Chapter 5

x-x-x

The following takes place between 3:00pm and 4:00pm Pacific
Time, 4:00pm and 5:00pm Mountain Time.   

x-x-x

FBI Jet
4:00pm MT

"Mr. Skinner, they need you up front again."

"Couple million dollars for a plane and they can't put a phone
jack back here."  Skinner said to Doggett and Reyes as he stood
to leave.  

Monica moved from her seat next to John to the seat directly
across from him.  "I have an idea.  When we're done with this
case, why don't we take a couple of days and go visit my
parents?  I haven't seen them since Christmas."

"I still don't think your father likes me."

"I like you so my father likes you."

"Was that the rule with all your old boyfriends?"

"My father scared off most of the boys in the neighborhood." 
Monica smiled at the memory of one fifteen year old boy
explaining to her father why he thought honking the horn was
the proper way to pick up a girl from her parents' home and
why he would never think that again.  "My parents know you
make me happy."

"They weren't happy I'm divorced."

"My mother wants me to have a nice big Catholic wedding and
I told her I wasn't interested in that."

"But she still wants a Catholic wedding."

"She wants me to be happy.  Being with you makes me happy
so I don't care what kind of service or if there even is a
service."

He smiled at her.  She was selling that way too hard.  "You
mean I auditioned for your parents before we told them we
were getting married and now we don't have to get married. 
Monica, you ruined a perfectly good Christmas week." He
teased.  "I could have been watching bowl games, seeing
movies..."

"I would like to spend a few days with you and with my parents
on the ranch without anyone feeling that it's an audition.  You'll
like the ranch.  We have horses."

"Do I look like a horse guy to you?"

She leaned forward.  "In that suit, no.  In jeans, a denim shirt,
boots, yeah, you look like a horse guy to me."  She smiled and
slowly leaned back.  

Doggett was surprised her assessment pleased him so much.  "I
spoke to the canon lawyer at St. Matthew's."

"You did?"

"Well, Barbara remarried last fall.  She mentioned the
annulment when I called to tell her we were thinking about
getting married."

"She didn't want to get married in the church?"  Monica
remembered the photos of the injured Doggett in his Marine
uniform and Barbara at St. Anselm's in Brooklyn.

"Barbara and God haven't been on speaking terms since Luke
disappeared.  She quit teaching at St. Agnes, she stopped going
to Mass.  I was never much into it, but she was.  Another thing
Luke's death took away from her."

While little of Luke Doggett's disappearance made sense, that
did.  "Would she agree...."

"She's seeing someone at St. Edward's by her.  As long as Luke
isn't made illegitimate by the process, and the priest at St.
Edward's promised her that,  Barbara's willing to do the
interviews and fill out the paperwork."

Monica smiled.  "When were you going to tell me this?"

"It may not work out.  I don't want to get your hopes up.  Also,
your father makes me nervous and if he thinks I screwed this
up...."

"You've never been nervous a day in your life."  She was
obviously pleased with his efforts on her behalf.  "Besides, my
father is a retired businessman who is enjoying his golden years
as a bad golfer and a part time rancher."

"Golf clubs and riding implements can be used as weapons." 
Doggett eyed a returning Walter Skinner.  "Let's see how this
all works out.  If it does, a few days getting the evil eye from
your family sounds fun."

Skinner sat next to Monica, even though she offered to return
to her seat.  "I can leave just as easily from here next time
someone calls."

"What did they want?"

"Mulder, Scully and William should be at CTU at any time
now.  They must have been convinced Mr. Bauer is above
board since they've offered some help."

"What did they have?"  Doggett asked.

"The corpsmen who found whatever was in the desert are near
death.  Dana must have told CTU how to treat them because
CTU has the Navy chasing down two Air Force doctors who
treated Mulder back in the mid 90's."

"That doesn't sound like something they'd volunteer."  Doggett
stated.

Monica disagreed.  "Dana's a doctor.  She wouldn't allow
people to die when she could do something.  If she's just giving
them names of people who could offer treatment, she's helping
but still flying under the radar."

"Mr. Almeida from CTU wanted to confirm whether Mulder
was treated at Eielson Air Force Base, which I wouldn't do, but
he was treated there.  CTU picking them up means they're back
on the radar.  I don't like this.  I don't like this one bit."

Monica and Doggett nodded their heads in agreement.

x-x-x

Milo Pressman's cubicle
CTU 
Los Angeles, CA
3:15pm PT

"What's Jack's ETA?" Tony asked before he saw the analyst
was on the phone.

Milo held his hand up, motioning Tony to come over.  "Thank
you, I'll pass that on."  Hanging up the phone, he turned his full
attention to Tony.  "Jack, Michelle and the Mulder family
should be landing on the helipad any minute.  Mr. Scully
should be getting into Van Nuys around 3:30, the helicopter
will be waiting for him."

"Assistant Director Skinner wouldn't confirm something for me
I found in Mr. Mulder's medical records.  I'd love to know what
the FBI has to hide."

"Well, Jack got some info out of them.  Maybe he's convinced
them to cooperate."

"I don't know.  I just know this gets stranger by the minute."

"What do you think landed out there?"  Milo pointed to the
digital pictures Michelle called and asked him to print by her
return.

"Don't know.  Never thought much of the idea of aliens or
flying saucers but nobody we know of is working on anything
like that."  Tony pointed to the picture of the downed craft. 
"Mr. Mulder and Dr. Scully were, from what I can figure, the
FBI's go-to-agents on alien cases.  She disappeared for a while,
he disappeared for a while.  Maybe they've had a close
encounter or two."

The back door opened and in walked Michelle followed by a
tall man carrying a little boy wrapped in a leather jacket, a
smallish red-haired woman and Jack wearing just his
undershirt.  His dress shirt was in his hand.

"Tony," Jack walked over to Milo's cubical.  "We need to
interrogate the two of them, but I want them separated right
now."

"What happened to your shirt?"

"The boy got sick on the helicopter ride over.  Mr. Mulder was
good enough to position the child so I was on the business end
of things."

Tony tried not to smile as the two returned to Michelle and the
Mulder family.  "Ryan's around." 

"Keep him away from the two of them."

"Mr. Mulder, Dr. Scully, this is Mr. Almeida.  He runs CTU
here in Los Angeles." 

"I want to speak to my lawyer." was Mulder's greeting.

"Dr. Scully, we can set you and William up in a conference
room while we speak with your husband."  Jack said.

"No." Mulder and Scully answered in unison.

"Dr. Scully, the child is obviously sick."  Jack held out his
shirt.  "This isn't a trick, we'll set you two up as comfortably as
we can.  We just want to talk to Mr. Mulder alone for a few
minutes, I promise you, nothing is going to happen."

William gave out a small moan. 

"Shhhh."  Mulder whispered into his son's ear.  "It's going to be
alright."  

"The three of us sit in a conference room..." Scully started to
negotiate.

"I don't want to disturb the child.  If William can go to sleep,
we'll send Mr. Mulder in and we'll talk to both of you.  This is
the best I can offer."

Mulder wanted William to rest so he reluctantly agreed.  He
gently moved William out of his arms and into Scully's.  He
gave his son a small kiss on the forehead, before giving his
wife a kiss on the cheek.  "I'm not talking." He whispered. 
"You don't either."

Scully nodded.  "Where's this conference room?"

"This way," Michelle started down a long hallway with Scully
and William.  

"Mr. Mulder, if you'll follow me."  Jack said.

"Jack!"  Milo called across the room, "It's important."

"You have other things to do."  Mulder raised his voice to get
Scully's attention.  "I'll just get my wife and boy and we'll get
out of your hair."

"Tony, take Mr. Mulder down to room three and start the
debrief."  

"The head of CTU in L.A. is conducting my debrief.  I'm
impressed."  Mulder said as he followed Tony down a different
hallway.

x-x-x

Conference room two
CTU 
Los Angeles, CA
3:20pm PT

"I am really sorry about all this."  Michelle entered the room
with a tray with a pitcher of water, a can of ginger ale from the
soda machine and a couple of paper cups.   "We're not
equipped for a child."

Scully put William on the small couch in the back of the room. 
She took her jacket and folded it to make a small pillow for the
boy, Mulder's leather jacket still acted as a blanket.  "As my
husband suggested, we could be out of your hair very easily."

Sighing as she placed the tray on the table just across from
Scully, Michelle asked "Why are you doing this?" 

"Doing what, Miss...."

"Dessler, Michelle Dessler."

"Doing what, Miss Dessler?  I was out with my family when a
helicopter you were in stopped us under some sort of national
security claim and took us away from our normal lives.  My
husband is a bit more vocal with his disgust for this sort of
thuggery, but I'm as unhappy as he is about it."

"Your husband could have helped us on the phone and this
wouldn't have been an issue."

"Miss Dessler, I'm sure you think you're trying to help, but you
know nothing of what my husband and I can and can't do. 
Thank you for the water but I think my son needs to rest."

Michelle left the boy and his mother.  Ryan Chappelle watched
from the guest office across the hall. 

x-x-x

Interrogation room three
CTU 
Los Angeles, CA
3:20pm PT

Mulder sat behind the interrogation table and took a look at the
head of CTU's LA office.   "You're young for this position."

"I can assure you, I'm qualified.  I've lead this office..."

"I'm sure.  Most of you CTU guys are former military; I'm
guessing you were a Marine, so most days here are probably a
day at the beach."

"I'm the one who's asking the questions here, Mr. Mulder."

"Questions I have no intention of answering Mr. Almeida, so
play along.  It will make the time go faster before I start
demanding to see my family."

"I'm not sure you're in a position to make any demands."

"I'm right about being a Marine, aren't I?"

"You're the profiler, according to what we can see in your
records, are you right?"

"Well of course I've just met you but let me take a guess. 
Smart kid in a big family, parents probably scrapped together
enough money to get you into a decent Catholic high school but
didn't have the money for college and honestly, you didn't have
the grades for a scholarship.  Good student, not great."

"This is fascinating." And so far completely accurate, Tony
thought.

"If you were going to go in the service, it was the Marines or
nothing.  You spent enough time with the Marines to move up. 
Bright young man, solid work habits, probably sent you to
college for some sort of specialist education.  Computers,
engineering, language or translation, did you speak Spanish at
home?"

"Third generation American."

"Hmmm, foreign service maybe, something that made you as
valuable to the government as the education they offered."

"Do you know me, Mr. Mulder?"

"Just the type.  Did you ever hit the private sector, or was it
straight out of the Marines and here?"

"Tell me what's out at Twentynine Palms Mr. Mulder and I'll
tell you."

"You're not that interesting, Mr. Almeida.   A year or two at
some Silicon Valley firm or some defense contractor before
you realized that while the money was good, the work wasn't
all that fulfilling.  

"And CTU is?"

"Yes, because you're thinking you're doing the right thing. 
After the African embassies, the Cole, 9/11, if you stopped one
attack, it would be worth it."  

"Is all this," Tony waved his hands around the room, "worth it
to you Mr. Mulder?  Answer a few of my questions and you
can be on your way."

"When can I see my wife and my son?"

"Are you going to answer any questions about what's out at the
crash site?"

"No.  I want to see my wife and my son.  Arrange that and at
least I'll stop wondering about your childhood and how that
plays a part in every..."

"Alright."  Tony was more than a little unnerved by Mulder's
near spot-on profile.  "Let me find Jack and see what he wants
to do."

"I thought you were the man in charge here?"

"I am, but this is Jack's investigation and I trust him to run it."

"Oh, if only you were at the FBI ten years ago."

x-x-x

Jack Bauer's office
CTU 
Los Angeles, CA
3:30pm PT
          
"That's right, Dr. Wald."  Jack waved Tony into his office. 
Michelle was already sitting in one of the guest chairs.  Jack
covered the mouthpiece with his hand.  "Nothing from Mr.
Mulder?"

"Nothing.  He's locked in three."

"Dr. Scully is with the boy in conference room two." Michelle
advised.

Jack accessed the cameras in both rooms, seeing Scully sitting
with her son and Mulder with his feet up on the table, chair
tipped back and hands behind his head.

"Unbelievable."  Tony muttered seeing the video of Mulder. 

"Yes, Dr. Wald.   The symptoms seem to be identical to what
happened to Fox Mulder back in 1995, you remember that
patient?"  There was a pause.   "Oh, it's Dr. Scully you
remember."

Michelle smiled at that comment.     

Jack continued.  "You need to release your treatment records to
a Dr. Kelly or Dr. Hamlin at the Twentynine Palms Hospital. 
They're taking care of the injured corpsmen with identical
injuries."  Another pause, "So the cold kept Mr. Mulder alive. 
No, you need to talk to them right now.  I'm sure the hospital is
cool, but not Eielson cold."  Another pause.  "No, thank you
Dr. Wald, you're probably going to save their lives."  Jack hung
up the phone.

"The doctor knew what happened to the corpsmen?"  

"He knew what to do to treat them.  I have a feeling only these
two," Jack pointed to Mulder and Scully on his computer
screen, "know what happened to the corpsmen."

"What now?"

"Michelle, I need to you bring Mr. Scully here to my office as
soon as he arrives.  Tony, how uncooperative was Mr.
Mulder?"

"He sat there and whipped up a quick profile on me."

"How accurate?" Michelle asked.

"Except for wondering if my parents spoke Spanish at home, he
nailed it."

"I tried to fool him on the plane.  Didn't work."  Jack watched
Scully stand and pour herself a glass of water.  It looked like
the little boy finally drifted to sleep.  "I have an idea.  Tony,
you have all the FBI data on Mr. Mulder."

"I have pages of redacted material."

"Michelle, you had Milo printing out data from the crash site. 
Can you get everything the Marines have?"

"Sure."

"We're not going to be able to run any sort of game past Mr.
Mulder and Dr. Scully.  People this distrusting have been lied
to and lied a lot."

"Makes sense."

"We'll give him everything we have.  See if they're curious."

Milo knocked on Jack's door.  "Sorry to interrupt but Mr.
Scully's plane just landed at Van Nuys.  He should be here
before four."

"Milo, bring him right to his sister in conference room two. 
Tony, bring Mr. Mulder's records into room three and Michelle,
bring the crash site data as soon as you get it."

x-x-x

Interrogation room three
CTU 
Los Angeles, CA
3:40pm PT

Mulder was bored.  Jack and Tony returned with a great deal of
paperwork.

"Usually when we hold people in this room," Jack noted,
"they're not lounging with their feet up on the table."

"You want me to cooperate and have no reason to hold me. 
Most of the people you hold here are likely in handcuffs facing
years in jail.  I've done nothing wrong, my wife has done
nothing wrong.  If anyone here is going to be in handcuffs at
the end of the day, I'm thinking the people who have
imprisoned us falsely may have concerns."

"Do you know what this is?"  Tony holds up Mulder's FBI
records.

"Paper, folder.  Probably some stapled materials in there. 
Nothing I'm interested in."

"It is your FBI records."

"Then you know everything you could possibly need.  I want to
see my wife and my son."

"This is what the FBI sent us."  Tony pulled out a piece of
paper with the date "November 16, 1998" on it along with the
words "cell phone," "needle," and the phrase "1968 Caprice
Classic Station Wagon".  Every other word on the paper was
blacked out.  "What happened on November 16th?"

"I don't know.  I was probably on the road.  I traveled a lot in
late 1998."

"Why would the FBI keep this data in your records hidden?" 
Jack asked.

"You'll have to ask the FBI."

"All of your records look like this.  The same with your wife's
files, why?"

"Again, a question for the record keepers at the FBI.  I'm a
simple freelance writer and a house husband.  My wife is a
doctor.  We have a great kid and a nice life, all things you've
disrupted."

"There's nothing about you that's simple, Mr. Mulder."

"I'll make this simple for you.  I simply want to see my wife.  I
simply want to see my son.  I simply want to go home."

Michelle walked into the room with a folder of her own.

"Three against one, this is hardly fair."  Mulder sized up the
room.  "Who's making sure my wife and my son are safe?"

"You're in a secure federal facility, Mr. Mulder.  Your family
couldn't be safer." Tony stated.

"Wasn't this place bombed a few years ago?  My family could
be safer if I was with them and we were home."

"If home is so safe, why'd you run?"  Jack asked.

"I don't know.  Call me paranoid but I had a fear of helicopters
and agents with guns and rifles at my house, ordering me on the
ground, abusing my family, taking us all away against our will. 
I want to see my wife and son to make sure nothing has
happened to them."

"The fear of people coming to your house with guns and rifles,
taking your family away, is that why you have an engine in
your car Dale Earnhardt Jr would love?"  

"Did they have a warrant to look under the hood?  My rights
are being violated.  I want to see my family then I want to call a
lawyer."

Jack was getting frustrated.  "Is everything going to go back to
you wanting to see your family?"

"Yes.  I want to see my family."

Fox Mulder, Jack decided, was a world class pain in the ass.

"How'd you last so long at the FBI?"

"I didn't.  They threw me out.  When can I see my family?"

This was going to be a very long debrief.

x-x-x

CTU Helicopter
Van Nuys Airport
3:50pm

"This should be short ride, Mr. Scully."  Derek Harris told his
passenger.  "I'm sorry if it smells a little in the back.  We had a
sick child on-board half an hour ago."

"The sick child, was he with a red-haired woman?"

"Sir, I'm not at liberty to discuss that."

"The woman is my sister.  A Dana Scully or Dana Mulder, not
really sure what she's going by right now."

"Sir, I can't comment.  When I get you to CTU, you'll be
briefed on what you need to know."

"Just tell me, was there anything wrong with the boy?"

"Airsick."  The pilot told Charles.  "Just a bit airsick."  He
turned off the intercom and the helicopter took off.

x-x-x

Conference room two
CTU 
Los Angeles, CA
3:55pm PT

William Mulder was sleeping soundly.  

Scully poured a glass of water and drank about half.  Dipping a
napkin in the rest, she tried to clean her son's face and hands.  
He looked just like Mulder when he slept.  He looked like
Mulder period.

The conference room door opened and a new man appeared.

"I'm Ryan Chappelle.  Which do you prefer, Ms. Scully or Mrs.
Mulder?"

"Dr. Scully is fine."

Chappelle took the seat at the top of the conference room table. 
"OK, Ms. Scully, I just need to confirm a few things with you."

"I really don't want to say anything until my husband is here."

"Your husband is in custody, I just need to finish some paper
work."

"Then you can do it without me.  If he's in custody, I'd like to
contact our lawyer."

"All in good time.  The boy's name is William?"

"You'll have to ask your Mr. Bauer."

"Miss Scully, I don't really have time for this, Child Protective
Services will be here shortly."

"Excuse me?"

"With your husband in custody, someone needs to care for the
boy."

"I'm his mother."

"Someone with legal standing."

Scully took a deep breath.  "I'm his mother and if you think you
can just take away my son...."

"I have papers here where you turned over custody of your son. 
The following day, Mr. Mulder, who was not your husband at
the time, filed to stop the adoption.  The adoption never was
completed because Mr. Mulder was awarded custody of the
child after his legal situation was cleared.  It seems you are in
the process of being reinstated as the child's mother."

"I am the child's mother."

"But you have no legal standing."

"Get out."

"Miss Scully, you have no right to give me orders."

"Get away from me, get away from my son."

"Miss Scully, the boy has obviously had a rough day.  There is
no need for you to make things worse."

"Out."  Scully took off her jacket and carefully draped it over
her son.  Pulling it up to his ears, she hopped it would muffle
the sound.  "Help!"

"Miss Scully, I'm going to have to insist you quiet down now."

"Mulder, Mr. Bauer, Ms. Dessler, he's kidnapping my son." 
Scully was now screaming.  

x-x-x

Milo Pressman's cubicle
CTU 
Los Angeles, CA
3:58pm PT

Milo cleared what was left on his desk, waiting for Mr. Scully
to arrive.  That 20 ounce Sprite at lunch was suddenly a bad
idea.  

As he started down to the men's room, he heard some strange
noises coming from the conference room where Dr. Scully was
supposed to be sitting quietly with the boy.  "Kidnapping my
son" was the only fragment he heard clearly and it didn't sound
good.

He banged on Room 3's door until Michelle finally opened it a
crack.

"We're busy."

"Someone's kidnapping Dr. Scully's son."

Michelle nearly knocked him down, followed by Jack, Tony
and then Mulder.  As Milo watched them race down the hall,
Mulder passed both Tony and Jack and was even with Michelle
as the foursome turned the corner.

x-x-xx-x-x

If I haven't mentioned this before, I will now:  
Shari rocks and rocks hard.

Feedback yes, pointy sticks no!  

maureen_b_ocks@yahoo.com