Mulder found her waiting for him in the library at Brittlegate. She was looking out of the window into the garden, watching the mid-afternoon sun dance on the grass and the roses and the lavender. It was as if she sensed his presence because she turned to face him as he approached her.

"Scully," he began.

"Mulder, I saw her again today." Scully replied. "Meena. Meena and the baby. I was in Notting Hill, in front of this book store, and she came up to me. I'd been walking around for what seemed to have been hours, really it was only an hour and a half - it had to have been, but I lost track of time. I don't know how long she was there with the baby. She may have been in Notting Hill for the same amount of time. Who knows how close we came to bumping into each other; how many parallel streets we walked, how many times we crossed each other's paths and not seen each other until that moment...."

"Scully, wait," Mulder tried again, but Scully never heard him. "She's going by Meena Cartwright; that's the last name they've given her. She's calling the baby Nigel. I held him, Mulder. And there's no doubt in my mind that it was our grandson. He has red hair - remember Meena's hair was read for almost a year before it turned darker, and he has my brother Bill's nose...."

The pain in Mulder's heart was unbearable, especially in light of what he had to tell her.

"She goes to Notting Hill on a regular basis," Scully continued. " There's a tea shop that she goes to when she's there. We were going to go there when she got a call from her husband - I figure that they've set her up with Krycek's son, if he's still alive. That's the most logical thing to do. I'm sure he's undergoing the same treatment, or has just finished it. Mulder, we don't have a lot of time. She only has two treatments left - she told me so herself. What we'll do is try to locate her through public records, and barring that, stake out the tea shops in the area close to where I saw her. Now that we know where to locate her, now that we have some kind of a lead, the only thing left is to develop and administer the antidote...."

The solemn look on her husband's face made Scully stop.

"We won't be able to use the labs at Scotland Yard to develop the antidote," Mulder replied. "Phoebe will not allow it."

"Won't allow it? What do you mean, `won't allow it'?" Scully was incredulous. "She has to. I'll talk to her..." Mulder gently but firmly grabbed his wife's arm as she brushed past him. "Don't, Scully."

"Don't tell me what to do, Mulder," Scully shot back. "She has to do this. It's a matter of professional courtesy; she... she can't ignore a request to honor a reciprocal agreement between the Bureau and Scotland Yard..."

"Please, Scully - don't do this," pleaded Mulder. "I don't accept this!" Scully yelled. "I will not accept this. I will NOT accept this! I will NOT accept that this will block me and keep me from seeing my daughter! I WON'T ACCEPT THIS, MULDER!!!"

Mulder pulled his wife to him, and held her close. She struggled at first, not against him, but in her frustration at their situation. He rocked her gently in his arms in as much an effort to comfort himself as it was to comfort her. When she finally looked up at him, Scully's eyes were rimmed with tears.

"I held our grandson, Mulder. I saw our daughter. I was so close. And the only memory she had of me was from the other night. Nothing more. And I couldn't tell her who I was. I couldn't tell her about the family that loves her and misses her and how much she means to us." Scully angrily wiped a tear from her eye. "I should have said something..."

"You couldn't, Scully - you know that," Mulder replied. "Not without risking irreparable harm..."

"And not saying anything, I risked never seeing our daughter or our grandson again," Scully replied. Mulder gently lifted Scully's face by the chin as he looked down into her eyes.

"Never say never, Scully," he replied. "Never say never."

***************************************************************************

Meena drove as quickly as she legally could to Henley-on-Thames. She couldn't place the tone in Drew's voice. She couldn't tell if it was worry or anxiety, confusion or amazement. She had made the trip from Notting Hill more than once, but this particular time seemed to take longer than any other drive.

Something was definitely awry, and she wouldn't be at ease until she knew what it was.

The sight of her Father-in-Law's white Jaguar in the driveway made Meena's heart race in her chest. She pulled quickly in behind it, and was pulling Nigel out of the car seat when Drew called out to her from the doorway.

"Meena! Darling, thank goodness you're home!"

"I should say you've given me quite a start," Meena replied as she carried the baby up the walkway. Drew reached out, and took the baby from her arms. "I'm sorry, love, but it's been quite an eventful afternoon."

"In what way?" Meena asked. "Well, I have good news and some very disturbing news," Drew replied.

When Meena and Drew entered the living room, two men stood up to greet them. The first man she knew as Drew's father, but the second.... She didn't know the second man at all, but that wasn't what disturbed her.

What disturbed Meena was the fact that the second man looked like a much older version of Drew.

"This is the good news I was talking about, dear," Drew said as he stood next to her. "I don't understand." Drew's father continued where he left off. "Meena, I'd like to introduce Alex Carson. Drew's Uncle."

"How do you do?" the other man inquired. "I'm sure this comes as quite a shock to you, Meena."

"It is quite sudden," Meena replied slowly. "I'm afraid that's not the only shock we've had this afternoon," Drew replied. Meena looked at him quizzically, but it was Drew's father who answered her next inquiry.

"I'm afraid Dr. Moriarty is dead," he replied. "A murder-suicide as a result of a lover's spat. Quite tragic really..."

Meena didn't know what to say. She also couldn't shake the sudden sense of fear that ran up and down her spine at that moment.

*****************************************************************************

He stood outside of the scene and observed the four people in the living room much like an audience member would watch a play or a movie-goer would watch a film. As he participated in this self-imposed out-of-body experience, he took the opportunity to evaluate his life and the moments that had led up to this one. His life hadn't turned out as he had planned, and certainly not as he had wished it to when he was younger. It was the truth, and it didn't make him any different from anybody else in the room or, for that matter in the world. What made his life different was the choices he had made, the path he had chosen, the lives he had effected. All had turned out poorly, all had been bad. And he had only himself to blame. He had the gift few people possessed of knowing exactly when and at exactly which moment his life had changed. It was a clear choice, good or evil - he knew that at the time. He was given a choice, and he didn't chose wisely. And it wasn't as if the universe hadn't given him the chance, the choice, the opportunity time and again to correct his mistakes and change his destiny. But he ignored those chances and he as well as those around him paid for it; some had paid with their lives.

Krycek looked at Andrew, his son. He looked so much like he did when he was a young agent at the Bureau, back when his life was his. Back when he had a choice. And although he could see his youth mirrored in his son's face, he could also see his mother in his eyes. He had Marita's eyes, and sometimes a hint of her smile. It was a mother's instinct to protect her child from danger, to keep her child from harm, to shield that child from evil.

Marita had been right to keep their son away from him.

Krycek turned his attention to Mulder and Scully's daughter. She was the perfect blend of the two of them, and anyone who looked at her and knew the two agents could see that. She had her father's Hazel eyes and tints of red in her dark auburn hair. At a petite 5'5", she had her mother's build, and her Irish, porcelain skin. She looked like a Dresden doll, but he could see she had her mother's fiery spirit, her father's intensity and integrity. And he knew that any offspring of the two agents would have their passion for the truth.

Meena passed out the tea as Drew poured. "So, you're from America, as I understand it." Meena asked. Krycek nodded, but Drew's father answered for him.

"Drew's mother had family in America, although she was from Great Britain."

"Then I'm afraid I don't understand the genealogy," Meena said. "I didn't know you had a brother, Dad, so that would make you, Mister Carson, Drew's maternal uncle." "He's my Great-Uncle," Drew replied. "Uncle Alex wasn't a direct sibling to either my mother or my father..."

"So he probably didn't know your mother all that well," Meena replied. "Actually, that's not quite true," Krycek replied. Conversation in the room stopped. It was the first time he'd said anything since Meena and the baby came home.

Krycek, fully aware of who sat next to him, chose his words carefully. "Your mother was beautiful, Drew." he said slowly. "I remember that. She had these piercing, clear eyes. You know, you have her eyes. And her smile," Krycek said. "I definitely see her smile in yours."

The baby began to cry in the playpen that was next to the couch. Meena moved to get him, but Drew stopped her. "Let me, dear." He got up from the sofa, reached into the playpen, and pulled out the baby. It was the first time Krycek got a good look at his grandson. He wanted to hold him so much, but didn't dare ask. Besides, everything he touched died. He didn't want that for his grandson.

"I think it may be time for somebody's bottle," Drew said. He bounced the baby in his arms, in an effort to quiet his son. "His royal highness is hungry." Drew looked at his son, playfully tweaking his nose. "Maybe Uncle Alex can tell us where all this curly red hair came from while he's here."

"I hardly think that's something he can explain in one afternoon," Meena said as she began to clear away the dishes. "Well, of course not, dear," Drew replied. "But I'm sure he can within the next three days." Meena looked at Drew quizzically. "Uncle Alex will be staying with us. He was going to stay at a hotel, but I wouldn't hear of it."

"Of course not," Meena said coolly. "Besides," Drew continued, "I think it's good that Nigel get to know all his family members."

Without missing a beat, Meena picked up the tray, and turned towards the kitchen.

"Best to bring the baby in here for his bottle," she said slowly. "I'm going to need your help for a minute. I'm sure your father and uncle will excuse us."

The man with the curly, black, salt and pepper hair waited until the door shut before he spoke.

"I suppose I need not remind you of what's at stake here, Krycek, nor is it necessary to remind you of just exactly what I am capable of."

********************************************************************************

Meena angrily slammed the tea tray on the kitchen counter as the door shut behind them. "Meena," Drew began. "I can accept that you would behave irresponsibly when it comes to matters that concern you and only you," Meena interrupted, "but what I cannot and will not accept that you would be so patently irresponsible as to invite a man who is a virtual stranger into our home simply because he says he's your uncle."

"Meena, he's family," Drew continued. "Then let his stay with your father," Meena replied. "I don't care if you have that little regard for my safety and for your safety, but the very least I would expect from you is to think about the safety of your son."

"But he is my uncle - you can look at him and see it!" Drew replied passionately. "Anyone can see it just by looking."

"Anyone could look at a pile of cow dung and think it's chocolate - that doesn't make it so." Meena shot back. "And quite frankly, I think I'm looking at a very large pile of it sitting right in our living room. The terms in which he described your mother sounded more like one lover describing another - not one relative talking about another family member."

"You're being silly, Meena."

"I'm warning you, Drew - I'd think twice about patronizing me..."

"Do you think my father would bring a complete stranger into our home and try to pass him off as a family member?" Drew replied.

Meena pulled the baby's bottle out of the microwave, and tested it on her wrist. Satisfied it was safe, she reached for the baby. "Quite frankly, I really don't think you want to know the answer to that," she said.