Delectation 3/6

Scully shifted uneasily against the worn fabric of her seat and peered out through the darkened windows in the Lone Gunmen's van at the house that lay before her. It was small, a cottage really, far away from the bright city and its troubles.

But her troubles seemed to grow by the minute as she gazed at the small dark cottage. Scully unconsciously grasped for her necklace for a moment, wanting to feel the familiar weight against her fingertips, but it wasn't there. It was back with Mulder.

Mulder... She was doing this for him.

And for their child.

And for herself.

She pursed her lips and pressed the small microphone that was hidden in the collar of her shirt to her mouth. "Guys, I'm going in," she said softly. There was a slight hiss of static and Scully winced as Frohike's voice floated into her ear from the small device in her cochlea. "Alright Scully," he said, his voice masked by the ruffling of leaves as he settled into place. "We've got your back."

Scully allowed a brief flash of pain to cross her face, Mulder was usually the one on her back, the only one she wanted watching out for her. Quickly she chased the expression away, beggars couldn't be choosers and she needed to get this done. She strapped her gun to its holster in her back and hesitated before snatching Mulder's old gun and strapping it to her ankle, like he had done so many times before. As she straightened she allowed her hand to drift and rest on her stomach for a moment. She could practically feel the sense of this unborn child, created unwittingly, yet out of love. Love from two desperate people who only found happiness in the other. Quickly, Scully offered up a prayer or two for her child and her child's father. Let them live...was her only thoughts as Byers gave the okay and she slipped silently across the yard and into the house.

As she passed the living room, Scully felt a flash of annoyance pass through her. These people were criminals, Krycek had murdered her sister in an attempt to kill her. What right did they have to live in luxury and happiness when she was miserable and Mulder was lying near death?

She scowled and entered the room, Mulder's gun instantly out of the ankle holster and in hand. She remembered all the times Krycek or Marita had simply shown up, to dangle information in front of Mulder and then snatch it away. Their cruel games were too much for Scully, she decided to give the two of them a taste of their own medicine.

With a grim smile and gun clutched tightly in hand, Dana Scully sat down in the plush armchair and waited.

~ ~ ~ ~

Mulder squinted at the swirling mists one more time, in a vain attempt to spot something he had possibly missed while staring aimlessly at it.

There was nothing. Not a godamn thing to give him a clue as to how to get out of there.

Mulder sighed in disgust and shut his eyes. Rubbing them furiously, he went through his mind all the things he had ever heard about people's near death experiences. With a grim smile he recalled a burning boxcar and added his own out of body encounter to the list.

Faintly he remembered that there had always been something to lead these people back to the world of the living. For him when he had been dying, his life in the hands of an Anasazi medicine man and his own mind wanting to give up, two things had drawn him back to the world. His quest for the truth, and Scully. Always her, he always found a way to return to Scully.

He opened his eyes again, allowing his vision to simply drift, not really seeing anything. He had to find a way to return to her now, she needed him more now than ever.

His serene perception of the state that held him sharpened suddenly as the back of his mind noted something that was slowly catching up to the rest of his brain. There was a pattern in the mist, not in the way it shifted around him restlessly, in fact that just added to his misconception. No, there were faint colors in the mist, so faint he could barely see them, but they were there. He had noticed something like it when he had heard Scully's voice, the streaks had shown up in the distance as gold then, coloring the fog ever so slightly. The golden hue had been ever more evident when she had been there with him, in the spiritual state. He had never really considered it before, but now he could see other tints in the haze. Purple, blue, red, green, all he was positive represented something different in all the different aspects of his life. Finally he found it, the aureate strand that wove about all the other strands, linking them all together. Holding him literally together at times. That golden link was Scully.

Mulder stretched out a hand, watching as some of the mist slowly gathered in his hand. This was weird, well as weird as you could get in a purgatory where you had no way out. Slowly, he brushed aside the multi-colored wisps and the gray and ebony fog, until he held the glowing golden chain in his hand.

Fox Mulder held onto the essence of the woman he loved for so long, and he followed it out of the darkness.

~ ~ ~ ~

"Scully," Langly's voice sounded in her ear. "A car's pulling up, be careful." Scully nodded slightly at the man, "I'm on it guys."

The clicking of the knob as the door swung silently open was the only thing that alerted Scully. She tensed immediately, both hands gripping a gun. She might not leave this house alive, she knew that, she knew that Krycek and Marita could overpower her easily if she wasn't careful.

But Scully had been extremely careful of late. She intended to walk out of the house of her own will, and with answers.

"Krycek's coming in first, Marita's right behind him, stay on edge, we never know what they might have up their sleeves, but there is no one around except for them," Scully nodded slightly at Frohike's message, aware that he could not see her.

A shadow hovered at the doorway and Scully cocked her gun, seeing how the figure froze as the sound pierced the stillness.

"Don't move Krycek," she ordered softly, "Put your hands up slowly," he did as she asked, slowly flicking on the light as he moved. His eyes met hers and she raised a slow eyebrow.

"Agent Scully," he acknowledged with a small nod and a slight smile that could have easily been a grimace. "What a pleasant surprise."

Scully leveled her gun on him, resting her arm on the chair arm and scowled, "That's bullshit, Krycek, you and I both know it," she stood idly, her stance cautious and alert. Krycek smirked and his eyes flicked slightly to something just beyond her, nobody else would have noticed it, but Scully's perception and reflexes had been finely honed after years with her partner. Swiftly she swung her other arm around and cocked the gun in her other hand. Without taking her other gun away from Krycek, Scully turned her head to glance at Marita who had been sneaking up behind her.

Scully grinned tightly, "We're just a regular convention, aren't we?" Marita narrowed her eyes and Scully gestured with her gun that she sit on the couch next to Krycek.

"Now," Scully began slowly. "I want some answers, and I want them now."

"What kind of answers," Marita asked, knowing full well what Scully was getting at.

Scully glowered at her at the impertinent question. "Like where I can find C. G. B Spender, Cancerman, whoever he is, let's start with that."

Krycek raised an eyebrow, matching Scully's own gesture. "Why do you want to see him?"

Scully suppressed a groan, they could be here all night if the two of them kept playing innocent. "Because," she started slowly, as if speaking to a two year old. "I believe he knows how to save my partner, and if you don't tell me, I will kill you," even as she spoke Scully wondered if she would be able to do it, to kill two people, even if it was two people that had traitored against Mulder dozens of times, one who had killed her own sister.

She honestly did not know, but as she saw both Krycek and Marita's eyes widen slightly at her threat she knew they believed her capable. And that was all that mattered.

"I'm afraid Cancerman wouldn't be of much help to you," Marita informed her, her cool and cultured voice slid like silk against a knife. Scully switched her gaze to the blonde woman.

"And just why is that?" She asked, her contempt hidden behind genuine curiosity. Krycek shrugged, "Because he is currently taking up residence at Arlington Cemetery," he saw the light of realization dawning in her blue eyes and added inessentially, "Six feet under."

Scully drew in a breath, taking this all in. "You killed him," it was more a statement than a question. Krycek nodded slightly, "So, whatever you want to know there are only two people left with any useful information."

Scully's eyes darkened to indigo and she bit the inside of her lip in frustration. She had been afraid something like this would happen. Well she could play this game just as well as they could. "Why is it just you two?" She asked cautiously, her eyes never straying from the two of them, she sure hoped that all this was getting through to the Lone Gunmen. "What happened to the rest of the Syndicate?" She asked, afraid that she already knew.

"All those who I knew were all killed, torched months ago. I would have thought that you had heard about it. Cancerman and Diana," Krycek noted how Scully's jaw clenched at the name of the foul bitch with a slight mirth. "Were the only ones who escaped," Marita continued. "Diana was killed, murdered, you knew that of course. Cancerman was the only one left, we told you and Agent Mulder this. His dying wish was that we continue his work, but he was the master of lies and deceit," she exchanged a glance with Krycek. "We learned a few things from him."

Scully's curiosity peaked now, "But the two of you are not continuing his work? Why?"

"Would you believe us if we told you that we were sick of it all and just wanted to be left alone?" Krycek asked. Scully rolled her eyes inwardly, "No," she said simply. "You've seen too much, know too much to just walk away with no thought of consequence," her words sounded hollow in her own ears as she heard Mulder's voice echo uncannily similar from so long ago.

Krycek shook his head, "You would think so, but if any syndicate members remain, major or not, they'll never know. Marita was a treasured secret, treasured by men who are now dead. I am presumed to be dead in prison right now. They would never know about us."

Scully's eyes hardened, "I could tell them," she realized aloud. She saw Krycek and Marita instinctively move for their guns, but she waved them to stop with a flick of her own gun. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul," she gritted her teeth as she spoke the words. "I won't tell as long as you tell me how to save Mulder."

Marita frowned, "I hardly think that's a fair trade, Agent Scully."

"Sure it is, you help me cure Mulder and I don't kill you, or tell anyone else who wants to kill you where you are," she shrugged.

"That's not a trade, that's blackmail," Krycek pointed out. Scully swung a wry gaze on the former FBI agent and raised her eyebrows. "Very good, Alex, your astute observations continue to amaze me," at her own words, Scully realized how much she had picked up from Mulder over the years. Her partner's dry humor seemed to be one of those things.

She shrugged, "Now, are you going to cooperate or not?"

Krycek slowly nodded as Marita spoke up, "What exactly do you want from us?"

"All I want to know is how to help him, I feel so helpless," Scully stopped and swallowed hard. "It's so frustrating, you have to know how to help him."

Another exchanged glance between the two of them confirmed her suspicion. Slowly Marita stood, under Scully's intense gaze, crossed the room and pressed a panel in the wall. A slot opened, revealing a safe. Scully frowned as the slim blonde woman pressed one finger to the pad and the slot opened. They were keeping something important in there.

Scully watched Krycek out of the corner of her eye, keeping her eyes on Marita as she pulled a locked box out of the safe. Marita unlocked the dark box and proceeded to pull a slim tube out of the empty rows inside.

Marita closed and locked the safe before turning back to Scully and Krycek. With slightly trembling fingers she handed the container to Scully, who holstered one gun, and accepted it with equal trepidation. "What is it?" She asked, glancing down at it to view the shifting golden colored liquid inside.

"It's the same kind of cure that Mulder used on you when you were trapped in Antarctica," Scully looked up, blue eyes flashing, how the hell could they know about that?

Ignoring her gaze, Krycek continued. "The sophistication of their abductions have come a long way in the past few years. You were abducted, Scully, to be tested on, to see how far they could push the limits of humans. Of late, the abductions have been to see how humans would react to when infested with the aliens. That is why you were abducted to Antarctica several years ago. That is why Mulder and all those other abductees were abducted from Oregon two months ago,"

"But why Mulder?" Scully demanded in exasperation. "Why now, and why would they return him but not any of the others?" Her fingers tensed unconsciously around the cold metal of the gun.

"Because Mulder is important, too important to waste to these mindless experiments. They knew that, so they returned him, that's as much as I have figured out anyway," Marita told her, she could feel Krycek tense slightly at the slight lie beside her. "But he was obviously returned too soon, the alien was not completely out of his system yet. That," she nodded towards the tube clenched in Scully's palm, "Is the only cure."

Scully held the clear tube up to the light to view the golden liquid inside. "Any idea how it works?" She queried. Marita frowned, "I was never completely clear on that, the earlier form of this vaccine had to be administered within ninety-six hours of infestation," Scully frowned, Mulder had told her about that after their fiasco in Antarctica.

"This is a more advanced form of the same kind of vaccine used on you, Agent Scully, except it can be administered within the space of one year. It's more powerful than the last vaccine." She shrugged her slender shoulders. "As for how it works? All I know is that it spawns the regenerative cells inside the body to act faster and heal more quickly,"

Scully could feel her blood run cold at her words. Instinctively her hand dropped to her stomach, all thoughts fading to the back of her mind as she realized that her womb had been slowly rebuilding itself over the past two years. This was a simple matter of science, she was no longer barren, therefore she had become pregnant the good old fashioned way. By her partner.

Shaking her head slightly, Scully held the tube firmly in one hand, her gun in the other. She met the gazes of Marita and Krycek in relief. For the past two months she had been going out of her mind trying to figure out how she had gotten pregnant, now she knew.

"Thank you," she whispered honestly. Without another glance, Scully turned and strode swiftly out of the door.

"Guys," Scully spoke into her small microphone. "I hope you got all that, I need to get to the hospital as soon as possible."

"All right Scully," came the low voice of Byers. "We're in the van, hurry up."

When she was gone, Krycek turned to Marita, "Did we do the right thing?"

Without turning to meet his eyes, Marita nodded firmly. "You're the one who said that they deserve a chance for happiness, if we had kept the cure then eventually they would have found us. We have hurt the two of them too much. This may be the one chance we have to make up for that."

Krycek nodded, "You're right, but can we trust Scully to keep her end, I killed her sister, she and Mulder both despise me. How do we know she won't change her mind? Or Mulder will come after us without telling her?"

Marita shrugged, "We don't, but at least they aren't the syndicate."

"No," Krycek said quietly, "But in many ways, the two of them combined are so much worse."

Marita turned to meet his eyes with her cool gaze, "Then we move out in the morning."

The only agreement she got from his end was a slight nod, and a silent understanding.

In less than a week, Marita Covarrubias and Alex Krycek would be long gone.

~ ~ ~ ~

Scully paced the Lone Gunmen headquarters anxiously as the three men inspected the contents of the tube. "You're using only a few drops, right guys? I can't waste any of that stuff," she called to them.

A yell of affirmation came from the back room. Scully paced for a few more moments until she couldn't stand it anymore. She headed into the back room where the three men sat, analyzing the serum. "Do you have anything?" She asked.

Byers looked up to meet her eyes with a small smile, all three Lone Gunmen were suddenly reminded of a time nearly three years ago when Mulder had come to them, demanding the contents of a similiar tube be analyzed.

"Almost done, it doesn't appear to be harmful in any way, they may have been telling the truth Scully, this serum is virtually identical to what was found in your system after you and Mulder returned to Antarctica. I think this just may be the thing to save him."

Scully couldn't hide a triumphant smile. "Then you three won't mind if I go to see him, you'll call me if discover anything right?"

"We'll call you," Frohike promised. "Go take care of Mulder."

Scully smiled a bit at them and picked up the tube, feeling the coolness of the container against her fingertips. "Thanks guys," she called as she closed the door behind her.

As she slid in her car, Scully secured the tube in her jacket pocket, making sure it was protected. She started the car after using the necessary precautions, she wasn't sure that the guys would let her go if she didn't, and made her way to the DC hospital her partner had been transferred to a few days earlier.

She flipped on the radio, desperate for something to distract her. The smooth vocals slid out of the speakers to fill the car and her heart. That was one thing about being in love, she had realized a long time ago. All the sad love songs seemed to be written just for you.

'--My love, you know that you're my best friend, you know that I'd do anything for you...'

Scully bit her lip at the words. They reached out to her from the depths of her radio, to strum at the chords of her soul. Her heart filled with thoughts of Mulder, her best friend, her partner, and something they had discovered not so long ago, something so much more.

Something beautiful.

And Scully realized how true the words were to her. Too true, it was almost their relationship wrapped up into five minutes of music.

But what beautiful music it was.

'--Let nothing come between us, my love for you is strong and true. Am I in heaven here, or am I in hell? Or am I . . . at the crossroads I am standing.'

Scully felt tears well up in her eyes, damn hormones, she chastised herself, well aware that it was not just hormones that caused her sorrow. The events of the past few days seemed to be catching up with her suddenly. She pushed her foot on the pedal, determined to get to the hospital as soon as she could.

She barely noticed as it started to rain.

Or the sign that said 'bridge slippery when wet, stay below 60 mph.'

Or her speedometer that currently read 80...

The last thing she heard before losing control of the car was the screeching of tires, and wrapped around it all, the fluid voice of the songstress on her radio.

'Hold on, hold on to yourself...for this is gonna hurt like hell...'

Then, for Dana Scully, there was nothing but darkness.

~ ~ ~ ~

end part three

song 'hold on' is by sarah mclachlan. And you guessed it, that doesn't belong to me either.