Mulder stood and stretched, his bones popping and muscles protesting from being in his previously crouched position. As he stood and looked at the others around him, his stomach growled and he was shocked to realize that not only had he not eaten breakfast, but it was now pushing far past lunchtime.

"Well," he said with a shrug, knowing he could not simply up and leave, he turned to investigate the next headstone, looking for what, he really was not sure.

Knowing he would never admit it, he secretly hoped that one of the old headstones had been made into an entrance to a secret lab or something equally amazing and yes, terrifying, and he simply needed to figure out which one it could be. He knew it was not possible, but shit, what if it was true and he found it?

The perfect hiding place was always right in plain sight where no one would suspect anything and an old abandoned cemetery was ripe for the picking.

"Agent Mulder," the sheriff called and Mulder stood up with another popping of his knees.

"Any luck?" Mulder asked and the sheriff shook his head.

"No. But, uh…" He handed Mulder the metal flip top lunch box he was carrying. "My wife called and asked if I needed anything. She brought me some lunch and I asked her to make something for you too."

"Wow, thank you. That was kind of you. Both of you."

"Least I could do. Thought you might not have eaten this morning given the early phone call and you've been here ever since. So…" He shrugged and Mulder smiled.

"No, we didn't eat. I'm sure Scully has by now, but… Thank your wife for me, will you please?"

"Of course." He sighed and looked around as he shook his head. "Have you heard how Trevor is doing?"

"No, not yet," he said, opening the lunch box and grinning at the sight of the coffee thermos. Taking it out and opening the top, he took a deep inhale and his mouth watered at the scent of coffee. "Scully will call when she knows something. Tests take time, as much as we'd like them to hurry." He took a sip of coffee and hummed his approval. "That's good coffee."

"Good," the sheriff said, still looking around. "You really think he was kept here?"

"Seems likely, considering he disappeared from and then reappeared here," Mulder said, taking another drink and then wiping his mouth. "Makes it easy for the perpetrator to get away with it if it's true. Less movement."

"Yeah." The sheriff shook his head again. "It just makes you think. Makes you worry for your own family. The boys especially right now, as it's only men being targeted. You worry about letting them go out, wondering if they will return. My boys keep telling me I'm being overprotective, but if something happened to them, I'd never forgive myself. You got any kids?" He looked at Mulder and he choked on the coffee.

"No," he said, clearing his throat and shaking his head. "No kids."

"Are you married?"

"No. Not married either," he said with a smile.

"What about Agent Scully? She married? Any kids?"

"No," Mulder said. "She's not married. And uh, no. No kids. She uh… she…" He shook his head again, the familiar feeling of sadness settling in his stomach at the thought of Scully never being able to have children. To have lost that ability entirely.

"I see," the sheriff said softly, nodding in understanding. "We struggled when we first got married, for a couple of years actually, and then after we stopped tracking things and being on a schedule…" He shrugged and smiled and Mulder smiled back, but did not feel it.

Scully's situation was completely different, but he would not tell the sheriff about it.

"Well, thanks for the lunch. I appreciate it."

"Yeah. Thanks for being here."

He nodded and walked across the now wet grass, the snow melting throughout the morning, except in shaded spots where it seemed to cling desperately.

Mulder turned and found a headstone with a large base and sat down upon it to eat his lunch.

There was a container of fried chicken, potato salad, a banana, utensils, and a piece of pumpkin pie inside of the lunch box. Grinning, he opened the container of fried chicken first and took a bite, closing his eyes as he chewed.

His phone rang as he was reaching for the second piece of chicken and he wiped his hands on the napkin that had been included before he answered it.

"Mulder."

"Hey. It's me," Scully said with a sigh.

"Hey. What's up? You talk to Trevor?"

"Not yet. They gave him a light sedative when he first got here to calm him down as he was becoming agitated. He's still sleeping right now."

"Okay."

"His injuries, Mulder…"

"Yeah?"

"All that he is presenting with, it's the opposite of Peter."

"Okay," he said, reaching for and then opening the container of potato salad.

"I'm saying they are the exact opposite. Like mirrored to his."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know yet. But it's… it's weird."

"Ohh, how weird?" he asked with a smile, stabbing a potato with a plastic fork.

"Mulder," she said, sighing deeply and he knew she was shaking her head.

"You're worried," he said, holding the fork, but not eating the bite.

"Yeah, I am."

"Do you not think he'll be okay?"

"No, I do. It's just… I don't understand it. Peter came back and the illness that was killing him was gone. It was completely gone. He didn't look as though he had suffered, in fact it was as though he thrived. Yes, he has superficial wounds, but that's nothing compared to what Trevor is going through."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" He heard a door close and she sighed again, the sound of it echoing slightly. "Trevor is a lot thinner than when he disappeared. Around twenty pounds thinner, according to Harriet. She's here with Renée and they were taken aback when they saw him. They both cried, with relief yes, but also because they were worried over his change in appearance."

"So, what are you thinking?" he asked, setting the fork down and staring at the headstone ahead of him without really seeing it.

"I… I don't know, Mulder. It's so…"

"What?"

"How is it possible? Mirrored injuries. One person healthy, one now less than. Trevor repeatedly saying the Latin names of medicines used to treat illnesses. It all feels…"

"Spooky?" he said with a half smile.

"For lack of a better word… yes."

"Don't forget to add the cemetery and the creepy forest into the equation," he teased, again lifting the fork and eating the bite.

"No. I haven't forgotten about them," she said softly and he chewed, swallowing quickly with a frown.

"You okay there, Scully?" he asked and she hummed.

"Yes. I'm fine," she said, sounding more like herself. "Are you okay?"

"Well, you know me," he said, waving the fork as he looked around, seeing the group of people spread out amongst the grounds. "I do love a spooky cemetery. Especially one that's off the beaten path."

"You're hoping that you'll find a secret underground lair beneath one of the headstones, aren't you? Scooby-Doo style?" she deadpanned and he laughed.

"One of these days, it will happen and then-"

"Wait, he is?" Scully said. "Yeah, I'll be right there. Mulder, did you hear that? Trevor's awake. I'll call you back."

She disconnected the call before he said goodbye and he sighed as he hung up and then set his phone beside him.

"Mirrored injuries," he muttered, thinking about what she had said and taking another bite. "What does that mean? How is that possible?

Finishing his food, he then drank the rest of the coffee. Standing up, he set the lunch box onto a visible headstone so as not to forget it.

Stretching and swinging his arms, he turned to the left and looked where they had seen Fauna and her friends dancing naked last night and he shook his head as he laughed.

That had been quite a shock.

Deciding to head over and check it out again, he walked through the cemetery, stopping for a second to glance at Sarah's headstone and give it a quick nod.

The moment he left the perimeter of the cemetery, he felt it. A change in the air, the temperature plummeting. He shivered as he stood staring at a small white house that had not been there a second ago. Stepping stones created a path and flowers grew beside the door.

Turning around to try and make sense of it all, he saw the cemetery, but with only half the headstones within it.

And no metal lunch box in sight.

Curiosity overtaking him, he turned around again and saw the curtains in the large window flutter as though someone had just been looking through them.

What the hell? he thought. What is happening?

He shivered again, his heart racing as he watched the doorknob begin to turn. He took another step toward the house, his foot landing on one of the stepping stones, as the door creaked open.