Tomorrow
By Jillian
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"That's impossible. You're lying." Dana Scully yelled. "He's safe!"
"Nobody is safe. We thought you knew that by now."
"How could you have found him?" She demanded. "I don't believe you."
"Nobody said you had to believe me. My job is to simply let you know that within forty-eight hours we will exterminate his parents, and take the child. We will then find you and Mulder. We'll exterminate everyone with the slightest knowledge of this liquid of yours. Everyone you love. We told you we'd hit you twice as hard."
"You son of a bitch I swear to God--" Scully stopped. It was too late. The man was gone. Gone, like her happiness. It was always fleeting.
"Mulder," Her voice shook as she told him, and there was no holding back the tears running down her face. "They have William."
"I thought you.."
"I did, Mulder. He's not supposed to exist as William, he doesn't. He's got a new name, a new life. The hardest decision I ever made, and for what? His safety. He's *still* not safe, Mulder. It's my fault." She broke down then, sobbing heavily into his chest.
"We'll call the adoption agency." Mulder said.
"God, Mulder, don't you get it? We *can't*. I made sure we couldn't. I signed papers. I never thought..."
"We'll find a way, Dana. I promise you I won't let our child die."
"I can't do this again, Mulder, I can't, I can't lose another one..."
"I'm calling DC. We're flying out there. Skinner can use his position, he'll accompany us to the adoption agency. We'll find a way. We always do."
Two hours later they were on a plane to Washington DC. It was virtually impossible to get a flight on a snowy Christmas Day, but not when you're friends with an Assistant Director at the FBI. They said very little on the flight, but there always seemed to be tears lingering in Scully's eyes, waiting for when they would have to fall again.
The plane touched down, and they hurried off to the main concourse of the airport. Not a word was said as they frantically rushed around, looking for John, Monica, and Skinner. They had found a sitter for Gibson for the evening, since they didn't want to drag him all around with them. Suddenly, they spotted the Assistant Director's tall form, and the two Agents standing beside him. They rushed over to them.
"Sir, we need to go to the adoption agency, now." Scully said.
"What's going on, Dana?" He asked, confused. "You didn't tell me a damn thing about why it was so important that you see me."
"The Super-soldiers called. They said they're going to kill everyone involved with the liquid, everyone I love. They're going to get William."
"That's impossible, you gave him up.." John began.
"Damnit, nothing is impossible to them! I need your help." Scully said, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Mulder squeezed her hand.
"Of course." Monica said. "Of course. Let's go, the car's right outside."
They rushed out of the building and piled into Monica's SUV. "Where's the adoption agency?" Monica asked. "Downtown DC." Scully replied, her voice seeming flat. Mulder held her hand the entire ride, to remind her was there--she wasn't going through this alone. He hated seeing the fear in her eyes, because her strength always had kept him strong. When it looked like she was going to lose it, he knew he couldn't be far behind. When he first met Scully, she showed little emotion, and was rather stoic. Then, sometimes, something traumatic would occur and he'd see a glimmer of something beyond their professionalism and occasional light-hearted banter. He was eventually lucky enough to see that emotion directed positively at him. Emotion like this, like the tears in her eyes, was something he hated having to see.
What seemed like an eternity later, Monica's car pulled into the parking lot of the adoption agency after some directions from Scully. There was a woman walking out, who looked at them funny as they were running towards the door. "You'd better hurry up," She warned them, "They're not open much longer. Christmas hours." They nodded at her, and burst in through the doors. Their sudden appearance startled the secretary behind the desk.
"I'm sorry," The woman began. She was a younger girl, probably in her mid-twenties. "All the social workers have left for the day, and I'm about to close up."
"Well, we'd appreciate a little help." AD Skinner said, flashing his badge.
"FBI... Sure, um, what do you need?" The girl asked.
"I need to know where a child was sent after it was given up for adoption last year."
"I'm not supposed to open those records for anyone..." She began.
"It's a matter of life or death for that child." Scully pleaded. "It's of the greatest importance that we find him immediately."
"Okay, I guess if it's an issue of safety... What's the birth mothers name?"
"Dana Katherine Scully." Scully said, her hands shaking.
"Yes, here it is. William Scully, given to us at the agency on April twenty-eighth, 2002. Date of birth--"
"May twentieth." Scully interrupted.
"Yes, this is the one you're looking for. He was adopted by the Van de Kamp family in Wyoming. I'll print you out the address and directions from the nearest airport. These were supposed to be confidential... My boss is going to kill me."
"Your boss don't hafta' know." John said.
"Okay. Here," She said, handing Scully the paper. "Good luck."
"Thank you." Scully said, as she turned to walk out. She looked at the woman again. "You just saved my sons life." She turned to walk out, and the woman, confused but happy to be helpful, continued to close down the place and head home.
"Wyoming." Mulder said. "We need to get to Wyoming."
"Somebody's gotta watch Gibson for a while." John said.
"My mom will do it." Scully said. "She's a kid person." She called up her mother, who gladly obliged--especially when she heard they were looking for William.
"We're going to need all the liquid we've got." Scully said.
"I have it in my apartment, hidden in suitcases. We'll stop there on the way."
Twenty minutes later, they were heading to the airport with six cases of liquid magnetite in the back of the car. They pulled into the lot, and they ran inside. Scully was beginning to lag behind, being that she was seven months pregnant. Mulder slowed down with her, and soon enough they were inside. They pushed ahead of everyone, carrying the liquid, and ignoring everyone else. They cut the entire line, and Skinner took out his badge.
"I'm an Assistant Director with the FBI and I need five tickets on your next flight to Wyoming."
"That flight leaves in forty-five minutes... Um, I think I can get five tickets, two together, the other three scattered."
"We'll take whatever you can get." He handed her the Bureau credit card, and they rushed off in the direction she told them to go to. When they reached the security gate, they saw a younger man there, checking bags.
"FBI." Skinner said, flashing his credentials along with John and Monica. "The contents of these bags are confidential, I have to ask you to not run them through an X-Ray."
"Well, uh, can I see your badge again, Sir?" The man asked. He studied it briefly, and nodded, deciding it was authentic.
"You can, uh, go through I guess." He looked hesitant. "Should I put these in cargo? They're kinda big for overhead.." He stammered, nervous his boss would be angry with him.
"Yes, please, just don't give anyone access to them." Skinner said.
"Alright, um, enjoy your flight."
"Thank you." Scully said to the man, as they rushed to board the flight.
They sat down, and Scully began to catch her breathe. She and Mulder sat together, and the other three were scattered about. Mulder placed his hand on her stomach, and felt the baby kicking. He looked up into her tired, sad eyes, and for a moment he was sure it would be okay.
"He's kicking." Mulder said.
"Yeah, I know." She replied. Obviously, she knew, Mulder thought. The thing is beating the crap out of her uterus.
"You okay?" He asked, noting how tired she was.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just worn out. He's been kicking for a while and we've been running around so much... And I'm so worried. I mean, I gave William up so this wouldn't happen... If I had kept him, would he have been safer?"
"You can't do this to yourself, Dana. You made all the right choices. I won't let them to anything to him, I promise you that. It's going to work out in the end." He began to believe his words, after he said them so often. He was sure as Hell he wasn't going to let them take away the people he loved... He promised her that he would protect her and their child, and he meant every word.
"Get some rest." He murmured quietly to her.
"I'll try, but I don't know how I'll be able to sleep now." She replied.
Despite her doubts, Dana was asleep moments later. She was truly exhausted, and understandably so. She was seven months pregnant, chasing around Super-soldiers, and now afraid she'd lose one of her children... That was enough to make anyone tired. Mulder said nothing the entire remainder of the flight, instead he just watched her. Every once in a while he would touch her gingerly, just to remind himself she was there. That he'd never let them take another thing from him, or her, after losing so much already. With every touch to her stomach, or every time he brushed hair from her face, he became more and more sure that he'd never let her go again. Not her, and not their son.
Dana Scully awoke as the plane landed. It was dark outside, despite the time difference between Wyoming and Washington DC. They rose from their seats, noting the snow outside, and gathered their belongings. Meeting up with the other Agents, they walked off of the plane. The picked up the suitcases from the luggage carousal, and then proceeded to rent and SUV. They were about an hour and a half to two hours away from the Van de Kamp residence, but the snow was heavy in Wyoming. They herded into the car, Doggett at the wheel and Skinner in the seat next to him. In the back was Mulder, Scully, and Monica Reyes. Their strategy had been to put the smallest people in the back, so they'd have more room. The very back of the car was filled with suitcases of liquid magnetite.
Little was said on the drive, and Scully just thought to herself. Thought about what they would do to William, to "all of the people she loved." What she would tell the Van de Kamp's... 'Hi, I'm his real mom, Dana. I'm involved in a global conspiracy, and my lover/partner and I are trying to save the world. These are our FBI friends. The conspiracy involves Super-soldiers who are trying to kill my son, or now your son, William, and it's being hidden by the FBI and US government. We're here to rescue the child. Can I have him back? I didn't really want to give him up…' How insane would she sound? These people must've grown to love William, treat him like a son of their own... It was December now, and she had given him up in April. In May, he turned a year old. He was about eighteen months now... Was he walking and talking yet? He had made a few noises with Scully, but no words. Did he crawl? Surely he did, he was about a year and a half. Maybe he took steps. Maybe he spoke. Maybe all he said was Mama and Dada.
"He's a year and a half now, you know. Just turned eighteen months five days ago." Scully said out loud, to nobody in particular.
"Don't worry, Dana." The female Agent beside her said. "We're not going to let anything happen to him."
"What if they're at his home already? He might be crawling and talking now, he's probably so afraid." She said, sounding like a frightened child herself.
"He can't be doin' much yet," John said. "Don't worry. We're gunna make sure he's okay."
"I hope so." She said. Mulder rested his hand on her thigh.
"We will, Dana. We will." He said.
Quite a while later, the SUV plowed through a snow dirt road, seeing a lone house in the middle of a field. "This is it." John said, pulling the car closer. It was then that they saw several black trucks parked outside the house. "No," Scully said. "No." They were there. What if they had him? Her mind was racing.
"Get the liquid." John said.
"It's already in hypodermic needles." Skinner said. "Lot's of them. They're ready to be injected." The grabbed three of the suitcases and opened them, taking the needles and stuffing them into pockets and hands. They were closed, but all you had to do was remove the tiny cap and jab them into a Super-soldier.
"Let's go, we have to hurry." Scully said.
"Dana, you should wait here... The baby.." Mulder said.
"No, no I need to see him, I need to see my baby! I need to save him, Mulder, please..." She was sobbing now, from the fear of seeing that they may have been too late.
"Dana, listen to me! We have another life inside you right now! You can't risk that, it's more than just you dying for him. Let me risk my life for him, Dana. Don't risk our next child with yourself."
"Mulder, please save him..." She sobbed against him outside, in the snowy field.
"I promise you I will." Mulder said.
It was at that moment when they all heard it.
Two gunshots rang out into the night air, from inside the house.
Dana Scully let out a heart-wrenching cry for her child, and then broke down into uncontrollable sobs.
[[AUTHORS NOTES: Hey, guys! This chapter gave me so many problems! First, I was completely stuck, with no inspiration. Then, I wrote some on a Saturday night, but I was umm... Intoxicated [just don't tell my mom! ;-) ] When I woke up and started reading it, it made very, very little sense. So, I started fresh, and finally finished the chapter despite a major headache. Then, my computer froze and I lost everything, so I had to type it from memory all over again. Not fun. Only for you guys!! Thanks again for all the reviews, and keep 'em coming! By the way… It's getting close to the end for this story… Just a few chapters left. Hope you're all enjoying it! ;) ]]