Title:  Mirror Mirror
Authors:  Susan Proto and Vickie Moseley  
Summary:  Scully finds herself in a strange place.
Rating:  PG
Category:  SA, MA, X File
Disclaimer:  No copyright infringement intended.
Archive:  Two weeks exclusive with IMTP VS10, then anywhere.
Dedicated to our fellow lunatics and producers, Dawn, Deb, 
Sally, Suzanne and Theresa.  You guys make it still the best 
game of 'Barbie and Ken' in town and we love you!!
To all the VS10 readers--we love you, too!!  Give us a shout 
out any old time.



Mirror, Mirror
By Vickie Moselely (vickiemoseley1978@yahoo.com)
& Susan Proto (STPteach@aol.com)



Teaser
Friday
The Morgue

Scully watched awestruck at the clockwork precision with 
which the team worked.  When she'd walked into the room, 
someone handed her a lab coat unceremoniously and she put 
it on.  She noticed an identification tag with her name was 
already attached.  Odd, she thought, but she then noticed 
that everyone wore nametags and so she put the puzzle aside 
for that moment.

A young man worked quickly putting a toe tag on the still-
clothed body that lay on the cold slab, while a young woman 
began taking the necessary identifying photos.  Once she'd 
finished getting the front view, she called out to a co-
worker for assistance in turning the body and continued 
photographing.

Next, the clothes were removed from the corpse and pictures 
of the body, both front and back, were once again taken.  
Other members of the team moved the body to the scale for 
weighing and x-raying.  

A pair of workers was carefully going over every item of 
clothing and documenting any and all characteristics of the 
items.  Scully remained standing in the center of the 
hubbub, not quite sure exactly what her role was at that 
moment.  The group surrounding her seemed to work like a 
well-oiled machine.

"Hey, doc?  We're ready for you anytime you want to begin 
slicing and dicing," called out a young man.
 
"Okay," she said without looking directly at the source of 
the voice. Scully remained mesmerized by the flurry of 
activity and the fact that she was apparently in charge of 
it.

"You okay, doc?"

"I'm sorry," she began and looked at the nametag clipped to 
the lab coat, "Kevin," she stammered.  "I don't know where 
my head is today".  She looked over at the nude corpse and 
announced, "Let's get started, shall we?"

The forensics specialist set to work by turning on the tape 
recorder and by referring to the file identified the case 
number and stated the victim's name.  "John Pratt."  

I know that name, she thought with a start.  "John Pratt 
was a golfer," she murmured.

"Why Doctor Scully, your forensics expertise never ceases 
to amaze me," called out a familiar voice from the 
entrance.

Thinking quickly, she pointed to the body's right arm and 
noted that it was slightly more muscular than the left.  
"It's not quite as built up as it would have been if he 
were a tennis player..."

"I see."  The voice held a hint of amusement in it.

"Well, it just fits," she said and looked up.  When she 
looked up, Scully's eyes grew wide at the figure before 
her.  Like an old habit, she felt the animosity rise along 
with the color of her cheeks, but just as quickly she 
tamped it down. 

"You never cease to amaze me, Scully, to find the smallest 
clue and make it answer the big questions."
 
"Well, I guess Mulder's rubbed off on me," she murmured.

"Gee, you think?"  He laughed and was about to offer his 
own reasons for Scully's uncanny ability to weave answers 
out of the air when the trill of his cell phone interrupted 
the exchange.  He opened up the channel and identified 
himself.

"Krycek."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act I Scene 1
Earlier that day

"It's just the calm before the storm, Scully.  Trust me on this."

She nodded, but couldn't help wonder exactly which storm Mulder was 
talking about.  

They'd had a rare few days of blissful quiet.  Sure, they were spent in 
the office, but after their last case everyone had managed to steer 
clear and leave them to writing expenditure reports, organizing their 
files, and simply decompressing.  It was a rare gift, and both agents 
were wise enough to take advantage of it.  They knew their next X-File 
was just around the bend, which justified Mulder's 'calm before the 
storm' observation.  

But it was now 3:45 on Friday afternoon and they were clocking out 
early for their trip to Maryland.

Hence, storm number two.

They pulled out of the Hoover's parking lot and into the Friday 
'getaway' traffic.  "I suppose it wouldn't have mattered what time we 
left today..." grumbled Mulder as he pulled in behind the largest SUV 
he'd ever seen.  "I swear, people are driving small semis nowadays..."  

"Well, at least we were able to get an early jump on the traffic."

"I hate to break it to you, Scully, but trust me, we're not jumping 
anywhere."

She nodded and understood his exasperated tone was directed at the 
multitude of cars in front of them and not at her.  

"Scully, you did remember to put your Mom's present in the trunk, 
right?"  

She nodded.

"I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing your family.  I can't 
believe your mom is going to be sixty."

Once again, she nodded.

"Only having met Charlie two years ago, and under extreme conditions, 
I'm still not convinced he's not a figment of your imagination," he 
said, his tone turned teasing.

Scully's reply, on the other hand, was more somber.  "With the notable 
exception of our trip to space, the last time I saw him was at Dad's 
funeral."

"Well, I'm glad he's able to make it for a happy occasion," he replied, 
softly.

Scully smiled and said, "Mom is so happy that she's going to have us 
all there.  It's been too long since we've all been together."

Bittersweet memories of lost sisters touched them both, and for a short 
time kept their thoughts to themselves.

Finally, Mulder broke the silence. "Scully?  About our discussion from 
this morning..."

Let the deluge begin, thought Scully.

"Mulder, there is nothing to discuss.  I've told you how I feel, and I 
expect you to respect my feelings on this."

"Just help me understand, okay?"

"What is there to understand?  I'm not ready."

"For what?  Scully, I'm not asking you to pick out china patterns; I 
just want your family to know we've made a commitment to one another 
beyond the office."

"Mulder, it's not necessary."

"How can you say that?"

"Easily.  I'll show you.  'It's not necessary.'  See?" she retorted.  

"No, I don't see.  Damn it, it's necessary if I want to hold your 
hand!"  Mulder took a deep breath and then added, more softly, "I just 
want to be able to hold your hand in front of your mother and brothers.  
That's all."

She looked at him with a softness that hadn't been there since he'd 
brought up the subject that morning.  "Oh, Mulder," she whispered back.  
"I just don't think it's the right time."

"Oh, for crying out loud, this is the perfect time.  Your whole family 
will be there; we can let everyone know at the same time."

"Are you forgetting that Bill will be there?"

"Hell, no!  In fact I'm counting on your mother to protect me when you 
tell him that we're together!"

She laughed.  She couldn't help it.  The image of her five foot nothing 
mom shielding her six foot something partner from her older brother was 
just too funny to maintain her dour mood.
 
"See, the entertainment value alone makes it worth telling them," said 
Mulder.  

"Oh, Mulder, I know you want to tell them, but I just think we should 
keep this to ourselves for now."

"Scully, our relationship is not exactly a state secret anymore.  The 
Gunmen know, Susanne Modeski knows, and in case you've forgotten, our 
direct superior now knows for a fact what I suppose the rest of the 
bureau has suspected for the last ten years."

"Don't remind me, Mulder.  I still have some regrets that Skinner 
knows, but what's done is done."  Scully decided to take another tack.  
"But that's not the only reason I want to hold back on the news."

Mulder looked questioningly at her; traffic was moving so slowly the 
brief distraction from the road proved to be of little danger.  

"It's Mom's day.  I don't want anything to detract from her birthday."

Mulder reacted quickly; he giggled.

"What?" she asked.

"Scully, you're going to tell me that your mom wouldn't appreciate 
hearing that you and I were in a relationship after all of these 
years?"

"To be honest, Mulder, once Bill got wind of it I think the news would 
prove to be a whole lot more stressful than you can imagine, and I 
don't think it's fair to subject my mother to those kinds of worries on 
her birthday."

"So, we just tell her and not the others," Mulder suggested.

"No. It would be too hard for her to keep that a secret, and besides, 
we still wouldn't be able to hold hands with my brothers there."

"Scully, I really think you're wrong.  I think we - ."

The trill of a cellular phone filled the air and both reached for their 
pockets.  "I win," Scully said as she opened the line.

"Scully." 

"Yes, Agent Scully, this is Kim.  Please hold on for AD Skinner."

"Yes, Kim," she replied, but to Mulder she mouthed, 'Shit, it's 
Skinner'. 

"Agent Scully?"

"Yes, sir."

"I take it Mulder is with you?" the AD asked.

"Yes, sir, as a matter of fact he is."

"Good.  I need you both back in my office ASAP."

"Excuse me, sir, but we're on our way to Maryland even as we speak.  We 
have a family function to attend."

"Sorry, Agent Scully, but your plans have changed.  I need you back 
here."

"But, sir, it's my mother's sixtieth birthday; my entire family will be 
there."

"I understand, and I am sorry - ."

"- Charlie's only going to be there tonight," she mused aloud.  "I 
haven't seen him in so long."

"Agent, I regret the inconvenience, really."

"Sir, I cannot believe this can't wait till morning.  Mulder and I 
haven't had a weekend off in weeks." 

"I'm sorry, Scully.  I have my orders and now you have yours."

"But, sir -"

"- Agent, I'll expect you p/d/q."  In an effort to take the edge off of 
his brusque demand, he added, "Oh, and make sure 'lover boy' 
accompanies you."

Unfortunately, Scully could not see the affectionate smile that 
accompanied the AD's last remark.  She hung up without a word.

"What?" asked Mulder.  

"We've been called in."

"I figured; do you know what it's about?"

"I don't really give a damn what the case is about."  She couldn't 
decide what she was more upset about - being unable to visit with her 
brothers and celebrate with her mother, or Skinner's seemingly 
harassing remark.

"I'm really sorry, Scully.  I know how important this family gathering 
was to you."

She reached over and squeezed Mulder's knee in acknowledgment.  Scully 
knew he meant it and wanted to let him know she appreciated his 
support.

"Well, apparently the question to tell or not to tell my family about 
us is now a moot point," announced Scully.

"True but there's always the next time, Scully."

Thinking about Skinner's callous remark, she said, "I doubt it's going 
to be anytime soon, Mulder."

"Aw, c'mon, Scully.  Trust me - your mom should be told."

"What happened to 'trust no one', Mulder?" she asked.  Her eyebrow was 
cocked in her typical skeptic mode.

"Remember, this is me you're talking to, partner.  If there's one thing 
I've learned in the last ten years, it's that sometimes you're left 
with no choice but to trust someone."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act I Scene 2
Skinner's Office

Kim smiled at them and nodded her head toward the closed door.  "He's 
on the phone with the Director.  It'll just be a moment."

Scully sighed and took a seat on the faux leather sofa.  Mulder 
stretched and shifted from one foot to the other.  The fact that he 
hadn't sat beside her got her wondering.  The last thing she wanted was 
to let their conversation of the morning and in the car come between 
them.  She'd just have to do her best to show him that she loved him, 
regardless of who knew or didn't know about them.  But that was the 
point, she admitted to herself.  It all came down to the Truth, with a 
capital T.  Truth was his religion, he told her that often enough.  To 
him, all they were doing was hiding the Truth.  But Mulder never 
stopped to consider the consequences of exposing the Truth.

The door opened and she jerked her head up.  Skinner stood in the 
doorway, an impatient look on his face.  "Agents.  I haven't got all 
day," he said brusquely and returned to his desk as they shuffled in 
and took their usual seats.

Skinner handed the folder to Mulder.  "I just got off the phone with 
the Director.  This one is being watched closely, both of you, so try 
not to turn it into a three-ring circus.  Seems one of the missing 
persons is the nephew of an influential individual, one with very deep 
pockets who is not above putting heat on the administration to get this 
cleared up."

"Missing persons?" Scully asks as she leaned over and read from the 
file Mulder was holding.

"Four so far.  All employees of the same company, Glass-glo Industries.  
They have a contract with both Department of Defense and NASA," Skinner 
supplied with a nod.

"Defense contracts?  Could it be espionage?" Scully asked as Mulder 
flipped the page.

"The four individuals were never seen leaving the building," Mulder 
commented, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"That is the case.  Security monitors show all hallways and exits.  
Initial investigation shows no tampering with the equipment.  These 
four people just disappeared into thin air," Skinner said.  "Basically, 
I want you two to go over there tonight, talk to some people, check the 
place out."

Scully's head jerked up.  "Sir, it's Friday afternoon!"

"Yes, I noticed that, Agent.  And the Attorney General wants action on 
this.  Need I say more?" was the gruff reply.

They left the office without further discussion.  Mulder could see the 
steam coming out of Scully's ears as they walked toward the elevator.  
She almost put her dainty little index finger right through the button 
to call the next car.  He felt the need to do something, before that 
wrath was turned upon him.


"Say, let's run over to the company, see if we can have a chat with the 
nice Mr. Bradley Kensworth, III, CEO and general manager," he said 
reading directly from the file.  "And then, since there really isn't 
much we can do until tomorrow at the earliest, we can still high tail 
it out to Baltimore and not miss the whole evening."

She drew in a deep breath.  It was a plan.  Not the plan she'd hoped 
for the evening, but a plan nonetheless.  And Mulder was pretty darned 
cute standing there all hopeful looking.  God, he was so easy some 
times.

"You're on, G-Man.  But if this character keeps us there one minute 
past 6 . . ."

"We handcuff him to a radiator and come back to get him in the 
morning," Mulder said dryly, which drew a few surprised looks from the 
other occupants of the just arrived elevator.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act 1 Scene 3
Glas-glo Industries
Falls Church, VA
4:45 p.m.

The receptionist in the front lobby of the totally glass building 
smiled brightly at them, handed them both matching visitor's badges, 
and then gave them directions to the fourth floor executive office of 
Bradley Kensworth, III.  Mulder straightened his tie in the mirrored 
glass of the elevator.  Scully tried not to look overly bored.

"Nice building," Scully did finally comment as they made their way down 
the hall to the appointed office suite.

"Bet it costs a fortune to cool," Mulder said casually.  He pointed to 
the patch of undiluted sunlight on the floor.  "All that radiant heat."

"It's thermal insulated glass, actually," a voice came from behind 
them.  "Radiant heat has always been the problem in glass buildings 
before, but here at Glas-glo we've developed a product that reflects 
the heat back into the atmosphere.  Or space, as the case might be.  
It's being used on the space station."  

Mulder spun on his heel and came face to face, or rather chin to top of 
head with a small man dressed in a very expensive silk suit.  The man 
congenially stuck out his hand in greeting.  "Brad Kensworth.  And you 
must be the FBI agents sent to look into these disappearances."

"Agent Mulder, and this is my partner, Agent Scully," Mulder said, 
shaking Kensworth's hand.  Kensworth smiled and offered his hand to 
Scully, who shook it briefly.

"Come on down to my office; can I offer you something to drink?" 
Kensworth asked as he led them down the hall.

"No, thank you," Scully replied politely.  They entered a wooden door, 
the only non-mirrored surface in the building appeared to be the doors, 
and into a spacious office decorated with mostly glass furniture.  
Kensworth directed them to sit on what looked like glass and steel side 
chairs.  Scully sat down, Mulder was a little more hesitant, but 
finally sat down gingerly, as if expecting the chair not to hold his 
weight.

"This is all my own design," Kensworth said, noting their curiosity 
toward the furnishings.  "Much of it was done during college.  You 
know, you sit around the dorm room and think up new ways to use glass."

"Or not," Mulder said with a smile.  "Mr. Kensworth, let's get right to 
the interview so we don't take up anymore of your time."

It didn't take long for the agents to pick up on the fact that 
Kensworth thought there were perfectly logical explanations for the 
disappearances.  Two of the employees, Henry Polanski and Leslie 
Rosten, were rumored to be in a torrid affair and since both were 
married, it was easy to assume they'd finally run off together.  
Another one of the missing employees, John Pratt, had been spotted 
spending several weekday nights at the local off-track betting parlor 
and had come in twice asking for advances on his pay.  The last missing 
person, Larry Sisk, had talked for months about 'just getting away from 
it all' and taking a long vacation in the Bahamas.

"It just seems a little odd that all four employees would go missing in 
such a short space of time," Scully commented after Kensworth concluded 
his statement.

"Well, coincidences do happen, Agent Scully," Kensworth said with a 
condescending smirk.

Scully visibly bit her tongue to keep from replying.  Mulder had to 
swallow back his own retort to Kensworth's comment.

"Would you mind if we had a look at the area where the missing 
employees worked?" Mulder asked.

Kensworth frowned, but it was quickly replaced by a helpful smile.  "Of 
course not.  The company is empty at the moment.  We let everyone in 
the company off at 3 on Fridays.  Sort of an added employee benefit my 
grandfather began when he started the business.  But I'd be happy to 
show you around."

The ground floor of the building opened up into a huge work area with 
glass enclosed offices lining the exterior walls.  Scully checked her 
watch and followed the two men to the back wall where three offices 
were located.  Kensworth pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door 
to the left.

"This is R and D, Research and Development," he said, allowing the two 
agents to enter the room before him.

"All four employees worked in the same area?" Scully asked, surprised.

"Yes.  They were one of our research teams.  We have several teams 
working all the time.  They might have an entire project or only part 
of a larger project," Kensworth explained.

"What was this team working on?" Mulder asked as he wandered the room.  
It was about 12 foot by 15 foot, white metal tables with glass tops, 
electron microscope on a table by the back wall.  It looked like any 
high school science lab.

Kensworth had yet to answer, so Mulder asked again.  "What were they 
working on, Mr. Kensworth?"

The small man looked uncomfortable, even going as far as to pull 
slightly at his tie.  "I'm afraid you don't have the proper security 
clearance for that information, Agent Mulder," he said apologetically.  
"But suffice it to say that this is not a case of corporate espionage," 
he added hastily.

"How do you know that, sir?" Scully asked, suspicion tingeing her 
voice.

"For one thing, this team was working on a small part of a larger 
project.  It was done in that manner, breaking up the parts, for the 
express purpose of avoiding any leaks.  And none of the other teams 
have experienced any problems.  As I told you in my office, we just had 
the horrible bad luck to put all our rotten apples in the same basket," 
Kensworth said with a shrug.

Scully caught Mulder's eye and exchanged a silent thought.  Mulder 
nodded slightly and went back to examining the room.  He was halfway 
around the room to his starting point when a partially open desk drawer 
caught his attention.  He tilted his head toward it in a manner that 
Scully could see his intentions, but hopefully Kensworth could not.

"What is that?" Scully asked suddenly, pointing to a large sheet of 
glass propped against a piece of equipment just outside the door to the 
lab.  She moved toward it, hoping Kensworth would have the common sense 
or paranoia to follow her, thus allowing Mulder a little time to look 
in the drawer.

"That is an optical mirror, Agent Scully," Kensworth said, doing 
exactly as she hoped and following her into the main company area.

"Like the ones on the Hubble telescope?" she asked, standing in front 
of Kensworth so that his back toward the lab door.

"Well, if we'd had the contract on the Hubble, it never would have 
experienced the initial problems it had," Kensworth huffed.  "But yes, 
it's just like that.  We're working on this one for NASA."

Mulder was still riffling through the drawer and glanced up at her, 
begging her with his eyes to keep stalling for time.  She glanced 
furtively around the company floor again.  In a far corner, out of 
sight of her partner, she saw a glint of green colored glass.

"Now this is interesting," she said, walking toward the large sheet of 
emerald glass.  It was at least 7 feet tall and four feet wide, but 
seemed to be paper-thin.

"Oh, Agent Scully, please don't touch that!" Kensworth pleaded.

Just then, Mulder walked out of the lab, pulling his hand out of his 
pocket.  "Well, Scully, I think we've taken enough of Mr. Kensworth 
time, don't you?" he rushed out in one breath.

Kensworth spun on his heel at the sound of Mulder's voice.  "Well, I do 
have a dinner engagement in an hour," Kensworth said with a shrug.

"No need to worry about us.  We'll see ourselves out," Mulder said 
cheerfully.

Kensworth looked dubious for a moment and then walked toward the doors 
at the far end of the company.  He stopped and turned to the agents 
again.  "Will there be anything else, any other questions for the 
investigation?"

Mulder was looking like the cat with a canary caught between his teeth.  
He looked over at Scully.  "Nothing that I can think of, can you, Agent 
Scully?"

Catching the hint, Scully shook her head.  "Nothing that I can think of 
Agent Mulder."

Kensworth nodded.  He accompanied the two agents out of the R & D 
office space, locked it, and headed toward the elevator.

"What did you find?" Scully hissed as she saw the little man hit the 
elevator button and enter the car.

"Well, I didn't find evidence of a torrid affair.  I found several 
pictures of our two missing employees, and their respective spouses.  
Not something you'd be likely to keep around if you're avoiding 
suspicions of hanky panky," Mulder said, handing her one of the photos.  
If anything, the two employees seemed casual friends at best.

This is pretty circumstantial," Scully commented, handing back the 
photo.

"And the guy with the gambling problem?  Pratt's a golfer.  Every 
night, from the score cards in his desk."

Scully pursed her lips.  "Pretty hard to play 9 holes . . ."

"Eighteen," Mulder corrected.

"OK, 18 holes and still spend the night at the track," Scully conceded.  

"And the guy who ran off to the Bahamas?  Well, Sisk apparently just 
bought a bass boat complete with trailer.  The bill of sale as well as 
the model brochure was in his desk."

"Don't these people ever do any work?  All their personal effects seem 
to be in their desks," Scully smirked.

"The decay of the Protestant work ethic, Scully. What can I say?" 
Mulder responded.

"So, if you've found evidence to blow holes in all of Kensworth well 
thought out explanations, where does that leave us?" Scully asked, 
chewing on her lip.

"I don't know what to tell you, Scully.  But I would like to look 
around this place a little more."

"Mulder, I really don't want to be caught here, and besides, he locked 
the door . . ."

"Nor do I, Scully," Mulder replied as he took out his lock pick, "and 
since when did a little lock ever stop us from doing the work of the 
FBI?" He heard the click and opened the door with a flourish.  "There 
you go.  We'll just nose around a little more.  Besides, if we tried to 
get on the B-W Parkway at this hour, we'll be there for ages.  If we 
leave in say fifteen minutes, I bet we can make it to your Mom's before 
Bill has a chance to say 'sorry son of a bitch'," he grinned.

She glared at his joke and ignored it. "So, what do we look for?"

Mulder shook his head.  "I don't know, anything out of the ordinary.  
Just poke around.  I want to see if I can get into the other lab, the 
one that has more of this project.  Maybe I can find some notes or 
something."

"Just be careful," Scully warned.  She watched him cautiously pick the 
lock of the lab next to the one they'd already seen.  When he was 
inside the lab, she turned back to the plate of green glass in the 
corner.  

The glass was incredible.  It was green at one angle, almost black at 
another, then silver if she shifted more in either direction.  The 
surface didn't appear solid, but almost seemed to slink and slither as 
she looked at it.  She remembered the windows in her grandmother 
Scully's farmhouse, how the panes were rippled at the bottom from age 
and gravity.  But this glass wasn't old, and it wasn't 'liquid' in the 
sense that normal glass can be.  This glass was moving right before her 
eyes.  She reached her hand up and came within an inch of running her 
index finger down the plate.

"Find anything, Scully?" called out Mulder.  

Though it wasn't much louder than a stage whisper, it was enough to 
have startled her.  She tried to prepare herself for falling onto the 
glass so as not to break it nor harm herself, but it was to no avail.  
Scully apparently lost her balance and quickly found herself on the 
floor of the company.

Act II Scene 1

She was fully prepared to see shards of green glass all around her, but 
when she looked up she saw that the emerald-colored sheet had remained 
intact.  Scully shook her head in bewilderment; she was quite sure that 
she'd fallen into the glass hard enough to break it, yet she found that 
the only sore part of her body was her derriere, on which she'd landed.

Odd, she thought but decided it was best to be grateful that she was 
free of any cuts from broken glass.  The next thing on her agenda was 
to find her wayward partner.

"Mulder?  I didn't find anything.  What about you?"  She heard no 
response, so she called out again.  "Mulder?  Where are you?"  Only 
silence greeted her and at that moment she couldn't decide if she were 
more concerned or more annoyed with her apparently AWOL partner.  

"Mulder, so help me, if you took off with the car, you are a dead man!" 
hissed Scully.  The glass company was no longer her first priority. 

She started walking toward the exit, yet she still took the time to 
observe her surroundings.  Everything appeared as it was before she 
fell.  Before she lost Mulder.

There appeared to be absolutely no one in the area. 

"Damn it, Mulder?  What's going on?" she whispered in consternation.

She retraced her steps to the door in which she and her partner had 
entered.  Just as she was about to turn the handle, she heard a deep 
baritone greet her.

"Doctor Scully!  I don't know how you manage to always be one step 
ahead of my department!  Sometimes, doc, it's downright spooky!"

Scully looked up at the tall, balding man who stood before her.  Was 
this some kind of bad joke?  Given the tasteless reference he'd made to 
'lover boy' earlier, Scully wouldn't have put it past him.

"Sir?  I don't believe that's appropr -"

"Sir?  What happened to Walter?  C'mon, doc, we've never been one to 
play with titles.  Just because I'm a captain doesn't mean I'm not a 
regular down to earth kind of cop."  

And then Walter Skinner did something he rarely ever did before.  He 
smiled.  It was a big, beautiful, light up your face kind of smile.  

And Scully knew something was very, very wrong.

"Um, Walter?  I'm not sure what you mean by my being 'spooky'," Scully 
said.

"Oh, well, I was called by the Chief who had been raked over the coals 
by the Commissioner over at the Mayor's office to find out what the 
hell is going on with all of the dead bodies they keep finding in this 
God forsaken monstrosity they call a building."

"You were called by the Police Chief?"  And then something reverberated 
in Scully's ears from moments ago.  "Because you are a police captain?"  
Though she tried to maintain a declarative, her confusion was all too 
obvious to both of them.

"Doc, are you okay?" asked Captain Skinner.

"Um, I thought so.  I fell before," she stammered, wondering if indeed 
her earlier fall involved more than just landing on her butt.

"Well, why didn't you say so?  Come on - let's get you sitting down for 
a minute."  He led her to a stool and gently pushed her into a sitting 
position.  "Now, did you hit your head?"  

Scully laughed.  "Sir, isn't that usually my question?"

"Sir, again?  Doc, I think perhaps you did hit your head."

Scully giggled again; she knew something was definitely off-kilter, but 
for some reason she did not feel as though she were in danger.  Mulder 
would probably have a chuckle over that thought, too, given her earlier 
misgivings regarding Skinner's knowledge of the 'relationship'.  

"No, I'm fine," she said.  Skeptical eyes met her blue ones.  "Sir - 
Walter, I'm okay."  

He nodded.  "Good.  Now, would you kindly tell me how you came to beat 
me over here?"

"Actually, I thought I'd gotten the word from you that something 
strange was going on here."

"Hmm, no, that was probably my renegade detective, dear man that he is.  
If it weren't for the fact that he was so damned effective in getting 
the job done, I'd have booted him out on his ass a long time ago."

Scully nodded.  She was afraid to ask just who that renegade detective 
really was.  

"Why exactly did you want to see me in the first place, sir - um, I 
mean, Walter?"

"There's another mysterious death coming out of this place.  Fourth 
one, to be exact and I don't understand it.  You and your team found 
some kind of poisonous cocktail was the cause of death for the other 
three, but no clues as to who or why. I figure it's got to have 
something to do with the work place, considering they all work here. 
Nothing else makes sense." 

Scully nodded in agreement.  To her mind it was getting stranger by the 
minute.

"Um, Doc, I'm actually more than a little surprised to see you here.  I 
thought you were going out of town for some Medical Examiner 
Symposium?"

Scully's eyes widened, but she quickly concealed her surprise.  Medical 
examiner?  Is that what he thinks I am, she wondered.  She stood up.  
It was time to figure out what in the hell was going on.

"Um, Walter?  Who told you I was going out of town?"

"Why, the Professor, of course."

"The Professor told you?"  Confusion blanketed Scully's face.  "What 
Professor?"

"You're scaring me a little, Dr. Scully.  What Professor do you think 
I'm talking about?"

Scully could do nothing more than shrug her shoulders.

"Your husband, the professor.

Scully collapsed back onto the stool.


Act II Scene 2

Scully's Residence
Georgetown

Skinner kept giving her furtive glances as he negotiated the streets to 
her apartment.  She couldn't decide if that infuriated her or scared 
her.  He seemed to be normal in all ways, except for the fanciful tale 
he wove about being a policeman.  It was a dream, she had almost 
convinced herself.  But she didn't remember a dream where the back of 
her head hurt, and at that moment she was the victim of a killer 
headache.

The car pulled up to the curb and Skinner killed the engine, and then 
raced around to open the door for her before her hand had even found 
the latch.  "Are you sure you don't want me to help you to your door, 
Doc?  Maybe I should call your husband, have him get down here."

Scully felt her throat tighten.  She wasn't at all sure she wanted to 
find out 'who' her husband was at this point, but it seemed inevitable.  
At the very least, she could manage to get to her own door by herself, 
though.  

"No, thank you, s-Walter.  I'm fine, really," she tried to assure the 
man giving her worried looks and stuffing his hands in his pockets to 
keep from carrying her up the steps.

"Well, you seemed pretty out of it back at Glass-glo.  Maybe you need 
to lie down a bit, relax.  Make the Oxford graduate fix dinner for a 
change," he added with a sly grin.  "Tell him I said it was a police 
order."

Oxford graduate.  Her ears picked up on that immediately.  She only 
knew one Oxford graduate, so maybe this dream had some redeeming 
qualities.  "I'll be sure to tell him that," she agreed.

Skinner watched her from the curb, biting his lip.  She turned to wave 
goodbye and he reluctantly stepped around the car to the driver's side.  
"Get some rest," he called.  She nodded and stood there for a minute, 
expecting him to drive off.  He sat where he was, not even bothering to 
start the car.  Realizing his intention to watch her all the way into 
the door of her apartment building, she pushed open the front door and 
closed it behind her.  She could hear him pull away.

His words were ringing in her ears.  "The Professor.  Your husband."  
Could it be?

She walked up the flight of stairs and had just found her key to put it 
in the lock when the door flung open.  A very worried looking Fox 
Mulder towered over her for a split second before throwing his arms 
around her in a bear hug.  "Are you all right, sweetheart?  What were 
you doing at that glass company?  Why aren't you in San Francisco?  Why 
didn't you call me from the airport; you know I would have picked you 
up!"

"Mulder, please, give me a minute," she gasped and he let go of her 
long enough to give her a stern look.  

"You do look pale," he announced, as if agreeing with someone else.  
"Damn it, Dana, I know Alex is a friend, but if he called you back to 
do some stupid autopsy and you tired yourself out because of it, I'll 
wring his scrawny little neck myself!"

"Mulder, I'm fine.  I just need to sit down," she told him, but allowed 
him to take her arm and lead her over to the sofa.  He helped her sit 
down, then leaned down and grabbed her ankles so he could take off her 
shoes and rest her feet on the coffee table.  

"Don't move.  I'm getting you something to drink."

"I'm not really thirsty," she told him, but he was already running 
water from the tap.  "Mulder, I said I'm not really thirsty," she tried 
again when he returned and placed the glass of ice water in her hand.

"What did I do?" he asked, a sheepish expression on his face.  
"Whatever it was, I apologize," he added before sitting next to her. 
 
"You didn't do anything," she told him as she sipped the water.  It was 
cold and felt good on her throat, even if she didn't want to admit it.

"You only call me by Mulder when you're mad at me, so I had to have 
done something.  If it's about the hotel room, I can explain.  The Dean 
of Faculty knows the concierge at the Hyatt in Frisco and he told me 
he'd get you an upgrade.  I didn't think you'd mind, I mean it came 
with an in-room whirlpool and all."

She looked at him closely.  He looked just like always, but there was 
something different.  If she was being honest with herself, he was 
hovering and it was getting on her nerves.

"Dana, why did you come back?  When we talked last night, you were 
having a good time.  Did you get sick?" he asked anxiously.

She was about to answer him when the phone rang.  He patted her leg and 
left to get the call in the kitchen.  It gave her a minute to look 
around.  There was a picture on the end table, next to the sofa, a 
formal wedding picture.  She was in the middle in a beautiful full-
length gown.  Her hair was pulled up and crowned with a flower-bedecked 
veil.  Mulder was incredibly handsome in a black tux with cummerbund.  
Next to him was his mother and . . . father?  She picked up the picture 
to examine it more closely.  On her right were her mother, and her 
father.  Then, as she looked at each face, she saw her brother Bill, 
her brother Charlie and on the end, Melissa!

Her hand flew to her face as she dropped the picture.  It bounced off 
the sofa cushion and fell to the floor, face down.

"That was Bill.  He was on his way over here, but I told him you were 
home early and not feeling well.  He said he'd catch us tomorrow at Mom 
and Ahab's.  Honey, what is it?" Mulder asked, concerned, when he saw 
her stricken face.

"Did you say 'Ahab'?" she asked, her voice thin and reedy.

He grinned his normal lopsided grin.  "I know, I know.  I would never 
call him that to his face, sweets.  I value my life."

"Ahab's alive," she muttered.  "Missy, your father, they're all alive."

"Baby, maybe you should lie down.  Walter didn't give me a lot of 
details when he called but . . ."

"When did he call?" Scully demanded.

"From the curb, when he let you out.  You really scared him, 
sweetheart.  And cops don't scare that easy.  What happened?  Why won't 
you tell me?"  He noticed she was staring at the upside down picture 
frame, so he bent to pick it up and put it on the end table again.  
"Geez, Sam should have tamed that hair a little before she got to the 
church," he said with an affectionate smile.  "Looks like she had it 
done in a wind tunnel!"

She snapped her eyes back to the picture.  On the far left of Mrs. 
Mulder was a young woman with a face she'd seen before.  Samantha 
Mulder.

She closed her eyes tightly.  "It's just a dream," she chanted.  "Just 
a dream."

An over timer went off and Mulder glared toward the kitchen over his 
shoulder.  "Damn it.  Honey, just sit right here, don't move.  I'll be 
right back!"  He hurried off to the kitchen, leaving her alone again.

She was drawn to the mantle over the fireplace.  The entire shelf was 
covered with photo frames.  Stepping gingerly around the coffee table, 
she went to get a closer look.  Mulder's graduation picture, obviously 
from Oxford.  His mother and father were on each side, smiling proudly.  
Another picture of him and Samantha.  There were other pictures with 
Scully in them.  The two of them holding each other while standing on a 
bridge, obviously a studio shot.  Then, a picture of their wedding.  At 
first she thought it was Mulder she was dancing with but on closer 
inspection . . .

"Krycek!  That rat bastard!"

"I knew it.  He called you back, didn't he?" Mulder exclaimed from the 
doorway.  "That does it, Dana.  I like the guy, too, but this is taking 
friendship too far.  He knows you've been feeling under the weather and 
I wanted you to go on this trip as a vacation, a chance to relax.  Man 
doesn't know the meaning of the word 'vacation' himself, but the least 
he can do is respect our wishes!"

She spun on her heel.  "You like him?  Since when?" she clucked.

Mulder came up and took her in his arms again, kissing her softly on 
the lips.  "Since the day you agreed to marry me and left him in the 
dust," he said, punctuating each word with more kisses.  "Hmm, you 
smell great, sweetheart.  But dinner's ready.  I just reheated some of 
that meatloaf from Monday, but you should still eat."

She let him lead her to the table and sat down obediently.  He filled 
her plate and then filled one for himself, sitting down to her left.  
She watched him as he dug into the meal.

"Mulder," she started, but at his hurt expression, she changed it.  
"Fox, sweetheart, what did you do today?"  She wanted to come out and 
ask him exactly what he did for a living, but decided that might get 
her a trip to the nearest psychiatric facility, one way.

"Oh, not much.  The Deviant Behavior class started their projects.  One 
of the teams determined that I'm the classic profile for a serial 
killer," he quipped, and wiggled his eyebrows.  "I told them it's been 
said before."

He's a professor of psychology, she concluded.  I'm a Medical Examiner, 
Skinner is a police captain, she mused silently.  It only made her head 
hurt more.  And Krycek danced with me at our wedding, she reminded 
herself.  It all had to be a dream!  But it was the longest darned 
dream she could remember.

The phone rang again.  "Damn it, can't we have just one meal," Mulder 
cursed as he reached over to answer it.  He scowled when he heard the 
voice.  "What's the meaning of calling her back like that, Alex?  She 
wasn't due back until tomorrow."  He was silent for a minute and then 
looked curiously over to Scully.  "Okay, I guess, but I really don't 
think she should go out again tonight.  She's really not herself."  
Finally, he sighed.  "This is going to stop, and soon, you know," he 
warned, then handed the phone over to Scully.

Scully took the receiver as if it were a live snake.  She stared at it 
a minute before putting it to her ear.  Mulder muttered another curse 
and picked up their plates to clean them off in the sink.  She turned 
her attention back to the voice on the phone.

"Bunnykins, you there?"

"Krycek?" she squeaked.  He could not have called her what she thought 
he just called her.

"Bunnykins, if you're sick, just hand this back to the Fox man and I'll 
get someone else to slice and dice.  It's just that when the Cap'n told 
me you were back, I wanted to see if you could take a look at this body 
we turned up."

"Body?" she asked.  She was chewing her lip and noticed when it started 
to hurt.

"Just like the other three.  Dead, in a storage closet at Glas-glo 
Industries.  Cap'n said you were at the scene when he got there.  You 
know you aren't supposed to play "Crossing Jordan" without me, Bun!  
So, do you want the honors, or should I call Gilman."

"Gilman," she huffed.  She was all too familiar with the District of 
Columbia's head of pathology.  She remembered butting heads with him on 
many occasions.  "He couldn't find the funny bone in a game of 
Operation," she snapped.

"Not a nice way to talk about your boss, Bunnykins, but I'll keep that 
little tidbit between the two of us.  Now, am I to take that as a yes, 
you'll come?" Krycek asked, sounding hopeful.

"I'll be there.  DC morgue, right?"  She felt like she was finally 
getting some control over this dream.

"Yeah, I'll be there in 45.  Hey, give the tall guy a kiss for me," he 
said with a grin in his voice.

She didn't know quite how to answer that so she just hung up the phone.  
Mulder was leaning against the counter, arms crossed and glaring at 
her.

"I told him I'd come down and do an autopsy," she said sheepishly.

He nodded, but his expression didn't soften.  "I heard."

"It's my job," she said meekly.

"Yeah, that's what you've told me before," he shot back.  Obviously, 
this was not a first time discussion between the two of them.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she told him.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.  His eyes lightened as he 
stroked her hair.  He leaned down and kissed the crown of her head.  
"You can't stop me from worrying.  Especially now.  And don't forget, 
we have your Mom's surprise birthday party tomorrow.  First time the 
Mulder and the Scully clans have been in the same house since New 
Years.  And this time, I remembered to alert the fire department," he 
added with a chuckle.

"All of us?" she whispered.

He tilted her face toward him.  "Yeah.  All of us.  So try to be home 
early so you can get some rest, OK?"  He kissed her passionately, and 
the let her go.  "Go on, get out of here before I drag you off and have 
my way with you," he teased.


Act II Scene 3
The Morgue

Scully watched awestruck at the clockwork precision with which the team 
worked.  When she'd walked into the room, someone handed her a lab coat 
unceremoniously and she put it on.  She noticed an identification tag 
with her name was already attached.  Odd, she thought, but she then 
noticed that everyone wore nametags and so she put the puzzle aside for 
that moment.

A young man worked quickly putting a toe tag on the still-clothed body 
that lay on the cold slab, while a young woman began taking the 
necessary identifying photos.  Once she'd finished getting the front 
view, she called out to a co-worker for assistance in turning the body 
and continued photographing.

Next, the clothes were removed from the corpse and pictures of the 
body, both front and back, were once again taken.  Other members of the 
team moved the body to the scale for weighing and x-raying.  

A pair of workers was carefully going over every item of clothing and 
documenting any and all characteristics of the items.  Scully remained 
standing in the center of the hubbub, not quite sure exactly what her 
role was at that moment.  The group surrounding her seemed to work like 
a well-oiled machine.

"Hey, doc?  We're ready for you anytime you want to begin slicing and 
dicing," called out a young man.
 
"Okay," she said without looking directly at the source of the voice. 
Scully remained mesmerized by the flurry of activity and the fact that 
she was apparently in charge of it.

"You okay, doc?"

"I'm sorry," she began and looked at the nametag clipped to the lab 
coat, "Kevin," she stammered.  "I don't know where my head is today".  
She looked over at the nude corpse and announced, "Let's get started, 
shall we?"

The forensics specialist set to work by turning on the tape recorder 
and by referring to the file identified the case number and stated the 
victim's name.  "John Pratt."  

I know that name, she thought with a start.  "John Pratt was a golfer," 
she murmured.

"Why Doctor Scully, your forensics expertise never ceases to amaze me," 
called out a familiar voice from the entrance.

Thinking quickly, she pointed to the body's right arm and noted that it 
was slightly more muscular than the left.  "It's not quite as built up 
as it would have been if he were a tennis player..."

"I see."  The voice held a hint of amusement in it.

"Well, it just fits," she said and looked up.  When she looked up, 
Scully's eyes grew wide at the figure before her.  Like an old habit, 
she felt the animosity rise along with the color of her cheeks, but 
just as quickly she tamped it down. 

"You never cease to amaze me, Scully, to find the smallest clue and 
make it answer the big questions."

"Well, I guess Mulder's rubbed off on me," she murmured.

"Gee, you think?"  He laughed and was about to offer his own reasons 
for Scully's uncanny ability to weave answers out of the air when the 
trill of his cell phone interrupted the exchange.  He opened up the 
channel and identified himself.

"Krycek."

He nodded while holding the phone to his ear and then said, "Good.  
Show him downstairs."

"Send who downstairs?" asked Scully, more confused than ever.

Krycek smiled.  "Our corpse."

"Our...what the hell are you talking about, Krycek?"  

"Now, Bunnykins, you've got to calm down.  Please.  You'll see for 
yourself in another - ."

"Call me that one more time, Krycek, and I will make sure you're lying 
on one of these tables and no jury will would find me guilty either," 
seethed Scully.

"But, I always call you Bunnykins, and you always call me - ."

"Excuse me," said a man standing, hesitantly, by the doorway.  "I was 
told to come here to identify a body.  But I don't understand. No one 
will tell me who it is.  My God, is it my wife Audrey?"

Scully felt lightheaded when she looked up and saw who was standing at 
the door.  It couldn't be, could it? she wondered.  "No, sir, it's not 
Audrey," she assured him.

"Then, who?"

"Mr. Pratt," began Krycek, "do you have a brother?  A twin brother?  An 
identical twin brother?"

"Identical twin?  No, of course not.  I have a sister, and a couple of 
first cousins, but that's it."  He looked from Krycek to Scully, still 
in a state of total confusion.  "Why?  What's going on?"

"Mr. Pratt, I want you to step over here and tell me if you recognize 
the body lying on this table."

As Pratt stepped closer, the attendant who had thoughtfully covered up 
the body with a sheet upon hearing a 'civilian' was entering the 
icebox, stood ready to uncover it.

Thank God I hadn't made the Y-incision yet, thought Scully with some 
relief.  Since it was always a shock for people not desensitized to the 
presence of dead bodies, Scully moved closer to John Pratt.  The live 
John Pratt.  

"Sir," she said softly, "I'd like you to take a deep breath and then 
let it out slowly.  What you're about to see will most likely be very 
disturbing to you."

"Please, just show me, already.  I can't imagine it being much worse 
than being kept in the dark!"

"Okay."  Scully nodded toward the attendant and he slowly folded the 
covering down just below the victim's face.  "Mr. Pratt, do you 
recognize this person?"

Pratt had turned his head away; the thought of looking at a cold, 
vulnerable, dead body lying on a metal table was not something he 
looked forward to.  When Scully called his name, he forced himself to 
turn his eyes toward the victim.  The morbid curiosity people feel when 
viewing a horrific scene was no different for Pratt.  He stared down at 
the face that lay on the table.

His expression showed little if any recognition of the double that lay 
before him.  Seconds ticked by when slowly a look of shock, and then 
horror, began to register on Pratt's face.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," he gasped out.  He then proceeded to upchuck the 
contents of his last meal on what was once a pristine floor.

Approximately twenty minutes later, after the floor was swabbed down 
and disinfected, John Pratt was brought to an office that Scully had 
soon realized was hers.  After a brief interview, Scully and Krycek 
learned that the other three dead bodies currently in the morgue were 
the body doubles of John Pratt's three research associates over at 
Glass-glo Industries.  He was shown Polaroid shots of the victims, as 
neither Krycek nor Scully felt it necessary to put Mr. Pratt under the 
stress of seeing three more dead bodies.

Though the identification process for the last three victims was 
certainly less traumatic than the first, it nonetheless left Mr. Pratt 
weak-kneed. Krycek suggested that he be driven home in a black and 
white, and that arrangements could be made for someone to pick his car 
up later.  Pratt nodded, his pallor still somewhat chalky, and left 
with a DC uniformed cop.

Scully sat quietly at the desk, her desk.  She still had difficulty 
wrapping her mind around whatever was going on, but one thing was 
certain; this was no dream.

"So, Dana, what half-looped theory do you have for this one?"

"You act as if all of my theories are out there," she retorted.

"C'mon, Bunnykins, this is you we're talking about!"

"Stop with the Bunnykins already!"  She was ticked.  The problem was 
Krycek had no reason as to why.

"What's with you?  I know the Cap'n was concerned that you'd hit your 
head or something, and now you're getting me worried.  Dana, I always 
call you Bunnykins and you always call me BunnyBoy," he said.  When she 
looked at him with an expression of total incredulity, he added, "Well, 
almost always."

"Aha."

"We don't use our pet names in front of Fox.  He never did appreciate 
them."

"Fox doesn't like them?" she echoed, her confusion apparent.

"Dana, those were our nicknames in college, remember?  I mean, they 
weren't exactly our idea...I mean, they were kind of laid on us by our 
very good, well-meaning friends who had very warped senses of humor, 
but shit, if the shoe fits?"

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!  Are you saying we - !"

" - humped like little bunnies all the way through our junior and 
senior years!"

"But, what happened?"

"Fox Mulder happened."  Krycek wore a bittersweet smile.  "You met him 
when you entered medical school.  He was working for one of the profs 
in the pysch department and you met him while taking one of your gut-
level psych courses.  The rest, as they say, is history."

"Oh."  He'd swept me off my feet even in this world, she mused to 
herself.  This world.  "Oh, shit," she muttered.

"What?"

"Krycek -"

"Look, I know something is off here; I get that.  But please, you stop 
calling me Krycek.  The way you say it - I don't know - it sounds 
almost like an obscenity coming off of your lips."

"I'm sorry; I don't mean to, it's just that I can't call you -"

"Call me Alex, okay?"  He smiled, brighter this time.

"Okay, Alex it is."  She took a deep breath and felt more relaxed than 
she'd felt in the last couple of hours.

"So, back to the business at hand.  Do you have any theories about all 
of this, half-looped or otherwise?" he asked.

"Well," she hesitated.  "As a matter of fact, I do.  And I suspect this 
one's going to seem more off the wall than usual, so try and keep an 
open mind, okay?"  At that she chuckled; never had she thought it would 
be necessary for her to use that particular line regarding one of her 
theories.

"Hey, you've yet to steer me wrong, Bunny-, Dana."

Dana acknowledged his correction with a small nod and then went on to 
explain.  "Okay, first, I'm not exactly who you think I am."

"Okay."

"No, really."

"The mind is still open, Dana, but you better start clarifying for me 
or it's going to get plugged up really fast."

"Alex, it appears that I come from a place very much like this, only a 
little different."

"Really."  Now he was getting really worried.  The woman was delusional 
and definitely showing signs of a head injury.

"Yes, really.  Alex, I am not a medical examiner.  I am a forensic 
pathologist who is also a special agent - " Given the total look of 
disbelief Krycek displayed, Scully decided it was best to provide proof 
positive of her identity.  She pulled out her ID and then, slowly, very 
slowly, she pulled out her weapon.

"Holy shit, Dana!  What the hell are you doing with a gun?"

"I'm an FBI agent, Alex.  I have a license to carry this and to be 
honest, I'm a pretty damn good shot."

"FBI?" he repeated as he reached out for the identification badge.  
"This is unbelievable."

"Tell me about it," she murmured.

"Okay," he stammered, "let's assume this badge is for real and that gun 
isn't something you picked up at the costume shop just to scare the 
crap out of me."  

Next, he took a couple of deep breaths.  It was obvious to Scully that 
Krycek both wanted yet couldn't quite believe what she was purporting.  
She had no problem relating to his dilemma.

"Dana, why are *you* here and not the real, I mean, other Dana Mulder."

"Well, my guess is that the other Dana is still in San Francisco 
attending her conference.  She's probably going to be in for a rude 
awakening if she comes back and sees me."

"Not to mention Fox," Krycek added.

"Oh, boy."  Scully let out an unexpected giggle at that thought.  

"What?" asked Krycek who too was now smiling.

"The Mulder in my world always had enough trouble handling one Scully 
in his life. I can only imagine what it would be like for him with 
two."

"Hey, but then there'd be one for each of us!"

"Sorry, Alex, I'm a one Mulder kind of gal."

"Figures, my luck I lose out to Mulder in two worlds!"

She shook her head, having decided not to elaborate any further on her 
relationship with the Krycek of her world.  

"Okay, now here's the situation."  Scully went on to explain her theory 
that the bodies lying in the morgue were those of the four missing 
Glass-glo research associates from her world.  The fact that John Pratt 
walked in alive and well and confirmed that his three associates were 
in the same state only served to bolster her theory.

"But how did the bodies get here?  Hell, how did you get here?" asked 
Krycek, as he tried to make sense of it all.  "How were the victims 
killed, and why were the bodies brought here?"

"Okay, I think I can more easily answer your last questions first."  
She rummaged through the files on her desk and discovered the ones she 
was looking for in the box marked 'current'.  "According to the 
autopsies on the first three bodies, the toxicology report states that 
all three ingested a combination of poisonous substances that rendered 
their bodily functions useless."

"Okay, poisoned to death.  And I assume they were brought here to hide 
the bodies from law enforcement in your world, right?"

"That would be the most logical assumption."

"Okay, but, Dana, who would do this?  What's the motive?"

"The only suspect that I have on my list is Bradley Kensworth."

"Kensworth?  You've got to be kidding!  He's one of the most respected 
businessmen in this city.  Dana, not only is he brilliant in his own 
right, but the man runs a multi-million dollar company and has more 
friends in this town than he knows what to do with!"

"Alex," she said gently, "remember, you're describing the Bradley 
Kensworth of your world.  He didn't quite come across that way in 
mine."

"Oh. Damn, you don't think - "

"I think there's a very real possibility Mr. Kensworth will be 
prosecuted for the deaths of five people."

"But there's still the 'how'.  How the hell did you and those bodies 
get here?"

"I think the answer to that question is at Glass-glo Industries."

"Okay," Alex said after taking a deep breath.  "I suspect the best 
thing for us to do is to try and find this guy Kensworth and bring him 
in for questioning."

"I think that's a very good idea.  Let's go."

"Excuse me?"  Alex looked definitely amused.

"I said, 'Let's go'."  Scully definitely did not.

"Dana, this could be dangerous."

"Alex, I'm an FBI special agent, remember?"

"Oh.  Well, you probably don't have jurisdiction here, right?"

"I'm sure if there are any incidents, once all is explained, all will 
be forgiven."

Alex noted the look of determination on Scully's face and he knew there 
would be no changing her mind.  Well, better that she be with him, he 
thought, so he could keep an eye on her.


Act III Scene 1

Leslie Rosten was pacing the small lab at Glas-glo Industries.  At one 
of the microscopes, Henry Polanski was hunched over the lens, 
scribbling hurriedly on a note pad next to him.  Larry Sisk was playing 
'one on one' with the nerf basketball set attached to the door of the 
lab refrigerator.

"I don't like it.  John is never late," Leslie said for the third time.  

Larry shook his head.  "At least not before the first trifecta," he 
chuckled.  "He probably decided to have a late lunch, Les.  Relax.  
It's not the first time we've had to cover for him."

At that moment, Brad Kensworth tapped on the glass window to the lab 
and opened the door.  "Anybody home?"

Leslie shot Larry an 'I told you so' look and pasted on a fake smile.  
"Brad, hi!  Yeah, the gang's all here.  Oh, except John.  Unexpected 
dentist appointment," she lied neatly.

Kensworth smiled thinly.  "Oh, well, hopefully he'll show up soon.  So, 
how's the application of the new product going?" he asked casually as 
he wandered around the lab, even moving Henry aside to glance down the 
microscope.

"You know, Brad, we're years away from commercial application of the 
green glass.  The prototype works and that's wonderful, but we're going 
to need the engineers in here to take a look at the specs and see how 
to mass market it," Larry said lazily.  He made a basket, nothing but 
net, and pantomimed a cheering section.

Kensworth strode over quickly and grabbed the basketball hoop off the 
refrigerator, tossing it in the garbage can.  "I told you I wanted 
those specs NOW, Larry.  I'm not waiting around for some dumbass 
engineer to tell me he has to have half a million dollars in 
unnecessary equipment changes before we can hand this stuff over," he 
growled.

Leslie shifted uncomfortably on her feet, backing up to stand close to 
Henry.  "Brad, you act like someone wants this stuff.  It's just R & D 
at this point.  It's never been sent out for contract."  She glanced 
over to her companions.  "At least, _we_ never saw the proposal."

A swift kick to the garbage can and everyone jumped.  Kensworth was 
visibly trying to calm himself down.  "I know it's just R & D, Les.  
But we can't let this stuff sit on a drawing board forever.  The 
commercial applications could make this company millions, billions, I 
would dare say.  It would put us on top, we'd be up there with Corning.  
Glass is the future, you all know that!"  He dropped his hands to his 
side.  "And besides, there are hefty, and I mean hefty bonuses to all 
of you coming very soon, if you get me the correct specs."

All three researchers exchanged nervous glances.  Henry put his hand on 
Leslie's arm, but spoke directly to Kensworth.  "I was playing with it 
the other night, Brad."  He turned and rifled through a desk draw, 
coming up with a file folder.  He took the three steps and handed it to 
his boss.  "It's rough, but I think it's enough to get started.  I 
agree with Larry, though.  I think the engineers . . ."

Kensworth grabbed the file and smiled excitedly.  "Oh, this will be 
enough, Henry.  Thank you.  I appreciate this.  You have no idea how 
much I appreciate this.  Well, you will, in your next paycheck.  Now, 
all of you, I've taken up enough of your time.  Oh, and Leslie, tell 
John I hope that tooth gets to feeling better," he said brightly and 
left before anyone else could say a word.

After the door closed, Leslie slumped.  "My god, what just happened?" 
she exclaimed.

"I've never seen Brad act like that," Larry agreed, going over to 
inspect the garbage can.  "Wow, he really did a number on this.  We'll 
need a new one," he said sorrowfully.

Henry was deep in thought and Leslie touched his arm to get his 
attention.  "Why did you give him that folder, Hank?  I didn't think 
you had all the kinks worked out."

He met her gaze finally and smiled.  "I don't.  I just didn't like the 
way the conversation was heading.  Guys, I think something is rotten in 
Denmark."

"Oh, shit, we're starting the literary references again," Larry howled.  
"You know, we all weren't English majors at Princeton before we 
discovered the science lab!"

Leslie chuckled at the joke but then turned serious and faced Henry.  
"What are you saying?"

"I don't think that's Brad."

Larry started laughing.  "Well, it sure wasn't Brad _Pitt_.  If it 
wasn't Brad, who the hell was it?"

Leslie had already caught on.  "Hank, are you saying what I think 
you're saying?  That the person just in this room was . . ."

"Another Brad Kensworth.  But not ours."

Leslie dropped to the desk chair and put her hand to her mouth.  "Oh, 
my god!"

Larry was standing, watching Henry like he'd just spouted the cure for 
the common cold.  "Hank, that's . . . man, that's nuts!"

"Not if our findings are right," Henry said slowly.  "Not if Brad 
succeeded in finding a way to another parallel dimension."

"But Brad would never have allowed another guy to come back with him.  
I mean, he would have had more sense then to . . ."

"Unless something's happened to _our_ Brad," Leslie said, tears forming 
in her eyes.  Suddenly, she jumped up off the chair.  "Oh god, Hank!  
What if something's happened to John?  What if this Brad . . ."

"Les, relax, honey, it'll be okay," Henry said, taking her in his arms.

Meanwhile, just beyond the closed door, within ear shot but undetected, 
Brad Kensworth smiled evilly.  "Just keep telling yourselves that, my 
little friends.  I'll be dealing with you very soon."


Act III Scene 2

He stepped through the solid emerald waterfall and emerged 
on the other side.  His world.  It was good to be back, 
even if it's just for a little while.  He picked up his 
pace as he realized he'd been out of touch with his workers 
for quite some time.  In fact, he began to jog a bit when 
suddenly, he felt as though he'd ran into a brick wall.

"Jesus H. Christ!" Kensworth felt the knocked out of him.

"Where the hell did you come from?" demanded Mulder.  
"Where's Agent Scully?"

"Agent Scully?" he asked, not having to feign innocence 
given that he had no idea of the answer.  "Besides, what 
are you doing here in the first place?  This is a secured 
area; I brought you here earlier out of courtesy and my 
desire to find out what happened to my team.  But you, 
Agent Mulder, are trespassing on private property."

"Hey, you've got government contracts with NASA, so the 
private property clause no longer applies."  Mulder wasn't 
positive if this was actually the case or not, but he 
figured if he said it with enough confidence, Kensworth 
just might buy it and not call security.

"Look, I don't want any trouble, Agent Mulder.  I'm going 
to ask you politely to leave."

Mulder wasn't sure if his ploy worked or if it just bought 
him a little more time.  "Mr. Kensworth, my partner and I 
are merely doing our job.  However, I've apparently lost 
track of her whereabouts; you haven't seen her around here, 
have you?"

"No, and I can assure you that if I did, I'd be requesting 
she leave the premises the same way I'm asking you to do 
so.  Now, do I have to call security?  Because NASA 
contract or no NASA contract, you do not have security 
clearance to be here on your own and I have work that must 
be done immediately."

"No, that won't be necessary.  If you do come into contact 
with my partner, would you let her know that I'll be 
waiting for her by the car?"

"Of course.  I'll walk you to the elevator," and Kensworth 
led the way to the corridor that held Mulder's ride to the 
main lobby.  

They both heard the ping that alerted riders an elevator 
was available.  After a terse 'good day', Kensworth hurried 
off to the left of the bank of elevators without ever 
looking back.

That worked to Mulder's advantage, as he had no intention 
of leaving the area without his partner.  The agent decided 
that Mr. Bradley Kensworth probably knew more than he was 
letting on.  Mulder did the only sensible thing he could 
do; he followed Kensworth at a very discreet distance, with 
his weapon in a moment's reach.

Kensworth went left and entered a hallway that was 
unfamiliar to Mulder.  Mulder watched Kensworth pull out 
his security keycard and swipe it at the entrance way to 
the secured corridor.  He was granted access and pushed his 
way through the double doors with his eyes forward the 
entire time.

Mulder managed to remain just close enough to be able to 
snag the doors before they completely closed and he quietly 
slipped through.  Both Kensworth and Mulder repeated this 
process two more times.

Finally, Kensworth stopped before the final door and once 
again swiped the keycard; only this time he pressed his 
palm against a sensing device located above where he'd 
swiped his card.  Again, Mulder managed to follow him 
through the doors, which led him to wonder just how good 
Glass-glo security was if he was able to gain access to the 
entire high security area.

Mulder entered and noted Kensworth's back was to him.  
Mulder quickly slipped behind a row of shelves that allowed 
him the ability to watch his subject in action.

And what action it was.

Mulder watched as Kensworth pulled out a sheath of what 
appeared to be hastily folded papers from his suit jacket.  
After he smoothed the material out as much as possible, he 
next pulled out what seemed to be a small piece of green 
gemstone.  It was opaque, yet there appeared to be fluidity 
to it that Mulder couldn't explain.  

He watched as Kensworth put the small, emerald object onto 
a small platform encased in a machine unlike any Mulder had 
ever seen before.  He noted four, what appeared to be, 
electrodes sticking out, surrounding the sample.  

"Okay, now let's see what my beautiful electrostatic 
levitator can do," whispered Kensworth, while he 
unknowingly gave Mulder a play by play of what was going 
on.

"Once you're turned on, my beautiful little ESL, you are 
going to confirm the answer to my prayers and make me a 
very, very rich man.

"First we get the position right with the shadows from the 
lasers, and then we start charging my beautiful liquid 
transporter with all of your electrical charges.  Make sure 
the arc lamp is ready to shine, shine, shine and then all 
of those electrical charges being sapped away from my 
little beauty are replaced.  

"Okay, now I just wait for the digital feedback to do its 
thing and control the whole system.  This has got to be it.  
They must have figured out how to reproduce it; it's my 
ticket out of here!"

Suddenly, without any warning, there was a small explosion 
inside the chamber area of the ESL.  "Oh, God, no!  NO!  
That was my only sample of their replication.  Damn it!" 
cried out Kensworth in obvious anger and frustration.

Kensworth then continued his running monologue.  "Okay, you 
sonofabitches, it's time for me to stop playing games.  You 
will give me the information I need or you're going to find 
yourself right next to your 'doublemint' twins.  I am going 
to get this information if I have to kill each and everyone 
of them to do it."

With that, Kensworth made sure all power was off in the 
levitator as well as the lab itself.  He turned and gave 
nary a glance to the rest of his surroundings.  Mulder 
pressed himself up against the shelf as much as possible to 
prevent his quarry from seeing him or his shadow.

He watched as Kensworth left the room without any security 
protocol to follow, which made it that much easier for 
Mulder to stealthily follow the man back to the first lab 
area.


Act III Scene 3

"Could you move this car a little faster?" Scully asked as she looked 
over Krycek's arm to the speedometer.

"Look, I don't know how they do it in your 'universe', but around here, 
we try to obey traffic laws," he told her with a mirthful grin.

"Ha!" she shot back.  "Like you'd ever obey any law," she muttered.

"I heard that!" he growled.  "From what I've seen, you sure don't seem 
to like 'your' Alex very much, do you?"

Scully looked at the man to her left and thought about that question.  
What good would it do to try and explain all the hate and mystery tied 
up in the person that was Alex Krycek in her world.  But the Alex 
sitting next to her wasn't about to give up.

"Is he that big of a creep?" he asked, wincing involuntarily.

"In a word, yes," she said and turned her attention to the road.

"I'm sure Fox Mulder is some knight in shining armor, right?" Krycek 
continued, a bitterness edging his voice.

"Look, I'd rather not . . ."

"Are you two married over there?"

That question hit her out of the blue, too.

"No," she replied quietly.

"Is he gay over there?" Krycek asked with a mischievous grin

She glared at him.  "No, he is not gay.  We just . . . we haven't taken 
that step," she said, wanting very much to change the subject, or stop 
talking all together.

"Good.  Maybe my twin has a shot," he grinned.  At her very sour look 
he shrugged.  "Or not."

"Can we just get to the company?" she pleaded.

"Sure thing, 'Special Agent Scully'," he said and pressed the 
accelerator closer to the floor.


Act IV Scene 1

Mulder stood in front of the slab of glass and wondered if he was 
making a mistake.  He saw Kensworth push forward and disappear into the 
emerald sheet, but he still couldn't believe it.

This was pretty ironic even for Mulder, given his pension for wanting 
to believe in extreme possibilities.  It was with that thought that he 
drew out his weapon, took a deep breath, and propelled himself through 
the fluid wall.

His disorientation lasted only moments, when Mulder suddenly found 
himself facing Kensworth and three others.  When he took a closer look, 
behind the comfort of his glock, Mulder realized that Kensworth also 
held a gun, and it was pointed in the direction of the three, apparent, 
hostages.

"Agent Mulder?  How did you - What are you -?" stuttered Kensworth.

"I followed you, like any good agent of the FBI should, Mr. Kensworth.  
And since I'm trained to use deadly force if necessary with the very 
weapon in my hands, I suggest that you drop your gun and turn yourself 
in for the murders of four people."

"I didn't murder anyone.  The team is right here, Agent Mulder."

"I see only three."

"Trust me, all four are alive and well."

"Why don't I believe you, Mr. Kensworth?" asked Mulder with a forced 
grin.

"Believe what you want, Agent Mulder.  But right now it appears that I 
have the upper hand, as I don't believe you'll take the chance of 
harming innocent people, now would you?"

"Look," said Henry Polanski, "I know you want to help, but this guy 
seems to mean business, you know?  He's already killed our boss."

"Shut up!  Shut up!  I'm your boss! Do you hear me? I'm Bradley 
Kensworth and I'm your boss!"

"Hey," began Leslie Rosten, "you may look like Brad, and you may sound 
like Brad, but trust me, you don't have half of the brain power Brad 
has, or rather had.  I know Bradley Kensworth, and you sure as hell 
aren't him." Leslie tried to remain stoic, but she couldn't and finally 
gave in to her sorrow and fear, and broke down.

"Leslie, are you okay?" called out John Pratt as he entered the room.  
When he took note of the stalemate between agent and hostage taker, he 
demanded, "For crying out loud, what's going on here?"

"John, get out of here!  Please!" cried out Leslie.

Instead of leaving, John Pratt moved closer to the group.  He looked 
over at Mulder and wondered who the unknown face in the group was, when 
Kensworth suddenly became jumpy.

"Don't move any closer, Pratt!"

"Bradley, what is it that you want from us?" asked Pratt as he moved 
slowly closer to the group.

"What do I want?  I want data.  I want the data that will make me a 
very rich man, John."  He paused but then turned his gun toward Pratt.  
"And I distinctly remember telling you not to come any closer."

"Kensworth, put the gun down now," Mulder ordered.

"Go to hell Agent Mulder."

"This is going to end now, Kensworth.  Don't let it end badly.  Put the 
gun down." Mulder stood steadfast with his weapon trained on 
businessman's head.

"Oh, this is bullshit!  You're right, Agent, but every ending has to 
have a beginning and I'm going to start with you."  And in one fluid 
motion, Bradley Kensworth pointed his gun toward Mulder and ready to 
cock the trigger.


Act IV Scene 2

Glas-glo Industries

They heard voices near the labs.  Raised voices.  Scully was certain 
she'd made out Mulder's voice in the mix.  She pulled her weapon and 
motioned for Krycek to follow her.  He gave her a raised eyebrow, but 
didn't voice any objection.  He pulled his own weapon and moved quietly 
behind her.

As they crept across the cement floor of the industrial complex, Scully 
grew more and more concerned.  It was Mulder, she could hear him.  He 
sounded angry, it was his panic voice even though it would have 
appeared in control to anyone else.  She moved faster, still making 
sure not to give away her and Krycek's position.

At the window to the lab, she saw Kensworth.  He was pointing a gun at 
the researchers and then suddenly, he swung and he took aim at a person 
whose back was turned to her but was still as familiar as her own 
reflection.

"Mulder!" she gasped.  She grabbed for the door, but was shoved aside 
by a sudden impact.  She skidded across the floor a few feet and when 
she managed to get into the room it was to see the aftermath.  All 
action had ceased.

Mulder stood over Kensworth, who lay dead on the floor.  

With a murderous glare, Mulder had his gun trained on the sudden 
intruder, Alex Krycek.  

Krycek was trying to appear composed in the face of what had to be a 
totally incomprehensible situation.  The man he'd almost surely 
considered a 'pansy assed professor' was taking a bead right on his 
heart.  

Four researchers stood huddled and frightened in the corner.

Scully stepped in the room, holstering her weapon.  Mulder noticed her 
immediately, but didn't break his stance.

"Scully, be careful!  It's Krycek!" he shouted.

She shook her head as she walked over to her partner.  Slowly, she 
brought her hand up and grasped his extended hand, bringing the weapon 
down to his side.  "Yes, Mulder.  I know.  He's been helping me," she 
said in a calm voice.  She looked up into his shocked eyes and smiled.  
"It's okay.  He's not our Krycek.  He's not that much of a jerk, at 
least from what I've seen.  Mulder, he just saved your life."

Mulder seemed to take that in for second and then returned to the 
bigger question in his mind.  "The glass . . ." Mulder started, but 
couldn't complete the thought.  It was too incredible for even him to 
believe at first blush.  Scully's grin grew larger.

"Basically, it's a portal between two dimensions.  Two parallel 
universes," she said simply.

"Not two different times?" Mulder asked, relaxing more with each word 
she uttered.

"Nope.  Two perfectly parallel worlds," she said with a shake of her 
head.  Her eyes brightened.  "Just like I proposed in my senior 
thesis," she added with a wink.

"Well, I'm so happy we could finally put that whole issue to rest, 
Scully, but next time find a less terrifying way to go about it," 
Mulder gritted out, finally feeling safe enough to put his gun away.  
"So, I assume this was the Kensworth from 'our' universe," he 
concluded, nodding toward the body on the floor.

"And I'm pretty sure he's responsible for the death of four people from 
your universe," Krycek said, coming forward slowly, so as not to 
startle Mulder again.

"And one from your universe," Scully said to Krycek.  Then she turned 
to her partner.  "I'm sure if we looked, Mulder, we'll find the body of 
Brad Kensworth from this world in a locker at Glas-glo on our side."

"I'm getting a headache," Krycek said with a heavy sigh.  "How the hell 
do we explain this thing?  The Captain is gonna have a shit fit!"

Mulder broke out into a bright smile.  "Gee, it's not the first time 
we've had a case remain unsolved.  Must be an X-file," he said to 
Krycek, whose response was an expression of utter and complete 
confusion.  "I think our work is done here, Scully.  We have just 
enough time to get back to our universe, make our own explanations to 
Skinner and get over to your mom's house."

"What?  You aren't leaving this mess for me to clean up, are you?" 
Krycek beseeched Scully.  "Bunnykins!  C'mon!"

"Bunnykins?" Mulder repeated, reaching for his gun again.  Scully put a 
hand on his arm and he hesitated, but dropped it finally.

Scully walked over to Alex and did something that was unexpected, even 
to her.  She reached up on tiptoe and placed a chaste kiss on his 
cheek.  "Thanks, Alex, for everything.  Oh, and don't forget.  You 
still have to explain _my_ appearance to _your_ Mulder."

Krycek closed his eyes in exasperation.  "I'm a dead man.  Can't I come 
over there with you?  And what about this guy!  Who the hell has 
jurisdiction?"

Mulder's smile couldn't get any bigger.  He took Scully by the elbow 
and walked over to the glass, just outside the lab.  He motioned to the 
cluster of researchers and Leslie Rosten walked over cautiously 
avoiding Kensworth.

"When we get through, break it," Mulder directed.

Leslie gasped.  "But shouldn't we . . ."

Scully reached out and touched Leslie's hand.  "No, he's right, Dr. 
Rosten.  Break the glass.  We'll break the one on our side.  We just 
aren't ready for this yet.  But maybe . . ."

"Never," Mulder said firmly and with a glance of goodbye, together they 
stepped into the glass.

And into an empty company floor.  Taking the butt of his weapon, Mulder 
hit the glass at the edge and watched it shatter to the cement below.

Scully sighed in relief.  Mulder had his eyes closed and she reached up 
to touch his cheek.  "We're home," she told him quietly.

"Are you sure?" he asked tightly.

She took his hand and walked him to the exit.  Pushing open the double 
doors, she pointed to their bureau rental, parked right where they'd 
left it.  "Yeah.  I'm sure."

"Scully, I still don't quite understand."  Mulder was chewing on his 
lip as he searched for the keys in his pants pocket.  "Krycek was 
helping you?  And what was with that kiss?"

Scully smiled at him affectionately.  "I'll explain it all on the ride 
to Mom's."


Epilogue 

Maggie Scully's House
Baltimore, MD

The doorbell rang.  

"Oh, that must be them," called out Maggie Scully, happily.

"Sit, Mom, I've got it covered."  Bill Scully, Jr. stood up from the 
couch.

"Bill, please...," Maggie said softly.

"Don't worry.  I'm just going to open the door to let them in," he 
assured.

He left the den where everyone had retired to enjoy their coffee.  They 
were holding off on the birthday cake until the rest of the family 
could join them.  Now, they were finally there.  Bill opened the front 
door.

"Dana," Bill said warmly as he enveloped his little sister into his 
arms.

"Hi, Bill, it's so good to finally be here," she said with a hint of 
fatigue. 

"You sound tired," he said.

"I won't lie; I am.  We didn't get a chance to get much sleep on this 
case, but thankfully we were able to wrap it up quickly."  She took a 
quick glance around.  "Where is everyone?"

"In the den having coffee.  Come, Mom's really anxious to see you."

Mulder cleared his throat.  "Um, I'll be right there.  I have to use 
the little boy's room."

Scully rolled her eyes and smiled.  Bill just rolled his eyes.

"Go on, Scully.  I'll be there in a second."  As she started to walk 
away, Mulder touched Bill's shoulder.  "May I speak with you for a 
moment?"

"What's there to say?  You want me to thank you for finally getting my 
sister here a day late?  She missed our brother because of your stupid 
case."

"Excuse me?  Did you say *my* case?  I thought you'd figured it out by 
now, Bill, but they're not *my* cases.  They haven't been for a very 
long time.  They're *our* cases.  It's our job to follow through on 
these cases.  

"Bill, you're in the navy.  Surely you, of all people, understand that 
when your direct superior gives you an order, you obey it.  Our 
superior gave us an order.  We didn't have the luxury of saying, 'Oh, 
no, not today, boss.'

"We were given orders and we followed them.  Happily, the good guys won 
and won pretty quickly, but not before five people were killed.  .  Our 
case wasn't something we did on a whim, and certainly not on *my* whim.  
The Assistant Director of the FBI ordered us to solve those murders, 
and we did. We've been working our tails off all day locating a missing 
dead body and filling out a multitude of paper work just so we could 
get here tonight.  Scully and I are both bone-tired, but we're here 
because we wanted to be here.

"So, instead of bitching about why *I* kept your sister from her 
mother's party, how about you going in and congratulating her on a job 
well done.

"And this is the last cross exchange we're going to have tonight.  This 
is your mom's night, and I think our getting along would be in her top 
five most wanted gifts, don't you?"  

Mulder held out his hand and waited.  

Patiently.  

It seemed like an eternity passed, when in reality only moments had, 
and Bill extended his own hand.  Their grasp was firm, and though it 
held no promise for beyond that night, Maggie's celebration would be a 
happy one.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I really do need to use the facilities."  

Bill nodded and left to return to the den.  He moved to sit down next 
to his sister on the love seat when Tara called him over to sit back 
down next to her on the couch. He did and Mulder entered the room just 
as he sat.

"Fox, your timing is wonderful.  We're just about to have birthday 
cake."

"Great!  I'm starving."

"You haven't had real food yet, Mulder, and you are not going to fill 
up on birthday cake!" admonished Scully.

Tara Scully chuckled, reached for her husband's hand, and then looked 
directly at Mulder and Scully.  "You two sound like an old married 
couple!"

"Sometimes it feels like we're an old married couple," said Scully.

Mulder looked at her questioningly; she smiled in silent response.

"Well," he pronounced, "I'll just have my dinner backwards, if that's 
okay with you Mrs. Scully?"

"Yes, Fox, that's fine with me."  The matriarch of the Scully clan 
found herself smiling.  No matter how many times she'd told Fox that it 
was okay for him to call her Maggie, he never did.  Someone had 
obviously drummed some manners into that man a long time ago and it 
stuck. 

"How about you, sweetheart?  Do you want to join Fox in a rewind 
dinner?" she asked her daughter.

"Oh, sure, why the hell not?" she replied, and threw her hands up in 
defeat.

"Good.  Now, let's bring out that cake so I can start opening up 
presents!" declared Maggie.

The candles were lit and wishes were sealed as the grandchildren, both 
Bill's and Charles' boys, helped to blow them out.  Bonnie, Charles' 
wife helped her Mother-in-law by handing over the gaily-wrapped 
presents.

"I can't believe how big the boys have gotten, Bonnie," as she admired 
the framed photograph of her two eldest grandchildren.  "Thank you, 
dear.  Tell Charles I say thank you, too."

"I will, Maggie.  I know he's so sorry he couldn't make it for the 
entire weekend."

"You mean he wasn't here last night?" asked Scully, startled.

"Well, yes and no," Bonnie replied. "We'd just arrived when he was 
called out on orders at the last minute.  He insisted that the boys and 
I stay, though."

"Oh, I'm sorry you didn't have much of a chance to visit with him 
either, Mom," Scully said sympathetically.

"Hopefully we will next time," responded Maggie, as she put down the 
last of her unwrapped presents.

"Well, we have some news we'd like to share."

Maggie turned with anticipation.  "Oh?"  She smiled.  

"We're pregnant!" 

"Oh!  Oh, Tara, I'm so happy for you; I'm so happy for you both!"  She 
stood and grabbed her daughter-in-law in a hug and then drew her son 
into a loving clasp as well.  "This is lovely news.  A new grandchild!  
What a wonderful birthday present!  Thank you," she said, smiling 
through her tears.

Everyone sat back down chattering quietly about the happy news.  Scully 
looked around at her family and realized that she hadn't felt that good 
in months and months.  This was what it was all about.  

Family.  

Sharing.  

And trust.

Scully reached over and took Mulder's hand.  His expression was 
priceless and she smiled to reassure him.  

"Mom, I guess Mulder and I have one more little present to share."  

It was time to trust.


The End