Disclaimer: The X Files do not belong to me.

Note: The last chapter was more of a background on Scully's thoughts. This chapter will go back to where I was before. Hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for your reviews they keep me going!

Essential

Dana Scully paced her living room while rocking her newborn son in her arms. She was on edge and sang softly to her son to keep herself calm.

There was a knock at the door. She looked through the peephole to see Langly on the other side holding luggage.

She let him in and he carried his load into the living room and was followed by his colleges (if you can call them that) Frohike and Byers, all carrying luggage and boxes.

Frohike wheeled in behind him a cart with a fish tank on it still filled with water and fish. Scully wondered how in the world they could have transported it but didn't question them.

"Hey Scully." Langly said carefully as they all stood there wondering what was next.

"Thank you guys for helping out." She said softly.

The baby began to squirm in her arms and the three men lit up and gathered a little closer to look at the child that was never meant to be.

They were distracted by the baby when Mulder entered the room carrying the rest of his things. He made eye contact with Scully looking at her sadly. The guys then turned to see him. He sat down his things and moved toward them.

"I don't know how to thank you guys for coming out so late and helping." Mulder said to them looking morose.

"Anytime. You know we are always here." Frohike said looking at his friend seriously.

Byers spoke up and handed him an envelope and a key, "These will get you to Chicago. When you get off the bus there go to this security box which will have directions on where to go next along with tickets to three different locations with maps and safe spots. In the envelope is a list of numbers of people we trust."

"Thank you." Mulder said taking the envelope and key from Byers.

"Godspeed old friend. You know how to contact us if you need anything else." Frohike said.
Mulder gave each man a hug. Frohike held on to the point where Mulder pushed him off laughing.

He led them out the door to the hallway giving Scully a nod holding up his finger to tell her he would be right back.

He led the men out and told them one last thing, "Listen I need you guys to look after Scully and the baby. I know she can handle herself but… but I just need to know they are protected."

"We'll die before anything happens to them. Don't worry just look after yourself." Langly said seriously.
The three men then turned and left. Mulder watched them go for a moment and turned back into the apartment.

He closed the door and turned to Scully who stood just staring at him holding their son with tears in her eyes.

He moved toward her and pulled her close with William sandwiched between them. She laid her head on his chest and cried softly.

"Do you really have to go?" She said sniffling.

"It's what's best to keep us all safe. But I'm not sure I can do it" He felt tears running down his own face and landing in her hair. He kissed the top of her head and pulled back slightly laying kisses on her forehead and nose and then small kisses on her tear tracks and finally a small one on her lips. He rested his forehead on hers and looked at her trying to memorize her face.

"Everything will be fine. I'll find out who is behind these threats and come home." As he comforted her he held the back of her head.

"How long will that take? It could be months and how am I supposed to get in contact with you?"

"I wrote up instructions but it's only for emergencies. If anything happens, if you need me, I will be here in no time." He told her seriously.

She moved away, "While you were getting your things I went out to the 24 hour photo place and printed a couple pictures from the last few days. She moved into the bedroom and laid the sleeping baby in the bassinet and picked up an envelope from the bed handing it to Mulder.

He opened it up to see a photo taken the night before of him holding William. The envelope also contained pictures of William by himself and with Scully. He felt more tears make their way down his face and he pulled Scully closer to him and held her close. He cold feel her slumping in his arms and realized how exhausted she must be. He moved her toward the bed and covered.: her with a blanket he went around to the other side and joined her under the blanket and wrapped himself around her.

"Mulder I don't want to fall asleep." She said groggily.

He gave a small laugh, "You need to sleep Scully. I doubt he is going to give you many other opportunities to catch up."

"No I need to stay awake…" Her voice was softer and he could tell she was about to sleep.

"I know." He whispered into her hair.

"Don't go Mulder… We need you… I love…" She finally fell asleep.

Mulder smiled into her hair, "I love you too."

Scully woke up from her sleep disoriented and couldn't place where she was. She knew she wasn't in her old apartment bedroom with Mulder and baby William. She must have been dreaming her memories and for the first few minutes of consciousness she longed to go back to that time.

She slowly realized that she was lying on a cot in the hospital break room. She was desperate to go back to her dream and forget about what lay outside the room. She knew she needed to get up and give another doctor a chance to rest but her body still felt drained of energy and she had not even gotten sick. She pulled herself up and sat for a moment preparing herself for the chaos of what was to come.

Scully wanted to stop in and check on William and Mulder before she went to take her post.

They were in the same condition as when she last saw them but there appeared to be more color on Mulder's face, which was encouraging. She would be angry with him when he got well, right now she was just happy he was alive. William looked the same just tired. She wanted to go over to him but didn't know if he or his mom were comfortable with that so she stayed back.

She looked to Leah who sat slumped in her wheel chair asleep. She looked worse than she had a couple hours ago. The rings under her eyes were darker along with her skin being white as a sheet. She could also see a thin sheen of sweat covering her face and could tell that her hair was damp from it.

Concern filled Scully and she went over to her and put a hand to her forehead. Her skin was on fire. It made no sense. Leah had the cure and had been doing better but she appeared to be sick again.

Leah moved under her hand and opened her eyes, "Dana?" She croaked.
Scully could tell that Leah's throat was scratchy and she went to the pitcher of water and poured her a cup of it. Leah could barely lift the cup to her lips. She seemed confused by her surroundings and Scully's heart was gripped with fear.

"I'm going to get you a bed and some fluids. Just hang on I will be right back." Scully said. Leah nodded weakly but Scully was not convinced the woman understood what she said. In the main part of the hospital chaos still reigned. But this chaos was different than before. It was quiet. Patients and doctors moved around the room fast and coughing and sneezing could be heard but everyone was so quiet. Scully wondered why when she noticed that along the wall was a line of five bodies. All five were dead. They were all people in their middle age, which was odd.

"What happened?" Scully asked as she approached Agent Einstein.

"I really don't know. Everyone was feeling better and then all of a sudden a few became ill again. But there is no pattern to who is sick. At least not one that I have found." Scully could tell she was tired and at the end of her rope.

"How long have they been dead?"

"The first one died about an hour ago and the rest followed pretty quickly. We have another man close to death but he is in his twenties and the rest have been middle aged or older."

"Can I see his chart." The agent flipped through the stack of files in her arms and landed on one with the name Ray Lawson.

He was 25 and appeared healthy besides the normal broken bone here or there. But then Scully came across a part of his chart that mentioned that he is infertile from a childhood illness.

She looked to the dead and began to put it together. Of course the people who created this wanted a failsafe and that failsafe was to get rid of anyone they considered nonessential.

But she looked around and saw others past childbearing age that seemed fine.

"It seems at first like the people who are dying are people unable to reproduce but there are others who are too old and are healthy… Do you know anything else about this man?"

"His wife is over there." She said and pointed to a young woman who appeared despondent but healthy.

"Thank you. Agent I insist you take a break now you look exhausted."

"Agent Scully I am fine I can keep-"

"No. Less than 24 hours ago you were dying. Regardless of how you are feeling now your body needs rest."

Agent Einstein put her hand to her forehead and slid back her hair and Scully could see how exhausted she was.

"Alright." She finally said as she turned and headed for the cots. She seemed frustrated but Scully could tell she was also relieved.

Scully set her sights on Mrs. Lawson. The woman was in her twenties with brown hair that fell around her shoulders. Her eyes and face were red and puffy from crying and she had many balled up tissues in her lap.

Scully sat down next to her carefully, "Mrs. Lawson?"

The woman didn't look up, "Yes?"

"I'm Dr. Scully. I am so sorry about your husband but I have a couple questions if you don't mind."

"Yeah that's fine." She sniffled still not looking up.

"What did your husband do for his career?"

"He worked construction with his dad. He worked so hard. He… he was saving up so we could adopt a baby. Ray was unable to have children… we were so excited we even met an expectant mother who we were talking to." She fell into sobs and Scully put her hand on the young woman's back.

"Does your husband have any other family?"

"His parents live in Wisconsin. I haven't been able to get into contact with them…. Who knows if they are even alive still!" Her shoulders shook, "Is there anything else? I need to lay down."

"No that is all thank you."

She moved away and went on to the other victim's families to try to find a connection. Every victim, she discovered, had a blue-collar job. Jobs like house cleaning, landscaping, and Nanning. After the end of society all of those jobs would be considered less valuable to society as a whole.

Scully also looked into a couple of the people who were healthy but over childbearing age. The three she talked to were two doctors and a police chief. Two careers that would be useful once things settle down.

Leah Van De Kamp was a homemaker. While a hardworking woman she would not be considered essential by the powers that be. Scully felt frantic she knew that if she didn't find a way to reverse this soon not only to prevent a significant loss of life but to save the mother of her son.
She sighed and got to work.