Scully got back to her apartment and sighed heavily as she turned the engine off. Her morning could not have gone any worse and she had no idea what she was supposed to do next. How was she supposed to try and save William when she had no idea where he was, or how to contact Mulder to get him to provide her with more information? More than ever she simply hated herself for not keeping her son where she could watch him closest – by her side.

As she climbed the steps to her apartment she started to think about what John had said. He'd been so supportive when she let William go and it must've been torture for him to see her willingly let her boy go when his was taken so cruelly away. It had been her decision and hers alone, she did what she thought was right, she had been wrong. And now she'd upset someone that she relied on more than she had ever allowed herself to.

She'd driven by the FBI on her way home, she even considered going inside, to see if he was there, to apologise – to make him understand. She'd chickened out and sat in the parking lot and called his office. Monica had answered and replied that John wasn't back yet. She sounded worried when Scully told her they'd left the adoption agency without any success, but she assured Monica that he was fine and would turn up at the office soon. She couldn't bare to be honest and tell her what he'd said, his hurt feelings. It was more than she wanted to be responsible for.

As she entered her apartment she glanced at the flashing light on her telephone and pushed the play button on her answer machine. There was a message from her mom asking her to call as soon as she got home, a blank message from someone who hadn't hung up in time to miss the beep, and then a second message from her mom.

"Dana? Are you home yet? Please can you call me as soon as you get this message? It's important, bye," the line went dead and a voice announced that she had no more messages. Scully picked up the phone and dialled her mother's number.

"Mom?"

"Dana, where've you been?"

"I was umm, I was working."

"I called you at work, they said you were sick, are you ok?"

"I'm fine mom, I just – I just felt a little sick this morning, I'm fine, is everything ok? You're messages sounded urgent?"

"Yes, I mean everything is – is fine, but can you come here today?" Scully sighed inwardly and tried to work out what was going on. She didn't want to go to her mother's and have to pretend her life was perfect – without Mulder and William in her life there was nothing that Scully had to worry about according to her mom, now she could get on with her life and be happy.

"Mom, now isn't really a good time…"

"It's important Dana, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't."

"You're sure everything is ok?"

"Yes, I just want to see you, is it a crime for a mother to want to see her child?" Scully winced and couldn't think of anything worse for her mom to have asked her. Right now the only way she could find William was not going to be entirely legal.

"Ok mom, I'll be there as soon as I can," she put down the phone and picked up the car keys that she'd just discarded on the coffee table. She opened her front door and locked it behind her.

As she drove to her mom's house she didn't focus her mind on anything in particular, there were so many things that were running through her head repeatedly that she began to struggle separating one thought from another. It was a mess of crazy notions, wishes and regrets, and her deepest desires. She made it to her mother's from simple autopilot, she wasn't directing herself, the car knew where it was going.

She parked the car and knocked on her mom's door. There was no answer so she opened it and walked inside.

"Mom?"

"In here Dana," her voice came from the living room so Scully closed the door behind her and headed in that direction.

"Hey mom, I …" Scully's voice trailed off as her mom looked at her with deep concern and unease. It was only when Scully's eyes fell to the person standing beside her mother that she understood that look. "Oh my God… Mulder…"