Day 9
Skinner made sure Grimes didn't know about the money but also put a tracking strip in 5 of the bundles. He had piled the money for Mulder in a standard black backpack and watched as Mulder put it in is rental. He had offered to go with the agent but Mulder had declined. He drove the money to Scully's, picked Ishmael up from Marlene and the pair went for a walk around the Virginia Capitol Building. Impatient Mulder looked down at his watch, 9.45. He looked over to the pillar where he had left the money whilst trying to look like he wasn't watching it avidly. 10.30 came and went. Ishmael barked so Mulder threw his ball waiting for him to bring it back before throwing it again. 11.45 ticked by and Mulder sat still as a rod even as the heavens opened and it started to rain. When it got torrential he opened his coat and tucked the small dog in there. He sat for hours but nothing happened and no one came. He grabbed the bag and called Skinner from the car.

"He didn't show. He must have known I was there." He said sadly and Skinner sighed in frustration. It didn't matter to him that it was 2am; ever since Sharon had left him his sleep was out of sync with the rest of the world but he kept his voice down regardless, perhaps out of habit.

"How could he? We don't even know who HE is?" He asked frustrated. Mulder fell silent as he pulled up in front of the apartment building.

"It's something to do with Graham I know it is! He must have got someone to act on his behalf. We need to check his visitor logs." Mulder despite himself couldn't help yawning.

"I'll get Kennison and Roberts to have a look this morning. Go home and get some sleep Mulder, come in late tomorrow-today." Skinner felt sleep beginning to claim him again.

"Okay," Mulder said blankly and hung up. He drove to his temporary home in silence and first dried off the wet dog before he collapsed on the couch fully intending to lie down and get some sleep but as he sat there in the dark he felt an overwhelming crush of defeat washing over him and he placed his head in his hands and began to cry; loud, soul destroying sobs. Ishmael jumped up onto the couch and placed a gentle paw on his thigh. Without looking Mulder hugged the small animal tight to him.

"Lucy," Scully called quietly to Lucy in the cell next door. She had been stuck in the same room for 9 days and she had started to lose hope. Lucy shuffled in painfully around to meet her cell mate. Her pallid face was illuminated by the waning moon as it began its daily fight to outshine the rising sun.

"Yeah?" She asked meekly. It had been 5 days since she had returned from the office minus a finger and a kidney and the pain riddled her insides like cancer.

"Your wounds, are they throbbing?" Scully asked. Ridiculous as it sounded even to her she found herself needing to work, to care for a patient even in the dire situation she was in. She hoped by focusing her attention on caring for someone else she might be able to ignore her inevitable fate.

"A little." The girl said timidly and Scully nodded fearing the onset of infection. She doubted the 'operating room' used to carry out this barbaric slaughter would be humane let alone clean and sterilized. The girl pulled up the back of the t-shirt with her uninjured hand and hissed as the cold air penetrated the red enflamed skin. Scully frowned as she got the best look possible in the low light.

"Next time you go to the bathroom wash the area with warm water and soap. How's your hand?" She asked gently and the girl shrugged painfully unwilling to surrender her hand for examination.

"What difference does it make? He's going to kill us all anyway!" Mike grumbled from the corner causing a sob to erupt from Lucy's mouth.

"That's not helping!" Scully snapped reproachfully and he shrank back into his corner but as Scully turned to talk to Lucy again she had already crawled back onto her bed, her back to the world as she became more withdrawn into herself. Scully sighed and moved back over to her own bed dejectedly.

As the moon died and the sun regrew she began to wonder just what her future was going to be and whether she would even have one. She thought about all the mistakes she had made in her life, all the people she loved who she'd said goodbye to. She thought about her son for what felt like the first time in a long time and the image of his smiling face from years ago brought a stifled tear to her eye as she wondered where he would be now.