CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

"Get off me…" She rasped angrily, her voice just about emerging from her throat.

"Let her go, you're going to kill her." The smoking man said and she was finally let go. She gasped loudly, the air getting back into her lungs. Coughing and spluttering, she raised her hand to her neck and frowned in pain, but the man still held her gun to her head.

"Don't move." The man snarled, and then grabbed her by the arm now. She winced as he twisted it around her back so that her muscles were pulling painfully.

"Arghhh! You son of a bitch!" She shouted in frustration.

"SCULLY!" Mulder's voice called from down the hall after she shouted. He had heard her.

Scully's eyes opened wide in fear as she silently begged Mulder not to speak. She couldn't face the idea of him being found...

"Every man has his weakness, doesn't he Agent Scully?" The smoking man with a sickening smile as he heard Mulder. Scully squinted as her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and she saw the outline of his face, now in front of her.

He looked monstrous, the injuries he had sustained were hideous. She closed her mouth and held her breath as she blew a wave of smoke in her face.

"Lead me to him and I will do you all no harm."

"I don't believe you." She spat out angrily.

"Mulder is my biological son. Surely you understand how I feel about him, you have a biological son of your own." He said, his tone patronising.

Scully swallowed nervously as a wave of emotion hit her. All she could think about was William and his safety. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She just prayed silently that Doggett and Skinner had managed to help him escape. She didn't want him anywhere near this hospital.

"Please… don't…" She begged tearfully, all of her composure evaporating at the mention of her son.

"Don't what?" He asked with false sympathy.

She pursed her lips together and stopped herself from screaming.

"Agent Scully, I am here to see my son. I hear he is not feeling too well." The smoking man said simply, lighting up another cigarette.

"He's fine." She snapped icily.

"Agent Reyes said that he is dying."

Scully took a breath and felt rage take over her as she thought about Monica and the state she had just seen her in.

"You're just trying to make me hate her, for what she's done." She said tearfully. "I know that you have tortured her, taken her against her will. She wouldn't have had a choice in telling you where we are. You haven't won this game, you never will you son of a bitch."

"All right." He said simply, puffing the smoke into her face again. Scully flinched as the man behind her pulled her arm tighter sending a surge of pain down from her shoulder to her lower back. She bit her lip and tried not to cry out as she didn't want to alarm Mulder. "Let's go for a little walk. You can show me where they are."

Scully felt her heart skip a beat with worry as she was pushed forward harshly and the man led her down the dark corridor, towards the direction she had just come from.

She felt herself tremble with worry as she hoped and prayed that they were hiding.

Doggett carried Reyes down the nearest staircase, glancing back at Skinner nervously who was trying to get Mulder to come with him, but he was shaking his head weakly and refusing. Skinner held onto William by the arm and was urging Mulder to follow.

John sighed heavily and knew that he had to keep moving.

He needed to get Monica to the ER.

He looked down at her sadly and saw the bruises on her face, and he knew that she had been severely beaten. He felt so angry at the smoking man for doing this to her, he wanted to kill him himself.

A dim emergency light lit the tight staircase and he held her close, running down two steps at a time and leaving the chaos behind. As much as he wanted to help, Monica was now his priority.

"No! Leave me here! I need to stay with Scully!" Mulder begged Skinner, his chest rising a falling in exhaustion.

His eyes were wide and urgent. Skinner frowned in frustration and sympathy as he looked at William and then back at Mulder, his heart racing in his chest. How on earth could he get Mulder to leave Scully? It was impossible.

Mulder was weak.

Skinner had pulled him away from his bed as soon as the lights had gone down, knowing that something terrible was about to happen. Mulder had thrown him a look of panic and he had known that the smoking man was there, further down the corridor and that he had Scully.

Now he would be after Mulder and William and it was his responsibility to get them to safety...

Mulder was stumbling on his feet, the alien virus still battering his body. They were standing just inside the door of the staircase in semi darkness. Skinner had managed to get him this far, he just needed him to come downstairs, and they were running out of time.

"Mulder! Your son needs you!" Skinner urged Mulder, trying to keep as quiet as he could. William's eyes were full of tears, his face clearly troubled.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through this son. I promise I will keep you safe, you just have to go down the stairs and follow Skinner. Please, just trust me." Mulder said to William as calmly as he could manage, ignoring Skinner's words and motioning for William to go with him. William's eyes widened as he looked at Skinner warily.

"But… what about you? And what about Dana? What about.. my Mom?" He asked in fear. Mulder shook his head as he felt William's pain and clutched onto the wall for support, the virus making him stumble again. Skinner had had enough.

"Mulder for gods sake! You're going to collapse!" Skinner said, exasperated. He reached for him and tried to grab his hand but Mulder knocked him back.

"Take my son and get him safe. I'm begging you!" Mulder said, tears now stinging his eyes as he glared at Skinner. Skinner swallowed in emotion as he saw the determination and desperation in Mulder's eyes. "GET HIM TO SAFETY!" He shouted now, and William backed away from him slowly, surprised at his outburst and starting to feel vulnerable.

"Let's go." William said suddenly, wanting to he anywhere but there.

He had made Skinner's mind up for him. Skinner frowned in sadness and felt his heart sink. He didn't want to leave Mulder and Scully up here in danger, but he understood.

William came first.

"I'll come back to find you." Skinner said, his voice breaking. Mulder nodded in relief and slid down the wall and then to the cold floor. He took deep breaths and tried to gather himself, his body slipping away from him further and further now that he was not linked up to his IV.

"I love you son. We both love you so much. I'll see you soon." Mulder said, his eyes fixed on William's.

He wasn't sure if he would see him again soon, but he had to remain positive.

William nodded silently. He got the message.

Skinner took one last look at Mulder and then one last look through the glass in the door that led to the corridor. He couldn't see anyone.

"Here. Take my gun." Skinner said firmly, and before Mulder could refuse he had shoved it into his hand.

With one swift movement he led William downstairs as fast as he could, neither of them turning back.

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