side of the car, Pete getting in back
next to Mulder, and Stu taking the wheel.  The foursome left the
parking lot in the direction of Emory Grove.
 

En route to Emory Grove, Maryland
09:30 a.m.

Scully couldn't see Mulder, because he was directly behind her,
but she could hear his groans from time to time.  Mulder was
leaning back against the car door, holding the soaked tablecloth
in place.  He had been surreptitiously watching Pete,
desperately trying to formulate a plan.  He had to do something
before they reached their destination.  Pete had one gun in his
hand and at least two others on his person.  If he could catch
Pete off guard and wrestle the gun away, he could order them to
stop the car.  It wasn't a great plan, but he couldn't think of
anything else.  Hopefully, Scully would figure out what was
going on and somehow aid him from the front seat.

With a loud groan, Mulder doubled over, and then slumped to
the center of the back seat as if he had passed out.  Pete yelled
at him to get up and poked him with the gun, but Mulder lay
still.

Stu looked in the rearview mirror, "What's wrong?"  Concerned,
Scully turned in her seat so she could see into the backseat.
Mulder was slumped over in the middle of the seat.

"I don't know.  I think he passed out...either that, or he's
dead," stated Pete without any emotion.  Pete had leaned over to
get a closer look at him, when Mulder attacked, striking Pete in
the face with his right fist.  The blow stunned him for a moment,
but he soon regained his composure and brought his gun up to
point at Mulder.  Mulder grabbed the gun with both hands,
forcing the barrel of the gun to point at the ceiling.  He was
trying to wrestle the gun free from Pete's iron grip, when it went
off.  Pete repeatedly punched at Mulder with his free hand,
trying to force him to release the gun.

Stu was trying to watch what was transpiring in the backseat,
keep the car on the road, and draw his weapon at the same time.
Scully could see Mulder and Pete scuffling in the backseat and
decided she had to do something to help.  She grabbed the
wheel of the car with both hands and yanked it to the right,
trying to force the car off the road.  With only one hand on the
wheel, Stu was unable to prevent her from turning the wheel
and was thrown against the driver's door.  He managed to pull
the wheel back to the left with the one hand, but she had both
hands on the wheel and pulled hard to the right side again.  The
car fishtailed back and forth; finally coming to an abrupt halt in
the ditch, but not before the sound of a second gunshot was
heard.  Scully was thrown forward, but was prevented from
hitting the dash by the seatbelt and airbag.

In the backseat, Pete was thrown back against the door and lost
his grip on the gun when the car suddenly veered to the right.
Mulder quickly gripped the gun in his hand, but before he could
point it at Pete, the car jerked in the other direction.  Pete was
thrown on top of Mulder, causing him to scream in pain as an
elbow made contact with the wound in his side.  Pete quickly
grasped the gun, trying to regain control of the weapon.
Suddenly, the car jerked back to the right throwing Pete back up
against the door again.  Mulder was pulled with him, since they
both had a death-grip on the gun.  As they made contact with
the door, the gun went off.  As all forward momentum of the car
stopped, Mulder and Pete were thrown to the floorboard in a
heap.

Scully regained her senses quickly and realized everything was
very quiet in the car.  She looked around the car and noticed Stu
slumped against the door in the driver's seat.  She spotted his
gun lying on the floorboard, so she released her seatbelt and
scooped up the gun.  It was amazing how much better she felt
just having the gun in her hand.  She leaned over and checked
out the driver and found that he was out cold.  The driver's side
window was starred from where his head obviously had hit it.
She didn't have anything with which to secure the prisoner.  He
was unconscious, but he could become conscious at anytime.
She thoroughly searched him and found her weapon in the
waistband of his jeans.  She wished she had some way to
restrain him.  Until she found something, she would have to
hope he stayed unconscious.

She called out, "Mulder?"  There was no answer; only silence.
She turned and could see no one in the backseat.  Panicked, she
grabbed the keys from the ignition, exited the vehicle, and
opened the back passenger door.  Mulder and Pete were still on
the floor in the back, with Pete having landed on top.
Remembering the gunshot, she wondered if either of them had
been hit.  She reached in and tried to pull Pete off of Mulder.
Pete was dead weight.  She struggled to pull Pete out, but only
managed to wrench half of his body out the door.  She saw a
large red stain in the center of his chest and realized that he
had taken the bullet.  She took his pulse and determined he was
dead.  She could not drag his whole body out the door, because
his legs were stuck under Mulder.

Mulder had still not moved a muscle.  She had to climb over
Pete to get back into the car.  She placed her fingertips on
Mulder's neck and was relieved to feel a steady pulse.  How was
she going to get Mulder out of the car?  She tried to pull him up
onto the seat, but he was crammed in the small area between the
back and front seats and would not budge.  She heard the
crunching sound of tires as they hit gravel.  She looked up and
saw that a car had pulled off the road onto the shoulder.  Two
men exited the car and started to approach the car in the ditch
calling, "Is everybody okay?"

Scully scurried out of the car and waved to the two men, who
stopped dead in their tracks.  Confused as to why they stopped,
she remembered that she had the gun in her hand.  "No...no, it's
okay.  I'm a federal agent.  My partner is hurt", she pleaded with
the two men.  "Look, my partner and I were kidnapped from a
diner about an hour ago.  He's been shot and needs a doctor.
Please help me get him off the floor of the car and onto the seat
so I can check him out.  _Please_."

The two men looked each other trying to decide.  She looked
pretty small to be a federal agent, but she seemed so sincere.
Obviously, someone was hurt inside that the car and she was
extremely worried.

The two men moved closer, one joining Scully on the passenger
side of the car introducing himself, "The name's Pat.  That's
Jim."

She nodded at both men.  "I'm Scully...Agent Scully and that's
my partner, Agent Mulder."  Both men gasped when they
spotted Pete's body lying half way out of the car.  "Don't worry
about him...he's dead", Scully confirmed their suspicions.  "He
was shot during a scuffle between him and my partner.  His legs
are trapped under Mulder, so I couldn't pull him out."

Jim got his hands under Mulder's shoulders and lifted him
partially onto the seat, freeing Pete's legs.  Pat dragged Pete's
lifeless body from the car and onto the ground beside it.
Together the two men lifted Mulder's unconscious body off the
floor and laid him across the back seat of the car.

The men stepped back out of the way and Scully moved in to
examine him.  His wound was bleeding again; the bandage was
soaked with his blood.  She rechecked his pulse with her other
hand.  His skin was cold and clammy; obviously he was going
into shock.  "Mulder?  Mulder?" she called out to him and tried
to rouse him by lightly patting his check, but he was non-
responsive.  "He needs a hospital.  I think the guy in the
driver's seat has a cell phone.  Can one of you get it and call
911?"

Pat was already dialing his own cell phone.  "Already on it," he
said to Scully, then spoke into the phone, "We need the police
and an ambulance...there's been a car accident on Greenspring
Avenue, just west of Chestnut Ridge... "

"Pat...tell them an officer is down.  That will get them here
quicker."

"...There is an officer down and he needs an ambulance.  We
actually have two injured people."  He covered the mouthpiece
as he relayed the conversation to Scully.  "The operator says the
police will be here soon and two ambulances are on the way."

"Tell them we need a coroner's wagon."

"We also need a coroner's wagon.  Yeah, we got one dead body.
How do I know he's dead?  'Because he's got a big hole in the
chest and he's not breathing, that's how."

"Pat?  Do you have something we could use to tie up the driver?
He could regain consciousness at any time.  Also, do you have a
blanket or something to keep Mulder warm?"

"Yeah, I think we got some kind of rope in the trunk; maybe
even a blanket.  Hey Jim, can you go check?"  Jim ran back to
their car to root around in the trunk for supplies.

A few minutes later he returned with a piece of rope and a worn
blanket.  He handed the blanket to Scully, "Sorry about the
blanket, ma'am.  It's all I could find."

"Thanks.  It'll be fine.  He needs to keep warm, he's going into
shock."

Jim climbed into the front seat from the passenger door and
proceeded to tie Stu's hands to the steering wheel.  Not a
moment too soon, as he was starting to regain consciousness.
He groaned as he tried to sit up.  His eyes flew open as he
realized his hands were restrained.  He was yanking at his
bound hands, when he sensed he was not alone.  He turned to
look at Jim in the seat beside him, which elicited another
painful groan.  "Who...who the hell are you?"

Jim rechecked his knots and looked back at Scully, "Agent
Scully?  Looks like your _prisoner's_ awake."

"Thanks, Jim.  He'll be just fine until the cops show up."

Hearing her voice, Stu turned his head and glared at her in the
back seat, "You!  You stupid bitch, you almost killed us.  What
were you thinking?  Where the hell is Pete?"

"I was _thinking_ about saving my partner, that's what.  And
Pete is dead.  Shot by his own gun.  Now shut up before I have
Jim gag you."  Stu threw his head back against the headrest in
defeat and moaned at the pain that action caused.

At that same moment, Mulder began to awaken, shifting his
body on the seat.  He moaned, as the pain in his side reasserted
itself as well.  He and Stu were performing their own version of
dueling moans.

"Mulder?  Come on, Mulder, take it easy.  Try not to move too
much.  Everything is okay."

He opened his eyes at the sound of Scully's reassuring voice and
looked up at her concerned face, "Scully....you okay?"

She rolled her eyes at his question.  Typical Mulder; always
worried about everyone else, but himself.  She stroked her
fingers through his hair, brushing the bangs off his brow.  "I'm
fine.  I'm not the one that got shot.  Now just lie still.  The
police and an ambulance are on the way."  He closed his eyes
and relaxed as she continued to comb through his hair.

The group perked up as they heard sirens in the distance.  They
were getting closer and in a matter of minutes, a police car came
to a halt on the shoulder of the road, followed closely by two
ambulances.  The officers got out of their car with their
weapons drawn and made their way to the wrecked car.  No one
moved as they approached.  The EMT's stayed back, awaiting
notification from the police officers that everything was safe.
The officers noticed the driver was obviously injured and bound
to the wheel of the car.  "Who wants to explain what's going on
here?"

Scully stepped out of the car with a gun in each of her raised
hands.  She placed the guns on the roof of the car and took a
step back.  "I'm Special Agent Dana Scully with the FBI.  The
man in the backseat is my partner, Fox Mulder.  We were
forcibly taken at gunpoint from Patsy's Diner in Aberdeen about
an hour ago by this pair.  Please, my partner's been shot and
needs medical attention."

The officers took a few steps forward and peered into the
backseat of the car where they saw a man covered in blood.
One of the officers reached across the roof and took the guns
that had been placed there, while the other officer searched the
car.  Another gun was found on the floor of the backseat.
Convinced that everything was under control, he signaled to the
EMTs that is was safe and they raced to the car carrying their
medical kits.  One pair of EMTs began to assess the driver,
while the second pair went to work on Mulder.

One officer kept an eye on the occupants of the car, while the
other officer went around the car.  He immediately noticed the
dead body and called out to his partner, "We got a DB.  Looks
like he's been shot."  He turned to Scully, "Did you shoot him?"

"No.  He was shot in a struggle with my partner."

"Let me see some ID."

"I don't have any ID on me."  The officer gave her an
incredulous look.  "Look, as I said, we ran into the two subjects
at Patsy's Diner about two hours ago.  Pete", she said, pointing
at the dead guy, "shot my partner and they forced us to leave
with them in our car.  It's a bureau car.  You can check with
DMV.  Anyway, all our identification is at the diner.  They tied
up the other hostages and left them behind.  They were taking
us to meet...someone...partner, maybe...at a house in Emory
Grove.  The address is 765 Roberts Ave.  You should get
someone there immediately to take a look.  Be careful.  I would
assume them to be armed and dangerous."

"Emory Grove?  That's about 5 miles from here.  Hang on, let
me radio this in."  The officer relayed the information to the
dispatcher via his walkie-talkie.  They all listened as the
dispatcher responded that a kidnapping _had_ been reported.
Several people at a diner had called the Maryland State police
after they had been able to free themselves, reporting that an
FBI agent had been shot and kidnapped.  The officer glanced
back at Scully, "Guess that must be you."

Scully nodded, "That would be us.  We were on our way to
Emory Grove when Agent Mulder attacked the guy in the back
seat.  That's when this guy got shot.  I did what I could from the
front seat, I...I steered the car into a ditch."

Scully diverted her attention from the officer to the occupants of
the car.  Stu's head was now bandaged and the rope was
replaced by a set of handcuffs.  Mulder had an I.V. started and
the bloodied tablecloth had been replaced by a gauze bandage.
He seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness as the
EMTs worked to load him on the stretcher.

"Agent?  Agent Scully?" the officer called trying to get her
attention.  She broke eye contact with Mulder and focused on
the officer talking to her.  "What about these two guys?"

"These two gentlemen," indicating Pat and Jim, "stopped to
give us help.  I don't know what I would have done without
them."  She looked at them and offered her hand, "Thank you so
much.  You were both a tremendous help."

They both blushed red from the praise and each shook her hand,
"You're welcome, Agent Scully", said Pat, "I'm so glad we
could help.  I hope Agent Mulder will be okay."

With the mention of Mulder's name, Scully looked around and
saw that he had been strapped to the stretcher.  "We're ready to
transport", the EMT called out to the officer.  The police officer
acknowledged with a wave of his hand.

"Listen Officer...", Scully glanced at the name tag, "...Larson.
I really need to go with my partner."

"Go, Agent Scully.  We will wait here for the coroner and we'll
come by the hospital later to get a formal statement.  Go."

She smiled at the officer, "Thanks", and ran to catch up to the
ambulance before they could leave without her.
 

Emergency Room - Greater Baltimore Medical Center
10:45 a.m.

It only took about thirty minutes for the ambulance to make the
trip from the accident site to the hospital.  Mulder was
immediately rushed back to the Trauma Room, but Scully was
unable to enter.  She was directed to Admissions to fill out the
necessary forms.

While she waited, she called Skinner and filled him in on what
had transpired.  Since she didn't have her cell phone, she
managed to convince a nurse to let her use a hospital phone.
Skinner was not pleased to hear what had happened, making a
comment about not ever letting Mulder out of his sight again.
She gave him all the details.  He said he would track down the
officers involved and get an update.  He told her to keep him
posted about Mulder's condition and he would let her know
what he found out.

A few hours later, a doctor entered the waiting room and spoke
to Scully.  "Are you here with Fox Mulder?'

She stood up to address the doctor, "Yes I am.  How is he?"

"Hello, I'm Dr. Rains.  Please, let's sit down," he motioned
toward the chair.  She hated when they did that; it was usually
followed by bad news.

"Is...is he going to be okay?" asked Scully nervously.

"Oh, yes.  I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you.  He'll be fine.
The bullet went straight through missing all vital organs.  He
was extremely lucky.  A few inches in any direction and it could
be a different story.  He did bleed quite a bit, but he won't need
a blood transfusion.  We've cleaned and bandaged the wound.
We've started him on a course of antibiotics and he's been given
something for the pain.  Right now, he is resting comfortably."

"When will he get out of here?"

"Well, barring any complications or infections, he should be out
in a few days.  He won't be 100% for a few weeks though."  The
doctor stood to leave, but added, "We're just waiting for
Admitting to get him a room.  I'll have someone come get you
when he is ready to be moved."

Scully stood and extended her hand, "Thank you so much, Dr.
Rains.  I'll be right back; I need to let our boss know how he is
doing."

The doctor shook her hand.  "You're welcome.  Someone will
be out shortly," he said as he turned to leave.

Scully asked to use the phone again.  She had found the same
nurse that had let her use the phone earlier.  She informed
Skinner about Mulder's condition and in return, he filled her in
on what had happened at the address she had given them.  He
said they had raided the house and had captured the others
without incident.  The men had evidently robbed a jewelry store
in Philadelphia and made off with a hundred thousand dollars in
jewels.  There were three individuals at the house; two others
who were obviously involved in the robbery and the owner of
the house.
 

Greater Baltimore Medical Center - Room 727
3:00 p.m.

Scully sat in Mulder's room watching him sleep.  He had been
sleeping since he was moved into this room about 3 hours ago.
She thought he should be waking up soon.  As soon as the
thought had entered her head, he began to shift in the bed; a
sure sign of awakening.

She stood and leaned into his line of sight, "Mulder?  Hey
Mulder...come on, wake up.  I'm getting bored watching you
sleep."  She smiled at her last statement, knowing that only
Mulder would appreciate the sarcastic statement.

"Scully, you know you love to watch me sleep."

"Well, it is awfully peaceful.  How are you feeling?"

"I'm actually feeling really good right now.  I must be on the
good stuff.  You want to fill me in on what happened?  It's
pretty foggy after I tried to get the gun from Pete."

Scully filled Mulder in on everything that had happened.  She
told him that she had spoken with Skinner and he had
congratulated them on apprehending the suspects and
recovering the jewels; even though they had simply "fallen into
it".

"He said that he is _not_ sending us to any more seminars,
because it is a waste of Bureau paperwork.  He could not
understand why we are incapable of going from Washington
DC to a seminar in Philadelphia without running into trouble.
He also said that if he _ever_ sent us to another seminar, he was
going to go with us to ensure we got there and to keep us out of
trouble."

Mulder rolled his eyes, "AD Skinner acting as nursemaid?
That'll be the day."

The End