Hi, I'm new here, this is my first attempt at a X-Files fan fiction, so please be gentle. I'd really like some feedback on it. The formatting might be a little messed up too, so I apologize for that in advance. BEREFT by FirePhile DISCLAIMER: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Mr. X, Alex Krycek, Melissa Scully, etc..belong to 10-13 productions, Chris Carter&Co and FOX television network. All books mentioned and author's names belong to the respective authors. Any songs mentioned belong to the owner of those songs. No copyright infringment intended. Anything you don't recognize, probably belongs to FirePhile. Oh, and feel free to distribute the story, as long as it remains in tact. Author's Note: I would probably rate this a PG or low PG-13. It is definatly not a case file, and definatly not a friendship story. It is also not a relationship story, and not a comedy. I guess that I am not really sure what to classify it as. The closest I can think of, is a soul searching and redemption story. It also happens to contain what I feel is a plausible background for a certain character. This contains spoilers for season three. So if you haven't at least seen Blessing Way, Paperclip, and Revelations go and see them. This story takes place far enough into the future, that the events that took place in the Dr. Bambi episode, and in the Det. White episode, are resolved. Therefore, they will not be metioned. (Also because I started this WAY before even the events of WOTC) I'd also like to say a HUGE thank you to Teresa(for her wonderful editing job, and for helping me with some ideas). Joanna(For writing the ER scene). My Mom(for editing). And Finally Mel(for her helpful suggestions.) Also anyone else that read this story and gave me ideas, thank you!! (END OF PART 0) FirePhile HCCU37B "A truth that's told with bad intent, Beats all the Lies you can invent"-William Blake(Auguries of Innocence) =========================================================================== Part 0 contains Explainations and Disclaimers, this is the beginning of the story. All previous disclaimers still apply. BEREFT (Part 1 of 5) by FirePhile Special Agent Dana Scully could not sleep. She was exhausted, her eyes were heavy, but her mind refused to rest. She started counting sheep, and after the 1000th sheep, realized that it did not help. She briefly considered turning on the Home Shopping Club, or a channel like that. The junk on that channel usually put her to sleep. However, she could not find the remote control and was too tired to get up and turn on the television. Besides, it would waste electricity, and this new apartment had already cost enough as it was. She turned and faced the clock, it was 1:13AM. Great, if I don't go to sleep soon, I will never be able to make that flight tomorrow, she thought, sleepily. At around 7:00 AM she and her partner were supposed to be on a plane to Newfield, California. About two months before, a ten year old girl killed her nine year old playmate. The parents of the girl had reported erratic behavior in some of the children and some of the parents. Everyone in town was shocked, and Newfield, California was a small town, where something like this had never happened. The FBI was called in when this incident occurred again. This time an eleven year old boy had killed his mother. From the evidence that was in the file, both murders had been committed in full view of other people, and there was no chance that the children did not do it. Scully's partner, Fox Mulder, had a theory on what had happened, but he was waiting until they went to the town to reveal it. Scully had an idea of her own. It was very possible that the children were victims of a rare disease of the brain that caused irrational behavior and murderous tendencies. She sighed. It was too late to be thinking about work. She closed her eyes and pulled the covers around herself. She was almost asleep when she heard her phone ring. She shut her eyes tighter and hoped the noise would stop. It did not. She reached over and picked up the phone, accidentally dropping a book in the process. "Hello?" She asked groggily. "Ms. Scully?" The person on the phone said. "Yes." Scully's interest was peaked. Why would someone call her house at 1:20 in the morning? "Ms. Scully, I'm a nurse at the hospital, and a man was just brought into the ER. I found your name and number in his wallet." "I'll be right there." Scully hung up the phone, not even waiting for a reply. She jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. There was not enough time to change into a suit. Scully slipped on a pair of sneakers and ran out the door. She got to her car, started it up, then raced to the hospital. She reached the hospital quickly, by now knowing the way by heart. She parked her car outside. As Scully ran up to the Emergency Room, she ran past an ambulance with the back doors still open. As she looked in she saw the shirt and pants that had been cut off of a patient, she knew that this was a sign of a trauma call. She ran up into the E.R. and quickly found a nurse. "I'm Dana Scully, somebody called me about a friend who had been brought here". The nurse looked at her uneasily and said, "You'll have to wait for the Doctor, he's with the patient now". With that Scully yelled at her and showed her FBI badge, "I am a Doctor, where is the man they brought in!" The nurse was startled and quickly pointed to the room marked "trauma 1". Scully ran through the door. She stopped as soon as she saw the scene. Two doctors, four nurses and what seemed to be a person writing down everything that was being said. "I need another IV here..open it up, ".. "100 over 60, 68, weak and thready", "I've got demineshed breath sounds on the right side..get me a chest tube", "90 over 58 and dropping".... Scully looked at the monitor, she recognized the rhythm as "sinus brady".. it was regular but slow, and getting slower. "Get some Epi, and Lidocain ready"...then Scully heard a sound she feared..the monitor alarm went off. .everybody looked up.."defib" someone yelled one nurse turned and grabbed the crash cart..the other grabbed a mask and a bag..she started to force air into the man's mouth. Scully saw his chest rising and falling with each squeeze of the bag. The younger doctor grabbed the laryngoscope, he put the blade into the man's mouth and inserted a tube into his throat, then attached the bag to the end. The man's chest again rose and fell with the squeeze of the bag. Just as that procedure was done..the older doctor yelled "charge to 200"...."clear". With that the man's body gave a slight twitch ..everyone looked at the monitor...Scully could see there was no change. "Continue CPR, and bag him". One of the nurses pushed a syringe into the IV port next in the man's left arm...she then said "Epi is in" the doctor yelled..."charge to 300"..."clear" again, there was no change " push 75 of lidocain"....the nurse complied.. and the other woman wrote it all down. The doctor then yelled "charge to 360"...this time the monitor went flat line. He's "diastole" someone yelled...the staff started to push more drugs..but failed to get any kind of rhythm back. The older doctor stepped back and said "I'm calling it....2:10am". The doctors and nurses stripped off their surgical gloves, and started to turn the equipment off. Scully stood mesmerized by the sound of the alarm. Not moving until it was turned off. The doctors and nurses then started to shuffle out of the room, each one noticing her for the first time. The older doctor stopped on his way out. He seemed slightly surprised to see her standing inside the room. Then again, he had been too intent on saving a life to notice someone come in. Scully saw the pain and remorse in his eyes. She recognized it as the look of a doctor who hated himself every time he lost a patient. "I'm sorry." The Doctor said, as he looked into Scully's eyes. Then he walked away, a little too quickly. Scully walked up to the body. The team had obscured her vision of him before, but now she had a perfect view. She looked at the body now, seeing the bruises and the gunshot wound to the chest. The body was still hooked up to the machinery, and a tube was still in the mouth. Scully felt numb, and she took his still warm hand and held it. She looked at his face, the bright hazel eyes that were now closed forever, the mouth that had said so much, and she realized that she would never again be able to say that he was wrong, or kid around with him. She thought that he was dead before, but he had always come back alive. This time, it was undeniable. She had witnessed him die, and caressed the hand of his lifeless body. He would never be there again to protect her from the demons that they had uncovered. She would never be able to rescue him again, taking care of him in his time of need. "They finally got to you. They succeeded in their mission," Scully whispered to him, bitterly. "I'll get whoever killed you...Mulder," she whispered, anger, bitterness and sadness all rising. She looked down at him again and gently moved a few strands of hair from his face with her left hand. "Goodbye...Fox." she said a little louder. Then kissed his forehead, and let go of his hand. "I love you," She whispered; being able to say to him in death, what she never could in life. She then walked away from him, out of the trauma room, out of the hospital, and she didn't look back. Still numb, Scully had forgotten she'd driven her car there. Her mind focused on one task: putting one foot in front of the other. She didn't quite know where she was headed as she trudged passed a subway station with the philosophies of street Aristotles and Platos adorning the wall in a rainbow of color. She slumbered past an almost empty diner and a jewelry store, long ago closed. In her mind she realized she was headed into a vile part of the city and turning around would be the practical decision. Knowing Mulder's body lay inside the morgue, waiting to be autopsied by an unfeeling doctor who only wanted to use it to attain answers, Scully felt a stomach wrenching revulsion for forensic pathology. The thought of seeing the hospital again was almost unbearable. Suddenly, she realized how people feel when their loved ones are dissected for answers. A couple of taxi cabs drove around, and Scully, because she did not seem to pose any harm to the taxi drivers, was picked up quickly. The driver took her back to the hospital. Scully remembered that she had driven to the hospital. She handed twenty dollars to the taxi driver and got out of the taxi. She then walked over to her car, got in, started it up, and drove off. The drive was much like her walk from the hospital. She still had no idea where she wanted to go, and her mind was still numb. The only difference was this time she was in a nice, safe car. Scully looked at the clock in the car, it read 5:13 AM. " Has it really only been four hours?" she thought. It had felt like ages. Her mind wandered a bit more, and exhaustion caught up with her. She felt her eyes close, and her head become very heavy. After, she pulled over to the side of the road, cracked open a window a bit, and closed her eyes. She gradually felt herself lose touch with the world and slip away into a deep sleep. After what seemed like only seconds, her eyes opened again, and she looked at the clock. It was 11:21 AM. She had missed her flight. Scully realized that she had no clue as to where she was, or how she had arrived there. "Skinner will kill me," she whispered, and then picked up her cellular phone. She dialed Skinner's number, and let the phone ring a few times. "Assistant Director Skinner." A voice answered on the other end. "It's Agent Scully, Sir." She heard his voice soften a little, "Agent Scully, I am really sorry about Agent Mulder" Her eyes opened wide. She knew what she was doing on the side of the road, and she knew why she had missed her flight. Scully did not know what to say to Skinner, so she let him continue. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern creeping into his voice. "I'm fine," Scully managed to say after a few seconds. She was not going to let Skinner know how deeply this was affecting her. "I won't be coming in today, Sir." "Do you want to talk about it Agent Scully?" "No, not now." Skinner noticed her voice was a bit shaky. "Where are you right now?" "I have no idea Sir, probably not too far away from the hospital." "I have to go now Agent Scully, take as much time as you need to get over your loss, we look forward to having you back." "Goodbye Sir." "Oh and Agent Scully, will you notify his mother. I would do it, but I am very busy." "Of course I will Sir." "Good. Goodbye Agent Scully." Skinner hung up the phone and faced the cigarette smoking man in front of him. "I thought you said that you would never intentionally kill Agent Mulder. " The man took another drag of his cigarette, "We didn't." The man then stood up and left, leaving Skinner to wonder which question the man answered no to. End of Part 1 =========================================================================== See Part 0 for Disclaimers. All previous disclaimers still apply. BEREFT (Part 2 of 5) Scully pressed end on the phone. Remembering what Skinner asked her to do she called up the operator, and asked for the number of Mrs. Mulder, in Greenwich, Connecticut. It took a few seconds, but she got it. Scully took out the notebook and pen that she always kept in the car. She wrote down the number, and hung up. Scully then dialed the number, and heard ringing. "Hello." A woman answered the phone. "Mrs. Mulder?" "Yes." "I am Dana Scully. I work with your son." "Oh yes, I remember you. How is Fox doing?" Scully took a deep breath. "Mrs. Mulder, I am not really sure how to tell you this..." "Something's happened to Fox?" Mrs. Mulder almost whispered into the phone. "Mrs. Mulder, Fox died a few hours ago." Scully said, keeping her own emotions in check. "What? No.." Mrs. Mulder exclaimed, and Scully heard her voice get choked up. "I am afraid it is true Mrs.Mulder." "What happened?" Scully could not really answer this question, "I am not sure, but I believe that he died of a gunshot wound." Scully realized what she had just said to Mrs. Mulder, and wished that she hadn't. An uncomfortable silence followed. "Is there any chance that he is just missing? That he will come back again?" "No, this time, he is really gone. He's not coming back." Scully hated the finality of the answer, but she could think of no nicer way to put it. "Oh God, I can't believe it, I just can't." Mrs. Mulder's voice was beginning to catch, and tears were starting to fall from her eyes. Scully heard her trying to not cry. "Let it out, Mrs. Mulder." Scully said softly into the phone. "You're really one to be giving emotional advice Dana." She thought. "I have to go now Ms. Scully. I...have to make the funeral arrangements." "I understand, goodbye Mrs. Mulder." "Oh, and Ms. Scully?" "Yes?" "I would like you to find out who killed him." "Yes, Mrs. Mulder, I will do my best to find his killer." "Goodbye Ms. Scully." Scully realized where she had to go first, to the scene of the crime. Scully hung up the phone and then called up Skinner again. "Assistant Director Skinner." Skinner answered the phone again. "Sir, it's Agent Scully again." "What can I do for you Agent Scully?" "I would like to come back to work now, Sir." "Are you sure Agent Scully?" Skinner was concerned that it was too early. "I am positive. I need to find out who killed him, I want justice." Skinner considered her request for a second or two. "Will you be coming back to the office Agent Scully?" Scully thought of having to go down into their office alone, having to see his posters, and his messy desk. "No Sir," she answered quickly. "I do not need to." "Good luck Agent Scully. If you need anything, just ask." "I need authorization to investigate the crime." "Anything else?" "I need to know where the crime took place." Scully heard the unmistakable sound of papers rustling. "It took place in the alley behind his apartment building, Agent Scully." "Thank you Sir, I appreciate your help." "Agent Scully, I always liked Agent Mulder, I would like to see this case solved as much as you would." "Thank you, Sir." "Goodbye Agent Scully." "Goodbye Sir." Scully hung up the phone and suddenly felt a little better. " This is exactly what I need to do to make myself feel better, throw myself into work, and solve this case." She put her phone and her notebook away, drove back to her apartment to change into a more suitable outfit, and to pack a suitcase full of clothing, just in case. After that, she drove off to the crime scene. She reached it about thirty minutes later. The crime scene was roped off with yellow tape, and a few police officers were milling around looking for clues. Scully walked over to the person who appeared in charge of the investigation. She was glad that she had changed into a burgundy suit. The jeans and sweatshirt would never have given her the respect that she needed. Scully was surprised local law enforcement was even there at all. Usually the FBI handled their own investigations, and if the people who she suspected were behind the shooting stayed true to form, there would be no investigation. "Hello, I'm Special Agent Dana Scully, FBI, and I have authorization to investigate this crime scene." Scully flashed her ID at the man. The man gave her the once over, and then smiled." I'm Officer Dave Hamilton, why would the FBI have any interest in a 25 year old woman being robbed and assaulted?" "Keep calm Dana," Scully told herself. No wonder why this was being investigated. "Wasn't a man shot here also?" Scully asked, realizing the stupidity of the question only after it was asked. Hamilton mulled that over and turned to talk to another officer. A minute or so later he turned back to Scully. "Yes, there was a man shot here last night, but that was one of the perpetrators." "One of the perpetrators?" "A witness says that there were two people robbing the woman. Just a simple purse snatching, that escalated. "Is there any way that I can get in touch with the woman?" "She's at the Northeast Georgetown Medical Center right now. She got shot in the leg. Her name is Caryn Pierson." "Who was the witness?" Hamilton looked embarrassed for a second, "We don't know. It was sort of an anonymous tip." "Anonymous tip?" "Someone called and said that two men were robbing a woman." "If you find out who the witness was, give me a call." Scully handed the man a card with her cellular phone number on it. "I will. What are you doing tonight?" Hamilton was smiling at her. "Washing my dog. Thank you for your help." Scully walked away, trying to make sense of what she had just heard. "Were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time Mulder?" From what she had heard so far, it made sense. Still, there was that anonymous witness thing, that was starting to bother her. Before she could make any hypothesis, she had to go talk to Ms. Pierson. Scully got into her car and drove off, putting on some music to take away the lonely silence. She put on a classic rock station. "Sounds of Silence" was playing, a Simon/Garfunkel song. Scully found herself singing along. The song reminded her of her of someone she used to know in college. About thirty minutes later she reached the Northeast Georgetown Medical Center. She stepped out of the car and walked to the front doors. In her little box, a receptionist rearranged papers, trying to look busy until someone inquired about a patient or where the bathroom was located. It was not a fun or exciting job. "I'm Special Agent Dana Scully of the FBI, I am here to talk to Ms. Pierson regarding last night." Scully said, showing the woman in the box her badge. "What room is Caryn Pierson in?" The woman turned to her computer, and a few seconds later had the answer. "Ms. Pierson is in room #434." Scully thanked the woman, and then got into the elevator. The elevator went up to the fourth floor, and Scully stepped into a hallway. She found #434 quickly and walked in. Caryn Pierson was lying down on the bed, her entire left leg was in a cast, a ugly bruise was on her cheek. "Ms. Pierson?" Scully said. The blonde haired woman on the bed opened her eyes, "Who are you?" "I'm Dana Scully, FBI." Scully showed her badge to the woman. "I already told the cops what happened." "Yes, but I am here because someone is missing, and I was wondering if you saw anyone other than your attacker." Scully lied through her teeth, but that seemed to satisfy Caryn. Scully took a seat about two feet from the bed, so that Caryn would not have to speak too loud and took out a tape recorder. "It was around 12:30 last night when it happened. I was coming back from a party and taking a shortcut through the alleyway. I was robbed by someone who punched me in the face, took my purse and ran. However, when I turned the corner, I saw these two men fighting, and then I heard a gun go off. When I looked back, one of the men was lying on the ground, face up. I could not see the other one, but I started running. The man with the gun shot after me, hitting me in the leg. The police arrived a few minutes later and took the man who had been shot to a different hospital. I guess they assumed that he was one of the guys who shot me. " Scully listened to Caryn's story, which made more sense than the story the police told. "Did you see the face of the man with the gun?" "No, it was really dark, and I was slightly drunk. The only thing is that I remember him saying something to the man who was shot, but I couldn't tell what it was." Scully realized that this woman had said all she knew, and would not really be much of a help. "Thank you for your time," Scully said, and then left the room. She checked her watch. It was 3:00 pm. There was only one person who she could think of who would have been fighting Mulder in the alleyway. "Krycek, he's the one responsible for Mulder's death," Scully thought. Only one person could possibly know Krycek's whereabouts, and that person she did not look forward to seeing again. As she rode down in the elevator, she tried to figure out whether or not to call her mother about what happened. She did not want to cause her mom anymore grief, she considered Mulder to be like one of her own kids. Scully decided to tell her mom, but later. She got into her car, and drove off, to Mulder's apartment, and to get in touch with someone who might be able to help. She stood outside of his door, #42, and took out her keychain, turning over the keys until she reached one labeled "Mulder". Scully put the key in the hole, turned it, and turned the knob. She stepped into the apartment. It had not changed. Some clothes were scattered on the floor, and there was a tape in the VCR on stop. Scully's curiosity got the better of her, and she ejected the tape. It didn't seem to be a professional tape. The title was scrawled on the label in pen. The label said "Mulder's #2". Scully slipped the tape back into the VCR and pressed play. It showed an empty apartment, she recognized it as his. On the tape, the front door opened. Mulder stepped inside and checked his answering machine, no messages. He loosened his tie and sat down on the couch. She pressed stop. Watching him on tape was too painful, and why he was down in the alleyway suddenly made more sense. "This tape proved that they were watching him, and he was going across the street to stop it.," she whispered, and then continued, "Only, it was a trap." But that was just one plausible theory. She stood up, and cleared off the area near the window. She took a roll of tape off the desk, tore off two pieces, and placed them as an "X" on the window. She took a lamp, and shone it on the X. Seeing him again didn't thrill her, but he was the only person who could help her. She took off her jacket, lying it neatly on the couch. She slid down onto the couch and picked up a book. Mulder, obviously, had waited here for something for a while, because a little investigation revealed a copy of "Gravity's Rainbow". Scully turned to the first page. She had never figured Mulder for a Thomas Pynchon fan. She started reading the book, finding it very hard to get into it at first. She had heard one of her friends talking about how they started the book five times, reading a bit, and then stopping. She also remembered how happy her friend was when she finally finished it, and gushed to Scully about how great a book it was. Scully had meant to pick it up the next time she went to a bookstore, but had forgotten. She turned the page, and started to read, About ten pages later, she closed the book. It was impossible to get into that book. "Maybe he had some other books," she thought. Pain encompassed her. He would never walk through that door again, or read the books, or watch that television, or... . She mentally stopped herself. She would not get upset. If she kept thinking like that, she would. She then turned her attention to his bookcase. Most of the books that she expected were there, books on paranormal subjects, psychology books, and even medical journals. There were a few fiction novels thrown in as well, by such authors as Kurt Vonnegut Jr, Joseph Heller, Isaac Asimov, James Michner, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury and a few other authors that she did not recognize. Then she spied a Patricia Cornwell novel, "Body Farm". Scully picked it up, and looked at the back cover. The book was about Kay Scarpetta, consulting forensic pathologist for the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. She was trying to solve a murder, and Scully found herself intrigued by the plot. She took the book back to the couch, sat down, and started reading it. She checked her watch a while later, it was 6:21 PM. Then she saw something go under the door. She put down her book, and walked over to the door. It was a short note saying "10 pm, in front of library." Scully was overwhelmed by hunger pains, so she left, to get a bite to eat. About an hour later, she returned, the problem remedied. She checked her watch again. It now said 7:30 pm. She took off her coat, sat back down on the couch, and continued reading. When her watch said 9:30 pm, she got up, put on her coat, and walked out of the door, locking it behind her. She reached the library and stood outside near the steps. She saw a figure come up to her. He was dark skinned and wore a black trenchcoat. "Do you know where Krycek is?" Scully asked when the man got close enough. She did not want to waste anymore time. "I know many things Ms. Scully," the man said, giving her the same non-answers that he did the last time they met. "Can you tell me where he is?" Mr. X handed Scully a piece of paper, an address was written on it. "23 Clark Street apartment 2C, Washington D.C." Scully read to herself, "Is this where he is?" Mr. X started to walk away, so Scully assumed that this was the information that she needed. End of Part 2 =========================================================================== Little mix up with file names, here is part 3. See Part 0 for Disclaimers. All previous disclaimers still apply. BEREFT (Part 3 of 5) Scully walked back to her car, holding the address tightly in her left hand. She then drove towards 23 Clark Street, in Washington, D.C. She took out a map, and found Clark Street on it, after a few minutes of searching. Getting there was a bit harder, it took her about an hour to drive to the street. It was in a bad section of town, where pimps and other unsavory people hung out. She almost did not want to park, but did, and held her gun tightly. Most of the people on the street turned to look at the well dressed woman getting out of the car, and they had an evil glint in their eyes. Scully saw them starting to finger knives that they were holding. A few robbers stood near her, waiting for their next victim. The minute they saw Scully, she could almost see them start to salivate. Scully made sure that they saw her gun, and her FBI ID. They turned away, figuring that she was not worth the trouble, Scully breathed a soft sigh of relief, and then opened the door of 23 Clark Street. It was a sort of run-down apartment building, and cockroaches and rodents snuck around the halls. Scully hated cockroaches and rodents. They were disgusting creatures, but she swallowed her disgust and walked up the stairs. There was no way that she was going to risk an elevator in this kind of place. She reached apartment 2C, and knocked on the door. From inside the apartment, she heard a little movement, and she knocked again. She then put her back against the wall near the door, took out her gun and said "Federal Agent, open up." She heard sounds of chains unlocking, and deadlocks unbolting. Then, she heard the door start to open, so she moved out in front of the door, and held her gun on the person opening it. The door opened all the way, and a man stood there. He had piercing eyes, and short black hair. Scully walked in, and shut the door. "Ms. Scully, what a nice surprise.." "Shut up, and sit down." Alex Krycek shot her a look of anger, but complied. Scully looked at him with nothing but hate. He had helped them abduct her, killed Melissa and Mulder's dad, and now possibly Mulder also. Behind his eyes, she saw no compassion, no remorse. "Krycek, you deserve to die, but before you do, I want the truth. Did you kill Mulder?" Krycek looked shocked. His eyes opened slightly wider. "Did you shoot him near the heart? Did you try to kill a witness? If so, who sent you to do it?" "I did not kill him." "What?" "I did not kill him. If I did, believe me, I would be the first to admit it, but I did not." "You're lying!" Scully almost shouted, holding the gun steady. "I did not kill your sister either." At the mention of Melissa, Scully felt a bolt of anger shoot through her body. Before she could fully think out her actions, she holstered her gun. She walked over to Krycek and punched him in the midsection, enjoying it when he doubled over in pain. She punched him again, putting all her sadness and anger into the punch. She was blinded by a rage that she could not control, and she kept pounding him, over and over again. He tried to fight back, to stop this attack on himself, but even though he was stronger then she, the anger had given her so much power, he could not fight her. Scully felt better as she beat him up, each punch she considered a payback for any pain that he had caused her. After a few minutes, her frenzy subsided, and she stopped hurting him. She was breathing hard. She took her gun out of its holster and held it on him. Scully was about to shoot him in the head, when a nagging voice inside of her head said: "You're playing their game." Scully tried to ignore it, but then another voice said "You're better than this Dana." Scully realized, as she looked at Krycek that she could not kill him. "So, you didn't kill Mulder?" Scully said a plan forming in her head. Krycek was breathing very hard, and seemed to be in pain. "I didn't." "Do you know who did?" "No." "Well, you are going to help me find out." "What?" Krycek was obviously stunned at this suggestion. His eyes were wide open, and he ran a hand through his hair. He almost jumped up, but knew that she would shoot him if he did. "You heard me. You will help me find Mulder's killer, and if you do, then I promise that I will not kill you." Krycek looked at her incredulously, "Are you giving me a deal, Ms. Scully?" Scully thought for a second, she had no choice. "Yes, but one wrong move, and I'll kill you, deal?" Krycek mulled it over, then nodded his head. Scully clicked the gun's safety back on, and motioned for Krycek to follow her out of the door. Figuring Scully was easier to deal with than the people who were after him, Krycek complied. Scully suddenly stopped, and said, "Do you have the tape?" Krycek went back into the apartment. A few moments later, he came out with the DAT. tape in his pocket. "I do now." "Let me see it." Scully demanded. Krycek took the tape out of his pocket and let Scully examine it. After a few seconds, she was convinced that it was the tape, and handed it back to him. "Good, let's go." Scully walked down the hallway, and down the stairs, occasionally checking over her shoulder to make sure he followed. He was. She left the building, and opened her car door, while Krycek climbed into the passenger's seat. She started the car and drove off. Scully realized the absurdity of the situation: trusting Krycek to sit next to her, and not try to hurt her in any way. She also realized that she trusted him to help her find a killer. However, he was the only person who once worked with the clandestine forces, betrayed them, and still lived. She almost returned to her apartment, but since they had eliminated Mulder, she was the next logical target. After all, she was the only person who would carry on the search for the truth and fight the odds. Of course there were others, but Scully understood the true importance behind it. In the beginning, it was not her fight. However, after her abduction and after the death of her sister, she wanted the truth as passionately as Mulder had. Unlike him, she would not take hazardous risks or sacrifice her sanity for it. She drew her lines. Since Mulder's death, she felt her lines redrawn, and the desire for the truth and for answers, mixed with a desire for justice and revenge, created a very dangerous target. Krycek looked over at her, reached into his leather jacket pocket, to touch the tape; assure himself, it was still there. Scully drove South for about two hours, stopping only at an ATM to pick up some money. She withdrew as much money as she could from her bank account, about $1000. When she felt that they were far enough away from Washington, D.C. to be safe, and not too far away to investigate. She stopped at the first motel she saw. The motel would not make any Mobil travel guides, but it was nice enough. A blinking sign announced that it was open, and that there was vacancy. Scully parked the car in front of the motel, and turned it off. She stepped into the night, and walked over to the registration place. A burst of hot air hit her when she opened the door. She stepped through the door and gave the woman who was sitting behind the counter reading a magazine a small smile. "Hi, can I help you?" The woman asked, standing up and putting down the magazine she was reading. "Yes, I need a room for the night." Scully looked at the woman, she was wearing a tight fitting black dress, almost Gothic. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Her complexion was pale, as if she never went out into the sun, and she had on black lipstick, she could not have been more then 25. "Ok, sign the book," The woman said. As she turned the book towards Scully, she noticed that the woman had painted her fingernails black. Scully signed the book under a different name, "Carol Smith" she printed in the book. The woman looked at the name and smiled, she then turned around and pulled a key off a peg. "Ok, Ms. Smith, you're in room #10." "Thank you," Scully said as she took the key. She walked out the door, and was astounded to see Krycek still sitting in the car. She motioned for him to get out of the car, so he did. She walked to the trunk, and took a suitcase out of it. She thought for a second then reached into the car to grab a pair of handcuffs out of the glove compartment. She did not really trust Krycek during the night, or any other time of the day for that matter. She walked toward her room, and Krycek followed her. When she opened the door, she put the key in the purse, put her purse down, flicked on the light and looked around a little. It was a nice, clean room, that had only one bed. There was a door that led to a bathroom on the left side of the room. A television was nailed down to the floor. Krycek walked in. Scully took out her gun, but did not take off the safety. She also held the handcuffs. After debating about where to handcuff him, she decided on the chair, which was conveniently not too far away from the television. She motioned for him to sit down, which he did. She then handcuffed him to the chair, and to the television stand, which was luckily just big enough for the cuff to fit around. She had turned the chair so that it was sideways, and he could not watch her sleep. When she was satisfied that he could not escape, she turned her attention to the bed It looked so warm, and inviting. Scully flicked the light off, kicked off her shoes, took off her trenchcoat, then walked over to the bed, and got in. She cradled the gun next to her chest, turned on her side, closed her eyes, and instantly fell asleep. The neon sign outside, bathed the room in a warm light that flickered on and off. Krycek turned his head to look at Scully sleep. She appeared so peaceful. None of the fury that she had shown him earlier apparent now. He then was aware of the pain that her fists had caused him. He had been so preoccupied by thinking through his situation before, that he forgot the beating that he had received. Now that he was sitting up in a chair, he had time to dwell on it. The pain was very acute, but he had suffered through worse beatings before...much worse. The people he had worked for, when someone made a mistake, that person was beaten. The worse the indiscretion, the worse the beating. He had always liked Scully and hated himself for helping them hurt her in any way. Mulder, however, was a different story. Something about Mulder made Krycek hate him, and he could not quite figure out what it was. It was probably because they were so alike. The only difference being, that Mulder was able to chose the right path, while Krycek chose the wrong one. Or maybe it was because Mulder got all the women. Krycek started out on the right path, but somewhere along the way, had switched sides. He had become greedy, wanting more power then he was given in the FBI. So, when people who had power became interested in him, he was seduced by it. Only later realizing how many people he helped destroy. By the time he realized it, he was too late to get out. When he told them he wanted out, their response was to beat him to within an inch of his life. That was the first beating. Krycek winced at the memory. The month spent in the hospital was the worst month of his life. A month or so after that, he was chosen to be Mulder's new partner and what happened after that he preferred not to dwell upon. Scully slept, but her sleep was anything but peaceful. She was having a horrible dream. In her dream, she was in a dark alleyway, and shadows danced on the walls. Then Mulder walked towards her, but someone came up behind him and dragged him away. She tried to run to save him, but found that she was paralyzed. When she tried to scream for help, no sound came out. She heard the unmistakable sounds of fists hitting skin, and then he was dragged out to her. The person dragging him, gave her an sardonic smile, then turned him towards her. Scully felt herself falling to the ground. Soon, she was on her knees and staring right into Mulder's eyes. She felt a rage rise up in her, and then the person held a gun on him.... "NO! DON'T KILL HIM!" Scully screamed, tossing and turning. She opened her eyes, her body bathed in sweat. Even her auburn hair was a little mussed. She took a few deep breaths and lay back down. She closed her eyes, and tried to go to sleep, holding her hand and her gun under the pillow. Krycek had kept his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. He knew that she would not want to know that he had seen her this vulnerable. He turned his head towards her again. She was curled up into a tiny ball on the bed, wrapping the covers around herself even more when a cold chill went through the room. Scully shut her eyes tightly, and reached for the cross around her neck. She clutched it tightly for a few minutes, opened her eyes, then let it fall back lightly against her body. She closed her eyes again and fell back asleep. She dreamt again This time, the dream was not horrible, but serene. She found herself walking on clouds. She was dressed in a white T-shirt, a pair of grey sweatpants, and a white terry cloth robe. On her feet were white slippers. Her hair was back in a loose ponytail. She kept walking, until she reached a door. She opened the door, and stepped inside. She found herself in a church, and the door shut behind her. She looked around quickly, anxiety rising. She walked up to the front of the church, and recognized it as one that she had gone to as a child. The stained glass windows let in warm sun, and heavenly music surrounded her. She looked down at the open Bible on the pulpit. A note was in it. Scully looked around quickly to see if anyone was coming, no one was. She then took the note, and read it. "Dana, Your Faith Is Important, Let No One Take It Away. You Will Need It In Your Upcoming Battle." Scully awoke after reading the note. She was surprised that she was not dressed in a terry cloth robe, or sweatpants. She was still wearing her suit. She looked around the room, almost forgetting where she was. Krycek noticed her wake-up, and closed his eyes again. She had been waking up about every 15 minutes, according to the clock on top of the television. He wondered if she slept that way every night. He wondered what kind of nightmares plagued her sleep, and if he had caused any of them. "You probably have," he thought to himself. Scully reminded him of someone, someone that he had lost, and just thinking of her, caused him pain. It had happened about 3 years before he had ever heard of that cigarette-smoking son of a bitch. He was driving with his fiancee of three months, Vicki. She had shoulder length red hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a smile that lit up her whole face. She was also incredibly intelligent and strong willed. They were on their way to meet his parents for dinner. They had been talking about their future, when from out of nowhere, a gun went off, and a bullet went into the back of Vicki's head. She was facing him at the time. He would never forget her expression, or how her smile died forever. He always wanted to find the person who put that bullet in her head. He never did. Since that moment not a day went by when he didn't think of her. She had so much going for her. In a few months she was going to graduate from medical school and start interning at a nearby hospital. She'd always wanted to be a pediatrician. He remembered stopping the car, holding her in his arms, not caring about the blood getting on him, and sobbing. Yes, Scully reminded him a lot of Vicki. As Krycek thought of Vicki, a few tears rolled down his face. He could not wipe them away. Some part of him hoped, about every person he was sent to kill, that they were the ones who had killed Vicki. He killed them, for her. It was easier to rationalize it that way. After Melissa was shot, he looked at her. He saw Vicki's face, and could not speak for a few seconds, telling the person with him that they should just leave. After that, he realized that he had to get out. Even before they tried to kill him. Not that his life was that important to him anyway. He felt a few more tears escape him. He turned his head to look at Scully again, and whispered, "I'm so sorry Scully, I'm so sorry." Scully had fallen back to sleep, but his words had made it into her dream. In her dream, the words echoed all around her. They soon dispersed, Scully found herself in a field of grass, and someone was holding her. A bright light came, and she heard strange electronic noises surround her. A person came over to her and told her that she was safe... Scully awoke with a start. She took a quick intake of breath. At least this was a nightmare that she was used to. Ever since being returned, she had been plagued with nightmares like that. She looked at the clock next to the bed. It read that it was 4 am. Scully lay down again and fell asleep. This time, her sleep was not plagued with dreams, but was calm and relaxing. She woke up a few hours later and looked at the clock. It was 10 am. She decided that she had slept enough and sat up. She then got off the bed, and walked into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she returned to the room and looked at Krycek. She then walked over and picked up her purse. She took the handcuff keys out of it, dropped the purse, then walked over to Krycek. She nudged him awake and then unlocked the handcuffs. He awoke. Scully looked at his face. She swore that she saw dried tears on his face. She attributed it to the light and let him stand up. He stretched slightly, and then walked to the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind him. End of Part 3 =========================================================================== See Part 0 for Disclaimers. All previous disclaimers still apply BEREFT (Part 4 of 5) While Krycek was in the bathroom, Scully went to her suitcase, took out an outfit that she could change into, and took out a hair brush. She waited for him to get out of bathroom, so that she could change in privacy. The motel seemed different in the daylight. Its flaws more noticeable now. Krycek came out of the bathroom a few minutes later. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and his face was slightly pale. Scully put one of the handcuffs back on, and locked it to the TV stand. Scully walked into the bathroom, taking the outfit and the brush with her, she locked the door behind herself. A few minutes later, she emerged, dressed in a pair of black slacks, and a black knit sweater. Krycek looked at her leaving the bathroom. He had never seen her in casual clothes before, it made her look different, younger. She put on a pair of thin socks, and wore low heels. Krycek was already dressed and Scully realized angrily that he would need new clothes. Scully picked up her purse from where she dropped it, unlocked the handcuffs from around the TV stand, and put on her trenchcoat. "Come on, we're going to the mall." Scully almost growled and walked out the door. Krycek followed her, surprising himself by the fact that he did not argue, or try to escape. He was shocked at how quickly he had become a lamb to slaughter, he did not want to fight anymore. They got into the car, and drove off. They went to the mall and Krycek picked up a few outfits. It turned out that he had quite a bit of money with him. They spent about 1 and 1/2 hours in the mall, then they left. They got into the car, and were about to leave, when Scully's cellular phone rang. Scully picked it up, and answered, "Scully." "Agent Scully, it's Skinner." "Hello Sir." "The autopsy results came back just now, I thought that you would like to look at them." Scully thought for a second She did want the results, but did not want to have to go back to the FBI Building. "Can you fax them to me on my computer?" "Yes, I'll send them right away. Where are you right now Agent Scully?" "At a mall Sir, I needed a new pair of shoes." "Are you sure that you are up to viewing the results?" "I'm sure Sir." "Goodbye Agent Scully." "Goodbye Sir, and thank you." Scully hung up the phone and closed her eyes for a moment. "Autopsy results, oh god.." She thought to herself. She then reached back and grabbed her laptop from the back seat. She hooked the phone up to it, and hooked the computer into the cigarette lighter. A few seconds later, it was all powered up, and a few seconds after that, the transmission came through. After Scully was sure that it was all done, she shut off the computer, there was no way that she could look at the results now. Krycek sat there, hardly moving, looking out the window. Scully sat composing herself, then pressed the gas, and they left. Scully flipped on a news station, then turned up the volume. "Did I hear that right?" She thought to herself. The announcer was repeating the message. "At 3170 W. 53 Road, in Annapolis, Maryland, tragedy has struck. The apartment building that stood here just last night, is no more. At about 5 am, a bomb went off. Among the debris, are the scattered remains of bodies and belongings of the people who had lived here. Not even pets were safe. Rescue teams had just found the lifeless body of a small pomeranian dog. It appears red. The only body identified so far, is of 6 year old, Mary Tupen. We will continue to report on this tragic breaking news." Scully turned off the radio, pulled over to the side of the road, and stopped the car. She took off her seatbelt, and opened the car door. She then stepped outside and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the car and tears started to fall from her eyes. "Those bastards." She whispered. They bombed her whole building, not caring who they killed. They even killed her dog Clyde. Scully had baby-sat for Mary many times, and she had loved the child as if she were her own. It was what she did to take her mind off work and to feel like she had a life. She also loved children, and the death of such an innocent sweet person, was too much. Before she could stop herself, she started sobbing. Everything that had happened to her over the past few years, she could now let out, in great heaving sobs. She cried for everything, for Melissa's death, for Mulder's, for Mary's, for Clyde's, she even cried for herself. Her strong exterior broke and crumbled, as she stood sobbing. It became a keening wail after a while, and cars slowed down for a little bit to see what all the commotion was about, then speeded up and left. Krycek sat in the car during all of it. He did not want to invade her privacy and risk her anger, but he also wanted to comfort her. After arguing with himself for a few minutes, and seeing that the crying was not going to stop, he decided to go out and comfort her. He stepped out of the car, the crying was louder. He stepped over to her. Scully did not even notice him approach, she was too upset. He handed her a tissue. She turned to him, and even through the tears, he saw that she was shocked. She took the tissue though. "I've lost everything." She whispered to the wind. Then started to try to wipe away the tears. Krycek knew that the people that he worked for were bloodthirsty, so it did not really surprise him that they would do something like that. What did surprise him was the method. Surely they knew that this would be investigated. Before he could stop himself, he put out his arms, and hugged her. Scully stiffened momentarily, her warning bells were going off. "This is like a scene from one of those cliched romance novels." She thought to herself, but she could feel his warmth, and it had been so long since she had been hugged by any man other than Mulder. "This is ridiculous, you're standing here, crying, and your sister's killer is hugging you." Her mind hissed to her. Scully found herself hugging him back. "This is crazy! Stop it right now, he killed Missy, he killed Mulder's dad, he helped you be taken." Her mind screamed, trying to get her to listen. They stood there together for a few minutes, each trying to get comfort from the other. Then Krycek let her go. Scully's eyes were still wet, but she was not crying anymore. "They really do not care about people, do they?" She asked Krycek. "No, they don't." Krycek answered her. Scully realized suddenly that her Mom was in danger. Surely, they knew where her Mom was. She went into the car, closed the door, and dialed her Mom's number. It rang a few times and then a woman's voice answered. "Hello?" "Hi Mom." "Dana, thank god, I saw what happened on the news, I was afraid that I lost you." "No mom, I'm okay, but I think that you should take that trip to see your grandchild now." "Why?" Scully thought for a second. "Your life may be in danger Mom." "Where are you?" "I'm on the side of a road." "What are you doing there?" Scully had no idea what to say to that, so she lied. "I needed to use my computer for a few minutes." "You think I should go away for a bit?" "Yes Mom, I do, I don't want to lose you." "Ok, I'll go on that trip then, are you sure you're ok?" "I'm fine Mom." "Is Fox with you?" Maggie was worried. Scully took a deep breath, she was not quite sure that she could handle telling her mom yet. However, she realized that she had no choice. "He died two days ago Mom." Scully took another deep breath, she did not want to start crying again. "Oh my god, how?" "Gunshot wound." "That's horrible." Maggie was not really sure what to say to her daughter, knowing that no words could be comforting enough. "That's why I want you to take this trip Mom, the apartment building was no accident." "Ok, I'll do it Dana, for you. Be careful." "Bye Mom." "Bye Dana." Scully pressed the end button. "That was one of the hardest conversations I've ever had." She thought to herself. She then opened the door, and told Krycek to get back in. "We are not safe here." She told him, as she started up the car. "I know," he said as he got into the car, and put on his seatbelt. Scully could not believe that she was going to ask this, "Do you know anyone who can help us?" "I do, my sister is CEO of a children's clothing company." Scully's eyebrows raised. "Where is it located?" She figured that maybe his sister could lend them some money, or maybe knew something. Although why she trusted him to be telling the truth, was beyond her. "It is located in Durham, North Carolina." He answered her. "How far are we from there?" "Not too far, we're a little Southeast of it." Scully turned around, and drove back up north towards Durham, about half an hour later, she saw a sign announcing that they were now entering Durham. She was glad that they were not going through Raleigh, it held too many bad memories. It was where she met Luther Boggs, and Mulder was shot the first time. Thinking of Boggs brought memories of her Ahab, but she tried to block those out. A minute or so later, she heard Krycek telling her to turn right. Then he told her to turn left. A few minutes later, they were in front of a modern mirrored building. It was the tallest structure around for miles. They drove into the garage and parked. Scully got out first, the fetid, humid air surprised her a bit. Krycek got out a few seconds later, and they both walked to the elevator, and got in. Krycek looked over the floor numbers, and chose the last one. The elevator rode up, in relative silence. Every so often, the silence would be interrupted by a "beep". Pretty soon, they were at their destination, the 15th floor. Scully stepped out of the elevator first, Krycek followed. They walked up to the secretary's desk. End of Part 4 =========================================================================== See Part 1 for Disclaimers All previous disclaimers still apply BEREFT (Part 5 of 5) "I would like to see Ms. Davis." Krycek said when they approached. "Do you have an appointment?" The secretary looked up, she did not recognize him, she had never seen him before. "No, but if you let me see Ms. Davis, she will not be upset." Krycek wanted to surprise his sister. "Well, she isn't very busy right now, so I guess it's all right. But if she gets mad at me, I'm taking it out on you." The secretary drawled in a North Carolinan accent. Krycek and Scully walked to the door, and opened it. The company was obviously very successful, judging from the beautiful artwork in the waiting area, and the huge office that they were walking into. Ms. Davis was on the phone when they walked in, and Krycek shut the door behind him loudly. Ms. Davis told the person she was on the phone with, that she'd have to call them back, and turned around to face the intruder. Her brown eyes softened immediadly, and she leaped out of her chair. "Alex!" She said happily, and then ran to hug him. "Hi Nancy." He said, hugging her back. They had not heard from eachother in over two years. "Alex, Father will be so happy to see that you're all right. He's been worried sick!" Nancy said. Her North Carolinian accent was subdued, and almost gone. She then noticed Scully for the first time. Scully felt very uncomfortable, and wished that she had stayed outside. "I'm Nancy Davis, and you are?" Nancy said, walking over to her. "Dana Scully." Scully decided to not tell her she was an FBI agent. Nancy shook Scully's hand, and then turned back to her brother. "So, what have you been up to Alex?" She asked, sitting down on a chair. Krycek thought for a second, he hadn't seen her in so long. He knew she would be disapointed in him. "Nan, I have to confess something to you." Nancy looked at her brother, she was not entirly sure she wanted to hear this confession. "What is it Alex?" "I joined the organization." Nancy looked at him shocked. "You did what?" "I joined the organization." He said again, not sure what else to say. Scully watched all this slightly confused, wondering why Nancy knew what the organization was. More correctly wondering what the organization was herself. Although, she was pretty sure that she already knew. A few seconds of silence followed the confession. "Alex, I can't believe you did that. After mother's death, I thought they would leave our family alone." Nancy shut her eyes suddenly, trying to get the picture of their mother's body out of her head. Scully saw Krycek trying to control his own emotions. The emotional scene passing between Krycek and his sister she did not know how to react to. She knew how she would feel if her mom died. She knew how she felt when her dad died. For the first time, she began to wonder about Krycek's background. "I'm in trouble Nan, and I need your help." Krycek finally said. When Nancy's eyes opened, they were glazed over with tears. "I guess this is why I haven't heard from you in so long, isn't it?" Krycek nodded slightly. Nancy stood up, and walked over to her desk. She sat down in her specially made office chair, and took a tissue out from a drawer. She was incredibly embarassed to be crying in front of the woman who had come in with her brother. Who is she anyway? Nancy thought. "Alex, does this woman with you have anything to do with the trouble you're in?" Krycek sighed, and looked at his sister. "Yes, she does." Nancy stood up and walked over to Scully. "Who are you?" Nancy demanded. Scully tried to think of a good answer for that. Luckily she didn't have to. "She's one of the people I've wronged." Krycek said. Nancy turned around to face him. "What are you saying Alex?" "I took over Mother's place completly." Krycek answered. "Oh Alex, you didn't. Even mother only did that for a little bit." "Does she know about mother?" Nancy asked him. "No, should I tell her?" "Tell me what?" Scully demanded. She hated the loss of control she was experiencing in this situation. "Ms. Scully, my mother was an anti-war demonstrator. She was arrested after the bombing of a draft office. Her organization did not do it, but they blamed her anyway. Someone...someone died in the bombing." Krycek stopped abruptly. Scully listened to this all, not sure what to make of it. Krycek continued. "If she was found guilty of her crimes, they would kill her. She, she had two small children at home..." Krycek's voice was breaking off. Nancy continued for him. "They offered her a deal, if she would inform on her fellow demonstrators. Then they would drop the charges against her. She accepted, she was a mother and a wife. She loved us very much. So, she sold out her friends. She never, never forgave herself for that. After that, she joined them. She did some favors for them. She rose up to power. When it came time to nominate a congressperson in 1982, mother was automatically recommended, and accepted." This is where Nancy stopped, and took a deep breath. "Mother served four terms. A few years ago, they innoculated kids with a new disease. The kids died. Mother knew that she had to leave then. She told them she had enough. She wanted out." Nancy stopped again and drew another deep breath. "Not too long after that, mother was at home, cleaning up for a party. She opened the door and was shot in the head. I walked down to see if she was ok and..." Nancy trailed off and turned away from Scully, facing the window instead. Scully listened to the story. She felt for Nancy, she really did. She had no idea what it would be like to walk downstairs and find someone you cared about dead. Even with all that had happened to her. She never discovered the bodies. She always found out through telephones. The room became silent, each person lost in their own thoughts. "Nan, do you remember anything about the organization?" Krycek whispered to his sister, who was still turned towards the window. Nancy shook her head. Her short brown hair barely moved. "Anything at all?" Krycek prodded Nancy gently. "There were so many parties Alex, not like you would know, you were hardly ever home. Mother really wanted to see you turn out into something good. She really did. Instead, you became her, only worse." "I left it Nan, I left them. I have something that they need. I have something that they want. Something very dangerous to them." "What is it Alex?" Krycek pulled the DAT tape out of his jacket. "Nan, this holds secrets. Secrets that they've been denying even exist. Many people have died for this tape. I almost died for this tape." Mulder almost died for that tape, Scully thought. The slight pain in her heart, got worse every time she thought of him. "What do you need me to do Alex?" Nancy said, almost dejectedly. No matter how disappointed she was in him, she had no choice but to help him. "I need some money Nan, and I need you to go through all of mother's diaries and belongings. Something in them, must tell of the organization." "Alex, you can't ask me to do that, it's too painful.." "Nan, you have to. I'd do it, but Ms. Scully and I, need to get away from here. They're after us." "Ok, I'll do it Alex." Nancy went over to her wall, and looked into the mirror. "Clothing for kids is easier then for adults," she whispered to the mirror. The mirror lifted, and a hand panel was revealed. Nancy placed her hand on the panel. A light beam scanned it, and the panel was lifted, revealing a small gold key. Nancy took the key, and fit it into the hole near where the panel was. The whole section opened up, and a safe was revealed. Nancy then turned the lock to the right combination, and it opened. She took a suitcase from a small area in the safe, and filled it up with money. "Is 50,000 enough Alex?" Nancy asked. That is a lot of security for one bank safe, Scully thought to herself. "Yes, that's fine, Nan." Krycek answered. Nancy then went about the long process of closing the safe, and putting back the security measures. When she was finished, all that was left was a mirror. "Good luck Alex, do you have a number where you can be reached?" Scully took a piece of paper out of her bag. She wrote her cellular phone number on it. "He can be reached at this number," She said. She handed the paper to Nancy. Krycek picked up the suitcase and kissed his sister goodbye. Nancy hugged him. Krycek dropped the suitcase, and hugged his sister back. "Goodbye Alex. Be careful." She whispered to him. Scully and Krycek walked out of the office. Nancy went back to her desk and fell back into the role of CEO of Kiddie Time Clothes. Scully and Krycek looked at eachother in the elevator. Scully never knew the kind of place that Krycek had come from. She realized he was the only person she could trust. A fact that scared her. They were both running from something, and they were both trying to extract a certain amount of revenge. Krycek turned to Scully. "I'd like you to have this." He said to her, and gave her the DAT tape. "Why?" Scully asked, she was not expecting this. "The information on that tape, means more to you, then it does to me. It does not have the answers that I am looking for. It might hold the answers that you are searching for." Scully was genuinely shocked at the gesture and accepted the tape. They got off the elevator and walked to the car. They had achieved a certain understanding. Also a small amount of trust. I don't think that he needs to be handcuffed anymore, Scully thought. After learning what had happened, she didn't think that he would hurt her. They both went into the car, and took off. End of Part 5 END OF BEREFT Well, that was my story. If you're still reading, thanks for putting up with it for so long. If while reading this story, something was bothering you about it, or you liked it, tell me at HCCU37B@prodigy.com. FirePhile HCCU37B@prodigy.com "A truth that's told with bad intent Beats all the Lies you can invent"-William Blake(Auguries of Innocence)