*****
He woke slowly; he was damned uncomfortable. What was he lying on? He shifted and realized he was in a pile of garbage. He opened his eyes the rest of the way and looked around. An alley? He’d been dumped in an alley or passed out in one, what the hell? He sat up, no headache; maybe he wasn’t hung over after all. But that didn’t explain where he was or why . . . or who? He got to his feet noting he was dressed in worn blue jeans and a dirty gray t-shirt, he had on socks and running shoes, but that was it. He had no money, no ID. Okay, he lowered himself back onto the sidewalk - what was going on? He felt of his head, no obvious wounds, he was grungy but not sick. He needed a shave and a cup of very strong coffee; maybe then everything would slip back into place.
He moved to the opening of the alley and looked around. It seemed to be early evening from the light. There was a grocery store just down the street, so he headed that way. The store had complimentary coffee and he helped himself to a cup, then wandered away from the checkout girl’s scrutiny. He didn’t recognize his location yet and the coffee wasn’t helping.
The redhead caught his attention, did he know her? His eyes followed her around the store, she seemed familiar somehow but no name came to him. Including his own damn it!
She was checking out and since she was the only thing that had even a hint of familiarity he followed her, taking his second cup of coffee with him. He ignored the glare of the girl that checked her out and continued after her.
She seemed to sense his presence and hurried her footsteps, finally turning to face him as she got to her car. He stopped well back from her, and held out his hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just . . . you looked familiar to me and I - “
“Please leave me alone.” She looked prepared to scream or run. He wanted neither.
“I’m sorry.” He took another step back, away from her. “It’s just, do you know me?”
“No. Now please . . . “
He nodded and turned away. She almost called out to him to turn back. That was stupid, he was obviously deranged or . . . or something. But he didn’t look homeless exactly. Of course, what did ‘homeless’ look like for sure? Forget him. She got into her car and locked the doors, then pulled out. She didn’t bother to see which way he headed.
Unfortunately, that didn’t get him off of her mind. She hadn’t realized how such a short encounter could affect her. She thought about him several times as she fixed her dinner and got ready for bed. She kept trying to remember if she did know him - no he wasn’t the type of man she would forget. But she should, she’d never see him again. Once again she shook off the thoughts of him and went to bed.
Something made her look around for him the next morning when she got into her car but she didn’t see him. She chastised herself; there was no way he could know where she lived.
He did know, he’d kept walking in the direction she had driven away, watching for her car. For some reason he knew that people usually shopped near their homes and he had to find her. Nothing else he'd seen had even the slightest familiarity.
He’d found her car again and checked all the names on the mailboxes in the building. Nothing rang a bell, he didn’t even know which name was hers and with the car locked, he couldn’t check her registration. He had nowhere else to go, so he made himself as comfortable as possible in the back of her building and finally slept.
He woke hungry, but with no more resources than he’d had earlier. This wasn’t familiar either; he didn’t seem to be used to being homeless or hungry. Neither was very appealing.
He spotted her leaving for work the next morning. He’d guessed right, this was her place. He didn’t have anywhere else to go and was loath to leave the only place that seemed to mean something.
Finally hunger drove him out and he panhandled a little to get a meal. It went the same way for the next two days. He knew he needed help, but something kept him from seeking aid. For whatever reason it felt safer here, close to this woman.
*****
She was late arriving home. The ER had been a mad house, she hadn’t checked but it must be a full moon. Then traffic had been tied up with even more accidents. She was exhausted and couldn’t wait to soak in a hot tub with a glass of wine.
She wasn’t paying attention, her mind on the day she’d had. She was caught completely off guard when the man grabbed her from behind. She felt the knife at her throat before she even had time to scream.
“Just keep quiet lady. I don’t want to hurt you; I just want your money. Don’t fight me.” She was frozen, she wasn’t about to fight him, she’d seen too many knife wounds in her life and where he had the knife positioned . . . she’d be dead in minutes. No ambulance would be able to save her.
Then suddenly, the knife was no longer at her neck, his arm no longer around her middle. She collapsed to her knees and turned. What the hell? Someone was pounding on her assailant. He was on the ground, unable to defend himself; the knife had landed on the sidewalk away from the two men. She scrambled over to it and grabbed it.
In the distance she could hear a siren heading in their direction. Someone must have seen what was happening and called 911. Her protector had the man subdued now and when the police screeched to a halt and jumped out, guns drawn, she was able to speak again.
When the dust cleared she was finally calm. “We’ll need you to come down in the morning Doctor, but he’s an old friend of ours. We can hold him until then. You sure you’re okay?”
She nodded and turned to see if her protector was still around. He was seated on the front steps, the police already through with him. She watched the police leave with her assailant, then walked over to him.
“I wanted to thank . . .” She paused and looked more closely at him. “You’re the man at the store. The man that asked me . . . “ He nodded, then winced. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He removed his hand from his arm. It was bleeding.
“He cut you! Why didn’t you say something? I’m Dana Scully. Come inside, let me check you out.”
He didn’t wait for a second invitation, rising and following her into her apartment. Once he was inside, she seemed to remember that even though he had saved her life, she had just invited a strange man into her apartment. He immediately saw the change in her posture.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He stayed at the door, leaving it open and watched her shoulders relax.
“I know. Come on in. Have a seat, let me get my bag.”
He seated himself at the table in the kitchen and waited. She placed the black bag on the table and went to wash her hands. “You’re a doctor?”
“Yes.” She turned to smile at him, “My Dad gave me the bag as a joke, but I’ve ended up using it quite a bit.”
He sat watching her as she returned to him and began carefully disinfecting his wound. “You don’t need stitches, you were very lucky. So was I, that you were there.” She looked up at him. “Why were you here?”
“I, uh, I’ve been staying near here.”
“Near here? Where?” She paused.
“In your backyard.”
“Back . . . in the alley? You’ve . . . have you been stalking me?” She moved away from him.
“No, well, yeah I guess it does look that way.” He sighed, “I . . . I don’t know what’s going on with me right now. That evening, when I first spoke to you . . . maybe I should just get out of here. I’m sorry.”
“Wait. What, what were you going to say?”
“Listen, I don’t know who I am. I don’t know why I’m here. I don’t know who you are, but I’m drawn to you for some reason. That’s crazy, I know but . . . “
She was watching him closely now, “Did you say you don’t know who you are?”
“Yeah. I woke up in an alley near that grocery store. I still haven’t remembered my name. I was sure it would come back to me, but nothing. Nothing has been familiar to me except you and I don’t know why. You said you didn’t know me.”
“I don’t. That day at the store is the first time I saw you.” His shoulders slumped. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t help you. I work at Georgetown Medical; let me take you to see a neurologist. He’s a friend - “
He was already shaking his head. “No. I don’t think that would be a good idea. It might not even be a good idea for me to be around you. Something happened or was done to me, you shouldn’t be involved.”
“I am involved. You saved my life tonight, you don’t know me, you didn’t have to - “
“I did. I had to. Whoever I am, you’re part of it, I know that. I just don’t know if that’s a good thing, for you.”
She took a deep breath and decided to change the subject. “When’s the last time you had a good meal?”
He blinked at that and took a moment to process the switch. “I haven’t had a meal since I woke up.”
Her mouth dropped open; that was at least three days. She finished with his bandage and rose, “I’m going to fix you something to eat. Why don’t you go clean up a little? The bathroom is through there.”
“I should leave.”
“Please don’t. Not yet.”
After a moment he nodded and headed for her bathroom. When he emerged, his face - what she could see of it through the scruff of his beard, was cleaner and his hair was slicked back. His hands, even his nails had been scrubbed. She gave him a smile and turned back to the stove. “I’m fixing you an omelet, okay?”
“That would be great.” He turned as the toast popped up and smiled at the mundane sound. He had a nice smile. Why wasn’t she afraid of him? That surprised her. Here was a man that admitted to being homeless, of practically stalking her, who didn’t have a clue of who he was. Yet she had invited him into her home and was cooking for him. She’d never done anything like this before, but it felt right.
Even though she knew he had to be starving, he ate with perfect manners, cleaning up his plate with the last of the toast. He’d finished a cup of coffee and two glasses of juice before he spoke again.
“Would you like some more?”
“No, thank you. This was perfect. I should be leaving now.”
“Do you have to? I mean, is there some place you need to be?”
He laughed slightly at that. “No.”
“Then why don’t you stay here a little longer? You could probably use a shower.”
That obviously surprised him. “I couldn’t. You don’t know me.”
“Maybe not, but you are the man that saved my life tonight, a meal and a shower isn’t too much to pay for that. I feel like I can trust you. Please, let me do this for you.”
“A shower does sound nice.”
She smiled then and he felt the breath catch in his chest. She was lovely, but that wasn’t the reason he was attracted to her - at least not the only reason.
“Go on, there’re towels in the closet. Enjoy.” He nodded and turned from her. Her smile dimmed and a look of worry took over her face. He needed more than a shower, but she’d have to take it gradually.
For now, did she have any clean clothes that would fit him? Hadn’t Bill left some sweats the last time he was here? She headed into her bedroom to check. Yes, they’d be a little too big for him, Bill was a larger man and this man hadn’t eaten lately but at least the pants would be long enough for him.
She tapped on the bathroom door, but there was no answer. He probably couldn’t hear with the water running. The door wasn’t locked and after a short hesitation she opened the door and substituted the clean clothes for the outfit he had been wearing.
There was blood on the t-shirt from his wound as well as several days of grime. She tossed everything into the washer and then cleaned up the kitchen.
She turned from the sink when she heard him return to the room. She couldn’t stop her smile. The sweats were a little big. He took in her smile and shrugged.
“You could use a few more good meals.” But she was also admiring him. He’d found a razor and was clean-shaven again. Her hand twitched to caress his face; she must be losing her mind.
He nodded. “Is your boyfriend going to come crashing in here and take me apart?"
“Boyfriend? Oh, the clothes. Brother. My brother Bill left those here last time he visited. I’m washing your other clothes.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“It wasn’t a problem. Have you thought any more about seeing my friend, the neurologist?”
“I can’t do that Dr. Scully.”
“Dana. I think under the circumstances, it should be Dana. And I need something to call you.”
“Wish I could help you there.”
She motioned for him to sit again at the table. “Why don’t we go over what we do know about you? Maybe that will help.” He remained silent, waiting for whatever she had in mind. “Okay, you’re 6’1” or about, right?” He nodded, “good shape, especially for someone who hasn’t eaten regularly lately.” He shrugged at that.
She smiled and continued, “You’re good at hand to hand combat.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It was tonight.” He nodded solemnly at that. “What else?”
“I was able to memorize your license tag with one look and I thought you might live around here since you used that store.”
“That doesn’t sound military, more law enforcement if I had to guess.”
“A cop? I don’t know.”
“Well, we are just guessing here.” She had the strongest desire to reach out and take his hand into hers. She fought it by standing up and moving toward the refrigerator. “Some tea?”
“Thanks. Since we’ve pretty much exhausted the information about me, what about you. What kind of doctor are you?”
“Trauma. I see a lot of gunshots, knife wounds.” She grimaced at that. “Oh I delivered a baby in the parking lot of the hospital a couple of days ago.”
“Ouch.”
“That wasn’t exactly the term she used, but the sentiment was the same.” She grinned at him. “Do you have children?” She asked it quickly, hoping he would respond automatically.
“Not that I know of. You?”
“I’m fairly confident I don’t.” She chuckled.
“How about husbands or exs, you didn’t really answer me about the boyfriend.”
“None of the above.” She responded lightly.
“That has to be your choice. Why?” He looked at her curiously. No boyfriend, no husband?
“Just haven’t found the right guy.” She took another sip of her tea to avoid his eyes.
“Have you been looking?” He was over the line here; he knew it, but look at her.
“Not very hard any more. No chemistry.” She shrugged, “It’s not been a problem.”
He had no comment to that. It was none of his business anyway. He’d known the woman for less than two hours. He’d hoped that she knew him, and that her reaction at the store had been one of fright. With the knowledge that wasn’t the case and still knowing nothing about himself he could feel depression pushing at him hard.
He looked up at her as she lost the battle with herself and took his hand into hers. “I need a name for you. What would you like to be called?”
“Pick one, who do I look like to you?”
She found herself wanting to cry at those words. He was someone, someone important, at least to her. “There was a guy in grade school, I had a tremendous crush on him but we moved before . . . I’m going to call you David. Okay?” He nodded, unable to speak suddenly. “Are you okay?” Her concern was plain in her voice.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Look, I need to get out of here. I didn’t mean to take up your whole evening.”
“Don’t go. I haven’t had my dinner yet, think you could eat again already?”
“You don’t have to do this Doc. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re condemning me to another solitary meal? I’d like you to stay. I’m enjoying your company.” His eyes widened a little at that, but he stayed in his chair. In fact after that statement he wasn’t sure he could stand.
“Doc, it’s too much. I can’t reciprocate, yet.”
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I value my life higher than an omelet and a shower.”
“So do I.” She blushed at his regard.
“Fine, you can make the salad.”
They were just about to sit down when they heard thunder in the distance. She turned to look toward the window. “I think we’ve got a storm coming.” He nodded and sat down. “You’re not planning to sleep in the alley tonight.” It wasn’t really a question.
“I’ll be okay.”
“No. You are not going to sleep outside in a storm.”
“Doc - “
“Forget it. Eat your dinner, then we can watch the news and see if anyone’s reported you missing.”
He looked at her for a minute, but she was ignoring him and had started eating. They could hash this out later; he was too hungry to wait any longer. She’d cooked more than usual, but knew there would be no leftovers tonight.
He insisted on helping with the clean up, which took very little time, then she turned on the local news to see if there were any reports that drew his attention. While they were watching she heard the rain start.
“That settles it, you’re staying here tonight.”
“I can’t.” He stated it flatly, as though the subject were closed.
“Yes, you can.” She sounded just as certain and he looked at her strangely.
“Doc, you don’t know me. Neither of us do. You might not be safe. We know I’m good at hand to hand. What if I learned it in prison? What if I’m an escapee and was injured; that’s why I don’t remember.”
“No. I don’t believe that. I’m safe with you.”
He looked at her, mouth open; “You’re not serious.”
“I most certainly am. And you are not sleeping outside tonight.”
He actually chuckled at her then, but immediately turned serious again. “Do you promise to lock yourself in your room? And arm yourself.”
“I don’t have a weapon here, and I don’t need one.”
“Why? Why are you doing this?” He was totally bemused by her.
“Just go with it. The decision has been made.”
He nodded slowly. It would be nice to sleep inside for a change. And he wouldn’t hurt her. He’d never hurt her.
When she did retire to her room he stood outside until he heard the lock engage on her door. It wouldn’t keep him out, but it could slow him down. It wouldn’t be necessary, but that was no reason not to take the precaution.
He got comfortable on her couch and was shortly asleep, feeling safer himself than he had since he had woken up in that alley.
*****
The sound woke her. Was someone out there with him? She rose and stood by the door. No, there were no other voices. She opened the door cautiously and spotted him, restless on the couch, dreaming.
It was obviously not a pleasant dream, he was fighting something. She moved closer, “No . . . Samantha . . . no please.”
She didn’t want to startle him, but finally she moved close enough to touch him. “Wake up, it’s just a dream.” Damn, not having a name was hard. Even if she did call him David, he probably wouldn’t respond to it in his sleep.
He jerked awake and realized she was beside him instantly. “What are you doing out here?”
“You were having a bad dream. I came out to check on you.” The look of compassion on her face was almost more than he could take.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“Do you remember the dream?” He shook his head; whatever it was had awakened him every night. “You called out a name - Samantha. Does that mean anything to you?”
He thought for a moment, then shook his head again.
“She could be a girlfriend, or a wife.”
He held up his left hand. “It doesn’t look like I wear a wedding ring.”
“Some men don’t.”
He looked her in the eye then, “I would.” She nodded. But that didn’t mean that Samantha wasn’t a girlfriend or fiancée. She didn’t bother to state that, he knew it.
“Go back to bed Doc. I’m okay. I’m sorry I woke you.”
“Do you need anything?”
“I need you to lock your door again. Go on.” She reluctantly rose and returned to her room. Getting back to sleep was much more difficult for both of them this time, but the sound of the rain eventually lulled them into oblivion.
When she emerged from her room the next morning he was dressed in his own clothes and had coffee made. Obviously his short-term memory was unaffected by whatever this was. He’d fixed her coffee exactly as she liked it.
“Thanks.” She took an appreciative sip, then began fixing breakfast for them. He set the table and poured juice. While they were eating she looked over at him. “I have an idea.” He looked up and smiled.
“I’m not surprised.”
“Really, listen. Since you don’t want to go to the hospital to be examined, what if I took a sample of your blood in and ran a tox screen on it. If you trust me to draw your blood that is.”
“I trust you.”
That took her a moment, then she nodded and finished her breakfast. As he cleaned up she assembled the supplies she needed to draw his blood.
That done, she turned to him. “What are your plans today?”
He chuckled, “They’re kind of up in the air.”
She nodded, “You’re welcome to stay here.”
He shook his head; “I can’t do that. But if you don’t mind, I’ll come back tonight and see what you found out.”
She smiled broadly at that. “Yes, please. Do you need some cas -?“
He stopped her before she could finish. “I’ll stop by tonight.”
“Please be careful today.” He nodded and she packed his blood for transport.
Once at the hospital she labeled the blood as a John Doe and took several vials of blood down to the lab from the ER. She asked the lab tech to run the screenings and moved the John Doe vial to the front of the list. Without drawing special attention to it, that was all she could do. Now she had to wait.
*****
She didn’t have to wait long. A page summoned her back to the lab, where the senior supervisor, Dr. Symons, was waiting for her. “Dr. Scully, you requested a tox on a blood sample for a John Doe?”
“Yes, is there a problem?” Her heart was pounding, but she managed to look calm, nearly uninterested.
“I’ll say there is. Look at this.” He pulled a printed copy out and pointed to the computer screen. “I have never seen a blood chemistry like this one.” She moved closer, this wasn’t her field but if she had a little time to study . . . “I need to make some calls. Is the man still here?”
“I, I think so.” She looked up at him, caught off guard.
“Good. I’ll be right back.” He scurried out of the lab. She was moving before the door shut. She printed out a second copy of the computer screen and snatched the vial from the holder. She carefully peeled the label she had attached from it and switched it with another vial that was waiting, then pocketed his blood and the slide from the microscope and left the lab.
She was shaking as she slipped into a stall in the ladies room. What the hell was going on? She opened the vial and poured the blood down the toilet along with the slide and flushed both. Then she washed out the vial and wrapped it in paper towels to crush it beneath her heel. She flushed these pieces in a second stall and then washed her hands and attempted to regain her composure.
She needed to get back to the ER and put this out of her mind. Her hands found the printout in her pocket and she stopped, uncertain how to handle this. After a moment she folded the paper crookedly and began writing a grocery list on the outside. On the way back to the ER she stopped by her locker and stuffed the paper down in her purse.
What was making her so paranoid? Why was she instinctively protecting him like this? It didn’t matter, she was doing it and she would continue to do so.
A flurry of patients caused her mind to move on to other things and for the next forty-five minutes she handled patients and wrote orders.
She was startled when Dr. Symons appeared beside her. “Dr. Scully, is that patient still here?”
“Excuse me?” She knew what he wanted, but needed to collect her thoughts. The military flanking him were unnerving.
“The patient with the blood chemistry we spoke about - is he still here?”
“No, I’m sorry, I should have called you. It’s been a mad house down here. He was gone when I got back from the lab.”
The military type behind Dr. Symons moved to the front then. “Can you describe this man?” Dana looked up at the man, a full bird colonel, shit.
“Yes sir, white male, 65 or so, full beard mostly gray, thinning white hair, obviously homeless. He wasn’t as tall as you, I’d say 5’10” or so.”
The colonel seemed slightly taken aback at that. “65? Are you sure about the age?”
“Pretty sure, but with the homeless it’s always a little hard to tell. I couldn’t be off more than ten years either way. Is he in trouble?”
The colonel ignored her question, “Why did you decide to do the blood test?”
“Because of his actions. At first glance I thought he was intoxicated, but I couldn’t smell any alcohol on his breath. That made me wonder if he was on some sort of street drug that I wasn’t familiar with. And you have to wonder about alcohol poisoning in these cases as well.”
“How could he just walk out?” The colonel was holding onto his temper but barely.
“He wasn’t in restraints or under arrest. I left him lying on the gurney in trauma 3. I was surprised to find him gone when I returned, frankly I didn’t think he could walk.” Damn she was cool; no doubt she’d fall apart as soon as this was over.
Dr. Symons had blended into the background at this point, grateful to no longer be the focus of the colonel’s ire. The colonel turned to one of his aides and barked a few orders. Immediately something was placed in the colonel’s hands.
“Do you recognize any of these faces as the man that was here?” He spread three photographs on the nurses’ station for her to check. His picture was in the middle. Dana didn’t dare to look up, could she keep her shock from her face? She casually picked up the third picture to look at it more closely, ignoring the other two.
“All of these men are younger than the man I examined. Is he is some sort of trouble?”
“Just look at the pictures one more time.”
“I’m sorry.” She looked up into his face now. “Who are these men?”
“That’s classified.” Was his clipped answer.
“I see. Sorry, I can’t help you.” She started to turn away.
“Dr. Scully, if the man you examined or any of these men should return, I would appreciate a call.” He extended her his card, Colonel Baldwin.
“Of course. Do you have the names of these men?”
“That is also classified.”
“May we keep these pictures for other shifts?” She allowed a little exasperation to be heard in her voice now. He might be an important person, but he was behaving like an ass.
There was a slight hesitation on his part at this point. “I’ll have copies made for you.”
“Thank you, now if you will excuse me?” She turned to go back to her patient.
“Dr. Scully.” She stopped, had she made a slip? She turned and looked him straight in the eye but didn’t speak. “Did you see anyone in or near the lab while you were looking at the test results?”
She hesitated at that as though thinking. “Yes, as a matter of fact there was. After Dr. Symons left to make a phone call a man in a suit came into the lab. I assumed he was a salesman, he didn't speak. I left to return to the ER.”
“Um, thank you for your assistance.”
She nodded, glanced over at Dr. Symons and left the group of men standing in the way of patient care.
Once back in the alcove with her patient, she took a deep breath. The military were looking for him. Whatever this was had been done to him. He was in danger and she couldn’t reach him. Her purse! Would they go through her locker? She glanced over at the nurse who was finishing up with the patient, decided she wasn’t needed and exited the back way to check.
There was no one in the locker room. She opened her locker and took out her purse, then heard the door opening. It was one of the men with Colonel Baldwin.
He seemed surprised to see her, so she grabbed the advantage. “This is the women’s locker room, but since you’re here, do you have change for a $5?” She pulled out her wallet and made sure her purse was open for him to see.
“Uh, I think so.” He pulled out his own wallet and extracted five one-dollar bills and handed them to her. She continued to pull things out of her purse; there wasn’t much - a comb, a pen, a lipstick and the folded paper. She pulled that out and in large letters added to her grocery list, tampax and toilet tissue. She knew he watched her because of the expression on his face. Good, he’d know it was scrap paper now and maybe leave her alone.
She returned everything to her purse, placed it back in the locker, which was empty otherwise, twirled the dial and moved toward the door. “You better get out of here before anyone else comes in, you wouldn’t be welcome.” She grinned at him and he gave her a slight smile in return, but preceded her out the door.
She returned to the ER and wished her shift would hurry up and end. That was unusual for her; she loved her work, but today . . .
When the hours finally passed, she returned to the locker. She couldn’t spot anything that had been touched, why didn’t that reassure her?
Rather than head straight home she did stop by the market and made sure the list was easily visible in her hand, carefully purchasing each item and then some dinner from the deli to take home.
She still circled the block before heading home. If someone were following her, she couldn’t see them. She forced herself to walk inside carrying her groceries at a normal pace, but immediately bolted the door once inside, tossed the bag on the table and raced to the back door. She was praying he would be there waiting.
She didn’t see him when she opened the door, so she stepped outside. “Are you here?” She asked into the alley in a stage whisper.
“Sure am.” He seemed to materialize beside her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, shutting and bolting that door as well. Before he could speak she threw her arms around him holding him close. His arms automatically closed around her as well and he held her silently until her trembling came under control.
When she finally pulled back from him he released her reluctantly. “What’s wrong?” He was searching her face, trying to read her eyes.
“This was done to you.” Her voice was just above a whisper. “They did something to you; your blood chemistry set off all the bells and whistles. The military showed up and were asking all kinds of questions. They had a picture of you - “
“Slow down. Get your breath.” He led her to the table and seated her, then took his own seat and kept a firm grasp on her hand.
She took a deep breath. “I took your blood to the lab first thing, along with several others. I didn’t want it singled out. Dr. Symons called me to the lab, and then he left to call someone, probably the CDC.” She related the rest of her story quickly, ending with; “Thank God you’re here. I was terrified for you and I didn’t know how to reach you!”
“The military.” She could see him thinking, but he didn’t look away from her. “You are in danger, I shouldn’t be here.” He rose from the table, but she refused to release his hand.
“You are not leaving. It’s safer for you here; you’re out of sight. No one knows you’re here.”
He shook his head; “This is too dangerous. I can’t let you get more involved than you already are.” He watched as she moved closer to him, not believing until her lips touched his that this was really happening.
The contact was electric and he pulled her even closer to him. When they finally broke apart, for breath only, he realized they had somehow gotten to the couch and his body lay atop hers. That realization jolted him and he pulled away. She reached for him, “Please.”
“Doc, I’m sorry. I . . . “
“Are you? Sorry? Because I’m not.” His eyes widened and he couldn’t think of anything to say. “I think we’d be more comfortable in the bed.”
“Doc, you don’t even know my name.”
“I know we belong together.” She looked away then, “You probably think I’m some kind of . . . I’ve never done anything like this before, but this is right.”
His lips moved but no sound emerged. Finally, he nodded slightly. Whoever this woman was, he belonged with her and she with him. Her smile warmed him to the core and he took her hand as she rose from the couch.
“Why don’t we start with a shower?” He
didn’t speak, not at all certain his voice would work at this point, and
followed her into the bathroom. She started to undress herself, but his hands
stopped her and took over the task himself, slowly revealing the body he had
visualized all day. His imagination must be slipping, she was so much more than
he had . . . his hands cupped her breasts and he watched her eyelids drift down
even as her hands began her exploration of him.
Watching the water sluice from his body caused feelings to well up in her that she had avoided, ignored and tamped down for ages. His lips on her breasts drove her toward madness. He had her pressed up against the side of the shower, his lips burning brands into her throat and breasts. “Please.” It was a moan on her part.
“We don’t . . . I . . . my sexual history - god, stop, Doc . . . “ He was losing this battle to logic and good sense. And she wasn’t helping.
“Your blood test,” she spoke between kisses and bites, “there was nothing . . . Yes, there!” She moaned again and he gave in, he had to be with this woman. Whoever she was, whoever they were, this was right.
He lifted her slightly and poised to enter her. Their eyes met and locked, she gave the barest nod and let her eyes drift close as he thrust into her. She gasped at the size of him, it had been a long time since she had . . . he seemed to sense this and slowed his pace, giving her time to adjust to him and he to her. Tight, she was so damn tight and hot. He tightened his hold on her. She was incredible.
He needed her, he needed her now. Her legs were clasped around him pulling him deeper, taking in all of him, body and soul.
He was thrusting into her now and she was meeting him thrust for thrust. They were perfect together, each knowing instinctively what the other needed, wanted.
He couldn’t hold back much longer, she recognized that and gave herself over to him, her orgasm pushing him over the edge. He nearly lost his grip on her and his body reacted to hers with a release that overwhelmed anything he could imagine.
He lowered her to her feet and steadied himself against the side of the shower. She looked up at him, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Damn.” He was barely audible.
“We better get out of here before we drown.” He nodded, willing to follow her anywhere.
He was nearly steady on his feet as she toweled him dry, then he did the same for her. They stumbled to her bed and fell into it refusing to release the hold they had on each other. Oblivion overcame them as they lay in each other’s embrace.
He woke first and froze as he realized that she lay against him, sated and trusting. What was going to happen now? He couldn’t stay with her. The military were looking for him; he might be AWOL. He must be some sort of experiment, but could he leave her now?
Her hand on his face made him realize that she was awake as well and watching him. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out.” She smiled at him then and he relaxed slightly.
She leaned over him then and pulled the sheet from his body. She began an examination of his body; it certainly didn’t feel like a medical exam. Her lips and touch didn’t fit with that. She investigated his scars, trailing a light touch over them, medically noting them, but appreciating them with tongue and touch.
“You’ve lived a lot.”
“What?” He could barely speak with what she was doing.
“You’ve been shot twice.” She touched the two old wounds, “I think this is a knife wound.”
“I must not be a very popular guy.” That startled her and she looked up into his eyes. “You had to have thought of that.” She shook her head, it hadn’t occurred to her.
“We have to find out who you are.”
“You might not like who I am.” He was perfectly serious now, and more than a little frightened at the prospect.
She shook her head; it couldn’t happen. The fact that she hadn’t known him three days ago completely forgotten.
“I know some guys, they’re a little - no, they’re a lot weird - but they might be able to help us. They owe me a favor and I’m pretty sure they can find things out that most people couldn’t.”
“What are they? Mafia?”
She laughed then, “No, certified paranoids.”
He looked at her for a moment, was she serious? “How would you meet someone like that?”
“The ER has all types. For some reason they trusted me.”
The stab of jealousy that hit him startled him. That was insane; she’d had a life before him, a full life, family, friends . . . other men. “Do you . . . do you think they’d talk to me?”
“I think you’d fascinate them. Not as much as you fascinate me though.” She shifted, moving her thigh against him and taking his nipple into her mouth. Coherent thought seemed to desert him then and he flipped her to her back to investigate her as she had him.
They reached for each other over and over during the night and morning came all too quickly. She banned him from her shower that morning. “I have to get ready to go to work. If you’re in there I’ll never get out of the apartment. Besides, I can barely walk already. Go, make coffee.” She shuddered as his finger traced her nipple and moved away from him. She managed to turn away and forced herself into the bathroom. Memories of the last shower kept intruding but she managed to get dressed and join him in the kitchen.
“I have to go in there alone?” He eyed her and she blushed deeply. “Okay, but it won’t be nearly as much fun.” He walked past her and she forced herself to keep her hands off of him.
When he returned they sat down for breakfast. “I need to get you some more clothes.”
“No. And don’t expect to see me for a few days.”
“What? No, what are you talking about?”
“They may be watching you, we talked about this last night.”
“That’s not all we talked about last night. What about my friends helping you? You need to stay here, out of sight.”
“Not here. I can’t be connected to you. I’ll be back, when it’s safe.”
“And just how will you know when that is? No. We shouldn’t be separated.”
“Doc, I’m not going to put you in any more danger - “
“My parents are out of town. I’m looking after their house. You can hide there. I’ll leave for work like normal, then I’ll double back and pull into the alley.” Her brain was working frantically, making plans. “You can come out into the alley and get into the backseat. I’ll take you over there, like I’m checking the mail.”
He looked at her with more than a little amazement. “Have you ever done this kind of thing before?”
“No. But I have spent a little time with those paranoiacs. For some reason they came to mind when the military showed up in my ER.”
“Is there a computer at your parent’s home?”
“Yes. What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know, but I have to start somewhere. Are you sure about this?” A way to stay with her and maybe do some searching, he wanted it to work.
“Completely. You ready?” He nodded as he moved to wash his dishes and leave hers in the sink, to ensure anyone would realize only one person had inhabited the apartment. She took her bag and left the apartment, locking it behind her and speaking to a neighbor, as though everything were normal in her life. She didn’t look around as she got into her car, if anyone were looking, she didn’t want to look suspicious. She drove as she always did, but kept a much closer eye on traffic. Once again if she was followed, it wasn’t obvious. About half way to work, she pulled into a filling station and went inside to get a large cup of coffee and a danish. Still nothing, okay. When she pulled out she headed back to her apartment and pulled into the alley behind her place.
He had obviously been watching for her and was outside immediately, slipping into the backseat and settling himself on the floor of her car.
They didn’t speak as she pulled back out onto the road and turned toward her parent’s home. Once there she used the remote she had borrowed to pull her car into the garage and shut it behind her. They both entered the house, and she let herself out to check the mail and pick up the newspapers that lay at the front door. She didn’t open any of the curtains, just led him into her father’s study and booted up the computer.
“It’s a pretty good system. Dad enjoys his toys and now that he’s retired, he likes to keep in touch with his friends.”
“Retired from what?”
“Navy. He retired as a captain.”
“Military?” That caused him to look up at her. She just shrugged and he turned back to the computer.
“I need to get to work. I’ll contact my friends and see if they can meet me here when my shift is over. There’s plenty of food in the refrigerator, and feel free to raid Dad’s closet for clothes. They’ll be too big too, but you’re welcome to whatever he has.”
“Even his daughter?” She smiled and nodded at that. He rose then from the desk, “Go, you shouldn’t be late. Don’t want to draw any attention to yourself.” He walked her to the door to the garage and kissed her thoroughly before releasing her and stepping back to ensure he wasn’t seen.
It took all of her willpower to get into her car and actually leave. She made it to work on time.
She’d only seen one patient when Dr. Symons appeared in the ER and drew her aside. “Has he come back? Have you seen the man that we investigated yesterday?”
“Dr. Symons? Who? Oh, the man the troops were after? No, but I just got here. Did you check with the other shifts?”
“No. The colonel didn’t want us talking about it.”
“What is going on? Have you been able to make any sense of what you found?” Might as well try to get all the information she could to pass on to her friends.
“They took my computer! They took everything! We had to redraw blood from over twenty patients. I’ve been here all night. They’ve completely wrecked my department.” Dr. Symons sagged against the nurses’ station.
“So you don’t know what caused the abnormalities?”
“Not a clue and no chance to find out now - unless he shows back up.” He looked at her hopefully.
“I wouldn’t count on that. Hey, did they bring those pictures?”
“Uh, I don’t know.” He straightened up and started looking around the counter. She helped him and they finally asked the shift nurse, who discovered them under several charts. She felt a surge of adrenaline when she spotted his picture. Maybe they could get somewhere now.
“I have to go over to Memorial on my way home, why don’t I take these and have copies made. I can check and see if they’ve been seen while I’m there.” She slipped all three pictures in her pocket. “I’ll keep an eye open for all four men, Dr. Symons. If any of them show up I’ll call you first. I promise.”
He nodded mournfully and headed back to his lab to try and create some sense out of the havoc the military had left behind.
On her break, she grabbed a cup of well-earned coffee and made her way to the pay phones. She dialed the number from the scrap of paper in her pocket. “Yeah?”
“Is this The Lone Gunmen?”
“Who is this?” The voice was suspicious, wary.
“This is Dr. Dana Scully. I work at - “
“Dr. Scully, yes. What can we do for you?”
“I need some help. There’s - “
“We could talk about specifics later if you don’t mind. Where could we meet you?”
She would have laughed if the circumstances had been different. She wanted to be amused at their paranoia like she had been earlier, but now she was as paranoid as them. She gave them her parents’ address and hung up more paranoid herself.
The day actually passed quickly, the ER was busy and no military types showed up. But she was still grateful that she had three days coming up.
He was waiting for her in the kitchen when she entered and she went into his arms as though she had always been there. When they finally came up for breath she was able to ask if he had found anything.
He led her upstairs, but admitted he had been stymied at most avenues. She was looking at one of the sites he had discovered when she felt him leave her side and move to the window.
“Someone’s here. Looks like a plumber. Did you call anyone?”
She joined him at the window. “That’s Frohike, one of the men I told you about.” She moved toward the stairs as they heard the doorbell ring.
The small man entered quickly and had her shut the door behind him, then checked out the windows for anyone following them. Finally he spoke, “Open the garage, the other guys are in the back of the van. Let’s get them inside.”
He watched the little man; amused at the precautions this Frohike was taking, but not quite willing to believe that it wasn’t necessary.
Once everyone was assembled in her father’s office, she introduced the trio to him. “These are my friends, Melvin Frohike, John Byers and Ringo Langly. This is David and he needs some information.”
The three men sized him up and relaxed slightly when he held out his hand to shake with them. “You want to tell us what’s going on?”
He and Dana exchanged glances and he nodded. She settled into a chair and the others drew up seats to listen to her. He watched their eyes and saw the gleam in them at the information she was giving them, except for the little one, Frohike. His eyes had started gleaming at his first sight of her; he didn’t like it but . . .
She pulled out the three pictures and handed them to Byers. “Well, this is a start. We can scan these pictures in and do a search.”
“I wasn’t able to get into much.” He glanced over at the computer.
“Amateurs.” Langly muttered and moved over toward the machine. Within minutes he was into a database that had eluded the other man all day. He glanced over at her and grinned.
She smiled back and left the room to see what was available to eat in the house. When she got the meal started she returned to find them in a lively discussion. She sat and listened, joining in when the topic turned to the blood chemistry. They had fed in the information from the paper she had managed to slip out of Dr. Symon’s lab - it was blowing their minds.
When dinner was ready they all ate in the kitchen to stay away from the windows and the debate continued.
Finally Frohike looked up, “The neighbors are gonna wonder how much this plumbing call is costing. We better get out of here. We can do more on our equipment anyway. We’ll probably know who you are by morning.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate what you’re doing.”
“It’s for the Doc. If she thinks you’re okay . . . “ Frohike shrugged.
He looked over at her and smiled. Her answering smile quickened his pulse and the trio exchanged glances and rose.
They left as they had arrived, with only Frohike being seen in the van.
“I thought they’d never leave.” He took her into his arms.
“Sir? I do believe your hands are getting a little personal.” She batted her eyes at him and he lifted her to his lips, not at all disturbed at the location of his hands.
*****
The phone woke them late the next morning, and even then they had probably only slept a couple of hours. They just couldn’t get enough of each other.
“We’ve got information. Can we come over?”
She looked over at him and he nodded. “Yes, please.” Byers hung up immediately. “We better get dressed.”
He ran a finger down her side, “Yeah, I don’t like the way that little guy looks at you.”
“Frohike?” She moved closer to him, her hand playing with the hair on his chest.
“Yeah.” But his train of thought was broken and he pulled her atop him.
“We’ve got to get ready. They’ll be here soon.”
“We should have told them after lunch.” He got out between kisses.
“It is after lunch.” She slipped from his arms and pulled a robe around her. He groaned but followed her out of the bed.
The trio was even more paranoid if that was possible today. He poured them some coffee while they waited for her. They refused to get into it without her.
When she entered the kitchen he rose and handed her a cup as he kissed her. She smiled shyly and slipped into the chair next to Byers. “Okay, what do you have?”
“A name.” Byers looked over at the man who had frozen into place. She slipped her hand into his and he moved closer to her. She nodded at Byers. “You’re Fox Mulder.”
“That’s a name?” His eyes narrowed.
“Yep. Doesn’t ring any bells?” He shook his head. “How about a career as an FBI agent?”
“I’m what? You have to be kidding now.”
“He’s not, Dude.” Langly spoke up. “You’ve been listed as missing in action; we’ve not been able to get to those records yet, but we’re working on it.”
“I’m an FBI agent?” He looked over at her, “Doc?”
“Well, it explains some things, Fox.”
“Oh god, no. I can’t . . . call me Mulder, okay?”
“What else do you know about him?” She looked at Byers now.
“We can pull up his file, you can check it out.”
She rose immediately and started for the door. She stopped when she realized he wasn’t following her. “Mul . . . Mulder?”
He gave a nervous laugh, “What if I’m not ready? What if there are things I don’t want to know?”
She moved to his side and took his hand. After a slight hesitation the three men left the kitchen and headed upstairs to the computer. “It will be okay. You need to know who you are. I’ll be with you.”
He nodded slightly at that and she pulled him toward the door. The guys had the computer up when they joined them. It took only a moment for his file to load.
He sat down in the front of the screen and she stood just behind him, her hand on his shoulder. “You are good, Mulder. Oxford? Commendations? Does this bring anything back?”
He didn’t take his eyes from the screen, shaking his head. “I’m not married.”
She smiled down at him and squeezed his shoulder. The men exchanged glances but kept quiet. “We need to know what happened to you.”
“We haven’t been able to hack into those files. Not yet anyway.”
Dana looked over at Byers, “Is there any mention of someone named Samantha?” He turned then and looked up at her. The three men questioned each other silently and Byers shook his head.
“What can we get into?” Mulder had turned back to the screen, staring at his own face, but not recognizing anything.
“Well, I’ll show you.” Mulder reluctantly rose and gave his seat to Langly. “This may take a little while, on this computer.”
“Okay, while you guys are working on this, I’m going to clean up in the kitchen. Call me if you find anything.” She stopped when he took her hand; she squeezed it and smiled, then left them alone.
It had been quite a while, the kitchen clear and the downstairs dusted before she heard him. “Doc? I think we found something.” She hurried upstairs; “We’ve found some information on the case that I was on when I went missing.” He put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder then moved toward the screen. “I work for a division called the X-Files. I haven’t figured it out completely, but it has to do with unsolved cases, things with a ‘weird’ bent. And . . . and UFOs.”
“UFOs?” She didn’t quite laugh, but he could hear the disbelief in her voice.
“I was in contact with a MUFON group - that’s Mutual UFO Network. I was apparently checking into some disappearances.” She had hesitated at the door. UFOs?
“I was at a place in Virginia, Sky . . . what was it?” He looked down at his notes, “Yeah, Skyland Mountain.” She made a sound, like a strangled gasp or something. He turned in time to see that her face had gone completely white. Before he could move she had crumpled to the floor in a dead faint. “Doc!”
She came to on the bed they had shared the night before, with him bending over her. His entire body showing his concern and fear for her. She saw Byers enter the room with a glass, which he handed to Mulder. “Here, take a sip.” He helped her to sit up and held the glass to her lips. He passed the glass back and Frohike took it from him then he laid her back on the pillows again.
“I’m okay.”
“Yeah, sure. You went down like a rock in there. What’s going on?”
“You were talking about Sky . . . Skyland Mountain.”
“Yeah? You’ve heard of it?” She took a trembling breath and wouldn’t meet his eyes. He turned to the men behind him, “Guys, could we . . . “
“Oh sure.” Byers moved toward the door. Frohike put the glass on the bedside table and followed Langly out.
“Doc, what happened? What do you know about that place?” He took her into his arms then as her trembling had only increased.
“It was five years ago.” She spoke low, into his chest; he had to pull her even closer to hear her. “I . . . I was taken from Skyland Mountain.”
“What? You were . . . “
“I was kidnapped from my apartment. He took me there and . . . I don’t know what happened then.”
“Wait, wait. Back up. Who took you from your apartment?”
She pulled slightly away from him then and he arranged the pillows so that she could recline more comfortably. “It was a patient. We had a gunshot victim come into the ER, Duane Barry. He found out where I lived and when he got out . . . he came to my place and, and he hit me and put me in the trunk of his car . . . He took me to Skyland Mountain, I remember him taking me from the car, then there was a light and . . . and I woke up three months later in the ICU at Walter Reed. I don’t know what happened to me.”
He kissed her, “Try to relax. Is there any way I could talk to this Barry guy?”
“He’s dead. He was killed when they tried to rescue me.” He nodded at that. “Mulder, I was . . . I was very sick when I turned up. They called my recovery miraculous; I wasn’t expected to live. I haven’t thought about . . . when you said Skyland Mountain . . . “ She shivered again and he pulled her to him.
“You don’t remember anything about that time?”
“I have dreams sometimes, but I don’t remember them when I wake up.”
“Nightmares?” She nodded.
“Please don’t tell me I was abducted by aliens.” She gave a shaky laugh and finally looked up at him again. She froze at the look on his face.
“Doc, don’t worry about this now. Okay? Let me . . . let me keep looking. You just lay here. You haven’t gotten a lot of sleep the last couple of nights.”
She started to speak but he interrupted with a kiss. “Just rest for a little while. I don’t like that you passed out. Let me keep looking.”
“If what happened to me has anything to do with what happened to you . . . “ She started to question him.
“Maybe that’s why I knew you when I didn’t know anyone else. Maybe it’s why I was drawn to you. I’m not complaining.” He smiled down at her. “Rest. I’ll check on you in a little while.”
*****
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, it’s time to wake up.”
She burrowed her face into the pillow, “Ummm, where’s my kiss?”
“I think I can handle that.” He reclined beside her, his hands doing things that woke her up much more than the kiss.
She finally pulled away, “How long was I asleep?”
“A couple of hours.”
“Hours?” She sat up then surprised.
“You obviously needed it. I do have more news.” She turned to face him. He saw the fear in her eyes and brought his hand up to caress her cheek. “We know who Samantha is.”
That startled her and her eyes widened. “Well? Please, who is she?”
“She, uh, she’s my sister. From what the guys found she was taken from our house when she was eight years old, I was twelve.”
“Taken?”
“Yeah. Like us, Doc, but from home not Virginia. She’s never been . . . I may have joined the FBI to look for her. There’s evidence that I believe she was abducted too.”
“Mulder?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what to believe. These guys have found things . . . Doc, somehow I knew it was dangerous for you to be around me. Looks like I was right.”
“How? What?” He shook his head.
“We don’t have specifics yet, and the less you know the better, for your sake.”
“No. We share something Mulder, and I want to know everything you know. Don’t shut me out.” He didn’t respond verbally, just holding her against him.
“I want the guys to check out your apartment. Do you mind?”
She shook her head, “Check for what?”
“I don’t know. But we’ve been away for a couple of days. I think it would be smart.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Good. It’ll make you more cautious, like when you got me out of there. Doc, you’re the most important thing. I’m not going to put you in any more danger than you already are.”
“I’m not - “
“Shhh. I’m going to go ask them to check things out. I’ll be right back.” She held onto his hand until he was too far away.
His new friends left immediately to check out her apartment, not bothering to disturb her to tell her goodbye. He joined her in the bedroom again. “You doing okay?”
“I’m fine Mulder.”
“Are you? Really? There’s been a lot to absorb.” He held himself away from touching her.
She didn’t, moving into his arms, which closed around her. “It’s been more for you. Have you remembered anything?”
“Just what I already knew, that I love you.” She went very still in his arms. “Doc?”
“Love me?”
“Um hum.” Now his hands were working their magic on her body and coherent thought became difficult.
*****
The guys let themselves into the house when they returned; Mulder met them at the top of the stairs. One look at their faces was enough. “What?”
“She needs to know this too.”
He shook his head; “I want to protect her.”
“Well you can’t.” He hadn’t heard her come up behind him. “Byers, what? Was there something at my apartment?” She led them into the computer room.
Byers glanced over at Mulder, but she was in charge now. “Yeah, we found something.” He looked over at the other two. Langly nodded. “Someone’s been there. We found a bug. Someone was ready to listen to whatever you had to say when you got back.”
Mulder hadn’t really expected it. Not this soon. He looked over at her, she had paled again and he moved immediately to her side.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to faint again. What are we into?”
“Not we. You’re out of this as of now. I don’t know what it is, but if they’re this serious about it, you are not going to be involved.”
“Mulder - “
“We’ll discuss this later. I think I need to thank your friends and get them out of this too.” He rose and after a second the other three men rose as well. “I’ll see you out.”
He was gone for longer than she had expected, but she knew that she wouldn’t get any information out of him after one look at his face. “Mulder, please.”
He shook his head. “Getting hungry? I can probably figure out how to cook something.” He grinned, “I don’t exactly remember any recipes but if you trust me I can try - “
“I trust you.” The smile faded. “Mulder, talk to me. What else is going on?”
“You feel like joining me downstairs? It might save time if I don’t have to look for the salt, you know?” He tugged her to her feet and kept his arm around her as they headed down stairs.
He did actually cook and she ate what she could. Her appetite was gone, but he was trying to keep it light for her sake and she attempted to play along.
He ran her a bath when they were through and had her soak while he cleaned up the kitchen. He joined her when he was finished, easing in behind her and holding her to him. She relaxed back against his chest as he drew pictures on her breast with the bubbles.
“I said it earlier Doc, but I want you to hear it again and believe it. I love you.”
She pressed herself against him. “You don’t have to say that. I’m not going to throw you out.” She gave a nervous laugh. His arms tightened under her breasts.
“I’ve never been more serious.”
“That you remember.” She tossed out.
“Doc, what is this? Why are you -?“
“I’m sorry. I . . . I think you’ve succeeded in scaring me, not of ‘them’, of you. I’ll think you mean it.”
“I do.” He whispered in her ear.
“You don’t know me.”
“You are the only person I know. To tell the truth, you’re the only person I want to know. I have to find out what’s going on, who I really am, but you need to know how I feel. Nothing is more important than you.” He nuzzled her hair, then turned her toward him. “Why the tears?”
“I think I love you too.” She whispered it, as though frightened to say the words out loud.
He said nothing, just holding her close, too overwhelmed to speak clearly anyway.
“I think we should move to the bed.” She kissed him gently and rose from the tub. He watched mesmerized as she wrapped the towel around herself and moved to the door. He wanted her again. Oh be honest, he hadn’t stopped wanting her since he had spotted her in the store, was it just five days ago? She had become his whole life. What was he going to do without her?
It didn’t matter; he had to leave. They were looking for him and if they found out he was with her, she wouldn’t be safe. The guys had promised to look after her and he had to trust them, hard as that was for him.
He joined her in the bedroom and showed his love for her until she collapsed from exhaustion. She curled into his chest and slept the sleep of the totally sated.
She wasn’t really surprised to find him gone the next morning.
*****
It took awhile for anyone to answer the door. He knew he was on their surveillance camera, what was the problem? Did they not recognize him? Yes, he tried to disguise himself in this city, but surely . . .Finally he heard the locks being disengaged.
“What do you want?”
“Frohike? What - “
“Come in Mulder.” Byers moved in front of the smaller man and opened the door wider.
Mulder entered and turned once inside, allowing them to relock the door. He didn’t feel very welcome. He didn’t try to enter the apartment. “What’s wrong?”
“What are you doing here?” Frohike’s hostility was obvious.
He hesitated slightly, then looked at the other two men. “I have some new information. I wanted to get your take on it.” He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Frohike stomped off, muttering to himself.
“What’s wrong?” He tried to read their expression, but neither man would meet his eye. “Is it Doc? Is something wrong?” His voice shook slightly on the last word.
“Mulder . . . “
“You knock her up and then vanish. A real sweetheart, you are.” Frohike made sure he heard that.
His mouth fell open and he looked at Byers, but couldn’t get the man to look him in the eye. It took him a long moment to find his voice. “Doc’s pregnant?”
“Yeah.” Finally Byers spoke.
“I told you he didn’t know.” Langly turned to Frohike.
Mulder ignored them. “Can you get her over here? I need to talk to her.”
“I don’t know Mulder. She’s been avoiding us lately.” Byers could see what this was doing to him.
“I have to talk to her. Please.”
Byers glanced at the other two and nodded. He moved to the phone and took a deep breath. “Dr. Dana Scully please.” After what seemed like an extremely long wait to Mulder, “Dana? It’s John Byers. Could you come by?”
“John - “
“Please. We have some information.”
John heard her sigh. “Just for a minute, okay? I get off at three. I’ll see you then.”
“Thanks Dana.” He heard her hang up and returned his own phone to the base. “She'll be here after three.”
Mulder nodded but said nothing.
”Mulder, you want us to go over your information?” Langly finally broke the silence.
He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a couple of computer disks and some printed sheets. Langly took them and sat in front of the computer.
The other three men quickly became fascinated with the information, but Mulder himself was unable to concentrate. After several attempts, they left him alone. Even Frohike was mellowing at his obvious discomposure.
It was 3:35 before the buzzer sounded. Mulder had pulled his hair back into a neat ponytail. He didn’t want to look scruffy for her. He was on his feet instantly and moved out of sight, then nodded to Byers who opened the door.
“John, let’s make this short. I’m tired and I have things to do.”
Byers looked over toward Mulder with no comment. She turned to see what had his attention and her face went white.
Mulder was already moving and had his arm around her, supporting her. “I’m . . . I’m fine.” He didn’t bother to argue with her, bending over to place one arm under her knees and lifting her into his arms.
Byers motioned toward his bedroom and Mulder carried her in, and shut the door behind them. He lowered her gently onto Byers’ bed. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m . . . I was surprised.”
“Doc, I didn’t - “ He knelt in front of her.
“Aren’t you going to ask if it’s yours?”
“I know it’s mine.” He placed one hand on her rounded belly. “You’re six months.” She nodded, her eyes moist at his words. “If I’d known . . . “
She shook her head and smoothed down the hair he had obviously been running through with his fingers for some time.
“How are you? Don’t say fine, I need to know. How are you really?”
“I’m doing great. It’s been a picture perfect pregnancy so far, if a little unexpected.”
“Unexpected?” He didn’t know how to react to that word.
“Well, I was on the pill. I don’t - “
“This baby was meant to be.” A tear escaped her eye then and he caught it as it trailed down her cheek. “Do you believe that?”
She nodded, unable to speak. He sat beside her on the bed then and took her into his arms. After a few moments he put his finger under her chin and turned her face up to him. “How are you otherwise?”
She understood his question and took a deep breath. “My family isn’t exactly thrilled. Especially my father. It’s kind of hard for him to face the fact that his medical doctor daughter got in trouble from a one night stand.”
“Not a one night stand.”
“Okay, three nights, but - “
“Doc.” She sighed. “I need to talk to them.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Yes. It is. But I’m not sure it would be wise right now.”
She nodded. “What are your plans?”
“They’ve changed.” His hand went back to her swollen abdomen.
“What were they?” Her hand covered his.
“I was going to drop off the information I’d accumulated with the guys and leave. Only be in town a couple of hours.”
“You weren’t going to call me?”
He looked down, then back up at her face. “I thought I was protecting you.”
“And now?”
“I can’t leave you. I won’t leave you.”
She leaned against his strong body and for a moment let him comfort her. “You can’t stay here. The military hasn’t given up on finding you. The colonel comes by the hospital randomly, checking to see if you’ve come back.”
He stiffened, “has he bothered you?”
“Annoyed maybe. He can’t prove anything.”
“He knows you’re pregnant?”
She smiled slightly. “On me it’s a little hard to miss.”
“I want you to leave with me.”
“What?”
Mulder’s eyes widened at the movement within her. He swallowed but didn’t know what to say, didn’t know if he could speak. She smiled at his reaction and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
“Are you . . . “ He stopped to center himself. “I don’t want you to even go by your apartment. We need to get out of town, now.”
“Mulder, I can’t just leave. My job, my family. I can’t.”
“Doc - “
“My doctor’s here - "
“Do you trust him?” His eyes were intense now. “What tests has he run?”
“I’ve been going to him for years. We don’t socialize or anything.”
“And the tests?” His grip had tightened but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Nothing unusual. He asked if I wanted an amino and I said no. I’m under the age where they’re considered necessary. Mulder, what?”
“Was he okay with that?”
She thought about that for a moment. “He seemed to be, now you’ve got me wondering.”
“Anything else, anything unusual about how he’s treating you?” He was so tense. She wanted to caress his face, try to calm him down, but her own mind had clicked into gear and he saw her hesitate. “What?”
“It’s silly. My doctor is in a practice with two other OB-GYNs. Usually when you have your monthly visits you rotate among the doctors so that you are familiar with everyone. You never know who might be on duty when you go into labor. But all of my visits have been with Dr. Hambright. I even teased him about it last time and he made some comment about doctor’s privilege.”
“He’s monitoring you. Doc, can you draw your own blood? Would it be safe?”
“Yes. What are you thinking?”
“I want these guys to make sure everything’s okay. What about an ultrasound?”
“Dr. Hambright scheduled one, but I had to miss the appointment. He rescheduled it but I haven’t gone yet. I know the date of conception, so we didn’t need it for that. Mulder, what are you thinking?”
“That I’m going to do whatever I have to do to keep you safe.” She relaxed slightly and managed to smile. “We need to get out of town tonight.”
“Mulder, I can’t. If I don’t show up at work tomorrow everyone will notice. They would start looking for me, for us.” She kissed him quickly. “Think about it, vanishing would raise every flag. I should go to work like normal tomorrow. I’m working three days on, four days off right now - moving toward my maternity leave. If I work tomorrow - like normal - we could have a four day head start.”
“Did I fall in love with your brains or your beauty?”
“I hope it wasn’t my body.” She looked down at the largest part of her and chuckled.
“I can’t imagine you more beautiful that you are right now.”
She looked away, a blush heating her face. After a moment he kissed her forehead and rose. “Let’s get your blood, then we need to get you home. You said you were tired.”
“I’m not anymore.” He took her hand and lifted her to her feet.
While Langly and Frohike helped her with the blood sample, Mulder took Byers aside. “Her apartment, her car?”
“We check them both twice a week at random times. Her car’s been clean; we only found one bug at her place. As far as we know it’s still functioning fine in the apartment directly above hers.”
Mulder nodded, he’d been right to ask them to keep an eye on her. But it should have been him. He looked up when she entered the room. “I want you to go home, pack a few things.”
“Where will you be?”
“If I can get one of these guys to give me a ride, I’ll be meeting you at the backdoor very shortly.”
She smiled broadly and looked over at Byers. “No problem. Go home Dana, we’ll be right behind you.”
She hadn’t paid this much attention to ensuring she wasn’t followed for weeks. Suddenly it was important again and she was doubly careful. Her hands were trembling slightly with anticipation as she let herself into the apartment.
Pack, she needed to pack. She was going to run away with him. She hadn’t even hesitated. Even as he was putting forth the idea she was formulating plans on how to get out of town safely. That surprised her a little; she wasn’t an impulsive person, not usually. But when he was around - she caressed her protruding stomach. She laughed softly to herself, okay maybe she was impulsive. She belonged with him, and if he thought they weren’t safe here, she believed him.
She had her suitcase laid out on her bed when she heard the tap at her backdoor. She hurried to open it and let him in. Before she could speak he had her in his arms, his lips on hers. She didn’t even see Byers move past them into the apartment.
When she could speak, he stopped her again and bent closer to whisper into her ear. “Let him check it out first.”
She nodded puzzled, but whatever he thought . . . Shortly Byers rejoined them in the kitchen. “All clean. See you guys later.” Then he let himself out the door.
“What was he talking about?”
“He was checking your apartment for bugs, listening devices. I’ve had them check periodically since I left.”
“They’ve been in here? Checking my apartment?”
“And your car.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to make sure you were left alone, that they really didn’t think you knew where I was.”
That took her a moment to absorb that. “You were looking after me even after you . . . But they never found anything, right?”
“Once. Here in the apartment.” Her eyes widened and his grip on her tightened. “Don’t worry. The guys didn’t destroy it, they only moved it, to the apartment upstairs.”
She still didn’t speak, trying to take it in. He had been right, they were following her, watching her. How much danger was she in? Was her child safe?
“I told you, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’m getting you out of here. Remember when you fed me that first day and I said I couldn’t reciprocate. Well I can now. I have a place, a different identity in another part of the country. I want you with me. Please think about it. Doc, I want you with me.”
“They . . . they were in here?” He realized he was supporting her and moved her toward the living room to seat her gently on the couch. He squeezed her hand gently then went into the kitchen and returned quickly with a glass of water.
“Doc, here. Take a sip. Come on, stay with me.” She obeyed him silently, giving herself over to him. “Doc? You okay?”
“I . . . they really want you, don’t they?”
He nodded solemnly. “That’s why I want you out of here. I want you where I know they aren’t looking. And I want you with me. I need to confess something to you. I could easily have sent the information I brought . . . I needed to know you were safe. I didn’t plan to see you, I didn’t think I could handle that and then just leave again, but I wanted to be in the same city for a little while.”
Her hand came up to his face. It was shaking slightly but when she touched him she steadied and drew his face down to hers.
"I want you Doc. I know I don't have the right -"
"Mulder, stop. Stop right there. You have the right, I gave you the right six months ago and I have no intention of taking it back. Besides, I want you too. I . . . I look a little different."
He smiled then as his eyes raked her again. "Maybe a little, but I can't wait to see more."
"That's the problem, there's so much more to see." He chuckled then and her eyes drifted close as his hands began an exploration of her body.
He'd forgotten none of the things that she enjoyed. What he wasn't prepared for was her enthusiasm. His concern about her ‘condition’ diminished quickly. He was the one in danger here and he was enjoying every minute of it.
*****
She had only been gone a few minutes and he already missed her so much he ached from it. She was coming with him, she trusted him that much even after what he had done to her. He had no memories, but somehow he knew that he had never had a child. This one, this child that they had created was very nearly the most important thing in the world - following only her.
He was startled from his reverie by the sound of someone trying to unlock the front door. Shit! He had to get out, something had alerted them. He quickly moved to the back door and slipped out, grateful that everything he had brought was on his back. He pulled the door silently closed and made sure it was locked from the inside. He hid himself in the alley and watched to see if he was followed from the apartment.
After a moment he moved farther into the alley and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He quickly dialed the number at the apartment of her friends.
“Yeah?”
“Go check on Doc. Now!” He broke the connection to ensure there would be no trace.
“Mulder? Hey guys! There’s a problem!”
Frohike and Byers were in the room instantly. “What? What else did you find?”
“No, not this. Mulder just called. He said go check on Dana. He was as close to frantic as I’ve ever heard the man.”
“Okay,” Byers took immediately charge. “You two head down to the hospital, find her, keep an eye on her. I’ll head over to her place and see if I can find him.”
Langly and Frohike nodded and all three of them headed out for their various destinations.
Once at the hospital Frohike grabbed some maintenance coveralls and Langly slipped surgical greens over his clothes. They separated, both heading for the ER and kept their eyes open for her. Frohike spotted the military first and increased his pace. When he saw Colonel Baldwin he realized he was towering over Dana and his manner was less than pleasant.
Frohike grabbed some gauze from an unlocked cabinet and wound it around his hand. Then he hurried over towards them, spotting Langly over to the side. “Hey Doc, Doc can you help me?”
She looked over at the familiar voice and knew immediately that he was there to help her. And he’d never called her Doc, Mulder had sent him. What had happened at her apartment?
“Can’t you see she’s busy? Find someone else.” The colonel dismissed the smaller man.
Scully bristled at that and turned her back to the officious toad. “Here sir, come in here and let me look at that.” Frohike followed her, putting himself between her and the colonel. Langly moved in quickly, to act as her aide.
“What’s going on?” She whispered, her body shielding his lack of injury from view.
“We don’t know. He called us and said to find you and make sure you were safe.” She almost smiled at that; he was still looking after her.
Langly looked toward the entrance of their cubicle. “We’ve got to get rid of him.”
“And how we gonna do that?” Frohike hissed at him.
“I’ll see if Byers has our friend, one of them might have a plan.”
*****
Byers had lost no time getting over to Dana’s apartment. He headed immediately for the alley behind her place and pulled in. He got out, looking around and left the door open to keep from making a sound.
Mulder startled him by appearing beside him. “Have you got her?”
“Frohike and Langly went to the hospital to check on her. I thought you might need some help too.”
“Yeah, we’ve got to get over there. Someone came into her apartment after she left. I went out the back. I didn’t see them.”
“Come on, let’s get you out of here. I’m sure they have her.” Mulder nodded and entered the car. He didn’t protest when Byers headed back toward their apartment. Somehow he hoped she would be there waiting for him. Fear nearly overwhelmed him when she wasn’t.
He turned to Byers to demand that they get over to the hospital when the phone rang. “Yeah?” Byers grabbed it on the first ring.
“The big guy’s here and he’s harassing our friend. We’re with her now but he’s hot on us. Can you get rid of him?”
Byers looked over at Mulder, “Yeah. We’ll handle that from here. Don’t leave her side.” He broke the connection and turned to Mulder. “The colonel is there. The guys have her separated for now but they want us to get him out of there.”
Mulder stood silent, thinking frantically. “Do you . . . do you know his commanding officer?”
“Yeah, General Foreman. What are you thinking?”
“We need to get him on the phone. Which of these damn phones is the hardest to trace?”
Byers tossed him a phone, then went to the bank of instruments and began making some adjustments. Finally he turned back to Mulder, “Okay, now what?”
"Do you know the general's aide's name?"
"Lt. Colonel Nixon." He grinned.
"Not Richard." Mulder looked up at him.
"You're remembering?"
Mulder frowned then, "I don't think I ever forgot that."
"Oh, well anyway he's Philip Nixon. What's your plan?"
"To get the good colonel away from the hospital. Think you can sound like a hard ass Lt. Colonel?"
Byers shook his head. "Not as well as you can."
Mulder took a deep breath. "Let's get her out of there. You know the number of the ER?" At the other man's nod he gripped the phone tighter. "Let's do this." Even Byers sat up straighter at the tone of voice he used to get Colonel Baldwin to the phone.
"Sir. This is Lt. Colonel Nixon. General Foreman wants you and your team in his office ASAP."
"Has he found . . . “ The colonel hesitated then, he was in public.
"He wants you over here. The general will brief you when you arrive." Then he broke the connection. It would seem more like an order that way.
"You sound like you're used to command." Byers ventured.
"They're threatening Doc. I can sound like whatever I have to." Byers nodded. "Can you get hold of Langly? Find out if it worked?"
Byers turned immediately to another phone and punched in a number. "What's happening?" Then he smiled and nodded at Mulder. "Bring her here." He broke the connection and nodded. "GI Joe's already out the door, his storm troopers on his heel. Good work."
"Not without you guys. You know we're going to have to vanish."
Byers nodded, "That doesn't mean you're alone. We can set you up with some pretty sophisticated stuff." He could see the hesitation in this man's eyes. "We don't want her hurt either. If a problem develops we can make changes instantaneously, you wouldn't be completely alone."
"That would be better for her. Let me think about it." Byers nodded and turned back to his work. This man had a lot to think about.
Mulder was ready to chew fingernails by the time they appeared on the surveillance camera. Waiting out of sight was nearly his undoing, but Byers raced to unlock the door.
She was in his arms in moments and he wasn't sure he was ever going to be able to let go. When he allowed her to breathe again she gave him a tremulous. "What happened?"
"I don't know unless they spotted me. Right after you left the apartment someone came in. I got out the back and called the guys. God, I thought they had you." He pulled her back to him again.
"They almost did. Colonel Baldwin was pushier today than usual. If Frohike and Langly hadn't shown up . . . “ She shuddered slightly.
"We've got to get out of town. We're not going to be able to go by your apartment. I don't know why they were there, but we're not going to chance finding out."
She took a deep breath and nodded. "They'll know we're missing."
"They might have discovered you were packing."
"Yes, but I have four days coming up, remember? If I go by the apartment and get my stuff and call Mom to let her know where I'll be, we could still - "
"That would mean you going in alone. I can't - "
"Mulder, she has a point. If you could get out of town with them thinking she's coming back, it would be a big advantage."
Mulder wheeled on him. "I will not put her in danger! This is an unacceptable risk."
Langly actually stepped back, but Dana put her hand on his arm. "Mulder, please. They're right. If these people think I still don't suspect and am just going to visit with friends - we can give them a wrong direction, I can even check in with my parents to keep them from becoming suspicious. It's a good idea."
The look of conflict on his face nearly brought her to tears.
"Mulder, we can protect her. I swear, we won't let them have her. She can drive up to the front like always and go in. We'll be at the back, we can go in first, very quietly."
"I'll be the one to go in." He said it quietly this time but with even more intensity.
"You can't." They all turned to look at her. "You can't be anywhere near my apartment. If they are there, you're the prize they’re going for. If they still can't prove I know you, they might just keep watching."
"Might. Doc, I can't - "
"This is the way it's going to go. My car is close by, Frohike and Langly will take me to it. I'll let them go ahead of me. They'll have my key to the back door and let themselves in. Once they've checked out the place, if it's empty, I'll come in and call Mom. I'll tell her I'm on my way to Virginia to see my friend Zoe for a couple of days. She has a couple of kids and it would make sense for me to visit her. I'll pick up my suitcase and leave. They can follow me out; make sure I'm not followed. I'll drive to the train station and park - that way Mom won't be worried about me driving alone. I'll slip out the side and they can bring me back here."
They all stood there staring at her, their mouths open. "Well?" She said, "Let's get going."
Byers looked over at Mulder, "And to think I thought you sounded commanding."
She flashed him a smile and moved toward the door. "Come on!"
As though attached by rubber bands, Langly and Frohike followed her to the door.
"Wait a minute!" Mulder found his voice and was at her side in two steps. "Doc, I . . . “ He looked at the other two, "If you let anything happen to her . . . “ He left the threat hanging but they both nodded.
"Mulder, I'll see you in less than an hour. It's going to be okay. You have to believe it." His lips silenced her and her arms went around him as he pulled her close.
"Don't be late."
She smiled at him then. "It would help if I could get started." Her hand caressed his cheek and she moved toward the door again as he made sure he was out of sight.
Once they were gone, Byers looked over at Mulder as he returned to the room. "They'll look after her."
He nodded but didn't speak. There was nothing else to say on the matter. Now he had to wait, something he knew he did badly. It was going to be a long hour.
*****
She was surprised at how calm she was. Her life
was going to change even more completely than she that thought. The baby was a
major change, but she had thought she'd be alone. Oh, her parents would be there
for her, as