CHAPTER 11

Shiprock Territory, NM
9:31 PM MST

Mulder shut his eyes, feeling her small hand gently begin to knead his neck; Scully knew exactly where he carried his tension and exactly how to relieve it, her fingers pressing gently, yet firmly against his skin. With his eyes still closed as he sat hunched over the various pages of notes he composed from reviewing the background checks Doggett sent him, he allowed a throaty groan of approval to escape as he relaxed against Scully's silent attempts at easing his stress.

"Damn," he mumbled, still stuck in a massage-induced stupor.

"Find anything?" she asked softly, still working her magic on his neck and shoulders.

"Nothing important," he replied, the disgust with the progress he made evident in his voice.

"Doggett said they checked out."

"There's got to be something here, Scully." Mulder's head was still drooped, his eyes shut. "I refuse to believe there's no evidence."

"Mulder," Scully said quietly as she focused on his shoulders, "did you ever think of what you'd do if you did find any evidence?"

"I'd expose them," was his somewhat mumbled response.

"Then what?" she asked. "I mean, how many times have we been down this road, Mulder?" Scully sighed, her fingers weaving into Mulder's thick hair as she rubbed her thumbs over the base of his neck.

"If I quit now, they win," Mulder said softly, picking up his head against her touch, turning to face her.

"Haven't they already won?" Scully asked, now looking into his eyes. "Mulder … they've taken so much, and they continue to take so much more. Pretty soon, we'll have nothing left."

"So do we sit back and let them do what they please?" Mulder asked quietly, eyeing her. Scully knew it wasn't a question to be answered, because Mulder already had his answer in his mind. No. "We can't, Scully. If we do, they'll take William, they'll take his wife, his children-"

"Mulder, when the entire government is against us, how can we even possibly fight this future they've determined?"

Mulder shook his head, gripping Scully's hands. "Don't give up, Dana," he murmured. "Don't … don't give them your hope, too."

Perching on the edge of the table, Scully allowed her hands to be softly caressed by Mulder as she looked down at the floor. "Mulder," she murmured, "I … I didn't tell Cara this, but … there was something odd about her last ultrasound." She felt Mulder's eyes searching her face. "I'm not an obstetrician, but when I examined the babies' spines, I saw something troubling."

"What, Dana?" Mulder asked gently.

Scully shut her eyes. "One of the children has a mutation on its neck. Like a super soldier would." Scully saw Mulder's jaw flexed, knowing he was clenching his teeth as he tried to calm himself.

"Only one?" he asked.

She nodded. "She didn't want me to look at the genders. So, I don't know if they're both the same or one of each, but one of them definitely has it."

"What about their skull shapes?" Mulder questioned softly.

"Normal," Scully replied. "Mulder … I know no one wants to talk about it, but … what if … what if these children aren't William's?" Mulder rubbed his eyes, sighing into his hand as he let Scully's words sink into his mind. "Mulder, what if this is part of their plan? To have William protect these children, thinking they're his and that they are pure, when in reality Cara is only an incubator for something horrific? I mean, we're spending so much time trying to stop the water from becoming contaminated, but what if that's just a distraction? What if the real thing to be concerned with is what our son is willing to die to protect?"

Mulder knew Scully was right - no one did want to talk about the potential for the children to be less than angelic newborns, innocent and pure. After John's insistence that Cara was a reincarnation of a Navajo holy woman, everyone was convinced of the miraculousness of the twins inside of her womb, the legacy they would live set to change the world as they knew it. Yet, there was the troubling unknown of what happened to Cara during her imprisonment, and the unanswered question of whether the physical signs of rape she had upon being hospitalized were from William unknowingly or were from someone - or something - else.

"Gibson said they were William's," Mulder finally said softly, not fully convinced now as he let Scully's words sink deeper into his mind.

"Gibson also said he spoke with one child initially," Scully whispered, her words catching Mulder's attention.

"Are you saying one might be his and the other not?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "I mean, I don't see how it would be possible for Cara to naturally conceive one child while having another implanted at the exact time. I … I don't think it is possible."

"But it could be," Mulder murmured.

"They need to know, Mulder."

"Scully, you can't tell Cara that her children might be aliens," Mulder said firmly, searching her eyes.

"Then William needs to know."

"Scully-"

"He needs to, Mulder."

"Why, Scully?" he asked. "Why do we have to take away his hope, too?" He watched her eyes shut as she processed everything. "Let him believe in something, Scully."

"You're asking me to lie to our son? To our daughter in law?"

"I'm asking you … to preserve what you know," Mulder said quietly, seeing the struggle on Scully's face. "Just for now."

"For what purpose?" she asked. "To delay the inevitable truth? Why?"

"So he can believe, Scully," Mulder replied. "William needs to believe in good. Otherwise, he will sink into the darkness, just like they want him to. We can't allow him to be any more tainted than he already is. Without belief, William can't be the hope that the world will soon need."

Mulder stood and drew Scully into his arms, holding her tightly against himself. "I just don't want to see our son be hurt because of his belief," Scully whispered, feeling Mulder's lips on her hair.

"I know," he said softly, kissing her head. "But I think he will be hurt more without it right now."

Mulder's phone rang, interrupting the moment. As he still held Scully close, his eyes fell to the caller ID, displaying Doggett's name on the screen. Keeping his right arm around Scully, his left hand sought the phone and answered it. "Yeah," he said softly.

"Mulder, I've got more bad news," Doggett said, sitting across from Gibson and Skinner, Reyes now coming into the room carrying a pot of coffee for the group.

"I was under the impression that this distinct taste of shit in my mouth was sourced from the bottom of the barrel," Mulder said dryly, feeling Scully pull out of his arm so she could observe the conversation.

"Well, allow me to present you with something new to chew on," Doggett said, leaning forward in his seat. "I've got Skinner and Gibson here telling me that a newborn alien is running around central California."

"You're kidding me," Mulder said, his voice soft as his eyes widened. Scully grabbed the phone from him, putting it on speaker.

"Repeat that, Doggett," Scully said.

"Hi, Dana," Doggett said. "I just told Mulder that a newborn alien completed gestation tonight in central California."

"Oh my God," Scully whispered.

"How many victims?" Mulder asked.

"Two so far, 38-year-olds Owen Erickson, who was the host, and his girlfriend, Jacqueline Torres," Doggett replied.

"Where did they encounter the virus?"

"Gibson believes they came into contact with it near California Caverns in Mountain Ranch. Police are calling it an animal attack right now."

"Other sites are coming to the surface," Mulder said quietly. "Wasn't there an earthquake recently in that area?"

"Yeah, pretty big one too. A 6.3 magnitude."

"That would be enough to disturb the deposit," Scully noted.

"Wait a minute," Mulder said softly, his eyes focused on the desk for a moment as he was lost in deep thought. "It isn't just about the water."

"What do you mean?" Doggett asked.

"The water is a peace-maker," Mulder said, his mind's gears turning quickly. "They're going to let mass chaos happen so that the people will lean on the government. Without a single, targeted area, William can't aid or prevent all fatalities." Mulder paced away a bit. "Then, the water becomes tainted and … a filtration system," he said, turning back toward the phone that now laid on the table. "They're going to implement a national system in response to water contamination. Except, the filter doesn't filter, but rather deposits Purity."

"God, I hope you're wrong," Doggett said softly. His phone was now on speaker as well, and the three others in the room with him heard Mulder's theory, stunned at the thought. "Mulder, the last person we know to contract the virus was a man name Gerald Schoenfeld."

"What does he do?"

"He works for Graver Technologies in Philadelphia. We were kicked off of the case before we could question him. A.D. Horncheck pulled us back to DC."

"Twenty bucks says he's in charge of the development of the filtration system."

"So they're purposely infecting people?" Scully said.

"The virus is sentient, Scully," Mulder reminded. "It knows who it needs to occupy and for what purpose."

"Why the college kids, then?" Doggett asked.

"That had to be an accident," Mulder said, his hands finding his hips and resting on them. "They meant to infect Jenson, but the kids retrieved the sample for him."

"That's why Miles was sent to clean things up," Doggett remarked.

"Wait," Scully said, her eyebrow raised, "are you talking about Billy Miles?"

"Yeah," Doggett replied. "He killed Wentworth and his aunt and uncle, then damn near killed me."

"So Jenson is still infected, then?" Scully asked.

"More than likely," Mulder replied.

"For what purpose?"

"I think I know," Reyes said, breaking her silence. "Jenson mentioned work with the New Jersey State Environmental Department on sourcing water from Sybil's Cave."

"So along with his expertise in deferasirox, Doctor Jenson is keeping busy with the Purity contamination," Mulder said, the anger building in him.

"Then why awaken the sites?" Reyes said.

"That's a personal touch," Mulder said softly, looking at Scully. "Someone's sending a message to William."

"Wait," Skinner said, "what you're saying is, they're not going to contain the sites? Don't they usually try to hide this stuff?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Mulder answered, his tone flat and dry. "William befriended a bounty hunter over the last several months. I'm betting these site awakenings and the results of which are his little love notes to him."

A silence fell between the two phones, none of the participants courageous enough to speak for several moments as they digested Mulder's words. "They'll want William to surrender himself," Scully finally said, fighting the tears in her eyes. "It's the only way they'll stop."

Another moment of silence lingered between the groups. "Monica and I are going to contact the field office in California tomorrow," Doggett finally said. "Mulder …" Doggett paused. "I'm sure they know of your work on the similar case in Arizona. We could really use you guys out there."

"You know we can't," Mulder said softly.

"I most likely can get you and Scully a pardon, given the circumstances," Doggett explained.

"How do we know that Klim isn't at the head of this? Or someone like him?" Scully asked.

"We don't," Reyes said, "which is why we could use your help."

Mulder looked at Scully carefully, searching her blue eyes as she looked up at him. "If you can get the pardon, we'll meet you out there," Mulder said, keeping his eyes on Scully.

"I'll call you as soon as I know," Doggett promised, hanging up the phone with a long sigh.

10:11 PM MST

Closing the truck door behind her, Will smiled as he wrapped his arm around Cara, leading her back to their cabin as she yawned deeply. "Well, we certainly crammed it all in, didn't we?" she murmured, snuggling into his warmth as they made their way up the porch stairs.

"I'm just glad I got to spend the day with you," Will said, smiling as he unlocked the cabin door. He saw the single light on in the living room, knowing most likely it was Joy who was still up.

"Welcome back," Joy said with a smile to Will, then glancing at Cara, feeling the daggers aimed at her by her as she stood, clad in a pair of tiny sleep shorts and a form-fitting tank top. "Did you have fun?"

Turning away from Joy, Will grabbed Cara's hand. "Best day I've had in a long time," he replied softly, kissing it gently.

"Aww, that's good," Joy said, forcing her smile to remain on her face. "Not much happened here, in case you were wondering," she added, seeing Will linger as Cara made her way into the bedroom. "Pretty quiet. I must say, your book collection is very interesting. I like your taste."

"I'm not much of a reader," Will said, shifting toward the bedroom. "The books are mainly Cara's."

"Oh." Joy's voice was small with disappointment. "Well, in any case, all is well here."

"Good." Will nodded gently, then turned toward the bedroom.

"Oh, Will?" Joy asked as he was about to disappear down the hall. She saw him turn, and flashed another smile at him. "I made some dinner if you … both … are hungry."

"We ate at the festival," Will replied gently, "but thanks. Goodnight."

Joy watched as Will slipped down the hall, hearing the bedroom door open and shut gently behind him. "Sweet dreams," she murmured, annoyed with the results of their interaction as she sank back down on the couch.

"I'm surprised you came so quickly," Cara mumbled as she heard Will enter the bedroom, her back still to him as she finished changing into her over-sized t-shirt and leggings she was planning to wear to bed.

Will shook his head as he stripped his tee shirt off. "Seriously, Cara?" he asked softly.

"I saw you noticing her attire … or should I say, lack of it."

"Caraline Jane Mulder, get over here."

Cara turned around. "What?" she asked, now feeling the ridiculousness of her jealousy as she looked into Will's eyes.

"Get over here, woman," Will said, a grin on his face.

"God, I'm such a girl," Cara mumbled, sighing as Will took her into his arms. "I hate hormones." She laughed gently, feeling Will's laugh under her face as she rested her head on his bare chest.

"I have to say, I'm somewhat entertained with this catty side of you," Will commented, hearing her laugh again.

"I bet you are."

"It's quite fascinating, really."

"Don't hold your breath for a mud or jello pit wrestling match between us."

"How about just you in the mud or jello?"

"No."

"What about whipped cream?"

"No."

"Chocolate sauce?"

"No, but now I want a sundae."

Will leaned his head back in annoyance, hearing the knock on the front door. "I swear, it's probably my parents," he grumbled.

"They seem to be good at catching us in the bedroom lately," Cara teased.

With a groan, Will grabbed his gun and left the bedroom, forgetting to put his shirt back on. He peered out the window near where Joy was, not realizing the impact his state of undress had on her as Joy watched with renewed interest. "Hi, Dad," Will said when he opened the door. "What's wrong?"

"Were you sleeping?" Mulder asked.

"No, Cara and I just got home."

"Do you have a few minutes? Your mom and I need to talk to you."

"Sure, I'll grab Cara and-"

"Just you, William."

Will eyed his father, confused with the request. "Why?" he asked.

"It's best for now," Mulder said softly, hoping his son would understand.

He did. "Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Will closed the door, sighing as he headed back toward the bedroom, too distracted by his father's request to feel Joy's eyes following him. He opened the bedroom door quietly, seeing Cara curled up in bed, already asleep. "Cara?" he whispered after pulling his shirt back on. He saw her eyes flutter open. "I'm sorry," he said, "my dad just needs to talk to me for a bit."

"Is everything okay?" Cara asked.

"Yeah," Will lied, having previewed his father's thoughts. "They'd just rather keep it private." He knew Cara would understand the implication of Joy. "I know you're tired, so I'd rather you just get some sleep."

"You mean you're letting me be alone?" Cara teased, her voice soft with the haze of slumber still present.

He grinned. "Don't sound so excited to ditch me," he teased back, kissing her forehead. He tucked the gun beside her. "Sleep tight. I'll be back in a little bit."

1:39 AM MST

With a sudden sense of urgency, Cara woke, pushing herself up from her sleep as she tried to focus in the darkened room. She felt the coolness of the gun near her hands and gripped it, knowing Will still wasn't in the bed. What time is it? she asked herself, flicking on the light and examining the small clock on the nightstand.

Now more panicked as she realized the time that had passed, Cara stood, her hands gripping the gun securely as she opened the bedroom door, peering out into the darkened hall. From what she could tell, there were no lights on. Her breath was shallow as she looked into the living room, seeing Joy's sleeping form on the couch. She was grateful for her ability to pass Joy without disturbing her, not really wanting to have to deal with the woman at the present - her worries for her husband were enough.

She froze in the kitchen when she heard a noise come from the back porch, and she lifted her gun up, aiming it at the back door as she slowly approached it. Hearing another similar noise, which sounded like rocks being kicked in the dirt, Cara carefully opened the back door, her mouth opening when she saw what was outside.

"Will?"

He didn't turn, but rather chose to pitch another rock into the darkness that was near him on the ground where he sat, his knees to his chest. The moon above them illuminated him, revealing the multiple empty beer bottles that were scattered around him. "Will, what are you doing?" she asked, coming down the stairs, realizing as she stepped on the warm desert ground that she didn't have shoes on.

"Nothing," he said, "absolutely nothing." His words were a little sloppy; Cara knew it was most likely as a result of the alcohol Will consumed.

"Then why are you out here?" she asked, coming to sit next to him.

"I needed some space so I could hate myself," he mumbled, pitching another rock. Cara looked out into the darkness Will was so focused on, then back to the profile of his face.

"What happened?" she questioned gently.

"A newborn alien was born tonight," Will replied stiffly, picking up one of the bottles beside him that still had liquid in it.

"Where?"

"California." He tossed back the beer easily.

"Were there victims?"

"Two, so far. Not counting the four people executed by replacements and bounty hunters in New Jersey."

"Are Doggett and Reyes …"

"They're going to try. And my parents will join them if they can get a pardon."

Cara swallowed, recognizing the darkness that was building in Will's voice. "Will … this isn't your fault."

He finally looked at her. "How do you figure it's not, Cara?" She opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her with his angry pitch of the bottle in his hand, the glass shattering on a rock hidden in the dark. "Tell me. Enlighten me, Cara. Tell me how this isn't my fault."

"Because you didn't choose it, Will," Cara replied firmly. "You didn't choose for those people to die."

"Yes, I did," he growled. "I chose it the instant I refused to pay the price." His eyes fell back on the darkness in front of him. "I should've let them have me back in Hoboken, Cara. I should've let them drain the life out of me. Then you wouldn't be in trouble, my parents would be safe, and everyone who has died would still be alive."

"Will, you know just as well as I do that even if you did let them kill you, they would still do what they're doing." She saw Will was listening and continued after a pause. "Only, if you had died, there would be no one to hope in."

"Who's hoping in me right now?" Will asked, angry. "Do you think the people who were shot or torn apart by a fucking alien would really agree that they would rather have me alive right now?"

"I'm hoping in you, Will," Cara whispered, taking his hand into hers. "So are your children."

Will took a long look at Cara, feeling his eyes clouding with tears. "I'm not Superman, Cara," he said, his voice still darkened. "The sooner you realize that, the better."

"So that's it, then?" Cara asked, her disappointment rising in her. "You've given up, Will? Decided to throw a pity party out here with yourself as the guest of honor?"

"What do you want me to do, Cara? Pretend like I'm not affected? Would you rather me be heartless?"

"No, Will, I'd rather you feel. But I'd also rather you recognize that what they choose to do isn't because of you. It's because they don't feel." Cara tenderly combed her fingers through Will's soft hair. "Will, I think it's time we fight back." His eyes searched hers in the darkened atmosphere. "I think it's time to stop hiding and start showing them that you're a force to be reckoned with."

"No," he murmured. "That means you're vulnerable."

"Will, I've been a cop longer than I've been your wife," Cara argued gently. "I think I can take care of myself."

"I know you can take care of yourself, Cara. I've seen it. This is different, though. I don't think any of us are prepared to handle these things alone." Will wrapped a thick section of Cara's hair around his finger, watching it untwist and swing away from him.

"Then let me fight with you."

"Haven't we been through this before?"

"Will-"

"Cara, my answer will always be the same. You mean too much to me."

"And my answer will always be the same, too. I'm not going anywhere."

He allowed himself to sink deep into her beautiful blue eyes, remembering the deja vu moment in the motel room before they gave every last thing they had to each other. "I know," he said softly, feeling her hair with his fingers.

"Come on," she whispered. "You need to rest up so you're ready to kick some alien ass."

Will let his crooked grin free, allowing it to slowly widen on his face. "God, I'd be so lost without you," he breathed, tucking Cara's hair he had been playing with behind her ear. He gripped her hand, helping her to stand with him, kicking the bottle that had rolled near the porch stairs away as they quietly returned to the house.

Moments later as he climbed into bed with his wife, Will closed his eyes and held Cara tightly, the darkness of his mind ever present, as it always had been. Regardless of the wisdom bestowed on him, it always waited to welcome him back to another night of hellish rest, ready to consume him further into its endless depths.

Joy slowly turned over, having heard the conversation between Will and Cara through the open window while she pretended to be sleeping. She sent a quick text while keeping watch over the darkened hallway to make sure no one saw her:

Mulder and Scully will be going to California soon.

She was surprised when she received a rather quick reply, considering the time of night:

We will keep tabs on them. You continue to build William's trust.

She replied quickly:

Why don't we just take Will and Cara while they aren't here?

Another message buzzed in:

We would never be able to extract William successfully, nor would he let us extract Caraline. Stick to the plan. Besides, when I have Caraline in my possession, I need her to be ready to give birth.

Frowning, she typed her response:

That won't be for about two months. And what if she can't be convinced to leave alone?

The reply appeared on the screen:

Don't worry, she will. She believes it to be the only way.

Natchez Trace State Park
Near Lexington, TN
05:24 AM CST

He scratched his grayed beard, eyeing the younger man who slept in the sleeping bag across from him. "Johnny?" he asked, peering down at the younger man, who reminded him so much of a reflection of himself decades previous. "You alright, Johnny?" the older man asked.

It was unlike his son, Johnny, to still be asleep at this hour when they camped; his son relished the early morning for their hunting excursions they took, always claiming it to be the best for selection of animals to be trapped. The older man saw the beads of sweat on his son's brow, and kneeled over him, examining his still-sleeping form. "Boy, are you drunk?" he asked, shoving him in the side.

With reflexes he had never witnessed before, the older man gasped as his son grabbed his arm tightly, slowly sitting up from his camping bag. "Shit, boy, it's your old man," the older man grumbled, trying to free himself from his son's grasp. When Johnny wouldn't release him, he swallowed, now frightened by the darkness he saw in his son. "What the hell!" He tried to back away, but his son easily overpowered him, now dragging him to stand as he stood. It was then that the older man saw the black oil swirl over his son's eyes, his desperate screams of pain from the intense flash of heat he was subjected to lost in the vastness of the forest.

Hoover Building
Washington DC
11:02 AM EST

"Come in."

A.D. Horncheck remained seated as Doggett and Reyes slipped into his office. "It's my understanding, agents, that you overstayed your welcome in New Jersey," he said, flipping through the report that they had prepared for him regarding their findings. "Your accounts of the murders and the circumstances surrounding them are all very incredible, wouldn't you agree?"

"Not as incredible as the related circumstances that we were notified of by three of our field offices in the last twenty-four hours," Doggett said calmly, handing two files to Horncheck, who took them with curiosity. "Two people are dead in San Joaquin, California from what our field agents there are describing as an 'animal attack,' which as you can see almost identically resembles a similar X-File that was investigated by Agents Mulder and Scully in 1998. This previous case has relevance to the current one we were investigating through the connection of a biological virus which can manifest itself in many different ways, as noted in our report." Doggett paused, watching as Horncheck compared the files of the recent deaths in California to that of the one Mulder and Scully had previously worked on in Arizona. "Also, we just got a call from the field offices in Tennessee and Missouri, claiming that between both states over the last twenty-four hours, eleven more people were found burnt to death in the same exact way as in Seaside Heights." Doggett dropped the files onto Horncheck's desk, seeing the Assistant Director reviewing the photographs he had received via email from the field offices. "In both states, there was clear evidence to support our claims of death by radiation, which you will see highlighted in each file."

After a long moment, Horncheck looked up at Doggett, closing the files. "What are we dealing with here, Agent Doggett?" he asked softly, his glance moving to Reyes quickly before returning to him.

"With your permission, sir, we'd like to be able to figure that out," Doggett replied. Sensing he was willing to comply with their request, he inhaled slowly, adding, "And we'd like to request the ability to recruit expert consultants."

Horncheck eyed Doggett. "You want a pardon for them, is that it?" he asked.

"Sir," Doggett said carefully, "I know we would have more success in working with Fox Mulder and Dana Scully on this than without them."

"They aided and harbored a fugitive," Horncheck reminded him. "They stole a vehicle and-"

"Sir, without them, this will keep happening. We're in over our heads."

Horncheck folded his arms over his chest as he leaned back and looked at the agents in front of him. "What would their involvement be?" he asked.

Doggett knew what Horncheck wanted to hear. "Mulder's ability to construct profiles is critical to securing the person or people responsible, and Scully's experienced forensic pathology background in this particular realm will only help us to understand this virus better."

"Are they in contact with Van De Kamp?" Horncheck asked.

"No," Doggett lied, though his appearance was convincing and confident.

"You do realize that this pardon is very dangerous for the FBI, Agent Doggett."

"I do realize the potential it has for the media, sir. But I think the potential lives that will be lost without their assistance will be a far greater danger to not only the FBI, but the government as a whole."

Horncheck remained silent as he examined Doggett's face. "I'll grant them the pardon, Agent Doggett, under one condition. I need collateral."

"Sir?"

"I want everything you know on Van De Kamp."

Doggett swallowed; Reyes shifted in her seat. "Sir-"

"Do you think I'm blind? Do you think this bureau is going to let you both sit back and retain everything you learned about Van De Kamp while he was in custody? I want everything, Agent Doggett. From how he takes his coffee to a list of his ex-lovers. I want to know which side he dresses to and what he's capable of. Everything, Agent Doggett." Horncheck tilted his head to the side a little as he watched the agent in front of him. "That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

Reyes had no idea what Doggett would say in that moment, not even sure what she would say either. If they gave everything they knew about Will, then they would use it against him to keep sending him messages of their disapproval of his actions. If they told them lies about Will, the implications could be far more serious for everyone involved if the lies were exposed. If they didn't enlist Mulder and Scully's help, more innocent people would keep dying. Would Mulder and Scully's presence make enough of a difference to warrant exposing their son to the people who wanted to see him die?

For the first time, Doggett finally realized what Will must have felt like, the choice he had to make feeling unfair, unbearable and impossible. Yet, a choice had to be made; he closed his eyes, hoping the one he chose was the right one.

"Deal."