Someday-Part 5/7 Summary and disclaimers in Part 1 ***** St. John's Medical Center Tucson, Arizona It was shortly after noon when Mulder and Scully walked into St. John's Medical Center. Scully hated it, but she was once again looking over her shoulder, and she felt Mulder's nervousness as well. It looked like the honeymoon was indeed over. Silently, Scully lead Mulder to the 5th floor, where Dr. Chloe Wood's office was located. She swung around the corner and smiled when she saw her old friend standing in the hallway talking to a couple of people. Her smile faded when she recognized them. She stopped and began to back up, hoping to slip back around the corner before they noticed her. But Mulder, having been walking several feet behind her, slammed into her back. "Scully, what..?" The three faces at the end of the hall turned towards them. Scully felt Mulder's body turn to stone behind her, and his voice, when he spoke, was ice tinged with fear. "What the hell are you doing here?" Cat, her dark eyes wide, took a step towards them. "Mulder! We're here to help! Skinner sent us." "How did you find us?" Scully demanded. Cat glanced at Justin. "It was luck, really. We knew you were in the southwest somewhere after the bar brawl." She seemed to take note of Mulder's slightly blackened eye and swollen lip. "We learned that Dr. Wood had taught at the Academy at the same time as Agent Scully." "It wasn't a brawl," Mulder commented. His voice sounded tired, as if he had given up. "Why did you think we would come to Dr. Wood?" "O'Neil thought you guys might have a vaccine," Justin answered. "Dr. Wood was the logical choice." Scully felt a chill work its way up her back. Cat's intuition was very similar to Mulder's, it seemed. He was always making spectacular leaps in logic that proved correct in the end. She looked at Cat. "Why did you think we have the vaccine?" Cat shrugged. "It was a guess." Scully turned to look at Mulder, her eyebrows raised. He was wearing a small smile, as if proud of his protege. He had every right to be, Scully thought. Cat was almost a feminine, mirror image of Mulder. Scully looked at Dr. Wood. "Hi, Chloe." "Dana." Chloe Wood nodded to her. "Chloe," Scully continued. "We need your help." Glancing at the younger agents, Chloe smirked. "So I gathered." She motioned toward her office. "Shall we?" ************************************************************ St. John's Medical Center Doctor Chloe Wood's Office By reviewing the antibodies in Scully's blood, which she had acquired when Mulder injected her with the original vaccine a few years ago in Antarctica, Dr. Wood was able to confirm that the content of the vial was indeed the vaccine. She also confirmed that it would be easy to replicate. The five of them 'camped out' in Chloe's office the rest of that day and into the night. While Scully helped Chloe with the replication procedures, Mulder and the others planned the next step. From what Chloe could determine, the vaccine had been produced from the killed virus itself, the way many vaccines were made. Nonetheless, this made Mulder and Scully nervous; they didn't like the idea of being around the virus, dead or otherwise. It was well past four the next morning when Scully determined they had enough made up. "Now what?" Mulder said to no one in particular, but his attention was on Scully. "Are we still going to go with my suggestion?" she asked back. "What suggestion?" Monroe asked. "I thought Mulder told you," Scully asked. "He told us we might have to split up, in pairs or something, taking the vaccine and hiding it," Cat responded. Scully shook her head. "Yes and no. We need to split up, yes, but I think it's best if we all split up, *all* of us. The more vaccine we hide away for future use, the better." She looked at each one in turn. "It's also better insurance in case one of us gets caught." She looked at Chloe. "I don't expect you to help us anymore. You've done more than enough already." "Are you kidding?" Chloe asked. "I'm not going to stop now. I know people in Mexico who can hide this stuff." Scully nodded. "We can all hide it, tell a few trustworthy souls about it, so that more than one person knows where and what to look for when the time comes. Sort of like the Navajo's way of passing down stories, huh, Mulder?" Mulder nodded, but he knew his nervousness showed. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to split up completely." "Between the five of us, I think we can ensure that this stuff stays safe," Scully argued. But Mulder obviously wasn't convinced. "Scully, can I have word with you?" Scully followed Mulder over to the far side of the lab. "What's wrong? You suddenly don't like my idea?" "No. I think it's our best option if we want to have a life after this is over. I just don't like being separated." "Mulder, just because we're sleeping together now does not mean I can't take care of myself as I have always been able to do. This is a very good reason why we shouldn't have let this relationship change!" She was whispering, but her voice sounded sharp anyway. Mulder grimaced. "I know very well you can take care of yourself. That is one of the reasons I love you so much. Your strength, your confidence. But I have a bad feeling about this!" He sighed. "Contramundum, remember?" "Mulder, we stand a better chance of succeeding if we separate. And when we succeed, we can be together." "You promise?" His heart started beating harder. The idea of spending the rest of his life loving this woman thrilled him. But the fear remained. "Why do I feel like you're leaving for good, again?" She moved in close, looking him in the eye. "Not for good. Never for good." "I just have a bad feeling about this." "You sound like a character from 'Star Wars'." Scully joked, then paused. "Someday is almost here, Mulder. It's almost here." ************************************************************ The five of them separated after a quick breakfast around six in the morning. Chloe was taking a quick trip south of the border, to a doctor friend in Mexico. Monroe and Cat headed north, planning to split up in Nevada the next day. Mulder and Scully retraced their steps east. Well, not exactly the same route, Mulder thought wryly. They managed to avoid going near a little road house just outside Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. At dusk, they stopped at a motel somewhere in Texas. The plan was for Scully to take a flight out of Dallas the next day, destination unknown to all but her. Mulder was not anxious for the separation. Late that night, he lay awake, staring at the ceiling, his arms wrapped tightly around a sleeping Scully. He and Scully had been through so much, what was one more trial? When this was over, when all the samples were well hidden, maybe they could get their lives back. Not the same lives, of course. He knew without a doubt that this little escapade would cost him his job. Finally. But, he didn't regret it. He was content to let Cat take over the X Files. Imagine that! But, then what was he to do? He turned his face into Scully's hair, breathing deeply. If he searched deep down in his heart, he knew what he wanted to do. Marry the woman sleeping beside him and start producing red-headed, green-eyed babies. But that was most likely impossible. Even if Scully would settle down and marry him, she couldn't have children. Not by conventional means, anyway. His thoughts drifted back to the ova he had secreted away with the help of the Lone Gunmen. There was always that option. He closed his eyes and pictured it: He and Scully, always together, never apart, no matter what the situation. He could see her, smiling, her belly round with his child. He felt his heart literally ache. God, how he wanted to make her happy! She was starting to wake next to him, her hand sliding along him, fingers playing with his chest hair. Mulder's mind, still on his fantasy vision, asked before he could stop himself, "Do you know what I wish?" She lifted her head, giving him a sleepy look. "What?" He took a deep breath. "Nothing. Never mind." Scully gave the hair she was fingering a sharp tug. "Ouch!" "What?" she repeated. "Don't get me all curious and then back off!" Mulder sighed. "I wish we had made a baby tonight." Scully stilled, her eyes wide. Then she smiled. A sad smile. "Really?" "Yeah, really." She lowered her head and gently kissed him. "I do, too." "What if.." he paused. "What if I told you that you *could* have children." She tilted her head in curiosity, but remained quiet. "Scully, I've kept something from you. I know I shouldn't have, but.." "My ova?" Scully interrupted in a soft voice. Mulder felt shock sweep through him. "You know?" She nodded. "Frohike told me." For a moment, Mulder felt anger replace his shock. Scully noticed. "Don't get mad at him. I knew he was hiding something important from me and I forced it out of him. You know very well that *he* can't lie to me." Mulder felt his face heat. "And you're not mad?" "Oh, I was a bit ticked for a while, yes. But not anymore. And who knows; Maybe I'll have need for them in the future." She lay her head back on his shoulder. "Scully?" "Hmm?" "If you do decide you have a need for them..." He stopped. "Don't worry, Mulder. You'll be the first to know." He felt her smile. "You'll have to be if you're going to be the donor." Mulder smiled, feeling incredibly relieved. "Scully?" With a soft laugh, she replied, "Hmm?" "Be careful. I want you to have those babies in the future." "A future we're helping to protect with this vaccine," she reminded him. "Just promise me you'll be careful." His voice had become hard. "I promise," she sighed. Then she moved up on his chest so she could face him. "You're really worried, aren't you?" He brought his hand up, brushing hair from her face. Then he cupped her cheek. "Yes." His voice was soft, but deadly serious. He could tell by her expression that she recognized his very real fear. She nodded, then brought her lips down on his. He knew she was trying to distract him, and he decided to let her. In the back of his mind he began to pray, yes pray, that this would not be the last time he made love to her. ************************************************************ Somewhere in Virginia "Well, have you found them, yet?" CGB Spender was angry. He had learned , only a week ago, about the vaccine Dr. Hendrickson had produced, and by the time he was able to do something about it, Mulder had the vaccine. Mulder. He felt a twinge of pride at the thought of the young agent, but anxiety as well. He had hoped that Mulder's obsession had been forgotten in Scully's absence. Evidently, it hadn't. Alex Krycek stood before Spender, his eyes never leaving the old man's. "I thought I had them in Tucson. They met up with a Dr. Wood there. But by the time I arrived, they were gone. I think O'Neil and an agent called Monroe are with them as well." "Shit!" Spender cursed softly, then started coughing. "Where did they go?" he asked when he had his breath back. Krycek sighed, for the first time showing his frustration. "As far as I can tell, all five of them split up." "What?" Spender leaned back in his chair. "If they all have samples of the vaccine..." He shook his head. This was not good. 'They' would not be happy to hear about this. "We'll never find it all." He looked at Krycek. "Do you want me and the others to keep looking?" Spender sighed again. "No." He glanced at the gray haired man standing towards the back of the room, who had stood silently through the entire exchange. "No, but I do want you to find *one* of them." He turned back to Krycek. "I want you to find Agent Scully and bring her to me." He glanced at the quiet one again. "To us." ************************************************************ Scully had been mad at herself plenty of times in her life, but she couldn't recall being this pissed at herself before. She had made it far too easy for them. Why had she believed that just because she wasn't carrying the vaccine anymore, she was safe? She had made it as far as the National Airport, and had decided to call Mulder and tell him she was okay. Standing at the pay phones, she had called his apartment, getting his answering machine. She had told him she would meet him and the others as planned that night at Headquarters. With a quick 'I miss you', she hung up and turned away from the phones. And she had literally run smack into Alex Krycek. "Hello, Dana. You are a hard lady to find, did you know that?" She'd been unarmed; she'd had to leave her weapon with Mulder in Texas in order to board the plane. Of course, she didn't know what she would have done with a gun in a crowded airport anyway. Now, here she sat, in the back of a dark sedan, Krycek holding a gun on her. She didn't bother asking him where they were going; he wouldn't tell her anyway. They finally arrived at an old farmhouse in what Scully believed must be the Virginia countryside. She followed Krycek into the building and came face to face with *him*. "C.G.B. Spender." she commented. "What a surprise. I can't say that I've missed you." Spender smirked. "Ah, but I have missed you, Dana." He walked toward her and touched her hair. The blonde color was slowly fading after every wash she gave her hair: thank goodness for temporary hair color. "I never pictured you as a blonde before." She jerked away from his touch. "Exactly." Spender turned and walked to a chair, sitting facing Scully. "Your friend, Dr. Wood, is already back at work acting like she never left. O'Neil and this Monroe are also finished with their 'duties' and are back in D.C." He tilted his head. "Quite a plan you and Mulder devised. I had hoped that more than a year of separation would have weakened your bond, but apparently I was wrong. "You may have won this round with your vaccine, but you and Mulder have become too much of a problem with the people in charge now. They want both of you dead, no excuses. They're tired of you always getting in the way. I can do nothing to change their mind. Your friends are safe, for now, but you and Mulder are not. They WILL kill you both." Scully let out a humorless laugh. "Aren't you a part of the 'they' you're talking about?" Spender shook his head. "No, Dana. Not in this. We want you and Mulder to live." She glanced at Krycek, who stood without speaking by the door. "We?" "Yes," said a voice from behind her. "We." Scully spun around, her eyes widening. The man standing before her was supposed to be dead. Mulder had told her that he had died in a car bombing, just after he had given Mulder the original vaccine that had saved her life in Antarctica. "I heard you were dead," she whispered. "Yes," the Well-Manicured Man said. "It isn't as difficult as it seems to make the world believe you are dead." He stepped closer, and Scully was surprised to find she wasn't as fearful of this man as she was Spender. His grey eyes were flashing with amusement. "We want to help you, Agent Scully." "How?" He smiled. "We want to help you and Mulder 'die'." ***** End of 5/7