- Scully, he was our son! - he yells this time helpless, his eyes fighting against the tears that threaten to fall
- No - she says again with a sigh, she feels nausea, she is sick - William was an experiment, Mulder -
He looks at her with eyes clouded by tears, an incredible expression of sadness on his face - What are you talking about? - he is afraid of the answer
She gives two steps closer to him looking into his eyes, she is breathless and hopeless - Mulder… He was an idea. Born in a laboratory -
Mulder is sad but also angry, he can't believe her words - But you were his mother -
She shakes her head - No, I.. I carried him. And I bore him. But I was never a mother to him... I wasn't - her voice breaks - William... William wasn't… - She can't finish her line, she can't hurt him that way, she just can't
But there's no need for her to say it, he gets it, his pain is too deep and he can't face the truth, he just can't - For so long, I believed - his voice breaks slowly - What am I now if I'm not a father? - he asks with a thread of voice
She listens to his question that resounds with force in her head, and the presence of her unborn child is put between them, she manages to sketch a small smile in the middle of her pain, that baby is the only thing that can save them now - You are a father - she whispers, her voice is now full of emotion
He frowns and looks at her with a question -What are you talking about? - he asks, she can't find her voice, so she holds his wrist guiding his hand to the swelling below her belly button, he opens his hand and puts his full palm on her belly, opening his eyes with surprise and a new hope - That's impossible - is all he can say
- I know - her voice is a trembling whisper, tears fill her eyes - I know it is - she looks up to him and tears roll down her cheeks - It's more than impossible - She knows it, but this time nobody did it, only the two of them, it's just theirs, nobody is going to take this baby away, nobody will chase them draws her to him, and she fits perfectly below his chin, the perfect match.
A wave of nausea forces her to get out of bed and run to the bathroom, she opens the toilet lid quickly and empties the contents of her stomach that were left over from the previous day, after finishing she stands up and washes her mouth in the sink, then rests her hands on the edge of the counter and looks at herself in the mirror. Her face pale because of the nausea, bags under her eyes from insomnia, her messy pigtail with disheveled hair around her face, an image of destruction and sadness that makes her feel even worse. She goes back to bed and throws herself on the sheets, those sheets that are not hers, that don't smell like him, that aren't as comfortable or warm as their own, the cold of the morning seeps under the door but she doesn't want to leave that hotel room, she just wants the dreams to disappear and Mulder's arms to surround her with tenderness.
What do those dreams mean? What's happening with her? Is that the future that awaits them? Her son dead to save Mulder, who is supposedly not his father, and a second pregnancy at 54? Are those the repressed desires of her being or her worst nightmares? Or is that all true? She closes her eyes tightly shaking her head and cries, wishing she could tell Mulder what is happening to her.
Mulder wakes up and finds Scully's side empty, damn, why things have to be so hard? Why does she have to leave every time something she doesn't like appears? Why she just doesn't tell him what she thinks directly and try to fix it? She just retracts and runs away without saying a word. He stretches slowly and when he pulls a leg out from under the sheets, he feels how the cold of the morning chills him. After closing his eyes again for two minutes, he stands up quickly and goes to shower before he can repent.
Mulder walks across a snow field alone. Then he walks down a snowy track through some trees and to the place where the huge block of ice had been removed. He stares down at the yellow police crime scene tape. Then he looks up at the cliff face. He drives along another track and sees the "No Hunting" sign the plow truck driver had knocked down. It has streaks of blood on it. He climbs up to the top of the cliff and looks down onto the crime scene below. Then he drives along a road in a small town nearby and pulls up at a gas station. As he fills up the car, he notices a nearby feed store - "Nutter's Feed, Animal Supply". He goes over to the door of the store just as the proprietor locks the door.
Mulder notices the snowplough truck draw up outside, hides and then pulls out of a side street and follows him. Mulder pulls out his cell phone, which has the names Bowman, Gilligan, Scully and Shiban on quick-dial. The two vehicles are now out in the countryside, driving on a snow-packed road. The truck disappears over a rise in the road. Suddenly, Mulder hits the brakes as the snowplough truck has stopped just ahead. His car spins round on the icy road, hits the snowplough truck and rebounds. The airbag deploys, and Mulder is dazed. He sees that the truck has reversed to face him and Dacyshyn drives the truck hard into the side of Mulder's car, shattering the window. Dacyshyn pushes Mulder's car over a snow bank and sends it tumbling over and over down a steep slope.
Scully walks down a corridor and unlocks the door to her office. She sits at her desk, sorting through papers. One catches her eye: "Medical News Archives", which is an article about stem cell research carried out in Russia by which the intrathecal injection of stem cells in the base of the brain forced the acceptance of transplanted body parts, including joining the heads of two dogs on a single animal. While she's reading this closely, her computer beeps with a message: Printer stopped. She presses the restart button on her printer, which prints out enlargements of the photographs that were in the article. These show a dog's severed head and a dog with two heads. She leaves her office, dialling her cellphone. She realizes it's his voicemail so she leave a message.
After trying with Agent Drummy to know where Mulder is, she reaches higher in the Buro requesting Skinner's help, her old boss is as willing to help her as in the old days.
In the upturned car, Mulder struggles to free himself. There is blood on his face and with difficulty he pulls himself out and gets to his feet. The snow grows heavier around him and with a staggering but determined step, he heads off to the scene of the accident. After an hour walking under the heavy snow, on an icy road, he sees the truck down the side-road and jogs towards it, he opens the driver's door to find out it's unoccupied. He looks around, then picks up a wrench and jogs further down the track.
The minutes seems like an eternity, Scully accompanied by Skinner arrive at the scene of the accident, her stomach writhes at the thought that he could have died in that fall and that he is now badly injured somewhere under the snow, Skinner guesses her thoughts by observing her expression and offers to seek Mulder with her in the frozen night.
In Skinner's car, Scully has seen something after driving a few miles, she gets out the car and walks over to a row of mail boxes. She opens the mailbox and looks through the mail, as she does so she quotes what Father Joe had said to her "The glory of God to hide a thing. I've got it. It's an invoice for medical supplies to a Dr. Uroff-Koltoff. It's an address on Bellflower Road"
After climbing Mulder to the backseat of Skinner's truck, Scully also climbs next to him and puts his head on her legs stroking his hair. Skinner drives as fast as he can, although Mulder is not in danger of death, the impression of having found him about to be cut his throat shakes Scully. He is almost unconscious due to the medicine supplied in his system, but opens his eyelids with great difficulty from time to time to look at her and make sure he is not dreaming, that she is really by his side. Her expression is sad and her face is pale like a paper, Skinner looks at both of them in the rearview mirror to make sure they are both well, it's just like before, getting into trouble, saving each other and him taking them out of the biggest trouble, he can't help smiling a little for himself, he hadn't realized how much he missed them.
After healing Mulder's wounds and moving him to a room, Skinner says goodbye wishing them less adventures, Mulder thanks him for having protected him from the cold and Scully thanks him for all the help received. Scully sits in a chair next to Mulder's bed in silence, she looks at the floor with sadness.
- Hey!.. Scully come on, look at me - Mulder says in what seems like a whisper. But she continues to look at the ground and tears begin to run down her cheeks, he stretches his hand towards her and holds her chin carefully trying to lift her face towards him - Don't cry honey, you saved me, that's all that matters now -
She looks at him with her chin trembling and frowns sadly - I'm sorry I left like that, that's what I always do and I'm really sorry, I put you in danger and I walked away when you needed me most, please forgive me -
He smiles tenderly caressing her cheek - I have nothing to forgive, forgive me for being so stubborn and wanting you to accompany me into the deepest darkness all the time, I don't want to do that anymore -
She half smiles and takes his hand from her cheek and kisses it. Suddenly she feels dizzy and begins to breathe quickly, Mulder sits on the bed scared - Scully, Scully, what's wrong? - She looks at him wide-eyed and then loses consciousness, he brings her to him and screams for help by repeatedly touching the emergency button on his bed.
When Scully regains consciousness it is Mulder who holds her hand sitting by her bed, she sits down suddenly and the dizziness forces her to lie down again
- If you wanted to get revenge scaring me, you did it Scully - He says putting a strand of hair behind her ear - How are you feeling honey? -
She half smiles with her eyes closed - dizzy - Mulder laughs and kisses her forehead - the truth is that I've been feeling bad for the last two weeks, but with the FBI case and Christian, I haven't had time to take care of myself -
Mulder looks at her with concern and seeing his expression she strokes her cheek - It's nothing serious Mulder, I think I'm tired, I haven't rested enough or slept enough, and every time I fall asleep I have nightmares -
He frowns interested in her last words - What kind of nightmares? -
Before she can answer, the door of the room opens and a doctor greets them smiling - How is Mrs. Scully feeling? -
Scully half sits on the bed still holding Mulder's hand - Actually I feel very dizzy and tired, but I think it's accumulated fatigue -
The doctor smiles and shakes her head - There is nothing to worry about, you are perfectly healthy - Mulder sighs with relief - I can only congratulate you - both look at each other with surprise and look at the doctor again - You are expecting a child -