Chapter 16

The afternoon dragged on as they worked the computers and pored over every scrap of investigative material that they had collected. By 6:30, Andy admitted that he was tapped out and Scully reluctantly had to agree. Loathe to stop; Mulder nonetheless knew that he had to take care of Scully – especially since she now had a very large target on her.

"I'm going to increase the number of patrols around your place, Mulder," Andy stated, "since I'm pretty sure you two don't plan on some kind of protective custody."

"Give the man a cigar," Mulder muttered, not in the mood.

"We'll be careful, Andy," Scully said, always the peacemaker, adding a grateful smile to smooth out Mulder's gruffness, "but hiding us away won't solve this case. Let us do our job – that's why you asked for us." Scully hoped she reassured him, even a little, knowing that the poor man was probably feeling overwhelmed dealing with his first serial killer and one that was involving an old friend to boot.

Andy nodded. He figured as much. With a sigh, he stood up and left, trying to figure out how he was going to explain things to his wife without scaring her more than she already was. Plus, he figured the town was probably on the verge of panicking with 3 unsolved murders and a serial killer on the loose.

After the door shut, leaving Mulder and Scully alone, Scully slumped down in her seat, completely exhausted by the day's activities and trying to hide it from Andy and Mulder and knowing that she probably hadn't done a very convincing job of it. The pericarditis was all but a distant memory but the fractured femur continued to give her grief. Being under cardiac restrictions meant she hadn't been able to rebuild her strength and endurance until recently but she and Jane hadn't had enough time together to make great progress. She thought she could get away without using the brace and crutches, but she knew now that she had made a mistake today by not using either one and she wondered if she'd be able to walk out of here on her own.

Mulder quickly gathered the files and papers that he wanted to take home for further study when he realized how much trouble Scully was having, trying to get on her feet. "Scully, wait a minute. Let me take this stuff to the car and I'll bring it closer to the front door, okay?"

Clenching her jaw determinedly, she simply nodded her head and watched him hurry out. She knew she had better be standing when he got back or he was going to insist on carrying her through the station and she was just as emphatic that those officers out there wouldn't see that scenario play out.

She had only made it to the door when Mulder returned. Her face red with the exertion and a fine sheen of sweat on her face, pinched with the pain. He knew enough not to push the issue and simply crooked his elbow out for her to take hold of. The pace was agonizingly slow, but her face became a mask in front of the other officers – trying to conceal the pain she was in as she limped heavily out to the car. Once they were clear of the building, Mulder wasn't going to let her even try the steps down to the parking lot. Sweeping her carefully into his arms, he felt her clutch his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. Refusing to chastise her for continuing to push herself, he placed a quick kiss to the top of her head. Refusing because he knew all too well that he'd be just as difficult to pin down if you felt fine otherwise.

Once she was settled in the car, Scully's hands immediately went to work on her leg, rubbing and kneading the thigh and calf trying to ease the ferocious cramping and pain.

"You don't have any of your medications with you, by any chance?" Mulder asked hopefully, glancing at the clock and calculating how quickly he could get them home.

"No – sorry," Scully answered, gritting her teeth as another spasm gripped her leg.

"Don't apologize. I see a deli still open and I'll run in – grab some sandwiches so you don't have to take it on an empty stomach."

"That sounds good," Scully sighed. "While you go in, I'm going to call Jane and see if she has any suggestions." She glanced down at her watch: 7:30. "Not too late, do you think?"

Mulder shook his head. If Jane could get Scully comfortable, he didn't care if it was midnight. A few minutes later, he threw the car into park and took a moment to take Scully's hand pull it to his lips and kiss it tenderly. "Sit tight – I'll be quick. Any special requests?"

Scully managed a small smile and shook her head. "No thank you. Let's just hope Jane is home and willing to help."

Mulder hurried inside, keeping a watchful eye on her as he waited for the clerk to put together his order. He still couldn't believe the horrifying turn the case had taken, making Scully a target.

When he got back to the car, he was relieved that Scully seemed a little more comfortable. She said that Jane would be able to get to the house at 8:30 and she wanted Scully to take her medication as soon as she got home and have a hot bath going so that by the time she got over there the medication would be kicking in.

Even though she wasn't hungry, Scully knew that she had to eat something and she was glad that Mulder had picked up sandwiches that would be easier to handle in a moving car. In between bites, they worked on setting up a plausible reason for Scully, first putting off her workout sessions, and then running into trouble doing too much physical activity, steering the story away from the murders and their involvement. Scully admitted that she hated lying to Jane, but agreed it was for Jane's own protection. Mulder pointed out that while they needed Jane's help tonight, it couldn't continue – not until the case was solved.

"We'll get her in – get her out. I don't want the killer using her as a way to get to you," Mulder said as he drove up the driveway.

"Agreed," Scully sighed. "I just hate bringing her over here after dark and then she'll have to drive home alone."

Mulder nodded. "Good point." He thought for a moment as he put the car in park. "How about this: while you two are working, I'll call Andy – have him send over an officer to follow her home and make sure that she gets inside. We won't even have to tell her he's there."

Scully mulled it over, and then agreed. "Now – let's get going. It's been a while since I've actually needed my medication and at this moment – I really need it."

Without another word, Mulder hurried out of the car and quickly got Scully into his arms and into the house.

Chapter 17

It was 10:30 that night. Mulder hung up his phone as he went around the house, checking locks and turning off lights. Jane had been able to work her magic, utilizing therapeutic massage and modified the bathtub into a quasi - hot tub to get Scully comfortable and asleep. The pain medication and muscle relaxer had also kicked in and Mulder couldn't express enough gratitude for Jane's help. He wasn't entirely sure that she bought their excuse and explanation but she must have picked up something in his expression to prevent her from challenging it too much. He wasn't sure that she was convinced that they were doing this because they weren't satisfied with the job she had done, but Scully told her repeatedly that she had indeed helped tremendously. He caught her staring at him strangely a couple of times, but he kept telling himself that it was for her own protection.

Lying in bed, he had a hard time getting to sleep. The killer had been moving quickly and now that there only seemed to be one target left – he wondered how much time they had before the next move was made. With Scully at a serious physical disadvantage coming up with a way to trap the killer and protect her was going to be one of the most challenging things he had worked on in quite some time.