Disclaimer: I own nothing
Okay, longer chapter! It has to be this way. I'm not sure how big of a fic this is going to be, honestly, but I put a lot of work and love into it, so I don't care.
Thanks again to everyone reading this and everyone who has taken the time to comment.
Slight Spoilers for Sanctuary, of course.
I think this was beta'd-by two different readers.
Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
XxXxXxXxX
Scully was woken up the next morning by knocking on the door of her hotel room. She groaned and rolled over. She thought about just ignoring the knocking, but she knew that it was Mulder and that he would persist. She sighed and got up, grabbing her robe and pulling it on over her pajamas.
"What?" Scully said, opening the door.
Mulder was standing there, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
"Good morning to you too, Scully."
"What do you want, Mulder? I didn't agree to do anything with you today. And it's..." Scully looked at her watch, saw that it was still set to eastern standard time and had to take a moment to do the difference. "Nine a.m." she said in surprise.
"I thought I'd let you sleep, considering we were on a plane all night."
"What do you want?"
"I thought you might like to come to the Sanctuary with me." Mulder said.
"Today?"
"Why not? We're here. They're here."
Scully couldn't argue with Mulder when he was like this.
"I didn't realize you wanted me to come with you."
Mulder looked a little disappointed.
"You don't want to come? I thought you might, just so you can try to prove me wrong. And even if I am, isn't a private medical group like this really interesting?"
Scully was reluctant to say yes to that, though his story about the medical group had intrigued her.
"What are you planning on doing, Mulder? Are-are you planning on just walking up to the front door and knocking?"
"Why not?"
"You do realize that we have no authority here as FBI agents, don't you?" Scully asked, thinking that Mulder may have been better off going to any of the three American facilities he had mentioned.
"Yeah. So...are you coming?"
Scully hesitated, then sighed.
"Fine. But I want to take a shower and get breakfast first. All right?"
"All right."
Mulder walked down the hallway, humming. Scully shook her head and closed the door.
Just over an hour later, they were in a taxi heading through one of the oldest parts of London. Scully noted that Mulder had left his files at the hotel. Perhaps he had thought it would be rude to show up with them. She didn't know and she didn't ask. She knew where to question Mulder at this point.
"So you're just going to accuse this woman of being one hundred and forty-five years old if she answers the door?" she asked.
"Well, I'll use a little more finesse than that."
Scully smiled and shook her head. Mulder was watching her.
"What?"
"Just after all this time, I don't think I-I can be surprised by you anymore, Mulder. Whatever you do."
"Well, I'll take that as a compliment."
They arrived at their destination. Scully got out as Mulder paid the driver. She was a little surprised by where they were. Two trees were in the sidewalk, several yards away from a black-iron-and-stone fence that surrounded the front yard of the property. Scully was surprised it had a yard. The building was immense, though not overly tall. It was firmly old and beautifully maintained. It didn't look like any medical facility Scully had ever seen.
"Impressive, huh?" Mulder said, stepping up beside her as the taxi pulled away.
Scully nodded, gaze drifting over the yard. Two children were playing soccer in it. Mulder walked towards the sidewalk that led to the front door. Scully followed him. The children, a girl of about thirteen and a boy a few years older, hadn't noticed them yet. As Scully watched them, the boy got the ball away from the girl. The girl responded to this by chasing him and tackling him. Mulder laughed, stopping on the sidewalk as the two wrestled. Scully stopped, too.
"I thought contact was only allowed in American football." Mulder commented to the children.
They broke apart and both scrambled to standing. The girl had attitude. Scully could see that right away, in the way she stood and the look in her blue eyes. Hard and suspicious. The boy was different. He seemed cautious, but not nearly as much as the girl. He had scruffy facial hair, more than someone his age typically had.
"Who are you?" the girl demanded, flipping her messy blonde hair over her shoulder. Her accent-or lack thereof-was American.
"My name is Fox Mulder. This is my partner, Dana Scully." Mulder introduced.
"Hi." Scully said. The girl ignored her.
"Fox?" the girl scoffed.
The boy plucked her arm.
"Ash. Don't be rude." he said, tone scolding. The girl ignored him, too.
"Why are you here?" the boy asked more politely before the girl could say anything else.
Scully said nothing, letting Mulder take the lead. He seemed to be enjoying the interaction.
"We're here to see Helen Magnus."
"Why?" the girl demanded.
"We want to talk to her."
This didn't seem to impress either of them. Mulder chose to move on and walked to the door. Scully followed, noticing the teenagers followed, though the boy hung back a bit.
"You can't just walk in, you know." the girl informed them.
Mulder seemed to be getting a kick out of her. Scully wasn't so sure.
"I know." Mulder said. "That's why I'm doing this."
He rang the old-fashioned bell by the door. Scully heard it somewhere inside the house. If you could call it a house. The teenagers were silent, watching them. Mulder waited a few seconds, then rang the bell again. A few moments later, the door opened.
The man standing there seemed to have stepped out of another decade, perhaps a century. He was dressed very neatly, in a suit, sweater vest, and button-down shirt. He even had a cravat on. Scully wasn't sure what to make of this. Especially when it was his face that caught her attention.
His facial hair was tamer, but he looked very much like the man in the picture Mulder had shown her. James Watson. Scully glanced at Mulder, not sure what to make of this. Mulder looked ready to wet himself at this. Scully rubbed her forehead.
"Yes?" the man-Dr. Watson?-asked politely. His British accent seemed almost...refined.
"Dr. James Watson?" Mulder asked, clearly doing his best not to look too thrilled.
"Yes. Who are you?"
"His name is Fox." the girl informed the man, moving to stand beside Scully on the step.
"They say that they want to talk to the Doc." the boy added.
"And you." Mulder added.
"Ah."
Dr. Watson didn't look very happy. Actually, he didn't look much of anything, in Scully's opinion. He was mostly expressionless. His gaze shifted to the children.
"Who are you?" Dr. Watson repeated. "Do you have an appointment?"
His tone suggested that he highly doubted it, but Mulder wasn't deterred.
"My name is Fox Mulder, and this is my partner, Dana Scully. We're FBI agents-"
"Then I believe you are a little confused. This is not America."
Scully nearly smirked at this.
"You're FBI?" the boy asked, seeming excited.
Mulder smiled.
"Yes. We are. We aren't here in any official capacity, though. We'd just like to speak with Helen Magnus."
"Why?" the girl asked, looking Scully over.
"Henry, Ashley, go inside, please." Dr. Watson said.
Both teens looked disappointed.
"But-" the boy-Henry-started to protest.
"Go inside. You can play your computer games. And tell your mother she may need to come up."
Both teens went inside.
"Race you to the labs." Ashley challenged Henry as they walked through a very impressive-looking entrance hall.
"Okay, but-"
"Go!"
Ashley took off, running out of sight.
"Ashley!"
Henry followed. Scully smiled. Mulder chuckled. Dr. Watson was still staring at them. Scully frowned, noticing something strange about him. There were odd looking braces around his legs, over his pant legs. She saw some sort of collar beneath the cravat and there were metal rings and rubber tubes on his fingers. Something on his chest made his shirt and vest tight. He clearly saw her staring. Scully wasn't trying to be rude, but she was curious. It looked odd.
"Why do you wish to speak with Helen?"
"Well, it's kind of a funny story-" Mulder started.
Scully folded her arms over her chest. If Mulder explained, they were going to be here for a long while.
"What my partner is trying to say is that he heard a story that involved people that bear a striking resemblance to you and your boss and now he wants to know about it."
Dr. Watson didn't bat an eye.
"I see. You do understand that this is a medical facility, do you not? Not a place for storytelling."
"We do." Mulder said immediately. "Agent Scully is a medical doctor. We're very interested in your medical group and what it does. And the patients."
Dr. Watson's eyes turned as hard as flint.
"Our patients seek privacy among other things here, young man. I will not be doling out information simply because you heard some story and decided to follow it here. This is a Sanctuary."
His voice was cold. Mulder looked awkward. Scully thought it was strange that Dr. Watson called Mulder 'young man' considering he didn't look like he could have been many years older than Mulder.
"We understand that, sir, and I'll ask that you forgive my partner's...enthusiasm." she said politely, cutting her eyes at Mulder. "But he also believes that this medical group is responsible for disappearances over the years and is perhaps a little overzealous in his investigation."
"You are well outside your jurisdiction here, agents."
"If we could just speak to your boss-" Mulder started.
"I am head of this facility, Agent Mulder. Any questions you have can be referred to me."
"Oh. You're-you're head of this facility?" Mulder looked delighted.
Scully huffed a breath. Before Dr. Watson could respond there were echoing, clicking footsteps somewhere behind him. Scully tried to look past him, but he was taller than she was and was blocking the majority of the doorway the door wasn't occupying. Dr. Watson turned, stepping aside.
Scully's mouth nearly dropped. Mulder's did. A woman stopped beside Dr. Watson. She looked curious. She was dressed in a blouse, skirt, and heels, brunette hair curling carelessly around her face and down her shoulders. Her face was identical to the pictures Mulder had shown her.
"James. Henry and Ashley said we had visitors that wish to speak with me?" her accent was the same as Dr. Watson's and a question tipped her sentence.
Scully exchanged a look with Mulder. He looked thrilled.
"Dr. Helen Magnus?" Scully asked, letting her doubt edge into her tone.
"Yes. Agent Scully, yes?"
"Yes. Uh..."
Scully had no idea what to say and looked at Mulder. He had gotten them into this. He could bring them the rest of the way now, because she had no idea how to deal with this. This wasn't an X-file. They had no authority here. They weren't investigating a case. This was just them showing up on a woman's doorstep in the middle of London because Mulder had followed an urban legend.
"We were wondering if we could have a few moments of your time." Mulder started, clearing his throat.
"To speak about what, exactly?" Helen Magnus asked.
Her speech was light and there was an innocence to her expression and tone that Scully didn't quite believe. There was just a little too much to be genuine.
"As your children probably told you, we're FBI agents."
"Yes, they did mention that. But if you wish to speak to me about a case you're investigating, I will be returning to America at the end of the summer and will speak to you then."
She said this while being completely polite. Scully was impressed by this. They had heard sentences similar to this many times and they had usually been quite rude.
"We're not actively pursuing a case by coming here to speak to you, Doctor. But I've come across your name in connection to quite a few things and was hoping that you might be able to clarify them. Some of them are cold FBI cases."
Dr. Magnus gave them both an appraising look. Scully gave the other woman what she hoped was an apologetic smile, though she knew it was more of a grimace.
"Why don't you both come in and I'll explain to you what my facility does?" she said.
"Helen-" Dr. Watson started.
"James, see that we have tea ready in the upstairs parlor. And perhaps fetch Declan, if he's still in house. This may be useful for him to see."
Scully thought that sounded a little ominous. But as she watched, Dr. Watson nodded and turned back into the entrance hall. Scully watched him go. His walking was stiff and a little awkward. She had the impression that the braces were powering the majority of his movements, based off of what she was seeing. That made her frown. Of course, they were in a medical facility, even though it didn't look like it. Dr. Magnus gestured them forward.
"Please, come in. I haven't much time today and I wasn't expecting unannounced guests."
Mulder didn't need to be told twice and stepped inside. Scully followed, looking around. She expected Mulder to be blurting out things about the story from Oxford, but he was distracted by looking around.
"This way, please."
Dr. Magnus led them through the entrance hall and into an equally impressive hallway. The interior design was firmly Victorian and elegant.
"How long has this facility been in operation?" Mulder asked.
"Quite some time. My father conceived the original idea for our Sanctuary."
The answer, Scully noted, was not specific. It gave no indication of time. Then she realized she was thinking like Mulder.
She was looking around as they walked to a staircase, noticing that there was a lack of patients and staff.
"If this is a medical facility, where is everyone?" she asked.
"Wherever they wish to be."
Mulder smirked at Scully at the answer. Scully shook her head at him. Mulder asked vague questions as they headed upstairs and were led into the parlor. It was understated and elegant, with multiple places to sit and a cold fireplace the furniture was arranged around.
"Sit, please. James will be along shortly with tea." Dr. Magnus said, though she didn't take a seat herself.
Mulder sat in a chair by the fireplace. Scully sat in the one beside him. She had come into countless people's homes like this during her career in the X-files, but she felt awkward here. Perhaps because this wasn't an X-file. Perhaps because she couldn't get a measure on the woman standing just a few feet away.
"What is so urgent that two FBI agents needed to fly all the way to London to speak with me? Certainly you must have realized that I have a facility in New York you may have contacted instead? Washington to New York is an easier trip than Washington to London." Dr. Magnus said.
She still maintained the innocence, but Scully doubted she was anything close. She was doing a hell of a job, but Scully had spent a lot of her time in the FBI being lied to and misled.
Mulder laughed a little.
"Actually, we're on vacation."
"Ah."
Scully heard a noise and turned her head towards the door. She didn't see anyone. Dr. Magnus, however, seemed faintly exasperated.
"Eavesdropping, Ashley? I believe I've told you-"
She didn't finish before her daughter slid into the room, hands in her back pockets.
"I want to see why they're here."
Ashley walked in and dropped down near Scully, pulling a knee to her chest and looking completely relaxed. She was smiling at her mother. Even though Dr. Magnus sighed, Scully could see the fondness and easiness between the two. Before much else could be said, Dr. Watson returned, with tea. Ashley jumped up and served it-being surprisingly helpful was Scully's impression- then resumed her seat. The doctors sat across from Scully and Mulder.
"You say that my facility has cropped up in FBI cases?" Dr. Magnus said, once they all had tea.
"Yes." Mulder said, lowering his cup.
"I was unaware we were under any investigation."
"You're not. I just..." Mulder cleared his throat. "Agent Scully and I work in a department of the FBI known as the X-files."
Scully nearly snorted at the word 'department'. That was a glorified word for two agents and a basement office.
"And what sort of cases are these 'X-files'?" Dr. Magnus asked.
"We deal in cases that seem to have paranormal or supernatural aspects. Such as when people disappear without explanation or trace-"
"Aliens?" Ashley exclaimed, voice full of laughter. "I should go get Henry. He loves-"
"I'm sure you can fill him in later, unless you'd like to do it now." Dr. Magnus told her daughter.
Ashley fell silent.
"You were saying, Agent Mulder?" Dr. Watson prompted.
"Well, Ashley is right." Mulder admitted. "We do deal with apparent alien abductions, among a wide variety of other things. Creatures and things that most people think are only stories."
"And are they?" Dr. Magnus asked. "Only stories?"
"That depends on who you ask." Scully said, eyeing Mulder.
"But some disappearances and some of the creatures...the people I've spoken with or who have been interviewed by agents before us have spoken of the Sanctuary."
"In what capacity?"
Scully noticed that Ashley had looked at her mother at Mulder's brief explanation. The girl didn't seem amused now. Her eyes were wide.
"That they've been taken by the Sanctuary." Mulder said, not seeming to notice.
Dr. Magnus sighed lightly and lowered her teacup to her lap.
"Agent Mulder, allow me to stop you there. We do not abduct people. If we are responsible for any of the 'disappearances' you're speaking of, it is simply because those people have chosen to come to one of my facilities."
"What is it you do here, exactly?" Scully asked. "You keep referring to your 'facilities' but what is it that goes on here?"
"Agent Scully is a medical doctor." Mulder supplied, as if he thought this would win them points.
Dr. Magnus didn't seem impressed. Dr. Watson looked nearly bored with the proceedings.
"We are a private research and medical group. We provide care and comfort to those with rare diseases and conditions. Some that society would view as 'monsters' because of ignorance of these conditions and fear pulled from stories meant to keep children in line for generations."
Dr. Magnus's voice was cool, precise. Scully thought it sounded rehearsed.
"All right. What kinds of diseases?" Mulder asked, as if hoping to catch the woman in a lie.
"Genetic disorders, mostly. 'Monsters', Agent Mulder, are usually created by the ignorant seeing these poor people and choosing to fear rather than understand. Vampires, for example, are easily explained by congenital disorders. As are werewolves. As a doctor, Agent Scully, I'm certain you know that."
"I do." Scully agreed. And she had told Mulder, multiple times.
"Then you can also understand that the patients under my care desire privacy or often leave where they were previously residing without notice because of what they've faced in the past. My Sanctuaries are just that. Sanctuaries."
"Sanctuary for all." Ashley piped up.
Scully looked at her.
"Excuse me?" Scully asked.
"It's our motto." Ashley answered.
Dr. Magnus nodded in approval.
"And not an empty one at that." Dr. Watson agreed.
Scully had a feeling that Mulder was going to take that far too literally.
"You have nearly two dozen of these facilities around the world." Mulder stated.
"Yes. What of it?"
"That's a little unusual, for a private medical group run by a woman no one's ever heard of. A group that hardly anyone has ever heard of."
"We run off anonymity, Agent Mulder. A sanctuary isn't much of one when you can't feel safe there. Though I would like to know how you've managed to track my properties without overstepping your boundaries."
Oh. Scully realized that Mulder using his FBI contacts-presumably-and his authority as an FBI agent to obtain information about Helen Magnus might have just left a door wide open for lawsuits. But Mulder gave Dr. Magnus his most winning smile.
"Not that much, Doctor."
Ashley snorted, putting a noise to Scully's thoughts. She shared a look with the girl. Ashley gave her a slight smirk, though it looked amused.
"Are there any other matters you're curious about or are we through here?" Dr. Watson asked.
Mulder smiled again.
"Actually-"
Before Mulder could continue, a strange sounding alarm started. Scully looked around, wondering if it was a fire alarm. Dr. Magnus, however, sighed.
"Ashley, what was Henry doing when you left him?"
"Uh...trying to connect his new program to the server in the main lab."
"Go help him disconnect it and tell him not to do anything else until I get there. Even if he thinks he can fix it."
"Yeah."
Ashley pushed herself up. Before she got to the door, the alarm changed tone.
"Bloody hell, Henry!"
With that exclamation, Ashley ran out of the door. Scully and Mulder exchanged a look. Neither Dr. Magnus nor Dr. Watson looked all that concerned about this development.
"If that's something that needs your attention, Agent Mulder and I are happy to wait." Scully said.
Dr. Magnus shook her head. Dr. Watson smiled faintly.
"That is the typical sound of Henry Foss exercising his genius." Dr. Watson said.
Scully smiled faintly, sipping her tea as the alarm subsided. This wasn't what she had expected for a medical facility, and she wanted to ask more questions about that aspect but restrained herself for the moment. While Mulder spoke, she was looking more closely at Dr. Watson. The braces on his legs had obvious functions, though she wasn't sure why. She couldn't see what was on his chest, but the tubes-of various colors-had liquid running through them. Why? She wanted to ask but tamped down that urge. Since they weren't investigating a case, there was no good reason for her to ask him questions at the moment.
"What else did you want to speak to us about?" Dr. Magnus asked.
"I went to Oxford." Mulder started.
"Ah." Dr. Watson seemed approving, as were most people when they found out someone had gone to the same college as they had.
"And while I was there, I heard a...a, well, an urban legend. Regarding the two of you."
"Oh?" Dr. Magnus sipped her tea.
"In eighteen eighty-six."
Neither doctor reacted to this. At least, Scully thought, not in the way that Mulder had expected. Dr. Watson lowered his teacup. Dr. Magnus nodded slightly.
"I see."
"Don't you have anything to say to that?"
"Other than it's quite impossible?" Dr. Watson asked. His tone was smooth, not barbed, but there was an edge there.
Mulder laughed a little.
"You say it is, but I've been looking into the story for years."
"And what does this story say?"
"That the two of you were part of a school group that included Nikola Tesla, Montague John Druitt, and Nigel Griffin."
Scully saw the most minute of reactions from Dr. Magnus. A chilliness went through her eyes for less than a second and she tightened her fingers around the handle of her teacup. Dr. Watson tapped a finger in a rhythm on the arm of his chair. But maybe Scully had imagined the chilliness, because it was gone already.
"Agents, do either of us look as if we came from another century?"
Yes, was Scully's thought. These two carried themselves differently than anyone Scully had met. The way they talked was somewhat old fashioned. But it was also a ridiculous thought.
"The story says that you made yourselves immortal. And I found records-"
"Agent Mulder, stories are sometimes just stories." Dr. Watson said.
Mulder laughed faintly.
"Well, you see, I've found pictures of the both of you. At Oxford and at Tesla's funeral. I also found no death certificates for the Helen Magnus and James Watson in the story. There is also the fact that the X-files hold mentions of the Sanctuary going back nearly that far."
Dr. Magnus leaned forward and set her teacup back on the tray. Her blue eyes were completely serious as she looked at Mulder. She smiled at them both.
"Accounts can be exaggerated and similar to others. Names can be the same. People can look like one another."
"I told him the same thing." Scully told the other woman, trying to make it clear that she was not a part of this belief. Sometimes it was almost painful to be associated with Mulder.
"A wise woman, then." Dr. Watson commented.
Scully glanced at Mulder. He clearly wasn't deterred.
"Those things can be true." Mulder agreed. "But, Doctors, I'm not trying to be disrespectful or even accusing to you. But I believe that there is more to you-the both of you-than a medical facility."
Scully recognized that tone. She considered grabbing Mulder's sleeve and tugging him up, but she knew he wouldn't come with her. And she was a little intrigued. Somehow, she was always intrigued.
"There is more to everyone than meets the eye. There are things in my Sanctuaries-the results of our research and care-that we do not disclose for the hope of holding on to them. I'm certain you can understand that."
Scully understood that perfectly. Medical research could be cutthroat and good cures were often stopped because of lack of funding or because they cured too few people to be profitable.
"What else does this urban legend say?" Dr. Watson broke in mildly.
"Not much." Mulder admitted. "But the five of you were there. There are records. A picture."
Scully looked at Mulder, thinking he was pushing it too far. This wasn't an X-file. There was no reason for him to be pushing, other than years of sheer curiosity and conspiracy.
"We're not denying that you found evidence of such a group and that perhaps the people in it resembled James and I. But I can assure you that I am not one hundred and forty-five years old." Dr. Magnus said, gaze shifting from Scully back to Mulder.
"I never said how old I thought you were." Mulder said, tone a touch quiet.
That was odd, but none of this confirmed that Mulder was right. Dr. Magnus's manner turned slightly.
"What do you wish me to say, Agent?" she asked. "That every rumor you have heard about someone with my name is true? That my Sanctuaries hold the key to your wildest dreams? Because that I will not-can not-do. I am head of the Sanctuary network. Dr. Watson is head of my London House. We provide care and refuge. We have not stepped out of an urban legend. Nor do we need to tolerate this interrogation in our house when you have no cause or authority to be here."
Scully knew that they were done here. She set her tea down and tried to repair some of the damage that Mulder had done.
"Agent Mulder is not trying to be rude, Dr. Magnus."
"I am aware of that. Which almost makes it worse. Now, I believe this conversation is over. I need to attend to a patient. James will see you out."
Dr. Magnus stood and left the room. Dr. Watson waited until the clicking of her heels had faded before standing himself.
"Come along, agents."
They followed him back the way they had come. Mulder tried peppering Dr. Watson with question, which the other man ignored. Scully felt like they were being watched, but every time she turned to look, there was nothing there. Though she saw movement at the corner when she turned fast enough. She was studying Dr. Watson as they walked.
"What happened to you?" she asked as they neared the entrance hall.
He eyed her.
"What do you mean?"
"The braces. They're powering the majority of the movement in your legs. Were you injured? Effected by a disease?"
"Bullet." Dr. Watson answered.
Scully frowned faintly.
"Did it damage your spine?" she asked.
A brace on one leg may have made sense-though this type was a kind Scully had never seen before-if he had taken a bullet to one. One bullet wouldn't have done equal amount of damage to both legs and both were clearly affected. Spinal damage-and this rather ingenius invention to combat it-could have nearly destroyed the power and movement in his legs.
"No."
Scully would have liked to ask more, but they had reached the door and Dr. Watson firmly showed them out and closed the door.
"Mulder, you were rather rude in there." Scully said once it had closed behind them.
Mulder didn't seem to have heard.
"So, what do you think of all that, Scully?"
"I think you were rude." she repeated.
"Of Dr. Magnus."
"I...I think I can admire her, Mulder. She's our age and she's the head of a-a global medical group and clearly is able to maintain that. And she has a thirteen year old daughter. Being able to build what she clearly has, obtain a medical degree, adopt a child and then raise a daughter she had young on top of that is...is admirable. But not supernatural. Or an X-file."
"But what if she had more time than that, Scully?"
Scully sighed.
"Mulder..."
"They're hiding something, Scully."
"Of course they are. You came barging into their home and started spouting off things about them being immortal."
"What about Dr. Watson? What did you think of him?"
Mulder turned to her before they had reached the city sidewalk. Scully thought for a moment.
"Reserved. He clearly respects his boss. And..."
"And what?"
"There was something under his shirt."
Mulder smiled.
"And a collar. You had to have seen the tubes."
"I did." Mulder agreed. "Do you have any idea what that could have been for?"
"No. I would have to see it, Mulder."
"Mmm. What did you think of the kids?"
"I didn't think that they were any more immortal than their mother if that's what you're getting at." Scully said, folding her arms over her chest and looking up at Mulder.
"I don't think they are either. The girl was a pistol, though." Mulder smiled at his own description. "But she clearly knew something about what's going on in there."
"Mulder..." Scully eyed him. She knew the look that she was seeing on his face. "You're not letting this go, are you?"
"Not at all."
Mulder smiled at her and walked away from her to look for a taxi. Scully stayed where she was, watching him for a moment. She didn't want to follow him. But she would. She knew she would. She always did. It was just a matter of how much resistance she put up before giving in entirely. But, for now, the only following she was doing was to the taxi.
Notes:
Man, this was long, but I LOVE this chapter!
I really loved writing the Sanctuary crew and Mulder and Scully are just so fun to drop into this.
(Henry is about five years older than Ashley in this story, in case I didn't mention it before)
This does take place before Magnus's August 27th birthday, by the way, so her age might seem a little off.
Let me know what you think! As always, I will answer questions.