"Mulder, it doesn't mean anything."
"What? How can you say that, it's right here in black and white Scully, how much clearer do you need it to be?" Mulder and Scully had rejoined the others in the lounge when Scully had been unable to accept the name she had been given to be working against them and the safety of William.
"Look, he helped me, he was with me when I ... when they took William. He's on our side," Mulder was staring at Scully in disbelief. If this wasn't a betrayal then what was it? Doggett and Reyes had stayed quiet, as had the Lonegunmen. Nobody knew quite what to say, this was only going to be explained by the man himself.
"So let's confront the guy," Doggett spoke up, doing anything had to be more constructive than doing nothing.
"What good will that do? You think he'll just admit to being a part of the lie? That he knowingly put William in danger covering it up with a friendship?"
"No. But maybe he can explain this."
"Lie his way out of it you mean," Mulder was determined to prove that this man was a traitor, nobody could understand why. Scully walked over to him and held his hand.
"Mulder, why are you so ready to believe that he would do this to us?"
"Because he's not always looked out for us."
"Over all these years, he's had so many opportunities to end everything for us, for the X-Files. He never did. So let's talk to him, and wait before we make any false accusations," Mulder looked at Scully and nodded his head slightly. Then he kissed her and pulled her into his arms. He prayed that she was right and that this could all be explained away. He wanted to believe that they could still trust this man, but the fact that everyone had jumped to his defence made it easy to see that the friendships this guy had built would make it easy for him to betray them undetected.
In the middle of nowhere, the four of them having arrived in the same car, Mulder, Scully, Doggett and Reyes stepped out as they saw another car approaching in the distance. They were in a woodland area, the nearest place any of them had been able to come up with to meet quickly and get this over and done with. There was a chance that if this turned out to prove Mulder right, this man could help them when it came to getting William back, with the need to save his own life.
"That him?" Reyes asked and Doggett answered with an affirmative nod. He knew that car. They all did, and they all waited with baited breath to hear what he had to say. When he got out of the car he looked at each of them in turn and then fixed his gaze on Mulder.
"My God Mulder, what are you doing here?" Mulder looked at Skinner and then at Scully. She gave him a look that told him he had permission to go ahead and find out why Walter Skinner had been named as someone to contact in an emergency should William exhibit any signs of his special abilities.
"I came with news about William," Skinner didn't react to this. Which either meant he was hiding something, or he already knew that something was going on with regards to William and his adoptive parents.
"Does this all have to be done so covertly?"
"Well sir, I didn't know how safe it would be to meet with you somewhere I might be seen. I'm sure you're aware that I left to try and protect my family. It seems my efforts were wasted," Skinner shifted slightly and then approached them all. It was then that he could tell this was an inquisition. He was here to be accused of something and he didn't like the idea of being called up like this.
"If you have something to say to me Mulder then say it, I don't have time to stand out here and enjoy a happy reunion," Skinner sounded harsh and uncaring, but Doggett and Reyes knew all too well that Skinner had only been allowed to keep his job by staying as far out of X-File business as humanly possible. Not to mention the threats on his life should he go against this order. It had been hard on all of them, but somehow they'd carried on, living a lie.
"Alright. I wanna know why your name is on adoption records for William. Why you made sure that you would be the first contact should his abilities return," Skinner looked at them all and opened his mouth to say something when he suddenly convulsed and then fell to his knees as blood started to run down his body and out of his mouth. He'd been shot.