Done One The Core

by mimoji

Slightly Spoilerbased for xf2 meaning some scenes from wondercon trailer have been interpreted . Mulder and Scully have to fight the blue fire to safe human mankind and the Earth itself. WRITTEN by several xphiles, not only by me! FB very welcome! :D

A dark, spooky night where the snow sparkles in the moonlight

A dark, spooky night where the snow sparkles in the moonlight. The sound of a man running through the black fir trees that dot this remote forest. His breath is ragged and he stumbles and falls, the gets up and carries on, as if running for his life...

Mulder sits up in bed, it's dark outside and he realises it was just a dream. He looks a bit flustered, then sees light shining under the crack of the bedroom door. Slowly he gets up and sneaks to open the door silently.

Scully is outside, gun drawn and tells Mulder she was just about to knock, she has seen an unmarked car in the driveway, and feels that they are now in danger. Mulder reaches out to guide her inside, as they hear a distant scream.

Resisting the urge to run straight to the source of the scream they hurriedly put on their disguises which they have been using for the last 6 years almost. They wish they didn't have to do this. Disguises on they run out of the apartment.

They find a woman's body with an X carved deep into her chest. She is still alive but barely, she's lost a lot of blood. Scully looks to see if the unmarked van is gone, while Mulder dials 911.

They run through the darkness. Another scream!

"Over there Scully!!"

He sets off again until finally his torch picks out the all too familiar scene. No person, but a pool of fizzing green slime where a person used to be.

Mulder looked at Scully, eyes wide with surprise. Scully bent closer to examine the substance. She wasn't sure what to make of it.

'Mulder what do you think?' she asked him tentatively.

Mulder: "I think someone knows about our past work. Someone knows who we are." Mulder draws his gun, as a branch snaps.

They both whip around to face the source of the sound. Scully's stomach had tied itself into a painful knot. They had worked too long at going unseen for it to end just like this. She could make out a faint silhouette in the darkness, growing sharper.

"Scully look out!!", Mulder yelled, grabbing her round the waist and throwing them both to the ground as a blinding flash of light lit up the snowy forest.

The snow was cold under their bodies but quickly turned to water in the intense heat that accompanied the flash - and then started to steam as - all around them - trees started to burst into flames.

"Run Scully!"

They got up and ran for their lives.

From the orange glow behind them, the dark silhouette emerged and followed...

"Halt!"

They hear the sound of a taser firing up.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Mulder and Scully turn around to see a logger.

"Don't think I need to tell you how dangerous it is to be here, these woods have been slated for demolition."

Mulder: "We saw bodies, a woman is injured and probably dead. What are you hiding?"

Logger: "Look Buddy. I've got no idea who you are, but I'm just doin' my job, and I ain't seen no bodies. Now I suggest you get out of here before I call the cops."

"Larry, let's go.", Scully winks at Mulder.

Mulder and Scully picked their way back to the parking lot, and sure enough the bodies were gone, with no sign of a cover up.

Mulder: (whispering) Scully what's going on? We saw those bodies, someone knows we're here.

Scully: I don't know Mulder. But come inside, we need to talk.

They returned to their apartment on the edge. Looking around them every few seconds making sure they haven't been followed. They'd thought they'd been found out before but nothing compared to this experience. They had goosebumps on their arms and the hairs on the back of their necks stood on end.

Once they'd returned to the relative safety of their apartment they began to talk.

"Scully do you really think someone knows. We've been so careful how is it possible for them to know" asked Mulder. His voice was slightly shaky and he kept close to Scully for comfort and strength.

Scully turned away, glancing quickly out of the window before drawing the curtains closed against the night.

"I don't know, Mulder..." she answered, unsure of what exactly would be the right thing to say. She couldn't shake the feeling that something immense was going to happen.

Just then a phone rang, making both of them jump. It was Scully's cellphone. She hesitated, but then answered it.

A hoarse voice in Scully's ear whispered: 'Agent Scully? Agent Dana Scully?'

The hair on Scully's neck prickled as the voice tickled her ear. It was horribly familiar.

'Who is this?!' she demanded. Mulder looked up at her sharply.

'You know who this is, Agent Scully. You are in grave danger. They know where you are.'

'Who knows where we are? Answer me Goddammit!!' she yelled in frustration. Mulder continued to observe her curious as to what the other person was saying.

'We used to work together you could say. I know who you are and I'm telling you the truth. Please believe me, please trust me and go before it's too late.'

Before Scully could reply he had hung up. She finally looked at Mulder who remained silent. Scully sat on the sofa. That voice had sounded so familiar but she couldn't quite place it.

'Mulder, I think we need to get out of here.'

'Who was it Scully?'

'I don't know, but he knew me and he knows how to find us.'

Mulder nodded, then started packing.

Another midnight drive; another furtive escape. Where would they be this time tomorrow?

Scully slept for most of the drive. Mulder refused to let her get behind the wheel. She argued but gave in quickly. They had to leave sooner rather than later and arguing over driving was such a trivial time wasting matter.

She woke and took in her surroundings. Mulder was still driving, staring absently at the road ahead of him. She gripped his upper arm lightly and he smiled at her to acknowledge her return to consciousness.

'Mulder pull over and let me drive. You've been driving all night' she argued with him immediately.

But Mulder refused. "We're almost there anyway, Scully. I promise I'll let you drive back."

Scully just raised an eyebrow at that and then stretched and yawned. Then full realisation of what he said hit her.

"What do you mean 'drive back'. Mulder we have to stay away from there!!"

He avoided her gaze he knew she would rip through him if he didn't provide her with a logical explanation.

"I didn't say where back was", he said flashing her a smile.

She stared at him oddly. She was trying to think where they had been in the last 5 years that could classify as that. 'Mulder if you do anything stupid-'

He cut her off by placing one finger over her mouth.

"I would NEVER do anything stupid, Scully..." She rolled her eyes at that. "But it might not be the easy escape we might wanna have either."

"Are you talking about..." - now he interrupted her.

"No, I'm not talking about THAT. You'll have to wait and see. I mean, I'm not even sure if we must do it that way and there are so many things that could happen to prevent it anyway, so I'll only tell you what I have in mind when I'm sure we can make it there safely."

She let him be. It was best to just go along with him. How many times had he saved her. She trusted him completely but she was still scared for both of their safety. Things had been good for the past few years and now it was all changing faster then she would like.

"Ok Mulder just please be careful," she finally answered, "it's not just your life at risk."

"I know" he said quietly and their eyes locked for a moment.

He looked back at the road. If anything happened to Scully this time he didn't think he could ever forgive himself. She's been following him for almost 14 years and no matter what he says she won't back down. He loved her and he hated to see her in pain.

"I love you, you know that." he said in almost a whisper. They didn't tell each other that enough and if anything happened he wanted to make sure she knew how much she meant to him.

Scully took Mulder's hand from the wheel and pressed it to her lips; she didn't trust her voice...

In another half hour, Mulder turned off the road and drove carefully across a rickety wooden bridge.

'My God!' said Mulder.

He and Scully stared in amazement at the sight before them. Here, in the middle of the mountains, was a frozen lake that stretched for what seemed like miles. It glowed pale blue under the moon.

In the middle of the lake was a small wooden cabin - very like the one they'd left behind. And that cabin was ablaze!

'Mulder don't even think about it.' Scully spoke.

'Scully I have to see if there is anyone in there.'

'Mulder the entire thing is ablaze. I highly doubt there is anyone in there alive. Not to mention how foolish it would be to just run in there. Remember Mulder fire melts ice.'

He looked pleadingly at her.

"And remember Mulder, there are no fire fighters here to drag you out this time", Scully sighed, knowing he'd go there anyway, no matter what she'd have to say about it.

Suddenly without warning the fire was gone, leaving a faint trail of blue smoke. Mulder and Scully looked at each other.

Scully: "What the hell was that, Mulder?!"

Mulder: "I dunno Scully, but I think we have to check it out"

Mulder turned on his flashlight and started to open the door.

Scully grabbed his arm.

Scully: "Mulder wait! You saw how quickly that fire went out, it could start again just as quickly."

But before she could even finish speaking, Mulder had shaken her off and entered the cabin. There was no way that he would just walk away from something so phenomenal with first doing a little poking around!

Scully stood outside, shivering, not wanting to follow her partner into what was obviously a death trap.

"Hey Scully!" Mulder called from inside the cabin. "Get in here! You've gotta see this!"

Scully walked gingerly into the cabin to join Mulder, who was staring at the floor. Whatever had burnt much of the cabin roof had also burned a hole straight through the wooden floor. Mulder held out his hand to her.

'Careful Scully - don't get too close to the edge. The ice is softest there.'

With her heart pounding, Scully took Mulder's hand and stepped up to his side. At first she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The fire had melted the ice under the floor of the cabin. But - instead of the freezing, dark waters of the lake, she and Mulder were staring into an abyss - a well-like hole in the very water, that plunged hundreds of feet into the depths. Very faintly, Scully could see the swirling, watery walls of the hole shimmering, but they were held there as if parted by Moses himself. And - hundreds of feet below them - she could still see the remains of the flames, still burning at the bottom of the lake.

'Impossible,' she breathed.

'I'll see your impossible and raise you an unbelievable Scully,' said Mulder and pointed to the opposite edge of the ice hole.

There were clear footprints in the fast-melting snow and ice.

'You think someone fell in the hole, Mulder?'

He shook his head. 'Look more closely, Scully. Those footprints lead AWAY from the abyss. I think someone - or someTHING - came OUT of that hole..'

"Out of it? Just as in - now?" Scully asked incredulously.

Mulder nodded.

"But what is it and where did it go?"

Before Mulder could open his mouth to reply they heard a cracking sound behind them.

"Freeze FBI!"

Mulder and Scully, turned to see two agents, they had never seen before.

"Hands where I can see them."

Mulder felt the familiar pat down, he knew the routine.

Mulder: "Is this bringing you back Frankie?"

Woman: "I'm agent Whitney, and this is my partner, Agent (mumbles). What, might I ask, compelled you to enter a crime scene?"

Mulder: (to Scully) "Just like looking in a mirror."

'We were driving by when we saw a fire. We simply went in to make sure no one was hurt or injured.' Scully answered in a cold voice. She hoped that they didn't recognise them.

'Don't you think you should be investigating the fact there's a scientifically impossible hole in the middle of this lake, instead of patting us down?' said Mulder angrily.

'What hole?' said Whitney.

Mulder and Scully spun round and looked at the floor of the cabin. The planks had been burned through but under that the surface of the frozen lake was as flat and as white as if freshly fallen.

'That's impossible!' said Mulder. 'We both--'

He stopped as he caught Scully's warning look, and shut his mouth.

'You both WHAT?' said Agent Whitney.

Mulder shrugged. 'Both must be dreaming, I guess.'

'Seems that way,' said Whitney coldly. 'Agent Mulder? Agent Scully - may I suggest you go home and get some sleep? Dreaming out here on the lake might get you into more trouble than you ever thought possible.'

Mulder eyeballed Whitney, then felt Scully's hand on his arm. Slowly he turned and followed her out into the freezing night.

Halfway back to the car they froze.

"Oh My God" gasped Scully, "Mulder she called us Agent Mulder and Agent Scully. How the hell did she know?" Mulder nodded. His face was frozen in fear.

Mulder and Scully pulled into the lot of the 'Elk Hunter Motor Lodge' and sighed. Over the years they'd stayed in a lot of motels - so many they merged into one. At least nowadays they didn't have to make a show of booking two rooms.

Inside their Elk-hunting themed room, they silently went through their bed-time routine. Booby-trapping windows and doors, sweeping for bugs, doing their teeth. Mulder and Scully had left normality a long way behind a long time ago. It was only when they were spooned in bed together that they allowed themselves the luxury of talking.

'Whitney and Mumbles knew who we were, Scully, but what I want to know is, what the hell were THEY doing out on that lake?'

'You think they tailed us Mulder?' Scully felt Mulder breathing against her shoulder as he thought about it.

'I don't think so Scully. We're always careful. I think they were there because they knew something weird was going on in that cabin.'

'Which it was.'

'Damn right!'

'Mulder, I don't believe what I saw with my own eyes.'

'I don't blame you. That hole in the water - the fire at the bottom; the footprints leading away from it. It seems impossible.'

'Nothing's impossible, Mulder,' murmured Scully.

Mulder laughed quietly against the side of her throat. 'Who are you and what have you done with Scully?!'

She dug him gently in the ribs. 'Get some sleep Mulder. Something tells me it's gonna be hard to come by for a good long while.'

Mulder already opened his mouth to tell her he wasn't tired, but a look into Scully's stern face made him forego that. He knew she was right so he shrugged and headed for the bathroom. When he emerged he lay down on the bed.

"You coming, Scully?"

"Coming where?" she looked at him oddly. He sighed and couldn't believe she'd asked him that.

"Aren't you the one who said we should get some sleep?"

"Yes," she answered still confused.

"Well then why are you still awake?"

"Mulder Shut up!"

They returned to their earlier position and soon sleep came over them both.

Scully woke up to the eerie feeling that someone was in the room. She tried to see in the near complete darkness but it took her a while to make out the chair and the chest of drawers that was below the window. She gasped when she noticed that the window was open. She knew she hadn't opened it and neither had Mulder.

Thinking of him she turned to look at him. He was curled up on his side, his back facing her, still asleep. Taking deep steadying breaths she gently nudged Mulder. He turned around and pulled her close to him without opening his eyes. She nudged him a little bit harder.

'Ow what did you d-' he began. Scully cut him short by placing a finger on her lips and pointing to the open window.

'What Scully?' He asked curiously.

'The window's open and don't call me that someone could be listening.' She said quietly and sharply.

'Scully what are you talking about? The window is closed.'

Confused she turned around and saw that it was closed. She began to shiver uncontrollably.

"What's wrong?" Mulder asked, not failing to notice her shivering.

"Nothing, I... I swear to you it was open just a second ago. And...", she trailed off.

"And what?", he said, sitting up.

"I... I don't know, but I have that weird feeling that someone is watching us... that someone might be in the room."

When she had finished she turned to look at Mulder just in time to see an unfamiliar shadow right behind him.

"Mulder!" She shouted and he turned around to see what she was staring at. He saw nothing.

"Scully what the hell is going on with you?" he asked his voice filled with concern.

"Mulder there was something behind you. I swear." She sounded as though she was on the verge of tears. Mulder looked at her softly. "I don't know maybe the whole being on the run again is getting to me. My eyes are just playing tricks on me." She lay back and stared up at the ceiling.

"Scully it's ok. You're tired that's all. If it makes you feel better I'll stay up for the rest of the night make sure there is nothing in the room." She simply nodded her gratitude and curled into his body resting her head lightly on his chest.

He ran his hands through her hair trying to soothe her as best he could. He didn't want to admit it to her and make her more fearful but he had reason to believe there was something in the room. He had felt it too. A cold chill on the back of his neck.

It reminded him a bit of the Pincus case and he didn't want to admit it to Scully but he was scared. He didn't think he could go back to sleep anyway.

It took Scully about 5 minutes to fall asleep again and Mulder eased his body out from under her. He wanted to check out the room.

Just as he stood he thought he'd felt something brush his arm. Where did I put my gun? he thought frantically and was actually pondering waking Scully again.

Looking down he realised it was Scully's hand. He let out the breath he was holding and sat back down at the edge of the bed.

"Don't worry Scully," he soothed, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just checking out the room." She let her hand fall back to the bed and he got up again.

He searched in his bag for his gun and pulled it out. Holding it so he was ready to fire at a moments notice. He went around checking the bathroom, the drawers and the windows. He even checked under the bed but found nothing. He felt a little more at ease now although the chill was still there. Perhaps in the morning they'd find out more.

Just as he was about to doze off again he felt something brush his arm again. but it couldn't be Scully this time. Scully was laying to his left, but he had felt something on his right arm. He was almost to scared to turn.

He felt it again and that did it. He jumped up and faced whatever it was that brushed his arm only to see a bluish glowing figure vanishing out the window, the same way that smoke would.

"Scully get up. Quick! Grab your things we're leaving here!" He shouted with authority and alarm in his voice.

"Mulder what is it?" She asked as she began changing quickly and packing the bag they had brought in from the car.

"Scully you're right there was something in the room. It just left now through the window. It was like glowing blue flame or something to that extent." Scully stared at him afraid to believe. But at the same time how could she not believe.

"Ok Mulder lets go." She said finally picking up the bag and heading for the door.

After driving for about half an hour Mulder pulled the car over on the curb and stopped. He looked at Scully and saw her confusion. He knew she believed he saw something, but he also knew she didn't believe what he said he saw.

"Are you okay, Scully?", he asked, his voice concerned yet scared.

"I think so, Mulder. Are you?"

He started to nod, then shook his head no. "I don't know what it was that I saw, but it sure as hell wasn't Caspar the friendly ghost."

Scully smiled tightly. "So what are we going to do now? Drive on? To where?"

"I don't know. I don't even know where we are and where we are headed to."

Scully sighed. "I'd say lets get driving until we at least find a parking lot or hopefully another motel."

Mulder nodded and pulled the car back onto the road. Slowly he drove on, not aware of the bluish shadow that followed them in the distance.

The sun was rising and it coloured the sky in shades of pink, orange and yellow. Scully stared at it. It was beautiful and made her feel better for a short while. They'd been driving the last four hours and hadn't come across a single motel. That was highly unusual but not unheard of.

"Mulder you've been driving for such a long time. Next gas station we see we're stopping to get food and coffee then I'm driving." He didn't complain or argue. Instead he simply nodded his head. He was too tired and knew he wouldn't be able to keep driving.

Half an hour later they were still driving no gas station in sight. Scully was looking ahead when they were approaching a slight bend of the road. But instead of turning Mulder kept going straight. She looked at him and saw his eyes were closed.

"MULDER!"

He jerked awake and managed to get the car back on track.

"That does it Mulder. Stop now and I'll take over."

He nodded and pulled over again, stopping the car.

"Hey Scully... mind if I have a pee break?"

"Don't be too long."

Scully got out of the car, stretched and took a sip of her water bottle while Mulder was disappearing behind a boulder to relieve his bladder.

Putting the water bottle back in the car Scully sat in the driver seat and adjusted the seat and the mirrors.

10 minutes later she was still waiting. Where the heck is Mulder? she thought to herself.

She smiled to herself when her mind came up with the idea of him having fallen asleep taking a pee.

Another 5 minutes later she grew impatient. She exited the car again and called him.

"Mulder? What is taking you so long. We need to move on!"

Getting no reply she walked over to the boulder, ready to give him a piece of her mind... only to find that Mulder was nowhere to be seen.

Scully searched and called until she was frantic. Mulder knew better than to ditch her. Now that they were all the other had, he'd become a lot less cavalier about running off by himself - or letting her out of his sight. No, if Mulder had gone, it would not be of his own free will, Scully was sure of it. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Losing him would mean losing everything in a way it never had before.

She tried to remain calm and think things through. The body in the forest, the fire on the lake, Mulder's contention that something had come out of the lake, the sudden appearance of Agents Whitney and Mumbles, and the weird happenings in the motel.

Someone knew who they were. And someone knew WHERE they were - of that Scully was sure.

And - somehow - the FBI was involved. She and Mulder had stayed hidden so long - taken such care. Could she really jeopardise that??

After another moment's hesitation, Scully flipped open her phone and dialled from memory. Somewhere in America, a switchboard operator picked up and Scully took a deep breath.

'Walter Skinner please.'

She waited as the operator put her through. The phone rang for around 10 seconds before Skinner picked up.

"Skinner, who's calling?" he sounded tired but his voice was sharp.

"Skinner, it's Scully, Dana Scully."

"St what are you doing calling here?" his voice had turned frantic and worried.

"Sir, I wouldn't have called unless it was an emergency but-" before she had a chance to finish she heard a scream and she snapped her head around to look out the window.

She turned to see Mulder floating in the air about three metres above the rocky ground, surrounded by bluish smoke looking much like flames to her.

He screamed again and Scully could hear it was because he was in pain. Skinner forgotten she dropped the phone and ran towards Mulder. She wanted to do something to help him but she had no idea how to accomplish that.

Mulder writhed in agony, trapped in the blue flame. Scully felt a surge of protective fury like nothing she'd never felt before. She ran close to the flame, and could feel the air crackling around her as if electrically charged. Mulder was too far above her head for her to think about grabbing one of his feet. In desperation she threw a rock into the blue haze and saw it spark and crackle like a disrupted electrical current. In a second she had her gun out and aimed. Mulder's thrashing meant her shot might hit him, but it wouldn't be the first time and - with a sense of dread - Scully took aim as best she could, and fired.

The flame split apart, splintering into a million pieces in a blinding flash, and dropping Mulder in a heap on the ground. But in an instant it had drawn together again and raced away through the trees as if injured.

Scully ran over to Mulder's seemingly-lifeless form.

She hastily glanced over her shoulder in the direction that the thing had disappeared but it was gone. She pulled her attention back on Mulder who was laying face down on the ground. There was a bleeding cut on his forehead and he was out cold. Scully felt for his pulse and was relieved to find it strong but racing.

Carefully she turned him over which made him groan in pain.

"Mulder? Can you hear me?"

He didn't reply, just groaned again, eyes still closed.

She checked his body carefully to make sure there were no broken bones. That done she took off her jacket and slipped it around his body. She had to prevent him from going into shock.

"Ssshhh Mulder," she whispered gently stroking his jaw, "you're safe. Everything's going to be ok. It's gone now. Mulder I need you to open your eyes. I need you to say something anything."

She continued muttering to him. She had to get him to talk. She feared he may have a concussion and couldn't let him fall into a deeper state of unconsciousness.

Maybe there was something more serious wrong with him than shock. Maybe he had electrical burns.

Scully pulled out her flashlight and started to examine Mulder more thoroughly. She pushed his shirt up and frowned in confusion. Something seemed to pulse in Mulder's chest.

Not sure why she did it, Scully turned the flashlight off - and gasped.

Over his heart, she could see a faint blue flame as if a little fire burned under his skin.

"What the heck", she mumbled and then stretched out her hand to touch it. About an inch above his chest she could already feel the electric prickling. No wonder his pulse is racing... his heart is getting to many impulses she thought. Almost like by people that suffer from atrial fibrillation

She knew what was done to those patients to get the heart back on track. They usually got a shock with the defibrillator which would overwrite the fibrillation into a normal heart rate. Now where am I supposed to get a defibrillator here? she thought distressed. She had to act quickly because Mulder's lips were starting to turn blue - a sign his racing heart couldn't pump enough oxygen into his body.

A short smile crossed her face. "The jumper cable", she whispered. That could work.

"Don't go anywhere, Mulder, I'll be right back." She jumped up and raced to the car, rummaging through the boot. Finally she found what she was looking for and raced back to Mulder.

She had found some aluminium foil which she clipped into the brackets of the jumper cable, one peace in each. Then she used some lotion she still had in her bag to act as the gel, so the foil wouldn't be in direct contact with Mulder's skin. To finish it off she strapped the foil and brackets onto his chest with duct tape.

She got up and drove the car close to where he lay. Getting out and releasing the hood was accomplished in a split second. She attached the other end of the jumper cable to the car's battery, sat in the driver's seat and started the car. Of course, the jolt would not be what could be produced with a real defibrillator but she had to try.

She let the engine run a couple of seconds, then switched it off again and raced to Mulder.

Placing a hand on the artery in his neck she relaxed as she felt it had worked and his heart rate was slowing down again. Thank God she thought before cradling Mulder's head in her lap and kissing him on the forehead.

She glanced at his chest and found that the bluish flame had disappeared.

Almost half on hour later she could feel him start to awake. She encouraged him. Softly stroking his cheek. Uttering reassurances in his ear.

"Scully," he whispered. His voice was dry and raspy.

"Yes Mulder, it's me." She smiled and helped him to sit up. She handed him a bottle of water and watch as he gladly drank the cool liquid.

"What happened?", he asked. He sounded groggy.

"You don't remember anything?", she asked somewhat shocked.

He shook his head. She began to explain everything and he listened to her. He didn't react at all he just seemed to accept it in his normal Mulder way.

"Hang on you called Skinner?" he asked once Scully had finished speaking.

"Oh My God!" she gasped as realisation dawned on her. "I did."

"Why did you do that, Scully?"

"Well, you had disappeared and I wanted to know if the bureau was behind that."

"And? What did he say to that?"

"Nothing, I didn't get to ask that. But let's get on the roll again, Mulder... we need to get out of this place in the middle of nowhere."

They started driving, Mulder sitting on the passenger seat, eyes closed. He dozed off and only woke up 45 minutes later because they had stopped.

He looked to his left but Scully wasn't there. A split second later he was startled by a knock on his window. It was Scully. He opened the door and got out of the car.

"What happened? Why did we stop?"

"We ran out of gas, Mulder."

"What??"

"But hey, look over there. In the distance... isn't that a house?"

Mulder looked out into the horizon and saw what could be a house.

"Well Scully it seems like the only option we have. Lets go."

They reached the house in just under 20 minutes. It looked like people were clearly living here. They went up to the front door and knocked. They waited a few minutes before knocking again.

"Weird," remarked Scully, "the windows are open, there is a car in the driveway, you'd think someone was home."

"Do you think something happened to them?" Mulder asked her quietly hinting at the monster.

"I don't know, Mulder. Should we go in?"

Before Mulder could reply the door opened and an old woman looked at them.

"Hello Ma'am. My name is Larry and this is my partner Frankie. Our car ran out of gas back on the highway and we were wondering if we could use your phone to call for help.", Mulder said.

The old woman stared at them for a few moments before agreeing and allowing them into her home.

"Sure it's no problem. Wouldn't want you lost out here. Come on in and you can call."

Thanking her they entered her home and were shown into a brightly lit living area.

Scully spotted the phone (hers she dropped while talking to Skinner and forgot it there) and was heading towards it when she felt Mulder grabbing her hand, pulling her back.

She turned to look at him. What's it? she asked in their non-verbal communication. What she saw was panic in his eyes but he didn't say anything.

"What's it?", she asked in a hushed voice. After a few seconds he whispered. "I don't know, Scully. Something's not right. I can feel it." As if to proof it he pushed up his shirt sleeve to expose his goosebumps. His eyes scanned the room frantically.

"Mulder you're still in shock. There is nothing wrong."

"Scully please. I can feel it. Trust me!" He stared at her his eyes pleading with her to believe him.

"Well what do you want us to do Mulder? We don't know where the nearest gas station is. I'll make it quick I promise."

She placed a hand on his upper arm and she could feel him shivering slightly. "Don't worry Mulder."

Mulder placed his hand over hers and squeezed it gently to show he understood.

"Make it quick Scully." He added quickly before the old woman came back in.

While Scully was dialling a number Mulder saw the old woman approaching them again. He looked up and met her eyes and immediately froze to the spot, his pulse racing again. Her eyes... her eyes were the same kind of blue like that smoke that had attacked him earlier.

"Scul... Scully", he choked out while reaching out with his hand to touch her, unable to take his eyes off that old woman.

She looked at him and he made a choking noise in his throat. Scullys eyes darted between him and the woman.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently placing a hand over the phone. He didn't say anything. Keeping her eyes on him she finished on the phone and replaced it. "Thank you very much Ma'am we really appreciate this. We'd better be off have a good day."

"No problem young lady. You stay safe now. You might want to see to your partner. He seems to have a had a fair old fright."

"I will, thank you." She shook hands with her and felt an electric shock race around her body. It was small so she paid no attention to it, she credited it to being a static shock. She steered Mulder out the front door. Only when the door of the house was closed again did he speak and begin to move on his own. Scully rounded on him as they walked back towards the car.

"Mulder what the hell was that about?"

"Her eyes Scully. They were the same blue as that monster. They even seemed to flicker like fire."

"Mulder don't be ridiculous. I have blue eyes and you haven't frozen from seeing them yet."

"It's not the same, Scully. Your eyes are warm and loving hers were icy cold. The intensity of her eyes was completely different to the intensity of yours."

"Mulder you're still feeling shaken from the incident. I don't blame you for seeing the monster in the most innocent of things," she explained in her clinical scientific voice, "but she was an old woman. She couldn't harm a fly. When we get back to the car you're resting. No ifs, buts or ands."

When they got back to the car Mulder went around to the driver's side.

"No, Mulder. You are so NOT driving!"

"I don't want to, Scully, but I want to keep you from driving while I am telling you what I need to tell you, what I need you to believe me. And anyway, we're out of gas. I wouldn't be able to drive if I wanted to." He leaned with his back against the door. Scully walked up to him until she just stood two feet away from him.

"Mulder, if this is about the old woman..."

"Yes it is. You saw that thing that took me. How can you NOT see it is in that woman now? That it maybe IS that woman? Why can't you believe me?"

She paused before replying. "I do believe you, Mulder. But..." He cut her off.

"Scully, you said no buts!" Mulder was looking around frantically, trying to find shelter for them, and one eye never leaving the house of the old woman. "I know what I saw and I know I am right. We need to get out of here because that woman, that monster in her is a threat to us. And we're stuck here. We won't be safe in the car, we need to find a place to hide until help comes, we..." he couldn't speak any further because Scully had taken the last step towards him and kissed him full on the lips. After a split second of surprise he kissed her back. When they finally broke apart he took a deep breath before speaking again.

"What was that for?"

"For being so concerned. And to shut you up.", she smirked.

"To shut me up?", he asked incredulously. "Don't you think we should pay heed to my words and look for a safe place?"

"I think the car is safe enough and we'll be fine, Mulder. You need to rest. I'll keep my eye open and if that monster decides to come here, well... I know it feels a bullet's impact."

Mulder reluctantly got into the back of the car and fell into an uneasy sleep. He could almost feel the blue burning his eyes every time he closed them. After 15 minutes of this he sat up and tapped Scully on the shoulder.

"Mulder! I thought you were sleeping?" she said gently.

"Well that's proving slightly difficult considering every time I close my eyes I see blue", he said angrily. Scully crawled into the back of the car and got Mulder to lie in her arms.

"Now try and sleep. I'm holding you and nothing can happen to you." She placed his head on her lap and stroked his hair. She could soon feel him fall into sleep.

They were sitting like that for about half an hour and Scully hadn't seen anything that worried her. Mulder was finally sleeping, nobody or nothing left the house and nothing else was occurring as well. She was getting tired herself and starting to doze off when her eye caught a glittering point in the distance. Almost like a reflection.

She tried to sit up straight without disturbing or waking Mulder and strained her eyes. The reflecting object was moving and soon she could see it was a car.

Reluctantly she woke Mulder and they both left the car, hands on their guns ready to use them if needed.

The car came to a halt mere metres away from their own car and two persons emerged.

Scully's mouth dropped open when she recognised Agents Whitney and Mumbles. A quick glance to the side told her that Mulder mirrored her reaction.

Whitney and Mumbles walked towards them. They were calm their faces unreadable. They didn't appear to be a threat to them yet. Mulder and Scully waited for them to make the first move.

'Come with us,' said Whitney.

'Where to?' asked Scully suspiciously.

'Somewhere safe,' said the agent.

'Define safe,' said Mulder.

Mumbles sighed. 'I knew he wouldn't come without a fight.'

'I'm not fighting. I'm just asking.'

Whitney and Mumbles looked at each other for a few seconds, then Mumbles shrugged, giving his permission to his partner.

'Walter Skinner sent us.'

Now it was Mulder and Scully's turn to look at each other, silently communicating their surprise, their suspicion - and their hope.

'Prove it,' said Mulder simply.

Mumbles held out his hand. Something glittered in his palm. Scully moved warily towards him and reached out her hand.

'What is it?", Mulder asked impatiently.

Scully turned towards him and held her tiny gold cross out for him to see. Mulder was still not convinced. Years of mistrust were not so easily overcome.

'Is it yours?'

By the headlights on the Agents' car, Scully read the inscription on the back of the cross. 'It's mine Mulder. AYSF.'

Mulder grinned unexpectedly and Scully tried to hide her answering smile.

'AYSF?' said a confused Whitney. 'What the hell is that?'

'Nothing,' said Scully, straightening up. 'C'mon Mulder, let's go.'

Quickly they grabbed their bags from their car and loaded them into the Agents' rental. Then - with a final look towards the strange old lady's house, they got into the back seat.

The car journey was awkward to say the least. Scully was still wondering how they had known who they were before Scully had contacted Skinner. Unless Skinner had been trailing them for the last 6 years. Things were too confusing. Different theories and thoughts were running through her mind. Mulder was fidgeting in the seat beside her and she couldn't take the tension that was steadily building up inside the car.

"So how did you know who we were back on the lake?" Scully blurted out. Whitney and Mumbles exchanged quick glances at each other but didn't answer.

"Well tell me or I'll make you tell me." threatened Scully. She was almost willing to do anything at this stage. Now that their cover had been so completely blown by these two agents.

'Don't be concerned, Dana,' said Whitney. 'May I call you Dana?'

'No you may not,' snapped Scully. 'Now tell me what the hell is going on or stop this car so we can get out of here before you blow our cover for good.'

Mulder smiled at Scully but was met with a frown so angry that he had to look out of the window to hide his amusement from her. Whitney saw the same thing as she met Scully's eyes in the mirror. She sighed and nodded at Mumbles, who started to talk.

'Skinner called us about an hour ago. Said he'd heard from you and you needed help.'

'And at the lake?' demanded Scully.

'We didn't expect to find you at the lake,' said Mumbles. 'We were there investigating several strange deaths in the area. Running into you two was just luck.'

'Not for us,' said Mulder sombrely.

'And how did you know who we were?' said Scully.

'You're pretty famous at the Bureau, Agents,' Whitney said. Any agent worth their salt knows the story of the X- Files and how you two guys had to go on the run. And any agent with an ounce of curiosity would therefore check out your records on the intranet, just to see what all the fuss was about.'

As she said those last words, she met Mulder's eyes in the mirror. Scully's hackles shot up and she glared at Whitney. If looks could kill, the pretty dark-haired agent would have died right there behind the wheel and steered them all to certain death in a ravine.

Mulder wanted to try and relax her but he knew he'd only be faced with her death stare. "See what all the fuss was about?" she questioned aggressively.

"Huh so you think us having to go on the run in fear of our lives is something as trivial as that saying?" Mulder prayed that Whitney had enough sense not to cross her. She seemed like a fast learner.

"Not fuss per se more controversy."

"So what our story is some kind of tabloid story? You two are still hiding something and I want to know what it is right now. I'm still armed so cut the crap!"

Mulder looked at Whitney with a helpless expression on his face. He couldn't do anything about Scully she was too stubborn and fiery for her own good.

'Okay,' said Whitney. "There have been six unexplained deaths near the lake and in the surrounding forests in the past month. Cause of death looks like electrocution, but there was no supporting evidence, no scorch marks, no electrical equipment in evidence. It was just as if their hearts suffered a power surge and sort of exploded.'

Scully looked at Mulder. If she hadn't fired her weapon into that blue flame...

She reached for his hand and he closed his fingers over hers, understanding her need for comfort. He'd had a close call, that was for sure.

'But that's not all,' added Mumbles. 'Some victims didn't die. Some of them survived.'

His words should have been positive, but Mulder and Scully could hear the unspoken fear hanging in the air.

'Not dying,' said Mulder. 'That's good, right?'

Whitney and Mumbles looked seriously at each other. 'Not necessarily.'

"So what are their conditions?", asked Scully.

"Well, they are sort of like in a waking coma. And their EEG's are highly abnormal.", Agent Whitney explained.

Mulder swallowed. From what Scully had told him and what he just heard, he was damn lucky that Scully did what she did.

'And a few of them...'

'A few of them WHAT?' demanded Scully.

'A few of them seemed to come through the physical effects okay, but have suffered subsequent psychological damage.'

'Such as?' said Scully, hardly trusting her voice.

'Delusions, paranoia...' said Whitney.

'No change there, then Scully,' Mulder whispered, trying to keep things light, but Scully wasn't placated.

'How soon after the event did these symptoms appear?' said Scully.

'Hours, sometimes days. And the symptoms are progressive. Several subjects have had to be hospitalized and others imprisoned after attacking people.'

'But I--' Scully dug Mulder in the ribs to shut him up. 'You what?' said Mumbles, turning to look at the pair of them.

'He's tired,' said Scully. 'Where are we going to sleep?'

Whitney cast a long glance at Mulder who tried to look kind of nonchalant.

"We'll take you to a safe place, Agents.", she then said.

After a couple of minutes Mulder leaned close to Scully and whispered in her ear.

"Scully, do you think...?"

"Shh, Mulder. No, I don't. That thing didn't have time to finish it's job on you. But it'd still be better if we kept that little piece of information to ourselves."

About an hour later, they pulled up outside a motel. Mulder and Scully grabbed their bags and followed Whitney and Mumbles straight to a room. 'We've booked you into a room between ours,' said Mumbles. 'We thought it would be safest.'

Whitney unlocked the door to Room 6 and it swung open. A dark shadow loomed inside and Mulder dropped his bag and had his gun in his hand in an instant.

Whitney knocked his arm aside as the shadow took shape in the doorway.

Scully smiled despite her fright.

The shadow waiting in their room was Assistant Director Walter Skinner.

Relief washed over Mulder's and Scully's features when they recognised their visitor. The A.D. gave them a lookover and smiled at them.

"I'm damn sure happy you got here safely, Agents", he greeted them.

"Skinman!" joked Mulder, "Long time no see. How've you been keeping?"

"Probably a damn lot better than you two." He replied seriously. Scully stuck out her hand to shake his but he surprised her by pulling her into a short hug.

Mulder laughed at this until he too was pulled into a quick hug by the AD.

"Wow Sir," he gushed, "I didn't realise you felt that way."

"I'm just glad you two are still safe."

Mulder and Scully walked into the room and locked the door behind them. They felt exposed standing in the doorway.

He was just like the old Walter Skinner they used to know, except this one kept breaking into a silly grin as he looked at his former most-unwanted agents.

'How did you find us, Sir?' asked Scully.

'When I got your call I put out a emergency triangulation call on the cell phone signal. I guess Whitney and Mumbles were on their way to the scene when they found you.'

'And what are you doing here?' said Mulder, unable to keep the wary note out of his voice.

Skinner looked more sober. 'I'm sorry to endanger you both. I know how hard you've tried to stay below the radar. But we have a case here that we're getting nowhere fast on.'

Scully nodded at the other agents. 'Agents Whitney and Mumbles filled us in briefly Sir.'

'Well,' Skinner continued, 'The blue fire we believe originated in the lake has killed six people, that's for sure. But it's the ones who have survived the experience that we're most concerned about.'

Scully glanced at Mulder, whose face remained blank.

'These would be the people who have undergone personality changes?'

'That's right. Paranoia, violence. Two of the blue fire victims have gone on to murder people in apparently motiveless attacks.'

'How can we help?' said Mulder carefully - one look from Scully had been enough to keep him from revealing that he himself was a 'blue fire survivor'.

"Well for one you could take a look at the pictures we took of the victims to see if maybe you can detect something we missed." Skinner said handing Scully a folder with the pictures.

She opened it and pulled them out, looking at them one by one, then handing them over to Mulder. He also looked at them, and with each picture his frown grew bigger.

Scully handed him the last picture and looked at him, noticing his reaction.

"What's it, Mulder?"

He kept quiet, studying the last picture, then said while looking at Scully. "I knew all of the victims, Scully."

"What? How?" sputtered Scully unable to form a coherent talk at Mulders revelation.

"MUFON members, talks I used to give on the paranormal." Mulder said tonelessly.

Scully touched her neck. "Tell me that it has nothing to do with my chip." asked she with fear in her voice.

He didn't answer but looked thoughtful.

"Mulder?"

"Not with your one but maybe with theirs", he said.

"How do you mean that, Mulder? Aren't they all the same, the chips? How could mine be different?" Scully didn't want to admit it but she was frightened.

Before tonight she and Mulder had been doing okay. On the run, always looking over their shoulders, sure - but doing okay.

Now something that had emerged from the depths of a frozen lake had lit a cold fire in Mulder's chest, and its other victims had something in common with HER!

All of a sudden their strange but relatively safe existence had been jeopardized - and it was completely out of their control.

'What do you want us to do,' said Mulder - and Scully's was instantly transported back to Walter Skinner's office, being handed an X File - as if the past six years had never happened.

2 hours later

Finally Mulder and Scully were alone in the room. They had spent the last 2 hours being filled in by A.D Skinner on what all they needed to know about the case and all the other happenings. Now 10 minutes ago Skinner and the other two agents had left and both Mulder and Scully had sighed in relief and sprawled onto the bed.

"What do you think, Mulder?", Scully asked.

"About what?"

"Everything. The case, the blue fire, the chip, but mainly... what do you think about a shower for two?"

Mulder didn't need asking twice. Even after the years they'd been together, the offer of a shower for two was a million times better than an entire porn collection for one.

They took their time, and had long since stopped being self-conscious about paper-thin motel walls.

Later - as Mulder slept in the darkened room - Scully slid the sheet down his chest and frowned at the faint blue flicker under his skin. She felt a corresponding tingle in the back of her neck and shivered.

Whatever this thing was, there was no point running from it. It was part of them now.

Mulder woke to somebody knocking on the door. He blinked and took a look at the clock. it was 5:16am. He turned to look at Scully who was still slumbering next to him.

Whoever it was at the door knocked again. Sighing, Mulder got up and grabbed his gun before sneaking to the door.

"Who is it?", he demanded in a hushed voice.

"Agent Mumbles. Can I come in?"

Mulder opened the door slightly and checked out the man standing before him. Satisfied he was who he said he was he let him in.

"What's so important that you can't wait a few more hours to tell me?" Mulder asked in a whisper. He didn't want to wake Scully.

"We're moving you two now. Best to do it before the sun is up. We'll explain what we've learned overnight to you on the way."

"On the way to where?" Mulder questioned.

"I can't tell you that. Don't worry you'll be safe. I promise. AD Skinner will be with us. Now get moving we're leaving in 10 minutes."

With that Mumbles left the room before Mulder could reply. Sighing he looked at Scullys peaceful face. He gently roused her from sleep and told her they had to go. Without a word she began to dress.

Scully slept again in the car while Mulder held her. As dawn broke he saw they'd left the forests and the lakes behind and were travelling across open plains.

Scully woke when the sun hit her face, and Skinner started to speak.

'During the night there was another blue fire incident. The victim survived and that's where we're going right now.'

'Who is it?' said Scully.

'A man named Richard Weiss. Seems he was hit by a blue light while out rabbit hunting but his son threw a gun at the flame and he was released from inside it.'

Mulder and Scully exchanged glances as Skinner went on - oblivious to their unspoken communication.

'He was shook up but didn't lose consciousness. However, within hours he had started to change.'

'Change how?' said Mulder.

Whitney and Mumbles glanced round at Skinner, who sighed. 'Four hours after the incident, Richard Weiss shot and killed his son, his two daughters, and his wife.'

Mulder and Scully were silent. Scully slipped her hand into Mulder's. 'And that's where we're going now?' she said/

Skinner nodded grimly. 'That's where we're going now.'

When the car had been parked, Skinner, Whitney and Mumbles left the car. Mulder and Scully took their time so they could exchange some words in private.

"Scully, why did all that not happen to me? I mean, Skinner practically pictured the scenario that happened to me. Why am I still alright?", Mulder whispered.

"I don't know, Mulder. Only difference to your story I noticed was that you were unconscious. And that I sort of reanimated you to set your heart's rhythm anew. Maybe that's why. Or maybe it isn't. Maybe you're immune to that thing, same as you and me are immune to the black oil."

"You think so?"

"Agents?", Skinners bass boomed. "What's keeping you? Hurry up!"

The Weiss family were laid out where they fell. The children huddled in a corner of their bedroom, Angela Weiss face-up on the kitchen floor in a puddle of blood.

Mulder stood over her for a long moment, then crouched down and put his hand under the back of her neck.

'What are you doing Mulder?' Scully cast a worried glance towards where Skinner, Whitney and Mumbles stood conferring quietly in the doorway.

Mulder said nothing as he probed - then looked up at Scully with an expression of dawning dread.

Scully's face fell. 'A chip?' she whispered.

Mulder nodded and stood up.

'What does it mean Mulder?' Scully's voice shook.

'Scully, all the victims have been abductees - either alien or Consortium. Now it looks like the blue fire victims are turning on those who have chips implanted. Wiping them out.'

'But that hasn't happened with us, Mulder.'

Mulder put a hand on her shoulder. 'Not yet, Scully, but it might.'

'It wont! You wouldn't--'

Mulder put a finger to his lips to keep her from alerting the others. 'I can't take that chance Scully.'

'Mulder no!'

But Mulder squeezed her shoulder and turned away from her - striding down the corridor back to the children's bedroom.

'Find anything Agent Mulder?' called Whitney after him.

'Just checking something out,' he threw back over his shoulder.

Skinner joined Scully looking down at Angela Weiss's body. It was a couple of minutes before he realised she was crying.

'Dana?' he said gently, 'what's wrong?'

She only shook her head, and Skinner had to discover for himself 15 worried minutes later that Fox Mulder had disappeared as if he'd never been there.

Exasperated Skinner turned to find Scully. She had managed to compose herself.

"What's going on, Scully? Where is Mulder and why did he take off?"

"He... I... Sir, I...", Scully didn't know how to start without drawing the attention of Agent Whitney and Mumbles to them. Skinner seemed to catch on and led her back to the car, where they sat in with closed doors.

"Now, what's on your mind, Agent Scully? Anything I can help with?"

"Sir, before I say anything, how well do you know Whitney and Mumbles? I mean... what are they doing here?"

"Well, I sent them to pick you up after we had traced your phone, I told you that."

"Did they tell you we saw them before?" Scully asked.

"What?", Skinner frowned. "When and where was that?"

Scully sighed. "Just the other day... we had stumbled across what looked like a burning shed in the middle of a frozen lake... when they showed up."

Skinner's face became red. "Kersh assigned them to pick you up yesterday. Unfortunately when you phoned he'd been in my office. He insisted on having them on the case. I have never before worked with them."

"Sir, there is something I think you should know. But maybe it'd be best if you kept that piece of information to yourself. Mulder was attacked by the blue fire."

"What?". Skinner's eyes grew big. "When was that?"

"When I called you. I did the same as that boy here, I shot into the thing and it released Mulder. He was unconscious though and in atrial fibrillation. I managed to take care of that. Sir, so far he hasn't shown any of the signs you said the other victims displayed. But that's why he took off. He's scared he could harm me."

Mulder had climbed out the window at the house and ran. He had to get as far away from Scully as possible. He couldn't risk hurting her. He couldn't risk losing her. She was all he had. This was the only way. He didn't want to end up hurting her or worse. He wasn't going to return until he was sure he wasn't a threat.

He stopped running and looked behind him. He saw a figure in the distance moving closer. He couldn't make out who it was but he didn't intend to find out. Ducking off the road he'd been following he ran through farms. He needed to get back to the cabin, to check it out so more but if he was caught that wouldn't happen.

Mulder walked through the night to get back to the lake. When he finally reached the cabin just after dawn, he drew his gun; he had no idea what he might find inside but just holding it made him feel safer.

He pushed open the charred cabin door and stepped inside. The hole in the ice was open again!

Mulder instinctively pressed himself against the wall of the cabin as if the swirling well might suck him into its depths, but soon his curiosity overcame his sense of self-preservation. For about the thousandth time, he thought wryly. He could just imagine Scully saying that to him, and the thought of her made him feel warm and strong in this strange place that was cold and disconcerting.

With that new courage, Mulder stepped forward to peer once more into the abyss. Under his feet, the icy floor of the cabin seemed to shift and suddenly what had been a nearly-groundless fear became imminent reality as Mulder scrambled and skidded to find his footing.

He dropped his gun as he grabbed desperately for a hand-hold, but there was none to be had - and Mulder felt his fingernails score parallel furrows in the ice before he plummeted into the impossible hole in the water which ended who-the-hell-knew-WHERE.

All he could feel was the icy cold that surrounded him. The substance he was floating through felt like water, but he had no trouble breathing in it. It wasn't dark, but he still couldn't see through the milky blue substance when he suddenly felt solid ground under his feet and started to find his way to wherever.

In the meantime Scully and Skinner were walking back to meet up with the other two Agents. They went inside the house again where they found Agent Whitney.

"Where is Agent Mumbles?", Skinner asked her.

"Wasn't he with you?", was the astounded reply.

"No, we haven't seen him. He's not outside", Scully remarked.

"Hm, I don't think he's in here, either", Agent Whitney mused.

"Then we're already missing two agents", Skinner mumbled to himself.

"What was that Sir?", Whitney queried.

"Nothing of importance", Skinner said quickly. "Agent Scully, I think it'd be best if you could examine the bodies here and hand me the notes - before someone else gets to see the scene."

"Okay, Sir. Consider it done", Scully replied. She started with her task, but her mind was not really on it. She was thinking about Mulder and she suddenly shuddered, as if somebody had thrown a bucket full of icewater over her head.

She was almost finished, when her cell phone rang.

"Scully."

"It's Skinner. I've got news. We have a suspect. A man was seen in four crime places."

"Good work, I would like to ask him a few questions."

Skinner sighed. "We would like to ask him a few questions as well, but we don't know who he is."

Scully raised her eyebrow. "So, what do you know about him?"

"The only thing we have, is his description. He has long white hair and he wears glasses."

Mulder had been wandering about aimlessly when suddenly he saw something that made him freeze on the spot. The bright blue outline of a person appeared out of the thick milky blue fog, and the closer the person got the more familiar became its features. When it was only a few feet away from Mulder he recognised who it was.

It was Agent Mumbles.

But there was something different. He appeared to be made of the blue fire and for a split second Mulder thought he'd become another victim. Then it dawned on him. Mumbles WAS the blue fire.

Mulder turned to run, but he still couldn't see anything, so he scrambled to hide in the fog.

Scully moved to a quiet part of the house for fear of being overheard by a prying Agent Whitney.

"Sir don't you think that sounds an awful lot like Agent Mumbles. I know there must be many men in this world that match that basic description but pair it with that fact we don't know where he is has me worried about Mulder."

"Scully, don't let yourself think that. Mulder will be fine. He knows what he's doing. Mumbles is strange though isn't he. I'm gonna get some guys to check him out. See if anything unusual has happened to him lately." Skinner hung up the phone.

Scully couldn't concentrate on finishing her examination of the bodies. Her mind was a thousand miles away thinking about blue flame, white haired men and Mulder.

No matter how fast Mulder ran, he couldn't seem to get rid of the blue fire agent. Sooner or later he would have to stop running and face his opponent.

Just as he had finished that thought Mulder connected with something solid in the blue fog. He fell to the floor, dazed, and when he had regained his bearings he saw Mumbles standing right in front of him.

Frantically he scrambled to his feet, ready to run again, when he felt himself - once again - being suspended in mid air, held by the blue fire cloud.

He wanted to reach for his gun but he couldn't move. He couldn't scream and the pain was starting to become excruciating. Suddenly he heard Mumbles voice inside his head. It sounded eerie.

"Now, now, Agent Mulder. No point in running. You can't escape. I'm a part of you now. You're going to listen to what I say and you are going to do what I say. Then you might just get to live to see your pretty little red head again. No point trying to fight. You belong to me now. You do my biding now."

Mulder fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. He was back in the cabin. He had to stay away from Scully but as he began to walk out the door he realised he wouldn't have a chance. Mumbles was controlling his every action. Mulder didn't know where he was going. His legs were simply bringing him to wherever it was Mumbles wanted him.

Oh God please don't let me do anything to harm anyone he prayed to whatever God was listening.

Scully had just managed to wrap up her task and allowed herself to relax a little when she heard a noise. She got back to her feet and ventured in the direction the noise had come from. There it was again. Unmistakably footsteps.

"Hello", she called. It could be Agent Whitney but she had wanted to stay by the car.

There was no reply. Scully grabbed her gun and hid behind a door. The footsteps were coming closer. Then they stopped, right by the door she was hiding behind.

Scully tensed as the door swung open, then relaxed.

It was only Agent Mumbles. 'We've been looking for you Agent. Where have you been?' She tucked her gun back in its holster.

'Thought I saw something outside. Then I figured I'd better come get back up.'

His statement was a question, and Scully nodded. Maybe it was Mulder. if so, she didn't want Mumbles finding him and questioning him alone. Mulder was in a fragile state of mind, or he'd never have left her behind.

She followed Mumbles from the house.

Mulder felt himself being drawn back towards Scully as if by a giant magnet. Every time he tried to drive in the opposite direction, he found himself doing a U-turn. He could have cried with frustration and fear.

Two hours later, he was just a couple of miles from the house where he'd left her.

He kept lifting his foot from the gas in an attempt to at least slow his inexorable progress, but something inside him kept forcing it back down. Up ahead he caught a flash of red hair and realized with a sinking feeling that he wasn't even going to have to go as far as the house to find his partner. She was walking across a field towards the road, her hair shining in the low winter sun. A few paces behind her - shepherding her to her fate - was Mumbles. Against every instinct, Mulder slowed the car so he'd halt close to where Scully was about to arrive at the roadside. He saw her glance up at the sound of the engine, saw her face break into a huge grin as she saw him behind the wheel. He saw the woman he loved, and the woman he was about to murder in cold blood.

Reaching deep into himself for strength he never knew he had, Mulder floored the gas, wrenching the wheel to one side. The tires smoked as the rental screeched back onto the blacktop. Even over the noise, Mulder heard Scully scream his name at the same moment he saw the oncoming car. Mulder closed his eyes and held his breath and steered straight into its path.

Scully gasped as she saw Mulder's car colliding side on with the SUV and being pushed another couple of metres before both cars came to a halt. The blaring of the horn of one of the cars drowned out all other sounds around them. While running over to the accident site Scully pulled out her phone and dialled 911.

The driver of the SUV exited the car when she arrived. He looked shaken but was seemingly unhurt.

"I couldn't do anything. He just...", the man babbled shocked.

"I know", Scully hissed when she passed him. "Mumbles, take care of the man", she called over her shoulder while she hurried to get to Mulder. The SUV had hit his rental car on the driving side but she had to get to the passenger side to get to Mulder. He was hunched over forward, his head on the steering wheel, which set of the horn.

Scully ripped open the door and crawled in. He was bleeding from a cut on his left temple and his eyes were closed. Quickly she searched his neck for a pulse and sighed in relief when she found it fairly strong. Gently she brought him back in a sitting position, and immediately the horn ceased its noise.

"Mulder? Can you hear me?"

Mulder didn't respond he couldn't. His mind was groggy. It felt like he'd been hit by a 10 tonne brick. All he could do was allow himself to go unconscious it was took up too much energy to stay awake. He could barely hear Scullys pleads to 'stay awake' and 'say something'.

Two hours later Scully was in the nearest hospital waiting room.

No change there, then, she thought ruefully. She hadn't called Skinner. Barely 72 hours earlier, she and Mulder had been living their version of a normal life. Regular people. Now she couldn't help feeling that if she hadn't called Skinner for help, she wouldn't be sitting here, drinking bad coffee and waiting for Mulder to come out of the Operating Room after yet another bizarre injury.

He hadn't woken up in the ambulance and his vitals had weakened on the ride here. Scully hoped it was only shock and blood loss from his head wound, but she hadn't been able to examine him fully.

Mumbles had been a rock. She didn't know what she'd have done without him. Whitney had joined them a few minutes earlier and had also been more than kind. Scully was starting to warm to both of them.

The door to the OR swung open and a surgeon in scrubs headed for her. Scully stood up, hoping to head off bad news with a display of bravado.

She willed the surgeon to smile at her as he approached but his face was grim. 'How is he?' He frowned and Scully felt faint. 'His injuries from the crash were not severe. Concussion, blood loss, but nothing he wouldn't recover from. It's his heart we're concerned about. It's gone into overdrive, and his bodily systems have speeded up too. Everything seems to be working far harder and faster than it should be. He's generating an enormous amount of heat and has a temperature of 105.'

Scully hesitated, glancing across at Whitney and Mumbles, then lowered her voice so they couldn't hear. 'Mulder suffered an electrical... event... a short while before he crashed the car. Could that be the cause?'

'Maybe,' said the surgeon. 'But whatever started it, we have no idea how to finish it. He's just lying there, working overtime, burning up.'

'Did you notice anything else about his heart?' Scully probed. 'Like what?'

Scully felt stupid but had to say it: 'Like a blue light around it?'

The surgeon looked at her as if she was some New Age hippie selling crystal cures for cancer.

'A blue light? No.'

'Can I see him?'

He hesitated. 'Okay. But briefly. I don't want him becoming more animated than he already is, so don't try to wake him up.'

Before Scully could follow the surgeon, the hospital lights flickered twice, then exploded over their heads in a series of spectacular displays. The emergency lights came on briefly, then they too burst like fireworks and the entire hospital was plunged into pitch darkness.

After a moment of being stunned Scully pulled out her flashlight and looked around. The beam of the light caught the doors that led to Mulders whereabouts. In the chaos that ensued by more flashlights lighting up and people running around and shouting she managed to find her partner.

He was laying still, chest rising rapidly and Scully put her hand to his forehead to feel the heat... only to find he was cold. She gasped. Hadn't the doctor just said he was burning up?

She pulled the sheet off his chest and immediately the dark room was filled with the cold blue light emanating from the flames under his skin.

Aware of someone behind her, Scully quickly covered Mulder's chest again.

'Is he okay?' said Mumbles.

'He's like ice,' she answered. 'We need to get him warm.'

Mumbles took that as his cue to go look for more blankets. Scully didn't see the evil grin he grinned when he had turned his back to her. Let her warm him up... that would only serve his purpose. He was wondering how Mulder had managed to cool down in the first place. That none of his victims had ever managed.

Scully was hoping her flashlight would hold long. At least until electricity in the hospital had been restored again. She put her fingers on Mulder's neck again to check his pulse. At her touch, he moved and his eyes started to flutter open.

"Mulder?", she whispered. "Mulder, can you hear me?"

He turned his head, looking at her. What she saw was fear. He was terrified. His eyes said it all.

"Mmm..." he tried to say.

"Shhh... Mulder, don't try to talk. We're gonna get you warm. You're freezing. Something happened her in the hospital that sapped all the electricity. I sent Agent Mumbles to find more blankets for you..." she trailed off when she saw the terror in his eyes intensifying at the mention of Agent Mumbles.

"Mmbls..", he muttered shaking his head violently.

"What's it, Mulder? What's with Mumbles?", she hoped she had interpreted his muttering correctly.

"Blue fire...", Mulder managed to say.

"Were you attacked again by the blue fire? What does Mumbles have to do with that? Mulder, I'm confused here." Scully tried to make sense of everything.

"Mumbles is blue fire", Mulder whispered.

Just in that moment, Agent Mumbles returned with a couple of blankets. Scully had known Mulder long enough to know he wouldn't say what he said if he weren't sure. So when she heard Mumbles' footsteps behind her she spun around with her gun drawn.

"Hold it there", she threatened.

"Agent Scully, why are you holding that gun on me?" he asked calmly, trying not to smirk. "I haven't done anything." He feigned innocence and if Scully didn't trust Mulder completely she would have probably fallen for it.

"You know damn straight what you've done. Cut the crap you son of a bh. What did you do to Mulder?"

"What makes you think I did anything to him? I haven't been anywhere near-"

"ENOUGH!!" Scully shouted. "You tell me right now how to make him better or I will not flinch. I will shoot."

Mumbles moved closer towards Scully. As she backed towards the bed she shot a sideways glance at Mulder. He was sitting up and begging her not to come closer. She paused halfway between Mulder and Mumbles. Mumbles was grinning wickedly and Scully couldn't understand why until she felt Mulder put his hands around her neck.

Scully shuddered as a bolt of electricity shot down her spine at Mulder's touch.

'Mulder! Stop!!'

But he didn't stop - he couldn't.

Mumbles stepped closer to watch Scully writhe in agony and she saw with horror that his dark eyes had become flickering blue - just like the old lady in the house where they'd gone for help. The pain was intense - Mulder's fingers on her throat did not squeeze, but they sent jolts of pain through her whole body as Mumbles smiled. Scully knew she had to do something fast or she would lose consciousness.

She stopped trying to pull away from Mulder and instead threw herself backwards onto him, throwing her head back into his face. She heard him grunt in pain and his grip loosened. Scully twisted away from his hands, falling off the bed. Mumbles strode over to her, but as he did she remembered her gun and shot him in the right ankle. Mumbles screeched and fell to the floor clutching his ankle. At the same second, every light in the hospital flickered back on.

Scully scrambled to her feet to check on Mulder and was shocked to see he was now encased from head to foot in the blue flame. The whole bed crackled with electrical charge. Mulder shivered in pain inside the flame - his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth clenched.

'Make it stop!' yelled Scully, turning to Mumbles - but he had gone!

"Damn", Scully cursed. How could Mumbles have disappeared like that, especially with an injured ankle. She decided not to waste any more thought on him though and focused her attention on Mulder, who was still engulfed in blue flames and seemed to be in a lot of pain.

At first Scully wanted to shoot into the blue fire again, like the first time, but this time the blue fire cloud was not that big so she was scared she could really hit Mulder. She tried to reach into the fire to touch Mulder but as soon as her fingers came close to it she felt the immense current that it carried. She pulled her hand back as if she had burnt it when she made the ever so slight contact with it.

Scully stared at her hand, but it looked alright to her. When she redirected her gaze at Mulder she noticed, that the blue fire had shrunk. The cloud engulfing him was considerably smaller now. Had her touch done that? Tentatively she stretched her hand out again and as soon as she felt the current she could see it reduce, almost as if she sucked it up.

Pulling her hand back, she squeezed her eyes shut tight and took a deep breath. Then with all the determination she could gather she plunged her hand into the blue fire again, and touched Mulder's arm. The agony was short but intense. Pulling her hand back she noticed it glimmering bluish for a short moment, then it disappeared. Mulder was laying in the hospital bed again, eyes closed.

Now that the fire was gone, Mulder's breathing and temperature returned to normal and his eyes slowly opened. 'Hey Scully,' he said softly - and she could see by his expression he had no idea what had just happened. She checked his head wounds - he was bruised and cut but there were no fractures. 'How are you feeling Mulder?'

'Drained,' he answered.

'I'm not surprised, Mulder. Seems you sucked every bit of electricity out of this hospital to give us another firework display.'

Mulder immediately looked panicky. His eyes fell on the red marks around Scully's throat. 'What did I do, Scully?!'

'Nothing Mulder. It's over.'

Mulder suddenly jerked up in the bed and looked around wildly. 'Where's Mumbles?!'

'Gone.'

'He's it, Scully! He's the fire!'

'I know Mulder - I saw it. I shot him but he escaped.'

'Where'd you shoot him?'

'The ankle.'

'Ouch.'

Scully shrugged: 'Didn't stop him.'

'Scully - I need to get out of here. Alone.'

'Mulder, I'm not letting you--'

'I can't be around you Scully,' he said, touching her throat. Scully flushed and took his hand. 'Mulder, it's over. You let me go; the fire seems to have drained from you for now at least. There's no way I'm letting you out of my sight.' Mulder opened his mouth to protest, then saw the look in Scully's eyes and shut it again. 'Thank you Mulder,' Scully grinned. 'Now all we have to do is dodge doctors, Agent Whitney and possibly a man made of fire to get the hell out of here.'

Mulder swung his legs out of bed and pulled on his jeans and T-shirt. Scully was at the door, looking up and down the corridor for a safe exit. 'Damn,' she said - 'Whitney's right between us and the exit.' She ducked back into the room and closed the door.

'As one door closes, Scully, another window opens.' Mulder opened the window and swung a leg over the sill.

'Mulder! We're two floors up!'

'Didn't you ever shin down a drainpipe Scully?'

'Strangely, no.'

'How on earth did you spend your teenage years?' teased Mulder, and disappeared from view. Scully ran over to see Mulder finish sliding down the pipe like a fireman down a pole. There was nothing else for it - she clambered out of the window and gripped the drainpipe. By the time Mulder caught her at the bottom, Scully was giggling like a teenager.

'That WAS fun, Mulder.'

'Never say I don't know how to show a girl a good time Scully.'

'I never would, Mulder.' She stood on tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the mouth, then straightened her jacket and looked around. 'Where do we go now?'

Before Mulder could reply Scully's cellphone rang. She fumbled it out of her pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Agent Scully? This is A.D. Skinner. Where are you?"

"Uh, Sir, we are at a hospital, there was an incident with..."

"A hospital?", Skinner repeated. "What did Mulder do this time?"

In spite of herself Scully giggled. It was so natural for everyone to assume that the only reason for them being at a hospital had to be Mulder.

"Long story, Sir. But there was an incident with Agent Mumbles."

"Where is he? I've been trying to reach him and Agent Whitney but to no avail."

"I don't know where they are, Sir. But I suspect Mumbles was the reason for our trip to the hospital."

"How so?", Skinner demanded to know.

Scully recounted the short version of the story to Skinner. He listened intently, not wanting to believe what she was saying. Mumbles was a darn good agent and he had always trusted him.

"Agents what hospital are you at?" Skinner asked once Scully had finished speaking.

"Sir, we've left the hospital. We're going away. I can't tell you where we are going. If you have questions ask us but it's best we don't stay here right now." Scully answered before she hung up.

Her and Mulder hailed a taxi. They found the car Mulder had crashed at the impound lot. They removed their suitcases and returned to the taxi. En route to the airport Scully phoned and booked two tickets on a flight to Halifax. They were getting away from here for now. They'd figure out the blue flames on their own time and away from Mumbles and Whitney.

Halifax was a frozen wasteland - the sky and the snow merging seamlessly into one off-white backdrop.

'I thought you said Hawaii, Scully,' Mulder complained.

'It starts with an H, Mulder, you must have been confused.'

'Yeah,' grumbled Mulder, staring at the bleak landscape. 'Easy mistake.'

They took a rental from the airport to a small motel outside town. Mulder found a diner that did 5 burgers and could not be dissuaded from pulling up outside for supper.

'How are you feeling Mulder?' Scully was still concerned about his health - less than 24 hours earlier he had been close to death. Now here he was, scarfing down his burger before she had finished rebuilding hers after removing the onion and putting on ketchup.

'Mm.' He replied, and shrugged to show she had nothing to worry about.

'Could you be any more specific Mulder?'

'Mm-mm' he shook his head.

'Well,' she said - correctly interpreting this to mean he had nothing more to report - I think we need to take it easy for a few days. To be sure.'

'Scuwwy,' said Mulder with his mouth full. He swallowed to make himself better understood. 'We need to find out what the hell that blue fire is, and why people are dying.'

'People are DYING?!' Mulder and Scully turned in surprise to look at the man sitting behind Mulder.

'This is a private conversation, bud,' said Mulder with a friendly smile.

'Well, when I hear people are dying, that ain't private no more,' said the man, and stood up.

And up.

And up.

He was a good six-foot-nine or ten. And wearing a cop's uniform.

'You and your big mouth, Mulder,' Scully hissed.

'Another fine mess he's got you into, Miss?'

'You have no idea, officer,' she said faintly.

'Think maybe you two had better come with me,' said the law-enforcement giant, and led them from the diner.

When they reached the giant cop's car Scully felt she had to do something. They didn't just leave by plane to be taken in and questioned by police.

"Look, Sir... we're FBI Agents, currently working undercover. We'd appreciate it if you wouldn't interfere with our assignment.", she told him.

He looked her up and down, then did the same to Mulder.

"Yeah, and I'm the king of Congo. Get in the car, please." He was not buying that story.

"Sir...", Mulder piped in but the officer interrupted him.

"Look, if you are FBI, show me your ID's"

Mulder shot a look over to Scully. Sure enough Skinner had taken them back on duty but he had not given them their ID's back.

"We don't carry them on us when we're on undercover assignment. Too dangerous. But you could call in to our A.D. His name is Walter Skinner. He'll confirm we are his agents."

"Skinner? Yeah, you know what? You must come up with something better than that to fool me. I'll take you to the P.D. and then we can find out who and what you really are."

Mulder sighed. One look in Scully's eyes told him that she also didn't want to have that happen. But what to do? Make a run for it? The officer was definitely armed and would not hesitate to shoot.

Scully shook her head ever so slightly when she realised Mulder was thinking about making a run for it. That was way too dangerous. And risky.

They decided to go with the cop. Once they were at the station they could give him Skinners number and all would be well again. They'd be left alone and to sort things out in their own time.

They scrambled into the back of the police car and remained silent on the drive to the station. Once they'd arrived there they saw someone that made them both do a double take.

'Billy Connolly?! What are YOU doing here?' said Mulder.

'I'm not Billy Connolly,' replied the man. 'I just look very much like him. My name is Arthur Rudd and I'm a psychic.'

'Oh brother,' said Scully under her breath and rolling her eyes at Mulder.

But Mulder ignored her.

'Why are you at the Police HQ? Helping out on a case?'

'That's right,' said Rudd. 'There have been a spate of people disappearing. The families have asked me to come in to try to make psychic contact with them in an attempt to ascertain their whereabouts.'

Mulder was about to question Rudd further, when the giant cop called them over.

'You two! Interview One.'

Mulder and Scully followed him.

They were waiting a couple of minutes until another cop joined them. He was short, barely taller than Scully, had a bald head and glasses like Harry Potter. His nose was thin, long and pointed. In short, he looked like a complete nerd and Mulder had a hard time concealing his grin.

The giant cop who had brought them in introduced himself as officer Lee, while the tubby Harry Potter told them his name was Anderson.

They may have looked like an off-strip Vegas comedy duo, but once Anderson and Lee started in on them, Mulder and Scully realized these cops were smart and professional.

'So, who's dying?' said Lee, cutting straight to the chase.

'No-one,' said Mulder. 'We were just fooling around.'

'About dying?'

'My partner here is a pathologist. She has a dark sense of humour.'

Scully dug Mulder in the ribs and he sighed and got serious.

'Look officers, we really are FBI. We're on assignment. And'

'Ex FBI.'

'Pardon?' said Scully.

'EX FBI,' repeated Anderson. 'We checked the records. Agents Mulder and Scully, as was. But no more.'

'We've just been deputised to help out on a case,' said Scully. 'Deputised?' laughed Lee. 'What is this? The Wild West?'

'Officer Lee,' said Scully hotly, 'I'm telling you the truth.'

'Well we've left a message for this AD Skinner guy. When he calls back he'll confirm or deny your story. Then we'll see.'

Lee got up and Mulder had to crick his neck to keep watching him.

'In the meantime...'

Scully glared at Mulder from the other side of the tiny police cell with bars at one end and a bucket at the other. 'What Scully? This isn't so bad!'

Scully snorted at him.

'We'll be out of here in time to watch America's Next Top Model Scully. I know how you like that.'

Before Scully could make a no-doubt cutting reply, there was a weird flash, a prickling, buzzing sensation in the air - and the sound of screaming and gunshots.

Both of them rushed to the bars and peered out. All they could hear was panicky yells, terrified screams and the sounds of mayhem coming from the nearby squadroom.

Then a blue flash sent them reeling back against the wall, covering their eyes. In its wake was the even more eerie sound of total silence. Whatever had happened in the police squadroom - it had happened fast and it had happened with complete finality.

'Scully,' said Mulder, looking round the cell desperately. 'We've got to get out of here!'

Scully also started looking around their cell but she couldn't really see anything that could help them get out.

Mulder went to the bars and held on to them to see if they moved, but they didn't budge. Then he kneeled down to check out the lock.

"Scully, do you have a lock-pick?", he asked.

Scully shook her head no. Then she started rummaging through her pockets. "there must be something here we can use", she mumbled.

Then she held up a hair pin of hers. Mulder smiled and grabbed it. When he went down to fiddle with the lock he felt a mild shock when inserting the metal pin in the lock. He didn't think too much of it though.

Before Mulder could get any further with picking the lock, Officer Lee loomed into sight.

'Officer Lee!' said Scully. 'What's happening.'

'I don't know,' he said, and Scully was perturbed to see the huge man look as frightened as a child.

'Can you let us out?' said Mulder.

The cop hesitated momentarily, then pulled the keys off his belt. He approached the bars and Mulder stood up to allow him access to the lock. But instead of unlocking the door, Lee reached down and lightly touched Mulder's hand. Mulder jerked as if shocked, yelping in pain.

Too late, he saw the blue fire flare in Lee's eyes and felt it flare inside him once more - along with the unbearable need to put his fingers round Scully's throat and choke the life out of her.

'SCULLY!' he yelled, ripping off his tie - 'Tie my hands! Quick!'

Scully was only confused for a moment. Then she saw the blue fire in officer Lee's eyes and quickly obliged to tie Mulder's hands. It wasn't that easy though. He was struggling and of course he was stronger than her, but she finally managed to bind him.

It didn't solve the problem, though. Mulder couldn't use his hands but he was still trying to stop himself from harming Scully, and she could see he was losing that fight. She looked up to Lee, but he was gone. A silverish glitter from the floor caught her eyes and she saw Lee had dropped his keys.

Scully got to the front of the cell and put her hand through the bars. It was a stretch but she finally managed to grab hold of the keys. She quickly inserted one into the lock and turned but it didn't work. She tried another two keys before the lock clicked. She rushed out and closed it. She placed the keys in her pocket and looked at Mulder trapped in the cell.

"Oh Mulder," she sighed. "What will I do? I can't just leave you here."

"Yes you can Scully. Go you have to. Go to Skinner. I'll be fine here. I promise."

Scully lightly squeezed Mulders upper arm. Just as quickly as she had done that she had removed her arm. She'd felt a shock from touching Mulder.

"Mulder I'll get help. I'll go to Skinner. We'll work this out. Don't worry."

With that she was gone. Rushing through the chaos of the squadroom.

Cops and civilians alike were lying on the floor - some still, others twitching as if still in the throes of being shocked. Still more were slowly coming round, groaning in pain.

Scully felt guilty, but she didn't stop to help anyone. Instead she grabbed the nearest phone and tried to dial out. All she heard was a strange electronic crackling on the line.

She ran out of the HQ and headed for the nearest phone booth. She called Skinner and told him what had happened.

'Stay where you are Scully,' he commanded. 'I'll get the local field office on it right away.'

'Thank you Sir,' said Scully.

Scully hurried back to the HQ and through the squadroom. She was relieved to see that those who had regained consciousness were now helping those who were still on the floor.

She got to the row of little cells and stopped dead. The bars of the cell where she and Mulder had been kept were bent and torn like they were made of liquorice. Mulder was nowhere to be seen.

Scully stared in disbelief. Her eye caught something on the floor. She stepped into the cell and picked it up. It was Mulder's watch. The leather band was broken and the time stated 10:13. she checked her own watch. it showed 10:27.

Mulder's watch was a kinetic Tag Heuer, so Scully was pretty sure it wasn't wrong.

Two minutes later she was surprised to see his watch still showed 10:13... she could hear it ticking, so why did it still show the same time?

All of a sudden, there was an ear piercing noise. Scully's hands flew to her ears and the watch fell to the ground.

No matter how hard she pressed her hands to her ears, the noise became louder and louder until it stopped abruptly. Slowly Scully opened her eyes that she had shut tightly, got up and looked around. She was alone, everybody else had vanished. She was also not in the cell anymore. She was outside, in a forest, on a clearing.

When her eyes had adjusted to the darkness that surrounded her she could make out a blue cloud hovering about 10 feet away from her. She gasped as she saw the cloud slowly taking shape - the shape of Agent Mumbles.

"Where is Mulder?", Scully yelled at Mumbles. "I wanna know WHERE HE IS!!"

"What makes you think I know where Mulder is." He said sinisterly. "

"Because I Goddamn know who you are!!" Scully yelled Mumbles began to walk towards here. An eerie blue glow covered him. Scully walked backwards. She hit into a tree and tried to side-step it. She stumbled and couldn't get up. Mumbles was standing right in front of her now.

"Miss Scully who do you think I am?" He asked feigning innocence. Scully tried to speak but found no words could leave her mouth. She looked helplessly around here but she was in a forest what help would she find here.

Mumbles grabbed her wrist and an electricity coursed through her body. Everything went dark and she fell unconscious.

Scully woke up in a dark place with Billy Connolly looking tenderly down at her.

'Arthur RUDD!' he snapped - pre-empting her greeting.

'What am I doing here?' said Scully, groggily. 'Where IS here? Where's Mulder?'

'I have no idea,' said Rudd.

'Aren't you supposed to be psychic?'

'Well, I can tell you how he feels right at this moment, but I'm not sure you'd want to hear it,' said Rudd, suddenly looking very sombre.

'How did you find me?'

'I felt a pull. It happens sometimes.'

'And you found me where?'

'In a forest.'

'Where are we now?'

'Safe.'

Scully let this sink in. She decided she believed Rudd, so didn't waste time on trivialities like her present whereabouts.

'I have to find Mulder.'

'I fear you won't be able to.'

Rudd's words struck fear in her heart. 'Why not?' she asked in trepidation.

Rudd looked off into a corner of the room as if he could actually see Fox Mulder there. 'Because Mr Mulder is in a very bad place, a very long way from here,' said Rudd, almost trance-like.

'In fact,' he added softly, 'A very long way from ANYWHERE.'

"But is he alive?", Scully asked, somehow being afraid of the answer.

Rudd didn't reply. He was still staring into space. Just when Scully wanted to repeat her question he turned to look at her.

"Yes, he is. But he is trapped. Somewhere. Anywhere. He can't move."

"Can't you see anything that could give away where he is?" Scully asked desperation seeping into her voice.

"It's dark and there looks like there could be snow. I can hear screaming and orders being shouted. They aren't from your partner. He is quiet."

Rudd looked back at Scully and saw the hurt in her eyes. Rudd wished he could do more for her but it wasn't like he could choose for himself what to see. He could catch glimpses of things he chose to concentrate on but there was no telling from what viewpoint he'd see it from. He's powers were strange, even he couldn't really explain them.

Scullys eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness. It looked like they were in a room. There were a few cushions thrown on the floor but other than that there was nothing else, at least nothing she could see from her sitting position on the floor.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Rudd asked. "Or maybe you'd like to lie down and sleep for a while?" "I'm fine I need to find Mulder. I need to. I have to."

"Don't worry someone is coming by later on today to help you. Walter Skinner is his name."

"You were talking to him?" Scully questioned.

"No I can just see it. He knows where we are. An Agent Whitney told him. She's standing outside this room keeping guard."

Scully froze. She wasn't sure she could trust Whitney. What if she was working with Mumbles. However, she knew she could do nothing else until Skinner came by in a few hours.

"If you don't mind I'd like to sleep for a few hours."

"Sure thing Agent Scully. Follow me." cam Rudds gentle reply.

Mulder was aware of movement around him, but he was paralyzed. He could not even move his eyes to try and see what was going on. Despite the paralysis that kept him motionless, he felt a dull ache all over his body; every part of him hurt. It made him think of being in a coffin six feet under, and fought the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. He tried to speak but no sound came from his mouth. He could barely feel the air in his lungs and once more he had to make a supreme effort to keep hold of his sanity.

It was dark around him, but something moved in the shadows. Something swirled. With a jolt Mulder realized he was at the bottom of the lake, trapped in a well made of water.

Even as he had that thought, something picked him up and tilted him so that for a tantalising second he saw a tiny circle of night-sky and stars far above him. And then whatever it was that had picked him up, carried him into the wall of icy water.

For a moment he felt like he couldn't breathe again. His lungs hurt and he was struggling for air. The icy water numbed his already paralyzed body and he could feel it hurt him on every inch of his body. Just as the pain was becoming intolerable he had a vision of Scully. She was in a dark place, not alone. Rudd was with her. And she asked for him. Then, everything went black.

Scully woke with a gasp, feeling like she was drowning in a deep freeze. All around her was black, and she flailed wildly in the dark to try to find a light switch.

The room flooded with light and Rudd was over her, calming her.

'I know where he is!' yelled Scully. She pushed past Rudd and started to pull on her shoes and jacket. 'It's the middle of the night!'

'I know where he is! He's at the lake! He's drowning!!'

Rudd sighed and followed Scully out to his car.

The next eight hours were agony for Scully as she and Rudd headed back to the frozen lake where this all began. She kept reaching in her mind for Mulder, convinced that what she'd felt was a psychic connection. Her scientific brain blushed at the thought but she told it to shut up and get a life.

But - despite Rudd's attempts to help her - she could no longer feel Mulder. She could only hope that whatever had happened to him, it was over now and he was still alive.

She and Rudd rented a 4x4 at the airport to drive the 80 miles to the lake. Apart from her directions, they didn't speak once.

Finally they rounded a bend in the snow-covered, tree-lined road to the lake.

Or where the lake used to be!

Scully actually screamed. All that remained of the 200-acre lake was a gaping crater, glowing blue and fast filling with snow.

This was impossible, but true.

The lake had gone. And Mulder with it.

Unbeknown to Scully and Rudd, at the same time the lake had disappeared, another lake was forming in the Andes. It's water was ice-blue, like the blue fire had been. And as soon as it had filled completely it started to freeze over.

Scully stood there in shock not wanting to believe that it was gone. How would she ever find Mulder now? Rudd stood silently beside her not daring to break the unsettling silence that had settled over them. Eventually Scully broke it.

"Rudd can you see anything? Anything at all that might tell you where they could have gone." Scully asked in what she thought was a calm voice but desperation could be heard in her tone.

"I'll see if I can but I can't promise anything." Rudd stood still, his face set in concentration. They stood there for about 5 minutes until Rudd seemed to come out of his trance like state. "I can see ice cold blue. There's a lake being covered by snow. I can't tell where it is only that there are mountains. I saw a glimpse of Mulder. He's tied up and bound. He's in a very dark place Agent Scully, a very dark place indeed. He is alive though."

Before Scully could reply to this Rudd gasped.

"Oh my word. I can see men, dragging a body from the place they have Agent Mulder. It's a woman. She's dead. They're muttering something about sacrifices, experimentation. They're taking her to Peru."

"Can you see these men's faces?" Scully asked in a whisper.

"I can see Agent Mumbles but no one else."

Just then a blue light rose from the middle of the empty lake and began to take shape.

Scully braced herself to see Mumbles appear in a blue flash, but instead the blue cloud started to spin - slowly at first, then faster, until it became a bright tornado hanging over the crater where the lake used to be. Then it started to move - straight towards them, sucking rocks and sand from the lake-bed, growing bigger and bigger and more lethal every second.

Scully could see car-sized boulders whirling crazily inside the tornado as it bore down on them...

She and Rudd ran to the right, and the tornado switched and came after them, as if it had a brain.

Scully's heart thudded in terror as it grew so big it filled her vision. She didn't even feel Rudd's hand on her arm, or him tugging her backwards. She only felt her hair being torn out by the roots as she dropped into a hole in the ground and the tornado roared overhead - reaching in to try and grab her as it went, but only succeeding in pulling out a handful of hair as she fell for what seemed like miles.

Everything around Scully was dark as she felt her hair being pulled. She expected to be lifted up by the wind but she wasn't. If at all she seemed to sink deeper and deeper in the ground, the howling of the wind becoming louder and louder. She almost couldn't hear herself think. But even then the only thought she had was about Mulder.

Then everything became quiet for a few seconds before a sonic boom sounded and she passed out.

When she came to again she found herself in a warm place. The sun was shining and she was laying on the ground. She opened her eyes and blinked.

She looked around, not that there was much to see. The sun was shining and the area around her was barren. There was a forest surrounding the space maybe 100 metres away. 'OMG this is where the lake was' she thought. She saw Rudd lying a few metres away from her. He wasn't moving. She rushed over and checked him. He had a pulse and his breathing was good.

She sat in peace and mulled everything over in her mind. Her first and foremost thoughts were 'What the hell happened?' and 'Where is Mulder?'. She was completely lost in her thoughts and did not hear Rudd getting up. He tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped.

"Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you."

"It's ok. This is where the lake was. I think we'd better get back to the car. If it's still there."

They got up and walked towards where they had left the car. Sure enough as they came closer they could see it. They quickly got in and drove away. They needed to find Skinner or anyone who would listen to them and help them figure out what was going on.

They had barely started to drive when Scully slammed on the brakes and screeched to a halt. Rudd braced himself against the dash.

'Nice driving,' he said.

'This isn't real,' said Scully. 'It can't be.'

'It would have been real enough if I hadn't had my seatbelt on.'

But he saw Scully was serious. 'None of this is real.'

'What do you mean?' said Rudd carefully.

'What just happened to us? We were chased by a blue tornado across a stolen lake, then we fell into a hole, right?'

'Yes.'

'Then what the hell are we doing driving away as if nothing happened?' Rudd frowned, trying to work it out.

'I've experienced something like this before,' said Scully.

'I hope you're joking.'

'Unfortunately not. Mulder and I were held captive by a giant mushroom.'

Rudd gave her a funny look and Scully blushed but pressed on: 'The impression of reality was created by some kind of hallucinogen introduced to keep us calm while we were digested.'

'DIGESTED?!'

'This must be similar. Given the circumstances there's no way we can be driving away as if nothing happened to us, Mr Rudd.'

Scully gave him a challenging look - a little embarrassed - but she didn't have to defend her theory.

'Say that's true,' said Rudd slowly. 'And this is an illusion of reality? Where are we in REAL reality?'

In real reality, Scully opens her eyes and shuts them again in terror. She is moving fast and surrounded by fire; she throws up her hands to protect herself but she's not burning and slowly opens her eyes again. White heat, molten rock - all flash past impossibly fast, as her face distorts from the speed. bringing her hand from her eyes is an effort. She is aware of Rudd near her hip as they hurtle feet-first down, down, down, down...

'This is not happening,' thought Scully crazily not for the first time in her life.

Molten lava gave way to glowing fragments of rock which in turn gave way to darker, cooler strata and they left the fire behind and spun dizzily through impossible places.

Scully thought dimly of school geography and realised that - as so often since her life with Mulder began - she was experiencing the impossible up close and personal.

She and Rudd were travelling at lightning speed right through the centre of the Earth!

She didn't know how long it took until everything seemed to slow down. She was wondering what was happening when another sonic boom caused her to pass out again.

This time when she came to she found herself and Rudd laying on the ground at the shore of a lake. But is wasn't the same lake, the surroundings were different. She was too warm in her clothing. The sun was baking. Definitely another continent, she thought.

But where were they? She turned to check on Rudd who was just beginning to move.

"Rudd? Can you hear me?" She asked.

Rudd's eyes flicked open and closed again, and as he shifted he moaned fitfully. Examining his face Scully noticed a light sunburn around his nose. Looking up at the burning orb in the sky, she knew that wasn't a big mystery. Sweat was beginning to pour off her face, it was so hot. Taking off her jacket and grabbing a nearby stick she made a little tent around Rudd's head, and prayed he'd regain consciousness soon.

Meanwhile Mulder found himself in a spacey environment. Everything was blue and he couldn't move. The only thing he could control were his thoughts, and he was calling for Scully in his head over and over again.

"She can't hear you, so you might as well stop it", a deep voice said out of the blue. Mulder couldn't open his eyes to see who had talked to him but he got a mental picture of Mumbles.

What do you want with me? Mulder thought.

"You have something we need.", Mumbles voice replied.

What would that be?

"Your immunity to the black oil."

But Scully is also immune. Why do you just want me?

"Don't worry. Scully is looking for you. She'll find you and then we have you both. We need your immunity to fight our arch enemies successfully this time."

'I don't believe you,' said Mulder, after a moment's thought. 'In all the years we knew about the planned alien invasion using black oil, we never saw anything like you. If our immunity was so important, you'd have taken both of us. There must be another reason I'm here alone.'

Mulder made a supreme effort and managed to move his eyes so he could see Mumbles from the corner of his eye through a thin layer of what he assumed must be the ice that was numbing his body and brain.

Mumbles was no longer in blue flame. He was just a man again - just an FBI agent. Mumbles was quiet for a long time, and when he spoke it was in a small voice, quite unlike the booming demanding tones he'd used earlier.

'We need you Agent Mulder.'

'Who's 'we'?'

Before Mumbles answered, Mulder felt himself slipping as the ice melted rapidly, and he slid to the floor of what he could now see was a solid rock cavern. He winced as all he joints started to grind once more after being frozen in place for so long.

'Who's we?' he repeated. Mumbles sighed. 'We are the Core,' he said. 'We live here inside the Earth. And we need your help.'

'Why?' said Mulder, still suspicious. 'Why should I help you after all the death and mayhem you have caused? Not to mention a couple of hefty electric shocks and a Ice-Age theme-park experience for me.'

'We were trying to defend ourselves Mulder,' said Mumbles sadly.

'Against what?' 'Not what. Whom.'

'Okay then,' said Mulder - 'Who is this person you will wreak havoc to defend yourself against?'

Mumbles sighed again, as if all the fight was nearly gone from him already.

'His name is Arthur Rudd.'

"Who?", Mulder asked. He'd met that man, shortly before he'd be abducted from the prison cell.

Mumbles didn't reply.

"And what do you need me for?", Mulder demanded.

"Somehow Rudd learned about us and he wants to destroy us. He might look like a man by the light of day, but at night he's showing his real nature."

"And what is that?" Mulder didn't know what to make of all this.

"He belongs to the Nereids..." Mumbles started but Mulder interrupted him.

"Wait a minute... the Nereids are female."

"Yes, but they can take any shape. And in today's world you got better chances as a male. So as I was saying before you interrupted me, they and us have always been a threat to each other because we cannot exist next to each other. They threaten our habitat. That's why we moved to this continent. But they followed us here now."

"And why would I be able to help and Scully not?"

"Because you believe!"

Rudd stirred and Scully hurried over to him. For a second - with his face in the shade, Scully thought he looked different - more feminine, and then she blinked away her confusion as Rudd opened his eyes.

'How are you feeling?' asked Scully.

'Where are we?'

'I have no idea.'

Rudd struggled to sit up and looked around.

'At least it's warmer,' she said and he nodded.

'And closer to your partner,' he said. 'I can feel him more strongly here. He's alive, but is still in great danger.'

'Where?' said Scully, 'we have to find him.'

Rudd looked across the lake, his eyes narrowing as he felt some psychic pull. Then he turned and pointed at the mountains. 'There.'

'Let's go then,' said Scully. 'Can you walk?'

'Yes,' he replied and got to his feet.

Scully immediately struck out across the stony shore of the new lake. She heard Rudd behind her, the sound of the gravel and stones moving under his feet as he followed her, and waited for him to catch up.

She was so impatient. She hoped Rudd wasn't going to turn out to be dead-weight in her hunt for Mulder. She needed his psychic skills but she didn't want him to slow her down.

It was the last thought Scully had for quite some time. A blinding pain shot through her head and her face hit the ground.

Rudd stood over her with a fist-sized rock in his hand - now marked with a small spot of blood.

'Sorry, Agent Scully,' he murmured, 'but I can't let Mulder help the Core and you're my only bargaining chip.'

Effortlessly Rudd picked up her lifeless form and sluing her over his shoulder. He walked away from the mountain he'd pointed it and towards one directly behind him.

He quickly walked up the side of it and around. The heat of the sun didn't seem to bother him and neither did the dead weight of the unconscious Scully. On the other side of the mountain the snow covered lake could be seen.

He made his way to the centre of it and waited. He didn't have to wait long because in a matter of seconds Mumbles appeared before him holding an unconscious Mulder captive.

Mumbles and Rudd stared daggers at the other each daring the other to make the first move.

It turned out that Mulder made the first move. Mumbles had him slung over his shoulders and somehow this additional weight got out of balance and Mulder began sliding off Mumbles shoulders. This distracted the man considerably and gave Rudd the chance to take advantage of the situation.

Scully of course was way smaller and lighter than Mulder and thus an easier burden to handle. He let her slide to the ground as carefully as possible and reached for his ankle. He had a knife hidden there and managed to throw it at Mumbles before he had managed to regain control over Mulder's sliding body.

It hit Mumbles in the shoulder and he screamed, dropping Mulder heavily in the process. Blue smoke came from the wound and Mumbles fell to his knees.

The fall surprisingly seemed to wake Mulder up. He sat up groggily as it he was awaking from a deep sleep. He looked around him taking in the scene. Scully lying on the ground. Mumbles writhing in pain. Rudd.

Mumbles disappeared and Rudd relaxed slightly moving down to check on Scully.

"Stay away from her." Shouted Mulder his voice sounding weak as he scrambled to his feet. With a lot of effort he got over to Scully and bent down to check her. She had a pulse. Thank God she's alive he thought. Straightening up he faced Rudd. "What the hell did you do to her? What the hell is going on with you and don't lie. I know who you really are."

A shocked Rudd stared at Mulder. How could he know. Mumbles he realised.

"Well well Agent Mulder what would you like to know?" As Rudd moved closer he transformed from man to woman. Mulder couldn't take his eyes away from him, her, it? His face a mix of fascination and repulsion.

Mulder kept staring at Rudd as if in a trance. Rudd smiled an evil little smile and bent down to pick up Scully once again. Mulder saw him turning and leaving and wanted to get up and stop him, but he found he couldn't move an inch. He couldn't even scream.

The spell broke as soon as Rudd was out of sight. Mulder picked himself off the floor and started running in the direction he had seen Rudd and Scully leave.

Rudd quickly crossed back over the mountain they had some by knowing that Mulder was likely to follow as soon as he could move again. He paused behind a large rock and waited for Mulder to come run past. When he did Rudd knocked him out. He could use Mulder and Scully to his advantage in his battle against the core. He wiped their memory and next held onto both of them and closed his eyes.

When Mulder and Scully woke again they were in a living room. They looked around and they saw Skinner and Rudd standing and looking over them. They couldn't remember anything about Mumbles or Rudd.

"Welcome back to the living," Skinner spoke looking at both of them with concern.

Mulder and Scully looked at one another. They had no idea what they had both been through. They remembered being in the prison and the blue flame but that was all. Who was the blue flame? They knew it but they couldn't seem to bring the information forward from the depths of their brains.

"If Rudd here hadn't found you. God knows what could have happened." Skinner continued oblivious to the looks they had shared.

"Where did you find us?" Scully asked.

"You were in the middle of that lake. Just lying there snow covering the both of you. If I hadn't been there helping Dana find Mulder God only knows what would have happened to you."

"Oh my God. Mulder I remember. We were in the jail and that blue flame - Mumbles. Rudd must have taken me to find you on that lake."

"When were we in jail Scully?" Mulder asked clearly not remembering their short stint in a Halifax jail cell.

"I can't remember." Scully said dismayed.

From where he stood Rudd smirked. He was glad it had worked. Sure they remembered Mumbles was blue flame but not about The Core or his true identity. This could really work to his advantage.

Deep inside the Earth - in the fragile-looking but immensely strong labyrinth of tunnels that was home to the Core, Mumbles stirred. Rudd's dagger had pierced his skin and released a toxin. Only the swift intervention of his fellow Core had prevented his death. And the death of Mumbles would have been an epic tragedy. After millennia at the mercy of the psychic Nereids, the Core were reduced to just six remaining beings. Three male, three female, they kept the delicate labyrinth at the centre of the planet from collapsing on itself - and taking the entire Earth with it. These six beings had long been struggling to maintain the core but - although they themselves were not psychic - they knew their end was in sight. The Nereids, led by the being who now called himself Rudd, were determined to have Earth for themselves. And removing the Core and six billion or so humans was a by-product of their master-plan.

Mumbles had hoped the last resort of recruiting Mulder to the cause of the Core might mobilise humankind against the Nereids, but now Rudd had incapacitated Mulder and Scully with his mindwipe and there seemed no hope.

Mumbles looked at his colleagues. 'You should be working,' he told them, 'Not fussing over me.'

'What's the point?' said Enver. 'We're exhausted. We can't go on without help. Mulder was our last hope and now he can't even remember that we exist.'

Only the males spoke - the females looked cowed and beaten.

'Rudd's won,' sighed Loglace. 'We knew he would in the end.'

'Never!' yelled Mumbles. 'Rudd is pure evil, without redeeming qualities! How can evil triumph and destroy the Earth?'

'It has happened before Mumbles,' Enver reminded him. 'Alpha Proxima 2, Sirius Prime. Those planets collapsed under their own weight once the Core were driven from their centres. Why should Earth be any different? Why should we?!'

Mumbles turned suddenly to the three females - Ger, Drewish and Camerell. 'What do you think?' he said roughly.

They shrank back as if he'd struck them and Enver and Loglace gasped in horror. 'What are you doing?! yelled Loglace. 'Females are not to be consulted! Females have no say!'

'Maybe it's time they did,' growled Mumbles angrily. 'My time on the Face has shown me that females can have value. You've never been there, so you wouldn't know.'

'What value could they possibly have?' said Enver angrily. 'What do they know?'

Mumbles shrugged one blue flickering shoulder. 'Six heads are better than three.' And turned a questioning eye to the three shrinking females. 'We're about to die,' he said simply. 'What can we do?'

Several moments passed before one female, Drewish, dared to speak up.

"What about reminding him?"

Enver and Loglace burst out laughing but Mumbles put up a hand to silence them.

"How do you mean, Drewish?", he asked her.

"Well, I'm not surprised you don't know about this, but that Mulder, you said you had him clouded before, is that right?" Mumbles nodded. "But I could not finish the process", he said.

"It doesn't matter. How did he respond to it?"

"Well, obviously he was not one of those who died, but he was very difficult to steer. He was fighting my control very hard."

"He is strong", Drewish nodded contently. "It might work."

She looked up and saw the question in Mumbles eyes as well as Enver's and Loglace's. She smiled.

"Eloy (that was Mumbles' Core name), there is something about the power of the clouds that you males don't know about. You were never supposed to know about it, but I feel that it doesn't matter now. We're at stake so I'll tell you."

She paused briefly and looked at Ger and Camerell, who nodded their consent.

"While you are having a human trapped in the cloud you can alter their memory. You can wipe it out completely and feed it with new information, thus make a complete new human out of it. You don't need that here. The only thing you need to do is feed the lost information into his brain again."

Mumbles' somber look of some minutes ago lightened up. He was nodding repeatedly to himself as her words sunk in and he found himself agreeing to the possibility.

"Okay, Drewish. I really think you have opened up a chance for us. Just what must I do to accomplish the memory restoration?"

She told him what he needed to know. To her surprise none of the other two males had tried to interfere again after Mumbles had silenced their laughter.

Eloy nodded sombrely. 'So I must find Mulder and trap him long enough to remind him of our existence and our plight?'

'It won't be easy,' said Loglace. Scully and Skinner are on their guard now and won't let him be left alone.

'It's not them I'm concerned about,' said Eloy. 'Mulder's mind is what I seek, but the psychic power of the Nereids will be the greatest barrier to accessing it. They are sure to be monitoring his brain activity and the moment I start to probe, they will be alerted to my presence.'

'Nonetheless, you have to try,' said Loglace. 'The battle for the existence of the Earth itself will be fought in the brain of Fox Mulder...'

Mulder was laying on the couch of their hotel room. Scully was headed to take a shower after Skinner had dropped them off. Mulder was wondering what had happened to them. He had the distinct feeling he was missing something. The same feeling he had when after he had been on Ellen's Air Base just after Scully had been assigned to him.

He heard the shower running and closed his eyes. He must have dozed off because when he woke the shower was switched off and the bathroom door was open, lights out. Mulder sat up a little to scan the room for Scully. She wasn't there.

He got up and checked the bathroom in case she was there. He called out her name a couple of times and stuck his head out the door, but no Scully. He had no way of knowing how long she had been gone, but Mulder felt an uneasy stirring in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong.

His phone rang. 'Scully?!' 'Close, Mulder, but no cigar.' The words sent a chill down Fox Mulder's spine. The voice was Rudd's, but rather than feeling comforted, some instinctive mistrust of the psychic was now in force.

'Where's Scully?' Mulder demanded without bothering with manners. When Mulder was concerned about Scully, his manners were the first thing to go.

Suddenly, he felt nauseous. A sick feeling of something crawling into his head like slime swept over him and he almost threw up. He staggered sideways, barely hearing Rudd's laughter. 'They're not in your head yet, Mulder.'

'Who? Who's in my head?' Mulder said through gritted teeth as he fought the feeling of disgust.

'You'll know when Mulder, and when they're there, I want you to think very carefully about whose side you take in this war.'

'What war? What are you talking about?' Mulder groaned and felt spit flood his mouth as he fought the urge to vomit.

'You will understand then. And I hope you make the right choice.'

'Or what?' panted Mulder, still dazed from the horror of having his mind invaded.

Rudd laughed directly into his brain. 'Or you'll never see Scully again.'

Mulder stood frozen for some minutes after Rudd had hung up on him. He didn't really understand what he'd been talking about. The only thing he did understand was that Rudd had Scully and was using her to manipulate him. But for what?

Mulder decided to double check with Skinner about Scully's whereabouts. After all Rudd could be bluffing. He searched for his cell phone but came up empty. No phone. What now?

He came across his car keys and decided to drive. It was in the middle of the night but he didn't care. Scully needed him. Maybe her life depended on him, and his decision. A decision he had no idea about what it was supposed to be.

After driving for about 20 minutes Mulder saw a bluish glare in the rear-view mirror. What the heck is that, he thought. It looked oddly familiar to him but he couldn't figure out why. Only thing he knew was that is scared him.

The blue glow became brighter and brighter until Mulder swerved onto the gravel shoulder and screeched to a halt at the edge of a 1000ft drop into the rocky valley below. He leapt out of the car and watched the flickering ball of flame approach at speed.

When it reached him, it stopped with gravity-defying suddenness. Inside the flame he saw a man who looked vaguely familiar to Mulder, but before the man could speak, a flash of light blinded them both.

From the other direction, Arthur Rudd appeared - one hand tightly gripping the upper arm of Dana Scully.

'Scully!' yelled Mulder and started towards her. Instantly he screamed and fell to the road, clutching his head. He staggered to his feet and cowered back behind his car.

'Very good Mulder,' laughed Rudd, 'you are a quick learner!'

He grinned at Mulder and sent another psychic bolt towards him. Mulder dropped to his knees again, crying in agony and beating his own head.

'Leave him alone!' Scully yelled at Rudd, trying to wriggle free, but the psychic clutched her, making her grimace in pain.

In the flame, Mumbles knew that a difficult task - reprogramming Mulder to remember the plight of the Core - had just been made almost impossible. 'Rudd! You're destroying his mind!' he yelled at the man.

'Not all of it!' Rudd laughed maniacally, 'I'll leave him just enough to say 'no' to the Core!' And he hit Mulder with another jolt. This time Mulder was almost rendered unconscious, and was left twitching in the road.

Mumbles encased Mulder in the blue flame and white sparks flew everywhere. 'Mulder?' he said. 'Remember the Core. Help the Core and save the Earth!'

Mulder's eyes opened and he struggled to focus on Mumbles.

'Mulder!' yelled Rudd. 'Save the Core and you kill Scully!'

Mulder swung his head to look at his partner, barely able to see her through the red mask of pain.

Then everything went black as he gave in to unconsciousness.

When he came to he was still laying on the ground, his car close by, wet from head to toe, but he was alone. He sat up, confused. How did he get there and why was he wet? Then bits of what happened came back to him. "Scully", he whispered. He got to his feet and turned around to go to the car.

That's when he saw her. A woman was standing by his car. She was young, had blue hair and was dressed in a pale blue dress. Funny enough, Mulder noticed, she was not wet at all. He reached up with his hand and pushed the wet fringe out of his eyes. Something about her was oddly familiar.

"Who are you?", he asked her.

"I'm Drewish", she said. "You need help."

"No, I'm okay. I just have to find Scully."

"That's what I meant. You need help finding her, and we need help - your help - finding Rudd."

Rudd, Mulder thought and then his eyes widened in horror. "He's got Scully", he snarled. "Do you know how to find him?"

"I do indeed. But you'll have to do that alone. We are weak. We cannot go near him. But we have to defeat him else he wins the war."

"The war? And who is 'we'?"

"We are the Core", Drewish explained.

The core, Mulder thought. When had he heard that before?

"We live in the core of the earth, hence the name. There are only six of us left now, if Eloy survives. Our habitat is threatened by the Nereids - Rudd is one of them."

"And you can win if you just defeat the one of them?", Mulder asked.

"Yes. He's the head. If he is defeated, none of the other Nereids can ever set foot here."

Mulder nodded in understanding. Then he looked up. "But he's holding Scully for ransom. Why? What does Scully have to do with the war?"

"She doesn't have anything to do with it, but you do."

"I do? How so?" Mulder was stunned.

"You are the only human that has the mental ability to defeat the Nereids. Rudd knows that. He also knows we have been trying to get your help. That's why he holds Scully. To keep you from helping us." "

But I can't help you if it means endangering Scully's life", Mulder was distraught.

"If you don't help us, Agent Mulder, then there is no hope for us - nor for humanity."

"What??"

"Without the Core, the Earth will collapse and human life will be wiped out."

"But won't it also destroy the Nereids?" Mulder wondered.

"No. It would make Earth their paradise. They've been trying to do that for thousands and thousands of years. Now they've managed to reduce us to six. Now they have a chance."

"How can I help you, us and Scully?"

"I have an idea. Listen carefully."

Mulder listened intently as Drewish explained their plan to him. It seemed fairly simple. Scully was being held in a cell by Rudd. Drewish planned to shrink to a tiny blue flame and hide within Mulder. Mulder would then go find Rudd and bluff. Tell him he would help the Nereids. While Rudd and Mulder talked Drewish would make her way to Scully and bring her to safety.

The whole plan depended on Rudd trusting Mulders judgement to say no to the Core. The whole plan depended on deception and it seemed like it could work, especially if Rudd knew just how far Mulder would go to save and protect Scully. If things went wrong...Mulder didn't want to think about what would happen to mankind if things went wrong.

Killing Rudd would prove difficult. Sure he could be killed as simply and easily as any ordinary human but Mulders timing would have to be so precise it was scary to think about. One wrong move and again God knows what would happen to the Earth.

Drewish prepared Mulder for the difficult task and just as they were ready to go gave him directions to where Rudd was holding Scully captive.

"Mulder, once I shrink I won't be able to help or guide you. I'll be able to move, to hide myself but that is all. I will do what I can for Dana but I can't help you in defeating Rudd. That is a task for you and you alone. Once we get in there it is all in your hands. It's daunting but The Core has faith in you. We need you to do this."

She handed Mulder dry clothes and a towel and asked him to change. She waited until he was in the new clothes and then without another word she shrank and hide her form in an inside pocket of Mulders trench coat. She was no bigger than the flame from a freshly lit match and the small area of heat that was created by her was oddly comforting to Mulder. It gave him courage and strength to do what he was about to do. Mulder glanced at the directions Drewish had written out for him one last time before he got in his car and began to drive to a house located on the outskirts of DC.

Mulder arrived at the house just after 5 in the morning. The sky was showing the first signs of sunrise and Mulder watched for a moment, amazed at the beauty of it. But he didn't have long to dwell on it, he had a task to do and he couldn't waste time.

The house was a normal suburban house and seemed ordinary from the outside. The lack of anything standing out spooked Mulder and he felt a shiver pass through him. Taking a deep breath he took a shaky breath and walked up the front steps and knocked on the door. He didn't have to wait long until it was answered by Rudd.

"Well , Well Mr. Mulder. I was wondering when you would turn up. Undoubtedly you want to talk." He began guiding Mulder into the house. He brought him into a dimly lit living room. "Sit down Mr. Mulder, get comfortable."

Mulder sat and began to take in his surroundings. The house seemed as normal on the inside as it had on the outside. Where could Rudd be holding Scully he thought. Fear threatening to take over him. The only thing that was seeming to stop Mulder from attacking Rudd right now was the fear he would lose Scully and help aid the Nereids in destroying the entire world. He did not want that on his conscious. Not that he'd be alive to feel guilty if it did happen.

"Where's Scully." Mulder asked Rudd as politely as he could.

"She's safe, that's all you need to know." Rudd said simply. Mulder nodded. "So what else would you like to talk about Mulder? Surely you're not just here because of your partner. You have been given a lot to think about in the last few hours."

"Yes, you're right. I'm here to say I am on your side. I told The Core 'No' and ran." As Mulder was speaking he could feel the heat leave his pocket. He tried to look to see if he could tell where it had gone but saw nothing. He knew that was a good thing. "Ah, excellent Mr. Mulder. I knew I could trust you. After what they did to you why should you give them your help."

"Yes, Rudd that was my reasoning as well. Also I can't see why I should believe any of what they've said. I know I believe in some things that are pretty out there but there story just seems too unreal. Am I to believe that only 6 people, things, are keeping this planet from being destroyed?"

"Yes, precisely. They're just saying that to gain your trust. To get you to join them but they are lying to you and they are weak. Now Mulder let us go into my office and we can make plans to destroy them and their lies. Follow me please."

Rudd began to walk up the stairs that Mulder had glanced at as he had walked in the door. He didn't know if Drewish had found Scully but he knew that now was his only chance to kill Rudd. Now or never. The earth's existence relied on this moment in time.

He pulled out the knife that Drewish had given him and raised his arm to stab Rudd when suddenly Rudd turned around to check out a noise that came from behind him and Mulder.

Seeing Mulder with a drawn blade and Scully and Drewish in the background trying to sneak out of the house and interprete the meaning of all that only took Rudd a split second. He raised his arm to block Mulder's attack but Mulder was determined to finish his task.

An intense fight ensued in which Mulder managed to injure Rudd severely. But one moment of distraction, when he was trying to look for Scully, was enough for Rudd to trip him and make him fall down the flight of stairs. With a heavy thud Mulder landed on the bottom of the stairs, knife lost somewhere on the way.

"Hah!", yelled Rudd, picked up the knife and stormed down the stairs towards a stunned Mulder. Luckily Mulder managed to shake off his daze and react in time, sending Rudd flying past him with a single kick.

Getting to his feet Mulder spotted a sabre on the opposite wall of the room. If only he could get there.

Rudd picked himself up and charged Mulder again, but Mulder side-stepped him and dashed to fetch the sabre. He only had a split second to grab it and turn around, effectively impaling the weapon in Rudd's middle.

Rudd gasped and started to fall forward, the momentum of his attack causing him to fall to the floor, on top of Mulder. With his last conscious thought Rudd aimed the knife at Mulder and buried it in his side.

Scully and Drewish had been frozen to the spot ever since their discovery. Now, seeing Rudd on top of Mulder, sabre sticking out of his back, unmoving, and Mulder pinned underneath him making no attempt to get out from under the body made her spring to life.

She ran over to the pair and fell to her knees, dragging Rudd off Mulder. Only now she saw what had happened. The knife had gone into Mulder's side to the hilt.

"Mulder?", she asked, fear evident in her voice. "Come on Mulder, open your eyes!"

Drewish joined her. One look at Mulder told her that he was in imminent danger. The knife appeared to have pierced the kidney. There was no way they could get him to a hospital in time. Scully realised that, too, and couldn't hold back her tears.

"Nooo!", she wailed in distress.

Drewish sighed. She knew what she could do to save Mulder. She also knew it was against any rule of the Core. But, this particular human had risked his life to save them, so she made up her mind.

"Dana", she said softly, trying to make her look at her. "Dana, step back and pull the knife out!"

"What?" The doctor in Scully knew that that was the last thing they should do. It would start the bleeding immediately.

"Trust me. I can help him. But the knife has to be pulled out."

Scully looked at Drewish and for a reason unknown to her she knew she had to trust her and that Mulder would be okay. So she sighed and grabbed the knife, trying to pull it out without inflicting any further damage. A spurt of blood came from Mulder's wound, effectively and quickly colouring his shirt red. A second later, Mulder was engulfed in blue flame and hovering above the ground.

Within the blue flame, the unconscious Mulder started to spin. Slowly at first and then faster and faster until he was a blur. Scully cried out in horror as she saw the blood spurting from the wound in Mulder's side in crazy arcs, painting the room like a Jackson Pollack masterpiece. 'Stop!' she cried,'Drewish stop! for god's sake you're killing him!'

But Drewish didn't stop until Mulder stopped bleeding. Until Mulder was empty - bled dry and white as chalk. Then she withdrew from him in an instant, letting him fall heavily to the floor. Scully bent over him, weeping, her own face spattered with his blood. 'What did you DO?!' she screamed at Drewish. 'Look what you DID!! You killed him!'

Mulder was indeed dead to her touch. No pulse. No blood left in him to drive his heart. The wound in his ribs was just a dry gash. Scully thought her heart would break, it hurt so badly. She wept tears of fury and loss over Mulder's body in the room made red by his lifeblood.

'I'm sorry,' said Drewish. 'After what he did for you?!' Scully shouted. 'He was trying to save you! To save all of us!'

'He has to be empty,' said Drewish.

'What do you mean?'

'It won't work if he's not empty.'

'What are you talking about? What won't work?'

'This,' replied Drewish, and closed her eyes. The blue flame folded around her, wrapping in a crazy vortex of intense light as she spun herself so hard that the flame around her feet and head started to pull into sharp points. Scully watched open-mouthed as the air around her crackled and sparked with electrical charges. Suddenly elongated like elastic, reminding Scully of Eugene Tooms, and then - in an impossible instant, she entered Mulder's body through the knife wound, fire blazing into his side, and lighting up his whole being from within. In less than a second, Drewish emerged from the wound - leaving her fire behind her. She once more took human form, but - after a moment's twitching - lay still. Scully rushed over and checked her, but she was stone dead.

'Scully?' She spun and saw Mulder struggling to his elbows, dazed and battered but alive. His skin had regained the healthy glow of life. Scully checked the knife wound in his side but it was closed and covered with a strange blue scar. Mulder looked past Scully. 'Drewish?' 'She's dead Mulder.'

'She can't be!' said Mulder, struggling to his feet and then dropping to his knees beside Drewish. 'If she dies, there won't be enough Core to keep the planet whole!'

'She's dead, Mulder. There's nothing I can do for her. But maybe there are still six Core.'

'I don't understand Scully.' 'Drewish saved you Mulder. She emptied you of blood and then entered your body in the blue flame. When she came out, the flame remained inside. I think she left her life force inside you.' To demonstrate her point, Scully turned out the light. Mulder glowed gently like an aquarium in a dark room. he looked down at his own hands, where something burned and shifted coolly under the skin like magic.

He looked at Scully in amazement, then grinned at her and winked. 'Neat!'

"Mulder this is not neat! What if you have to go join The Core. Mulder no! We have to talk to Mumbles about this. I will not and can not lose you." Scully's voice didn't break but it was damn close to. Fresh tears were beginning to form and threatened to fall.

"He likes to be called Eloy." Mulder spoke unconsciously. "Scully as cool and all as it is I'm not sure I'd be happy with it if it meant losing and leaving you. Come one we'll talk to The Core. See if they can't sort something out." Mulder reached out and cupped Scullys cheeks. He brushed away the tears with his thumb. Scully smiled and nodded.

Just as they went to leave the house the remaining members of The Core appeared in the living room.

"Mulder quick. We need you to come with us." Eloy said. The urgency in his voice was unmistakable. He grabbed Mulders wrist and turned to Scully. "Don't worry this won't take long. He'll be back to you in one piece and very much alive before you know it."

With that they disappeared again taking Mulder with them.

Deep in the Earth's core

"We say what Drewish did for you and understand why she did it. We owe you so much more than we can ever repay you. When Drewish did that she gave her life to you. Now you must give that life to this." He held up a small blue candle. "All you have to do is touch the wick. The blue light will enter and bring it to life and we shall be 6 again. You will still live. You just won't have the blue flame living inside of you."

Mulder held out his hand and touched the wick. The candle came to life and morphed into the form of Drewish.

"Thank you Mulder. Thank you so much." Drewish spoke.

"It should be me thanking you. You gave me my life back."

"And you gave me mine. The Core is 6 again. you have saved the Earth."

"Goodbye Mulder. We won't forget you." Eloy said and there was a definite note of finality in his voice.

Eloy touched his wrist again and when Mulder opened his eyes he was back in the living room looking at Scully who immediately pulled him into a tight embrace.

AD Skinner looked over his glasses at Agent Whitney and his former Agents, Mulder and Scully.

'This is just like old times,' he sighed.

Mulder looked surprised at Skinner's mournful tone. 'And that's bad how?' he asked. He had to stop himself saying 'Sir'. This WAS just like old times.

'You two looking battered and beat up, and me reading a report that sounds like missing scenes from Lord of the Rings.'

Mulder opened his mouth to defend his report but Skinner held up his hand and continued. 'You expect me to believe, Mulder, that you were emptied of blood, filled with blue fire and made into an honorary...' He searched for the word... 'Gollum... so you could continue the work of propping up the Earth from the inside out?'

He raised his eyebrows at Mulder, who shifted uncomfortably in his chair. 'Well, Sir, when you put it like that, it makes me sound...'

'Like a nut?' said Scully helpfully.

'Thank you Scully. I was going to say 'confused'.'

'And then,' Skinner continued, warming to his task, 'you were relieved of that cosmic duty by another being rising from the dead to take your place.'

Mulder shrugged. 'what can I say, Sir? I call it as I see it.'

'You signed off on this report, Scully.' said Skinner turning to the sane half of the partnership.

'I did Sir, ' she replied. 'It's all true. Or as true as anything can be in a world which is dominated by subjective and semantic conclusions, each unique to the individual involved.'

Skinner sighed deeply for about the 100th time since Mulder and Scully had reappeared in his life a few short days ago. He closed the file and leaned back in his chair.

'It's lucky you two are no longer employees of the FBI.'

'Not for us,' grumbled Mulder. 'We had to pay all our own expenses. Saving the Earth doesn't come cheap you know.'

'Sir,' said Agent Whitney. 'You and I were witnesses to some unexplained and unexplainable events. I am prepared to accept that further unexplained and unexplainable events took place outside my immediate line of vision. It's logical to do so. My only problem with the report is where the hell to file it.'

Mulder and Scully exchanged looks and small private grins.

'File it under X, Agent Whitney,' said Mulder.

He got up and Scully did the same.

'Where are you going?' asked Skinner.

Scully shrugged. 'Better you don't know, Sir, don't you think?'

Skinner nodded regretfully. 'It would be good if I knew how to get in touch with you. Just in case.'

Again Mulder and Scully exchanged glances - whole sentences passing between them in silent communication.

'Sir, if you need our help, put an ad in the Sunday New York Times. For Frankie and Larry. We'll contact you.'

He nodded and stood up to shake both their hands, as did Agent Whitney.

'Good luck in the future,' he said sincerely.

'Hey,' grinned Mulder, 'Just the fact there IS a future seems like good luck already.'

Mulder and Scully walked down the FBI hallways that were so familiar to them, and yet so strange.

'Wanna take a trip to the basement Scully?'

She thought about it, but then shook her head. 'It's not us any more Mulder. I don't miss it. Do you?'

'The basement? No. But I think I may have left some tapes down there Scully.'

'Some tapes that aren't yours Mulder?'

'Maybe'.

Scully laced her hand in his in a way they never could have in all the years they worked in this building.

'You miss those do you Mulder?' she asked him with a sidelong glance.

'Only for research purposes, Scully.'

They stepped into the elevator and Mulder's thumb hovered over the 'B' for the basement. Scully leaned across him and hit 'L' for Lobby.

'You want research Mulder?' she said in a low, sultry voice. 'I'll show you research.'

The elevator doors swished closed behind them and Scully stepped into Mulder's arms. She pressed her hand against the front of his white shirt and smiled at him. 'You think this will ever go away?' she asked.

'I hope not,' he said, and they looked down together at the faint blue glow that still pulsed around his heart.

'Why didn't you put that in your report, Gollum?' she smiled.

He shrugged. 'Who would believe it Scully? Skinner didn't believe much and he was right there!'

'He just doesn't want to believe,' said Scully.

'Yeah,' laughed Mulder. 'I've known a few people like that in my time.'

'Oh yeah,' said Scully, giving him the eyebrow, 'anyone you'd care to mention?'

'Oh, no one important Scully,' teased Mulder as the door opened on the busy lobby.

Scully stepped out of the elevator and walked away from him coolly. 'Be careful Mulder,' she told him over her shoulder, as they emerged into the sunlight of a world that should no longer exist - 'or no one important's gonna leave you to do that research all alone.'

Mulder caught her up and grinned at her. 'Now that I DON'T want to believe Scully!'

He put his hand on the small of her back and tenderly guided her to their future together.

THE END