Stain of Purity

by Nicknoc
nicknoc@hotmail.com

All parts can be found at http://members.xoom.com/nicknoc/

Part 6 of 11


Scully's Bedroom
Rockhampton, Indiana
13th April, 2000
7.30AM

Scully stretched as she woke, relishing the feeling of lengthening
her stiff muscles. Rolling over, she looked at the clock by the side
of her bed.

7.30!

Doing quick calculations, she realized she'd slept for about nine
hours. That would have to be a recent record.  She lay there for a
few moments longer, appreciating the quiet morning noises. The sounds
were different here. In her apartment, she was greeted in the
mornings by the sound of cars.  Here, she could make out a child
laughing, birds and a clinking noise from the kitchen. Was Mulder
making breakfast?  The noise of him moving around made her feel
bitter-sweet.  It reminded her of times long past when she actually
had someone in her life to make her breakfast, and wake her up with a
cup of coffee.

It was the thought of coffee that got her out of bed, and into the
shower.  She was still toweling her hair when she entered the
kitchen.  The good thing about her new hair style was that it could
dry naturally before she curled it.

Mulder was standing over the stove with a spatula in his hand, and a
dish towel thrown over his shoulder. He had on old jeans, and no
shirt - he'd obviously showered just before her, as his hair was
still damp. Whatever he was cooking, he'd certainly made a mess doing
so, she thought, taking in the bowls, empty egg carton, spilt milk
and various dirty utensils littered around the kitchen.

He turned around as when he heard her enter.

"Hey there. You must have slept well."

"Mmmm," she responded, searching for the coffee pot. She wasn't much
of a conversationalist until she'd had her first cup of coffee in the
morning.

"It's over there," he said, indicating the coffee. "Sit down, I'll
get it."

She sat down and watched in bemusement as he poured her coffee and
brought it to her.  Mulder and domesticity were not two images she
had previously juxtaposed, and frankly, she was finding them a little
hard to reconcile.

"I'm making Russian Pancakes for breakfast. My Mom used to make them
when we were little. I called her for the recipe, and after a couple
of false starts I think I'm getting the hang of it," he said. "I know
you only eat light for breakfast, but I thought you might like these.
I got maple syrup as well, in case you just want them plain," he
added hopefully.

She smiled, and nodded again, sipping her coffee. The thought of
something so sweet for breakfast turned her stomach slightly, but she
wasn't going to tell him that. Not when he was looking so cute, and
trying so hard to please her.  She sat there, watching him cook,
enjoying the rippling of the muscles in his back as he mixed
something in a bowl.

When she'd had enough of a caffeine hit, she spoke. "Mulder, what
are you doing today?"

"More interviewing, Scully.  I'm going to drop last night's
surveillance tapes off to Harradine, and pick up some blank ones.
Also, I need to check whether the investigation team have come up
with anything more on the Harper brothers. Although they have an
alibi, I just feel uneasy about them.  What will you be doing?"

"Making myself known around town, I guess. I might do some snooping
myself; get to know people, find out what the local gossip is about
the murders."

"Scully, I'm shocked. I wouldn't have picked you for a gossip."

"All women are gossips, Mulder," Scully said dismissively, but with
a smile. "The only reason that men are not is because their level of
conversation still hasn't passed the 'this is how much beer I drank
on the weekend' and 'what are the football scores?' stage."

"I *never* talk about the football scores, Scully," Mulder protested.

"Football, basketball, baseball - it's all the same, Mulder. When
was the last time you and the Lone Gunmen discussed your *feelings*."

Mulder shuddered. "Scully, ..."

"See," she said. "Men don't have real conversations with each other.
Women do. Now is my breakfast ready, or will I have to start chewing
on my own hand?"

He presented a plate to her with a flourish.

She looked at it doubtfully. It contained three pancakes rolled
around a white creamy mixture. He'd dusted the top with powdered
sugar.

"Yum," she said gamely. There was no way she would be able to finish
all three, and she had her doubts about even finishing one.

Aware that he was watching and waiting for her reaction, she cut off
a small portion. A fine shower of powdered sugar floated through the
air; caught on a waft of her breath as she put the pancake in her
mouth.  She bit down, and allowed the taste and texture to sink in -
thin pancake wrapped around a slightly sweetened, lemony cream cheese
mixture, studded with raisins. It was surprisingly good, but far too
rich for her morning tastes.

"These are great, Mulder."

He grinned, delighted with her reaction. "You really like them?"

She nodded, and beckoned for him to join her. "Come and have some."

He grimaced. "Ugh. I couldn't eat something so sweet for breakfast."

The sound of his cell phone ringing drowned out her snort of
incredulity. When he left the kitchen to answer the call, she quickly
tipped the other two pancakes into the trashcan and hid the evidence
with newspaper. She wasn't an FBI Agent for nothing.

He returned, wearing a puzzled look. "Did Harradine tell you they'd
put an extra surveillance camera in the living room?"

"No. I thought they were putting one on the front porch, and one in
the bedroom."

"So did I. It seems they managed to get their hands on an extra one -
it's hidden on a shelf above the TV."

She shook her head, ruefully. "Well that's embarrassing. I hope I
didn't drool on your lap," she joked. "At least there's no sound on
those things."

She looked up to see him frowning into the distance. "Mulder? You
okay?"

"Hmm? Sorry, I wasn't listening. Uh, I'll just do these dishes."

Scully stared at him for a moment, before leaving the kitchen. And
he accused *her* of being moody.

After breakfast, Scully was still fixing her hair when Mulder came
into the bathroom.  He watched for a moment as she teased the curls
into a wilder halo.

"I'm going now, Scully. Do you have all your tracking devices on you?"

She nodded. "And before you ask, I'll carry my gun in my bag, and
I'll have my phone with me." She smiled at his reflection in the
mirror.

He came up behind her, watching their reflection. "Be careful,
Scully," he whispered.

She reached back and grasped his hand briefly. "I will, Mulder. You
know I will."

He bent down and kissed her cheek, taking a moment to breathe in her
scent. "I'll see you later, then."

Scully's day passed uneventfully, but pleasantly enough.  She made a
token appearance at Kokomo College in the morning, but then returned
to Rockhampton. In the local supermarket, she struck up a
conversation with the owner, a large woman in her late 50's.

When she made a casual inquiry about the Harper brothers, the
woman's face clouded over. "Ooh, they're odd boys, those ones. They
keep to themselves, they do. Not very friendly at all. They live in
this community and they don't even do their shopping here," Patti
said in righteous indignation. "They prefer to do it at some fancy
place when they're out with their truck.  It's their sister I feel
sorry for. In all this time, I've only seen her once. She's a little
mouse of a girl, and from what I've heard she rarely leaves their
farm. They probably use her for their own personal slave - cooking,
cleaning. No, a pretty young thing like you don't want to be getting
involved with one of the Harper boys."

Scully smiled demurely. "I was just interested, because I noticed
one of them the other day. Redheads tend to notice other redheads.
Besides, I'm already involved with someone."

"Ooh, yes. Your man came in this morning to get some maple syrup.
He's quite a looker, isn't he?" she said, leaning over the counter.

"I think so," answered Scully, impishly. "He makes good pancakes too."

Patti laughed, her flesh jiggling.  "You hold onto him, girl. He
sounds like a good one."

As Scully left the shop, she remembered something Mulder had
mentioned to her. She turned back and asked, "The girl you were
talking about, the Harper girl, she has a baby doesn't she?"

Patti's eyebrows shot up, and her eyes brightened with this piece of
gossip. "Ooh, not that I'm aware of. What makes you say that?"

Scully shrugged. "I thought I overheard someone mention it. I'm
probably wrong."

Scully left the supermarket mulling over the conversation. She
entered a few more shops, buying things she didn't need, so she could
chat to the shop assistants.  All of them had heard of the nearby
murders, but none of them had anything to offer other than their
fervent hope that whoever it was would get caught.

In the meantime, Mulder had dropped off the video surveillance tapes
to Harradine, and sat down to sift through the files again. He was
sure he was missing something, or just not seeing something the right
way.

After a couple of frustrating hours, Harradine interrupted him.

"Hey, we've just got word from one of our men that David Sharp was
spotted by one of Sarah Phillips' neighbors, apparently on the day of
her abduction. The woman who lives next door to Sarah is a notable
busy-body, and she swears that she saw him visiting Sarah. We're
bringing him in for questioning now. Also, I think we've got
something on the surveillance tapes. Want to come and see?"

The surveillance tape from the living room showed he and Scully
sitting on the sofa, reading. Mulder watched himself pat his lap, and
Scully lie along the sofa, her head on his legs. He grimaced slightly
at the thought of what was coming up and glanced at the others in the
room.  Harradine remained poker-faced as he stared at the screen, but
he detected a faint smirk on Woodford's face.

"There!" exclaimed Harradine. "It's brief, but distinct."

He re-wound the tape, and played it again in slow-motion, pointing
to the window in the background.  A shadow passed across the window;
it was clearly a human form.  Mulder shivered slightly and cursed
himself for going out on the porch. If the killer had been there and
had seen him, then Scully's cover was blown, assuming the killer was
someone Mulder had interviewed.  At least he'd worn a hooded jacket,
which would have prevented most of his features from being seen.
Except maybe his nose.
 
He asked for the video to be re-wound again, but he was unable to
make out anything from the shadow that might identify the person.
"Is there anything else?" he asked.

"No, that's it," replied Harradine.

Mulder couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at not having to
watch any more of the tape.  He knew the others had watched it in
full, but he didn't relish watching it in front of them. It was
embarrassing enough that they'd seen him kissing Scully. God forbid
that she see the tape.

Harradine ejected the tape from the video, and handed it to Mulder.
"Here, I'm sure Agent Scully would like to see it."  His face was
perfectly straight as he said it, but Mulder detected a snicker from
one of the officers leaving the room.

"Thanks," he muttered, slipping the tape in amongst the files. Hell
would freeze over before he showed Scully the tape.

An officer poked his head into the room to let them know that David
Sharp had arrived.

Mulder and Harradine entered the office that doubled as an
interrogation room to find an ashen-faced David Sharp.

"I didn't kill her," he blurted the moment Mulder walked in.

Mulder crossed the room, and placed his hands on the desk opposite
David. "You'll have to do more than that to convince us otherwise at
this stage, I'm afraid. Why didn't you tell us that you knew Sarah
Phillips?"

"I was scared. I knew she was missing, and I thought you'd blame it
on me. I was over at her house on the day she was taken, but when I
left her she was fine," he said desperately.

"What were you doing over there?"

David started shaking, and his eyes flickered around the room
frantically, falling on Harradine pleadingly. "I think I should speak
to a lawyer."

Mulder stared at him, stony faced. And then it hit him.

"The baby was yours wasn't it?"

David didn't have to respond. The look on his face gave Mulder his
answer.

"Did you already know? Or did she tell you that day? Did you have an
argument with her, David?"

"I want to speak to a lawyer," answered David shakily.

Mulder snorted slightly in frustration, and left the room with
Harradine on his heels.

"Do we have enough to keep him in custody?" asked Harradine.

"It's not him," responded Mulder shortly. "He didn't kill those
girls, and he didn't kill Sarah Phillips. He's just a frightened kid
who's in a very bad situation, but he's not our man."

Mulder drove around for an hour, trying to fit together the pieces
of the puzzle. He didn't know why he was so sure it wasn't David. But
he was sure. He shook his head. Harradine had been taken aback,
pointing out that David fit Mulder's profile *and* he had admitted to
being at Sarah's house on the day she disappeared.

But it didn't seem right. David Sharp had practically fallen to
pieces in the interrogation room. The person they were looking for
had abducted nine girls, some in broad daylight, without leaving any
evidence. The person they were looking for was organised and self-
composed. The person they were looking for was *not* David Sharp.

When Mulder arrived back at the house, Scully was already home and
cooking again. The smell of food and the sight of her slight form
buoyed his spirits.

"Hey little woman," he said, in a booming voice, "What ya got
cookin'?"

"Mulder, why is it that you have this insane desire to be shot by me
again? I didn't think the last time was a particularly pleasant
experience for you."

He came up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Well,
it got me into your bed, didn't it? A man's gotta try, Scully."

He doubled over in mock-pain as her elbow connected with his solar
plexus.

"Jeez, Scully," he whined.

"Shut up, Mulder, and get the cutlery out. Dinner's almost ready."

Dinner was stir-fry chicken with rice.  Mulder began eating with
gusto, remembering how hungry he was.

"I thought this stuff only ever came delivered in little cardboard
boxes. I didn't realize it was possible to actually cook it."

She shook her head at him. "You are such a philistine sometimes,
Mulder."

He grinned. "So how was your day, dear?" he asked with saccharine
sweetness,  through a mouthful of stir fry.

"Fine, snookums. Yours?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, seriously. What did you do today? Find out anything
interesting?"

"Not really," she replied. "Only that the townspeople are pretty
disturbed by the murders, but nobody has any theories. Nobody's
pointing the finger, making up stories, spreading rumors. It's
bizarre really. Oh, and the woman who runs the supermarket thinks
that the Harper brothers are unfriendly, and that you're cute."

"Well, she's right about the last thing. Actually, she's right about
the first thing too. I spent most of the day going through the files
again, trying to find something we may have missed. I also
interviewed David Sharp. A neighbor identified him as being at the
Phillips' house on the day of Sarah's abduction. He was the father of
Sarah's baby, Scully."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Did he tell you that?"

"Not in so many words. He refused to say much without speaking to
his lawyer. I don't think it's him though, Scully. It just doesn't
feel right. Oh, and Harradine spotted something on the surveillance
tape," he added casually. "Not much really. Just a flash of a shadow
outside the window. Somebody must have been looking in."

Scully's eyes widened.  "Do you have the tape here?"

Mulder paused. He could lie to her.  But he knew Scully too well. If
he said no, she'd just ask Harradine for it when she saw him next.
That would be even more embarrassing.

"Um, yeah. I think I've got it somewhere," he said vaguely, avoiding
her eye. "You can't really see anything; just a shadow reflecting on
the blind. You can't make out any features, or even a clear body
shape."

"Still, I'd like to see it," she insisted.

"Okay, we'll look at it after dinner."

Mulder spent the rest of the meal only partially listening to
Scully's conversation. The rest of his mind was focussed on trying to
think up a way of distracting her when dinner was finished.



Part 7 of 11

Kiah St residence
8.50PM


After dinner, Scully had a quick shower and changed into the more
comfortable jeans she had bought earlier that day. Although the pair
she had been wearing during the day were flattering, they were a
little too tight to spend the evening in.  She quickly slipped into
her plain black bra, and buttoned her cotton shirt. She wanted to see
that video.

As she entered the living room, he looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Scully, do you want to go for a walk?"

She frowned. "A walk?"

"Yeah, it's a nice night out there."

She was puzzled. Mulder was suggesting a walk. For no reason. "Why,
Mulder?"

"Why does there have to be a reason, Scully? I just thought it would
be nice for us to go for a walk.

"What if someone sees you?"

"It's dark. I'll stick a cap on.  Jeez, if you don't want to..." he
muttered.

"No, I want to," she said quickly. "I'll just get my sweater."

Slipping her sweater on over her head, she followed him out the
door, still puzzling at his motives. In her experience, Mulder was
the type of person who preferred to sloth in front of the TV after
dinner, not go for romantic strolls. Maybe the full moon was
affecting him, she thought, noticing the moonlight.

They walked in silence for a while, making the odd remark about
their surroundings. Scully was vividly aware of Mulder's arm brushing
against hers as they walked. She felt like a schoolgirl again,
wondering if the boy was going to hold her hand. Breathing in the
crisp air, she looked up and noticed how many more stars were visible
in the sky than were in DC.

"Look at the stars, Mulder," she commented, pausing to lift her face
to the sky.

He looked up. "Wonder how many of them are inhabited?" he mused.

She shook her head. Typical.

"So Scully, do you think you'd like to live in a place like this?"

She tilted her head as she considered her response. "No, I don't
think so," she said finally. "Sometimes when everything gets too
hectic in DC, I wish that I could live in a small town, in a cute
little house, with a dog and a nice garden." And a child, she thought
to herself, a familiar squeeze in her chest. "But whenever we come to
a small town for a case, I find the reality doesn't seem to match my
fantasy.  In the end, a small town is often just that - small.
Populated with small-minded people, isolated from the rest of the
world and serving only bad coffee. So no, I think I'm a city girl."

"Ouch, Scully. That's a bit harsh. Small-minded people?" Mulder
resumed walking, and she fell in beside him.

She shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed at her assessment. "Okay,
that's a bit mean.  But sometimes the attitudes that I'm
confronted with when we come out on these cases really irk me.  What
about you, Mulder?  Could you live in a place like this?"

He chuckled softly. "No, although I admit to having similar
fantasies when it all gets too much. Hiding away in the country, with
someone by my side." He reached down and took her hand in his. She
felt warmth spread up her arm and across her entire body as he
stroked his thumb over her hand. "But in the end, I guess I care more
about who is with me, than where I am. So I'm happy in DC. And you're
right, the coffee's better."

She laughed, and gripped his hand slightly tighter. She knew what he
was saying to her - home is where you are, Scully.  Did she feel the
same way? She considered the last couple of days. Although she and
Mulder spent a lot of time together, they had never spent so *much*
time together.  It was only slightly surprising that she was enjoying
their domestic intimacy so much. She liked having him with her after
work. She liked curling up on the sofa together, reading, and she
loved seeing his sleep-crumpled face in the morning. Somehow she had
always known that she would enjoy sharing these moments with him.

Did this mean she was ready to share her life with him?

They walked back to the house, hand in hand, both engrossed in their
own thoughts. Scully's mind ran in circles, considering the pros and
cons, and then the pros again, of a relationship with Mulder. She
could only guess that Mulder was also thinking about her.

When they got back to the house, she remembered the video.

"Can you show me that surveillance video now, Mulder?"

"Um, I'll just see if I can find it," he mumbled.

She watched as he rifled ineffectually through his files. She could
see the video poking out from under a pile of papers.  What was he
hiding?

"Mulder, it's just there," she pointed out.

"Oh," he said, with a weak grin.

He slipped the video into the player, and perched himself onto the
arm of the sofa. She glanced at him. He couldn't be seated much
further from her if he tried. What was all this about?

Scully winced slightly as the tape began - she hated seeing herself
on camera. She smiled ruefully as she watched the image of herself
laying her head on Mulder's lap. I wonder how many tongues wagged
after watching that, she thought.

Mulder cleared his throat. "It's coming up soon. Just keep your eye
on the window behind us."

Her point of focus shifted to the window, until she noticed the on-
screen Mulder caressing her face. Her mouth opened slightly in
surprise. She watched his fingers trace over her cheeks and then her
lips.

"There! Did you see it, Scully?"

She turned to him, slightly dazed. "No, Mulder. I didn't see it,"
she said quietly.

"I'll rewind it for you," he said, reaching for the remote control.

"No." He stopped at the sound of her voice, and she turned to the
screen again.

As she held her breath, she watched Mulder bend over her sleeping
form and press his lips to hers.  And then again. This time the kiss
was longer, and it seemed that she was responding.  Then he pulled
back, and slipping out from under her, he left the room.

She turned to him. His face was bright red, and he looked miserable.

"Mulder?"  She wanted an explanation, and she was prepared to sit in
silence until he said something. Anything.

He sighed. "I don't know why I did that, Scully. Well, I do
know...but I don't know why I did it then - while you were sleeping.
I'm sorry," he whispered.

She patted the sofa cushion, and reluctantly he slid off the
arMr.est and moved to sit next to her.  She sat there patiently until
he finally met her eye. She wasn't angry, but she was disappointed
with him, on so many levels. Disappointed that he'd kissed her when
she was asleep, giving her no say in the matter. Disappointed that
he'd done it in front of a surveillance camera, albeit unknowingly.
And even more disappointed that he had obviously tried to avoid
showing her the tape.

"That's why we went on the walk, wasn't it Mulder?" she asked
suddenly.  The look in his eyes gave her his answer. That hurt. She'd
enjoyed their walk, their conversation, and the way he'd held her
hand. She'd been totally focussed on him during their walk, and
he...well he'd been trying to come up with new excuses to not show
her the tape.

"Scully, I admit that I suggested the walk in the hope that you'd
forget about the tape, but for what it's worth, I really enjoyed it.
I enjoy being with you, Scully.  I would spend so much more time with
you, if you let me."

No, Mulder. This is not about me. This is about what you did - don't
try and turn the tables.

"It was a bit cowardly of you, don't you think?"

He placed his face in his hands, propping his elbows on his knees.
Speaking through his fingers, he said, "What? Not telling you what I
did, or *doing* what I did?"

She ducked her head to hide the smile that arose at his dejected
tone. "Both, but I was referring to you kissing me while I was
asleep."

He sighed, and turned to look at her again. "Scully, with the
notable exception of New Year's Eve, I don't have great success with
trying to kiss you."

"Maybe not, but at least the other times I had some say in it."

He laughed hollowly. "Yeah, and the other night you told me to take
a cold shower."

"Mulder, you kissed me in the middle of an argument!" she cried
indignantly. "What did you expect?"

"It's just that I never know what to expect, Scully," he murmured.
Her breath caught when he took her hand in his.  "I used to believe
that I could tell what you were thinking just by looking in your
eyes. I used to think that I knew you better than I knew myself. But
now I just feel lost whenever I look at you. Sometimes I think you
want the same as I do, and other times I sense you pulling away from
me.  Tell me what you want, Scully."

Scully heart quickened. This was it. They were finally discussing
the issue they had danced around for seven years; the pink elephant
that both of them avoided looking at. And she didn't have an answer
for him.

"I don't know, Mulder," she whispered. "I don't know what I want."

"I don't accept that, Scully," he responded harshly.  "You do know
what you want, you're just scared to face it."

She flinched, as if he'd slapped her.  

"Mulder, this is not as simple as you make it out to be." She pulled
her hand away from his.

"Nor is it as complex as you make out," he retorted. Softening, he
took her hand again, and said quietly, "If you can't tell me what you
want, Scully, then tell me what you are thinking. Tell me why this is
so hard for you."

His hazel eyes begged her, and she knew this was her moment to
finally find her courage and tell him how she felt.

She felt a little dizzy, as if she was falling. Gripping his hand
tighter, she said, "Mulder, I'm scared of losing you. You're the one
person who understands me, the one person who knows what I - what
*we* - face everyday. My sister is gone, and I can't tell Mom. She
worries about me enough. Bill is useless, and Charlie is never here.
You're the one, Mulder. You're it for me. What if I didn't have you
anymore?"

He reached out and stroked her cheek with his knuckles. "Scully, no
matter what happened between us, you would always have me. I would
never stop being your friend, and I would *never* hurt you, I
promise."

She shook her head. "You can't promise that, Mulder. And anyway, I'm
not asking you to make promises. I know that you would never
intentionally hurt me. But you have done so before, Mulder." Her eyes
clouded as she thought of Diana, and how she'd felt when he'd
taken her side.

He nodded in acknowledgement of her comments. "You're right, Scully.
You could get hurt. So could I. Are you telling me that you don't
want our relationship to move forward over fear that you may get
hurt?"

She closed her eyes. He was making her sound like a coward. It was
bigger than that - why couldn't he understand?  "Mulder, that's not
what I'm scared of. You've hurt me in the past, and I'm still here.
You're still here. That's my point. As friends, we can get past the
pain. As lovers, maybe the wounds will be too deep. It's not the pain
I fear, it's losing you," she whispered. "I've come so close to
losing you, Mulder, that I don't know if I'm willing to take that
risk."

"But you're willing to give up something that could be the best
thing that ever happened to us?"

She shook her head slowly. "You can't give up what you don't have,"
she said, her voice tight with unshed tears. "And anyway," she added,
brushing away a rogue tear that had squeezed out of the corner of her
eye, "I *like* what we have."

She watched as Mulder got up from the couch. Standing in the middle
of the room, he took off his sweater and threw it towards the TV. It
landed on top of the surveillance camera, and to anyone watching, his
action would have appeared accidental. But Scully knew it wasn't an
accident, and she held her breath as he approached.

He knelt in front of her. "I refuse to spend the rest of my life
wondering 'what if?'."  Placing one hand on her thigh, and another
around the back of her head, he pulled her toward him.

"Fair warning, Scully. I'm about to kiss you."  He paused for a
second, and then pressed his lips against hers.  She tried to say his
name against his mouth, but for what purpose she didn't know. Now
that his lips were on hers, she didn't want him to stop.

Instinctively she opened her mouth to him, and he responded by
seeking out her tongue with his. She moaned softly, swept away by the
sensation of Mulder's tongue in her mouth. This was better than the
other night, when she had been taken by surprise. This was better
than *anything*.

His other hand moved down and he spread her knees apart, moving into
the vee of her legs.  She snaked her arms around his shoulders and
pulled him closer, pressing her breasts against his chest. He moaned
slightly at the sensation and she smiled into his mouth.

As he pressed his lips more firmly into hers, Scully tilted her head
to gain better access to his mouth. She wanted to taste every inch of
him. Her tongue stroked at his inner cheek, and then tickled the
underside of his tongue. He was making low humming sounds in the back
of his throat that caused her breathing to quicken.

She gasped slightly as Mulder's hands gripped her waist tightly.
Deftly he lifted her, and sliding onto the sofa he deposited her on
his lap.  She snuggled down to get more comfortable, seeking out his
lips again.  They continued their deep kisses, and she moaned softly.
He was right. To miss out on *this* because of fear, no matter how
real or how great that fear was, would be wrong.  The greatest risk
takers reaped the greatest rewards, and Mulder was without a doubt
her greatest reward.

"God, Scully," he muttered into her mouth.

"Don't talk," she whispered back. While he talked, his tongue
couldn't do the delightful things it had been doing to her mouth just
a few seconds ago.

He twined his fingers through her hair, and gently pulled her head
back. "Scully, I want you to know that I'm not going to push this. We
can go as slow as you want. I don't care if we spend another seven
years just kissing, so long as we *are* kissing."  His voice was
husky and his eyes tender as he looked down at her.

She would have laughed, if the sentiment hadn't been so sweet.  Did
he think she was some 16 year-old virgin?

"Mulder," she said with a grin, "While I appreciate the sentiment,
if we're not naked and sweaty in the near future, I think I'll
explode."

His expression was comical; a mixture of surprise and arousal.

She ran her fingers over his now slightly swollen lips. "Mulder, you
must know me well enough to realize that although it may take a while
for me to see your point of view, when I finally do, I support you
one hundred percent," she murmured, a twinkle in her eye.  "Well...I
see your point of view, Mulder."
 
She clambered up so she was straddling him, not taking her eyes from
his for a moment. An aroused Mulder was a breathtaking sight, one
that she wanted to imprint into her brain for future reference.  His
hair was tousled from where she had been running her hands through
it, and his chest was heaving. Even under the golden hue of his skin
she could see he was flushed, and his lips were puffier than usual.

She leaned forward and ran her tongue lightly around the whorls of
his ear. His hands clamped on her hips in reaction, and she smiled.
Ticklish ears.  Nibbling at his earlobe, she moved her hands up his
torso until they were resting on his chest. Gently she squeezed his
pectoral muscles. God, she'd been wanting to do that for years.

After a few seconds of rubbing and squeezing his chest, she thought
hazily, "No good."  His t-shirt was in the way.  Pulling back, she
didn't even get a chance to voice her problem before he'd whipped his
shirt over his head. Smiling gratefully, she continued her
exploration of his body with her tongue and hands.


Mulder's head flopped back on the sofa. He groaned and then slightly
whimpered as she bit hard into a nipple. If his brain had been
working as normal, he would have felt slightly embarrassed at the
guttural sounds emitting from his throat. But the part of his brain
that controlled logical thought was on sabbatical, and all that was
left was his screaming nerve endings sending messages to his brain
along the lines of ohgodohgodmoreScullyohScullyohgodohgod.

He moaned as she slid off his lap so she was crouched before him,
her head moving lower, trailing kisses down his stomach. He had a
sensitive stomach, and Scully was doing all the right things. He
squirmed in pleasure as she nipped at his tender flesh, and traced
patterns with her tongue. She then buried her face in the creases of
his stomach, and lay there a moment, pausing to inhale his scent.

With trembling hands, he cradled her head, gentling lifting it so he
could look at her. "I can't believe we're really doing this, Scully,"
he croaked.

"Neither can I," she responded, her eyes shining.  She slid back up
his body, and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "But it feels right,
doesn't it." She said this as a statement, not a question, and he
nodded, tracing her lips with his finger.

Capturing his finger gently between her teeth, she sucked on it
until his eyes closed and his head fell back again.  Chuckling, she
worked her way down his body once more. When she reached his belt
buckle and began undoing it, she looked up and said wickedly, "Think
we should remove your sweater from the camera and start our own video
collection?"

He half laughed, half gasped. If only she knew how many times he
watched his porn wishing it was Scully on the screen. "Maybe later,
Scully. Right now I'm not letting go of you."

He clamped his legs around her to emphasize his point, but made a
mental note to ask her about the video thing another time. Just the
thought that there *would* be another time almost sent him over the
edge; never mind the small fingers that were brushing against him as
she fumbled with his fly buttons.

Finally she got them undone, and he gasped when her cool hand
reached into his boxers and released him. "Ohhh, Sculllly," he
groaned.

She smiled at his reaction, and flicked her tongue out to taste the
droplet of moisture on the end of his cock. His hands were back on
her head, and he fought to stop himself from pulling her face down
into his groin.  Control, he thought. Control.

He lifted his hips obligingly as she tugged at his jeans and boxers,
and then lay back on the couch, legs sprawled on either side of her
kneeling form.  He watched her as she gazed with appreciation at his
naked body.

"You're gorgeous, Mulder," she breathed, before licking her lips
lightly.

He opened his mouth to respond, but unless the words were "oh" and
"Scully" and "Ohhhh Goddd" he appeared to have lost his ability to
speak. When her hot, moist mouth enclosed the head of his throbbing
cock he no longer cared at his inability to voice his thoughts. He
had no thoughts, save from those recording the sensations radiating
from his groin.

She nibbled, and licked, and sucked until he knew that he was about
to tip over the edge. With his last vestiges of willpower, he pulled
her head up.

"Stop," he gasped. Pausing to reign himself in, he finally said, "I
do believe you are fully clothed, Scully. Stand up," he ordered, in a
low voice.

She did as she was told, standing before him uncertainly.

"You look tired, Scully. Why don't you let me take care of this? I
suggest we start at the feet."


Scully blinked at him. Why did that sound so familiar? Then she
remembered; the other night in the bath. Mulder was about to undress
her.

Obligingly she took off her shoes and socks. Unlike Mulder, who
could walk around with bare feet without noticing the cold, she had
thick socks and warm shoes on. Impatiently she tugged at the laces,
cursing herself for tying double knots.

When she got them off, she straightened up apprehensively. Her heart
was beginning to thump a little harder, partially from arousal and
partially from nervousness. She was not a sexually shy person, but
usually clothes were pulled off in the midst of passion. Standing
before Mulder, taking her clothes off piece by piece, subjecting
herself to his scrutinizing gaze - well, that unnerved her.

"Shirt next, Scully," he demanded huskily.

Slowly she unbuttoned her shirt, watching his reaction as she did
so. He was stroking himself lazily, his glittering eyes boring into
her. As she watched him, her nervousness began to fade.  His reaction
to her slow striptease was incredibly erotic.

When she'd undone all her buttons, she paused for a moment, tilting
her head down and looking at him through her eyelashes.  Smoothly,
she shrugged her shoulders and her shirt slipped to the floor,
revealing her black bra. Thank you God for making me put on a nice
bra, she thought. She'd almost put on her frayed gray cotton bra, and
made a mental note to throw it out.

A slow smile crept across his face as her shirt fell. "Now your
jeans, Scully."

She shook her hair back, and undid the top two buttons of her jeans,
folding down the denim so he could see the top of her lacy panties.
Then she turned so her back was facing him, and swayed her hips
slightly. At his groan, she smirked. She'd caught him staring at her
butt once or twice.

Bending over slightly so her bottom jutted out, she undid the rest
of the buttons, and then slowly slipped her jeans over her hips. She
turned to look over her shoulder at him, her jeans still resting half-
way down her bottom. His mouth was hanging open, and his breathing
was coming out in quick pants.  Slowly she slid her jeans the rest of
the way down, and then kicked them off before turning around to face
him once again.

Standing there before him, in nothing but panties and bra, she felt
magnificent. She gloried in his obvious adulation; in the fact that
the man she had fantasized about so many times was now reduced to a
quivering puddle of arousal by the sight of her.  He was caught in
her thrall, and she was going to make the most of it.

Slowly, Scully ran her hands up her body, over the front of her hips
and her rounded belly, up and over her breasts and then down again,
until they rested on her panties.

She hooked her thumbs into the elastic. "So what next, Mulder?" she
asked in a smoldering voice. "Panties?"  She tugged them slightly
lower, noting his cock twitch under his hand as she did so.

She paused. "Or would you prefer my bra?"

His mouth fell open in an obvious struggle to speak. "Bra," he
finally grunted.

She released the elastic on her panties, and turned around again.
She could almost feel the heat of his eyes on her back as she undid
her bra and let it drop to the floor. Then she turned to face him
again, holding her arms crossed in front of her breasts. She raised
her eyebrows at him, grinning at the expression on his face.

"Scully, nobody likes a tease," he eventually said. "C'mere."

She took a step closer, and gently he pulled her arms away, holding
them outstretched so he could look at her properly.  Releasing her
arms, he ran his hands over her breasts, and she gasped. They were
slightly rough against her tender flesh and the sensation was nothing
short of divine.

He leaned forward until his mouth was a hair's breadth from her
right nipple. "You're beautiful, Scully."  His hot breath against her
nipple caused it to harden, and she groaned slightly.

The tip of his tongue flicked out and wet her nipple, and then he
pulled back to look up at her.

"Now who's the tease, Mulder?" she groaned.

"You're not naked yet, Scully."

He ran his warm hands up the back of her legs and slipped them under the
material of her underwear so he was cupping her bottom
cheeks.  Pulling her closer, he ran his tongue across the top of her
panties, where the elastic met her flesh. She shivered at the
feeling. Languidly, he planted hot, open mouthed kisses across her
pubic mound, pausing at the edges of her underwear to lick her skin.

Scully reached down for his shoulders as her legs began to tremble.
She opened her mouth to ask him to let her sit down, when he pulled
the material of her panties to one side and touched her with his
tongue. This time her legs trembled so violently they buckled, and
she pitched forward onto the sofa.

Without missing a beat, he flipped her over onto her back, and
pulled her remaining piece of clothing off.  He spread her legs, so
she was mirroring his position of earlier; slumped in a seated
position, head back against the sofa and legs sprawling. He
positioned himself between her legs and sat back on his haunches to
admire her.

She watched him looking at her, and felt a flush rise up her chest
and neck. She'd seen this look on Mulder's face before; one of
intense concentration, when she knew he was imprinting every detail
of what he saw on his brain. She always found that look sexy, but
never imagined what it would feel like to have it trained on her
naked body.

When he leaned forward and began stroking her with his tongue, she
was lost.

"Mulder," she cried, louder than she had intended.  She could swear
she felt his lips curl into a smile against her, but she didn't care.
The insistent movement of his tongue was driving her to heights of
pleasure she hadn't felt in a long time - if ever. A feeling of total
abandonment swept over her, and she cried out again, partly in joy
that she could.

She could feel the waves of her orgasm begin, and for a second she
wanted to stop. She wanted to feel him in her when she came. But when
he slid two fingers into her, her body took off, and she floated away
on the undulations of her orgasm, calling his name.


Mulder left his fingers inside her, even as he felt her muscle
twitches subside. The feeling of her muscles clenching around his
fingers had been one of the most erotic experiences of his life, and
he didn't want the moment to end.

But when he looked up and saw her half-lidded gaze on him, his cock
reminded him of other equally erotic moments that he had yet to
experience. She shifted so she was lying lengthwise on the sofa, and
pulled him on top of her. The experience of full body contact caused
them to both pause in their movements, reveling in the warm, silky
sensation of their bodies pressed together.

Then Scully moved her hips under him, and he knew he had to be in
her. "Now, Scully."

She nodded, and obligingly lifted her legs and wrapped them around
his waist. He closed his eyes as she reached down and guided him into
her. The sensation of her hot, slick muscles enclosing him nearly
made him come instantly. He frowned in concentration, trying to
salvage a modicum of control.

And then she whispered into his ear, "I want you to lose control in
me, Mulder. We've got plenty of time for soft and slow."

A deep, guttural groan tore from his throat, and his hips began
pumping of their own accord. Her fingers dug into his buttocks, and
he increased his pace. Deeper, deeper, God he needed to bury himself
in her.  He thrust into her, sweat dripping and pooling between their
bodies, slipping and sliding over her. He felt the familiar
tightening in his balls, and opened his mouth as a half-cry that
resembled her name escaped.

"Open your eyes," she gasped.

His eyes snapped open and locked on hers as he spilled into her.  As
his orgasm diminished, his eyes fluttered shut, and he slumped over
her.  She was whispering in his ear, but he couldn't make out the
words through the blood roaring in his ears. When he regained his
faculties, he realized she wasn't whispering, but humming softly and
out of tune.  Another thing he could add to his knowledge of Scully;
she hummed after sex. He found that incredibly endearing and he
didn't move for fear of breaking the spell.

She broke it herself, however. "Mulder," she whispered. "You're
heavy, and I think I'm lying on my shoe."

He propped himself up on his elbows, gazing at her sweat-sheened
face. "Shower, then bed," he decreed.

She nodded, and he helped her up from the couch. He held back,
allowing her to walk ahead of him, so he could admire her finely
muscled back, and round bottom. Even the imprint of a Nike shoe in
her lower back didn't diminish from her beauty.

His body felt sluggish as he followed her into the bathroom. He
wasn't a young man anymore, and sex like that made his body scream
out for sleep. But he wasn't going to miss the opportunity to shower
with Dana Scully.


Scully smiled at the doped look on Mulder's face. He was dead on his
feet. She tenderly helped him into the shower and then proceeded to
lather him with her soap.

"Apples," he murmured, his eyes closed and head nodding forward.

She tilted her head up and kissed him gently on the lips.  Her
sleepy, golden Adonis. She smiled at the thought. It had been so long
since she'd had sex with someone she loved that she'd forgotten how
mushy she felt afterwards.

Someone she *loved*. How had that thought slipped by her defenses?
She shook her head. Love. Too much, too soon. Let's deal with sex
first, she thought. Better yet, let's deal with getting Mulder to bed.

She turned off the water, and led a heavy-limbed Mulder out of the
shower stall. He pulled her to him in a bear hug, burying his face in
the crook of her neck.

"I can't dry you if you don't let me go," she said, trying to sound
stern.

"Don't wanna be dry, just wanna hug you," he muttered into her neck.

She squirmed out of his embrace, and quickly ran the towel over him,
then herself.

"Let's go to bed, Mulder," she said with a yawn. The post-coital
exhaustion was now starting to hit her.

Hand in hand, they made their way to the bedroom, and she slipped
gratefully under the sheets.  Mulder pulled her into his side, and
she curled up against him, head heavy on his chest and one leg draped
over him.  His arm curled possessively around her.

"No regrets, Scully?" His voice was tentative, and her heart
squeezed a little that he could still feel so unsure about her
reactions.

"None whatsoever, Mulder," she said firmly. "Only that we're not 15
years younger and able to do it again instead of falling asleep."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

In the space of a few heartbeats, they were sleeping.



Part 8 of 11


Scully's room
Kiah St residence
14th April, 2000
5.30AM

Scully woke with a jerk, pulling away from Mulder until she realized
where she was, and why he was with her. Mulder's arm tightened around
her shoulder in response to her movement, but he didn't wake.  She
glanced at the clock radio. It was still early; they didn't have to
get up for over an hour.

She tilted her head, and rubbed her face into his chest, as if to
make sure he was real. Part of her still couldn't believe that she
was lying naked in a bed with her equally naked partner.  Her hand
wandered over his chest and stomach, appreciating his silky skin,
warm from sleep.

Unable to resist, her hand traveled lower, and bumped into his
erection. Her eyes widened. Morning erection. She looked up, but he
still appeared to be sleeping. This was an opportunity she wasn't
going to miss.

Gently, so as not to disturb him, she lowered the sheet so he was
uncovered. Slowly, she propped herself up on one elbow. He snuffled a
bit at the movement, and she paused, expecting him to open his eyes.
He didn't and her gaze shifted to his body. He was gorgeous. The
insecure teenager inside her, who had never fully disappeared, gazed
in awe. How had *she* managed to end up with someone so beautiful?

Glancing at his face again to make sure he was still asleep, she
wriggled down until her face was level with his groin. Penises
fascinated her. They were at once ridiculous looking and erotic.

She looked at it closely. She had seen many flaccid penises, mostly
on dead men, but her experience with erect penises wasn't as
extensive. It appeared normal. Normal. She chuckled at herself. Hell,
she was a doctor. She couldn't help it.  Was it big? She'd always
assumed he would be big. It seemed big to her - at least it was
larger than any she'd experienced previously - but she didn't think
it was abnormally large. She'd seen a bit of porn in her time, and
John Holmes he wasn't.

She glanced at his balls. Balls were funny things. They moved of
their own accord and the skin looked like a plucked chicken.
Dismissing them, she went back to his penis. Rosy in color, the skin
was thinly draped over bulging veins. She wondered what it looked
like when it was flaccid.

A slight noise made her look up, directly into Mulder's laughing
eyes.  "Doing some investigations, Agent Scully?"

She blushed furiously and sat up. "Just making sure everything's
okay, Agent Mulder."

"And are you satisfied that all is in order, Agent Scully?"

"Very satisfied." She emphasized the word 'satisfied' and raised her
eyebrows suggestively.

He laughed, and sat up, pulling her to him. Nuzzling her neck, he
whispered, "Feel like a little more satisfaction, Scully?"

In answer to his question, she pressed her lips against his. This
time their love-making was slow and languorous - a gentle exploration
of their bodies.

When they were both sated, they dozed for a while longer, until
Scully's alarm went off, reminding them that the real world was
waiting.

******

Kiah St residence
11.30AM

Scully was frustrated. She had spent the morning walking around
town, speaking to the locals and making a few inquiries about the
Harper brothers. She refrained from asking too many questions,
realizing that it would look suspicious if she started to do the
'Agent Scully' thing.

Mulder was conducting more interviews, in the hope of picking up
information they had missed the first time around. She knew he was
starting to get desperate, but she had faith they would find this guy.

She looked at her watch. Too early for lunch. She needed a run. She
hadn't exercised for a week, and her legs were stiff.  Looking down
at her legs, she wondered if they only looked short to her because of
the angle she always viewed them from. Probably not, she sighed. She
was five foot two. That meant short legs.

Quickly she changed into her running gear. She didn't have a
tracking device in either her running shoes, or her exercise bra, so
she put on one of her 'good' bras under her exercise bra. Double the
support, she thought, although she would have preferred not to sweat
into her expensive underwear. Too bad. Mulder would kill her if she
went out without at least one tracking device on her.  

She considered taking her gun, but decided against it. She had
nowhere to put it, and she didn't intend to run far. She would stick
to the main streets of the town, and she would remain alert. Besides,
it was the middle of the day.

As she ran, her mind mulled over the details of the night before.
There had been some awkwardness between them this morning, as they
both tried to deal with their new situation. As Mulder left, he had
leaned forward hesitantly to kiss her, and then pulled back,
obviously thinking better of it. She, however, had wanted his kiss,
and pulled him down to her lips by his tie, thereby fulfilling
another of her fantasies. She couldn't even count the number of times
she had imagined tugging his head down to hers by means of one of his
garish ties.

Her legs were beginning to burn, and she could feel the endorphins
pumping. A little longer and she'd start to get a runner's high. God,
she loved that feeling. She used to think it was better than sex, but
after last night she might have to reconsider.

Up ahead, she spotted a moving van parked outside a house. A large
'Sold' sticker was placed over the For Sale sign on the front lawn,
and she saw a red-haired man sling a box into the back of the truck.
It must be the Harper brothers, she surmised. She remember Mulder
saying they had their own furniture moving business. Slowing down to
a walk, she headed in his direction.

"Mornin'," he said to her, as she approached.

"Good morning," she replied, with a wide smile. She stopped near the
back of the truck, and glanced into its dark interior. Her eyes
darted about as she searched for the other Harper brother. He must
still be inside the house.

"Someone leaving?" she asked.

"Yep, they're off to the bright lights of the big city. It's taken
us all morning to get their stuff into the back of this truck. You're
new here," he said, his eyes flickering over her body. "I'm Rob
Harper."

"I'm Dana," she replied. She was starting to feel uneasy, and wished
she had her gun on her. Where was the other brother?

A slight noise behind her alerted her to his presence, but it was
too late. She turned sharply, just in time to see a large hand swoop
down over her mouth and nose.  Rob grasped her around the waist, and
together they manhandled her into the back of the truck.  Her last
thought before she blacked out was that she had forgotten to leave a
note telling Mulder where she was going.

******

Mitchell Rd
Between Greentown and Rockhampton
1.05PM

Mulder jumped slightly as his cell phone rang. He'd been deep in
thought as he was driving, mulling over the previous night with
Scully. He picked it up with his free hand.

"Mulder."

"It's Harradine." His pause was ominous. "We think something may
have happened to Agent Scully."

Mulder slammed on the brakes, and pulled over to the side of the road.

"What?! What do you mean?"

"The surveillance team just contacted me. Agent Scully had been
moving around the town. There was nothing irregular in her movements.
The tracking device showed her leaving the town via the main road. It
appeared by the speed of her movement that she was driving. The
officer on duty at the time assumed she was going to the college, so
he left the surveillance room for a while to complete some paperwork.
When he came back, the tracking indicator was in the same place on
Mitchell Road. It hasn't moved. Officer Nugent is organising the
mobile surveillance van and he said he will meet you at Mitchell
Road. I'll be there shortly."

Mulder closed his phone with trembling hands, and fumbled with the
keys to start the car. Panic gripped his heart. She'd had an
accident. Or she was gone.

With screaming tires he pulled back out into the road.

******

When Scully came to, she blinked to clear the picture before her
eyes. The light was dim, but she could make out a group of red-headed
young women in a semi-circle around her. They were all naked, apart
from panties. Distantly, she realized that she was naked too.

"She's waking up," one of them said.

"Get her some water," instructed another.

Gentle hands moved her into an upright position, and brought a glass
of water to her lips. She drank gratefully and then cleared her
throat.

"Do any of you know where we are?"

They all looked at her, in various states of distress. Finally one
of them spoke.

"No. They blindfold us when they...when they take us in and out."

Scully looked down at her naked body, and crossed her arms over her
torso protectively. "Why are we naked?"

The same girl who had spoken before answered her question. "It makes
it easier for them to...do it." She looked down at her body,
unembarrassed about her nudity. "We're allowed to keep our panties on
so we don't get dirty for them, I guess. It's pretty dusty in here."

Scully felt bile rise in her throat as she took in the girl's words.
She looked around and realized there were no windows. The only light
came from a dim bulb hanging from the ceiling.  There was a basic
toilet, shielded for some privacy by a hanging sheet, and a basin.
Thin mattresses were scattered around the floor.

And there was something else. Something she hadn't noticed when she
had first woken. Most of the girls appeared to be pregnant.  She
glanced at each of them separately, quickly noting how far into
pregnancy each girl was. Her heart lurched when she realized the girl
sitting closest to her appeared to be only 16 or 17, and she was
about eight months pregnant.

She indicated towards the girl's belly. "He did this to you?" she
asked softly.

The girl nodded. "One of them. I don't know which one. There's three
of them. My name's Jolie."

"I'm Dana," responded Scully. "I'm ... I'm so sorry."

The girl shrugged slightly, and said nothing, but her eyes caught
Scully's. They were scared, and filled with pain.

Instinctively, Scully reached out to her. "It's okay. I'm with the
FBI. There are people searching for you. For us. They're going to
find us."

A pale, thin girl laughed hollowly. "In how many years? I don't know
how long I've been here, but I've already had a kid. Nobody has found
us yet, and nobody will."

Scully's mouth fell open in horror. Finally she stammered out,
"Where's your child?"

The girl just shrugged. "Don't know, don't care."

Scully covered her face with her hands. She couldn't believe what
she was hearing. They were baby farming. For whatever twisted reason,
these men had abducted these girls to produce children.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Jolie's eyes.

"It's okay Dana," said Jolie. "They won't come for you straight
away. They usually give the new girl a week to get used to it before
they do."

Scully smiled weakly at the girl's kindness.

"How far along are you, Jolie?"

Jolie's eyes clouded over. "I'm not sure. We try to keep track of
the time, but it's hard; we don't know when it's day or night. But I
think I'm almost due. I'm scared of giving birth," she added in a
whisper. "One of the girls died giving birth."

Scully's stomach heaved, but she said in a strong, calm voice, "That
won't happen to you, Jolie. I'm a medical doctor; I've delivered
babies before."  Well, *one* baby, but a little white lie wouldn't
hurt.

"In any event, we'll be rescued before then, Jolie." She turned to
look at the other girls, and repeated, "We're going to be rescued,
soon."

They just looked at her with dull eyes. A small girl, who could only
have been 15, began weeping quietly. A few of the girls glanced at
her, but nobody moved to comfort her.

She realized they had lost all hope. Apart from the fact that their
hearts were beating, it appeared as if they had lost all life. They
sat and stared at her listlessly.  She knew she had to do something.

"Listen to me," she said in a loud voice, "We *are* going to be
rescued. You have to believe that. My partner will find us. He has a
brilliant mind; he will figure out who is doing this, and he will
find us. I have complete faith in that."

She noticed one of the girls smile slightly. She directed her next
question at her. "What's your name?"

"Darcy."

"Tell me about yourself, Darcy. I'd like to get to know you all."

One by one, the girls began to talk.  They told Scully their names,
their favorite movies, the names of their boyfriends, cats, sisters.
Inwardly, Scully sighed with relief. As they talked, sparks of life
began to seep back into their eyes. Even the weeping 15 year-old,
Lisa, stopped crying and joined in.


******

Mitchell Road
7 miles outside Rockhampton

Mulder spotted the surveillance van up ahead. It was pulled to the
side of the road, and the men were hopping out. They had obviously
only just arrived.
 
He hopped out of his car, and ran toward them.
PleaseGodpleaseGodpleaseGod.  He thought of the smirk that would
cross Scully's face if she knew he prayed in times of stress.  Well
actually, he only did it when Scully was in danger. If her God
existed, it couldn't hurt to appeal to Him on her behalf.

Nugent looked shaken, as if he couldn't quite believe that this had
happened in his town. He placed a hand briefly on Mulder's shoulder.
"We'll find her. She hasn't been gone long."

"This is as specific as I can get," explained the technician to
Mulder. "She could be anywhere within a 150 yard radius of this
point."

The men looked around them, squinting in the bright light. They were
standing by the road, and there was nothing that stood out as a
hiding place for a woman.  

"Spread out," directed Mulder. "He may have found the tracking
device and thrown it out.  We need to comb this place."

Mulder stood in one place, contemplating his surroundings.  If the
killer had wanted to hide something...or someone...this wasn't a good
place to do it. It was too obvious, and the risk of a car driving by
was too great. So chances were, whatever he'd hidden, he'd done so in
a hurry. Which meant whatever they were looking for was close to the
road.

Mulder began walking slowly along the side of the road, scanning the
dirt and vegetation for any marks out of the ordinary. He didn't
acknowledge Harradine as he pulled up and began consulting with the
surveillance technician.

After only 20 minutes, Nugent yelled out. "I've found something!"

Mulder head snapped around to see him dragging a plastic bag out
from under a gnarled bush. Immediately he sprang into action, his
long legs bringing him to Nugent's side in a matter of seconds.
Instinctively he reached for the bag, but Harradine ran over before
he could open it.

"We don't want to disturb any forensic evidence. Let's take it back
to the van, and put some gloves on."

Mulder ran his hand over his face. Harradine was right.  He cursed,
but followed the officers to the van.

Inside the van, Harradine slipped some latex gloves on, and gingerly
opened the bag.  Mulder closed his eyes briefly, unable to look.  A
collective sigh of relief caused him to open them again.

"It's her clothes."  Looking around, Mulder realized they had all
been expecting the same thing - a body part.

He almost broke into a smile, until the implication hit him.  She
was naked.  He had taken her clothes from her.  She was naked, and
she no longer had the tracking device on her.



Part 9 of 11


Harper's Farm
19th April, 2000


Scully woke to a rough hand pulling her upright.

She blinked, and found herself staring at one of the Harper
brothers, wearing a long black robe.  "Get up," he ordered. "It's
your turn."

Fear and panic began rising in her belly. She'd known this time
would come, and she'd desperately hoped that Mulder would come before
it did. Automatically she lashed out, only to received a back-handed
slap across the face.

Jolie cried out, "Dana, stop!" Quieter, she said, "They just hurt
you if you fight them. It's best to just do it."

His large hand clasped her upper arm and pulled her to her feet. She
didn't resist as he blindfolded her and tied her hands, and then led
her up the stairs.

It was a short walk across an open field before they got to another
building, presumably their house. When he took her inside, she
smelled air heavy with hot wax and fear. She could sense the pain and
horror of the girls that had been taken here before her.

Despite herself, Scully felt tears welling under the blindfold.

No, please God, please, don't let them do this to me. Not this.
Anything but this. Her heart beat furiously against her chest. She
could feel her body trembling violently, but she was powerless to
stop it.

Surprisingly gentle hands lifted her, and lay her back on a table.
Her wrists were untied, only to be pulled apart and bound to the
table legs. Her legs remained unbound, but firm hands held them down.
Her head lolled back heavily, hanging over the edge of the table, but
she didn't notice the pain. All her senses were focussed on the
chanting voice of the man who was circling her.

"Unto the pure, all things are pure," he intoned in a deep voice.
She could hear the sound of matches being lit, and through her
blindfold could see the blurred glow of candles being lit.

She jerked when cold water was poured over her head, and then
started coughing when some of it entered her mouth. Ashes. The water
had ashes in it.

Blood would be next.

"Hold her legs," the deep voice commanded.

"Yes, Melchizedek."

She felt the callused hands grip her knees. The man with the deep
voice moved away, and then came back again and leaned over her. She
smelt his sour breath and she flinched away from him.

"Do not struggle. This is your destiny. Our destiny. Together we
will maintain the purity of our seed."

Scully bucked as she felt the first warm circle of blood being
painted on her stomach. She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand
closed over it.

"Unto the pure, all things are pure," he intoned again, with each
daub of blood. When he had finished, he released his hand from her
mouth and pulled her underwear to her knees.

There was a long period of silence, while Scully bucked under their
hands.

"She is menstruating," one of them finally said.

Embarrassment and relief flooded Scully instantly. This was quickly
overtaken by fury.  How dare they do this to her!  How dare they
invade her privacy like this.

"Fuck you," she screamed. Instantly, she was hit across the face,
causing her to moan in pain as her neck cracked against the table.

"Get another one."

Scully heard one of the other brothers cluck in annoyance. "Can't we
just use her?"

"No!" he roared. "She is unclean and any man who has intercourse
with her will also be unclean. Get another one!"

"Yes, Melchizedek," replied the brother in a contrite tone.

Rough hands pulled her up, and yanked her underwear back into place.
When they returned to the bunker, she was thrown unceremoniously in a
corner and the blindfold and hand ties were ripped off.

The red-haired man looked around, until he found Lisa. Pointing his
gun at her, he said, "You. Get up."

She started to weep uncontrollably, and Scully stood up. "Leave her
alone, you bastard. She's only 15."

Slowly, he turned to stare at her menacingly. "Fine," he said
evenly. "Who do *you* think I should choose?"

Scully flinched, but didn't drop her gaze. "I won't do your dirty
work for you, you fucking animal."

Out of the corner of her eye, Scully saw Darcy stand up hesitantly.
"Take me," she said quietly. "Take me instead of her. I'm not
pregnant yet."

Scully watched, trembling, as the man tied her hands together and
blindfolded her. When they left, she sank to her knees, overcome with
guilt and horror.

For the next hour she sat in the corner, consumed with visions of
Darcy being raped in her place.

When Darcy was returned, Scully crawled over and folded her arms
around her.  The girl trembled in her arms, jerking so violently that
Scully almost had trouble keeping hold of her.  But she calmed to
Scully's soothing caresses, and her whispered words.  Eventually, she
fell asleep.

Some hours later, Scully moved to the basin to clean the blood from
her stomach. Mechanically she wet the washcloth under the cold water,
and rubbed it against her skin. When her stomach was clean, she still
kept on rubbing, until her flesh was pink and chafed. The pain was
somehow cleansing.

She picked up the toothbrush to brush her teeth. They had one
toothbrush between all of them. At first she had been reluctant to
use it; in fact the thought of using it had revolted her. But after a
couple of days with furry teeth she had decided that using a communal
toothbrush was better than disgusting breath.  Now she cleaned her
teeth with the same ferocity that she had washed her stomach.

As she rubbed the toothbrush against her teeth and tongue, her mind
kept reliving the voices she had heard. Melchizedek. The name struck
her as familiar. It had some religious significance, she was sure. As
she rinsed her mouth, it came to her. Melchizedek - King of
Righteousness.  It was the name given to a man who was both a King
and a Priest. Her stomach heaved at the thought of the twisted
premise behind their 'religion', but she breathed deeply and kept her
stomach contents down. They didn't feed them enough to lose any
nutrition.

She took a tampon out of the large box provided for them, her hand
shaking slightly. Her period usually only lasted for four days.  She
knew she didn't have much time before they came for her again.

She shook her head violently. No. Mulder would find her first.

"Dana!"

Scully was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Jolie
screaming her name.

"Jolie, what is it?" she asked, as she rushed to her side.

"My baby. I think it's coming. I've got contractions."

"Did your water break?" asked Scully.

Jolie shook her head.

"You might be having Braxton Hicks contractions. They're not real
contractions; or rather, they don't mean the baby is coming,"
explained Scully.

She held Jolie's hand as the girl panted in fear. "I don't want to
have it," she started crying. "Not now. Please God, not now."

Scully pulled Jolie to her, and wrapped her arms around her. Rocking
her back and forth, she whispered, "It's okay, we'll be rescued soon.
It's okay."

"I don't know if I believe you anymore," Jolie sobbed. "I want
to...but I don't know if I do."

Scully's eyes filled with tears. She was starting to understand why
the girls had succumbed to hopelessness.  She looked around, and
caught Darcy's eye, who was awake again. As if sensing her mood,
Darcy moved over and sat in front of them.

"Tell us about Mulder," she asked softly. "Tell us why he'll find us."

Scully looked at her in awe.  Darcy's resilience amazed and moved
her. She smiled at her gratefully. She'd told them about Mulder
before; how intelligent he was, how good he was at his job. She could
see that Darcy sensed they needed to hear it again.

"He challenges me," she began with a far-away look in her eye. "And
he'll find us because...because he always finds me. He once traveled
all the way to Antarctica to find me. If he can find me there, he can
find me here.  He'll put the pieces together, and he'll work out who
these men are.  I believe in him, more than I believe in anyone.
Sometimes even more than I believe in myself."

"How long have you been together?" asked Darcy.

"We've been working together for seven years," responded Scully,
taking care to emphasize 'working'.  "But it doesn't really seem that
long."

"So is he good in bed?" asked Darcy, with a wide smile that only
barely hid the pain in her eyes.

"Darcy!" admonished Jolie, through her fading tears. "You can't ask
people things like that."

"Yes I can," she retorted. "So spill, Dana. What's he like?"

Scully could feel the blush burning on her face. "How did you know?"
she asked finally.

Darcy smiled and shook her head. "It's obvious, Dana. You've got it
for him bad. So what's he like? No wait - start at the beginning.
What's he look like?"

Scully pursed her lips, and was about to refuse to answer, until she
noticed all the girls looking at her, with varying degrees of
amusement.  They were all hanging on for her answer, but more
importantly, they all looked happier.

Normally she wouldn't have answered, but the thought that she might
take them out of their misery for a while changed her mind.
And...talking about Mulder seemed to bring him closer to her.

"He's tall, and kind of skinny, but nicely muscled. He's very good
looking, which is strange because his features are all a bit unusual.
He has a really long nose, and a small chin, and his bottom lip is
huge, but put together, they look great. He had brown hair, which is
usually cut badly-"

Lisa started laughing. "So far you haven't made him sound that great."

Scully smiled. It sounded great to her ears. "You'll just have to
take it from me until you see him for yourself."

She ignored the snorts of laughter, and continued. "He is beautiful
and caring. His policy is trust no one, but in some respects he is
almost too trusting. He is obsessive, and single-minded, and the most
loyal person I know. He has a bizarre sense of humor, and he loves
sunflower seeds. He is *always* eating the damn things."

Darcy laughed. "Okay, so when did you two first get together?"

"How do you mean?" asked Scully, starting to blush again.

Darcy sighed in exasperation. "Okay, let me try and be clearer. When
did you first kiss?"

Scully thought. Should she include the almost kiss in the hallway?
Or the kiss on New Years Eve?  They probably didn't count.  In which
case, it was the kiss during their argument the other night.

"Not long ago - I'm not sure exactly when," she replied evasively.

"Okay, Miss Cagey, when did you first have sex with the man?"

Now Scully really was blushing.

"Do I have to answer that?"

"Yes!" came a chorus from all of them.

She smiled weakly, and briefly considered lying, but then said,
"Okay. It was the night before...before I was taken."

Immediately a hush descended.

"I'm sorry," said Darcy, immediately contrite, "I shouldn't have
asked."

"Don't be silly," said Scully briskly, realizing the mood was
beginning to deteriorate again. "It's not like it was our last time
or anything. He'll find us - trust me on this one. Think about it -
the man traveled all the way to Antarctica to rescue me, and we
hadn't even kissed then!"

Darcy burst out laughing, relieved that she hadn't upset Scully.
"That good huh?"

Scully smiled widely. "Ooh yeah. That good."

Her lascivious grin emitted a few giggles from the girls watching
her.

"So is he the best you've ever had?" called out one of them.

Scully laughed. "Without a doubt," she responded.

Darcy butted in. "Yeah, but that says very little about the quality
of his love-making. For all we know, your previous encounters could
have been all duds."

Scully smirked. Ever since Missy had died, she hadn't had anyone to
girl-talk with. Despite the circumstances, she was quite enjoying the
conversation.

"Well, let's just say I'm 36 and I've had my fair share of
experience, although not in the last seven years I might add. But in
my twenties I sampled a few, including a couple of duds, so I think I
have some yardsticks to compare with. And I'm telling you, Mulder is
definitely the best."

"The best 'yardstick' huh?" snorted Jolie.

"Hey you - mind out of the gutter," giggled Darcy.

"Me?!" retorted Jolie, wincing slightly as another, smaller,
contraction passed. "You started this conversation way down in the
gutter girl, not me."

"I know - it's great isn't it?  So Dana, what makes Mulder a great
lover? We want details."

Scully pulled her legs up to her chest, and rested her chin on her
knees.

What made Mulder a good lover? She thought about their lovemaking,
which now seemed like eons ago.  She thought about the gentleness of
his caresses, the urgent way he kissed her, the feeling of his skin
against hers. But in the end, it had nothing to do with technique,
and everything to do with the emotions behind every touch.

"It's his passion," she said finally. "His passion for me."

Darcy smiled slightly, a far away look in her eye. "Love makes all
the difference, doesn't it?  When my boyfriend and I make love, I
feel as if I'm the most beautiful woman in the world."

Scully nodded, and put her arm around Jolie, who had pressed up
against her. She looked around at the others, all engrossed in their
own thoughts. She wondered how many of them had never experienced
real lovemaking. Jolie for sure. She had confided in Scully that she
was a virgin before now. Her only experience of sexual intercourse
was rape. Turning her head, Scully pressed her lips against the
girl's hair. She closed her eyes and prayed that this girl would one
day experience what she and Mulder had.

******

Mitchell Road
Approaching Rockhampton
2.15PM

Mulder drove along the highway, his hands gripping the steering
wheel to stop them from shaking. It had been five days, and time was
speeding by.  A sick feeling in his stomach told him that if he
didn't find her soon, it would be too late. Too late for what, he
wasn't sure.

His cell phone rang, and he grabbed at it frantically, only just
keeping the car on the road.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, it's Harradine. I just interviewed Janine Taylor. It took
us a while to track her down. She's the person who hired the Harpers
to move her furniture on the day Agent Scully was taken. She said she
was inside most of the time, supervising the packing. But she went
outside when they loaded the last item and she saw nothing out of the
ordinary. She said she remembered looking briefly into the truck as
they were loading the last box, but she didn't see anything unusual.
Just her furniture and boxes. She didn't hear any noises from the
truck either. Frankly, Mulder, I know you think they have something
to do with this, but they have watertight alibis."

"Scully was near that area," Mulder replied stubbornly. "Woodford
said the tracking device placed her moving within 500 yards of that
house. They could have grabbed her. It was the middle of the day," he
continued heatedly, "and most people would have been at work. Anyone
at home was probably watching Oprah. The chances of someone seeing
her are slim, but that doesn't mean she wasn't there."

"Okay, okay," soothed Harradine. "I know she was near there. It's a
shame our equipment wasn't more sophisticated, or we would know if
she was on that street." He sighed into Mulder's ear. "I'm just
trying to say that I don't think you should focus all your attention
on the Harpers. At the moment, we have nothing on them, and unless
you can give us something concrete we can't just bust in and arrest
them."

"I'll speak to you soon," replied Mulder coldly, not bothering to
respond to Harradine's comments. "Fuck!" he swore as he placed the
phone back on the passenger's seat.

He had been back to interview the Harper brothers twice since
Scully's abduction. The second time Rob Harper had been quietly
aggressive and threatened to report him for harassment if he
returned. Harper had smugly pointed out that they had steadfast
alibis for the last three abductions, including Scully's. And he was
right.

But that didn't stop Mulder's gut telling him that the Harpers were
hiding something. Mulder had petitioned to get surveillance placed on
them, but without any evidence, he had been refused.

He was missing something, he knew it. It was right in front of him -
why the fuck couldn't he see it? He ran his hand through his hair,
and only then did he really notice how badly it was shaking.  

Lack of food, he thought. When was the last time I ate?  Scully
would kill me.

It was only the thought of Scully's disapproval that caused him to
pull into a convenience store.  He wandered the aisles searching for
sunflower seeds; Scully probably wouldn't classify them as food, but
they were the only things he could face.

As he walked down an aisle, his eye was caught by a packet of red
hair dye.  He picked it up, and looked at it. The first victim had
dyed her hair; she wasn't a natural redhead.

He turned the packet over and over in his hand. He had a feeling
that was important, but he wasn't sure why. Finding the sunflower
seeds, he bought them and the hair dye.

On the drive back to Rockhampton he kept glancing at the hair dye
that he had thrown on the passenger seat.  His mind ran over the
facts again.

The first girl had been six weeks pregnant when he killed her. She
had become pregnant *after* she had been abducted, so presumably the
killer had impregnated her. She wasn't a natural redhead.

The second girl had already been pregnant when she was abducted,
although not enough to be very visible. Unlike the other girl, she
had only been missing a few days before he body was found. It
appeared she had been killed shortly after she was taken. She was a
natural redhead.

What had Scully said about the first girl?  She hadn't realized at
first that she wasn't a natural redhead, because her roots were only
just becoming noticeable. Apparently she had enough auburn in her
hair to cover the fact that she dyed, until there was a good inch of
regrowth.  Mulder thought about what he knew of hair growth. Hair
grew about a half-inch a month.  If that was right, then from the
time she was abducted to the time she was killed, her hair would have
grown enough for her regrowth to be noticeable.

With sickening ease the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.  He
hadn't killed the first girl because she was pregnant, he'd killed
her because she wasn't a real redhead. It had taken two months for
him to notice that.  As for the second girl, although she was a real
redhead, she was carrying someone else's child.

This man was taking these girls to procreate; to create children in
his own image.

Immediately Mulder got on his cell phone.

When Detective Harradine picked up, he said, "Harradine, he's taking
the girls to impregnate them.  We're looking for someone with red
hair, not someone with red-haired parents, or a red-haired
girlfriend. The killer has red hair, and he's probably been teased
about it, ridiculed because of it."

A thought occurred to him. That child in the Harper's house. Was
that why nobody had been aware of the sister's pregnancy?  Was this a
child they had created?

"John and Rob Harper. I need to speak to someone who knew them as
children."

Shortly, Detective Harradine patched Mulder through to the local
Police Department in the Harper's home town.

"Sergeant Litton? This is Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI. I need some
information from you. I need to speak to anyone who went to school
with John and Rob Harper."

"Well you're in luck then, Agent Mulder," chuckled Adam Litton. "I
did. What can I do for you?"

"Tell me what you know about them. What were they like?" asked
Mulder, trying to hide the urgency in his voice.

"They were a funny lot, the Harper triplets. Bill was always a bit
stranger than the others. He had funny ideas, and I think the others
were a bit scared of him. When we were kids he wouldn't let the boys,
or their sister, play with any other kids. He said it would spoil
their purity. He used to hold sermons that he made up at lunch time -
he would refer to the rest of us as 'Satan's Issue' and would drone
on and on about how he was the Chosen One."  Litton chuckled at the
memory. "We all thought it was a riot, y'know?"

"Sergeant Litton, were they ever teased about having red hair?"

"God yes. I mean, we were kids you know? And their hair was *really*
red.  There were always rumors floating around that their father
wasn't really their father, y'know what I mean?  I went over to their
house once to drop something off for my Mom, and I heard their father
screaming at them. He was calling them Devil's Spawn, and telling
them they were unclean, impure. I think that's where Bill got his
funny ideas about purity - some sort of rebellion thing. He used to
tell anyone that would listen that they were a pure race, that they
were special."
I hear they're all running a furniture moving business together. I
never-"

Mulder interrupted. "I think you're mistaken. We were told that Bill
Harper is living in Europe."

This time Litton laughed out loud. "No, I don't think so. I saw Bill
in their truck just recently. I was surprised actually - I often see
the other two driving around, but this was the first time in years
I'd seen Bill. It's kind of hard to tell them apart, but Bill has a
mole on his cheek, so I knew it was him."

Mulder felt a cold trickle of fear run down his back. It was them.
That was why John and Rob had alibis - on those occasions Bill had
abducted the victims.

"Sergeant, you've been a great help. Thanks."

Quickly Mulder hung up, and called back Harradine. "Harradine, it's
the Harpers. Bill is *not* out of the country. I'm heading straight
for their place. Send back up and ambulances. I'll wait until you
arrive."

Ending the call, he cursed. Why hadn't their investigation revealed
Bill's whereabouts? He had asked someone to track that down! It would
have been so simple. Fuck.

Within 20 minutes, Mulder was at the Harper's farm. The temptation
to run in alone and rescue Scully was almost overwhelming, but for
once he held back. This was too important to stuff up. There were
three of them and only one of him.

The time it took for back up to arrive seemed interminable, but in
reality it was only about ten minutes. Urgently, Mulder explained the
circumstances.  Within minutes they had the farmhouse surrounded.

Mulder slammed his fist against the door. "FBI, open up! You're
under arrest!"

When they received no answer, he kicked the door down and ran in. A
shot was fired out back; one of them had tried to escape through the
back door.  Mulder found the other two in the living room, calmly
sitting on the sofa. Bill, thought Mulder, noticing the small, dark
mole on his cheek.

"Where are they?" screamed Mulder, pointing his gun at Bill's head.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he responded coolly.

"Don't fuck with me!" Mulder grabbed him by the collar, spittle
flying from his mouth. "Where's Scully?!"

Bill met Mulder's stare calmly, and said nothing.

"They're in the barn, there's a trapdoor," Rob said finally. "It's
over, Bill. They're gonna find them anyway."

Releasing Bill, Mulder flew out the back door, screaming to the
others, "They're in the barn. Bring the ambulances around!"

After 30 seconds of frantic searching, Mulder spotted the trap door.
Lifting it, he nearly tumbled down the steps, calling Scully's name.

The sight that confronted him almost caused him to vomit on the
spot. A group of naked young women were clustered in the room, most
of them in various stages of pregnancy.

"Mulder."

The sweet sound of Scully's voice caused his head to whip around.

"Mulder. She's in labor. We need to get her to a hospital, now!"

He moved towards her, and she briefly squeezed his hand, as if to
say "Not now, but soon."

Mulder understood, and simply brushed his hand over her hair in
greeting. He peeled his jacket off and gave it to her, and she
slipped it on gratefully. Quickly he unbuttoned his shirt and draped
it over the young girl trembling in the corner.

The bunker became a flurry of activity as jackets and shirts were
handed out to cover the girls, and they were herded into waiting
police cars and ambulances.

As Jolie was placed on a stretcher, she screamed, "Dana, don't leave
me. Please, don't leave me."

Scully rushed to her side. "Don't worry sweetie. I won't leave you.
I'm coming with you to the hospital."

She glanced at Mulder to see if he heard and he nodded at her. "I'll
get your clothes, and bring them to the hospital," he said, glad his
voice sounded stronger than he felt.

When all the girls had been removed, and the forensics team started
their work, Mulder's knees buckled, and he sat down on the step. He
didn't know whether or not Scully had been raped.



Part 10 of 11

Rockhampton General Hospital
Rockhampton, Indiana
4.10PM

Scully quickly slipped on the clothes that Mulder had brought for
her, avoiding his eye.  She knew if she looked at him she would cry,
and she needed to be strong for Jolie.

"I'll see you soon," she whispered, before entering Jolie's room.

Jolie whimpered as Scully approached her, and Scully ran her hand
over the young girl's brow, whispering assurances to her and
smoothing aside her sweat-soaked hair.  The young girl grunted as
another contraction overtook her.

"Agent Scully?"

Scully looked up to see a police officer shuffling nervously before
her.

"What is it?" she asked calmly.

"The young woman's parents are here. They want to see her."

"No!" shrieked Jolie, her eyes wide. "They can't see me like this!
Don't let them!"

She began crying noisily, and Scully wrapped her arms around her,
nodding to the officer who left gratefully.

"Jolie, it's okay. It's okay. I'm going to leave you for a minute
with the nurse, to talk to your parents. I promise I won't bring them
in unless you want me to."

Slipping out of the girl's embrace, Scully went outside to where a
distressed looking couple stood with another red-haired girl. Jolie's
sister, surmised Scully.

"Mr. and Mrs. Griffith?"

They nodded and Mrs. Griffith began to cry.  "We heard her," she
sobbed. "She doesn't want to see us."

"Agent Scully," said Mr. Griffith in a trembling voice, "Could you
give Jolie a message for us?"

Scully walked back into Jolie's room, blinking back the tears in her
eyes.

"Hey," she whispered to Jolie, who had closed her eyes.  "Your Mom
and Dad wanted me to pass on a message."

Jolie opened her eyes, and glanced quickly around the room, as if
assuring herself that her parents weren't there.

"What did they say?" she asked in a quavering voice.

"They said they love you very much, and they're very proud of you
for getting through this." Scully's voice broke slightly, and she
cleared her throat. Reassembling her professional mask, she
continued, "They said to tell you that if you choose to keep your
baby they will love it too, because any baby of yours will be just as
sweet and innocent as you were when you were born. And they said if
you choose to put the baby up for adoption they will support your
decision and help you through it. Jolie, they love you so much."

Jolie started sobbing again. "I want my Mommy," she whispered.
"Please."

Quickly Scully went to the door of the room, and beckoned Mrs.
Griffith in.

"Mommy, I'm scared," sobbed Jolie and her mother rushed toward her.

"I know sweetie," soothed her mother, wrapping her arms around her
and kissing her forehead. "I was *terrified* when I had you.
Absolutely petrified. But it's really not that bad, and I'm here now.
It's okay darling, everything's going to be okay."

Scully left the room, fighting to keep the lump down in her throat.
She approached Mr. Griffith, and said in a soft voice, "Your daughter
is a very special person, Mr. Griffith. You should be very proud.
She'd going to be okay."

Before he could respond, she turned and walked down the long
corridor. She made out Mulder's form slouching against the far wall.
At her approach, he stood up straighter and began walking toward her.
Scully felt her chin start to tremble, and she clenched her jaw to
hold back the tears.

He started to jog slowly toward her and she stopped, feeling the
energy draining from her. When he reached her, and wrapped her
tightly in his arms, she pressed her face hard into his chest.
Concentrate on breathing, she told herself, inhaling a lungfull of
his musky scent.

He hugged her tightly to him and rocked her back and forth. "Scully,
Scully," he murmured in soothing tones. His hands rubbed her back and
hair, and he kissed the crown of her head repeatedly. Now that she
was safe, her body started trembling. She gripped handfuls of skin on
his back, trying to ground herself.

Mulder pulled back from her and cupped her face in his hands.
"Scully, I have to know. Did they...?"

She shook her head, and he closed his eyes in relief. "Thank God."

He leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. He tasted
familiar, and she wondered if he could taste the cold dust that
seemed to cling to every inch of her.

"The detective said he can wait until tomorrow to speak to you. Can
I take you back to the house?"

She nodded, and wrapping his arm tightly around her, he steered her
to the exit.

******

Kiah St residence
5.45PM

Scully couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a bath so much.
Although she had tried to keep clean with the single washcloth they'd
been given, she was washing away more than just dirt.

She smiled as Mulder knocked tentatively on the door.

"It's okay Mulder, you can come in."

He poked his head around the door and smiled shyly. "You sure I'm
not intruding?"

"I'm sure," she said softly.

He perched himself on the edge of the bath and handed her a glass of
red wine.

"Red wine as requested, and pizza with extra anchovies on the way."

She groaned low in her throat. "I never thought I'd be so happy at
the thought of pizza."

Taking a mouthful of red wine, she closed her eyes and sent a quick
prayer into the ether that she had come through unscathed. Briefly
her mind flitted back to her dark prison, but she shut down that
train of thought. I will not think about it. Not tonight.

"Nice wine?" he asked.

She opened her eyes and nodded. "Want to try some?"

When he nodded, she took a mouthful and then reached up to pull his
head toward her. Pressing her lips to his, she waited until his mouth
opened and let the wine flow between their lips. Instantly his tongue
probed into her mouth, and she knew it wasn't the wine he was
seeking.

She moaned and opened her mouth wider to let him in. His tongue
stroked the roof of her mouth, and his hand wandered down her neck
until it was resting lightly on her chest.  Suddenly he ripped his
mouth from hers.

Panting slightly, he said, "Scully, I wasn't going to do this.  Not
tonight. You don't need this from me."

"You're wrong, Mulder," she said throatily. "This is exactly what I
need.  I want to feel your hands and lips on me. I want to feel you
in me."

She placed her wine glass on the floor, and pulled his head down to
meet hers. As he leaned toward her, he slipped and partially fell
into the bath, catching himself with his hand, but drenching his t-
shirt and boxers.

Scully smirked. "Smooth move, Mulder."

"Luckily there's room for two in this bath, Scully," he said,
climbing in fully clothed until he was lying on top of her, his feet
dangling over the end of the bath.  Water splashed over the sides,
soaking the bath mat and the towel she had placed there.

"Boy, are you gonna be in trouble when I have to clean this
bathroom," she murmured, running her fingers lazily over his back and
then under his soaked t-shirt.

"Well, I'd better make this worthwhile then," he whispered, before
kissing her deeply.  She could feel him harden against her as his
tongue slid against hers, hot and demanding. She kissed him back with
equal fervor, tasting his lips and teeth.

"Think we can do it in the bath?" she asked, sliding her hand down
between them and grasping his cock.

"I think we can give it a good try," he muttered against her mouth,
lifting his hips slightly so she could gain access into his boxers.
While he balanced himself above her, she pulled his boxers down,
first with her hands and then with her feet. Then he sat up on his
knees, wincing slightly, and pulled his t-shirt off.

"That's better," she said admiringly, running her hands down his
chest. "Now get back down here."

He lowered himself back down on top of her, ignoring the fact that
sex in a bath was, really, an inherently uncomfortable activity. If
she wanted it in the bath, he thought, then she was gonna get it in
the bath.

Mulder kissed his way down her chest until he was suckling her
nipple, but she pulled him back up so they were face to face. "I know
I said I wanted to feel your hands and lips all over me, but I lied,
Mulder."

For a split second he looked crestfallen, until she whispered
huskily into his ear, "I just want to feel your cock in me."

She saw the slight surprise that her words provoked, but also noted
his increased arousal. So Mulder was turned on by dirty talk, she
thought. Well she was flying high on a mixture of desire and
exhilaration at being alive, and she was going to make tonight a
night to remember.

She lifted her legs and hooked them over the sides of the bath, so
she was wide open for him, and then guided him into her.  He
willingly began thrusting, gently at first, but picking up pace when
her fingernails dug into his buttocks, urging him on. Waves of water
sloshed over the edges of the bath.

"Harder Mulder," she whispered, between gasps for air. "Fuck me
harder."

He hadn't thought it possible, but her words spurred him on, and he
thrust into her with wild abandon. Briefly he wondered if he was
hurting her, but when she groaned into his ear, "God, you're so good,
Mulder," he discarded that thought.

He pumped into her, willing himself not to come. Suddenly she
gasped. Her hips lifted to grind their pelvises together, he felt her
tighten around his already too painful cock, and then his name was
bouncing off the tiled walls in surround sound. It took only a few
more seconds before he followed her over the edge.

They lay there, the sound of their ragged breathing the only noise
that could be heard, until Scully groaned slightly.

"Scully? You okay?" came Mulder's muffled voice from between her
breasts.

"I feel great, but my body is complaining a bit. I think it just
decided it's too old to have sex in the bath. How are your knees?"

"Sore as all hell. I'd get up if I had any movement left in my body."

"Roll over," she instructed. Mustering all his energy, Mulder did
so, and then sighed happily as he leaned back against her, and she
wrapped her arms around him.

Their peaceful post-coital slump was interrupted by the pizza
delivery boy arriving.

"That'll be for you," said Scully, when she heard the rap on the door.

Knees cracking in protest, Mulder got up and grabbed a towel to wrap
around his waist.  Scully admired his lean body and then reluctantly
followed him out of the bath. Woman cannot live on sex and baths
alone, she thought, as she got the first whiff of pizza.

Drying herself quickly, she wrapped her bathrobe around her, and
combed her hair back.

Mulder was sitting in the living room, the pizza box laying in front
of him. For the first time ever he hadn't started eating, and instead
was sitting against the sofa waiting for her.  He beckoned her over,
and pulled her between his legs.

"Hungry?" he asked into her ear, as he dragged the pizza box onto
their laps.

"Starving," she responded, watching him open the box and pick up a
slice.  He brought the steaming slice of pizza to her mouth, and she
obligingly opened her mouth and took a bite.

"I *can* feed myself," she said as she chewed, savoring the
delightfully salty taste.

"I know," he murmured into her ear, his mouth also full. "I've seen
you do it before."

He kissed her temple, leaving a greasy spot behind, which he wiped
off with his tongue. She smiled at the sensation. He raised the slice
to her mouth again, and she took another bite. Nuzzling back into his
warm body, she sighed. This was nice.

They ate in silence for a while, until Mulder said, "Do you want to
talk about it?"

"No," she replied quickly, and firmly.

He said nothing, but she could sense his disappointment. "Mulder,
not tonight. Please." She twisted to face him. "I'm not going to keep
it to myself. I *will* talk to you. But I can't face it tonight. I
just want to be with you."

He nodded, looking at her solemnly.

"Y'know Mulder, I never doubted that you'd find us,"  she said,
running her fingers down his cheek.

"It was only my knowledge that you had such faith in me that gave me
confidence, Scully.  I had the courage of your convictions," he
replied softly.

She smiled in recognition of his words.

"We'll talk about it, Mulder. I promise. But tonight I just want to
finish this pizza, and go to sleep."



Part 11 of 11


Rockhampton Police Station
20th April, 2000
2.00PM

Mulder leaned over the large desk and stared into the expressionless
eyes of Aletha Harper.

"Did you know what your brothers were doing, Ms Harper?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Why did you do it?"

She tilted her head and frowned, as if puzzled that he would even
ask such a question. "A man is not a man until he procreates, Mr.
Mulder. My brother was ordained by God to expand our bloodline. In
order for our bloodline to remain pure, I should have been the mother
of our children, but..." she paused and looked down at her hands.
When she looked back up at him, her eyes were tinged with pain. "...I
was unable to bear children. This was the only way."

Mulder hands shook. For a brief second he wanted to pick her up by
her frail shoulders and throw her against the wall, and the strength
of his emotions frightened him.

"There are many women in the world who are unable to bear children,"
he answered tightly.

"That is true, Mr. Mulder. But it is irrelevant to God whether or not
they bear children."

"I've heard enough," spat Mulder in disgust. He turned to Harradine.
"You can continue this."

Mulder stalked out of the room, willing himself to calm down.  He
went back into their temporary office, and slumped into a chair.
Moments later, Scully entered the room.

"Hey, how was the hospital?" he asked.

"Full of too many pregnant young girls," she replied softly. "Most
of them are still in hospital, suffering from delayed shock. Darcy
was released. She's not pregnant, and she just wanted to go home.
Jolie had some complications while giving birth. She lost a lot of
blood, but she'll be okay. I wasn't able to see her."

She paused, obviously trying to compose herself. "The baby that you
heard at the Harper's house...one of the girls gave birth to her.
Christine. She refused to see her. She became hysterical when one of
the doctors suggested it. She kept screaming "She's not my baby,
she's not my baby..." I'll guess they'll make the child a ward of the
state until they decide what to do..." Scully's voice cracked, and
she ran her hand over her eyes.

Mulder stood up and wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened
slightly and pulled back.

"I'm fine, Mulder. Not here," she said, looking around. "Someone
might come in."

She sat in the chair next to his, and pulled him down next to her.

"So, did he talk?"

Mulder grimaced. "He talked all right. Preached is probably the
better word for it. Preached and boasted, which is a singularly
distasteful combination. He claims to be Melchizedek, which I
understand is a name given to a man -"

"Who is both priest and king," finished Scully. "I know, I heard one
of the brother's call him by that name. I remember reading about
Melchizedek in a book about religion and myth. Melchizedek is thought
by some to be a precursor to Jesus, while others think that the name
Melchizedek is just another name for Jesus."

"Well he is certainly a man with a Jesus complex. And his brothers
and sister are his slavish followers. He appears to have brainwashed
them into believing they are the chosen ones. He believes himself to
be ordained by God to produce a pure race of people."  

Mulder paused, uncertain how much to tell Scully. "His sister
believes she was destined to be the mother to their children.
However, she was unable to conceive, so they moved on to abducting
girls in their image."

He glanced at her. Her expression remained passive, although her
shoulders stiffened.  "Because the girls weren't of 'pure' stock," he
continued, "they had to purify them."

"Hence the cow's blood. The red heifer has always signified purity,"
murmured Scully. "He painted a spot of heifer blood for each point of
the cross over their womb, and poured water sanctified with the ashes
of the heifer through their hair."

Mulder reached for her hand. It was clear she was speaking from
personal experience.

"Want to tell me about it?"

She drew her hand away from his and picked up a paperweight from the
desk, turning it over and over. "They blindfolded me and took me into
the house. There were burning candles in the room - I could smell the
wax. They tied me to the table and the whole time he was chanting
"Unto the pure all things are pure"." She shivered almost
imperceptibly. "I felt them paint the blood on, and then they poured
the water through my hair. They had tied my arms to the table, but
not my legs - they were just holding them down. I knew what was
coming next...Mulder, I was terrified. Rape...rape is more horrifying
to me than death."

She glanced at him with haunted eyes, and he knew she was thinking
about the experiments they had performed on her. Medical rape was no
less abhorrent than physical rape. He squeezed her forearm, trying to
impart some comfort, but he didn't draw her to him. She needed to
tell him this in her own way.

She pulled away from his touch, and walked over to the window, still
holding tightly to the paperweight.

"When they pulled down my underwear, I had my period. I hadn't even
realized it was due." She gave a hollow laugh and rubbed her thumb
over the glass paperweight. "Many religions consider a menstruating
woman to be unclean. They took me back, and raped Darcy instead."

"Scully," he said gently, "You know that's not your fault."

She nodded, her head down. "I know. But that doesn't make it feel
any better."

He walked over to her, and turning her around so they were facing,
he bent to rest his forehead against hers. "Scully," he whispered,
bringing his hands up to smooth her hair back from her face. "Scully."

"I'm fine, Mulder. I'mfineI'mfineI'mfine." Her words tumbled out
through gritted teeth as she struggled to hold herself together. "I'm
fine."

He pulled her into his embrace and rocked with her, letting her
attempt to convince them both that she was fine. She was just fine.

******

Rockhampton General Hospital
23rd April, 2000

Mulder glanced over at Scully. Her hands were gripping the magazine
so tightly that her knuckles were white. He could tell that she
wasn't reading the words.

"Hey," he said softly.

She looked up with a small frown, as if surprised to see him there.

"You're nervous aren't you?"

She nodded. "I don't know why. I guess I'm starting to have second
thoughts. Maybe she won't want to see me because I'll remind her of
what happened, or maybe she's just so destroyed by what happened to
her..."

Mulder reached over and grabbed her hand. "She'll be okay. People
are very resilient. You of all people know that."

They both looked up when the doctor approached them.

"She's ready to see you now."

Mulder held back to allow Scully to go in before him. He felt a
little uncomfortable about visiting Jolie himself, but Scully had
insisted. She was sure that Jolie would want to meet him.

His fears were allayed by the big smile that spread across Jolie's
face when she saw them.

"Dana!" she shrieked, holding her arms out wide.

Scully walked over and hugged her, while Mulder stood stiffly at the
end of the bed.  Scully turned, flashing him a smile.

"This is Mulder. Mulder, this is Jolie."

"Hey, Jolie."

"Hi, Mr. Mulder," said Jolie, suddenly shy. "It's so nice to meet
you. I heard a lot about you."

Jolie and Scully locked eyes, and Jolie started giggling.  Mulder
frowned. He was obviously missing something here. Scully reached out
and squeezed Jolie's hand.

"I heard you had a boy."

Jolie's smile diminished slightly, but she tilted her head up
bravely. "Yes. I'm not keeping him."

She paused, gauging their reaction, and then continued, "I discussed
it with my Mom and Dad, and I decided I was too young to be a mother.
So he's being adopted, and I've already met his new parents."

Her eyes glistened slightly with tears. "They seem like really nice
people. They know what happened, and they don't care. They said
they'd send me photos, and I could visit if I wanted to. It's called
an open adoption."  She took in a deep, shaky breath before
continuing. "I said I wanted to name him, and they said I could." She
glanced at Scully, and then Mulder. "If he was a girl, I would have
called him Dana. When I found out he was a boy, I was going to name
him after you Mr. Mulder, but then I found out your name...sorry, but
I just couldn't do that to a kid."

Mulder burst out laughing. "Thank God for that. Why do you think
everyone calls me Mulder?"

"So, I named him Todd. It means Fox." She grinned, waiting for
Mulder's reaction.

He shook his head. "Why didn't my parents think of that?"

Scully smiled at him. Turning her attention back to Jolie, she
leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Take care, Jolie. I know it
may seem hard to believe at the moment, but this will feel less
painful after some time has passed."

Jolie nodded. "I know," she whispered, suddenly close to tears.
"That's what my Mom keeps saying. Dana, I'm glad you were there. I
mean, I'm not glad...but you know what I mean. Part of me wants to
say 'keep in touch', except most of me just wants to forget this ever
happened. But I'll always remember you."

Scully ran her hand over the girl's hair. "I'll remember you too,
Jolie."

She kissed Jolie one more time, and then reached a hand out to
Mulder. He pulled her toward him, and smiling his goodbyes at Jolie,
led her out of the room.

Scully was quiet on the trip to the airport and throughout their
check-in.

When they had settled into their seats, and flipped the arMr.est up
between them, Mulder turned to her. "You're thinking about the baby,
aren't you?"

She looked up, startled, and he knew he'd read her correctly. His
heart clenched at the knowledge that she felt the pain of her
infertility every time she was confronted with birth.

She nodded, and then turned to gaze out the window. He leaned over,
and with one finger on her chin, turned her head so she was forced to
meet his eye.  Her blue eyes shone with unshed tears, and her bottom
lip was twisted under her teeth.

Gently, he smoothed out her lip with his thumb. He gathered her in
his arms, pulling her stiff body close. Staring out the window at the
dull gray tarmac, he realized there was nothing he could do to ease
this particular pain. Only time could do that, and those seconds were
counted in every ragged, controlled breath from Scully.


******

Scully's Apartment
25th April, 2000
10.30PM

Mulder's eyes followed her as she entered the bedroom, still looking
flushed from the shower.  It was cooler in DC, and she was wearing
flannel pajamas that made his hands twitch in anticipation of
cuddling her.

He pulled back the covers, and spread his legs apart, indicating for
her to sit between them. She complied sleepily, crawling over the bed
and snuggling up against his chest.

"This is nice, Mulder," she sighed.

He hooked his arm under her legs, and pulled her a bit closer,
getting them both comfortable. If she'd given him a sign, he would
have been undressing her in an instant, but he sensed she just needed
some quiet closeness. He was happy with that - holding Scully was
second on his list of favorite pastimes.

He stroked her hair, waiting for the small sighs he knew would come.
Scully was like a dog when she was being petted; cuddly and
contented. He half expected to see her leg start to twitch.

She tilted her head up and looked at him with a small smile. His
hand stilled expectantly.

"What?" he finally asked when she said nothing.

"Mulder, I feel a bit guilty. I told the girls something that was
personal between you and me. Something that you need to know." She
placed a tender kiss on his lips, lingering slightly to lick his
bottom lip.

"What?" he asked, a little nervously.

"I told them I love you, Mulder."

He smiled, and ran the back of his hand down her cheek.

"Thank God for that," he joked gently. "I thought you were going to
say you'd told them the gory details of our lovemaking."

Scully blushed, and Mulder's eyes widened. "You didn't! Scully, I
would never have taken you for a kiss and tell kind of woman," he
admonished, laughing.

Blushing furiously, she protested, "I'm not, I swear. But...well,
they asked, and we had to talk about *something*."

He kissed her, still smiling at the expression on her face. "Well
it's just as well that I love you too, or you could be in real
trouble." He paused, and then asked, "So did you tell them I was
good?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, and then shrugged. "I told them you
were okay, Mulder."

He gasped in mock horror and wrestled her to the mattress. He pinned
her to the bed with his body, delighting in the feeling of her
shaking with laughter under him.

"Just okay, Scully? I nearly broke my knees for you in that damn
bath the other night and you say I'm just *okay*??"

Now she was laughing so hard that tears were trickling out of the
corners of her eyes, and she was gasping for breath.  He let go of
her hands and tucked his arms under her body, laying his head on her
chest.  He sighed in contentment, listening to her laugh.

Scully laughing.

If he could capture just one moment in his life to preserve for ever
more, this would be this one.


THE END.