To give him credit, Mulder did an admirable job trying to
hide his smirking grin. "No problem, Duinne. If you don't
make it out alive, I'll send the customary fee to your
mother." He peered anxiously down the hallway, "Are we ready
now?" Let's go bust a ghost, shall we?"

Keiren led the way, smiling and unconcerned. Mulder was his
usual vibrant self, totally engrossed in the prospect of
witnessing a spectral visitation. I grew increasingly
nervous as we approached the bedroom, unable to decide
whether I was more concerned about the red eyes appearing on
schedule or nothing happening at all.

Keiren stopped just inside the bedroom door. He turned to
face Mulder and me and whispered, "Go lie down on the bed,
Walter. Fox, sit yourself in the armchair and for the first
time in your life, keep quiet."

Mulder made a face at his companion but followed orders. He
flopped lazily into the Queen Anne, propping his elbows on
the chair arms, his fingers laced over his belly, his long
legs straight out in front of him crossed at the ankles.
I stared at my subordinate in amazement and made a mental
note to get with Keiren once things had settled down and
find out his secret for making Mulder behave. Feeling
foolish, I stretched out on the bed rolling to lie on my
stomach. I left my glasses on even though it was
uncomfortable. I had to be able to see in case action was
required. I turned my face toward the closet and made a
concentrated effort to relax.  Keiren padded silently to
stand before the closet, just far enough away not to be
struck by the door if it did open on cue. With effort, I
pulled my gaze from the wiry Irishman and glanced at the
clock: 3:56. Three minutes to go.

I heard Mulder shifting behind me but could not look away
from the closet to see what he was up to. I felt a coil of
tension tightening in my gut and my breathing quickened.
There was a sudden chill in the room. I could actually see
Keiren's breath. Lifting my head from the pillow, my heart
seized in my chest as the knob on the closet door began to
turn of its own accord. The door swung open ever so slowly,
a soft creaking sound accompanying the motion. I sat up
unable to draw adequate breath.

As the malevolent red eyes glowed from the depths of the
closet, I heard Mulder gasp softly. I was absurdly relieved
and gratified, knowing that someone else could see them and
found them just as terrifying. I jumped and nearly screamed
as Keiren spoke.

"Who are you? Why do ye tarry here?" He stepped closer to
the closet. I could still see the condensation of his
breath. I couldn't tell if his body trembled from cold or
from fear but it was probably a little of both. Keiren
cocked his head to one side listening to the silence. He
nodded and then stepped further into the darkness, "You'll
not find him here, lass. The one you seek has passed, long
ago." Keiren disappeared from view, now completely inside
the closet.

I stood and immediately felt Mulder grip my arm. He hissed,
"You can't go in there, Walter. You'll only distract Keiren
and break his concentration if you try to help."

I whipped around to face Mulder, my fear rapidly turning to
frustration and anger. "We can't leave him alone with that
thing, Mulder. For God's sake...you saw it. How can you call
Keiren your friend, and let him...."

Mulder smiled grimly, "I do call Keiren my friend. I call
myself his friend, too. That is why I do as he asks, Walter.
There is nothing we can do. If things get out of hand we're
leaving. I don't like it any more than you but we both
agreed."

The closet door muffled Keiren's scream only slightly. I
started forward, only to be hauled back by Mulder. "We're
leaving, Walter. Right fucking now!" He tugged on my arm
grunting with exertion, "You have to do as Keiren said.
Follow orders, soldier."

I allowed myself to be pulled from the apartment feeling
cowardly and small. "If he dies, Mulder...I'll never forgive
myself."

Mulder mumbled softly, "You have nothing to forgive yourself
for, Walter. Keiren ordered you...us from the room."

In the dull glow of the elevator light, I felt something in
my chest loosen when I caught a glimpse of Mulder's face. I
started to speak but he turned away from me. "He'll be fine,
Walter. Let's just go wait in the parking garage. It's too
fucking cold to stand outside. I left my shoes in your
living room."

I draped an arm awkwardly around Mulder's shoulders as we
exited the building into the dank underground parking lot.
"We can sit in my car, Mulder. I'll run the heater to keep
us warm while we wait."

He walked silently beside me making no effort to shrug away
from my arm but drawing no strength from me, either. He
stood passively by the passenger door while I unlocked the
vehicle and dropped into the seat with a soft sigh, leaving
the door standing open.

I closed Mulder's door and then hurried around to climb into
the driver's seat. I turned the key in the ignition, "It
won't take a minute to warm up." Mulder rolled his head to
stare out the window without bothering to answer. I had
absolutely no clue how to offer comfort to this miserable
young man. Gripping the steering wheel I growled, "Do you
want to go back for him, Mulder? What's Keiren going to do?
He can't take the both of us. We'll drag his scrawny Irish
ass outside and tomorrow I'll start looking for a new
apartment. What do you say?"

I heard Mulder's voice catch, sounding suspiciously like a
sob. He continued to stare out the window for several
moments, then spoke softly, "If we go back, we put Keiren at
greater risk. He needs all his energy and focus to save
himself, Walter. He can't take care of us, too. Hell, Keiren
may already be dead. I don't know. We stay put until he
comes out or the sun comes up."

I squeezed Mulder's shoulder firmly. He reached up and
gently pushed my hand away, "Don't. If you feel sorry for
me, I'm going to start crying. I don't want to...at least until
I know for sure...please, Walter?"

I let my hand drop uselessly onto my lap. There was
absolutely nothing to say, so I said nothing. Staring
straight ahead at the gray concrete wall, I wondered if
faced with Mulder's decision, would I be able to put my
personal feelings aside and do the right thing. Judging from
my actions just moments before, I had serious doubts. Fox
William Mulder had demonstrated the ability to remain cool
headed and objective. He had earned my respect, yet it
seemed a hollow victory since he probably lost a close
friend in the bargain.

I was startled from my reverie by the soft ding of the
elevator bell. Turning quickly, I watched as Keiren
staggered toward the car and fell to the pavement. Whipping
the car door open, I shouted, "Mulder! There he is!" I
sprinted toward the fallen man, my legs feeling weak and
wobbly. If Keiren managed to make his way down here just to
die in Mulder's arms I don't think Mulder would recover from
the blow.

Mulder passed me easily, dropping to the ground to lift
Keiren's head onto his lap, "My God, Keiren. Why do you
always have to make an entrance?" His voice was reedy and
thin, his face pale, dark circles ringing his too bright
hazel eyes.

Keiren's eyelids fluttered. He spoke so softly I had to lean
in to hear his words, "Just look at the reaction I get, Fox
me lad. What other reason do I need?" He chuckled and then
coughed before struggling to sit up, "I'm fine, really. Just
weak."

I knelt beside them carefully pushing Keiren back onto the
ground, "Stay down. You're very weak. Are you injured? Do we
need to take you to a hospital?"

He offered no resistance and lay back on the cold concrete,
"No, I'm fine, really. I just need to rest. Just mentally
and emotionally depleted, Walter. Stop worrying, the lot of
you."

Mulder visibly relaxed. "Is it safe to go back inside,
Duinne? You'd probably recover must faster lying on Walter's
couch instead of the pavement."

Keiren licked his lips and opened his eyes with some
difficulty. "It's perfectly safe now. She's gone. She won't
be back, either. The only problem is, I don't have the
strength to walk back inside, Fox. I'll just lie here on the
cold stones with you as my pillow until I feel fit." He
grinned evilly and snuggled in as if he intended to stay a
while.