To anyone still reading, I have a confession...I've been cheating on you with like...six other fics.

I almost bailed but I'd have felt like garbage if I published anything new and left this unfinished.

So, here. Second-to-last chapter.

XXX

Skinner excused himself from the officer he'd been talking to, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning to regard his agents with pursed lips as they walked up, clearly intending to be a part of the manhunt.

Scully approached ahead of her partner, wearing a hard gaze and grimly set mouth. Skinner exchanged a wary glance with Mulder over her shoulder, hoping for a little backup. It didn't seem likely; Mulder had probably already tried to bargain with her with little or no success.

"You're looking much better, Scully," he sighed, knowing from the answering look he got that Mulder would be siding with his partner in any case. "But I know I don't need to tell you how risky it is to be running around, let alone back in the field so soon."

He glanced at Mulder, who looked almost worse off than she did, but wearing an identical mask of determination.

"Hell, you should both still be in the hospital, at the very least resting."

Mulder opened his mouth to argue, but Skinner cut him off, nodding toward the small dark stain on the front of his shirt.

"You're bleeding again, Mulder," he said testily, daring them to try to tell him they were both fine.

Mulder looked down distractedly, and Skinner saw in his expression that he had honestly not noticed. The blood didn't stand out as starkly on the dark grey t shirt as it had on his crisp white button-down, but it was still quite noticeable, and had to have been accompanied by some degree of pain. Skinner raised his eyebrows, waiting for a witty retort.

"Must have torn my stitches when Hunt was trying to kill me," Mulder muttered, pulling his coat over the stain. "We're wasting time here, sir. Scully and I can help you get this guy. Now why don't you fill us in so we can do it before anyone else gets hurt."

Scully unconsciously crossed her arms at the end of her partner's ultimatum, giving weight to his words and unwittingly advancing the image of them as an inseparable investigative machine, two halves of a well-functioning whole. Can't have one without the other, so you need us both, they seemed to say in tandem with their stubborn glares. Skinner found it both amusing and disgusting.

"You two are going to get each other killed one of these days," he grumbled, shaking his head. "And me, while you're at it." He sighed, then waved them over to where the rest of the agents were convened, coordinating with SWAT leaders and squad cars via radio.

"I had a team dispatched for surveillance when Shelly told me we'd find him here," Skinner started. "I don't know if he was onto us, but he was being very cautious as he entered the building. Best we can guess right now is that Hunt is in the north wing of the warehouse somewhere," he said, gesturing to a stretch of the giant building that sprawled before them.

On the other end of the complex , several unmarked cars were lying in wait, indicating that roads on that end had already been blocked off. "The building should be abandoned, but we know there's at least one other person in there with him. Could be a hostage or an accomplice, we aren't sure. I was waiting for more intel from you guys before pulling the trigger. Needless to say, I was hoping more for a call."

They all turned at a slight commotion as Shelly and the Gunmen pulled up. Langly's voice carried over the annoyed bark of one of the other agents.

"It's alright, they're with us," Skinner called, cringing slightly when he realized what he'd said. "Kind of."

Mulder and Scully ignored this exchange, staying focused on Skinner.

"Sir, let me and Scully lead a team in there to scope it out," Mulder urged him. "We need to take this bastard alive, and if you send in all the guns, he'll probably try to make a run for it and end up getting shot."

Skinner's eyes narrowed, exasperatedly wondering how they always managed to maneuver him into corners like this when he was their superior agent.

"Mulder's right," Scully said evenly, holding Skinner's gaze as he silently tried to call upon her usual propensity for common sense. "We've got a better chance than anybody at talking him out. And if that doesn't work, by all means, take him down. But without him, we have little hope of making a case on this."

Looking down at Scully, fierce determination standing out over her pallid complexion, the dark hollows beneath her eyes from days of being near death, Skinner sighed in defeat.

"Alright," he said gruffly. "You can work with Agent Seville's team. They're prepped and ready to go in." He nodded over to a tall, dark-haired man standing by the nearest FBI fleet sedan. Mulder and Scully nodded their thanks and moved to meet him.

"Agents," Skinner called as they walked away. In unison, they looked back over their shoulders at him. "I want you both in Kevlar. No more stapling shut your own bullet holes, or whatever the hell you did, Mulder."

Mulder's lip twitched up in a partial grin. "Sounds like a plan."

XXX

Agent Seville's team consisted of himself and five other field agents, already dressed in tactical gear and bulletproof vests. They quickly got Mulder and Scully suited up with vests and radios, as well as a proper hip holster for Scully. After briefing everyone on the layout of the building and their plan of approach, Seville started pairing them off into teams.

"Davey, you're with Bronson," he ordered, gesturing to a tall blonde woman and a stocky young man. "Agent Mulder, you'll be with Agent Reynolds. Hubbard-"

"I'm sorry, Agent Seville," Mulder interrupted, his eyes flicking to Scully. She was already looking at him with a look of veiled concern that surely mirrored his own. "I think I should stay with my partner on this one."

Seville frowned, but didn't outright disregard him.

"I was hoping that by splitting you up, we might double our advantage. If we encounter Hunt, I'd like to have one of you there to try at negotiation first."

"I understand," Mulder countered. "But Agent Scully's health may still be compromised. If anything happens-"

"No," Scully cut him off. "He's right, Mulder. We'll be more effective if we split up." She gave him a reprimanding look. "I'll be fine."

Agent Seville watched their exchange silently, waiting until the two agents turned their attention back to him before continuing.

"If that's settled, let's pair off and do this thing," he said. "Agent Hubbard, Agent O'Conor, you'll come in from the west entrance. Reynolds and Mulder will take the east. I want Davey and Bronson on the roof. Agent Scully and I will take the south entrance. The north is covered by our roadblock. He won't be getting past us."

Seville looked around the circle, letting his eyes linger briefly on Mulder, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. As the most experienced field agent, he'd paired himself with Scully on purpose, just in case. His look told Mulder that if anything were to happen, he'd take full responsibility. It made Mulder feel only marginally better, but he was grateful for the gesture.

They split into their teams, taking position and waiting for Seville to radio the go-ahead order. Crouched behind the eastern door, Mulder glanced at his partner. Agent Reynolds was probably in his late 20's, quiet and confident, with black hair and tanned skin. They regarded each other with professional detachment, exchanging only as many words as necessary.

At Seville's signal, they moved silently into the building, maintaining a 20-foot distance as they swept side to side, guns ahead. The first floor of the wing sprawled before them, mostly void of any equipment or furniture. Mulder looked to Reynolds, gesturing with a jerk of his head that he intended to round the corner into the next room. Reynolds nodded, doing a final sweep before following to cover Mulder.

A stretch of wide hallway followed, and the agents moved through it cautiously, eyes on the opening to the next area of the warehouse. Entering the next cavernous room, Mulder saw that about a quarter of it was furnished; the northeastern quarter. Seeing no other human activity, they moved in to find empty shelves, desks, and tables. Some lab equipment remained, halfheartedly tossed with white sheets as coverings, and here and there a trampled piece of paper lay on the floor. Mulder picked one up and studied it briefly.

After a moment he dropped it, nodding at Reynolds. There had been something here recently, but it had been ransacked, wiped almost clean in a hurried attempt to destroy evidence.

Mulder was about to motion for Reynolds to proceed to the stairwell when a shot rang out from above, making them both flinch. Mulder froze, eyes drawn to the ceiling as panic gripped him. Agent Reynolds was quicker to respond, keeping his gun raised as he ducked back into the hallway, grabbing his radio.

"Shots fired!" He barked into the receiver. "Repeat, shots fired!"

Mulder came to his senses, ducking back beside Reynolds and tensing on the grip of his gun, eyes still on the stairwell. There was no answering crackle from the radio.

"I repeat, shots fired!" Reynolds said again. "All teams, report!"

No response came, and Reynolds cursed under his breath.

"Alright, let's go up and-"

Before he could finish his sentence, another round popped off from the upper floor, echoing slightly in the concrete labyrinth.

Fear overriding his other senses, Mulder bolted up, running in a crouch to the stairs and taking them two at a time. Unintelligible cursing from behind told him that Reynolds had followed.

"We heard them too," the radio crackled, Agent Bronson's voice checking in. "No sign of him."

Reaching the second floor, Mulder held his gun out before him, sweeping the area before advancing. There was no sign of Hunt or the other teams, but after he'd walked ten or fifteen feet, he heard another shot and distant shouting from up ahead.

Heart beating in his chest, Mulder took off at a run, Reynolds several yards behind.

"Scully?!" He yelled, desperate to reconnect with her and figure out what had happened. A tiny, terrible voice in the back of his mind pointed out that there were three bullets unaccounted for, and their luck had seemingly run out years ago.

There was no response, but the shouting from ahead had stopped.

"Scully!?" He yelled again, his panic seeping into his voice.

"I'm here, Mulder," she called from ahead, her voice tight. "And so is Hunt."

Following her voice around the next corner, Mulder thudded to a stop in the semicircle of agents, Reynolds nearly running into him.

Agents Hubbard, O'Conor, and Seville stood in a scattered semicircle, their backs to him. Seville was already on his radio with someone below. Scully had turned, accepting Mulder's hand at her back as he came up behind her. On the floor before them lay Darryl Hunt, quite dead.

"Everyone's okay," Scully said quickly as she found his eyes. "None of our people saw Hunt alive. Whoever was with him must have shot him."

"I was first on the scene, saw the shooter running," Hubbard said, still breathing heavily. "I think I winged him before he got out the window onto the lower roof. Davey picked him off from above."

He gestured over to the broken window and Mulder and Scully followed. It was about a ten-foot drop to the lower roof, and the shooter had made it another fifty yards farther, almost reaching the access ladder that would have lead him to the ground. With no squad cars waiting on the end of the road, he may have escaped, if not for their sharpshooter on the top floor. His body had fallen forward, legs and arms bent as though he was still running.

"Come on, Scully," Mulder said, making for the stairs. "I want to take a look at that body."

Scully followed without a word, but as soon as they were out of earshot of the other agents, she gave him a questioning look.

"Why are we checking out the shooter, Mulder?" She asked as she holstered her gun. "Do you know who it is?"

"I might," Mulder said grimly.

As they approached the spot where the shooter had fallen, blood still pooling around him, they saw that the paramedics had beat them there. They'd already proclaimed his death and were preparing a body bag.

"Will you guys give us a few minutes?" Mulder asked briskly, in a tone that suggested that it wasn't a question. The medics nodded and retreated.

Scully watched her partner carefully as he turned the body over. The kill shot had taken him in the back, so his face was still recognizable. Seeing the man's face, Mulder exhaled heavily.

"I know this man, Scully," he said, standing again, looking angry and sickened. "I got a real good look before he black-bagged me and held a gun on me in the van with Richard Brontman."

Scully's heart sank.

"Are you sure?"

Mulder turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I thought he was going to kill me, Scully. Yeah, I'm sure."

Scully looked from the dead man back up to the broken window where the agents and medics were cataloging evidence and getting Hunt's body packed up.

"If Brontman orchestrated Hunt's death, he's probably halfway across the country by now," she said, dismayed. "And anything connecting him to all this is probably being destroyed as we speak."

Mulder looked up with a start, remembering something. He reached for his cell phone and called Skinner.

"Sir, I need you to authorize a search warrant and send a team to the Shearing-Greensley Medical Research Clinic," he said quickly, praying that Skinner wouldn't ask him why.

"Already on it," Skinner replied, sounding like he had just come to the same conclusion as Scully. "Frohike told me why. I sent the Gunmen home and took Shelly into protective custody. I want you two to stay put, though. Give your statements to Agent Seville and make sure anything of relevance gets bagged and sent to Quantico. Don't even think about barging into that clinic."

Mulder glanced over his shoulder at his partner, remembering the look-alike body he'd found in the lab.

"We won't, Sir. For once, you and I are in agreement that that would not be a good idea."

"Good," skinner said, sounding relieved. "When you're done, for the love of God let somebody check you both out. I'll call as soon as we find anything."

After he hung up, Mulder turned to head back into the warehouse, giving Scully's shoulder a light squeeze as he passed. With a sigh, she followed.

After giving their statements, thanking Agent Seville, and stopping by the ambulance for long enough to be told that they should both take a few days off, they trudged silently back to the car.

When they got in, Mulder put the keys in the ignition, but made no move to start it. He let his head fall back against the seat, closing his eyes and exhaling heavily.

"We did everything we could have, Mulder," Scully said quietly from the passenger seat, watching him with tired eyes.

Mulder remained motionless. "It wasn't enough."

She sighed. "We don't know that yet."

After a long moment, he opened his eyes and sat up. He studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he turned away and started the car with a sigh.

"Let's go home, Scully."