Disclaimer: I do not own the world or characters of Sherlock or The X-Files.
Prologue ~
"Um…can I help you?" Molly Hooper, pathologist at England's prestigious St. Bart's Hospital, had just come back from her lunch break to find a stranger standing in the middle of the morgue.
Upon hearing her voice, the stranger turned to face her. "Yeah, actually, maybe you can."
The stranger spoke with an American accent. From where she stood at a distance, Molly could perceive that this stranger was neither too tall nor too short, and that he was clad in baggy jeans and a green cotton t-shirt. Then, she noticed something that both confused and intrigued her. In the stranger's left trouser pocket, there was a very discernable and very eery light blue glowing.
Molly walked towards the stranger, growing ever more curious. "What do you need?"
The stranger, who was now watching her with equal curiosity, was visually attractive. Molly could not help but notice his fine facial features, and her stomach tossed and turned ever so slightly. Yes, this man was attractive in a non-assuming way, a way that was conventional and yet somehow also extraordinary. First, there was his hair: sandy walnut brown, short but still incredibly full, tumbling in innocent wisps feathery soft over his forehead and into his eyes. And, oh my, those eyes! Molly was particularly drawn to them: they were hazel, keen but warm, hesitant but eager, eyes that showed hurt and vulnerability, terror and passion, unease and honesty at the same time. Molly was able to detect all of this in a matter of seconds.
This fascinating man studied Molly for a moment before he spoke again, his words coming out slowly as if chosen very carefully. "I've been looking for a quiet lab, one that isn't currently in use and that won't be used for the rest of the afternoon. Every lab I've come across is occupied. I need to test something, but it's of absolute importance that I am not disturbed by anyone."
While he spoke, the blue glow in his left trouser pocket seemed to intensify as if it were radiating anger and attempting to assert power and dominance. This horrible glow filled Molly with a fear she could not explain, but she still felt sure of what she had seen in the stranger's eyes – of the goodness that she had witnessed in the depths of those hazel orbs. She swallowed hard, her gaze never leaving the man in front of her. "There is one lab…one that's heavily locked and that only a select few have access to. I have access. I can take you there. I can make sure you have the privacy you need."
"Thank you," and the stranger sounded so genuinely thankful and so incredibly relieved that Molly's heart ached.
With a small smile, she reached out, opened her hand, and offered it to the man as a sign of support. "Molly Hooper. Champion of unlocking doors that I shouldn't unlock for sneaky, secretive people who I really should avoid."
The stranger took her hand and offered a small smile of his own. "Fox Mulder. Soon-to-be champion of uncovering the truth, in large part thanks to the guidance of kind, smart, sneaky, and secretive people who help me in ways that I will never be able to adequately repay."