Disclaimer: I do not own the X Files.

Note: Made a snap decision while on vacation! Enjoy please review!

Everything

Two shadowed figures watched as the body of an unnamed homeless man dissolved on the floor in front of them. They stood at a safe distance wearing protective gear and gas masks taking notes.

The results of the most recent experiment had yielded the most success. The last few subjects dissolved in record time.

All that was left of the unknown man was a green puddle on the floor that would soon lose its color and evaporate.

"The final step will be ready soon." One of the observers said in a voice muffled by the mask.

"I got a tip from our man at the FBI, it seems that there are a couple of agents asking questions." The other said.

"Well keep an eye on them then. Do your job if they get too close, you know what to do." A third shadowed figure emerged, face illuminated only by the glow of his cigarette.

Mulder threw his head down on his desk and threw his hands in the air, "There are no correspondents between them Scully! No connection. I get it I get hunches all the time but maybe it is time to look elsewhere."

"Feel free Mulder. I just feel like I am missing something…" Scully responded from the couch.

"What were you able to get from the crime scene before we were kicked out?"

"Not much." She thought for a moment with her eyes closed and tried to picture the scene.

In her mind she pictured Maxwell's study. It was overly ambitious with walls that were lined with bookcases that were filled with books he had never read and never would. The desk was large and covered with work related paperwork… Scully remembered something catching her eye.
"On the desk in his study there was a trashy novel! It was under some papers but it looked well read and I thought it was odd."

"Have an eye for trashy novels Scully?" Mulder said with a raised eyebrow and then continued after seeing her disapproving raised eyebrow, "Maybe we can cash in a couple favors and get our hands on it."

Scully gave a small snort. "I'm pretty sure we owe more favors than anyone else."

Mulder leaned back in his chair for a moment and then got up slowly moving toward her, "Well either way I'm sure we could get our hands on it somehow and since we are no longer 'officially' on the case I think you should stay the night." He moved so that he was leaning over her with his hands on either side of her head on the couch, "And don't act scandalized Scully I know you have a change of clothes with you."

In general Scully tried to not show too much excitement with Mulder as he was plenty good at generating it himself but she did like his idea.

She gave a small smile, "You do make a good point…" She glanced over at her work and a part of her wanted to keep working. That thought flew out of her mind when Mulder's lips met her neck making her jump slightly.

Its still early there will be time later. Scully thought as she met Mulder's kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Dana woke later that night to a dream:

Scully was sitting at her desk in the basement office staring strait ahead when she heard a voice surround her.

"Agent Scully I need you to help me. You need to stop them. You might be the only one who can. Get the book that you saw and get it quick, before they destroy it. That will hold some of the answers."

The voice began to sound strained, "Be careful."

"Who are you?" Scully asked as she got up from the desk looking around.

"You know who I am."

She awoke in a cold sweat and sat up strait. She felt in a panic to get to the book. She had never met Traci Wells but she knew that the voice in the dream was hers. Scully was in too much confusion to begin to doubt her dream and she took deep breaths until she was broken out of her trance by Mulder's hand that he placed on her forearm.

"What time is it?" She asked not sure if he had spoken to her yet. He looked tiredly next to the bed, "About 3am." Mulder's tired voice croaked out.

"We need to get that book. Now." Scully said as she got out of bed and started to look for her clothes.

Mulder didn't move, "Did you hear me say that it is 3am? What's wrong?" She kept up her search, "Scully, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him, "They are going to destroy the evidence if we don't get to it first."

"How do you know that?"

She looked down for a second knowing that the words would sound crazy coming out of her mouth, "I had a dream. Traci Wells told me that if we didn't get to it now it would be destroyed." She knew that she was speaking to the right audience but still found a hit of embarrassment creeping into her voice.

Mulder paused, "And you believed it?"

"I am not saying it was Agent Wells from beyond the grave but it might be my subconscious warning me. I just know we need to get our hands on that book."

"Ok." Mulder said still thrown off but trusting his usually skeptical partner.

They moved quietly through the abandoned FBI headquarters toward the evidence locker. At nearly four in the morning there were still a few Agents who were in their offices working on time sensitive cases but most everyone was gone. They knew that there would be a guard at the evidence locker but they would need to deal with that when the time came.

Meanwhile they were trying not to be seen. Each footstep sounded like a cannon and lasted for years. They knew that the cameras would be watching and that surly the people involved were keeping tabs on them. Mulder had been careful to watch out for a tail on their way but they were never quite sure if they were completely alone.

The security guard at the evidence locker was napping when they came in which seemed to Mulder like fate. The looked at each other quietly wondering if they should go for it or not.

Finally Mulder delicately grabbed the keys to open the caged entrance. He glanced back at Scully who stood at the counter acting like she had been waiting there. He slowly unlocked the door and then put the keys back next to the sleeping guard and ventured in. Scully watched the guard closely and as soon as the gate made the closing sound she tapped the guards arm.

Mulder searched quietly as Scully distracted the guard pretending to forget the case number for the evidence she wanted. When Mulder motioned to her that he had found what they were looking for she referenced an old case of theirs and asked to go back and look for some arbitrary piece of evidence. Mulder hid as Scully and the guard entered and once they passed he went quickly through the door, which Scully had left open behind them. He went quickly to the car to wait for her.

Scully stood with the guard and examined the old watch from a case that she couldn't even remember pretending to look for something.

"Nope, this isn't it. Sorry to wake you!" She said trying to sound genuine.

The guard just grunted in response and walked her out. She left with a small smile on her face until she got to the car where she saw an open passenger car door and no Mulder.

Her heart stopped and she ran over to the car to see if there was anything that would lead her to him.

Sure enough there was a note:

Agent Mulder will be returned if you dump what you have on the case. If not you will never see him again.

A couple feet away from the car she saw a cigarette.

Her heart lurched and she felt tears prickling her eyes but she knew not to show emotion because they were surely watching. She got into her car to drive back to Mulder's apartment and spent the whole ride tying to think of a plan.

By the time she got to Mulder's apartment she still didn't know what to do. If she was truly dealing with the Smoking Man there was no guarantee that she would get Mulder back even if she handed over their information on the crime. She sat on the couch and looked over what they had gathered. She wondered why they had not just broken in and taken it.

Because it would not have scared us as much.

With him it was always about the psychological as much as it was about the end goal.

She looked around and knew that she would end up turning over the evidence. Mulder would have thought of something much better but she was overcome with fear. She had known that getting involved would cloud her judgment and it already was.

Scully felt his absence like a missing limb and worried that if she didn't give in they would hurt him.

She sighed into her hands and began to collect the scattered documents on the coffee table.

She walked over to the window and held up what she had collected.

Seconds later the phone rang.

"I'm glad you decided to play ball. You should know that if you do not give us everything you have, we will know." It was a voice that Scully did not recognize. The man on the other end told her to go to an address that she didn't recognize. She wrote down the directions quickly, gathered her things, and left.

The drive to the mysterious location was tense. Scully continued to question herself the entire way. She knew that she wanted to see Mulder before anything was exchanged.

She had the disadvantage, however, as they knew she was desperate to get him back.

She wished that they had gotten a look at the book before he had been taken. She considered that maybe Mulder had gotten a look and prayed that he would not be mad.

As she parked her car in the parking lot that was abandoned except for the one car parked across from her. She could only see the shadowy outline of a person in the two front seats. She took a deep breath and stepped outside the car holding a briefcase filled with all of the evidence that they had gathered for the case. She knew that Mulder would be mad that she had given in. She also felt guilt come over her knowing that she was failing Traci Wells.

Once I get Mulder back we WILL solve this. I promise.

She made the silent promise to whoever would listen hoping that they heard.

The doors to the other car opened and two men stepped out. She recognized the passenger as the Smoking Man, C.G.B. Spender. The driver was a face she didn't know, just one of the faceless henchmen that worked for him.

"Where's Mulder?" Scully asked forcefully in a tone that she hoped convey how serious she was.

"First the files." The unknown man said.

"No I see Mulder first or you get nothing."

Spender nodded his head as if he expected this response and the right backseat door opened. A man stepped out closed the door and rounded the car to the other door. He opened it and pulled out a tall figure that Scully recognized. She kept up her poker face up but inside she was shouting to him.

His frame came into the dim light and she could see that a bag was over his head and based on the mumbled noises coming from him she guessed there was a gag in his mouth.

The man holding on to him hit him roughly on the head with his gun and Scully let out a gasp. She couldn't understand what he was saying but she knew it must be something along the lines of: Don't do it.

She was going to do it anyways. She didn't trust the Smoking Man to not kill Mulder or worse.

"Let me see his face." Scully said trying to sound strong.

"Give us what we asked for." The man holding Mulder demanded.

They stood silent for a moment till the Smoking Man nodded his head at the man and he punched Mulder in the gut.

"Fine! Fine! Just bring him forward and we will make the trade at the same time. No weapons. I want everyone to have their hands in the air." Scully yelled.

Spender nodded to his people who all put their hands up except for the man holding Mulder who kept one hand on him.

Scully and the man stepped toward each other and with every step Scully felt the panic in her rise. Something wasn't right and she knew it. Soon they were face to face only a couple feet apart.

"I want to see his face before I hand this over." She took the chance again just in case and it paid off. The man huffed in frustration but pulled up the hood enough so she could see Mulder's black and blue face. He shook his head once at her but she ignored him, she had made her decision.

She took hold of Mulder's arm as he put one hand on the briefcase.

"If this is not everything… Well he will tell you what will happen." The man said and turned back to the car. She watched them all carefully until they all got into the car and drove away.

"Mulder…" Scully said softly as she took the gag out of his mouth.

She knew what he would say before he said it, "Scully! Why would you do that? There were other options!"

She just shook her head, "No Mulder there were not other options and no case is worth your life."

"People are dying!"

"Yes! And you would have died which would have made everything pointless. We can still figure this out."

It was his turn to shake his head, "Scully they put something in me, a virus of some kind. It will last for the next week, as far as I can tell, and then it will fade. It is insurance to make sure that you actually gave them everything."

"Then it's a good thing I did."

"Everything?" He sounded strained.

She nodded and put her hands on either side of his face, "We will wait until your system is cleared and then move forward. Till then we can work quietly and make it seem like we are working on other stuff. I need to get you to the hospital." Scully turned him around so that she could untie his hands.

He shook them to get the blood back pumping and then rubbed his hands around his wrist.

"I'm fine, just a little bruised." He said.

"Well if there really is a virus in you then I should check it out." She shook her head at him and ran her hands through his hair feeling for bumps.

"Fine but no emergency room."

"Deal."
She pulled his forehead to hers for a moment before pulling him over to the passenger side of the car. She could tell that despite his best efforts to stay awake and aware, he was very out of it.

He sat down hard on the seat and looked up at her sadly, "I'm sorry you had to do that, I know this case is important to you."

She smiled at him and put a hand to his cheek, "You're more important."

She leaned down and gave him a soft quick kiss.

Scully moved to her side of the car and drove to the hospital.