Time Is Running Out Part Eight
By Katie Phillips
Disclaimer Info located in Part One
Mulder opened his mouth to speak and then shut it. He was truly speechless. He stared at Scully wondering how she could have possibly come up with such a theory. She meant everything to him. Didn't she know that? Hadn't he shown her in a thousand little ways?
Maybe showing wasn't enough. Maybe she actually needed to hear the words.
Mulder rose from the couch and came up behind her so quietly that she jumped at the feel of his touch. He took her by the shoulders and turned her around slowly until she faced him. Her head was down and Mulder could see the tears splash gently as they landed on the floor by her feet.
"Scully" Getting no reaction he tried again. "Dana." This got her to look up at him a bit puzzled. He had only called her that a few times in all the years they had been together and only in the most serious of situations. She took it as a sign he was about to say goodbye.
"It's okay Mulder." She said pushing past him. "You don't have to say anything. I understand, really I do." Mulder's anger began to rise and he did his best to push it back down. The last thing they needed right now was to get into a shouting match over how much he cared for her.
Mulder walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Dana you don't understand at all." He whispered into her ear. "Do you really have no idea what you do to me? Do you really think that the only reason I am standing here right now is out of obligation and guilt?" Scully nodded against him and he sighed in frustration.
"Dana you are my very soul. Even those idiots who dragged me off to Idaho could see that. Don't you see that everything I did with Alicia was out of frustration because I thought that I could no longer have you? They knew that if I had the smallest inclination that you wanted me here that I would have done anything in my power to get back to you."
"Obligation Mulder, nothing more. You were probably riddled with guilt because you had left without telling me. You knew I would worry about you."
God she knew him well. "Scully, it's more than that. Do you have any idea how many times I had to sit at my desk long after you left the room because if I had stood up I would have embarrassed myself completely?"
"How could that be, I never. . ."
"That's just it Scully. All you would have to do is be there wearing one of those little blouses of yours or sit at your computer nibbling on your lower lip as your typed. One look at you and my over active imagination took over. It is more than raging hormones Scully. When I look into your eyes I see the promise of what could be. You fill in the little pieces of me that were torn from me when I was younger. You make me whole Scully."
Scully was watching him intently her eyes brimming with tears. "The reason I haven't made my feelings clear before is that I was scared that I would destroy all that we had built up over the years. We are closer, more intimate than any set of lovers Scully. Can't you see that?"
"Yet still you can't tell me how you really feel, can you Mulder?"
"Can you Scully?" He wrapped his arms around her tighter. "I can start by showing you."
"Don't show me Mulder, tell me. I need to hear the words." Scully said pulling away from him and turning to face him.
He took her hands in his then and kissed them briefly before leading her back to the couch. "Okay Scully." He looked at her over her knuckles as he kissed them again. "I love the way you pick apart everything I say until it makes sense to you. I love the way you wrinkle up your nose when you are thinking. I love the fact that even though you thought I was dead you took the time to arrange my sock drawer." He smiled at her then. "I bet your underwear drawer is all organized too."
She smiled back at him. "Go on."
"I love the way you look in my old t-shirts even as I envy them for being able to touch parts of you off limits to me. The way you look at me when you think I don't see you. The way the mere thought of you or the sound of your voice can make fantasies pop into my head. Most of all, I love the way we fit together when I take you in my arms. Like two halves making up the perfect whole."
Scully stroked his face and gave him a smile that was tinged with sadness. They both realized that although they felt it, neither of them could say those three little words. At least not yet.
Mulder pulled Scully back against him and nuzzled her neck. "We are both pretty messed up Scully, aren't we?" Scully just snorted in response. "Do you at least believe me when I say I definitely think of you as a woman?" He drew his fingers up along her arm and she shuddered under his touch.
He felt instead of saw her smile in response. He nibbled on her neck and ear before whispering. "You think that will be enough to let me get to second base tonight?"
April 16th 7:45 AM Office of the Assistant Director
Mulder and Scully waited outside of Skinner's office for their Monday morning briefing. They had decided that they would refrain from mentioning the possibly of Scully's condition having been reversed until she had a chance to check with her doctors.
They had plenty to tell Skinner without bringing that up.
Mulder looked at Scully so sitting so poised and collected next to him calmly going over her notes on the tests that were run over the weekend. One would never know by looking at her that she was on the verge of consummating her relationship with her former partner. Mulder, on the other hand, was sure that everyone who looked at him would be able to tell.
Skinner welcomed them into his office and after the usual pleasantries sat behind his desk and got down to business.
"Agent Mulder, I assume you went through your stress test this past weekend?"
"Yes Sir."
"And everything was normal?"
"Well, yes and no Sir."
Scully saw the look of annoyance on Skinner's face from this vague answer and jumped into the conversation. "Sir, I ran not only the standard stress test on Agent Mulder but some accelerated ones that would be more in line with what he would experience during a difficult field case."
"And were the results normal or not?"
"Well Sir, that's where things get a bit strange. The results were almost too normal." Skinner gave her an impatient look. "For example, I had Agent Mulder running at quite a severe uphill angle and a relatively fast speed. While you could tell he was being challenged physically by looking at him, when I checked his vitals I saw that they were practically all normal."
"In layman's terms Agent Scully. Something simple enough that even General Elliott can understand."
This comment provoked a chuckle from Mulder but a look from Skinner silenced him.
"Agent Mulder's heart rate was around 75 beats per minute when he was in a resting state. After running uphill for close to 15 minutes, the rate had only gone up to around 80."
"Is this a good thing Agent Scully?"
"We're not sure Sir. I have scheduled for Agent Mulder to have a complete physical tomorrow. I will then compare his former medical records with the results."
"Agent Scully, I suggest we keep this little piece of information between the three of us until we can come up with some concrete facts. I don't know about you, but I don't particularly want General Elliott to know about the other potential uses of this vaccine any sooner than necessary."
"Why is that Sir?" Scully asked.
Mulder jumped in. "Don't you see Scully? If this stuff works the way we think it does, you can make a soldier that doesn't tire easily on the battlefield and perhaps prevent or cure all diseases. It's use by the wrong people could be devastating."
"Do you think the Syndicate has figured all this out yet?" Scully looked at Skinner.
"From what General Elliott has told me, he doesn't think that the Syndicate has done any human testing yet outside of convicted criminals and the like. I doubt very much that they even bothered to check on them any more than to see if they survived or not."
"Let's hope not."
10:15 PM Ambassador Hotel
Krycek came up behind where Alicia was busily typing on her computer. He bent over and began kissing her neck all the while reading what was displayed on her screen. He only glanced at it quickly, but that he caught the name of Fox Mulder on the screen. He immediately began to wonder why Mulder's name would be showing up in any testing data.
"Alicia baby, tell me again about all these tests you run." Krycek said as he swirled his tongue around her ear and sucked gently on her earlobe.
"Alex, you know I can't really talk about my work. All I can say is that we are working on a new type of medicine and we have tried testing in on a few volunteers. Ohhhhh, that feels good." She lost her train of thought when Krycek spun her chair around and began to turn his attentions lower.
As Krycek lured Alicia back to bed he was busily trying to think of why the FBI would use Fox Mulder as a test subject. It was common knowledge that Mulder wasn't one of the favorites among many in the Bureau but he was one of their best profilers and a personal favorite of both the Director and Assistant Director. If Mulder had been chosen as a test subject it must have been without prior knowledge of the FBI.
"You are such a rebel." Krycek said out loud resulting in a questioning "What did you say?" from Alicia. "Nothing darling." Krycek turned his attentions back to her.
Krycek waited until she was asleep before heading back to the computer. He already had provided the Syndicate enough data from which to build a computer virus that would destroy all the FBI's data, but he was still curious about Mulder. Not so much for the Syndicate's use, but for his.
Krycek knew that knowledge was power and he what he found out about Mulder and his stress test proved to be very knowledgeable indeed. No one within the Syndicate had mentioned the physical advantages of the vaccine leaving Krycek to believe that they had yet to make that discovery. He stored away this tidbit for future use while making a mental note to himself to make sure to snag a dose or two of the vaccine for himself before destroying the remainder.
April 17th 6:00 AM The Syndicate Board Room, New York City
"Well Mr. Krycek what can you tell us about the activities of the FBI concerning our plans?" The Cigarette Smoking Man lit up another cigarette.
"They have the vaccine and are in the process of trying to replicate it. They have only produced a few test vials so far but plan to produce it on a massive scale once their testing has been concluded." Krycek resisted the urge to fan the smoke away from his face.
"And when to they anticipate the testing to be completed?" The dark-suited man asked.
"They plan is to begin distribution no later than June first." .
The Well Manicured Man was sitting in the corner of the room. "When shall you implement the computer virus you created?"
"Well before their testing is complete. I plan to enter their facility sometime this week and install the virus. It should begin worming its way through their system almost immediately although it may take them a few days to realize that their data has been altered."
"What about the vials that they have already made?" The Cigarette Smoking Man leaned back in his chair relaxing now that matters seemed well in hand..
"A simple flush should do the trick nicely." Krycek said with a raised eyebrow.
2:30 PM Office of the Assistant Director
Scully and Mulder sat in front of Skinner's desk with Mulder's medical records perched on Scully's lap. She explained her conclusions from Mulder's most recent round of test and both men listened with keen interest.
"Sir, I can tell you that I have seen nothing like this. All of Mulder's ailments, medical ailments" she corrected with a small smile at Mulder "seemed to have been eliminated."
She picked up an X-ray and waved it. "Tissue damage caused by multiple bullet wounds have disappeared. His tonsils even returned."
"Unbelievable." Skinner let out a long sigh. "Agents, if it's all the same to you, I would like to still keep this bit of information between us."
"I agree completely Sir. I have a bad feeling about General Elliott and how he would use this information." Mulder agreed immediately.
Scully, being Scully, played devil's advocate. "Isn't it our job to present the President and the members of our task force all the information available so they can make an informed decision about what to do next?"
"Scully, I'm not saying that we will keep this information from them indefinitely, but before we hand it over to them I think we need to figure out exactly what we have stumbled onto here."
Scully looked first at Mulder and then at Skinner and threw her hands up in defeat. "Okay, I will keep all this information on my personal computer at home. That way Alicia won't see it."
Mulder and Scully walked out of Skinner's office and headed towards the elevator. Once inside Mulder turned to Scully. "So what's the plan for tonight Scully?"
Scully glanced briefly at her watch. "Since it is relatively early, I thought I would pop in at my office over at Quantico and see how everything is going over there. It's been awhile and I am sure my mail is stacked nearly to the roof."
Mulder smiled knowing how much Scully would hate the thought of anything being stacked to the roof. "And after that Dr. Scully?" he asked in a slightly mocking tone.
"I think I will head home and turn in early. I can't eat anything after eight so it seems like the perfect excuse for me to catch up on my sleep."
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you tomorrow?" Mulder concern was beginning to show.
"No, I'll be fine Mulder. There is really no need for both of us spending the day sitting in waiting rooms."
"Okay, if you're sure. I'll meet you at your apartment tomorrow afternoon."
The elevators opened on the main level and Scully got out. "And Scully" he said causing her to turn around and look at him. "no matter what happens tomorrow we will deal with it together."
++++++++++++++++++++ End of part eight
Disclaimer Info located in Part One
Mulder opened his mouth to speak and then shut it. He was truly speechless. He stared at Scully wondering how she could have possibly come up with such a theory. She meant everything to him. Didn't she know that? Hadn't he shown her in a thousand little ways?
Maybe showing wasn't enough. Maybe she actually needed to hear the words.
Mulder rose from the couch and came up behind her so quietly that she jumped at the feel of his touch. He took her by the shoulders and turned her around slowly until she faced him. Her head was down and Mulder could see the tears splash gently as they landed on the floor by her feet.
"Scully" Getting no reaction he tried again. "Dana." This got her to look up at him a bit puzzled. He had only called her that a few times in all the years they had been together and only in the most serious of situations. She took it as a sign he was about to say goodbye.
"It's okay Mulder." She said pushing past him. "You don't have to say anything. I understand, really I do." Mulder's anger began to rise and he did his best to push it back down. The last thing they needed right now was to get into a shouting match over how much he cared for her.
Mulder walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Dana you don't understand at all." He whispered into her ear. "Do you really have no idea what you do to me? Do you really think that the only reason I am standing here right now is out of obligation and guilt?" Scully nodded against him and he sighed in frustration.
"Dana you are my very soul. Even those idiots who dragged me off to Idaho could see that. Don't you see that everything I did with Alicia was out of frustration because I thought that I could no longer have you? They knew that if I had the smallest inclination that you wanted me here that I would have done anything in my power to get back to you."
"Obligation Mulder, nothing more. You were probably riddled with guilt because you had left without telling me. You knew I would worry about you."
God she knew him well. "Scully, it's more than that. Do you have any idea how many times I had to sit at my desk long after you left the room because if I had stood up I would have embarrassed myself completely?"
"How could that be, I never. . ."
"That's just it Scully. All you would have to do is be there wearing one of those little blouses of yours or sit at your computer nibbling on your lower lip as your typed. One look at you and my over active imagination took over. It is more than raging hormones Scully. When I look into your eyes I see the promise of what could be. You fill in the little pieces of me that were torn from me when I was younger. You make me whole Scully."
Scully was watching him intently her eyes brimming with tears. "The reason I haven't made my feelings clear before is that I was scared that I would destroy all that we had built up over the years. We are closer, more intimate than any set of lovers Scully. Can't you see that?"
"Yet still you can't tell me how you really feel, can you Mulder?"
"Can you Scully?" He wrapped his arms around her tighter. "I can start by showing you."
"Don't show me Mulder, tell me. I need to hear the words." Scully said pulling away from him and turning to face him.
He took her hands in his then and kissed them briefly before leading her back to the couch. "Okay Scully." He looked at her over her knuckles as he kissed them again. "I love the way you pick apart everything I say until it makes sense to you. I love the way you wrinkle up your nose when you are thinking. I love the fact that even though you thought I was dead you took the time to arrange my sock drawer." He smiled at her then. "I bet your underwear drawer is all organized too."
She smiled back at him. "Go on."
"I love the way you look in my old t-shirts even as I envy them for being able to touch parts of you off limits to me. The way you look at me when you think I don't see you. The way the mere thought of you or the sound of your voice can make fantasies pop into my head. Most of all, I love the way we fit together when I take you in my arms. Like two halves making up the perfect whole."
Scully stroked his face and gave him a smile that was tinged with sadness. They both realized that although they felt it, neither of them could say those three little words. At least not yet.
Mulder pulled Scully back against him and nuzzled her neck. "We are both pretty messed up Scully, aren't we?" Scully just snorted in response. "Do you at least believe me when I say I definitely think of you as a woman?" He drew his fingers up along her arm and she shuddered under his touch.
He felt instead of saw her smile in response. He nibbled on her neck and ear before whispering. "You think that will be enough to let me get to second base tonight?"
April 16th 7:45 AM Office of the Assistant Director
Mulder and Scully waited outside of Skinner's office for their Monday morning briefing. They had decided that they would refrain from mentioning the possibly of Scully's condition having been reversed until she had a chance to check with her doctors.
They had plenty to tell Skinner without bringing that up.
Mulder looked at Scully so sitting so poised and collected next to him calmly going over her notes on the tests that were run over the weekend. One would never know by looking at her that she was on the verge of consummating her relationship with her former partner. Mulder, on the other hand, was sure that everyone who looked at him would be able to tell.
Skinner welcomed them into his office and after the usual pleasantries sat behind his desk and got down to business.
"Agent Mulder, I assume you went through your stress test this past weekend?"
"Yes Sir."
"And everything was normal?"
"Well, yes and no Sir."
Scully saw the look of annoyance on Skinner's face from this vague answer and jumped into the conversation. "Sir, I ran not only the standard stress test on Agent Mulder but some accelerated ones that would be more in line with what he would experience during a difficult field case."
"And were the results normal or not?"
"Well Sir, that's where things get a bit strange. The results were almost too normal." Skinner gave her an impatient look. "For example, I had Agent Mulder running at quite a severe uphill angle and a relatively fast speed. While you could tell he was being challenged physically by looking at him, when I checked his vitals I saw that they were practically all normal."
"In layman's terms Agent Scully. Something simple enough that even General Elliott can understand."
This comment provoked a chuckle from Mulder but a look from Skinner silenced him.
"Agent Mulder's heart rate was around 75 beats per minute when he was in a resting state. After running uphill for close to 15 minutes, the rate had only gone up to around 80."
"Is this a good thing Agent Scully?"
"We're not sure Sir. I have scheduled for Agent Mulder to have a complete physical tomorrow. I will then compare his former medical records with the results."
"Agent Scully, I suggest we keep this little piece of information between the three of us until we can come up with some concrete facts. I don't know about you, but I don't particularly want General Elliott to know about the other potential uses of this vaccine any sooner than necessary."
"Why is that Sir?" Scully asked.
Mulder jumped in. "Don't you see Scully? If this stuff works the way we think it does, you can make a soldier that doesn't tire easily on the battlefield and perhaps prevent or cure all diseases. It's use by the wrong people could be devastating."
"Do you think the Syndicate has figured all this out yet?" Scully looked at Skinner.
"From what General Elliott has told me, he doesn't think that the Syndicate has done any human testing yet outside of convicted criminals and the like. I doubt very much that they even bothered to check on them any more than to see if they survived or not."
"Let's hope not."
10:15 PM Ambassador Hotel
Krycek came up behind where Alicia was busily typing on her computer. He bent over and began kissing her neck all the while reading what was displayed on her screen. He only glanced at it quickly, but that he caught the name of Fox Mulder on the screen. He immediately began to wonder why Mulder's name would be showing up in any testing data.
"Alicia baby, tell me again about all these tests you run." Krycek said as he swirled his tongue around her ear and sucked gently on her earlobe.
"Alex, you know I can't really talk about my work. All I can say is that we are working on a new type of medicine and we have tried testing in on a few volunteers. Ohhhhh, that feels good." She lost her train of thought when Krycek spun her chair around and began to turn his attentions lower.
As Krycek lured Alicia back to bed he was busily trying to think of why the FBI would use Fox Mulder as a test subject. It was common knowledge that Mulder wasn't one of the favorites among many in the Bureau but he was one of their best profilers and a personal favorite of both the Director and Assistant Director. If Mulder had been chosen as a test subject it must have been without prior knowledge of the FBI.
"You are such a rebel." Krycek said out loud resulting in a questioning "What did you say?" from Alicia. "Nothing darling." Krycek turned his attentions back to her.
Krycek waited until she was asleep before heading back to the computer. He already had provided the Syndicate enough data from which to build a computer virus that would destroy all the FBI's data, but he was still curious about Mulder. Not so much for the Syndicate's use, but for his.
Krycek knew that knowledge was power and he what he found out about Mulder and his stress test proved to be very knowledgeable indeed. No one within the Syndicate had mentioned the physical advantages of the vaccine leaving Krycek to believe that they had yet to make that discovery. He stored away this tidbit for future use while making a mental note to himself to make sure to snag a dose or two of the vaccine for himself before destroying the remainder.
April 17th 6:00 AM The Syndicate Board Room, New York City
"Well Mr. Krycek what can you tell us about the activities of the FBI concerning our plans?" The Cigarette Smoking Man lit up another cigarette.
"They have the vaccine and are in the process of trying to replicate it. They have only produced a few test vials so far but plan to produce it on a massive scale once their testing has been concluded." Krycek resisted the urge to fan the smoke away from his face.
"And when to they anticipate the testing to be completed?" The dark-suited man asked.
"They plan is to begin distribution no later than June first." .
The Well Manicured Man was sitting in the corner of the room. "When shall you implement the computer virus you created?"
"Well before their testing is complete. I plan to enter their facility sometime this week and install the virus. It should begin worming its way through their system almost immediately although it may take them a few days to realize that their data has been altered."
"What about the vials that they have already made?" The Cigarette Smoking Man leaned back in his chair relaxing now that matters seemed well in hand..
"A simple flush should do the trick nicely." Krycek said with a raised eyebrow.
2:30 PM Office of the Assistant Director
Scully and Mulder sat in front of Skinner's desk with Mulder's medical records perched on Scully's lap. She explained her conclusions from Mulder's most recent round of test and both men listened with keen interest.
"Sir, I can tell you that I have seen nothing like this. All of Mulder's ailments, medical ailments" she corrected with a small smile at Mulder "seemed to have been eliminated."
She picked up an X-ray and waved it. "Tissue damage caused by multiple bullet wounds have disappeared. His tonsils even returned."
"Unbelievable." Skinner let out a long sigh. "Agents, if it's all the same to you, I would like to still keep this bit of information between us."
"I agree completely Sir. I have a bad feeling about General Elliott and how he would use this information." Mulder agreed immediately.
Scully, being Scully, played devil's advocate. "Isn't it our job to present the President and the members of our task force all the information available so they can make an informed decision about what to do next?"
"Scully, I'm not saying that we will keep this information from them indefinitely, but before we hand it over to them I think we need to figure out exactly what we have stumbled onto here."
Scully looked first at Mulder and then at Skinner and threw her hands up in defeat. "Okay, I will keep all this information on my personal computer at home. That way Alicia won't see it."
Mulder and Scully walked out of Skinner's office and headed towards the elevator. Once inside Mulder turned to Scully. "So what's the plan for tonight Scully?"
Scully glanced briefly at her watch. "Since it is relatively early, I thought I would pop in at my office over at Quantico and see how everything is going over there. It's been awhile and I am sure my mail is stacked nearly to the roof."
Mulder smiled knowing how much Scully would hate the thought of anything being stacked to the roof. "And after that Dr. Scully?" he asked in a slightly mocking tone.
"I think I will head home and turn in early. I can't eat anything after eight so it seems like the perfect excuse for me to catch up on my sleep."
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you tomorrow?" Mulder concern was beginning to show.
"No, I'll be fine Mulder. There is really no need for both of us spending the day sitting in waiting rooms."
"Okay, if you're sure. I'll meet you at your apartment tomorrow afternoon."
The elevators opened on the main level and Scully got out. "And Scully" he said causing her to turn around and look at him. "no matter what happens tomorrow we will deal with it together."
++++++++++++++++++++ End of part eight