Mulder pulled up to the curb in front of Mrs Scully's house and switched off the engine. Mrs Scully had rung Scully's cell-phone just as they were pulling out of the Hoover building car park and, not wanting to disturb Scully's slumber, Mulder had picked it up. She had been slightly surprised to hear his voice on the other end of the phone and not her daughters but after initial greetings were quickly exchanged, he had explained their situation. Putting the phone onto hands-free mode, he had continued driving whilst describing Scully's symptoms to her mother and, as soon as he had finished, Maggie had instructed him to bring her straight to her house and he had willingly consented.

Looking over to the passenger side of his car, Mulder could see that Scully was still asleep so he got out of the car and walked round to the other side. Pausing for a moment to brush off a slight dizzy spell, he then opened her door and, after unbuckling her seatbelt, he lifted her into his arms. He carried her up the pathway to the front door and, just as he was debating the best way to ring the doorbell with her still in his arms, the door flew open to reveal an anxious Mrs Scully standing in front of him.

Mrs Scully had been watching for his car from her window, anxiously waiting for Scully. When she had seen him walk round to the passenger side and lift her from the car she had hurried to open the door, worried about her daughter.

"Oh my goodness Fox...is she okay?"

"She's just sleeping Mrs Scully. I didn't want to have to wake her when I could just carry her in."

"Oh right. Come in then Fox. I made up her bed upstairs for her."

"Should I just take her right up then?"

"I think that would be best."

Mulder made his way up the stairs with Scully in his arms and Maggie following behind him. He stopped halfway up as another wave of dizziness washed over him but it went unnoticed by Mrs Scully since he shook it off quickly and acted as if he was just pausing to reposition Scully more securely in his arms. Picking up the pace a little, he reached the upstairs landing quickly and stood to one side to let Mrs Scully through so that she could open Scully's bedroom door for him to carry her through. She did so and he rapidly entered the room and laid her down carefully on the bed once Mrs Scully had turned down the covers for him. The two of them tucked the blankets around her sleeping form and then both exited the room quietly, not wanting to disturb her much-needed rest.

"Thank you for bringing her over, Fox."

"It was no problem Mrs Scully. I was just going to take her home anyway but this is a much better solution. I was going to stay with her but I know she would have protested and probably won. I wouldn't have really liked it if she had been home on her own...just in case."

"Nor would I have Fox."

The two had begun making their way downstairs and Fox was desperately trying to force back the nausea that had returned full force just after he had laid Scully down on her bed. Since Mrs Scully was ahead of him on the stairs she couldn't see that he was turning a sickly shade of green or that he had to hang onto the banister as he descended the stairs. Hoping to make it out of the house before embarrassing himself in front of his partner's mother, Mulder headed straight for the front door once he reached the bottom step.

"Okay Mrs Scully, I'd better be going."

"Drop the 'Mrs Scully' business Fox - I've told you plenty of times to call me Maggie."

"Sorry Maggie."

"Do you not want to stay Fox? I've got plenty of lasagne that will just go to waste if no one's around to eat it. Dana was supposed to come for dinner tonight anyway."

"Ummm...no thanks Mrs...Maggie. I really have got to get back."

"Of course Fox...some other time then."

"Sure."

Mulder's stomach had protested at the mention of the lasagne and it was turning over inside him as he carried on speaking. Knowing that he was not going to last much longer without puking his guts up like he had done at the office, he opened the front door and made to go down the path. Mrs Scully's hand on his arm stopped him from doing so and he turned to face her.

"What is it Maggie?"

"Are you alright Fox? You're looking very pale...I hadn't noticed before now, I was too worried about Dana but you look sick yourself."

"I'm fine Maggie...just a little tired, that's all."

"Oh...okay then."

"Will you call me if Scully gets any worse or if you need anything or she..."

"I'll call Fox - don't worry."

"Thanks. Well, goodbye."

"Bye Fox. Take care."

Mulder almost ran down the path to the car on his shaky legs, stopping only briefly to turn back round and wave to Mrs Scully before getting into the car. He waited until she went back inside and closed the front door over before dropping his head to rest on the steering wheel. Breathing heavily, he tried to contain the wave of nausea that was rising from within him but it was too strong and he opened the door back up so that he could swing round in his seat. He rested his head between his knees as his stomach heaved but his stomach had been completely emptied from his earlier bout of vomiting so nothing came up. After several minutes of dry heaving, he finally managed to conquer the tight clenching in his gut and straightened up in his seat. He swung his legs back into the car closing the door once they were inside and, exhausted, waited for a long moment before starting the car and heading for home.