Title - Second Chances II - A Two Way Street
Author - Henle Girl
Rating - PG
Category - Mulder/Scully Romance, Alternate Universe
Summary - Sequel to Second Chances. AU. Just because a woman
has a child, that doesn't make her a mother.
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just
borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be
returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants
to borrow them next, when I'm done.
Feedback: PLEASE!!! Henle_Girl@hotmail.com
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 3
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Scully watches Mulder burst into the apartment and grab Serena
into his arms. She knows he needs to get in there with her. But
she also knows that he needs information. So she sent him inside
and told him she'd talk to the cops.
"What's the Spooky Patrol doing here?" one of the officers asks.
She looks around the group and sees Agents Lachey and Robinson
from the bureau in the middle, trying to stifle a grin.
"Yeah, should have known that a missing little girl named
Samantha would register on old Spooky's radar," Agent Lachey
laughs.
"I suggest you cool it with the 'Spooky' business, Agents," she
warns. "What's going on with the case?"
"What do you care? The bureau sent us to investigate," Agent
Robinson says. "Not everybody gets abducted by aliens. Leave
the earth work to us real FBI agents."
"Besides, have you seen the inside of this place? How can a girl
like that afford to live here? What does she do? She's probably
a working girl. Sold her baby to get longer nails or shorter
skirts or something."
Unfortunately for Agent Lachey, he didn't see or hear anyone
approaching him from behind. And unfortunately the person
approaching him heard every word he said.
"A woman's child is missing and you're blaming her?" Mulder
screams, spinning the man around and punching him in the jaw.
The man stumbles backwards and falls to the ground. Mulder
reaches down and grabs him by the lapels, pulling him up again.
"What kind of agent are you? Get out. I'll handle this
investigation."
"Mulder," Scully says to him, grabbing his arm. "Let Agent
Lachey go. He was way out of line and you're right that he
doesn't need to be working this case. But you don't either.
You're too close."
"Ooh, trouble in paradise," Lachey sneers, cringing when his
bloodied lip is pulled. "You trading Mrs. Spooky in for a
younger, sexier model?" He nods his head in Serena's direction
and leers suggestively.
"That's enough, Lachey," Agent Robinson says, grabbing him before
Mulder can hit him again. Even he knows when to stop. Teasing
Mulder about being spooky one thing. But Robinson can see that
this is much more personal. And Lachey is just being nasty now.
He doesn't blame Mulder one bit for hitting the man.
"What's the problem here?"
They all spin around at the sound of the newest addition to their
circle.
"Assistant Director Skinner. What are you doing here, Sir?"
Agent Robinson asks.
"I heard about the kidnapping. Somehow I knew you'd be here,
Agent Mulder. Are you alright?" He asks the younger man. "How's
your sister?"
"Your sister?" Robinson and Lachey ask simultaneously.
"She's about as well as can be expected, Sir," Mulder answers
him, ignoring the other two agents. "It would help if we knew
how the investigation was going so far. But these idiots can't
do anything but make disparaging remarks about my sister's
integrity."
"Agents? Is that true?" Skinner asks, turning to face them.
"Sir, that's not really important right now," Scully says,
breaking in. "What's important is finding Samantha. And while
Robinson and Lachey may be jerks, they're the best as far as this
type of investigation is concerned. The more time we waste, the
more danger the baby is in."
"She's right," Mulder sighs. "Finding Samantha is the most
important thing here. Have you gotten a statement from Serena
about what happened?"
"She says she put the baby down to sleep and went to take a
shower. When she got out, she came out here to make sure she
locked up and noticed that the door was ajar and the chain lock
had been cut. She ran to check on the baby and saw that she was
missing," Agent Robinson summarizes, skimming his notes. "We're
dusting for prints now."
"Any ransom demands?" Mulder asks.
"Not yet. But we're setting up a line on the phone to record any
incoming calls. So far the only person to call has been Agent
Scully." The agent runs out of things to tell Mulder and feels
bad at the hopelessness on the man's face. "Listen, Agent
Mulder. I know how you must feel about Agent Lachey and I right
about now, but know that we will do everything in our power to
find your sister's baby. We have men checking out even the
smallest of leads. Believe me, no stone will go unturned."
"I appreciate that," Mulder nods before walking away to go back
with Serena. They all watch him scoop the small woman into his
lap and rock her gently as she cries. After a few moments,
Agents Lachey and Robinson turn away to discuss the case amongst
themselves.
"Is he going to be alright?" Skinner asks Scully once they're
alone. He notices her own tears and his concern instantly turns
to her. "Hey, are you going to be alright?"
"I have to be, Sir," she sniffs, wiping her face dry. "For
Mulder's sake. And for Serena's. This has got to be one of the
worst things to happen to anyone. To lose a child. Or to face
the possibility of never seeing them again. Believe me, I know
what that's like. And so does Mulder. It's a fate I wouldn't
wish on anyone. It's a fate that I don't know if I'd be able to
relive. So what about Mulder? Is he going to be able to handle
losing another Samantha?"
"That's a good question, Agent Scully," Skinner sighs. A good
question indeed, Skinner thinks to himself. He just hopes they
don't have to face answering it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Mulder runs a shaky hand through his hair as he paces across the
living room. He's startled to feel a pair of arms wrap around
her. He turns around in the embrace and sees Scully's smiling
face staring back at him.
"Morning, Sunshine," he smiles in return as he drops a quick kiss
on her upturned lips. He's grateful she's allowing this contact
despite the number of police officers and agents still milling
about the apartment. Her presence is a lifeline he's come to
depend on.
"Any news?" she asks.
"Nothing," he tells her, shaking his head. "No ransom demands.
No leads. It's like Samantha just . . . disappeared."
"Don't go there, Mulder," Scully warns him. "Something very
human and very earthly had to cut away the chain lock to get into
this apartment. Once we find out who that person is, we'll find
Samantha. You have to believe that."
"You don't know how much I want to believe the logical
explanation in this case, Scully," he chuckles mirthlessly.
Scully can see that the laughter it's just a way to cover up the
tears threatening to burst free.
"We're going to find her," she promises, squeezing him tighter.
"We have to."
"Agents," Skinner calls to them from across the room. They turn
to him, Mulder keeping Scully tucked close to his side. He
doesn't care what anyone says about them or their relationship.
He needs to feel Scully at all times.
"You found something?"
"Maybe. There are some fingerprints. They belong mostly to
Samantha," he explains with a smile.
"She's so mobile," Mulder smiles. "Serena tells me all the time
how she gets into everything. Wanting to touch and investigate
everything."
"Much like her Uncle Fox," Scully laughs. "You haven't exactly
grown out of that phase, Mulder. Sir, if I had a penny for every
weird substance he's stuck his hands into first and then asked
questions later. Let's just say I wouldn't need to work for the
bureau anymore."
"I also found Serena's, yours and Scully's prints, and also Mrs.
Scully's fingerprints. Does she come here a lot?"
"Sir you're not suspecting my mother are you?" Scully asks,
becoming slightly agitated.
"Of course not, Agent Scully. Just checking out everything,
though," Skinner tells her, letting out a sigh of relief when the
woman calms down. "We did find another set of prints. They're
still running them, though. No match has been found yet."
"Could it belong to the kidnapper?" Mulder asks hopefully.
"It could," Skinner nods. "But don't get to excited, Mulder.
It's possible they could belong to a delivery man. Or maybe
someone Serena dated. Who knows really. The print was only
found on the wall by the front door. No where near the baby's
room."
"Assistant Director."
They all turn around to see Agents Lachey and Robinson at the
door, motioning for Skinner to join them. Mulder and Scully
follow, refusing to be left out of the loop.
"Any word on that last set of prints found?" Mulder asks.
"We're leaving that for awhile. We've had some news. Another
avenue to investigate," Lachey says, looking uncomfortably to his
partner. "You're not going to like it."
"What is it?" Scully asks, noticing Mulder's sudden pale face and
inability to speak.
"We discovered Miss Bradford was the victim of a crime a few
months ago," Robinson starts.
"Yes. Her fiance paid his cousin to kill her. But he himself
was killed by the man he sent," Scully nods.
"By Carl Pierce," Robinson confirms. "Who until three days ago
was in the Loudon County Maximum Security Prison."
"Excuse me?" Mulder manages to gasp. "Up until . . . what are
you trying to say? Where is he now?"
"Agent Mulder, he escaped earlier this week."
"He what?" Mulder yells. "And no one thought to inform my sister
of that fact? A woman he tried to kill?"
"The prison didn't officially report Mr. Pierce missing until
yesterday afternoon. Apparently they found a body not far from
the prison and thought it was him until the results of the post
mortem came back. They didn't want to cause any trouble unless
it was necessary."
"Unbelievable," Mulder says, shaking his head. "Of all the
incompetent . . . "
"Calm down, Mulder. Placing blame won't help any right now,"
Skinner tells him before turning back to the other agents. "I
assume there's an APB out on this Carl Pierce."
"We've been searching all night for him. Nothing yet," Lachey
says. "That's why we're here. To ask Miss Bradford if she knows
of any family members who might hide him. We understand that the
baby's father was Mr. Pierce's cousin."
"What about Carl?" Serena stands in her bedroom doorway watching
the unusual activity in her normally quiet living room.
"Hey Rena. Why don't you sit down," Mulder suggests to the girl.
He walks her to the couch and sits on one side of her, Scully
taking a seat on the other side of her. Serena grabs her hand
and smiles gratefully at the woman.
"Okay, what's this about Carl?" she asks again.
"He escaped from prison," Mulder tells her gently, wrapping his
arm around her when she starts to sway. Her eyes get wide and
her skin turns a pasty, translucent color that instantly worries
him. "Stay with me, Rena. You're okay. You're safe. You know
that Scully and I won't let anything happen to you."
"So you think that Carl took my baby?" she gasps, trying to make
any kind of sense out of this senseless situation.
"He's our number one suspect now," Agent Lachey nods.
"Kidnapping's not really his style. Carl's a killer," she says,
a cold shiver running through her body.
"Maybe someone put him up to it," Skinner suggests.
"Maybe," Serena shrugs.
They all sit in silence for a few moments before the silence is
broken by the ringing of the phone. Serena's grip on Scully's
hand tightens in fear.
"It's okay, Serena," Scully encourages her. "Go ahead and answer
it."
Serena nods and slowly picks up the extension.
"Hello?" she answers.
"Morning Serena," the voice on the other end says as it's
broadcast over the speaker the FBI agents set up. "I trust by
now you know I've got your little baby."
"What do you want Carl?"
"Ah, right to the point. I always knew your were the smart one.
Too bad you hooked up with Remy instead of me. We could have
been gold."
"Carl," she yells angrily.
"Calm down, Baby. I'll make this quick. You know I hate this
brat of yours. And unless you want to get her back in pieces, I
suggest you follow my instructions. Get me half a million
dollars by sundown. I'll call then to tell you where to drop it
off."
"Carl, how do I know . . . Carl? Carl?" Serena angrily slams
the phone down. "He hung up."
"It's okay. They got a little bit of the number traced," Mulder
tells her. "You did good."
"But not good enough. Fox, did you hear him? He said he'd kill
my baby and send her to me in pieces." She bursts into tears and
falls into his arms.
Mulder just holds the sobbing woman, looking over her head at
Scully and silently pleads with her for help. But he knows
there's nothing Scully can do to help. There's nothing anyone
can do short of finding Samantha and bringing her back home where
she belongs.
"Miss Bradford. A half a million dollars is a lot of money,"
Agent Robinson says. "Why does this man think you'll be able to
get that kind of cash?"
"Because I can," she sniffs. "Carl knows that I come from money.
It's the reason why he and Remy tried to kill me."
"And it may be a reason why he kidnapped the baby," Mulder says,
suddenly jumping up. He starts to pace across the living room,
and idea forming in his mind. "Anderson, play the tape back
again. I need to hear something."
Mulder listens to the tape of Carl's phone call several times
before he finally decides to let everyone else in on what he's
thinking.
"The first part of the conversation, he sounds very cocky. Very
sure of himself. Towards the end, it sounds like he's reading
from a script. I think someone definitely put him up to this.
He tried to kill Serena before. Why not try again? Why break
into an apartment, run the risk of getting caught, and kidnap a
baby?"
"And why only request a half a million dollars?" Scully asks.
"That's kind of a funny number. Why not a whole million?"
"He knows I have much more than that," Serena tells him. "But
then again, a half a million dollars can go a long way to solving
people's . . . " She pauses abruptly and looks up at the rest of
the room.
"Serena?" Mulder asks, staring inquisitively at her. "You okay?"
"Just remembering where I heard that saying." She gasps and puts
her hand over her mouth as it comes to her. "Remy's mother used
to say it all the time. After she found out about my money, she
used to joke about how a half a million dollars could solve just
about everyone of her problems. I even considered in passing
just giving it to her after Remy and I were married to keep her
out of our lives. Do you think it's possible . . . "
"Anything's possible, Serena," Lachey shrugs. "We'll check her
out."
"She was here the other day," Serena tells them. "And she was
angry about Samantha not knowing her the way she thinks her
grandchild should know her. We had words and I essentially had
to ask her to leave. But not before she warned me that I'll be
sorry."
"She actually said that?" Mulder gasps in shock. "Rena, why
didn't you say anything?"
"Because you and Dana were on your way out of town for a case. I
didn't want to worry you."
"Worry me? Oh, Serena," he sighs, pulling her into a hug. "Don't
ever think twice about calling me. Even if it's just to kill a
spider. I'll always be here for you. You know that, right?"
"Besides, he'll probably just show up anyway. Once his Serena
sense start tingling," Scully says with a small laugh.
"Serena sense? Is this a weird X-Files type of thing?" Serena
giggles.
"Very funny, Squirt. But no. It's not a weird X-Files type of
thing. I think it's a brother/sister type of thing," he says
gently. "I just felt this . . . strong need to get to you."
"Which is why we packed up and drove five hours here after a very
tiring case," Scully explains.
"I've spent so much time on my own. Sometimes I have to remember
that I have a big brother looking out for me now," Serena says
with a smile.
"Yes, you do. And don't you forget it," he says, pulling her
into a hug. "We're going to find Samantha. That I promise you."
He pulls her closer and feels her bury herself in his arms.
Silently, he sends up a prayer in a God he has no choice but
believe in that he can keep his promise to this baby sister.
That he'll be able to bring this Samantha home.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mulder leads a tearful Serena into the police station, his long
strides forcing her to almost jog to keep up with him. Scully,
used to taking practically three steps to his one, keeps pace
with the two. No words are spoken between the three as they
hurriedly make their way to the front desk.
"I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder," Mulder says, pulling out his
badge almost before he reaches the desk to save time. "This is
my sister, Serena Bradford. We were called by . . . . "
"Detective Barrows," the officer at the desk says before Mulder
finishes. "He's down that hall. Second door on the left."
"Thank you," Mulder manages to mumble before following the
instructions he was given. They end up at the right room and
Serena stops, her body shaking from head to toe.
"Rena? It's going to be okay," he swears to her. "Scully and I
are right here with you. Whatever happens in there, alright?"
The girl nods her head and takes a deep breath, gathering her
courage. They got a phone call a half hour ago telling them to
get to the station as soon as possible. It terrifies her that
she has no idea what the police want to tell her.
"Let's just go in," she says quietly, her voice straining to
overcome the lump stuck in her throat. She takes another breath
and turns the knob, noting absently how easy the door open.
Before she can even step inside, a strangled gasp escapes her and
she sinks to her knees onto the floor.
"Rena, what happened?" Mulder asks, panic starting to settle in
his voice. He looks up into the room and is shocked the same as
Serena. With a shaky hand, he reaches for his sister and helps
her to a standing position, pushing her to the officer on the
other side of the room.
"Samantha," Serena cries, her hand reaching out.
The officer has to reinforce her grip on the now wriggling infant
in her arms to avoid dropping her.
"I guess this little one belongs to you," she says, with a smile.
Serena finally overcomes her shock and forces her body to move,
propelling herself to the officer. Within a second, she has
Samantha snuggled into her arms, hugging the baby tighter than
she ever has. She feels her brother come up behind her and wrap
his arms around them both. By this point, they're all crying,
but she doesn't care. She hears Scully talking to the officer
about how they found the baby, but she doesn't care about that
either. All she knows is that her baby is safe. And in her
arms. And that's where she's going to stay for a long, long
time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Serena, why don't you let me take her for a few minutes," Scully
offers, knowing good and well the offer will be refused.
"I got her, Dana," Serena says. "I know it was only a day since
I've last seen her, but it seems like forever. I just can't seem
to let her go."
"I understand," Scully smiles, taking a small baby hand in her
own and kissing it. "We all missed her."
"I second that," Mulder says, taking the baby's other hand and
kissing it as well. Samantha coos contently at all of the
attention she's getting.
"If I thought she was spoiled before, I can see now that it's
only going to get worse," Serena laughs quietly, noticing the
baby's eyes drifting closed. Her laughter dies off and a more
serious look crosses her face. "I was so scared when she was
gone. Not knowing where she was. Or who had her. Anything could
have happened to her."
"But it didn't," Scully says, stopping her before she gets any
deeper into that spiral of 'what ifs'. "She's fine. And she's
back with her mother. Where she belongs."
"I still can't believe Mrs. Cooper would do something like that,"
Mulder sighs, shaking his head. "Taking a child from its mother.
It's unconscionable. How could another mother do that? But then
again, just because a woman has a child, that doesn't make her a
mother. I mean, look at Teena Mulder. How much better is she?
She had a child taken from her and what did she do? She
neglected the one she had left and then gave away the one she had
later."
"You're so right, Fox. Mrs. Cooper knows what it's like to lose
a child. If she were a true mother, she wouldn't want to put any
other woman through that kind of pain. I guess I just
underestimated her hatred. She said that I would be sorry. She
warned me. And I knew something would happen. But this? Taking
my child away? Why would she do this to me?" Serena asks. "Why
would she work with the man who killed her son just to get
revenge on me?"
"Maybe she thought Samantha was her last link to Remy," Scully
shrugs. "Maybe she blamed you for his death or for taking him
away from her. No one can really know. It's hard to say what
motivates criminals into action."
"Well, whatever she planned has failed. She can't hurt you
anymore, Rena," Mulder says. "She can't hurt either of you."
"She was so full of hate," Serena whispers. "That's all I've
ever felt from her. I thought it was just me she hated. But when
she met your mother, Dana, it was even worse. She didn't know
your mother, but she hated her anyway. And it was all because of
your mother's race. She was so angry that Miss Maggie and
Samantha love each other the way that they do. All she could
focus on was skin color. I don't think I've ever seen racism
work in reverse like that before."
"Racism is a two way street. Whites hating blacks. Blacks
hating whites. It doesn't matter. It's all the same evil,"
Scully says. "It's all the same sickness that leads to the same
hurt."
They let that profound statement rattle around their brains for a
few moments before Serena breaks the silence. The day is
starting to take its toll on her. And suddenly, she finds
herself barely able to keep herself upright.
"I'm wiped out," she says wearily. "I think I'm going to bed
now."
"I'll tuck you in," Mulder grins. "Just to make sure there
aren't any monsters under the bed."
"Like every big brother should," Serena smiles in return, pausing
for a moment to just stare at him. "I don't know if I've said
this already. But thanks. Thank you for being the best brother
I could ever imagine having, Fox. I feel so . . . complete now
that I have you in my life."
"Thanks, Rena," he whispers hoarsely, his throat swollen with
tears. "I . . . thanks," he simply says, unable to think of any
other words to express how he's feeling.
She looks over his shoulder and watches Scully yawn and stretch,
rolling her head around her stiff neck.
"You know, Fox. I think me and Sami will be safe from the
monsters as long as you're here. We've taken up enough of your
time. Why don't you see about tucking Dana in," she says with a
sly smile and wink. She stands on her toes and presses a kiss on
his cheek before turning to go in her bedroom.
"I guess my monster vanquishing powers aren't needed tonight,"
Mulder says with a quiet laugh as he walks back to the sofa where
Scully is.
"But knowing you, you're going to keep watch on the couch all
night anyway," Scully laughs, a sleepy yawn escaping at the end.
"Oh, excuse me. It's been a long, long, long day. I don't
remember the last time I've been this tired."
She smiles gratefully as Mulder sits next to her, allowing her to
tuck herself comfortably into his arms. She lays her head on his
chest and sighs her contentment, making up her mind that if he's
staying, then she's staying right here with him.
"It has been a long day," he agrees. "But for the first time in
a long time, I think I'm actually . . . happy."
"Well, it's about time," she smiles. "You more than anyone
deserve it."
"I really believe that, Scully," he says, sounding amazed at this
sudden realization. "It's way past time I enjoyed a little
happiness in my life. You've given that to me, Scully. You've
loved me so much and allowed me to love you. You made me able to
open myself to accept love from Serena, Sami and your mother.
And you taught me how to love them in return. I owe all this
happiness to you."
He looks down at her when he hears a light snore coming from her
direction. With a silent chuckle, he shakes his head. Such an
important epiphany and she falls asleep in the middle of it.
"We'll get our timing right one of these days, Scully," he
whispers, not wanting to wake her. "If I have anything to say
about it, we'll have the rest of our lives to work on that
timing. I love you. More than I ever thought I could love
anyone. One of these days, one day very soon, I'm going to prove
it to you."
He pulls her closer to him, letting her settle fully on his
chest. Pretty soon, her soft, gentle snores lull him to his own
slumber. Where he dreams blissful dreams of a marrying the woman
in his arms and spending the rest of his life loving her. One
day, it won't be just a dream. One day, she'll say yes. He just
has to ask her the question.
"One day," he mumbles in his sleep. One day very soon.
The end.
Author - Henle Girl
Rating - PG
Category - Mulder/Scully Romance, Alternate Universe
Summary - Sequel to Second Chances. AU. Just because a woman
has a child, that doesn't make her a mother.
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just
borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be
returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants
to borrow them next, when I'm done.
Feedback: PLEASE!!! Henle_Girl@hotmail.com
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 3
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Scully watches Mulder burst into the apartment and grab Serena
into his arms. She knows he needs to get in there with her. But
she also knows that he needs information. So she sent him inside
and told him she'd talk to the cops.
"What's the Spooky Patrol doing here?" one of the officers asks.
She looks around the group and sees Agents Lachey and Robinson
from the bureau in the middle, trying to stifle a grin.
"Yeah, should have known that a missing little girl named
Samantha would register on old Spooky's radar," Agent Lachey
laughs.
"I suggest you cool it with the 'Spooky' business, Agents," she
warns. "What's going on with the case?"
"What do you care? The bureau sent us to investigate," Agent
Robinson says. "Not everybody gets abducted by aliens. Leave
the earth work to us real FBI agents."
"Besides, have you seen the inside of this place? How can a girl
like that afford to live here? What does she do? She's probably
a working girl. Sold her baby to get longer nails or shorter
skirts or something."
Unfortunately for Agent Lachey, he didn't see or hear anyone
approaching him from behind. And unfortunately the person
approaching him heard every word he said.
"A woman's child is missing and you're blaming her?" Mulder
screams, spinning the man around and punching him in the jaw.
The man stumbles backwards and falls to the ground. Mulder
reaches down and grabs him by the lapels, pulling him up again.
"What kind of agent are you? Get out. I'll handle this
investigation."
"Mulder," Scully says to him, grabbing his arm. "Let Agent
Lachey go. He was way out of line and you're right that he
doesn't need to be working this case. But you don't either.
You're too close."
"Ooh, trouble in paradise," Lachey sneers, cringing when his
bloodied lip is pulled. "You trading Mrs. Spooky in for a
younger, sexier model?" He nods his head in Serena's direction
and leers suggestively.
"That's enough, Lachey," Agent Robinson says, grabbing him before
Mulder can hit him again. Even he knows when to stop. Teasing
Mulder about being spooky one thing. But Robinson can see that
this is much more personal. And Lachey is just being nasty now.
He doesn't blame Mulder one bit for hitting the man.
"What's the problem here?"
They all spin around at the sound of the newest addition to their
circle.
"Assistant Director Skinner. What are you doing here, Sir?"
Agent Robinson asks.
"I heard about the kidnapping. Somehow I knew you'd be here,
Agent Mulder. Are you alright?" He asks the younger man. "How's
your sister?"
"Your sister?" Robinson and Lachey ask simultaneously.
"She's about as well as can be expected, Sir," Mulder answers
him, ignoring the other two agents. "It would help if we knew
how the investigation was going so far. But these idiots can't
do anything but make disparaging remarks about my sister's
integrity."
"Agents? Is that true?" Skinner asks, turning to face them.
"Sir, that's not really important right now," Scully says,
breaking in. "What's important is finding Samantha. And while
Robinson and Lachey may be jerks, they're the best as far as this
type of investigation is concerned. The more time we waste, the
more danger the baby is in."
"She's right," Mulder sighs. "Finding Samantha is the most
important thing here. Have you gotten a statement from Serena
about what happened?"
"She says she put the baby down to sleep and went to take a
shower. When she got out, she came out here to make sure she
locked up and noticed that the door was ajar and the chain lock
had been cut. She ran to check on the baby and saw that she was
missing," Agent Robinson summarizes, skimming his notes. "We're
dusting for prints now."
"Any ransom demands?" Mulder asks.
"Not yet. But we're setting up a line on the phone to record any
incoming calls. So far the only person to call has been Agent
Scully." The agent runs out of things to tell Mulder and feels
bad at the hopelessness on the man's face. "Listen, Agent
Mulder. I know how you must feel about Agent Lachey and I right
about now, but know that we will do everything in our power to
find your sister's baby. We have men checking out even the
smallest of leads. Believe me, no stone will go unturned."
"I appreciate that," Mulder nods before walking away to go back
with Serena. They all watch him scoop the small woman into his
lap and rock her gently as she cries. After a few moments,
Agents Lachey and Robinson turn away to discuss the case amongst
themselves.
"Is he going to be alright?" Skinner asks Scully once they're
alone. He notices her own tears and his concern instantly turns
to her. "Hey, are you going to be alright?"
"I have to be, Sir," she sniffs, wiping her face dry. "For
Mulder's sake. And for Serena's. This has got to be one of the
worst things to happen to anyone. To lose a child. Or to face
the possibility of never seeing them again. Believe me, I know
what that's like. And so does Mulder. It's a fate I wouldn't
wish on anyone. It's a fate that I don't know if I'd be able to
relive. So what about Mulder? Is he going to be able to handle
losing another Samantha?"
"That's a good question, Agent Scully," Skinner sighs. A good
question indeed, Skinner thinks to himself. He just hopes they
don't have to face answering it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Mulder runs a shaky hand through his hair as he paces across the
living room. He's startled to feel a pair of arms wrap around
her. He turns around in the embrace and sees Scully's smiling
face staring back at him.
"Morning, Sunshine," he smiles in return as he drops a quick kiss
on her upturned lips. He's grateful she's allowing this contact
despite the number of police officers and agents still milling
about the apartment. Her presence is a lifeline he's come to
depend on.
"Any news?" she asks.
"Nothing," he tells her, shaking his head. "No ransom demands.
No leads. It's like Samantha just . . . disappeared."
"Don't go there, Mulder," Scully warns him. "Something very
human and very earthly had to cut away the chain lock to get into
this apartment. Once we find out who that person is, we'll find
Samantha. You have to believe that."
"You don't know how much I want to believe the logical
explanation in this case, Scully," he chuckles mirthlessly.
Scully can see that the laughter it's just a way to cover up the
tears threatening to burst free.
"We're going to find her," she promises, squeezing him tighter.
"We have to."
"Agents," Skinner calls to them from across the room. They turn
to him, Mulder keeping Scully tucked close to his side. He
doesn't care what anyone says about them or their relationship.
He needs to feel Scully at all times.
"You found something?"
"Maybe. There are some fingerprints. They belong mostly to
Samantha," he explains with a smile.
"She's so mobile," Mulder smiles. "Serena tells me all the time
how she gets into everything. Wanting to touch and investigate
everything."
"Much like her Uncle Fox," Scully laughs. "You haven't exactly
grown out of that phase, Mulder. Sir, if I had a penny for every
weird substance he's stuck his hands into first and then asked
questions later. Let's just say I wouldn't need to work for the
bureau anymore."
"I also found Serena's, yours and Scully's prints, and also Mrs.
Scully's fingerprints. Does she come here a lot?"
"Sir you're not suspecting my mother are you?" Scully asks,
becoming slightly agitated.
"Of course not, Agent Scully. Just checking out everything,
though," Skinner tells her, letting out a sigh of relief when the
woman calms down. "We did find another set of prints. They're
still running them, though. No match has been found yet."
"Could it belong to the kidnapper?" Mulder asks hopefully.
"It could," Skinner nods. "But don't get to excited, Mulder.
It's possible they could belong to a delivery man. Or maybe
someone Serena dated. Who knows really. The print was only
found on the wall by the front door. No where near the baby's
room."
"Assistant Director."
They all turn around to see Agents Lachey and Robinson at the
door, motioning for Skinner to join them. Mulder and Scully
follow, refusing to be left out of the loop.
"Any word on that last set of prints found?" Mulder asks.
"We're leaving that for awhile. We've had some news. Another
avenue to investigate," Lachey says, looking uncomfortably to his
partner. "You're not going to like it."
"What is it?" Scully asks, noticing Mulder's sudden pale face and
inability to speak.
"We discovered Miss Bradford was the victim of a crime a few
months ago," Robinson starts.
"Yes. Her fiance paid his cousin to kill her. But he himself
was killed by the man he sent," Scully nods.
"By Carl Pierce," Robinson confirms. "Who until three days ago
was in the Loudon County Maximum Security Prison."
"Excuse me?" Mulder manages to gasp. "Up until . . . what are
you trying to say? Where is he now?"
"Agent Mulder, he escaped earlier this week."
"He what?" Mulder yells. "And no one thought to inform my sister
of that fact? A woman he tried to kill?"
"The prison didn't officially report Mr. Pierce missing until
yesterday afternoon. Apparently they found a body not far from
the prison and thought it was him until the results of the post
mortem came back. They didn't want to cause any trouble unless
it was necessary."
"Unbelievable," Mulder says, shaking his head. "Of all the
incompetent . . . "
"Calm down, Mulder. Placing blame won't help any right now,"
Skinner tells him before turning back to the other agents. "I
assume there's an APB out on this Carl Pierce."
"We've been searching all night for him. Nothing yet," Lachey
says. "That's why we're here. To ask Miss Bradford if she knows
of any family members who might hide him. We understand that the
baby's father was Mr. Pierce's cousin."
"What about Carl?" Serena stands in her bedroom doorway watching
the unusual activity in her normally quiet living room.
"Hey Rena. Why don't you sit down," Mulder suggests to the girl.
He walks her to the couch and sits on one side of her, Scully
taking a seat on the other side of her. Serena grabs her hand
and smiles gratefully at the woman.
"Okay, what's this about Carl?" she asks again.
"He escaped from prison," Mulder tells her gently, wrapping his
arm around her when she starts to sway. Her eyes get wide and
her skin turns a pasty, translucent color that instantly worries
him. "Stay with me, Rena. You're okay. You're safe. You know
that Scully and I won't let anything happen to you."
"So you think that Carl took my baby?" she gasps, trying to make
any kind of sense out of this senseless situation.
"He's our number one suspect now," Agent Lachey nods.
"Kidnapping's not really his style. Carl's a killer," she says,
a cold shiver running through her body.
"Maybe someone put him up to it," Skinner suggests.
"Maybe," Serena shrugs.
They all sit in silence for a few moments before the silence is
broken by the ringing of the phone. Serena's grip on Scully's
hand tightens in fear.
"It's okay, Serena," Scully encourages her. "Go ahead and answer
it."
Serena nods and slowly picks up the extension.
"Hello?" she answers.
"Morning Serena," the voice on the other end says as it's
broadcast over the speaker the FBI agents set up. "I trust by
now you know I've got your little baby."
"What do you want Carl?"
"Ah, right to the point. I always knew your were the smart one.
Too bad you hooked up with Remy instead of me. We could have
been gold."
"Carl," she yells angrily.
"Calm down, Baby. I'll make this quick. You know I hate this
brat of yours. And unless you want to get her back in pieces, I
suggest you follow my instructions. Get me half a million
dollars by sundown. I'll call then to tell you where to drop it
off."
"Carl, how do I know . . . Carl? Carl?" Serena angrily slams
the phone down. "He hung up."
"It's okay. They got a little bit of the number traced," Mulder
tells her. "You did good."
"But not good enough. Fox, did you hear him? He said he'd kill
my baby and send her to me in pieces." She bursts into tears and
falls into his arms.
Mulder just holds the sobbing woman, looking over her head at
Scully and silently pleads with her for help. But he knows
there's nothing Scully can do to help. There's nothing anyone
can do short of finding Samantha and bringing her back home where
she belongs.
"Miss Bradford. A half a million dollars is a lot of money,"
Agent Robinson says. "Why does this man think you'll be able to
get that kind of cash?"
"Because I can," she sniffs. "Carl knows that I come from money.
It's the reason why he and Remy tried to kill me."
"And it may be a reason why he kidnapped the baby," Mulder says,
suddenly jumping up. He starts to pace across the living room,
and idea forming in his mind. "Anderson, play the tape back
again. I need to hear something."
Mulder listens to the tape of Carl's phone call several times
before he finally decides to let everyone else in on what he's
thinking.
"The first part of the conversation, he sounds very cocky. Very
sure of himself. Towards the end, it sounds like he's reading
from a script. I think someone definitely put him up to this.
He tried to kill Serena before. Why not try again? Why break
into an apartment, run the risk of getting caught, and kidnap a
baby?"
"And why only request a half a million dollars?" Scully asks.
"That's kind of a funny number. Why not a whole million?"
"He knows I have much more than that," Serena tells him. "But
then again, a half a million dollars can go a long way to solving
people's . . . " She pauses abruptly and looks up at the rest of
the room.
"Serena?" Mulder asks, staring inquisitively at her. "You okay?"
"Just remembering where I heard that saying." She gasps and puts
her hand over her mouth as it comes to her. "Remy's mother used
to say it all the time. After she found out about my money, she
used to joke about how a half a million dollars could solve just
about everyone of her problems. I even considered in passing
just giving it to her after Remy and I were married to keep her
out of our lives. Do you think it's possible . . . "
"Anything's possible, Serena," Lachey shrugs. "We'll check her
out."
"She was here the other day," Serena tells them. "And she was
angry about Samantha not knowing her the way she thinks her
grandchild should know her. We had words and I essentially had
to ask her to leave. But not before she warned me that I'll be
sorry."
"She actually said that?" Mulder gasps in shock. "Rena, why
didn't you say anything?"
"Because you and Dana were on your way out of town for a case. I
didn't want to worry you."
"Worry me? Oh, Serena," he sighs, pulling her into a hug. "Don't
ever think twice about calling me. Even if it's just to kill a
spider. I'll always be here for you. You know that, right?"
"Besides, he'll probably just show up anyway. Once his Serena
sense start tingling," Scully says with a small laugh.
"Serena sense? Is this a weird X-Files type of thing?" Serena
giggles.
"Very funny, Squirt. But no. It's not a weird X-Files type of
thing. I think it's a brother/sister type of thing," he says
gently. "I just felt this . . . strong need to get to you."
"Which is why we packed up and drove five hours here after a very
tiring case," Scully explains.
"I've spent so much time on my own. Sometimes I have to remember
that I have a big brother looking out for me now," Serena says
with a smile.
"Yes, you do. And don't you forget it," he says, pulling her
into a hug. "We're going to find Samantha. That I promise you."
He pulls her closer and feels her bury herself in his arms.
Silently, he sends up a prayer in a God he has no choice but
believe in that he can keep his promise to this baby sister.
That he'll be able to bring this Samantha home.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mulder leads a tearful Serena into the police station, his long
strides forcing her to almost jog to keep up with him. Scully,
used to taking practically three steps to his one, keeps pace
with the two. No words are spoken between the three as they
hurriedly make their way to the front desk.
"I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder," Mulder says, pulling out his
badge almost before he reaches the desk to save time. "This is
my sister, Serena Bradford. We were called by . . . . "
"Detective Barrows," the officer at the desk says before Mulder
finishes. "He's down that hall. Second door on the left."
"Thank you," Mulder manages to mumble before following the
instructions he was given. They end up at the right room and
Serena stops, her body shaking from head to toe.
"Rena? It's going to be okay," he swears to her. "Scully and I
are right here with you. Whatever happens in there, alright?"
The girl nods her head and takes a deep breath, gathering her
courage. They got a phone call a half hour ago telling them to
get to the station as soon as possible. It terrifies her that
she has no idea what the police want to tell her.
"Let's just go in," she says quietly, her voice straining to
overcome the lump stuck in her throat. She takes another breath
and turns the knob, noting absently how easy the door open.
Before she can even step inside, a strangled gasp escapes her and
she sinks to her knees onto the floor.
"Rena, what happened?" Mulder asks, panic starting to settle in
his voice. He looks up into the room and is shocked the same as
Serena. With a shaky hand, he reaches for his sister and helps
her to a standing position, pushing her to the officer on the
other side of the room.
"Samantha," Serena cries, her hand reaching out.
The officer has to reinforce her grip on the now wriggling infant
in her arms to avoid dropping her.
"I guess this little one belongs to you," she says, with a smile.
Serena finally overcomes her shock and forces her body to move,
propelling herself to the officer. Within a second, she has
Samantha snuggled into her arms, hugging the baby tighter than
she ever has. She feels her brother come up behind her and wrap
his arms around them both. By this point, they're all crying,
but she doesn't care. She hears Scully talking to the officer
about how they found the baby, but she doesn't care about that
either. All she knows is that her baby is safe. And in her
arms. And that's where she's going to stay for a long, long
time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Serena, why don't you let me take her for a few minutes," Scully
offers, knowing good and well the offer will be refused.
"I got her, Dana," Serena says. "I know it was only a day since
I've last seen her, but it seems like forever. I just can't seem
to let her go."
"I understand," Scully smiles, taking a small baby hand in her
own and kissing it. "We all missed her."
"I second that," Mulder says, taking the baby's other hand and
kissing it as well. Samantha coos contently at all of the
attention she's getting.
"If I thought she was spoiled before, I can see now that it's
only going to get worse," Serena laughs quietly, noticing the
baby's eyes drifting closed. Her laughter dies off and a more
serious look crosses her face. "I was so scared when she was
gone. Not knowing where she was. Or who had her. Anything could
have happened to her."
"But it didn't," Scully says, stopping her before she gets any
deeper into that spiral of 'what ifs'. "She's fine. And she's
back with her mother. Where she belongs."
"I still can't believe Mrs. Cooper would do something like that,"
Mulder sighs, shaking his head. "Taking a child from its mother.
It's unconscionable. How could another mother do that? But then
again, just because a woman has a child, that doesn't make her a
mother. I mean, look at Teena Mulder. How much better is she?
She had a child taken from her and what did she do? She
neglected the one she had left and then gave away the one she had
later."
"You're so right, Fox. Mrs. Cooper knows what it's like to lose
a child. If she were a true mother, she wouldn't want to put any
other woman through that kind of pain. I guess I just
underestimated her hatred. She said that I would be sorry. She
warned me. And I knew something would happen. But this? Taking
my child away? Why would she do this to me?" Serena asks. "Why
would she work with the man who killed her son just to get
revenge on me?"
"Maybe she thought Samantha was her last link to Remy," Scully
shrugs. "Maybe she blamed you for his death or for taking him
away from her. No one can really know. It's hard to say what
motivates criminals into action."
"Well, whatever she planned has failed. She can't hurt you
anymore, Rena," Mulder says. "She can't hurt either of you."
"She was so full of hate," Serena whispers. "That's all I've
ever felt from her. I thought it was just me she hated. But when
she met your mother, Dana, it was even worse. She didn't know
your mother, but she hated her anyway. And it was all because of
your mother's race. She was so angry that Miss Maggie and
Samantha love each other the way that they do. All she could
focus on was skin color. I don't think I've ever seen racism
work in reverse like that before."
"Racism is a two way street. Whites hating blacks. Blacks
hating whites. It doesn't matter. It's all the same evil,"
Scully says. "It's all the same sickness that leads to the same
hurt."
They let that profound statement rattle around their brains for a
few moments before Serena breaks the silence. The day is
starting to take its toll on her. And suddenly, she finds
herself barely able to keep herself upright.
"I'm wiped out," she says wearily. "I think I'm going to bed
now."
"I'll tuck you in," Mulder grins. "Just to make sure there
aren't any monsters under the bed."
"Like every big brother should," Serena smiles in return, pausing
for a moment to just stare at him. "I don't know if I've said
this already. But thanks. Thank you for being the best brother
I could ever imagine having, Fox. I feel so . . . complete now
that I have you in my life."
"Thanks, Rena," he whispers hoarsely, his throat swollen with
tears. "I . . . thanks," he simply says, unable to think of any
other words to express how he's feeling.
She looks over his shoulder and watches Scully yawn and stretch,
rolling her head around her stiff neck.
"You know, Fox. I think me and Sami will be safe from the
monsters as long as you're here. We've taken up enough of your
time. Why don't you see about tucking Dana in," she says with a
sly smile and wink. She stands on her toes and presses a kiss on
his cheek before turning to go in her bedroom.
"I guess my monster vanquishing powers aren't needed tonight,"
Mulder says with a quiet laugh as he walks back to the sofa where
Scully is.
"But knowing you, you're going to keep watch on the couch all
night anyway," Scully laughs, a sleepy yawn escaping at the end.
"Oh, excuse me. It's been a long, long, long day. I don't
remember the last time I've been this tired."
She smiles gratefully as Mulder sits next to her, allowing her to
tuck herself comfortably into his arms. She lays her head on his
chest and sighs her contentment, making up her mind that if he's
staying, then she's staying right here with him.
"It has been a long day," he agrees. "But for the first time in
a long time, I think I'm actually . . . happy."
"Well, it's about time," she smiles. "You more than anyone
deserve it."
"I really believe that, Scully," he says, sounding amazed at this
sudden realization. "It's way past time I enjoyed a little
happiness in my life. You've given that to me, Scully. You've
loved me so much and allowed me to love you. You made me able to
open myself to accept love from Serena, Sami and your mother.
And you taught me how to love them in return. I owe all this
happiness to you."
He looks down at her when he hears a light snore coming from her
direction. With a silent chuckle, he shakes his head. Such an
important epiphany and she falls asleep in the middle of it.
"We'll get our timing right one of these days, Scully," he
whispers, not wanting to wake her. "If I have anything to say
about it, we'll have the rest of our lives to work on that
timing. I love you. More than I ever thought I could love
anyone. One of these days, one day very soon, I'm going to prove
it to you."
He pulls her closer to him, letting her settle fully on his
chest. Pretty soon, her soft, gentle snores lull him to his own
slumber. Where he dreams blissful dreams of a marrying the woman
in his arms and spending the rest of his life loving her. One
day, it won't be just a dream. One day, she'll say yes. He just
has to ask her the question.
"One day," he mumbles in his sleep. One day very soon.
The end.