As the sun peeked out, Mulder got up early and left his room. Solemnly pacing towards the car, he replayed last nights events. He never meant to get so hostile but she had hit him where it hurt. As he slumped against the car, he sighed. Hearing a door squeak, he looked up to see that the same blonde from last night. She turned around and saw him; red rushed to her face as she quickly turned to her car.

Mulder chased after her, "Wait!" Caught, she turned to face him. Apologetically, she mumbled, "Look about last night, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." She started to tear up.

"It's okay, miss. Really, I just wanted to ask you something."

Furrowing her brow, she stopped sniffling and looked up.

"I know this is going to sound strange but just bear with me. How long have you've been here?"

"I'm sorry?' She asked him, quizzically.

"How long have you been staying at this motel?"

"Three days; why?" Her embarrassment was getting all too much for her to take.

"What have you been doing in that time? Did you encounter anything strange? Anything at all?" Mulder was almost sounding desperate but he assured himself he was going somewhere with this.

"Uh..no.. not really. I am just here on business. I go to the field office until about 4:30 then I grab a bite to eat, then I head here and finish up my work until I doze off. I have a crucial deadline on this project I'm working on and it..."

"Wait? Where did you eat?"

Sensing his desperation, she raised her eyebrow in curiosity, "What?"

"Look, I think that something made you act the way you did yesterday. I have my own theories about it and I wonder if maybe it is something you consumed. I need to know where you ate?"

Twenty minutes later, Scully meekly emerged from her room. She took her walk of shame to the car before silently sitting down in the passenger seat. Respecting her silence, Mulder started the car and drove off. Ten minutes later, the two arrived at the same diner they were at the first time they came down here. Mulder stepped out and made his way toward the diner. Scully got out and trailed after Mulder.

An older woman stalked up to the front of the podium and pulled her languid skin into a taunt smile. Her teeth rivaled the rich color of butter. Mulder smiled, though only half heartedly. She coughed before speaking, which came out in a slur as her cigarette bonded to her lips, "Two?"

Scully was about to nod when Mulder spoke up, "Uh no. Actually, I was wondering if I could get an order to go?" Scully gave him look. He raised his hand up at her, motioning to just wait.

The woman pried the cigarette from her mouth and pulled out a pad of paper, "Sure, what can I get for y'all?"

"I just need an order of the fish."

The woman jerked her eyebrow up, "At ten o'clock in the morning?"

"It's my favorite." She jerked her head into a nod and walked away.

"Mulder, what is this all about? You hate fish." Scully whispered as Mulder began to pull out his wallet.

"All in good time Scully."

She rolled her eyes as she made her way back to the car.

She sat down in the passenger side. Mulder made his way out of the diner, minutes later,and sat down in the drivers seat, he passed the fish along to Scully.

"Here hold this."

"Mulder, what is this all about?" She asked taking the bag from him.

"Scully. Remember what the doctor said about the pheromones? That they were aquatic in origin?" He made a gesture to the bag.

Scully made the connection in no time and jerked her head down to the bag, "The fish?"

Mulder nodded, "We need to test it immediately."

TBC...