Mulder's routine became boring and mundane. Every case that he received was nothing to get very excited about. Most of what he took on was just busy work to say the least. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Scully. Was she ok, what she was doing, was she thinking about him. It was close to a month now that he hadn't seen or spoken to her. He couldn't count the number of times that he picked up the phone and started to dial her number or that he contemplated driving to her apartment. Every time, he talked himself out of if though. He would think back to what Skinner told him. How she had wished to not be contacted during her leave. Besides, she knew how to reach him if she needed or wanted to. He had to accept the fact that she didn't want him in her life right now. He respected her enough to leave her alone.

He spent most of his time off of work reading or watching old movies that he had seen to many times to count. During his free time he wished he was in work, while he was in work he wished he was working with her again. On one of these typical evenings alone in his apartment, Mulder dribbling a basketball, stopped at the sound of his pager going off. Picking it up off the counter he set it on he hoped his eyes would fall upon Scully's number. Looking at the display he knew it was just wishful thinking.

It was the main number to call into the Bureau when they may have a lead or additional information for you. He sighed, walking over to his cordless. None of his open cases held any enthusiasm for him. Nothing that he would really want to interrupt his very "entertaining" evening.

Calling the number he gave his name and badge number. The woman's voice on the other end asked him to hold moment while she looked for the information of the reason for his page.

"Ok, Agent Mulder, I have it right here. It seems to be a related to a cold case you set an alert on some time back."

A cold case. That got his attention. He didn't even know how many cases he still had open and was just waiting for new information to come his way to move his investigation just a bit farther. Maybe this was exactly what he needed to get him out of this slump he was in.

"About six months ago you put an alert out to all tattoo pallors for people coming in to cover up scars on their upper right shoulder?" The woman spoke in a flat bored voice.

Now Mulder felt his palms starting to sweat and his heart racing. This was the last real case he worked on with Scully. Their last case before everything changed, before she left.

"Yes that's right. Did one call in with information?" He was anxious now.

"No, Agent Mulder. Six have called in within the past week."

"Oh," was all he could mange.

"I will fax all the details to your office, Agent Mulder. Is there anything else I could do for you tonight?" asked the polite woman on the other end of the line.

"No, thank you. Please send that fax right away. I'll be back in my office in twenty minuets." Mulder hung up the phone, grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

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Walking in to the Federal Building this late always made Mulder feel as though he was doing something wrong. It was so quiet. Hardly anyone around but it was fine with him at the moment. As he made his way down to his office his cellular began to ring. Pulling it out of his jacket pocket and looking at the caller I.D. he said, "Thank you for the punctual check in boys but now is actually not a good time."

Since Scully's absence each one of his friends at the Lone Gunman had made sure to call him routinely. Especially on the weekends when they knew Mulder wasn't working.

"I disagree Mulder." It was Byers. "I think now is as good a time as any. You should come over here as soon as you possibly can. It may have to do with Agent Scully."

"What! Tell me what you found!" Mulder felt his breath coming in short, fast gasps. First the call from the Bureau, now this call from the Gunman. Something was happening.

"You know how we feel about talking over an unsecured line. We'll see you when you get here." Byers hung up, knowing Mulder would get there soon.

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He collected all the papers on the fax machine. After calling back the hotline number making sure they were not sending anything else, Mulder took the facsimiles with him without even reading them. He needed to find out what the Gunman had. He could read these reports there.

It took him less than a half hour to reach his destination. After going through the normal procedural of the flight of stairs knocking and waiting for what seemed like an eternity, locks being undone, he was finally standing in front of the Gunmen.

"At first there wasn't enough information to realize that anything was related." Byers started out feeling his friends anxiousness. "Subtle things at first. Our phones going off with no one there, having brown outs in the building. Things like that. But then more curious events started to happen. One night Langley was working with those implants you and Agent Scully had sent us and he was the one that really noticed."

"Noticed what?" Mulder couldn't get the information from them fast enough.

Langley took the spotlight. "I was just fiddling around with them really. We have already tested them in every way we know humanly possible but every now and again we like to revisit it. See if anything jumps out at us. If we missed anything. I was handling one of them and I see my wrist watch going crazy. The dials are going forward and backward. As Byers said we also were having experiences with our phones and electricity. But tonight. Tonight was different. You know how all of those implants were broken open to find what's inside? And we have the remnants of Agents Scullys original implant." Langley took a deep breath.

"Well, what is it?" Mulder was ready to explode at this point

"They all seemed to put themselves back together. Every one of them, every piece." The room was silent.

Not sure what to do with this information Mulder just looked around at the guys for a moment. "Ok so what do you suppose it means?"

Walking closer and speaking for the first time Frohike said, "We think there is some type of event that is almost awakening all of them. We just don't know the cause or reasoning for them are."

"Well how exactly does that help me, or Scully?" Mulder was frustrated. He had hoped that tonight might be the night he got closer to getting his partner and friend back in his life.

"We're not sure Mulder, we just knew you would want what ever information was out there." Frohike wished he could be more of help to his friend.

"Well, the Bureau called me today. They have gotten multiple calls this week from tattoo shops with some information of people coming in to get tattoos in the same location as the hosts of those implants you have. I haven't even looked through the reports yet. I was picking them up when you called." Mulder now held the file in his hand. "You boys feel like doing some reading?"

The four men all took a report. When done with one they would switch off with someone else to read another. Each of the six reports told of people different ages, races and locations. All wanting tattoos in the same spot as the victims. There really wasn't much to go on. A name, contact info and a date scheduled for the tattoo was just about the entirety of the information that they had.

Mulder sighed to himself thinking, 'well its not exactly like they're looking for references or credentials when you get a tattoo.' He felt his thoughts drifting. 'I guess Scully would know, she did get a tattoo after all.'

"Look at this!" Byers said snapping Mulder out of his thoughts. This one was scheduled for today and they'er not to far from here Mulder."

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Mulder took the hour drive to Maryland. He was headed to a tattoo parlor in Hanover. His mind was reeling. Could any of this have to with Scully. He just didn't know. Once there he gave them the description of the man they had put in the alert about. His name was Samuel Fuller. All that was sent on the man to Mulder was his name and phone number. Here they had a photo copy of his drivers licenses. Samuel had already gotten his tattoo and had been gone for several hours by the time Mulder showed up.

He decided to speak to the artist. "Was there anything out of the ordinary you could tell me about him?" Mulder spoke to a man that was covered with tattoos, piercings on his lips, nose, ears, eye brows, cheeks, neck and most likely many other places that he was glad he couldn't see. He almost laughed at his own question. 'What would this man find out of the ordinary,' he thought to himself.

The artist, a man that went solely by the name of Jim, told him, "He was just a quiet guy. Definitely his first tattoo but he took it like a trooper. Never moved or said a word. I tried to make small talk to the man. You know, makes the job go quicker, but he never said a word. Just sat there."

"Ok, thank you. I appreciate your help." Mulder was out the door and headed to Samuel Fuller's apartment.

He found the address quite easily. He pulled up to a suburban looking area. Nice looking apartment buildings. Quiet. He rang the door bell of the man in question. Upon his surprise the door opened up to a normal looking man with a puzzled look upon his expression.

"Can I help you?" offered Samuel Fuller dryly.

"Yes, thank you. I'm Special Agent Mulder with the FBI and this….." he almost introduced Scully who was not there. "And there are some questions I'd like to ask you."

"Sure, please come in." Samuel held the door open for him to enter.

Once inside his house he felt like this man fit the description of victims related to this case. He could see no pictures of family, friends, girlfriend, children, no pictures at all actually.

"I wanted to ask you about a tattoo you recently decided to get." He stood staring around the small apartment, noticing a small duffel bag packed near the door.

"I don't know what your talking about. I don't have any tattoo's. Sorry you came out of your way for nothing but I need to get going." The man seemed strange to Mulder. Talking in a very monotonous voice.

"I see that. Where are you headed." Mulder inquired.

"To where I need to be. You really ought to be going now." Samuel was ushering him out of the door.

"Just one more thing." Mulder turned around facing the man. He grabbed his shirt by the collar. Pulling it down just below his armpit. There was a fresh square bandage on his right shoulder, tapped down. Samuel Fuller seemed genuinely confused.

The door closed in Mulder's face.

Mulder pulled his car farther down the block where he wasn't directly in front of the man's house but he could keep an eye on him if he left. It didn't take long for the man to walk out of his front door, duffle bag in tow, and head towards his car.

Mulder started his ignition.

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They drove for hours. Mulder was happy that he had filed his gas tank before going to see Mr. Fuller, otherwise he feared he would have had to stop for gas and loose him. They were in Pocahontas, Virginia. He couldn't stop thinking about Scully. This is were she had been that night she called him confused about where she had been all day.

Almost 6 hours had passed when the car ahead of him finally started to reduce it's speed. 'Where are we.' Mulder was thinking. 'No where by the looks of it.' They were on a dirt road. Nothing around them for miles in any direction that he could see. He kept a good distance away from the car in front of him, lights off. He didn't want to be noticed. Slowly the car in front of him was turning. When Mulder approached the turn he could see it was just a path. Barely large enough for a car. Samuel Fuller made a few more of these turns onto these small pathways.

Now up ahead he could make out a huge building. This was the only place that Fuller could be going so he decided to turn off his car. He had no idea what he would find here. At least he could come unannounced. He got out of the care and walked slowly in the direction of the building ahead of him.

He walked carefully, making sure no one was watching him. After a few minuets he saw Samuel Fuller's car up ahead, not alone. There must have been about fifteen other cars there. This was strange. What was this place.

Still a number of yards away from the building itself Mulder's phone started to go off. He jumped, reached for his phone and opened it quickly. "Mulder," he said just above a whisper.

He was scanning the area. He couldn't see anyone moving around. All the cars but Fuller's seemed to have a layer of dust on them as though they've been there for days.

"Hey, its Frohike. I'm not sure how to say this Mulder, but umm… Well we've done some back round checks on all the descriptions that was sent to you and umm.. Mulder. One of them was Agent Scully."

Mulder disconnected his phone. That's when he saw it. Scully's car sitting with the rest of them. Days of dust covering it.

Not entirely sure about this chapter myself. Sorry theres no Scully in it but I just couldn't get anything different to happen. Re-wrote this chapter a number of times. Hope it came out somewhat enjoyable. Please review and let me know! :)