Title: Family Ties Part One
Author: Sharron Ibbitson
Spoilers: Mild Spoilers to everything up to The End.
Rating: PG/13
Summary: Mulder discovers a family member has been killed, and he is not given time to grieve before discovering his own life is in danger. Character Death.

Disclaimer: The characters of Mulder, Scully, Maggie Scully, Walter Skinner, The Lone Gunmen and Mrs Mulder belong to Fox and Chris Carter. They are not my property I'm just borrowing them for a while, I'll return them soon and relatively unharmed.

This story takes place after the events of the fifth series, but before the final episode The End and the movie, mainly because being from Britain, I haven't seen the film. Anyway this contains Mulder-torture, Mulder-angst, Scully-angst, ad Scully-worry. There is a character death within this story.

I would appreciate feedback on this; I will accept anything, but please try not to be too critique, as this is the first X-Files fanfic I have archived.
All Feedback can be sent to:
mailto:sharron.ibbitson@mcmail.com or
mailto:s_ibbitson@yahoo.com

Feel free to archive else where, but please notify me first.

Family Ties: Part One

FBI Headquarters
Washington DC
Fox Mulder's Office.
28th October 08.30

Fox Mulder leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes, hoping to shake off the headache that had been plaguing him for most of the week. He placed his reading glasses back on his nose and continued reading the file. It wasn't long before his partner Dana Scully knocked on the office door.
"Come in" Mulder called. Scully walked through the door and stared at Mulder.
"What?" Mulder asked noticing her stare.
"Mulder, how long have you been here?"
"Just a couple of hours, why?"
"How long has it been since you had a full nights sleep?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Are you feeling ok?"
"Look I'm fine, WHY?"
"It's just that you look kind of sick, are you sure you're all right?"
"Look I told you that I'm fine, now will you just leave it alone"
"Okay, as long as you're all right" Scully looked over Mulder with eyes full of concern.
Mulder did his best to ignore her and carried on reading his file. Suddenly without warning Scully's hand went upto Mulder's forehead.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I was just trying to see if you had a fever"
"I told you I was fine, now just leave me alone!" Mulder grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and left the office. Scully stared after him. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help but worry about him.

Two Days Later

Mulder had come straight back to work and the matter hadn't been mentioned again. Two days later, Mulder was sitting in his office and Scully hadn't shown up yet, so he decided to get some paperwork done. An hour later Scully came through the office door, with a big grin on her face.
"Ok who are you? And what have you done with the real Dana Scully?" Mulder asked with a grin on his face. Scully chuckled softly.
"Can't I be cheerful without having to face sarcasm?" Scully asked smiling. Mulder grinned in return. Scully handed Mulder a paper cup and a bag with a bagel in it.
"Ok then, what's going on?" Mulder asked suspiciously.
"Why would anything be going on?"
"The grin on your face from ear to ear, the coffee AND the bagel?"
"Ok, I admit it. I have got something that I'd like to ask you"
"Go on then"
"Go on then what?"
"Ask me"
"Ok, well the thing is my Mum's coming to stay with me for a while"
"And you want the time off?"
"No, not exactly" Mulder fixed her with a puzzled gaze. "Well, I don't want to leave Mum on her own and I don't want to take time off"
"So, what you want to know is if it would be all right to bring your Mum into work with you?"
"Yeah that's about it. She would just sit over there reading a book, she wouldn't read anything she wasn't supposed to and if we had to go out anywhere then she would just sit in the car and wait or stay very close to me or…."
"Scully…"
"What?"
"It's okay, of course I don't mind if your Mum comes to work with you, but on two conditions."
"What?"
"You clear it with Skinner and you clear it with the guards. Agreed?"
"Agreed. Thanks Mulder"
"No problem" Scully settled back in her chair with a grin on her face. She was feeling nervous about asking Mulder, but yet again he never ceased to amaze her. She decided to let her Mum know straight away. She picked up the phone and dialled her Mother's number.
"Hello?"
"Hello Mum? It's me Dana"
"Hi Dana, is every thing okay? Did Fox agree?"
"Yes everything's fine, I'll pick you up at eight?"
"Yeah that's fine, I'll see you then"
"Yeah sure take care"
"You too and send Fox my love"
"Of course, bye" They both hung up. Scully grinned at Mulder then left to clear things with Skinner and the guards at the front desk. She got a visitor's pass organised for her mother then she went back up to the office. When she got down to the basement, Mulder was no where to be found.
"Where the hell could he have gone?" She muttered under her breath as she picked up her phone to ring Mulder. After six rings she was just about to hang up when he answered.
"Mulder"
"Mulder, where the hell are you? Where did you go? Why didn't' you tell me you were going anywhere?"
"Calm down"
"Okay, I'm calm. Now where are you?"
"I'm at home"
"Why? Is everything all right?"
"Yeah everything's just great"
"Mulder what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just came back to pick something up that I left behind this morning"
"Oh okay, how long do you think you'll be?"
"Er Scully, I don't think I'll be coming back to work today, I'll see you tomorrow"
"OH okay"
"Bye then"
"Mulder?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah I'm fine Scully. Bye" and with that he hung up. Scully disconnected at her end and set the receiver back down. She dropped down into her office chair, she was worried. Mulder never took a day off. He'd be dying of pneumonia and still come into work. She sighed then decided that if he didn't come in the next day she would go to his apartment and see if he was okay. She looked at her watch and decided that she too could take the rest of the day off, she had to pick her mother up later that night. She pulled on her jacket and picked up her cellphone and walked out the door. Later that night Scully made her way to her mother's house, she pulled up outside and knocked on her mother's door. When Maggie Scully answered the door, she had her bag in her hand and her jacket already on.
"Hello Dana"
"Hi Mum, I take it that you're ready then?" Maggie laughed an easy laugh then went with Dana to the car. They settled in and Scully started driving back towards her apartment.
"So is Fox okay with this?"
"It's Mulder, you know he hates Fox. And yes he is fine. Well he's fine about this anyway"
"What do you mean, is something else wrong with Fox?"
"I don't know he's been acting kind of weird lately"
"What do you mean weird?"
"Well the other day, when I came into the office Mulder was there and he looked like he had been there for hours, he hasn't had a decent nights sleep in weeks and he's had headaches for ages now, but he refuses to admit that anything is wrong. Today he left the office way before five, does that sound like the Fox Mulder that we know and love?"
"I think that I get your point. Have you tried talking to him?"
"Of course I've tried but he just keeps putting those damn walls back up"
"Well I'll have to see what I can do about that"
"What do you mean?"
"Well if he'll talk to anyone it would be you or me, and he refuses to talk to you, so it looks like it's up to me"
"And what if he won't talk to you either?"
"Then we'll have to try plan B"
"Which is?"
"Give me time" They both laughed, then continued the rest of their journey in a comfortable silence.

The Next Day
FBI Headquarters
Washington DC
Fox Mulder's Office.
The next day

Scully and her mother walked down to Mulder's office. When they arrived Scully was surprised to find that Mulder didn't seem to have arrived yet, then she realised that his coat was hung on the coat tree.
"Where's Fox, Dana?"
"I don't know, but he's somewhere in the building"
"What makes you think that?"
"Look, his coat is hung up over there, he probably just went down to the labs or to see Skinner or something like that"
"Oh okay then as long as you're not worried."
"I'm not"
"Okay then. So, Dana what do you want me to do now?"
"It's up to you, you can either sit down over there and read or you can be our slave for the day"
"What do I have to do if I agree to be your slave for the day?"
"Well you know, go and pick up lunch, answer phones, make coffee and stuff like that" Scully replied with a grin on her face.
"Okay then"
"What?" Scully asked with her mouth gaping
"I said okay"
"Mum I was only joking"
"I know, but I'd like to"
"Okay thanks Mum"

Half an hour and several cups of coffee later, Fox Mulder opened the door to his office and stepped in.
"Oh hi Mulder, where have you been?" Scully asked, Mulder jumped at the sound of her voice.
"What are you trying to do give me a heart attack?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump" Scully replied.
"How are you Fox?" Maggie Scully asked stepping into view.
"Oh, hello Mrs Scully, I forgot you were coming in today"
"You haven't answered my question Fox"
"What question is that Mrs Scully?"
"How are you?"
"I'm fine thanks"
"Really?"
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, it's just that you look a little pale" Mulder grinned sheepishly at that.
"Like Mother like daughter" he responded with a grin. Then he turned around and went to his desk. Scully then begun questioning him again.
"So Mulder, where were you?"
"Huh?"
"Before where were you?"
"Oh, I was in with Skinner"
"Anything important?"
"Oh not really, just the usual" Scully sensed that it had something to do with Mulder's powerful enemies, but decided against bringing it up. She looked across at her partner who seemed to be engrossed by a file. His beautiful hazel eyes held an excited sparkle; he ran a hand distractedly through his hair and his feet propped up on his desk. She swung her gaze round to her mother, who also seemed to be watching Mulder in fascination. She turned back to her partner, who chose that moment to look up.
"What?"
"What do you mean what?"
"Why are you both staring at me like that?"
"I don't know what you mean" Dana and Maggie Scully replied in unison. They turned to look at each other and grinned. Mulder sighed deeply, stood, pulled on his jacket and walked out of the door. A few moments later the phone on Mulder's desk started to ring.
"Shall I get that?" Maggie asked.
"Yeah thanks Mum" Scully replied.
"Hello, agent Mulder's office" Maggie said into the phone with a grin on her face.
"Hello, is Agent Fox Mulder available please?"
"No I'm sorry, but Agent Mulder has just stepped out of his office for a few moments, can I take a message for you?"
"Erm no, but could you please ask him to get in touch with Detective Sergeant Rietschle at Chilmark PD when he gets back please"
"Yes certainly sir"
"Thank you, can you make sure to pass the message on please it is very important and concerns his mother"
"Yes of course" Mrs Scully picked up a pen and paper and write down the message for Mulder. They both hung up.
"Who was that?" Scully asked her mother.
"A detective from Chilmark for Fox"
"Did you take a message?"
"Yes he asked Fox to ring him and he said that it was about Mrs Mulder"
"Oh, I hope that nothing's happened"
"Oh you don't mean…?" Scully nodded. "I'm sure that everything is just fine"
"Well I'll ring him on his cellphone and see where he is"
"That's a good idea" Scully picked up her telephone and dialled Mulder's cellphone number. He picked up after two rings.
"Mulder"
"Mulder where are you?"
"I'm just on my way back to the office why?"
"How long are you going to be?"
" I don't know about ten minutes"
"Okay I'll see you then"
They both disconnected and Scully sat down, waiting for Mulder to get back. It was ten minutes before he arrived.
"Well, what's so urgent then?" He asked when he stepped into the office.
"Well it could be something or it could be nothing" Scully replied.
"While you were out there was a phone call for you" Maggie told him. "It was from a detective in Chilmark called Rietschle. He said it was about your mother" Mulder took a deep breath before replying.
"What exactly did he say?"
"He told me his name and asked me to ask you to ring him. I asked if I could take a message and he told me to tell you it was about your Mother"
"Thank you Mrs Scully"
"Don't worry Fox, I'm sure she's fine, us mothers are tougher than we look"
"Thanks, well I suppose I've got a phone call to make."
"Do you want us to leave you alone for a minute?" Scully asked, with concern evident in her eyes.
"No, I don't mind if you want to stay"
"Okay then we'll stay" Scully replied placing her hand on Mulder's shoulder, just to let him know that she was there if he needed her. Mulder took a deep breath, picked up the telephone receiver and dialled the number for Chilmark PD. When the other end was picked up Mulder asked for Rietschle.
"Rietschle"
"Hello, this is Special Agent Fox Mulder, I was informed that you were trying to get in touch with me"
"Yes hello Agent Mulder. I'm sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this." Scully noticed Mulder visibly tense up. "But a body was found at your mother's house this morning and we believe it to be her. We need you to come and identify her" Mulder took a deep breath before responding.
"What happened?"
"It was a gunshot wound, I really hope it isn't her Agent Mulder"
"Thank you, I'll be on the next flight out"
"Thank you" Mulder hung up the phone. Scully gave him a moment to compose himself before she questioned him.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"What's going on?"
"I'm not too sure, but I have to go to Chilmark"
"Fox is everything okay?" Maggie Scully cut in.
"No, no not really"
"Mulder what's going on?"
"They found a body at my Mum's house"
"Is it…..?"
"They don't know, they want me to identify it"
"What happened?"
"Gunshot wound" Mulder replied, his voice void of any emotion.
"I'll go with you"
"No, you stay here with your Mum"
"No it's fine I'll come"
"No, don't leave your Mum alone"
"She doesn't have to" Both Mulder and Scully turned to look at Maggie. "I'll come too" she elaborated. Mulder started to shake his head. "And don't argue with me Fox, because even if you disagree I'll get on a plane and come out later" Mulder managed a weak grin, then rung up to arrange a flight, three rooms, and a rented car.
"I'm going home to pack, you two should too" he said quietly then left the office. Scully looked after him. She was desperately hoping that the body wasn't his mother's, she was sure he wasn't sure if he could cope if it did turn out to be Elizabeth Mulder. She startled when she felt her hand rest on her shoulder. She turned round and met her mother's worried eyes.
"Don't worry, if it is her, we'll help him through it" She told her daughter. She thought of Fox Mulder as a son and loved him as she did her own. She longed for him to drop the walls and accept the love that she had to offer and that he so obviously longed for. Everytime she looked into his beautiful hazel eyes, she wanted to take away all of his hurt and wrap her arms tightly around him and never let him go. She sighed then turned to Dana, who was still looking at the empty doorway. "Come on Dana, we had better follow Fox's advise and go and pack" Dana took her mother by the hand and together they left the building and made their way back to Scully's apartment. They were half way there when her cellphone started to ring.
"Scully"
"Hi it's me, I forgot to tell you the flight is in three hours and I've cleared everything with Skinner"
"Okay Mulder thank you"
"So I'll meet at the airport in a couple of hours, okay?"
"Yeah sure, oh and Mulder?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you all right?"
"Of course, I'm fine. Bye Scully" Scully hung up her phone then turned to her mother. "He's doing it again"
"Doing what again?"
"Withdrawing into himself, not talking"
"Don't worry when he knows if it's her or not then we can start to help him"
"And what if he's beyond help?"
"No-one is beyond help"
"Thanks Mum"
"For what?"
"For being here for me, but most of all for being here for Mulder"
"You don't have to thank me, it is a Mother's job to be there for her daughter, and you know I like to think of Fox as one of my own. So there is no need to thank me" Scully smiled at her mother, then wished that Mulder had a mother that loved him as much as Maggie did. Then she thought about what she had just wished for, and realised that at the moment he'd be lucky if he had a mother at all. She pulled up outside her apartment and she and her mother started to pack. An hour and a half later they had both showered, changed and packed, they picked up their bags, Scully checked her cellphone and gun then they left to meet Mulder at the airport. When they arrived they found him speaking into a telephone, he did not look happy. When he hung up, Scully walked across to him.
"Who was that?"
"Our friendly informant" he replied, mouthing the word X to Scully, she nodded. Then he gathered up his bags and the three of them went to board their flight. They had three seats next to each other; Mulder sat in the seat nearest the aisle, because of his long legs. and Maggie settled down to go to sleep for the night, Mulder found that he couldn't sleep, so he sat back and reflected of the times with his Mum, not many of them were happy. Most of them included Elizabeth Mulder crying or begging William Mulder to stop hitting him. It wasn't long before he fell asleep, in his sleep the misery of what his life had truly been like affected him more than when he was awake. He saw the usual image of his sister floating in the air, then flying out of the window. He saw his father hovering over him, belt in hand then swinging and hitting him, he remembered the crack as his arm broke under his father's hands. It was at that point that Mulder awakened, sweating heavily and out of breath, when he looked around him, he saw Maggie and Scully looking at him with worried expressions on their faces. It was Dana Scully that spoke first.
"Mulder are you okay?"
"Er, yeah I'm fine"
"You don't look fine"
"Look, I just had a bad dream, that's all, nothing unusual"
"Okay as long as you're all right"
"I'm fine" Maggie and Scully exchanged worried glances, they had to accept what Fox told them, but they didn't have to believe that he was okay. Maggie Scully decided to change the subject.
"We should land in a few minutes" Scully sent her mother a grateful look, then nodded, she turned to look at Mulder who was staring into space. She gently tapped him on the shoulder, when she got no response she tapped a bit harder. He turned to look at her, quickly putting the mask back on to hide any emotion.
"The fasten your seatbelt light just came on" He shot her a puzzled glance, so she elaborated. "It's time to buckle up," she said with a grin. He nodded and fastened his seatbelt ready to land. When the plane had landed they left the plane and Mulder went to collect the rental car.
He had booked a Ford Taurus. Scully and Maggie went to wait outside the airport; it wasn't long before Mulder pulled upto pick them up. They climbed in and Mulder drove to the hotel he had booked. It wasn't the usual type of establishment that Mulder booked and Scully had to admit that she was quite impressed, he had booked three connecting rooms. He let Maggie ad Scully choose rooms first, they choose one on either side, so that Mulder had the middle room. He started to unpack his clothes. Then he took out his cellphone and rung Rietschle to let him know that they had arrived. Rietschle asked Mulder to meet him at the local hospital half an hour later. Mulder knocked on the door that connected to Scully's room.
"Come in"
"Scully, I've got to be at the hospital in half an hour to er…well you know"
"Do you want us to come with you?" Maggie asked from on Dana's bed.
"No, if you don't mind I'd like to do this alone"
"Mulder, do you think that that is wise?"
"I don't know, but it's a very personal thing and I feel that I should do it on my own" Scully nodded, understanding what he meant.
"Okay Mulder but if you need anything let us know, oh and when you know if it is….erm, your mother or not will you ring us please?"
Mulder nodded, not trusting himself to speak, then he went back to his room, picked up his coat, gun and cellphone he left to make his way to the hospital.
When he arrived he asked directions to the morgue, when he arrived Rietschle was waiting for him.
"Detective Rietschle I presume?"
"Yes, Special Agent Fox Mulder?"
"Yes that's right, are you ready?"
"That's what I should be asking you" Mulder grinned. "Are you ready Agent Mulder?" Mulder nodded and Rietschle took him into a room, on the table lay a single still figure covered by a white sheet. Rietschle stepped forward and looked expectantly at Mulder, Mulder nodded at him and Rietschle pulled back the sheet. Mulder stared at the woman lying on the table. The woman had a single bullet hole in between her eyes. The woman was his mother. Mulder took a last look, then ran from the room, straight to the men's room and threw up all that he had eaten that day. Mulder washed his face and dried himself off, and then he went outside. Outside the rest room Detective Rietschle was waiting for him.
"I take it that it is your mother?" Mulder just nodded gently. "Can I call someone for you?"
"Yeah, could you call my partner for me please?" Rietschle nodded, "Here's the number. Thanks"
"No problem" Then Mulder turned and walked out of the hospital, for some much needed fresh air.

Scully's Hotel Room

Scully was just getting out of the shower when her cellphone started to ring. She picked it up out of breath.
"Scully"
"Agent Scully?"
"Yes who's speaking please?"
"This is detective Rietschle. Your partner, Special Agent Fox Mulder, asked me to ring you"
"Oh, is he all right was it…?"
"Yes I'm afraid that the woman was Elizabeth Mulder, I'm very sorry"
"How did Mulder take it?"
"Well his first reaction was to run and throw up, after that he asked me to ring you, then he went out for a walk"
"Did he say where he was going?"
"No, but he only left ten minutes ago so he can't have gone far, do you want me to try to catch with him?"
"No it's okay me and my mother will be there in five minutes," she said as she hung up. Maggie had heard the end part of the conversation and was already pulling her coat on. They quickly run out and hailed a taxi over.
They arrived at the hospital five minutes later. They then went searching for Mulder it wasn't long before they found him. He was sitting on a bench with his head in his hands. Maggie and Dana sat on either side of him, and Scully wrapped her arms around him, he leaned into her and quietly cried. She felt like crying too, not for Elizabeth Mulder, but for Mulder. Underneath the hard exterior he was just a little boy at heart. Dana looked over Mulder's shoulder at her mother, who signalled to her that she was going to go back to the hospital. Dana nodded and continued to hold Mulder until the sobs subsided. It seemed like hours until Mulder stopped crying. Eventually he looked straight into Scully's deep blue eyes and pulled away from her.
"Are you okay?" She asked him tenderly. He nodded and wiped his blood shot eyes.
"Where did your Mother go?" He asked her quietly.
"She went back to teh hospital, she said she'd wait until you were ready to go" Mulder nodded again and stood up, Scully stood beside him and took his hand in hers, and together they walked back to teh hospital. When they got there they found Maggie talking to Detective Rietschle. She looked up when she saw Mulder and Scully. She put her arm through Mulder's and pulled him into a hug. After a moment he hugged her back, he held her for a few minutes and then pulled away. After dealing with the certificates of death and answering the standard questions, Mulder pulled the detective to one side.
"Was anything else found at the scene?"
"Well now you come to mention it, we did find a note"
"What did the note say?"
" I can't remember, but if you come back to the station I'll show it to you"
" Yes thank you" Mulder turned around and went to talk to Scully. "Scully?"
"Yeah?"
"There was a note found at the scene"
"What did it say?"
"I don't know, I've got to go to the station to find out"
"Okay, me and Mum will come with you" Mulder started to protest, but Scully cut him off before he could say anything "Don't even think of arguing Mulder, your mother has just been murdered and you shouldn't be alone" Mulder simply nodded too tired to argue. Scully breathed a sigh of relief and went to tell her Mum. They got into the squad car with Detective Rietschle, and he drove them to the police station. When they arrived, he told them to wait in the waiting area, while he went to collect the note. When he came back, he went straight over to Mulder.
"This is it," he said as he handed it to Mulder.
"Thanks" Mulder replied as he took the note. He took a deep breath then he opened it.

Hello Fox,
The Fox is the last one left, what a shame. Maybe the Mulder species will become extinct. YOU'RE NEXT FOX!!

Mulder gasped.
"What?" Scully asked, his reaction worried her. He handed her the note. "Oh my God!" she responded when she had finished reading the note.
"Dana honey what's wrong?" Maggie asked as she watched the colour drain from her daughter's face.
"You do know what this is saying don't you Mulder?" Dana asked, not responding to her mother's question. Mulder nodded mutely.
"What is it saying?" Maggie cut in. Scully turned to look at her, as if noticing her for the first time.
"This note is saying that Mulder's life is in danger"
"You mean that someone is trying to kill Fox?"
"That's exactly what I mean"
"Oh my" Mulder stood up, ran his fingers distractedly through his dishevelled hair and sighed. He then started pacing across teh floor of teh waiting area. A few minutes later teh detective came back into teh room.
"Well we didn't understand what it meant, can you shed some light on teh matter Agent Mulder?"
"Erm no, I have absolutely no idea what so ever as to what that note could mean" Mulder lied. Scully looked across at him, but didn't say anything.
"Oh well, it was worth a try I guess" the detective said before leaving the room.
"What teh hell are you doing Mulder?" Scully asked when teh detective had left teh room. "You know exactly what that note meant, why didn't you tell him?"
"If I'd have told him what it meant then he would have hauled my ass straight in here into protective custody and I wouldn't have been able to leave till this guy is caught"
"That sounds like a pretty good idea to me Fox" Maggie cut in.
"You don't understand"
"What don't we understand?"
"If I'm stuck in here I won't be able to catch this guy. I'm planning on getting back to DC as soon as possible"
"Why?"
" There're a few reasons. Firstly they're less likely to try anything there. Secondly I have a source that can run advanced checks on that note. Thirdly I can stay in my own apartment and fourthly I can go back to work in the FBI headquarters. Are there enough reasons for you there?"
"Okay I'll agree to you going back to Washington on one condition"
"Which is?"
"You stay at my apartment, I'm not letting you out of my sight for one second" Mulder started shaking his head. "Why not?"
"They are just as likely to try to make a hit at your apartment as they are mine. Think about it, if you were someone looking for me and I wasn't at my apartment, where would you look?" Scully sighed. "Exactly, see I might as well stay at home" Mulder concluded
"Not necessarily" Maggie stated and both Mulder and Scully turned to look at her. "You could come and stay at my house" Mulder started to disagree. "Nobody knows about it, Dana could stay to keep an eye on you and you wouldn't have to travel far to get to work" Scully started to nod her head in agreement
"It makes sense Mulder"
"I know it does, but I don't want to put you or your Mum in danger"
"I know teh risks and accept them" Maggie stated firmly. "Besides if you didn't stay and something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself." Mulder nodded surrendering.
"Okay thank you Mrs Scully"
"No problem Fox" she replied with a grin. Mulder wen to tell the detective that they would be returning to Washington.
"He will be all right won't he?" Maggie asked her daughter.
"I don't know, I mean it's bad enough losing your mother, but his father only died a short time ago, and now all of this with the death threat. I just hope he'll cope" Dana replied, then she pulled her gun out of teh holster and checked teh clip. She then re loaded it and re-holstered it.
"Do you think that will be necessary?" Maggie asked.
"Who knows, but I like to be prepared, I don't particularly want a new partner, I'm kind of attached to Mulder" she replied with a grin.
"You love him don't you?" Maggie asked softly. Dana turned to look at her mother. She nodded and replied gently.
"Yes, yes with all my heart" Maggie smiled a broad grin as she responded
"Oh Dana honey, I'm so pleased. Fox is teh best you can get. I couldn't have chosen better myself. Have you told him yet?"
"No"
"Why ever not?"
"Because he might not feel teh same way, and then it could spoil our partnership. I'd rather have him as my friend than not have him at all" Maggie smiled sadly.
"But if you don't tell him how you feel, you won't know if he feels teh same way will you?"
" I guess not, but I couldn't stand to lose him" Just as she finished speaking Mulder came back.
"You two girls ready to go?" he asked with a weak version of his lopsided grin. They both nodded and took one of Mulder's hands each. They walked across to teh hotel and Mulder told them that the flight back to Washington was booked for teh next day. They each went into their separate rooms. It wasn't until he had showered and changed that Mulder sat down on his bed and cried, he cried until he couldn't cry anymore then he curled into a ball and fell into a fitful sleep. Next door Scully heard her partner's crying, but decided that he needed time alone.

The Next Morning

By the time Dana and Maggie Scully were up, Mulder had already showered, dressed and gone out to collect breakfast. When Scully got out of bed, she was surprised to find that his bed was already made and his clothes packed ready to leave.
"I'll kill him" she told her mother, before she got in teh shower. When she got out and dressed, she found her mother sitting on Mulder's bed waiting for him to return.
"Don't be too hard on him Dana. He's a very independent young man and he's not used to having people around him that care about him" Scully nodded thoughtfully. It wasn't long before Mulder came back into teh hotel room.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Scully asked him.
"I'm sorry, I know I should have told you, but I went to get some breakfast" he told her
"Well at least you've got the decency to look guilty" Scully replied with a grin as Mulder handed Dana and Maggie a container each. He then sat down on teh bed next to Dana and waited for them to finish the meal. When they had finished they gathered up the bags, handed in the room keys and left for the airport. The flight back to Washington went without incident. When they left teh airport, Mulder collected his car from the car park.
"Where to now" Scully asked.
"That's up to you, where do you want to go?" Mulder asked.
"Well I need to pick some stuff up from my apartment and you'll need to get some stuff from yours, then go to Mum's house. Is that okay with you?"
"It's fine with me, if it's all right with you Mrs Scully"
"Yeah that's fine dear" They continued driving and when they arrived at Scully's apartment, Scully got out and gathered together enough supplies to last her a while. When she got back into teh car, Mulder drove off straight away, but Scully was surprised when he stopped at a car rental agency. He got out and explained that he would meet Dana and Maggie at his apartment, then he went to hire a car. He drove to his apartment and was pleased to notice that Dana and Maggie were already there. He locked his car and rapped on Scully's window. Dana and Maggie got out of the car and the three of them walked up to Mulder's apartment. When he went to put his key in the lock, Mulder was disturbed to notice his door was open. He reached and pulled out his Sig Sauer, and noticed Scully doing the same. He silently counted to three then entered the apartment, with the Scullies close behind. Mulder was seething when he saw the state his apartment was in, there was water everywhere, where somebody had smashed his fish-tank, and he dropped to his knees when he noticed that his photo album was soaked through and all his pictures of Samantha had been destroyed. Scully placed her hand gently on his shoulder. All was silent until Mrs Scully broke the silence
"What kind of bastards do something like this" Mulder just sighed and Scully shook her head. Mulder got to his feet and made his way into the bedroom to collect some clothes, it was then that he noticed the note.

Well the Fox's den is in a bit of a mess is it?
Looks like you had better fire your maid, but don't worry you won't be living there for long.
Bye for now Foxy Boy

Mulder took a deep breath, finished packing his clothes, then showed the note to Scully before putting it in his pocket. They left teh apartment and went down to teh cars.
"Scully will you take my bag for me please, I might go and show this note to the LGM"
"Sure Mulder, but be careful. Leave your phone on, and come straight to Mum's from there"
"Yes Mum," he replied with a grin, then walked towards his car.
"Do you think he'll do as he's told this time Dana" Maggie asked
"You never know with Mulder, but this time I think he will" They got into their car just in time to see Mulder speed away and the second car following him. "Shit" Dana swore.
"What?" Maggie asked concerned.
"He's got a tail" she responded as she picked up her cellphone and dialled Mulder's number, he picked it up on teh first ring.
"Mulder you've got a tail"
"I know it's stuck like glue, I'm going to try to shake him off"
"Be Careful"
"I'm being very careful, oh shit!"
"Mulder, what's wrong?"
"There's another one. Fuck!"
"What?"
"It's gaining on me, shit shit shit!"
"Mulder what's wrong? Speak to me!"
"Look I've got to go, I'll ring you back as soon as I'm out of this position" with that he hung up.
"Shit" Scully responded.
"Dana honey, what's wrong?" Maggie asked gently.
"Mulder's got trouble. Two cars are after him, I'm supposed to be his partner and there's nothing I can do about it"
"Look Fox is a survivor, he'll be fine" Maggie replied with false confidence, trying to convince herself as much as her daughter. "Come on honey let's go to the house" They started the drive back to Maggie's house.

Meanwhile

Mulder climbed out the wreck that was once car, after he had been forced off teh road by the other cars, he fought the dizziness to climb out and immediately regretted it when he saw that the men hadn't left. He didn't notice the guns until he felt the slug rip through his shoulder. By teh time he had drawn his own gun the men had gone and he succumbed to teh darkness.

Three Hours Later
Maggie Scully's House

Scully was pacing. It had been over three hours since she had heard from Mulder, and she was getting very worried.
"Will you stop pacing and sit down you are making me nervous" Her mother chided her. She managed a weak grin and sat down on the couch next to her mother.

The Office of The Lone Gunmen

Byers, Frohicke and Langley were just sitting down to watch the Knicks game when someone started to knock on teh door. They exchanged a glance and Byers stood up.
"Who is it?" he asked cautiously.
"It's me Mulder, Byers can you please open teh door?" Mulder responded through gritted teeth. Byers opened the door and was surprised to find a very bloody Mulder fall through.
"Jesus Mulder, what happened?"
Byers was shocked to see his friend in such a state. Mulder's shirt was soaked in blood, and his face was all cut up. His arm was held tightly against him and he was having trouble breathing. "Mulder, you okay?" Mulder simply nodded. Byers took his arm and helped him to sit down on a chair. "Wait here, I'm just going to get teh others" Mulder nodded again. Byers went and got Frohicke and Langley. Mulder sat in teh chair and just concentrated on breathing, by the time teh gunmen had returned he had just about collected himself.
"MY god Mulder, who did this? Was it Cancerman?" Langley asked, Mulder shook his head and handed the two notes over to Byers.
"Mulder what does this mean?" Mulder winced then explained.
"My mother was killed a couple of days ago and teh first note was found at teh scene. When I went home my apartment had been wrecked and I found teh second note. Mulder concluded.
"OH man" Frohicke exclaimed. "Mulder you look pretty bad I think I should take you to the hospital" Mulder shook his head "Mulder man, please don't argue, I don't want the lovely Dr Scully on my back"
"Look Frohicke I'll be fine, I just stopped by to drop off teh notes to see if you could do anything with them. I'm going to get in a taxi and try to get to where I'm supposed to be before Scully sends out a search party."
"Okay I won't insist on hospital but I will insist on giving you a ride to wherever you need to go" Mulder started to protest "It's either that or teh hospital, your choice"
"Thanks Frohicke" Frohicke got his car keys, while Mulder gave him directions of where to go" Byers and Langley helped Mulder stagger out to teh car and strapped him in.
"Mulder you still with us?"
"Yeah sure, I'm fine" Mulder responded through gritted teeth and Frohicke noticed the sweat breaking out on Mulder's forehead.
"You sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"
"Yeah I'm sure"
"Okay, but you'd better ring Scully to let her know you're safe"
"Mulder pulled out his cellphone and dialled Scully's number.

The Scully House

"Where the hell can he be?" Scully asked her mother
"I don't know, but I'm sure he'll ring as soon as he can!
"If he can" Scully replied. The second she had said it teh telephone started ringing. Scully reached over and answered it.
"Scully"
"Scully, it's me" Mulder replied. Scully could tell he was hurt by the sound of his voice.
"Mulder where are you? Are you okay?"
"I'm with Frohicke, he's giving me a lift over"
"Can you pass teh phone to Frohicke"
"Sure hang on a second"
"Hello?"
"Hello Frohicke this is Scully, is Mulder okay"
"Not exactly"
"Is he hurt?"
"Yes?"
"Is it bad?"
"Yes"
"How long till you get here?"
"About five minutes"
"Okay thanks" they both disconnected. Scully gathered together her medical supplies. Maggie came and sat next to her on the sofa.
"Is Fox okay?"
"Well he's alive, but he is hurt"
"How bad?"
"From what i know quite bad" The five minutes Scully had to wait felt like an eternity and when Frohicke eventually knocked on teh door she practically pulled the door off of the hinges. She gasped when she saw Mulder. He looked a mess, she opened the door wider and instructed Frohicke to put Mulder on the sofa. Frohicke told her that he had to be going and asked her to wish Mulder well then left.
"Mum can you come in here please" Dana called. Maggie came in and gasped when she saw Mulder lying on her couch covered in blood.
"Oh my God, what happened to him?"
"I don't know, only Mulder can answer that. Could you help me to clean him up please"
"Sure, but don't you think we should put him to bed?
"I don't want to risk moving him and also I can keep a better eye on him down here" As Scully cleaned the blood from Mulder Maggie gently stroked his soft floppy hair. Dana just started cleaning around teh bullet wound in his shoulder, when he screamed out in agony.
"Mulder, Mulder calm down. Ignore the pain and focus on my face, okay can you do that?"
"Yeah" he gasped out, through the waves of pain that assaulted him as he kept listening to her voice.
"You still with me Mulder?" He nodded silently as she continued probing at his shoulder. "I need to get you undressed, so that I can examine you properly"
"Are you trying to seduce me Agent Scully?" Mulder replied with a wince. Scully and her mother exchanged a wink, remembering their earlier conversation. Scully began to unbutton Mulder's shirt, when she was pulling it off of his shoulder he hissed in pain. "Sorry Mulder" Scully muttered. When she had taken his shirt off she examined him closely. When Maggie saw all the blood and bruises she couldn't help but exclaim
"Oh my goodness Fox, who did this to you?"
"I don't know we weren't formerly introduced" he gasped. He winced again as Scully probed his ribs.
"Sorry, what happened to you Mulder?" Scully asked hoping to get more details.
"I was driving towards the Lone Gunmen's office and as you know I picked up a couple of tails along the way. I was on a long stretch of road and one of the cars rammed into the side of my car; I skid off the road. I was pretty out of it for a couple of moments and when I came round I wasn't thinking straight and I just got straight out of the car without thinking. Anyway they were still there and one of them just shot me, I guess he thought I was dead because they all left."
"You must have been terrified Fox" Maggie Scully said, shocked by the detached tone he used to tell the story, as though it had happened to somebody else. Mulder just nodded and gasped once again as Scully touched his shoulder to assess the damage.
"I'm going to bandage you all up and then I'm going to give you something for the pain and I expect you to sleep tonight, understand?" Scully demanded. Mulder simply nodded too tired to argue. When Mulder was settled on the sofa Maggie and Dana retreated to the kitchen for a well-deserved cup of coffee.

"Will he be all right?" Maggie questioned her daughter.
"He should be okay, he'll be in quite a lot of pain for a few days and it will be a while before his arm is in fully working order, but yeah he should be fine" Scully replied.
"I take it you haven't told him yet" Maggie continued.
"I just don't think it's the right time. His mother has just been murdered and some maniac is chasing after him" Dana argued defensively.
"All the more reason to tell him, before it's too late. God forbid anything did happen to him, how would you feel if you'd never told him that you love him?"
"Okay I'll think about it"
"Make sure you do, I mean it Dana Scully don't be frightened of love, it is the most natural thing in the World and the most important, once you have someone you love with all your heart, that loves you in return nothing else is important. That is what me and your father had for so many years, you need that happiness too" Maggie told her daughter with tears welling up in her eyes. Dana's eyes were filled with tears too.
"Oh Mum" she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around her mother and pulled her into a tight hug. Her mother hugged her back. "I'll tell him in the morning" she told her. Maggie simply nodded and squeezed one more time before finally pulling away from her daughter, and going to bed for the night.

The Following Morning.

After a night of fitful sleep Dana Scully felt less than refreshed. She yawned as she walked into the kitchen to get herself some strong coffee, and she was surprised to find her mother sitting in her dressing gown with a cup of coffee.
"Hey Mum what time is it?" she asked
"It's 6:30"
"What are you doing up so early" Dana questioned her Mum.
"I couldn't sleep, I guess it was worry over Fox. Are you going to talk to him today?"
"Yeah, maybe later" Dana replied before quickly changing the subject "Is that coffee still warm?" she asked.
"Yes" her mother replied, knowing why the conversation had changed direction, but letting it slide by anyway.
"Is Mulder awake yet?" Scully asked.
"I'm not sure, shall we go and check?" Scully nodded, and they both walked into the living room, they had taken it in turns to check on Mulder throughout the night, which contributed to the lack of sleep they had each suffered. Scully walked into the living room and was surprised to find the settee minus Mulder.
"Mum, where could he be?" Scully asked her voice dripping with worry.
"Where could who be?" asked a husky voice behind her. She spun round and found her self face to face with one of the men she cared most about in the World. "Mulder, what are you doing up?" she asked, even though she was pleased to see he was looking so much better. His face was still too pale and the bruises dotted all over him. The stark white bandages tightly wrapped around his shoulder and upper arm showed up brightly against the tanned skin of his arm. All things considered Scully thought he looked pretty darn good.
"I had to do something" Mulder replied.
"I take it you feel better then?" Scully asked. Mulder nodded.
"Yeah thanks, the shoulders a bit painful, but apart from that I feel okay"
"What are we going to do about work today?" Scully asked him carefully fully prepared for the expected argument.
"I think I might take a couple of days off" Mulder replied and Scully stared at him with mouth wide open. "What?" Mulder asked indignantly
"I was just expecting an argument that's all" she replied. "Would you like some breakfast?" she asked Mulder nodded hungrily, and Scully grinned then they walked into the kitchen and set down to breakfast.
"Hello Fox, how are you feeling this morning?" Maggie asked as Fox sat down gingerly.
"A lot better thank you" was Mulder replied with a grin, he was used to Scully caring for him, but to have a mother figure looking after him was a new concept, then he remembered he didn't even have a mother anymore and his grin died away. Noticing the change in his mood Maggie quickly changed the subject.
"So Fox what would you like for breakfast?"
"Can I just have coffee, please?" Mulder asked quickly losing his appetite.
"Don't you want anything to eat?" Scully asked in concern.
"No, I'm not very hungry thanks" Mulder replied. Scully decided not to push and just placed a mug of coffee in front of him. Scully got herself and her mother a bowl of cereals each and they ate in silence. When they had eaten Scully decided to breech the subject of work once more.
"Mulder what are you going to do about work today?" Mulder sighed, which caused him to wince, before replying.
"I'm going to ring in sick, and stay at home for a couple of days, then I'll go back to work, with my arm in a sling and say I hurt myself playing basketball or something, Skinner should let me stay in the field because it's not my gun arm"
"Don't you think we should tell Skinner the truth?" Scully questioned.
"I don't know, do you think we can trust him that much?" Mulder questioned.
"I'd like to think so" Mulder simply nodded, which Scully took as agreement. "I'll phone him" she told Mulder and he nodded once again. She picked up the phone and dialled Skinner's home number.

"Skinner" answered the crisp baritone.
"Sir? This is Agent Scully"
"Scully, is something wrong?" Skinner asked and Scully was surprised by the concern evident in his voice.
"Sir, would you mind coming to my Mother's house? It's just that Mulder and I would like to talk to you and we're not sure how secure the line is."
Sensing there was something wrong, Skinner didn't hesitate to respond "Scully I'll be there in an hour"
"Thank you sir" Scully replied before hanging up. She went and sat with Mulder and informed him that Skinner was on his way, Mulder simply nodded.

Mrs Scully's House
One Hour Later.

Scully had just made a cup of coffee, when the doorbell rang. She answered it straight away. Skinner was standing on the other side and Scully invited him in straight away.
"Thank you for coming so soon sir" Scully said, leading Skinner towards the living room.
"What's going on Agent Scully?" Skinner asked immediately, wanting to cut with the chase. "Where's Agent Mulder?"
"He's in the living room" Scully replied, pulling Skinner in.
"My God, Mulder what happened to you?" Skinner questioned, shocked by the appearance of the younger man.
"I had a run in with some friends" Mulder replied sarcastically.
"This is what we wanted to talk to you about sir" Scully cut in, not wanting her partner to anger Skinner, especially when they needed his help. "Would you like a coffee sir?"
"Yes please, white with one thanks" Skinner replied, Scully set about making the coffee then explained everything top Skinner, whilst Mulder remained surprisingly quiet.
"So, what do you want to do?" Skinner asked.
"I want to keep going on as normal" Mulder replied quickly
"I don't think that is a very good idea but Mulder seems to think that it makes him less of a target," Scully said with concern.
"I agree with Agent Mulder" Skinner said simply, and both Mulder and Scully turned to gape at him in surprise. Skinner explained. "While Agent Mulder is in the office he has me and you, Agent Scully, to keep an eye on him. Not to mention numerous security guards"
"Yeah, but what about when he's in the field?" Scully questioned.
"He won't be allowed out in the field for at least a couple of weeks, because of his injuries. You and Agent Mulder can catch up on paperwork for the next couple of weeks and then after that I'll personally select assignment if I believe there to be any danger left" Mulder smiled triumphantly, mainly because he had got his own way and Scully simply sighed in resignation.

Later That Evening

When Skinner had gone, Mulder told Scully he was going to go straight to bed.

"Mulder are you okay?" Scully asked concerned.
"Yeah I'm all right" Mulder told her, looking across at her with weary eyes.
"It's still quite early, sure you don't want to stay up?"
"No, I think I'll turn in, I've got a feeling it will be a long day tomorrow.

The End???? Well,for now....