A/N: This chapter finishes Existence.
Agent Reyes burst through the doors of the newly fixed house. Her arms lifted instantly, gripping her gun and waiting for the movement she'd caught out of the corner of her eye to return. Her face set hard, she surveyed the dusty, run-down town. Slowly she started down the stairs, her grip firm. She felt something was off, and she always went with her feelings.
She walked down the gravel drive she and Scully had driven on the night before, birds chattering and distracting her ever-alert hearing. The town was deserted. Slowly, she lowered her arms, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood tall. She turned back around to return to Scully just as the roar of an engine sounded behind her. She turned suddenly, and a large truck turned the corner of a cluster of buildings, and headed straight for her. She raised her gun again and stood perfectly still, rooted to the spot, but aware that should the driver want to get to Scully, he could easily mow her down in three seconds.
The truck stopped just before her, the tires spraying dust and pebbles behind it. The windshield was too dusty to see inside, but Reyes was already shouting.
"Get out of the car! I'm a federal agent!"
In compliance, the door opened and to Reyes' surprise, a woman in a sheriff's uniform slowly stepped out, her hands in the air.
Scully heard Reyes shout and moved towards the still-open door. Cautiously, she peeked out. Reyes was circling around to a woman in uniform, her gun pointed at her and her steps cautious. Scully instinctively felt her own gun at her hip, ready to back Reyes should it come to that.
Dana watched as Reyes and the agent conversed, but their words didn't reach her. Reyes' stance did not lessen, and the woman was seemingly defending her credentials. Then, Reyes finally lowered the gun, and with one hand was taking her badge out of her belt. Scully bit her lip and moved away from the door as the two women turned and started back towards the house. She silently slipped into a hallway, deciding it would be better to keep herself hidden.
After a few moments, she heard footsteps, and her fingers went to her badge. Reyes' soft voice called her, and she took a breath before exposing herself and her badge. Quickly, and without lowering her badge, she explained their predicament. Reyes stood silently behind the curious woman, but did not look altogether at ease.
"You don't plan to have it here. . ." the woman said, after Scully mentioned the baby.
"It's not as crazy as it sounds," Monica interjected. "She's a doctor; she can coach me."
"And what if something goes wrong?" The sheriff asked. "You're a doctor; you should know the risks."
Dana hesitated. "This man that's after me is very dangerous," she said, tears forming in her eyes out of both fear and exhaustion.
The woman's expression slackened, and she finally nodded, a nod that gave Scully the sympathy she was looking for.
"I have a first-aid kit in the truck," she said. "I'll go get some towels and proper swaddling."
Scully nodded. "Thank you."
The sheriff left, and Monica exhaled visibly. Dana stepped towards her, unsure what to say but aware that they were both still leery.
"I guess this place isn't as abandoned as we thought," Reyes said quietly.
"What do you think, Monica?" Dana asked, standing close so they could talk without the other woman hearing, should she return soon. "What do you feel?"
Reyes wasn't sure if this was a jest at her talks about sensing energies, or a genuine question, but there was no hint of a smile on Scully's lips, and her blue eyes held Reyes' brown ones.
"I feel-" she started, gazing at the floor instead. "I think she means no harm," she finished simply, looking back up to Scully. "But, I'm not putting my full trust in anyone at this point."
Dana nodded, feeling it was all that would suffice. They kept glances with each other a moment longer before the sheriff returned. Then they drew apart, aware that the less she knew about their full situation and partnership, the better. Only the essential words would be said.
Later that evening, after the sun had been taken over by nightfall, Scully began to feel feverish. Aware that it was probably her hormones causing her body heat to increase, she quietly informed Monica that she may be nearing a starting point for delivery. Monica went pale, but was fast to recover as she offered to boil some water and got Scully a washcloth.
Meanwhile, the female sheriff stayed mostly out of their way, having supplied them with towels, antiseptic, a tin of medical supplies, and a blanket. She had driven off just as the sun set, though neither Reyes or Scully were sure what station she'd returned to. The rest of the evening had been quiet, until Scully's sudden heat-rushes.
Dabbing her brow with a cold cloth, Scully finally allowed herself the reality of being pregnant. In what could be a few short hours, a new life would be brought into the world, a life that was nothing short of a miracle. The realization must have also been with Monica, because she kept glancing at Dana expectantly and admiringly, with something underneath that Dana could only assume was excitement.
As Monica returned with a bucket of fresh, cool water, Dana thanked her and basked in the comforting glow of the candles she'd found. She silently wondered how the experience would differ if Mulder was with her, and smiled at the silly thought. Monica stood before her and put her hands behind her back, like a child about to politely ask for something.
"I have to say," Reyes started, Scully lifting her eyes from the water basin, "with everything that you must be feeling… you look amazingly beautiful, Dana."
Reyes' smile, a smile that Scully had grown quite fond of in its honest simplicity, finished her statement, and Scully couldn't help but smile inwardly at herself. Not only was she given a compliment, but Reyes' body language proved to her that it was honest. Monica had almost said it like a high school boy might say to his date, with a little bit of embarrassment but a lot of meaning. Perhaps Reyes worried she would offend Scully with her off-hand compliments?
Scully lowered her gaze as she felt the compliment hit home, a sensation she hadn't felt in a while. She wanted to say thanks, and knew she should, but it seemed such a dry response to such a sweet comment. Then, another thought came to her mind, something she'd been considering the whole time they'd been there.
"And what about what you're feeling?" She asked Monica, putting together all the sweetness and all the glances, wondering if she, too, could catch energies. More than a few times, Scully had felt a swelling under-current around Monica that she couldn't place. The decorating, the protection, the panic and pride at Scully's pregnancy… then the comment. Scully felt as if she were either being taken on as a sister, or treated by an admirer.
She didn't know Monica enough to have even considered her sexuality, and it had always occurred to her that she and John were closer than just professional partners. But as she considered the possibility that Monica might have attractions towards other women, the pieces almost fit. She felt bad considering that everything Reyes had done was out of some girlish crush or infatuation, and didn't think she was being fair to her to do so. But, she also felt like if Reyes wanted to bring something out into the open, she was likely to do so upon being asked. So, Scully tried to be subtle.
"Any vibrations, Agent Reyes?" She asked, her tone just raised enough to be suggestive of something other than earth-energies.
Monica, however, was currently all-professional. "I don't know," she shook her head and glanced out the window. Dana had developed a sense of working-Reyes and social-Reyes, and this was no longer social-Reyes. As Monica bent over to pick up her jacket, Dana felt slightly jarred.
"What?" Dana asked.
"I don't know if I'm just being paranoid…" Reyes sighed, tugging on the hem of her jacket. "But something feels off."
She said the last words while looking concernedly at Scully, and Dana realized how tough Monica's guard really was. If she was to get to know the personal feelings of the other woman, it would have to be under different circumstances.
She watched Monica as she shook off her worried expression. "We need some more water," she said comfortingly, giving Dana a little smile before she gathered up the bucket and again left the house.
Dana sat with the washcloth in her hand, going over everything that had just happened. She realized she trusted Monica, with a different kind of trust than she'd developed for Mulder. It was something feminine, gentle and maternal-sisterly, but also tender. Perhaps this is what Monica sensed as well, and she was just much better at expressing it. Scully knew she was often hard on the surface, but Monica was making ripples, and the sensation was not altogether unpleasant.
Something was off, and Agent Reyes could feel it like a cold breeze creeping in through an open door. As she pumped water into the metal bucket outside, she considered all the things that could go wrong. She was not particularly over-imaginative, but it seemed that when it came to the X Files, the most unimaginative things usually happened.
She wasn't given much time for contemplation, as she became aware of movement next to her. Just as she looked up, she realized someone was standing next to her. She had enough time to drop the bucket and push herself to her feet before hands were gripping her by the jacket, firm hands with a superhuman strength. The man, whom she recognized briefly, glimpsed at her for only a second before propelling her forward with only his arms, sending her crashing into a fence behind her.
Her head and shoulders hit hard, the ache spreading like wildfire after a moment of stunned disbelief. The man, Billy Miles as she now realized, was walking towards her. Hastily she looked around her for help, her fingers coming to rest on a garden rake. She held it out feebly, aware that what this man was wasn't entirely normal. Agent Doggett had briefly told her about the situation, but she didn't know what to make of it.
The man was unstoppable, and just as Reyes prepared to thrust the rake into his chest, a bang sounded and a bullet ripped through his chest, blood spraying the ground before him. He fell instantly, and Reyes saw a figure emerging to her left. The sheriff from earlier had somehow managed to return, and just on time. She held a gun pointed at the fallen Miles, clearly prepared for him to rise again. When he did not, she slightly lowered it.
Both the sheriff and Reyes stared at the man, his face and chest a bloodied mess, but his body unmoving. Whatever he was, and wherever he'd come from, it did not bode well for their situation.
Back inside, Scully heard the gunshot. Her heart skipped a beat and she stood instantly, fearful for Agent Reyes. She hurried to the door and emerged onto the porch. Scanning the road and abandoned buildings, she saw movement beside her and turned to see Monica and someone else-the sheriff probably- dragging another person between them. She walked down the steps and approached the other women.
"Go back inside, Dana!" Reyes said strongly.
They laid the body down and Monica was out of breath.
"Who is it?" Scully breathed, looking at the body. She recognized it, and gave Reyes a stunned look.
"Dana, it's okay, he's dead," Monica said.
Scully started. "No, it's not okay. What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said," Reyes said. "Now go inside; we'll take care of this."
Scully didn't trust Reyes for the first time since their arrival. "They said he couldn't be stopped! He's dangerous!"
"Dana, he's got no vitals!" Reyes kneeled down, placing a hand on the body. "He's lost too much blood…"
Her sentence was cut off as her fingers felt something hard beneath the skin on Billy Miles' neck. She looked down, and saw a peculiar protrusion at the base of his neck. She felt Scully's eyes on her, but did not want to alarm her any more than was necessary. Also, the sheriff was pulling up in her truck.
"Is this the man you're afraid of?" She asked as she walked towards them, facing Scully. "How did he find you out here?"
Scully stood still, unable to reply.
"I do have to report this thing," continued the sheriff. Scully was no longer listening, as an aching pain spread through her abdomen. She'd never experienced the sensation before, but was educated and aware enough to know it was a contraction. The baby was coming.
"No you can't do that," said Scully quickly.
"I don't have any real choice," the sheriff shook her head.
"No, I mean I, uh…" Scully put a hand on her stomach and looked to Monica. "I just felt a contraction."
Monica's heart began to pound as she and Scully shared alarmed looks. The sheriff turned from one to the other, and it was a good minute before anybody moved.
"Let's get her inside," the sheriff said, taking Scully by the arm.
Reyes followed, but remembered the water bucket as a thousand things ran through her head. "I'll be right there, Dana. I need to get the water."
Inside, Dana discovered the bed was not the right fit for what she felt she needed, and instead took a great chair next to the fireplace. The sheriff put a basin beneath her and Reyes rifled through blankets until she found the softest.
"How's this?" She showed it to Dana, who was breathing in and out audibly and looked pained.
"That's great," Scully said, closing her eyes at another contraction.
Reyes nodded and let her eyes drop to the sheriff, who was preparing the water basin. Almost as if she was looking for it, Monica's eyes fell on the sheriff's neck. A bulge, almost identical to that of Billy Miles, protruded from the top of her spine. Reyes' eyes grew, and she realized they had been in the hands of the enemy from the start.
Remembering to breathe, she contemplated her options. Dana's grunts and exhalations were getting quicker, and Monica knew she had to act fast, or the baby, and both the agents, would be in danger.
Her opportunity came a few moments later, when the sheriff asked her for a cup of hot water for Scully, who had moved to the bed. Moving mechanically to the boiling pails, Reyes dipped a glass into one and had her idea. Turning back to the sheriff, who was now standing behind her, she handed her the glass.
"Here you go," she said simply.
The sheriff took it and returned to Scully, handing it to the other woman who sipped it through quivering lips.
Meanwhile, Reyes was being quick, and careful. Picking up a bucket by the sides, she heaved the hot water just as the sheriff was turning back to her. The scalding water hit her in the face, and she was instantly screaming a shrill scream that sent goosebumps along Reyes' arms. Still, she wasn't taking chances.
"Move!" She pushed the woman away from Scully, and went for the sheriff's gun.
"Agent Reyes?" Dana's voice was full of panic, and Monica hated that she hadn't had time for explanations. There wasn't time now however, and Reyes had the woman on the run.
"Move out of here!" Reyes nudged at her with the gun, not intending to shoot, but definitely wanting to get her away from Dana.
At the base of the stairs, the woman fell, turning a blistered face back to Reyes, who pointed the gun.
"Who are you?" She shouted.
"This baby will be born," she said simply.
Then, no less than five cars drove up from all different directions, and the gun felt like a stick in her hands. Her eyes began to tear out of fear and frustration, and she panicked as Billy Miles' body rose from the ground and began to walk again. Inside, Dana was shouting her name, and Monica knew she was having the baby.
They were in trouble.
Scully wasn't aware of the commotion around her, the fact that Agent Reyes had assaulted the sheriff, or the fact that there were people waiting outside. Her body was ready to bring her baby into the world, and all else had to wait.
Monica seemed to be aware of this, as her concentrations returned to Scully and her delivery. Whatever anxiety Agent Reyes might have had before was gone now, and she reacted to the situation as calmly and effectively as Scully could have hoped for.
Through Monica's coaching and calls to push, Dana realized that even after the baby came out, it would not be safe.
"Please," she cried to Reyes and anybody else who could help. "Please don't let them take my baby!"
"Push Dana!" Reyes concentrated on her first job, pushing all the possible complications out of her mind so that she could concentrate solely on safely delivering the baby. When a small head emerged, followed by a beautiful face and a healthy cry, Reyes felt the rest of her anxiety fall away as she basked in the miracle before her. The rest of the body slid out easily, though Reyes was mostly concentrating on the very essence of the thing; this is how life begins.
Monica was smiling. Somewhere from beneath her, a baby was screaming, but Monica was smiling. Scully relaxed a little as she realized she had done it, and her baby had emerged healthy and safe. For a moment, it was only her, Reyes and the baby in the world. But outside, the sound of a helicopter approaching drew Scully and Reyes back to the issue at hand, and the absent faces of the unidentified masses surrounding them, watching.
Reyes carefully cleaned the baby as best she could before wrapping him in a blanket. She gently placed the bundle in Dana's arms. Then, she got up, silently instructing Scully to stay put, although she needed no instruction. Outside, a man was shouting, and Reyes had a pretty good idea who it was. The onlookers began to disperse, curiously leaving as quickly as they'd come. Reyes dodged moving cars and headed towards the commotion.
"Scully!" Mulder was shouting at a man in a car, who had witnessed the birth and was now leaving. "Tell me where she is!"
"Mulder!" Reyes shouted at him, and he ran to her.
"How is she?" Mulder asked, hopping up the steps.
"She's inside," Reyes said.
Mulder gently touched her arm as he passed inside. She held his grip, drawing him back. "She needs to get to the hospital," Reyes said, looking at him seriously. Mulder nodded in understanding before heading inside, Reyes following.
Inside, Scully was smiling, cuddling her baby boy and seemingly content after the departure of the onlookers. Mulder hurried to her, and Reyes smiled, turning from the two of them and busying herself cleaning up.
