Disclaimer: I don't
own any of the characters in this story.
Mulder, Scully and the rest of the X-Files gang belong to Fox . Michael,
Nikita and the LFN people are property of USA.
"Government Using
Teletubbies to Brainwash America's Youth." Special agent Dana Scully eyed the
headline of the newest issue of the Lone Gunman with a mix of amusement and wry
disbelief. She wondered which one of
the three stooges came up with this beauty.
Her money was on Langley.
The
paper had been lying on her desk this morning, next to a steaming cup of coffee
(strong and black, just how she liked it) and a note from Mulder.
Scully-
In a meeting with financial
services. Apparently, a masseuse does
not count as a business expense. I
thought Crystal was indispensable.
Check out page 14.
Mulder
Scully let out a sigh.
He would try and get reimbursed for a 6-week vacation at the playboy
mansion if he thought he could get away with it. She sat down and sipped the coffee. Scully opened up the paper, flipping past wild stories of
conspiracy, aliens, and random encounters with the unknown. Page 14 contained the newest feature of the
small periodical, Close Encounters with Love, personal ads. That would definitely be Frohike's
idea. Beneath the ads was a short article. She began reading.
Mulder
returned a half-hour later, to find his partner engrossed in page 14 of the
Lone Gunman.
"Morning Scully." She looked up. " Before you give me that, I told you so speech, I would just
like to say I am profusely sorry for betraying the trust of America's
hardworking tax payers and for taking advantage of the benevolence of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation." He said, while loosening his tie and sitting
down behind his desk.
"What did they say?" Scully asked, unaffected by his sarcastic
apology.
"Told me not to do it again." He replied, pulling a file from his desk
drawer. "I convinced them the case I
was working on at the time required I use some form of stress relief in order
to increase my efficiency."
Scully arched
an eyebrow. He could talk his way out
of almost anything. It frustrated and
amazed her at the same time.
"So, I see you read the
article. It's a classic x-file." He
said, leaning back and smiling.
"Actually Mulder, I think we should
follow up on some of these personal ads.
We could fill ten filing cabinets." Scully answered rubbing the back of
her neck. Mulder leaned over and
grabbed the open paper.
"Oh, here's one for you
Scully. S/W/M, Julius Caesar in past
life, seeking my Cleopatra. Must enjoy
astral projection and John Tesh. No
Weirdoes. Sounds promising!" He said, still smiling. She ignored him, and drained the rest of her
coffee. He continued perusing the ads.
"So,
werewolves?" Scully asked, trying to draw Mulder's attention away from the
personals before he found her any more hot prospects. Besides, she really was curious as to what attracted him to the
odd article she had just read.
"Well,
no one is really sure. All they are
sure of is some kind of large humanoid animal has been sighted in the area
recently, and the sightings are becoming more frequent. This also coincides with an increasing
number of household pets reportedly found mutilated beyond recognition. Then, two weeks ago, an elderly woman went
missing. They found her body three days
later. Pictures…" he said, tossing the
file he had pulled out earlier onto her desk.
Scully opened it and examined the large, gruesome photographs inside. She appeared professional and objective but
she was deeply affected by the sight of the woman's ravaged body. Sometimes it
was easier to believe in Mulder's outlandish theories than to admit to yourself
another human being could be capable of such violence.
"Plane
leaves in 4 hours," Mulder said. " I
hear northern California is beautiful this time of year." Scully sighed at the thought of yet another
long plane ride.
"Pick
me up at 2." She said, going home to pack.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Bastard. If you had a heart attack right now, in
front of me, I wouldn't lift a finger.
I would cry with happiness.
Nikita flipped a strand of long, blonde hair off her shoulder and
focused on the hologram in front of her.
Operations continued briefing the small group of agents on their
impending mission, she was only half listening. Justine had been cancelled.
The girl had only been in section 4 months, and Nikita had known from
day one she wouldn't make it. She had
been too fragile; brilliant, talented, and beautiful but the weight of her
conscience had been too much of a burden.
Nikita
had known but she had allowed herself to get close. Despite her instincts screaming at her to keep her distance, she
had opened up to the trusting, compassionate girl. Now she was paying for it.
Another meaningless human life lost to further the agenda of
section.
"Nikita." Operations called her back to attention.
"Is
there a problem?" He asked. She wished he'd go to Hell and take the
whole God damned place with him.
"Yes. If this man is such a genius, why is he
working in a shack in Northern California?"
She replied. Operations eyes
narrowed almost imperceptibly. He had
expected her to be lost, clueless. She
inwardly rejoiced at this small victory.
"He's
independently wealthy, prefers to do his own research rather than work in a company
lab. He's also very eccentric, don't be
fooled by the appearance of the structure. This "shack" as you call it is
heavily guarded." He said. "Dr. Peterson will be an invaluable asset to
section. I cannot stress the importance
of this mission enough. Do you
understand?" The operatives gathered
around the table nodded.
"Good. You leave in ten hours. Michael will lead. Nikita; you, Johnson, Garcia, Myers, and Klineman will join him." With that, he turned and walked off towards
his office. Nikita rose from her seat
and stalked off to be by herself. She
had ten hours to grieve for her best friend.
* * * * * * * *
* *
Mulder had slept for almost the
entire plane ride. At first, Scully had
been aggravated, not really wanting to read the New England Journal of Medicine
she had packed. The man needed his
sleep though; sometimes it seemed as though he never rested. It constantly worried her; you couldn't maintain
his level of intensity forever. She
would sometimes wonder what would happen if he burned himself out. The thought scared her, because it forced
her to admit to herself that once again, the world of Dana Scully revolved
around a man. He was so different from her father, but he was just as important
to her as her dad had ever been.
When the plane landed, they rented
a car and drove towards the local police station in easy silence. Scully had the crime scene photos spread out
on her lap, examining them one last time before the autopsy. It appeared to be an animal attack. She had already argued the idea of a
mountain lion over with Mulder. He, of
course, would not accept the theory.
Suddenly, he turned the car off of
the main road and onto a small dirt one, leading into the woods.
"Mulder, where are we going?" She asked. He had obviously planned this.
The man never told her a damn thing.
"To see a suspect." He answered, either unaware or ignoring her
growing irritation.
"A suspect. Who? Smokey the Bear? Mulder, we are most likely looking for a
wild animal. I mean the teeth marks in
the extremities are obviously not human, and what about the scratches in the
femur. Do you realize the kind of
force…Mulder where are we?" She asked
in mid-sentence. They pulled up in
front of what looked like a run-down log cabin with several guards patrolling
the front and a large concrete wall in the back stretching out into the
forest.
He didn't answer as they stepped
out of the car. Scully was ready to
strangle her partner. He knew how she hated being surprised like this.
"Who is the suspect Mulder?" She insisted as the guards approached them.
"His name is Dr. Randolph
Peterson." He answered.
* * * * * * * * *
It was dark by the time the
operatives had secured their positions in the woods around the house. Nikita and Michael crouched next to each
other in view of the front door. They
were to grab Peterson while the other four took care of the guards and found
his computer files.
Nikita's mind was a blank; it
always was right before a mission. Her adrenaline was pumping as she waited for
the go ahead from Birkhoff back at section.
* * * * * * * *
Scully knew who Dr. Peterson was of
course. The whole scientific community
respected the ingenious but reclusive genetic scientist who was revolutionizing
the field.
After they identified themselves to
the men at the door, they were led to a small sitting room. The guards let them know very clearly that
Peterson would only see them if he felt so inclined. Scully's anger had been replaced by excitement at this
point.
"You could have told me we were
coming here." She said, smoothing her hair.
"Don't worry, you look beautiful as
always." Mulder said, smiling at her.
She accepted the compliment with a glower.
"Flattery will get you no where."
She said, straightening her jacket. "Why are we here?"
"Genetic testing. What if the humanoid figure spotted recently
was the result of some genetic experiment.
A crossbreed." He had obviously thought this out. Scully's rationality immediately responded.
"That's impossible. We're years from anything like that. Besides, it's completely unethical. Dr. Peterson is highly respected, he would
never jeopardize his career by doing something like human experimentation." Mulder's eyes narrowed and he got the look
on his face reserved only for Scully and her rationalizations. He was about to reply when the door opened
and Peterson entered.
He was not at all what Scully had
expected. He was young, for one. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was also very good looking. He had dark brown hair and a goatee. His eyes were big and deep brown, fringed
with thick lashes any woman would envy.
He immediately turned his attention to Scully.
"Good evening agents. I'm Dr.
Peterson." He said, smiling at
her. She ventured a small smile back,
knowing she'd never hear the end of it from Mulder.
"What can I do for you?" He asked.
"We'd like to talk to you." Mulder
said, obviously unhappy about the turn of events.
"Of course. Come out back where it's cooler." The two agents exchanged glances and
followed the doctor out the back door, behind the cement wall.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Peterson
is out back…there are two innocents with him.
FBI agents. You'll have to take
care of them." Birkhoff's voice said
into the headsets Nikita and Michael wore.
"Go."
Michael gave the order. The operatives
charged from the woods, guns firing.
Nikita and Michael ran through the small house, to the back door.
* * * * * * * * * *
"This enclosure is six by ten
miles. Only two entrances, this one and
one on the opposite end. This is where
my test subjects live." Peterson said.
Mulder and Scully exchanged startled looks.
"Test subjects? You mean genetic
crossbreeds?" Mulder asked.
"Yes. There are twenty at the moment.
Human-animal hybrids, they're really incredible." He answered, still
smiling.
" You admit it?" Mulder asked. He was so used to deceit; he didn't know
what to do with the doctor's honesty.
Scully took over.
"Why? What benefits could this
possibly hold…" Suddenly, they heard gunshots exploding nearby. She stopped and all three turned around to
see two black clad figures charging through the door, automatic rifles in hand.
* * * * * * * * *
Nikita examined the three
faces. There was Dr. Peterson, handsome
and familiar from the briefing. Next to
him stood the woman FBI agent. She was
five three at the most; her partner literally dwarfed her. Her skin was beautiful; it glowed like ivory
in the dim light from the house. She
had short hair that was a deep, fiery red.
Natural, she thought. Lucky
girl. She was dressed in a black suit that reinforced her air of intelligence
and confidence.
Her partner gave off the same
essence of intelligence and confidence, but seemed to be infused with restless
energy. He was tall and dark haired
with features that were all unique, but managed to blend together to create a
very handsome face.
Michael went to grab Peterson while
Nikita kept her gun trained on the agents.
They looked at each other, seemingly calm. Obviously they were used to having guns pointed at them, she
thought. Suddenly, the lights that had been shining from inside the house
turned off. Nikita turned towards
Michael, with a questioning glance.
"My God." Peterson whispered,
"They've initiated the emergency shut down."
* * * * * * * * *
Scully stood close enough to Mulder
to feel the heat radiating off his body. It was comforting, and she knew he was
appreciating her closeness and the familiarity of her presence right now. Things had gotten strange. Strange even by her standards. A woman who looked like an Australian
supermodel and an equally attractive Frenchman were holding them hostage. Nikita and Michael they had called each
other.
Nikita was one of the tallest women
she had ever seen. She had strong,
attractive features. Her hair was
striking, long and blonde. Natural, too.
Lucky girl.
Michael was the same height as
Mulder, about an inch taller than Nikita.
He had short dark hair, a beautiful face and even more beautiful
voice. Not your typical terrorists. Definitely not members of the
Consortium. Who were they? She focused on Peterson. He was pacing. The compound had gone into shutdown but no
one knew what that meant. It wasn't
good, judging by his behavior. Nikita
and Michael were screaming at him, demanding to know what happened.
"Peterson. You have to tell us what is going on." She
finally insisted. He stopped pacing,
responding to Scully's voice.
"I told you, we've gone into
emergency shutdown. Someone must have
tried to break into my lab. The door
has been barred shut from the outside; no one can get in or out of this
enclosure. We are trapped in here and
the creatures are loose. If we could
get to the other door…We'll never make it though. They'll kill us." He
began pacing again.
"Michael, what is he talking
about?" Nikita asked.
"I don't know" he answered quietly.
"I'll tell you what it means,"
Mulder said. Scully's heart dropped to
her stomach. He always had to push
things. She focused on the gun in
Michael's hand.
"It means if we don't get out of
here soon, we're going to be dinner for a bunch of Dr. Frankenstein's mutant
pets." He yelled. Nikita and Michael
looked at each other.
"Birkhoff…" Michael said into the
air. "Are you there?"
"Great, schizophrenic terrorists
and genetically engineered man-eating monsters." Mulder whispered. Scully elbowed him.
"We've lost contact." Michael said
to Nikita, removing a tiny device from his right ear.
"We need to get out of here."
Mulder insisted, glancing from Nikita to Michael.
"Too late." Whispered Peterson,
staring off behind Scully. They all
turned just in time to see the creature lunging for her, teeth bared in a
demonic grin.
* * * * * * * * *
Nikita
screamed. It shocked her to feel such
real fear, an emotion she hadn't experienced for a long time.
The
fur-covered beast was leaping for the woman agent, eyes glowing yellow and
teeth flashing in the moonlight.
"Scully!" Her partner yelled,
shoving her to the ground. The monster
caught him by the shoulder, pinning him beneath its considerable weight.
"No, Mulder!" Screamed the woman,
drawing her gun as she leapt up. Nikita
could hear the terror in her voice. She
aimed the gun and shot, catching the monster in the chest. It screeched and began charging Scully
again. Nikita lifted her gun and
shot. Ten bullets later, it was
dead. Scully ran to her injured
partner, who was struggling to sit up.
"Don't move." She ordered, as she
knelt to examine him.
"Michael, we have to get out of
here." Nikita said, turning to face him. "Peterson knows the way out, let's
just grab him and…" She stopped.
Peterson was gone. Apparently,
Michael had just noticed too. They
scanned the woods. Suddenly, the
silence was broken by a distant scream.
Peterson.
"Well, shall we get going before we
end up like the good Doctor?" Mulder asked, still laying on the ground. Nikita turned to Michael.
"The doctor must have told them the
way out. If we tried to follow the wall
ourselves it could take us days to find it. " She whispered. He nodded.
They both lowered their guns as they turned towards Mulder and Scully.
* * * * * * * * *
Scully
looked Mulder over as the operatives talked.
His shoulder had deep lacerations in it, and he had quite a few
superficial scratches on his chest. He
would be fine though. She let out a
sigh of relief.
" I
know that expression, I'm going to make it, huh?" Mulder said, wincing as he
sat up.
"Nothing
serious." She said, thanking him with a smile.
They looked up at the two operatives.
Their guns were slung over their backs as a sign of a temporary
truce. Nikita offered a hand to Mulder,
helping him up. Scully rose and brushed
herself off.
"Are
you a doctor?" Nikita asked, watching her.
Scully looked up.
"Yes. How did you know that?" She asked,
suspiciously.
"I
watched you examining your partner." She said, shrugging. Scully looked at her, wondering again who
she really was.
They
fell into line and began following the wall.
It was getting colder, though no one seemed to notice. They walked
along, listening for the slightest rustling of leaves or snapping of a
twig.
Two hours later, they reached the corner of the enclosure
and Scully broke the silence.
"We
should stop." She said, tired but more worried about Mulder. He was growing paler and paler by the
minute. She looked at Michael. He was definitely Nikita's superior; he
seemed to be the one making all the decisions.
He looked at Scully, vacantly.
It sent a shiver down her spine, but aggravated her at the same
time. He didn't answer. She took a step forward, hands on her hips.
"She's
cranky Michael, better listen." Mulder said, leaning against the wall for
support. Scully looked back at
him. He may not have been seriously
hurt, but those scratches hurt. She
could see the pain on his face.
"We are
stopping." She said. "If you want to keep going, fine. My partner is injured, he needs rest." With that, Scully turned and sat down near
the wall. Mulder sat next to her.
Nikita
was impressed. She had never seen
anyone tell Michael off like that, except for herself. It was humorous actually, seeing the tiny
redhead stare straight up at him and tell him that they were
staying.
They
did stay, though Mulder was the only one that slept. Scully sat for awhile, watching him before she stood up and
walked over to Nikita.
"Who
are you?" she asked, sitting down next to her.
Well, she was direct. You had to
admire her.
"I
can't tell you." She answered, looking up at the moon.
"No, I
guess it never is that easy. Can you tell me what you wanted with Peterson?"
she asked, undeterred.
"Just
information." She lied. Scully looked
the other woman over. She was as hard
as any of the male agents she had met working for "them", tougher even. There was something vulnerable about her
though, the look in her eyes, the sound of her voice. She was completely alone.
"This
had nothing to do with us?" She asked.
Nikita shook her head.
"No, I
am sorry. You two just got dragged
along for the ride." She replied. For whatever reason she was working for
these people, it wasn't her choice.
Scully knew the feeling. She had
been swept along by Mulder's vision, his passions for so long she sometimes
felt she no longer had a say in her own life.
She had become his sidekick, going where he led.
She
looked at the dark form of Michael. Was
he Nikita's Fox Mulder, dragging her along as he followed some crusade of his
own?
Her
thoughts were interrupted by Nikita's husky voice. "Your partner seems to care about you very much." She said,
shocking Scully. She blushed, thankful
for the darkness. Of course she knew
the way he felt about her, she felt the same way. They both felt the attraction but they held back. There was too much on the line; their
friendship, respect for each other, their professional partnership. They seemed to have a silent agreement, an
invisible line drawn in the sand. She
had gotten dangerously close to crossing it too many times.
"What
is that?" Nikita whispered suddenly, staring intensely into the woods. Scully snapped to attention. Both women caught their breath and rose
slowly. Nikita trained her gun into the
woods and they both inched toward Michael and Mulder.
"What's
wrong?" Michael asked, approaching them.
"There's
something out there." Nikita answered, still alert. All of a sudden, she caught a movement out of the corner of her
eye. She spun her head around to see a
creature, barreling straight for her.
Before she could get a single shot off, the beast had tackled her. Michael was the first to react. He began releasing a round of ammo when a
second creature leapt onto him.
Mulder
had awakened to the first gunshot and instinctively reached for his gun. He then remembered that Michael had taken
it, and Scully's.
"Scully!"
He screamed, running towards the sounds of the struggle.
"Mulder!"
She replied, her voice frantic. Nikita
could see Scully, screaming for her partner, searching in the dark for a
weapon. The monster was strong; Nikita
could barely keep it off of her. She
had already suffered a few nasty scratched and bites.
"Michael!"
She cried. She couldn't see him, but
could hear him struggling.
"I'm
here!" He replied breathlessly.
"Where
is your gun!" Scully yelled, "Shit!"
Suddenly, Mulder came charging through the darkness, a rock raised over
his head. He ran to where Nikita was
struggling and drove it into the back of the creature's skull. Nikita gazed up at him as the animal fell to
the ground and almost cried with relief.
Scully,
catching on to her partner's plan, grabbed a huge branch and ran to Michael's
aid. She swung with all her strength,
connecting with a sickening crunch to the side of the beast's head. It snarled in pain and anger, but she kept
hitting it. Finally, it lay motionless
in a heap on the forest floor. She let
the branch drop to the ground, breathless and sweating. Michael stared up at her in a completely
open expression of amazement.
Mulder
came strolling to her side. "That's my
slugger." He said, putting an arm around her shoulder.
* * * * * * * * *
After
retrieving Michael's gun, Nikita had run out of ammo, Scully examined the two
operatives. Michael had remained silent
as she quickly assessed his injuries.
He had only suffered one or two superficial scratches, nothing that
required any real attention.
Nikita
was the worse off of the two. One of
her scratches would definitely require stitches and two fingers on her left
hand had literally been crushed. Scully
was awed by her stoicism. She didn't
even flinch as she bound her fingers.
They
left immediately after she finished.
There were 2 severely hurt people, and Michael was the only one with a
weapon. Nikita wasn't optimistic. She hated the fact that these two people
would most likely die, because of section.
And Michael. She didn't know
what she would do if he were gone. It
was such a real possibility, yet she never allowed herself to think about it
for very long. She loved him too
much. She loved the challenge he
offered, trying to uncover the humanity she knew was there but which section
had buried so long ago. It was hard to
be so madly in love with someone who never responded, but her emotions never
wavered. Even when section tried their
hardest to tear them apart, she stayed strong.
She didn't want him to be another casualty.
Suddenly,
Mulder nudged her. "Do you think you
could get Michael to give Scully her gun."
He asked. He couldn't aim a gun
if his life depended on it right now, she thought.
"Agent
Scully could probably convince him herself.
She handles Michael very well."
Nikita said smiling, recalling the sight of her yelling at him when they
had stopped earlier.
"Yeah,
usually I'm the mouthy one." He
laughed.
"She's
very protective of you." Nikita
replied, aching with jealousy at their closeness. Mulder didn't reply. She
watched his handsome, distracted face and prayed they would all get out
alive.
* * * * * * * * * *
Scully
had managed to coax a gun out of Michael.
The man was an enigma. He had
said maybe five words to her since the beginning of the whole ordeal, and they
were all threatening. Yet, she couldn't deny there was something about
him. She wondered what it was that drew
women to the "brooding" type? Whatever
it was, he had it in abundance. Then
again, so did Mulder.
This
thought gnawed on her as she watched her partner talking to Nikita. They had been talking like that for the past
hour. At first, she had been shocked
that he would open up to her. Curiosity
and an admittedly strong case of jealousy soon replaced her shock. It followed her as they continued walking
straight through the night into the early morning.
* * * * * * * *
Michael
saw the door before the rest of the group.
"The door." He called only the slightest hint of relief in
his weary voice. They all broke into a
run, straight for the huge steel door.
Everyone was silent as Nikita grabbed the handle and pushed. It didn't move. The door was locked. A
rush of panic engulfed her as she tried again.
Nothing. She didn't have to say
a word; the expression on her face was enough.
Michael moved forward and tried.
It still would not budge he looked back at her. She knew what he was thinking. Neither of them had any kind of lockpicking
tools, or anything else that would help them.
There was the gun, but the noise would draw every creature in the
enclosure. She looked at Mulder and
Scully. They were standing together,
worn out and desperate looking. She was
in pain from the earlier attack. They
could not possibly survive another one.
She
looked at Michael. He held her gaze for
a moment, then shot his remaining ammo into the door handle. The steel was strong and the bullets didn't
completely break the lock.
"Find a
rock." Yelled Nikita. Scully and
Michael, each holding a FBI standard issue, stood in front of the door, ready
to shoot as Mulder found a rock and began smashing the stubborn lock.
It
didn't take long for the first of the creatures to come crashing through the
trees. Michael and Scully fired each
hitting their target. The beast
crumpled to the ground as two more tore through the forest, both towards
Scully. She and Michael emptied the
last of the bullets into their fur-covered chests and tossed the guns aside.
"Mulder,
hurry." Scully cried as she and Michael
backed towards them, scanning the forest.
Mulder was frantically hitting the lock as Nikita looked on. It was almost completely off.
"Move."
She ordered, pushing Mulder aside. He
backed off as Nikita released a powerful kick, knocking the handle off.
"It's
taken care of." She yelled. Mulder
pushed the door open.
"Michael,
Scully." He yelled putting his arm around Nikita's waist and helping her
out. She was limping severely. Michael and Scully turned to run. Neither had seen the subtle movements of the
beast as it slowly crept towards the smaller, seemingly weaker form of
Scully. The moment she turned it
sprung, forcing her to the ground. She
let out a scream, struggling to escape its grasp. Michael stopped. He
hesitated a moment and then rushed to Scully's side. He gave it a fierce kick, sending it flying off of the bleeding,
semi-conscious agent. He hoisted her
light body over his shoulder and began to run for the door. Mulder came bursting through it just as he
was leaving.
"Scully! Jesus is she all right?" He asked, the color draining from his
face. Michael ignored him, slamming the
door before the creature he had attacked could recuperate. The second it closed Nikita and Mulder
dragged a huge log in front of it, blocking the door and trapping the creatures
inside. They were safe.
* * * * * * * *
Agent Scully was alive. She was bleeding badly though. Nikita watched Mulder's tortured face as
Michael laid her down on the nearby grass.
He kneeled down beside his partner as Michael approached Nikita. She knew what he was going to say and set
her face into a mask of determination.
"You
know what we've been ordered to do." He said.
Nikita glared back.
"I know
and I don't care. They saved our lives
Michael. How can we kill them like they
were some kind of terrorists or murderers?
Please." She would not release
him from her gaze. He stared back. She could tell he didn't want to carry out
the order, but was torn. She would not
let him do it. She admired the two FBI
agents and felt a kinship with Mulder.
They had talked so openly, sharing the details of their equally
dangerous lives, which neither could really control. They talked about Michael, how he frustrated and lied to her but,
she loved him anyway. They talked about
Scully, Dana. A name he never called
her to her face. He saved it for his
dreams. Dreams of what might be, but
probably never would. Not while he was
working on the x-files. She was too
involved already.
Nikita
grabbed Michael's arm. "Michael…I love
you." Tears welled up in her clear blue
eyes. "If you have any feelings for me,
at all, don't do this." Michael blinked
hard. He slowly raised his arm and drew
Nikita to him, holding her. She held
him back, relieved. He would do this,
for her.
* * * * * * * *
Scully
was drifting into consciousness. All she
was aware of was the pain. Pain and
Mulder. He was sitting next to her, calling her name.
"Mulder,"
She groaned. She remembered running and
the creature tackling her, Michael saving her, and then everything went
blank. She opened her eyes. The smell of the hospital hit her before the
actual sight of the room registered.
"What
happened?" She asked, turning towards
Mulder. He was holding her hand gently,
smiling.
"You
nearly gave me a heart attack, that's what happened." He said. She closed her eyes briefly.
"Michael,
Nikita…What happened to them?" She
asked.
"Well,
I assume they're all right. They
knocked me out and ran off." He said,
embarrassed. Scully nodded. That was it then. Peterson was dead, the case was solved, and Michael and Nikita
had disappeared without a trace. She
wondered even more now who they were and what had brought them to Peterson's
lab that night.
Mulder
began brushing the hair out of her face, interrupting her thoughts. It was a welcome distraction though. Suddenly, there was a knock at the
door. Mulder opened it and a
candystriper thrust a vase of pure yellow roses at him. He brought it to Scully's nightstand and set
it down.
"Secret
admirer?" He joked, pulling the card
out of the small white envelope and handing it to her. She read it out loud,
"We
told them you were dead. You're safe
for now." The note sent a chill down
her spine. She looked at Mulder.
"Nikita." He said, sitting down again.
"Mulder,
what exactly do you know about her? Who is she?" Scully demanded.
"It's a
long story." He began, "I guess it begins a few years ago when she was accused
of a crime she didn't commit…"
The End
