Mulder collapsed to the floor, somehow managing to stay on his knees. The gun fell from his hand as he stared at the struggling figure in front of him.

Butch walked by, picking up the fallen gun, and placed a hand on Mulder's shoulder in an attempt to fake sympathy.

"I knew you couldn't do it."

He stepped over Scully's body before exiting the room. As soon as the door clicked shut, Mulder moved to Scully's side, unconsciously placing his hands upon the wound, try to staunch to blood flow.

"Come on Scully. I just got you back and I'm not losing you again."

Scully moved her arm, reaching out for Mulder.

"It's no use Mulder. There's no getting out of here."

"I'm not going to let you go. Not this time, not ever again."

Mulder's voice faltered. Scully's eyes fluttered and she winced in pain.

"It's okay. Everything will be fine …"

Scully's voice faded and her already pathetic grip on Mulder's arm loosened. Her eyes closed and Mulder checked her pulse. She was not dead but Scully was not far from it. Not knowing what else to do, Mulder easily lifted Scully up onto his lap and cradled her limp body.

He did not know where he was. He did not know why he was brought here or why Scully was still alive. Everything about her current state of being said that she was not being taken care of. She had the frame of a severe anorexic. Mulder guessed that Scully possibly weighed less than 100 or even 90 pounds – so why was she still alive?

It was not to say that Mulder wasn't grateful for a chance to be reunited with Scully, even for a short moment. But the series of events that had lead up to this moment did not fit together. Butch was back into the picture again, but was he really ever out of it? What was his role in their ordeal? Primary instigator or a mere pawn?

And then there was the role of the Red Mole. The mere thought of him disgusted Mulder. He blamed the mysterious man for everything. The disk, the supposed meeting, and digging up Scully's grave. Whether the man at the cemetery was the real Red Mole or not, if he was dead or still alive, Mulder refused to care. He was tired of being lead by that name, but there was something he could not shake. The Red Mole had mentioned that Scully was a part of an experiment to test a new chip.

A new chip for what?

But Mulder's attention was diverted when he could not feel Scully's breath upon his skin. He checked for a pulse, felt a beat then another, more than a few seconds apart, and then he felt it no more. Mulder brushed away stray hairs from Scully's face and tried to imagine her as she was, but to no avail. The gaunt figure in front of him would haunt him forever.

He bent over the still body. She wad dead, but Mulder could still feel the warmth from her body. He did not know what to do. Normally Mulder would have begun mouth to mouth resuscitation, but the loss of blood and the state of her being told Mulder to just let her rest. He could not even begin to imagine the past six months of her life.

"I love you Scully."

Mulder placed a kiss on her lips and brought her closer to him. Butch would have to fight him for her body when he came. Mulder resolved that he would get Scully home. He would bury her properly.

Without realizing it, Mulder slowly slipped into sleep. When he woke in a few hours, Scully's body was gone from his lap. He looked frantically about him but did not see her right away. It was when he stood up to get a better perspective did he see the small figure hunched in the corner of the large room. Her hair popped in the white room.

Mulder inched closer, confused at the sight. Scully had died in front of him – twice now. What was happening? He soon saw that she was nibbling on a piece of bread that had been slipped through during his sleep. She was savoring it when he called out her name.

"Scully?"

She took another bite from the piece of bread, swallowing and taking a sip of water before doing anything. Mulder moved closer and crouched down beside her.

"Scully."

"I told you it'll be okay."

Scully cracked a smile, either at the statement or at the food; Mulder did not know which one. All he could do was take face into his hands and smile back.