**I hope you are still reading and not too mixed up. I think it reads well but then seeing as I know the plot and outcome it's easier for me. The dates might be a bit confusing but I hope it's not too bad. I ended this chapter the way I started the story so everything after this will be consecutive…**
March 3rd 2000
Mulder sat alone in the hotel room watching as Scully stepped into the restaurant. He knew where each of the undercover Agents was without looking so he kept his eyes on her. Her steps were steady and confidant but he knew her heart would be pumping wildly in her ribcage. She sat across from David and pulled her chair into the table. He grimaced when he watched her gently touch her wound. They spoke closely and their words rang around him, his anger and fear bubbling when he saw David reach out to her hand.
He listened as Scully told him about the partial they found and studied his face for a reaction. His surprise was clear and he saw it plainly. But Mulder's fear intensified the longer she stayed, so he reached for his phone and called her.
Without knocking she came into the room and walked over towards the bed.
"Hey," he said turning to her as she sat down on its edge.
"Hi."
"How do you feel?"
"Tired, worn out."
"Come here, I'll remove the wire." Wearily she stood for him and he wheeled his chair closer to her.
"Has the surveillance been set up?"
"Yes, I've got two Agents on the lab and two ready to follow him when he leaves." He reached around her back and fumbled for the power pack.
"Your hands are still cold, Mulder."
"Sorry."
He avoided her gaze and gently slipped his finger into the band of her trousers, searching for the wire. He traced it around to her front and gently pulled the tape from her skin.
"This might hurt a little…"
He followed the wire up the front of her chest, undoing each button as it got in the way and gently tugged the tape off her. She was standing in front of him and he sat still. Again he found her top undone and falling open but this time with her breasts in front of his face. Hesitating he reached up and carefully removed the last piece of tape and the wire along with it.
"Thanks, Mulder." She pulled her top closed and sat down again.
"Sure you're okay."
"Yes, I'm fine."
He came closer still and directed her head so he could see her wound. The butterfly stitches were holding but did nothing to hide its gruesome stare.
"Does it hurt?" he asked softly.
"A little," she whispered and he saw the battle she was fighting.
"I'm sorry Scully. I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"You didn't know," she said, silently begging him to stop before the tears she was holding back fell unbidden.
"Yeah…well I-."
"Mulder…forget it." Again he received one of her half smiles but this time he didn't push it. "I want to go home."
MARCH 1st 2000
She quickly changed out of her work suit and longed for a shower. But with David's imminent arrival she decided it could wait. It wasn't long before there was a knock at the door. With a quick glance through the peephole she saw David standing in the hallway.
"David," she swung the door wide open. "Come in."
He pulled out his badge and showed it to her. "Just so you know you'll be safe…I'm a cop."
She smiled and showed him into the living room. He slipped his badge into his jacket pocket and hung it on the arm of the couch.
"Coffee?"
"Please."
She returned from the kitchen minutes later and handed him a cup.
"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"First I want you to say that you'll tell me the truth."
"The truth? What are you talking about Dana?" He seemed confused and she wondered if it was sincere.
"The first victim…"
"Jessica Strong."
"You knew her, back in medical school."
David remained silent. His lips had all but disappeared under a firm expression.
"You worked and lived with her in Chicago."
"Are you asking me or telling me?"
"Is it true?"
"Yes. I did know her."
"Why didn't you say?"
"I am having enough trouble working on the force. I needed this case to move up. I thought they'd take it away from me. I wasn't sure if it was even her until I saw the body."
He seemed to break up at that point and as he bent his head into his hands he dropped the coffee onto the carpet. He jumped up and grabbed the now empty cup.
"Oh god, sorry Dana…"
"Don't worry."
She ran into the kitchen to get a towel and returned to find him standing over the coffee stain, the cup held loosely in his hand. She bent slowly and dabbed the wet patch with the towel, all the while watching him from the corner of her eye.
"It's happening again," he murmured softly.
"What is David?"
"Just when I start to like someone…they turn against me." His face was angry now and his grip on the cup tightened.
"What do you mean?"
"You think I did it don't you? You think I'm just some angry freak who can't control his emotions."
"No David," she spoke clearly and slowly, at the same time trying to remember where she'd left her gun.
"DON'T PATRONISE ME, DANA!" he screamed his face turning red with fury.
"I was just-."
"SHUT UP," he shouted half turning away from her. It was then that she noticed the cup he was wielding was held up above his head. Without warning he turned around and slammed it down and hit her head, smashing the cup against her. She fell onto the floor with a heavy thud and lay motionless.
David stared at her for a moment before the panic rose up from the pit of his stomach. He ran. Leaving her door wide open, leaving his jacket on the couch and still holding the cup handle, he ran.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she woke but as she touched a gentle finger to her head where the pain was all but unbearable; she found a lot of the blood to be dried. She tried to sit up but found she couldn't as wave after wave of nausea washed over her. From her position on the floor she could see the phone resting near the edge of the table. She stretched until she felt her fingers brush against it and with a final reach she grabbed it. She paused for breath before dialling and left it on the ground beside her head. He picked up after the first ring.
"Mulder," he answered curtly.
"Mulder…Mulder…" her voice was chocked and she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Scully?" his concern swirled around her head. "Where are you? Scully, talk to me."
"Home…hurry, Mulder."
He hung up with another word and she pictured him dashing from his apartment. She travelled his journey in her mind and it wasn't long before she imagined him bursting into her apartment, running for her bedroom when he didn't see her hidden by the couch. But she knew she wasn't imagining it when he knelt by her head and stroked her hair from her eyes. Finally realising that he was by her side she relaxed and allowed her eyes to droop.
"Scully, stay with me…" he touched her face and gently stroked her cheek. "Scully, come on…that's it, open up and show me your baby blues!"
She looked up at him through tear filled eyes ad smiled. He picked her up and carried her to the car that he had abandoned half on her front lawn. As he pulled up outside the emergency room he yelled for assistance and was met by two orderlies, one pushing a gurney.
"What happened?"
Mulder turned to see a doctor running alongside them. They were ushered into a small green room and Scully was transferred to another bed.
"I'm not sure, she got hit on the head," he said as the doctor pulled a small torch from his pocket and checked her eyes.
"Did she loose consciousness?"
"I dunno, I found her awake and she's been awake with me."
"Okay, it looks a lot worse than it is. A couple of stitches and a killer headache." He slipped the torch back into his pocket and squeezed Mulders shoulder. "She'll be fine. We'll need to keep her in overnight for observation, but I don't imagine there will be any complication.
Mulder walked over to where Scully lay and took her hand. She turned her eyes to face him and smiled weakly.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"He wasn't joking about the headache."
He reached up a hand and brushed her blood stained hair away from the wound
"Was it Blake?" he asked softly, already knowing the answer.
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"He came round to my place after I'd done the autopsy and I asked him about knowing the first victim. He lost it…"
"How?"
"He spilt a cup of coffee and when I got back from grabbing a towel his mood had changed. He was more distant. He was saying something about people he liked turning against him…he screamed at me and then…hit me…with a cup."
"Are you okay?"
"A few stitches and I'll be fine."
"That's not what I meant-," he began but was interrupted by a nurse coming in. She pulled a high stool closer to the bed Scully lay on and set a tray up ready for the stitches.
"I'll just give you a shot and start."
Mulder looked away but held onto her hand, unsure who was gripping whom the tightest he waited until the nurse left before turning back to her. He smiled an awkward smile and she returned it equally as awkward.
"I'm going to put someone on your door."
"Mulder-,"
"No, I'm not going to change my mind."
She saw his stubborn trait shine brightly and decided to give in. Her eyes were heavy now and ass the orderly wheeled her to a private ward Mulder helped her onto the bed. He handed her the standard gown and turned away while she changed. She lay into the bed and felt the sleep wash over her.
"I'll call by in the morning to pick you up."
"Thanks."
He seemed to want to say more but he thought better of it. With a final squeeze of her hand as much for his own benefit as hers he left. She briefly wondered what it was that he wanted to say but the thoughts disappeared quickly when sleep finally claimed her.
March 2nd 2000
Scully woke the next morning to incessant banging. It wasn't until she opened her eyes that she realised it was coming from inside her head. Slowly she pulled her self up and found Mulder sitting in the chair next to the bed. He was smiling at her oddly and she somehow she found the energy to return it.
"Hi, what time is it?"
"It's just after eight."
"How long have you been here?"
"Seconds…I thought I woke you by walking in."
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood shakily. He jumped up beside her and held her elbow. Holding out a small bag she smiled warmly when she saw he had thought to bring her a change of clothes. After changing in the bathroom she came out to find Mulder on the phone speaking softly. He hung up and turned to her, a stern expression on his face.
"There's been another murder, the body was found at a gym. Blake has gone missing, so has the evidence found on Louise O'Gara's body."
The gym's basketball court had been cordoned off from the rest of the complex and the team had been in full operation for almost an hour before Mulder and Scully made it there.
"Caucasian Male aged 17, name Mark Richards," one of the officers informed them. "The coroner found a puncture wound on his neck, stab wounds all over his back He's been sliced up pretty bad."
Scully knelt down and gently touched the wounds with a small, gloved hand. "It looks like his heart is gone," she said softly. Standing she pulled off the glove. "I want this body wrapped to go. ASAP."
As she and Mulder walked back to his car she was silent. Mulder watched her from the corner of his eye and finally reached out and touched her elbow.
"Scully?"
"David…Detective Blake said something to me once. He said about all the missing organs…It was like someone was trying to build a whole new person."
"Like Dr. Frankenstein?"
"Something like that."
"It would make sense. Someone who feels that everyone has betrayed them may fall onto extreme measures to find someone…someone to love."
"You look tired Mulder," she said as they climbed into the car.
"I didn't sleep much."
"Must be something in the air." She smiled a knowing smile at him as he pulled away to drive her to the morgue.
Later that evening she jumped from the taxi and practically ran into her apartment. She dashed for the bathroom and started the water running. It didn't take her long to get out of her clothes and slip into a robe. The music was a tough choice but she finally settle on a mixed CD of classical melodies. She thought about opening a bottle of wine but after touching her deep wound she decided against it. A tall cool glass of root beer rested against the bath as she sunk lower into the soothing bubbles. It felt perfect and she allowed herself a small smile. Until her phone rang. She recognised her mobile ring and could mentally see it on her bed where she threw it. She made a dash for her room and quickly ran back to the bath before answering it.
"Hello?"
"Scully. I just wanted to see how it went."
"The stab wounds were deep but mainly superficial. The Rocuronium was sufficient to render the victim motionless, at which point the surgery that removed his heart killed him."
"It's only going to get worse. I was thinking about what you said about building a whole new body…"
"I think it was more of a figurative term," she said stretching her small legs beneath the water and loving the feel of the tension being released.
"Well I thought whoever is taking these organs will need somewhere to store them, if he's not destroying them."
"Cold storage to keep them fresh," she lifted her leg out of the weapon.
"Yes, so I compiled a list of cold storage facilities in the area and I'm checking for any new accounts."
"Good thinking," she dropped her leg and splashed some water over the baths edge.
"Where are you?"
"I'm in the bath," she said laughing and colouring slightly.
"Oh Scully, you should have said…"
"Goodnight Mulder."
She hung up the phone and sank lower into the water. She stayed as long as she dared but soon the water became tepid and she stepped out. She slunk into the living room a towel wrapped around her head. It was then that she noticed the flashing red light on her answering machine. Reaching over she pressed the play button to relieve it of it's messages.
"You have five new messages," the slightly metallic voice informed her. "Yesterday at 19:50 Dana hi, it's you r mum. Call me."
"Yesterday at 19:59 Dana…" she froze as the sound of David's voice resonated through the room. "Are you there? I have to talk to you. I'm so sorry. Please pick up if you are there."
"Yesterday at 22:34 Dana, please talk to me. I know I hurt you but you have to understand…please let me explain."
"Today at 02:50 Please give me a chance, I can't go back up there. I haven't been home all night and I'm scared. Pick up…"
"Today at 16:24 Jesus Christ Dana you have to help me. I cant go home, I cant go to work, I need your help…please."
She sat still as the messages played through. The music no longer offered her any comfort. Before climbing into her bed, the good work of the soothing bath undone, she checked the bolts on the door were secure.
March 3rd 2000
She strolled through the FBI hallways confidently, ignoring the curious glances and made her way quickly to the bullpen where she expected to find Mulder. He stood around a table with three other Agents hat she recognised immediately as Agent Doyle, Smith and Walker. She had tried to conceal the stitches with her hair and a small bit of makeup but she knew he could see it. She knew he would look. He kept staring at it but she saw only concern in his eyes, not the curiosity she found in the others.
She dropped her case on a desk and made her way over to the table. They turned to her as she approached and Mulder held out a sheet to her.
"What's this?"
"So far we've come up empty on the cold storage, but there are hundreds more to go through, but a check that Agent Walker did on Detective Blake shows a standing order of $180 a week starting on the fifteenth of January. A week before the first murder. We're thinking it could be a payment for the storage."
"We're trying to contact the bank about the moneys destination but they are being rather tight lipped about it," Agent Doyle said. "We might need to send some muscle and a badge down there to get the information."
"But Blake has gone missing. No one has seen or heard from him since he left your apartment yesterday evening," Smith said annoyed.
"I have." They all turned to her as she pulled the tape from her answering machine from her pocket.
"He left four messages on this for me while I was at the hospital. He's still in the local vicinity, he wants to meet with me."
"Blake is on record owning only one residence in the area and we have checked it out. It's empty," Walker said.
"He could be in any one of the hotels in this city," Mulder countered. "We have to get him in. The longer he stays out there the more dangerous he will get."
"We have to get this guy."
Scully looked around at the four men and listened as they sought a plan of attack. Their anger was prominent but only Mulder seemed to be aware of her stillness. He glanced over at her and mouthed a few words to her.
"You okay?" She gave him a small smile and nodded gently.
"He'll talk to me."