Title - I Know What You Did . . .
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Classification - TRA
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.
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.
Chapter 10
He's drifting again. But this time he pays attention to what's going on around him. There are men. They don't have any faces and they're taking her. Just like how he dreamed before. He tries to run after them, but the more he pumps his legs, the farther away he drifts. Until he can't see her anymore.
"Scully," he yells, sitting straight up in the bed. The noise wakes a dozing Skinner.
"What's wrong, Mulder?" he asks in a raspy voice. "Bad dream?"
"Someone took her," Mulder replies, trying to calm his breathing. "I remember now. She had some tests done on Friday at her doctor's appointment. I took her home and put her to bed because the doctor said she needed to stay off her feet for the rest of the day. I lay down next to her and we both went to sleep. When I woke up, she was gone. And I was on the floor, covered in blood. The police were there saying that . . . she was dead. That's all I remember before waking up here."
"You went into shock," Skinner explains. "Your mind couldn't deal with the trauma."
"She can't be gone," Mulder says, shaking his head from side to side. Skinner notices the younger man's trembling hands and grabs them with his own. They're ice cold.
"Calm down, Mulder," Skinner admonishes. "We don't know that. You said yourself that she isn't dead. That we'll find her."
"But what if we don't?" Mulder starts to cry. "I told her I would take care of her. But they took her anyway. They took her right from out of my arms."
"Mulder, don't do this to yourself. You've got to keep it together. Scully is counting on you to save her. You can't do that if you lose your mind."
That seems to get the man's attention. Skinner is thankful that he seems to be listening to him.
"You're right," he says, taking a deep breath. "I have to find her. And to do that, I have to get out of here."
He gets out of the bed before Skinner can protest and searches the room for his clothes. All he finds is a bag from the gift shop with a sweat suit.
"Your other clothes were taken as evidence," is all Skinner gives as an explanation.
"Thanks for this, Sir," Mulder says solemnly, thinking how it's usually Scully's job to make sure he has fresh clothes when leaving the hospital. But she isn't there. Only Skinner is. And Mulder is suddenly grateful for the man. "Thanks for everything. I don't think I could . . . I *know* I couldn't do this alone."
Skinner just nods, not wanting to risk an emotional display on his part. Because inside, his heart is breaking for the man standing before him. He can see what Scully's absence is doing to him.
"Just go get changed," Skinner says, clearing his throat. "I'll go talk to your doctor about getting you released."
"Leaving so soon?"
Mulder and Skinner turn to the door to find Detective Freeman standing there. He's holding a large envelope and doesn't look happy.
"Are those the test results?" Mulder asks, nodding to the man's hands.
"They are," the detective frowns. "And it seems that we've got ourselves a bit of a mystery here. The initial tests were correct. The blood does in fact belong to Agent Scully. But it's not exactly the same as the blood she had drawn on last Friday. According to the tests on that blood, Agent Scully is . . ."
"Pregnant," Mulder finishes for him. "About three months along. So if the tests on the blood found at the scene don't show that she's pregnant, then that blood is a few months old at least. Meaning someone planted it there to make it look like she had been killed."
"If you knew that, then why didn't you just tell us that to begin with?" the detective asks, clearly annoyed at the cocky agent.
"Because I *didn't* know," Mulder growls. "All I knew was that you and your people stormed Agent Scully's apartment and accused me of killing her. Do you know what that did to me? Do you have any idea of how I felt hearing those words? Hearing that she was dead? The only thing I was thinking at the time was how fast I could join her."
"It's okay, Mulder," Skinner jumps in, rescuing the detective from Mulder's anger. "Go ahead and get changed. I'll talk to Detective Freeman."
He watches Mulder go into the small bathroom on the other side of the room before turning back to the detective.
"As you can see, Agent Mulder is very distressed by his partner's disappearance. The two of them are close," Skinner starts.
"I'll say," the detective snorts derisively before catching a glare from Skinner that shuts him up immediately.
"I'm assuming that Agent Scully's disappearance is going to now be handled as a search for a missing person instead of a murder victim." At the detective's nod, Skinner continues. "Agent Mulder's going to insist on being a part of the Bureau's search for her. I won't be able to stop him, so I won't even try. Besides, I have a feeling that if anyone could find her, it would be him."
"You do what you have to, Assistant Director," the detective says. "But the police will continue with our own search. So even though your Agent Mulder is no longer an official suspect, I'll be keeping my eye on him."
With that, the detective turns to leave. Skinner lets out a deep breath and sinks back onto his chair. It's going to be a long road for Mulder. If there was ever a time he needed Scully, that time is now. Skinner doesn't even want to think what will happen if Scully isn't found, or worse, if her body is. He has a feeling he'll be burying two agents at once if that happens. He refuses to let that happen. He's going to do what he has to in order to help Mulder find Scully - whatever it takes.
* * * * * *
Mulder and Skinner walk to the front door of the house. Mulder raises a hand to knock when Skinner stops him.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks him.
"She helped me the last time," Mulder says after taking a moment to think. "I think we helped each other."
Skinner nods and steps to the side, allowing Mulder access to the door. The door opens almost immediately, revealing a teary eyed woman.
"Fox," she gasps, pulling him into the house. Before he can react, she launches herself into his arms and holds him tight.
"Hi Mrs. Scully," he whispers into her ear, gently patting her back. "How are you doing?"
"I'm managing," she says with a sad smile. "How are you?"
"Not so good, I'm afraid. I apparently landed myself in the hospital," he winces.
"The police said . . . well, they think you killed her, Fox," Mrs. Scully says, looking down at her feet. "I didn't want to believe them. I don't believe them. But they said they found you at her apartment covered in her blood."
"I didn't, Mrs. Scully," he swears, lifting her face so that she can look him in the eyes. "I could never hurt her. I hope you know that."
"Of course I do, Fox," she sighs. "I'm sorry I even . . . "
"Don't worry about that," he says, giving her a little smile. "I'm just sorry I haven't been out there looking for her this whole time. But that's going to change. I won't rest until I find her and bring her home to you. Alive and safe."
"Fox, no. Don't let this be like the last time. You let her search consume you and it almost killed you. I couldn't bear losing you both."
She pulls him into another hug, stroking his back to comfort him when she realizes he's crying.
"Why do you care so much for me?" he asks.
"Because you love my daughter," Mrs. Scully replies with a smile. She wipes the tears from his face and places a kiss on his cheek. "And you've made her happier than I've ever seen her."
"I've never told her. After all these years, she doesn't know how much I love her," he sighs.
"Of course she does, Fox. The same way you know that she loves you. It comes from the same place that's telling you that she isn't dead. That you will find her out there. I believe in you. You just need to believe in yourself. Believe in that love."
They both stand and she walks him to the front door. He gives her one last hug before opening it to step outside. He stopped in his tracks from the last person he expected to see.
"What are you doing here?" the angry voice booms. "Get away from my mother!"
"Bill Jr., stop that this instant," Mrs. Scully scolds.
"Mom, this scum killed Dana. And doesn't even have the decency to tell the police where he hid her body," Bill yells. "If you wanted to pick on a Scully, why didn't you pick on me? I've been waiting years to go a few rounds with you."
"That's enough, Billy," another voice says. Mulder looks past Bill and sees Charlie standing on the porch behind him.
"Maybe you haven't been contacted by the police yet, but Agent Mulder is no longer a suspect. Your sister's disappearance is no longer being considered a murder," Skinner jumps in.
"Yeah, I talked to Detective Freeman a little while ago. I didn't really get the whole story, though. Once I found out they let a murderer go free, I came back here to check on my mother. I guess it's a good thing I did," Bill growls.
"It turns out that all the blood found at the scene was an older sample of Agent Scully's blood," Skinner explains. "From at least a few months ago."
"How did they determine that?" Charlie asks.
"Agent Scully's oncologist does blood work every few months. She had an appointment on Friday just before the accident," Skinner says, bending a truth to protect Scully's pregnancy secret. "The blood found at the scene matches more closely the blood she had taken a few months ago than the blood taken last week."
Mulder throws him a look of gratitude for dodging that bullet. He didn't have the energy to explain Scully's mystery pregnancy to her family at this point in time.
"It turns out that I was drugged," Mulder says. "Scully and I were working at her apartment and we fell asleep. Someone came in, drugged me, and took her. I guess they planted the blood to frame me."
"Who would go through that trouble?" Bill asks. "I bet this is something you've gotten her into again. You and your quest for the so called truth."
"We don't know that," Mulder says, glancing over at a suddenly guilt ridden Charlie. "We don't know anything right now."
"I swear this is the last time," Bill threatens him. "I'm not going to sit around and watch my sister get kidnapped every few years because of some mess you have gotten her into."
Mulder clenches and unclenches his fists, desperately trying to keep a hold on his temper. But he realizes that fighting with Bill would not make Mrs. Scully happy. For her sake, he backs away.
"I'll see you later, Mrs. Scully," he says politely to the woman just before he leaves. The desire to pummel Bill lessens with each step towards the car.
"You okay?" Skinner asks him after they get into the car.
"Fine. Let's just get out of here," he says, looking out the window. He catches a glimpse of Charlie Scully sitting out on the porch and decides to try and talk to him later. The man obviously knows something that may be useful. Mulder just hopes the information doesn't come too late to save Scully and the babies.
* * * * * * * *
The first thing she's aware of when she opens her eyes is the absence of Mulder. He must have decided not to come to bed after all, she thinks to herself. But then she becomes more cognizant of her surroundings. It just doesn't feel like her room. The steady beeping sound to her left verifies that. It's a sound only heard in a hospital.
Her eyes pop open to view the sterile room she now resides in. Subconsciously, her hand reaches down to her stomach and it gently caresses the flabby pouch just starting to form. She looks around again, trying to figure out where she is when the door opens. Hopefully it's someone who can answer her questions.
"Agent Scully. You've finally joined us in the land of the living." The voice tries to remain light and jovial, but it does nothing to stop the hate filled glare in her eyes.
"It's you," she growls. "What are you doing here, Krycek?"
"Take a good look around, Scully. Maybe the question should be what are *you* doing here," he says with a smug grin that annoys her even more.
"Okay, I give up," she sighs. "What am I doing here? And where is here exactly?"
"An opportunity arose for me, Scully. One I couldn't pass up," he explains. "One that required your . . . how can I put this? Let's just say I needed your cooperation. But I figured I wouldn't get it. So I did the next best thing."
"You kidnapped me," she spits out.
"If that's the way you want to think of it," he says with a shrug. "I'd like you to think of it as a retreat of sorts. Consider this a calm and comfortable place for you to spend the rest of your pregnancy."
"You can't be serious?" She glares long and hard at him, realizing after the amused chuckle he lets out that the hospital bed and fetal monitors sort of takes away her edge.
"Oh, this is very serious," he tells her, his voice taking on an ominous tone. "So serious that I won't risk these babies for anything."
"Somehow I doubt you have my children's best interests in mind. What do you have to gain from this?"
"Money. Plain and simple. I know you'd like to think you're being sacrificed for some grander purpose, but the truth is, I'm being compensated handsomely for this."
"I don't understand," she says, shaking her head. Her hands protectively cover her abdomen as she looks at him questioningly.
"You don't need to," he says as he starts to leave the room.
"Krycek," she calls out to him to stop him. "Alex," she says again in a softer tone. "Please tell me what's going on. I'm really scared. And I'm sure that isn't good for the babies."
With a small sigh, he stops and turns around, walking back towards her. He figures he doesn't have anything to lose by telling her his plans.
"I got sick and tired of being someone's errand boy," he starts, his voice low and dangerous. "They pushed me around because I let them do it to me. I know as much, if not more, than any of those conspirators. I knew enough not to get myself killed at El Rico, didn't I? I decided it was time to make a name for myself. I had the knowledge. I just needed the power. And we all know the fastest way to get power - money."
"What do I have to do with this?"
"With my money making scheme? Nothing," he laughs. "You're nothing more than a glorified incubator. But in the bigger picture, your involvement could mean everything."
"I'm still not following you," she says.
"Scientists all over the world make discoveries about the human body on a daily basis. They find ways to cure diseases that people haven't even heard about. They even find ways to correct issues that people have heard about. Problems that they would pay anything to correct. Problems like infertility."
"Are you saying I'm a guinea pig in a new infertility treatment?" At his nod, she continues questioning him. "Why not go through the proper channels and get their methods approved with the proper authorities? Why do this?"
"A rubbing from an alien artifact is hardly something the FDA or the AMA would approve of," he says. "The rubbing your brother brought to you made you able to conceive again. After that, you were impregnated using the technique developed by my, let's just call them investors."
"Investors," she repeats, the word spewing from her lips. "So basically you're saying you sold my body to the highest bidder."
"Scully, everyone wins in this situation, he tries to convince her. "My investors get their test subject, I get my money and you get something I know you've wanted for a long time - a child."
She stares off to the side of the room, wishing there was a window there to gaze out. The truth of the matter is, she has wanted a child for a long time now. Ever since she found out it wasn't possible. And now, she's pregnant. But under such bizarre circumstances. She doesn't know what to think or how to feel.
"So when this is all over, I can just walk away with my children? It can't be that simple. This must be the part of the plan that has everything to do with me."
"It is," he nods. "After you have successfully delivered, I'll get my money. I'll be able to get my power. But not with you and Mulder fighting my agenda at every step."
"So you figure I'll be out of the way with two children to raise?"
"I'm not banking on that. I know how liberated women try to be these days. Children won't stop you from working. But I know that you and their father will do anything to keep them safe. Including staying out of my way," he says with an evil smirk.
"Their father? What do you know about their fa . . . " Realization suddenly hits her when she sees the gleam in Krycek's eyes. It could only be one person Krycek's talking about. Who else would he fear thwarting his plans? "It's Mulder isn't it?"
"Smart girl," Krycek chuckles. "Just hope these little ones get your brains as well as your beauty."
With a wink, he leaves her alone in the room. She has a lot to process. Luckily, she's going to have plenty of time to do so. Another smile crosses Krycek's face as a thought crosses his mind. He's finally gotten the advantage over Mulder. Now no one will be able to stop him.
To be continued . . .
Author - Nicky
Rating - PG
Classification - TRA
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Angst, Charlie Fic
Spoilers - The Sixth Extinction: Amor Fati
Summary - Mulder and Scully help her brother Charlie and end up with more trouble than they bargained for.
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.
Chapter 10
He's drifting again. But this time he pays attention to what's going on around him. There are men. They don't have any faces and they're taking her. Just like how he dreamed before. He tries to run after them, but the more he pumps his legs, the farther away he drifts. Until he can't see her anymore.
"Scully," he yells, sitting straight up in the bed. The noise wakes a dozing Skinner.
"What's wrong, Mulder?" he asks in a raspy voice. "Bad dream?"
"Someone took her," Mulder replies, trying to calm his breathing. "I remember now. She had some tests done on Friday at her doctor's appointment. I took her home and put her to bed because the doctor said she needed to stay off her feet for the rest of the day. I lay down next to her and we both went to sleep. When I woke up, she was gone. And I was on the floor, covered in blood. The police were there saying that . . . she was dead. That's all I remember before waking up here."
"You went into shock," Skinner explains. "Your mind couldn't deal with the trauma."
"She can't be gone," Mulder says, shaking his head from side to side. Skinner notices the younger man's trembling hands and grabs them with his own. They're ice cold.
"Calm down, Mulder," Skinner admonishes. "We don't know that. You said yourself that she isn't dead. That we'll find her."
"But what if we don't?" Mulder starts to cry. "I told her I would take care of her. But they took her anyway. They took her right from out of my arms."
"Mulder, don't do this to yourself. You've got to keep it together. Scully is counting on you to save her. You can't do that if you lose your mind."
That seems to get the man's attention. Skinner is thankful that he seems to be listening to him.
"You're right," he says, taking a deep breath. "I have to find her. And to do that, I have to get out of here."
He gets out of the bed before Skinner can protest and searches the room for his clothes. All he finds is a bag from the gift shop with a sweat suit.
"Your other clothes were taken as evidence," is all Skinner gives as an explanation.
"Thanks for this, Sir," Mulder says solemnly, thinking how it's usually Scully's job to make sure he has fresh clothes when leaving the hospital. But she isn't there. Only Skinner is. And Mulder is suddenly grateful for the man. "Thanks for everything. I don't think I could . . . I *know* I couldn't do this alone."
Skinner just nods, not wanting to risk an emotional display on his part. Because inside, his heart is breaking for the man standing before him. He can see what Scully's absence is doing to him.
"Just go get changed," Skinner says, clearing his throat. "I'll go talk to your doctor about getting you released."
"Leaving so soon?"
Mulder and Skinner turn to the door to find Detective Freeman standing there. He's holding a large envelope and doesn't look happy.
"Are those the test results?" Mulder asks, nodding to the man's hands.
"They are," the detective frowns. "And it seems that we've got ourselves a bit of a mystery here. The initial tests were correct. The blood does in fact belong to Agent Scully. But it's not exactly the same as the blood she had drawn on last Friday. According to the tests on that blood, Agent Scully is . . ."
"Pregnant," Mulder finishes for him. "About three months along. So if the tests on the blood found at the scene don't show that she's pregnant, then that blood is a few months old at least. Meaning someone planted it there to make it look like she had been killed."
"If you knew that, then why didn't you just tell us that to begin with?" the detective asks, clearly annoyed at the cocky agent.
"Because I *didn't* know," Mulder growls. "All I knew was that you and your people stormed Agent Scully's apartment and accused me of killing her. Do you know what that did to me? Do you have any idea of how I felt hearing those words? Hearing that she was dead? The only thing I was thinking at the time was how fast I could join her."
"It's okay, Mulder," Skinner jumps in, rescuing the detective from Mulder's anger. "Go ahead and get changed. I'll talk to Detective Freeman."
He watches Mulder go into the small bathroom on the other side of the room before turning back to the detective.
"As you can see, Agent Mulder is very distressed by his partner's disappearance. The two of them are close," Skinner starts.
"I'll say," the detective snorts derisively before catching a glare from Skinner that shuts him up immediately.
"I'm assuming that Agent Scully's disappearance is going to now be handled as a search for a missing person instead of a murder victim." At the detective's nod, Skinner continues. "Agent Mulder's going to insist on being a part of the Bureau's search for her. I won't be able to stop him, so I won't even try. Besides, I have a feeling that if anyone could find her, it would be him."
"You do what you have to, Assistant Director," the detective says. "But the police will continue with our own search. So even though your Agent Mulder is no longer an official suspect, I'll be keeping my eye on him."
With that, the detective turns to leave. Skinner lets out a deep breath and sinks back onto his chair. It's going to be a long road for Mulder. If there was ever a time he needed Scully, that time is now. Skinner doesn't even want to think what will happen if Scully isn't found, or worse, if her body is. He has a feeling he'll be burying two agents at once if that happens. He refuses to let that happen. He's going to do what he has to in order to help Mulder find Scully - whatever it takes.
* * * * * *
Mulder and Skinner walk to the front door of the house. Mulder raises a hand to knock when Skinner stops him.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks him.
"She helped me the last time," Mulder says after taking a moment to think. "I think we helped each other."
Skinner nods and steps to the side, allowing Mulder access to the door. The door opens almost immediately, revealing a teary eyed woman.
"Fox," she gasps, pulling him into the house. Before he can react, she launches herself into his arms and holds him tight.
"Hi Mrs. Scully," he whispers into her ear, gently patting her back. "How are you doing?"
"I'm managing," she says with a sad smile. "How are you?"
"Not so good, I'm afraid. I apparently landed myself in the hospital," he winces.
"The police said . . . well, they think you killed her, Fox," Mrs. Scully says, looking down at her feet. "I didn't want to believe them. I don't believe them. But they said they found you at her apartment covered in her blood."
"I didn't, Mrs. Scully," he swears, lifting her face so that she can look him in the eyes. "I could never hurt her. I hope you know that."
"Of course I do, Fox," she sighs. "I'm sorry I even . . . "
"Don't worry about that," he says, giving her a little smile. "I'm just sorry I haven't been out there looking for her this whole time. But that's going to change. I won't rest until I find her and bring her home to you. Alive and safe."
"Fox, no. Don't let this be like the last time. You let her search consume you and it almost killed you. I couldn't bear losing you both."
She pulls him into another hug, stroking his back to comfort him when she realizes he's crying.
"Why do you care so much for me?" he asks.
"Because you love my daughter," Mrs. Scully replies with a smile. She wipes the tears from his face and places a kiss on his cheek. "And you've made her happier than I've ever seen her."
"I've never told her. After all these years, she doesn't know how much I love her," he sighs.
"Of course she does, Fox. The same way you know that she loves you. It comes from the same place that's telling you that she isn't dead. That you will find her out there. I believe in you. You just need to believe in yourself. Believe in that love."
They both stand and she walks him to the front door. He gives her one last hug before opening it to step outside. He stopped in his tracks from the last person he expected to see.
"What are you doing here?" the angry voice booms. "Get away from my mother!"
"Bill Jr., stop that this instant," Mrs. Scully scolds.
"Mom, this scum killed Dana. And doesn't even have the decency to tell the police where he hid her body," Bill yells. "If you wanted to pick on a Scully, why didn't you pick on me? I've been waiting years to go a few rounds with you."
"That's enough, Billy," another voice says. Mulder looks past Bill and sees Charlie standing on the porch behind him.
"Maybe you haven't been contacted by the police yet, but Agent Mulder is no longer a suspect. Your sister's disappearance is no longer being considered a murder," Skinner jumps in.
"Yeah, I talked to Detective Freeman a little while ago. I didn't really get the whole story, though. Once I found out they let a murderer go free, I came back here to check on my mother. I guess it's a good thing I did," Bill growls.
"It turns out that all the blood found at the scene was an older sample of Agent Scully's blood," Skinner explains. "From at least a few months ago."
"How did they determine that?" Charlie asks.
"Agent Scully's oncologist does blood work every few months. She had an appointment on Friday just before the accident," Skinner says, bending a truth to protect Scully's pregnancy secret. "The blood found at the scene matches more closely the blood she had taken a few months ago than the blood taken last week."
Mulder throws him a look of gratitude for dodging that bullet. He didn't have the energy to explain Scully's mystery pregnancy to her family at this point in time.
"It turns out that I was drugged," Mulder says. "Scully and I were working at her apartment and we fell asleep. Someone came in, drugged me, and took her. I guess they planted the blood to frame me."
"Who would go through that trouble?" Bill asks. "I bet this is something you've gotten her into again. You and your quest for the so called truth."
"We don't know that," Mulder says, glancing over at a suddenly guilt ridden Charlie. "We don't know anything right now."
"I swear this is the last time," Bill threatens him. "I'm not going to sit around and watch my sister get kidnapped every few years because of some mess you have gotten her into."
Mulder clenches and unclenches his fists, desperately trying to keep a hold on his temper. But he realizes that fighting with Bill would not make Mrs. Scully happy. For her sake, he backs away.
"I'll see you later, Mrs. Scully," he says politely to the woman just before he leaves. The desire to pummel Bill lessens with each step towards the car.
"You okay?" Skinner asks him after they get into the car.
"Fine. Let's just get out of here," he says, looking out the window. He catches a glimpse of Charlie Scully sitting out on the porch and decides to try and talk to him later. The man obviously knows something that may be useful. Mulder just hopes the information doesn't come too late to save Scully and the babies.
* * * * * * * *
The first thing she's aware of when she opens her eyes is the absence of Mulder. He must have decided not to come to bed after all, she thinks to herself. But then she becomes more cognizant of her surroundings. It just doesn't feel like her room. The steady beeping sound to her left verifies that. It's a sound only heard in a hospital.
Her eyes pop open to view the sterile room she now resides in. Subconsciously, her hand reaches down to her stomach and it gently caresses the flabby pouch just starting to form. She looks around again, trying to figure out where she is when the door opens. Hopefully it's someone who can answer her questions.
"Agent Scully. You've finally joined us in the land of the living." The voice tries to remain light and jovial, but it does nothing to stop the hate filled glare in her eyes.
"It's you," she growls. "What are you doing here, Krycek?"
"Take a good look around, Scully. Maybe the question should be what are *you* doing here," he says with a smug grin that annoys her even more.
"Okay, I give up," she sighs. "What am I doing here? And where is here exactly?"
"An opportunity arose for me, Scully. One I couldn't pass up," he explains. "One that required your . . . how can I put this? Let's just say I needed your cooperation. But I figured I wouldn't get it. So I did the next best thing."
"You kidnapped me," she spits out.
"If that's the way you want to think of it," he says with a shrug. "I'd like you to think of it as a retreat of sorts. Consider this a calm and comfortable place for you to spend the rest of your pregnancy."
"You can't be serious?" She glares long and hard at him, realizing after the amused chuckle he lets out that the hospital bed and fetal monitors sort of takes away her edge.
"Oh, this is very serious," he tells her, his voice taking on an ominous tone. "So serious that I won't risk these babies for anything."
"Somehow I doubt you have my children's best interests in mind. What do you have to gain from this?"
"Money. Plain and simple. I know you'd like to think you're being sacrificed for some grander purpose, but the truth is, I'm being compensated handsomely for this."
"I don't understand," she says, shaking her head. Her hands protectively cover her abdomen as she looks at him questioningly.
"You don't need to," he says as he starts to leave the room.
"Krycek," she calls out to him to stop him. "Alex," she says again in a softer tone. "Please tell me what's going on. I'm really scared. And I'm sure that isn't good for the babies."
With a small sigh, he stops and turns around, walking back towards her. He figures he doesn't have anything to lose by telling her his plans.
"I got sick and tired of being someone's errand boy," he starts, his voice low and dangerous. "They pushed me around because I let them do it to me. I know as much, if not more, than any of those conspirators. I knew enough not to get myself killed at El Rico, didn't I? I decided it was time to make a name for myself. I had the knowledge. I just needed the power. And we all know the fastest way to get power - money."
"What do I have to do with this?"
"With my money making scheme? Nothing," he laughs. "You're nothing more than a glorified incubator. But in the bigger picture, your involvement could mean everything."
"I'm still not following you," she says.
"Scientists all over the world make discoveries about the human body on a daily basis. They find ways to cure diseases that people haven't even heard about. They even find ways to correct issues that people have heard about. Problems that they would pay anything to correct. Problems like infertility."
"Are you saying I'm a guinea pig in a new infertility treatment?" At his nod, she continues questioning him. "Why not go through the proper channels and get their methods approved with the proper authorities? Why do this?"
"A rubbing from an alien artifact is hardly something the FDA or the AMA would approve of," he says. "The rubbing your brother brought to you made you able to conceive again. After that, you were impregnated using the technique developed by my, let's just call them investors."
"Investors," she repeats, the word spewing from her lips. "So basically you're saying you sold my body to the highest bidder."
"Scully, everyone wins in this situation, he tries to convince her. "My investors get their test subject, I get my money and you get something I know you've wanted for a long time - a child."
She stares off to the side of the room, wishing there was a window there to gaze out. The truth of the matter is, she has wanted a child for a long time now. Ever since she found out it wasn't possible. And now, she's pregnant. But under such bizarre circumstances. She doesn't know what to think or how to feel.
"So when this is all over, I can just walk away with my children? It can't be that simple. This must be the part of the plan that has everything to do with me."
"It is," he nods. "After you have successfully delivered, I'll get my money. I'll be able to get my power. But not with you and Mulder fighting my agenda at every step."
"So you figure I'll be out of the way with two children to raise?"
"I'm not banking on that. I know how liberated women try to be these days. Children won't stop you from working. But I know that you and their father will do anything to keep them safe. Including staying out of my way," he says with an evil smirk.
"Their father? What do you know about their fa . . . " Realization suddenly hits her when she sees the gleam in Krycek's eyes. It could only be one person Krycek's talking about. Who else would he fear thwarting his plans? "It's Mulder isn't it?"
"Smart girl," Krycek chuckles. "Just hope these little ones get your brains as well as your beauty."
With a wink, he leaves her alone in the room. She has a lot to process. Luckily, she's going to have plenty of time to do so. Another smile crosses Krycek's face as a thought crosses his mind. He's finally gotten the advantage over Mulder. Now no one will be able to stop him.
To be continued . . .