a/n still own nothing!

Chapter 3

Mulder could only watch as his partner sprinted off, pulling a disappearing act as he often did. Going after her and reading her the riot act would only be hypocritical. At least he did have the satisfaction of knowing that she was heading the opposite direction from hormonal medic boy.

But where had she been going?

The next three minutes were hardest for him as he let his fingers tickle over the speed dial button on his phone that would summon Scully. In his mind he could perfectly envision the conversation:

"Scully."

"Scully, it's me."

"Mulder, what's going on?"

"Just wondering if you're okay. You left in quite a hurry."

"I'm fine, Mulder."

And then she'd hang up, even though her voice would have been all strained and terse. It was a safe game to bet on that any phone call to her would have been fruitless. Getting information from Scully about how she was feeling was tantamount to interviewing a stubborn teenager. How was school? Fine. You're friends at school? Fine. How was work? Fine.

Mulder smiled to himself as he tried to conjure up a picture of an adolescent Dana Scully. All he could make out was a large book bag and a very worn library card carried by a short figure with red hair.

Scully was smart. She's okay, Mulder thought, and then finally pocketed his cell phone.

Watch check: She had left four minutes ago.

"Excuse me, you FBI right?"

Mulder turned from his thoughts and toward the gangly man that had addressed him.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"I knew Joanna. Nice girl. Really sweet. I live next door to her."

"Sorry about the fire."

"Aw, nuh, they got it controlled real quick. I just missed the last bit of Jeopardy, but I'll see who wins tomorrow."

"Mr…"

"Higgings. JuJu Higgins."

"Mr. Higgins, is there a reason you wanted to know I was FBI?"

"Sure is. They say to report anything sus-pih-shous. And I sure got a story for yeah."

I sure attract the kooks, Mulder thought, but nonetheless offered to treat JuJu to a coffee at the near by diner.

JuJu led him down the block to what looked like a building that should have been condemned in the 1950's, but it was close and apparently still had electricity. Plumbing might have been a stretch, however.

Inside, Mulder chose a canned pop while JuJu proved braver as he ordered a mug of black coffee.

"Now, Mr. FBI man…"

"Call me Agent Mulder," he suggested as he slid into a booth.

"Alright, Agent Mulder, what's your biggest fear?"

"The usual…loosing someone close to me, I suppose. Why?"

"Mine's falling down the stairs. And just yesterday, it happened. It happens every day, and I can't stop it."

Mulder was actually at a loss for words. Instead of talking, he gulped down his soda, trying to mask the sudden bout of inarticulacy. Was this man for real?

"Joanna was scared of…"

"Look," the agent began, finally able to piece together his thoughts, "Why are you telling me all this? Want me to petition to bring in an elevator? I can't. I can't even get them to put sunflower seeds in the vending machine at work. You got your free government coffee, now I suggest you go."

The older man twisted his lips into a frown that pulled down the rest of his wrinkled face with it.

"Fine, agent Mulder," he said as he stood up, "But I do know this. You a chicken when it comes to fire. You're scared of fire."

Back at her apartment Scully stared into her bathroom mirror, whishing somehow that it would be a portal to her future and unfold her fate. But only her present face stared back, a face that reflected the past. She let the blood from her nose seep down her face, trailing over her lips and dripping down her chin till it splattered her collar. Tears intermingled with the red fluid and they too stained her skin.

"This can't be happening again. It can't. It just can't be."

She stood there, a good hour, letting the blood cake her face, letting the reality of it sink in. Very possibly she could have stayed there all night, but her phone began to ring. Expecting it to be Mulder, Scully squinted her eyes and squared up her shoulders.

"I'm fine," she whispered, practicing.

But the caller was Bill.

"Scully, I have some bad news."

"What?"

"It's Mom, she had a heart attack…And the prognosis doesn't look good. Can you get down here right away?"

Before she murmured a yes into the receiver, she had buttoned up her trench coat and wrapped a scarf around her neck.

Thirty minutes later, a very pink faced Dana Scully arrived at the hospital. She wasn't pink from the blood, but from how roughly she scrubbed herself clean. Though, at a time when her mother was hooked up to more machines than she could count, her coloring didn't really matter. Bill certainly didn't notice as he wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder.

"She's in and out, Scully…Charlie's on his way."

Her father. Her sister. Now her mother. Now herself. Scully could hardly stand as her knees began to shake. Weakly, she slid into a chair and curled herself up in it. Bill kept his eyes on his mother as she dabbed at her nose with a tissue.

"I'm going to call Mulder."

"Why? What's he got to do with this? Don't tell me he caused this, because I will go down there and kill that sorry son-"

"No, no, he had nothing to do with this," she folded her trench coat over her lap, "He needs to know that I'll be off the case for a while. And I think he would like to visit. Despite what you may think, Bill. He greatly respects our mother, and would never hurt anyone."

Bill only shrugged and re-entered their mother's ICU unit. Since only one person at a time was admitted in, Scully didn't bother to move other than to pull out her cell and dial Mulder. For her it was hard not to smile in relief when he answered on the first ring.

"Mulder."

"Get down here, please, just…just get down here I-" her words broke off as soon as she realized that she was about to tell him how much she needed him. That wasn't what she had planned to say at all. 'Mulder it's me' was all that she had expected. The wall she carefully kept up and maintained had begun to waver. Perhaps the ice queen was beginning to melt.

She sighed. He deserved to know, after all they've been through, after all they've seen; he deserved to know her final truth.

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