Author's comments: Geez, so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out! I actually had it written a week ago, but I kept thinking I wanted to finish the story while I was at it. But when re-reading it, I realized that this is probably a good stopping point, so here it is. This is probably going to turn into kind of an AU story (as if it's not already).

The Weatherman

Chapter Ten

Part 1.

The day of Scully's plea bargain hearing came, and she had fully prepared to meet her destiny. Prison was not easy. She was always afraid she would run into someone who knew her past, that she had been an FBI agent. She spent much of her time avoiding Lisa, who she saw giving her disparaging looks from across the cafeteria more than once. She had a suspicion that the woman was planning something, because she had buddied up with a group of large, buff women.

It was true that Scully could hold her own, but not if she was outnumbered. So far, she had only been bothered by a couple of women, and it had been limited to mild teasing. But she often saw inmates looking at her as if she was lunchmeat just waiting to be eaten. She did not know the details of their intentions, but she could guess the general idea.

So it was with a heavy heart that Scully stepped into the courtroom that day, ready to accept her future of darkened corridors and broken dreams. She looked around and saw Mulder sitting in the audience, and he turned and watched her walk towards the front with downtrodden eyes.

Everybody stood when the judge walked out in a black robe, and he said, "Ms. Scully, it is my understanding that you have agreed to plead guilty to the charge of second degree murder."

Scully answered in a flat voice, "Yes, sir."

"Have you had a chance to read over the agreement, and has your lawyer advised you that you may receive a lesser sentence if you were to go to trial?"

"Yes, sir."

Just as she finished addressing the judge, the courtroom doors opened, and a young man in his twenties approached her attorney and whispered something in his ear.

The judge ignored the new person in the room and said, "Well, in that case…"

"Your Honor," interrupted Scully's attorney, "We have received some new information that might change the defendant's plea."

Scully stared at her attorney in disbelief. "I will give you a moment to talk to your client," said the judge.

In hushed tones, her attorney explained what the younger man had told him. Scully nodded, and they discussed her options. Then he took some time to talk to the prosecuting attorney across the room, and she could see hands flying and heads shaking as they argued over the new developments. The prosecutor got on his cell phone, and paced in agitation while he made several calls. Then he spoke with Scully's attorney once again, all the while displaying a look of resignation.

Blood rushed through Scully's veins and she experienced a surge of energy as the court was called to order once again. She felt as if she was in a dream. The prosecuting attorney spoke. Scully looked back at Mulder, who was spellbound. "Your Honor, it has come to our attention that there is some missing evidence in this case. Apparently, the body of the victim cannot be found."

"Oh?" The judge's mouth formed a circle. "I suppose you plan to try the case on circumstantial evidence? I understand you have the weapon that was used…"

"Not any more, your Honor. It's missing from the evidence room."

The judge sighed. "I'm going to give forty-eight hours for the evidence to turn up, and if it doesn't, I'm going to allow the defense to bring a motion to dismiss."

Part 2.

Scully was released after two days. The first face she saw when leaving the prison was that of Mulder, who was grinning from ear to ear. In a heartbeat, he was within reach of her and there was the motion of arms embracing, lips meeting, and hands stroking each other's hair as they relished the physical closeness that they had both missed over these last few weeks. It was something they had both felt they would not get to experience again, at least not on a regular basis.

Nestled into Mulder's arms again, she dared to let go long enough to look up at him and ask, "Did you have something to do with this?"

His eyebrows lowered even as his smile lingered. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what happened to all the evidence against me?"

His mouth opened as he realized what she was asking. He thought for a minute and then said, "I don't know—really, Scully. I wish I had that kind of power, but you know I'm not exactly in any kind of position to do that."

She scratched her head. "I wonder who, then…" She let the question drop.

They walked hand in hand to an underground parking garage where Mulder had left his car, and Scully felt a giddiness that was nearly unfamiliar to her. She supposed it came from being in a position of sheer hopelessness, and then having it all lift in the blink of an eye. It didn't hurt that the man she loved was waiting to sweep her away to their home, and that her long lost child was waiting for her there.

As they rounded a turn in the garage, a figure stepped out of the shadows, causing Scully to startle and Mulder to stop dead in his tracks, arms out and ready to take on any threat. As the person stepped out into the light, Scully saw that it was a woman, and she had no weapon in her hands.

"Dr. Scully," said the woman. Her expression was unreadable. "My name is Sharon Glenn. I need to talk to you."

"Wh-what about?" Scully suddenly felt very fragile again. She did not know if she could handle any more surprises.

"William." Sharon's face still lacked expression, which made Scully nervous. She could feel Mulder tensing next to her.

Scully did not reply, so Sharon continued. "You need to make sure he stays with you, and you need to protect him. There are those who would like to take custody of him and use him for their own purposes."

Scully felt like shaking her head, but she resisted. Flashbacks entered her head of a time when she could not protect the infant William, when around every corner was someone trying to kidnap him. She did not feel ready to handle that scenario once again. She changed the subject. "Who are you? Who do you work for?"

Sharon paused before answering. "Let's just say, I am in a position to help you. In fact, I already have."

Scully had thought her voice sounded familiar. Now she knew why. This was the very same person who had tipped her off to the danger that William had faced. Scully looked down at the ground thoughtfully, lips puckered. Finally she spoke to the woman who had possibly saved her son from sudden death. "And the evidence against me…?"

Sharon nodded. Scully did as well. "So…where do we go from here? I don't feel like I can protect him. When he was a baby…"

She stopped as she felt herself beginning to choke up. She felt Mulder's arm around her shoulder, and she thought she saw a hint of sympathy in Sharon's otherwise stoic face. "But this time you have help, and I think you'll find that the protection we can offer is impenetrable."