- 14 -

Scully waited nervously in the lobby of the huge building, biting her
fingernails. A few women passed her but they didn't look at her. She
felt nervous. If Mulder were like that, how would she be able to talk
to him? All she could do was hope and pray they hadn't harmed him. It
did take quite a long time for them to fetch him.

The French doors opened and three men walked over to her. She
recognized Dominique immediately from the photos. They didn't do him
justice. He was a handsome man with the charisma of an old-fashioned
movie star. No wonder he could persuade all of his followers to take
drugs. When he spoke, he sounded attractive and honest.

The second man didn't interest her. But it was her partner that gave
her the biggest shock. Before her stood Mulder, staring blank at her.
His body slumped a bit and he was unshaven. He looked like he hadn't
slept for weeks.
'Mulder,' she said, resisting the urge to grab his hand and take him
out. Instead she took two steps and stared at him in despair. He
wasn't responding to the sight of her. In fact, she could have been
anyone. He would have reacted the same to anyone.

This had nothing to do with the illness he had told her about. His
pupils were dilated and didn't seem able to focus on reality. They
were restless and nervous. He looked like a drug-addict searching for
the next kick. He had lost weight; his clothes seemed baggy and
didn't fit.
'Mulder,' she repeated, trying to get a grip on her partner. He just
stared at her, not able to recognize her. She bit her lip angrily,
then turned towards Dominique and bit, 'what have you done to him?
He's a zombie!'
'Your friend has been a bit ill but he's fine. Our doctor gave him
medication to make him well. He'll be fine in the morning. He's just
feeling under the weather.'

'He's not going to stay here until the morning,' she said, 'he's
coming with me.'
'On what authority?'
'I'm a medical doctor, his friend and guardian in case of medical
urgency. I have a written statement of him assigning me to take his
decisions.'
'I'm sure that only counts when it comes to mental unfitness. But your
partner is doing just fine.'

'He's not. Anyone can see that. He needs to be in a hospital. If needs
be, I'll get a warrant.'

'Why don't you do that then, Agent Scully,' Dominique said calm. 'Your
friend is no longer an FBI-agent. He's resigned. He chooses to be
here. He's not here against his own will.'

Dominique softened as he looked at Mulder and leaned forward a bit
towards Scully. 'I know you're worried about your friend, but he's in
good hands. It's time he forgets about the past and starts living in
the present. I've offered him a place of rest a home that what
he's been seeking for so long. Are you going to deny him that?'

'You fed him those lies,' Scully said, not wanting to betray Mulder by
telling Dominique he was still at the FBI. Anything could happen.
'You claim that you want to help him. Have you ever considered that
you have fed him that urgency to find his sister? He might have had a
better life if you hadn't pushed him all this time.'

'Is that what he told you?'

'It's what I see. Fox has said several times that he wants peace and
quiet. He's getting that right now. Aren't you, Fox? In fact, he has
already said that he will give me full consent. He's fed up with you,
Agent Scully.'
Scully stared in shock as Mulder nodded slowly as if to confirm.

She blinked her eyelids forcefully and swallowed away the dryness in
her throat. She needed to get Mulder out of here now. She couldn't
wait for Skinner. In despair her voice sounded hoarse when she spoke
again.
'I want to speak with him alone,' she said.
'I can't let you do that.'
'I need to hear it from himself that this is what he wants. If he
cannot tell me, I'll call my superior right now and get that warrant
before you can blink your eyes. As long as I have his consent, I will
use it at any cost, even if it means declaring him mentally unfit.'

'All right,' Dominique said, pointing towards the secluded garden.
'You have five minutes.'
He opened the door for them and showed them out. Mulder walked beside
her in the same zombie-state-of-mind that he had been all this time.
She brought him out, putting her hand on his wrist to lead him to one
of the wooden benches near the pond.

There were more people in the garden but they all kept their distance.
They could have been alone in the Garden of Eden that quiet and
peaceful it seemed. But it was artificial and Scully knew it. She
could understand a bit better now how someone could want to spend
their time here. Still, anything was better than this even the
hard, cold world outside these walls.
A woman looked at them from the other side of the pond. She was
reading a book, lying on the grass. Yet her glance always seemed to
return to them, watching them with a careful look.

Scully made sure her partner could see only her and took his hands in
hers. 'Mulder,' she said, using the softest tones of her voice. He
didn't turn towards her. She put a hand under his chin and forced him
to look at her.
'Mulder, please try and understand this. I need to get you out of
here. You're in danger. Can you hear me? You have to understand what
I'm saying now. If you don't, I won't be able to help you. I will
have to be forced to leave you alone again, until I can get help.'

His eyes blinked twice but he didn't respond. Wherever he was, he
wasn't able to understand her. Whatever they had drugged him with; it
had its effect on him. He listened only to one voice and it wasn't
hers.
'Mulder, please listen to me. You alone can get yourself out of here
at this moment. You need to persuade them you want out. Can you do
that for me, partner? Do you remember why you were here in the first
place?'
She leaned over and kissed him softly, her lips lingering for two
seconds on the corner of his mouth. He didn't react. But there was
some change in the way he looked at her. He was trying to fight the
drugs from within, to be able to communicate with her. She was
getting through to him!
The woman across the pond got up and hurried towards the building. She
had dropped the book on the grass. Scully knew she had not much time
left.
'Mulder, speak to me. Tell me what you want!'

Her partner opened his mouth, blinking his eyelids again. From the
house Dominique rushed towards them. Scully refused to look at the
'SA'-leader and kept her focus on Mulder.

'Let go of him now,' Dominique said, 'or I will be forced to use
extreme measures.'

'I'm taking him out of here,' she said firmly, pulling him up.
'You can't. He doesn't want to come with you.'
'Yes, he does. If you don't let him go, I'll scream fire and send this
place to hell.'

Dominique wasn't ready to argue. Pulling her up by the right arm he
extracted her from Mulder. 'He's staying!' he said.

From the corner of her eye, Scully saw her partner's lips move. 'He's
trying to say something,' she said, pulling herself free.
Dominique turned and stared at the male agent. Then he leaned forward
so that Mulder alone could hear and whispered, 'If you give one kick,
I'll kill her right here. You know I will.'

Mulder's body seemed to shift on his seat. Then it relaxed again and
he shut his mouth, refusing to look at Scully.

'I think he's made his point, Agent Scully,' Dominique said, releasing
her from his grip. 'Why don't you leave now? You've upset him enough.
You have no place here.'

'I'll come back,' she said hard. 'You can count on that.'

Dominique only smiled when he guided her to her car and watched as she
drove off. On the bench, her partner still sat quietly, as the
numbness slowly took off.