Date sent: Tue, 9 Jun 1998

TITLE: Thicker Than Blood
AUTHOR: Susanne Barringer
EMAIL: sbarringer@usa.net
ARCHIVE: Anywhere okay w/ my name and e-mail attached
SPOILERS: Up to The Red and The Black
CLASSIFICATION: SA
RATING: PG for a handful of words
KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully UST
SUMMARY: Samantha returns, but Scully suspects her motives.
DISCLAIMER: Not my characters. Belong to CC, 1013, Fox. No
infringement intended.

NOTE: This is my first shot at something besides MSR fluff and at
something that actually has some plot.

_____________

Thicker Than Blood
by Susanne Barringer

Early on a Friday morning, Dana Scully opened the door to the office
she shared with Fox Mulder. Before she had even stepped inside,
Mulder bounded out of his chair, flew toward her, and scooped her
into his arms, swinging her around in a complete circle before
setting her down. This was in no way his usual behavior, and Scully
was concerned to say the least.

"Mulder? What's going on?" she asked suspiciously.

"Guess who just phoned me!" Mulder practically shouted at her, his
enthusiasm reaching out to put a smile on Scully's face. His eyes
danced with a happiness she had never seen before.

Scully stepped inside the office and shut the door behind her before
answering. "Uhhhh, E.T.?" she guessed. She had no idea who could
possibly put that radiant look on Mulder's face.

"You're close!" he said. She arched a questioning eyebrow.
"Samantha!" he shouted, grabbing her once more and swinging her
around, twice this time.

"You're kidding!" Scully exclaimed incredulously as Mulder set her
down again. "Samantha called you?" To say Scully was surprised was
putting it mildly. About six months earlier, Mulder had met a woman
whom he believed to be his sister. What should have been a happy
reunion, however, had turned out to be Mulder's worst nightmare.
Samantha had more or less told him she didn't want anything to do
with him. Although he had been stoic when he finally told Scully
about it, she knew Samantha's rejection had devastated him. Scully
was suspicious. It just didn't sound normal for a woman not to want
to talk to a man she had just learned was her brother. The fact that
Smoking Man was behind the reunion didn't exactly lessen Scully's
suspicions either. Mulder had never mentioned the mysterious meeting
again after he first told Scully about it. She knew it was painful
for him, so she was reluctant to bring it up. Besides, until he knew
for sure it was Samantha, there was no point in calling attention to
how strange the sequence of events had been.

"I can hardly believe it myself." Mulder's words brought her back to
the present. His eyes were still sparkling with delight, but Scully
was relieved when he stepped away from her. Being swung around in
circles by an exuberant Mulder was a bit too strange for her
comprehension.

"She wants to meet with me, Scully. Today. She wants to get
together and talk and get to know each other."

"Why now? What made her change her mind?" Scully couldn't help the
misgivings that formed in her head. She hated to have to question
this--Mulder was so oblivious with joy--but her intuition was
screaming that something was very strange about this out-of-the-blue
communication between the siblings.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. I guess she thought about it
and decided that she needed to know. Part of it might have to do
with Smoking Man's death. She knows he's dead; maybe she has a
freedom now she didn't have before. Maybe he wouldn't let her."

Scully could understand Mulder's need to rationalize the situation.
It didn't make a whole lot of sense to her, but she guessed that
since she didn't know Samantha, it was unfair to inflict her own
assumptions onto her. After all, it must be difficult to find out
that the man who raised you had essentially abducted you and lied
about your real family. And, if she really was Mulder's sister, how
could she resist knowing him? From what Mulder had told Scully, they
had shared a very close bond as children. That kind of bond doesn't
just disappear, no matter how much time passed.

"So, when are you going to meet her?" Scully decided to be
supportive.

"I'm leaving right now; I decided to take the day off. We're going
to spend the whole weekend together. She's even going to stay at my
place!"

"Really?" Scully tried not to sound too surprised. Why would anyone
want to spend a whole weekend with Mulder in his sardine-can
apartment?

"Yeah, it'll be great! We've got a ton of catching up to do. It'll
be like it was when we were kids--staying up late, talking, playing
games, eating Jiffy Pop."

Scully was concerned about Mulder's idealism. They weren't kids
anymore, and if he expected things to be like they were when they
were twelve and eight years old, he'd only be disappointed. Mulder
apparently read her mind. "I'm kidding, Scully. Well, partly
anyway. We gotta have Jiffy Pop!"

Scully smiled in relief, but the nagging doubt still haunted her.
"Be careful, Mulder." She raised both eyebrows at him as a reminder
of all the deception and subsequent disappointments he had already
had to overcome.

"I know, Scully. I won't be a fool again." Mulder gave her one last
hug--happy Mulder was becoming annoying--then grabbed his coat and
was out the door before Scully could wish him luck.

"Good luck, Mulder," she murmured to herself. "I hope, for both our
sakes, that this is the real thing."

**********

Scully was a wreck all day, wondering how things were going with
Mulder and the presumed Samantha. She willed the phone to ring, for
Mulder to call and let her know what was going on. She realized,
though, that she was probably expecting too much. Mulder was being
reunited with his sister after twenty-five years. They were likely
too busy catching up for him to call.

Scully managed to get through the day without calling Mulder on his
cell phone just to check. When her phone rang sometime after eleven
o'clock that night, however, she suspected it was him. Finally. She
hoped to God it was good news.

Mulder didn't even wait for her to say hello. "It's her, Scully.
It's her!" He sounded so awed, so in wonder.

"Mulder, I hate to sound like I'm second guessing you, but are you
sure?"

"I'm sure. She knows everything, Scully. She remembers that I used
to call her 'squirt' when I wanted to tick her off, and that I ate
peanut butter and mustard sandwiches, and that I used to pull the
noses off her stuffed animals when she wasn't looking, and that we
used to play Indian Ball out in the street in the summertime."

"That's all well and good, Mulder, but they could have . . ."

"I know Scully. I know exactly what you're going to say. I knew
you'd want some hard evidence, so I got it. I made her get x-rays
taken; she has a cracked collar bone, right where she broke it when
she fell off the swing. Not to mention she has a scar on her knee
where she got stitches after she snagged herself on a rusty nail
climbing over a fence. It's her, Scully. I can feel it. I know
it's her."

Scully felt a wave of relief pass over her. The evidence did seem
convincing. She would have to trust Mulder on this. His enthusiasm
helped ease her doubts. He had finally found his sister, and the
twelve-year-old in him was coming out in full force.

"I'm happy for you, Mulder. I can't believe you finally found her."

"Me neither, Scully. Hey, I can't wait for you to meet her. You
guys will be great friends, I'm sure of it. She's a lot like you,
Scully--strong, independent, *very* opinionated." Scully stifled a
laugh as she heard a female voice in the background saying "I heard
that!" Mulder laughed affectionately, then continued. "I can't wait
to have my two favorite women together, in the same room. I know it
sounds corny, but it's like a dream come true." Mulder was breathy
with anticipation. Scully had never heard him like that before; it
was as though finding Samantha had opened up a part of him that had
been hidden so deeply it was barely recognizable. She briefly
wondered to herself how much this would change Mulder, now that he
had found what he had spent his whole life looking for. What happens
to a man when he finally gets what he's always wanted?

"I look forward to meeting her, too."

"Great! So why don't you come over now?" Mulder's excitement was
relentless.

"Now? It's almost midnight, Mulder."

"So? This is a once in a lifetime thing, Scully. C'mon! I want you
to meet her. You've waited a long time to meet my sister, my *real*
sister. Now's the time."

His enthusiasm was difficult to resist, even though she felt some
unexplained trepidation lurking at the back of her conscience.
Still, meeting Mulder's sister? How could she decline? "All right,
Mulder, I'll be there in half an hour. Are you sure it's okay with
Samantha? She might be tired. Unlike you, she probably sleeps."

"You're so funny," he said sarcastically. Then, "I'll see you in
twenty minutes." He hung up before she could protest.

**********

Scully was nervous as she took the elevator to Mulder's apartment,
although she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because Samantha probably
knew her better than she knew Samantha, at least the adult Samantha.
She had a sneaking suspicion that Mulder had told Samantha everything
about her.

She calmed herself, then stepped out of the elevator. She tapped
lightly on the door. Even though she usually used her key when
Mulder was expecting her, it seemed to be the more polite thing to do
under the circumstances.

Mulder ripped open the door within seconds. "Scully! Hi! Come in."
He was flushed with happiness and utter joy. It was a look Scully
had never seen on him but which he wore beautifully. She stepped in,
and Mulder closed the door behind her. An attractive woman with
curly brown hair materialized out of the kitchen. She looked exactly
like the clone that had tried to pass itself off as Samantha a couple
of years ago. Mulder was literally bouncing on his feet with
excitement and anticipation.

"Samantha," Mulder pronounced with a flourish, "may I present my
partner and best friend, Dana Scully. Scully, this is my sister,
Samantha." Samantha smiled affectionately at Mulder's emphasis on
the word "sister."

"I'm so thrilled to meet you, Dana," she said, stepping forward to
give Scully a quick hug. "Fox *never* stops talking about you!"
Scully looked over Samantha's shoulder in time to catch Mulder's
sheepish shrug.

"Samantha, I'm the one who's thrilled," Scully commented as they
broke the embrace. "I wasn't sure this day would ever come." The
two women stood looking at each other, sizing each other up, while
Mulder positively beamed with delight. He looked like he was going
to keel over from sheer happiness.

"Dana, please sit," said Samantha as she indicated a place on the
sofa. Scully obliged and Samantha sat next to her, taking Scully's
hand in her own.

"I feel like I know you so well already, Dana. Fox has told me all
about you, and about the work you two do. Of course, it wasn't until
just now that I even knew you had a first name. All he ever calls
you is 'Scully'!" She laughed.

Scully smiled affectionately at this woman who meant so much to her
partner. "That was his idea, of course," she explained. "Something
about nobody ever calling him Fox . . ."

Samantha laughed again and winked at Mulder who had taken a seat in
the nearby recliner. "Oh, I called him a lot more than Fox." Her
eyes twinkled just like Mulder's. "Fox with stinky socks, Fox in a
box, Fox eating lox, Fox with the head of rocks. He hated it all."

"We never should have let her read Dr. Seuss," protested Mulder. He
glowed with elation at this memory of his sister, now here beside him
in the flesh.

Samantha turned serious again as she addressed Scully once more.
"I'd like to thank you for helping Fox in his search for me. I know
you've risked a lot." She squeezed Scully's hand with affection.
Scully felt moved by this woman she had just met but whom she felt
like she had known, in a way, for five years.

"You're very welcome. Really, I was just doing my job. Finding you
was the bonus." Samantha smiled warmly at her, then at Mulder.
Scully was surprised at how connected Samantha and Mulder seemed
already, how often they shared meaningful glances. She was pleased
that things were going well; she had been worried Mulder was
expecting too much from this reunion.

Samantha and Scully engaged in small talk, Samantha filling in the
general details of her life and asking Scully lots of questions about
Mulder. Mulder eventually stood up and faced the two chattering
women. "Hey, I hate to break up this lovely scene, and it is
unbelievably lovely, but how about beers all the way around? We need
to celebrate!"

Both Scully and Samantha nodded their agreement. Mulder stepped into
the kitchen and immediately Samantha dropped Scully's hand. She
shifted her position to put some distance between them, and her face
turned hard. Scully was shocked at the change in the woman's
demeanor; it was so sudden and without cause.

"So," Samantha began, eyeing Scully distrustfully, "Fox said that you
would insist he get some evidence that I was really Samantha, that
you wouldn't trust his judgment?"

Despite the neutral tone of the question, Scully felt that Samantha's
words were an accusation. "You have to understand, he's been duped
before," she defended herself. "He thought he found you once, but it
turned out to be a trick."

"But you still wouldn't trust his intuition? His belief in the
connection between us?"

Scully wanted to set Samantha straight, to explain to her that Mulder
was too obsessed to be objective about anything that involved his
sister, but she decided to let it go. There was no point in
alienating Samantha the first time they met; it was important they
get along for Mulder's sake. It seemed to be making him happy--maybe
happier than he had ever been.

Mulder returned to the living room, three bottles of beer in hand.
"So, ladies, shall we have a toast?" He sat down on the coffee table
in front of them and raised his bottle. "To family," he said in the
direction of Samantha. Then he turned toward Scully, "And to
friends," He flashed her a look of affection that nearly made her
blush from its intensity.

Scully drank, then offered her own toast. "To the end of the
journey," she pronounced. She noticed the look that passed between
Mulder and Samantha. She didn't like it. Something was up that
Mulder wasn't telling her about.

After a few minutes, Scully couldn't stop the curiosity rising in
her; she couldn't shake the feeling that something was brewing
between her partner and his long lost sister. "So, Mulder, what are
you going to do with yourself now that you've found Samantha?" She
asked it with a light tone, but the question was honestly a serious
one.

Mulder and Samantha exchanged glances again, and Scully felt a sick
feeling rise in the pit of her stomach. Something *was* going on
that they weren't telling her.

"Um, Scully. We need to talk about that," Mulder said timidly,
setting his beer down next to him.

The feeling in Scully's stomach rose into her throat. Mulder scooted
over on the coffee table so he was sitting directly in front of
Scully and their knees almost touched.

"Even though Samantha and I are together again, it's not over. I
mean, we still don't really know how she was taken or, more
importantly, why. The reason Sam asked me to meet her is because she
wants me to find out exactly what happened. She wants to know why
she was taken, and who Smoking Man really is, and especially who
killed him. His name's *Howard* by the way. Can you believe that?
Anyway, Sam knew he was involved with some powerful people, and he
had told her that his life might be in danger, but she doesn't know
why he was killed."

Scully felt dread descend upon her. "Mulder, don't you think this is
just asking for trouble? We couldn't get close enough to these
people before. What makes you think you can get the information
now?"

"Well, I have Sam to help me now. She has information that could
help us blow this thing wide open, Scully." Scully knew what he
meant, but that didn't stop the hurt she felt flood her body.

"Mulder, this sounds dangerous." She stared him down, knowing that
her look would communicate to him her intense concern. She felt
uncomfortable talking about it in front of Samantha, especially given
what had passed between them while Mulder was in the kitchen.

Mulder moved closer to Scully and put his hand on her arm. "I know,
Scully. But Sam needs to know. She needs to know what happened to
her father . . . the man she knew as her father. Remember how you
felt when Melissa was killed, how you needed to know? You should
understand."

Scully couldn't help but be offended by the comparison. Her sister
had been an innocent woman, caught at the wrong time in the wrong
place. Samantha's "father"--he was a criminal, a liar, a murderer.
The comparison was insulting. Tracking down Smoking Man's numerous
connections would no doubt piss off a lot of people, a lot of
dangerous people.

Just as Scully was about to voice her concern once more, Mulder
dropped the bomb. "I'm going to take a leave of absence from the
Bureau until this is settled. I'm not asking you to be in this with
me, Scully. It's my own personal battle and you have no obligation
to stand by my side. Besides, Sam will be with me, so I won't be
alone."

Scully used every ounce of her strength to stop the tears welling up
in her eyes. Even though he hadn't intended them to, Mulder's words
ripped at her heart. How could he dismiss her so easily? Of course
she understood what he was saying about her not having to go with
him, but to imply that Samantha could replace her? That hurt like
hell. And to leave the Bureau? That was ludicrous.

"Well, that's good, Mulder, because I won't fight this one with you.
I won't assist you in running off to your death in search of answers
that no one will ever let you have. They won't let you know, Mulder.
There's no way you'll get what you're looking for." She knew anger
was rising in her voice, and she also knew that Mulder wouldn't miss
it. It didn't help that she was annoyed with herself for not being
able to control her emotions in front of Samantha.

"We have to try," piped up Samantha. Scully resented her, although
she didn't want to. This woman had just walked into Mulder's life
today, after breaking his heart for six months by not having any
contact with him. She'd been in his life for all of eighteen hours
and already asked him to put his life on the line for her. Like he
hadn't already done that a million times. Yes, she knew that Mulder
had to find the answers someday, but to walk right into it without
any investigation first, without finding out exactly what he was
dealing with, and without the Bureau's resources was too much to ask.
Even of a brother.

"Samantha has asked me to do this. For her. I have to, Scully.
Can't you understand that?" Mulder's voice was pleading, but Scully
knew that it made no difference what she thought or felt. Mulder
would go through with this no matter what the potential consequences.

Mulder effectively changed the subject after he saw the parade of
emotions on Scully's face. He knew her well enough to know that they
had taken the conversation far enough for the moment. Scully hung
around for another ten minutes out of politeness, then decided she
had to get out of there before she exploded. This whole situation
was just not sitting well with her.

"I hate to break up the celebration, but it really is late and I need
to get some sleep." Scully rose and turned toward Samantha.
"Samantha, it was wonderful to meet you finally."

Samantha stood up and embraced Scully, kissing her cheek. "It was
nice to meet you too, Dana. Thanks for taking care of my brother all
these years." Mulder beamed with happiness and pride, but Scully saw
something different in the glare Samantha gave her as they parted.

Scully intended to see herself out, but Mulder followed her into the
hallway and walked with her to the elevator.

"Hey, Scully, I'm sorry about what I said in there, about Samantha
helping me with this. I didn't mean that I didn't need you, just
that I don't want to involve you in something so dangerous."

"I know, Mulder."

"It just looked like I upset you, and I didn't mean to do that."
Mulder reached over and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.
Scully unconsciously moved back slightly.

"I am upset, Mulder, but not about that. It upsets me that you're
talking about leaving the Bureau."

"I'm not leaving; I'm just taking a break while I work on getting
these answers."

"Why don't you stay on the job? You can still investigate this stuff
in between our cases. That's what you did before."

"I can't, Scully. That wouldn't give me enough time, and I'd have to
drop everything whenever a new case came up. If I'm going to get to
the truth behind this, I have to commit myself full time. Besides, I
can't have Skinner breathing down my neck constantly, and there's no
way I'd get anywhere if I needed every step approved by the
higher-ups. I need the freedom." It sounded like he really had
thought this through, but Scully still didn't like it.

"I understand that, but you also need the Bureau resources. How can
you accomplish anything without those?"

"Well, if you mean the information and databases, I was kinda hoping
you'd help me out with that. If I ask you to look something up for
me, you would, wouldn't you, Scully? I mean, it wouldn't really go
against protocol or anything since I am an agent, and you wouldn't
actually be involved."

Scully let loose a sigh. "Of course, Mulder. I'll help you however
I can, but it's not just about information. What about access, and
money?"

"Hey, believe it or not, 'Howard' was loaded! He set up Samantha
with investments and a huge trust fund. She's willing to put up the
money. The rest will work itself out."

"And what about me?" Scully knew how pathetic that sounded, but she
couldn't help it. It felt like Mulder was leaving her in the lurch
to go out on some crazy quest. That was nothing new, of course, but
this time it was much bigger--and more dangerous.

Mulder missed the point. "You keep working on the X-Files, of
course. We can't give those up. There are still plenty of mutants
and unexplained phenomena out there." He smiled at her reassuringly.

"How can you do this to me?" God, pathetic again, but she could not
believe Mulder was going to leave her alone. He was ditching her in
the ultimate ditch. To top it off, he seemed entirely unfazed by the
implications of her questions.

"It's not permanent, Scully. If you really want a partner, you can
request a temporary one. I could recommend a few people who think a
little along my lines." Like anyone could replace Mulder's lunacy!
"Scully, this could find the answers you want too. We know it's all
connected--your abduction, the staged aliens, Smoking Man and his
cronies."

"Maybe, but I don't think this is the right way to find those answers
Mulder. You're hanging yourself out to dry, with nothing and no one
to back you up. There are other ways to the truth." Frustration
rose in her voice, and she poked at the elevator button with force.
What good would the answers do her if Mulder was dead?

"This is the best way, Scully. It'll get me closer. I won't have to
go by the book on everything, and I've got Sam's connections."

"I don't like this, Mulder. I just want to go on record as saying
that I don't like the whole idea. I'm worried you're getting
yourself into something bigger than you can handle. I don't like
that you're willing to isolate yourself in this, without the FBI
behind you."

"I'll be fine, Scully. And I promise I'll be careful," Mulder
assured her as the elevator doors opened. "I'm going to talk to
Skinner on Monday and see if he'll release me immediately. I want to
get started as soon as possible."

Scully simply nodded and stepped into the elevator. There was
nothing left to say. Mulder gave her a small wave as the doors shut.
She burst into tears.
__________

TITLE: Thicker Than Blood (2/3)
AUTHOR: Susanne Barringer
EMAIL: sbarringer@usa.net
Disclaimers, etc. in Part One.

**********

When Scully arrived at the office Monday morning, Mulder had already
been there. His coat was draped over his chair, and there were files
sprawled across his desk. With a sick feeling, she realized he had
already gone up to Skinner's office to discuss the leave of absence.

About forty-five minutes later, Mulder opened the door to their
office. He looked worn and tired.

"How'd it go with Skinner?" Scully wasn't sure she wanted to know,
but she knew she would have to face the music eventually.

Mulder smiled. "Well, I had to put up with about twenty minutes of
him verbally kicking my ass, but he reluctantly agreed to release me
immediately."

Scully's heart hit the floor. "Oh." She wasn't sure she'd be able
to say anything else Mulder wanted to hear.

He began sorting through files on his desk, every now and then
tossing one into a box on his chair. Finally, Scully pulled herself
together enough, she thought, to carry on an appropriately supportive
conversation.

"So, where are you going?"

Mulder looked up from his sorting. "Are you sure you want to know
that, Scully? It's probably better that you know only the basics, in
case Skinner grills you or something."

"I'd like to know what the plan is, at least."

"Okay, well, Sam and I spent the weekend combining our respective
knowledge and figuring out where to start. Howard was working with
several different people--government officials of various countries.
The only way to get close to them will be to immerse myself in their
world somehow. I'm going to New York first--I've got some leads
there. After that, I have no idea."

"When are you leaving?" She braced herself for the answer. Whatever
it was, she wouldn't like it.

"As soon as I get this stuff together. I've got a noon flight."
Even worse than she thought.

Scully was silent again as she watched Mulder finish up the stack of
files on his desk, filing away the ones he didn't put in his box.
Was there anything she could say to stop him from doing this?

"Don't go, Mulder." Well, that wasn't likely to do much good, but
she had spoken it without thinking.

Mulder stopped his paper sorting. He stared at her, searching her
eyes, reading in them what she was asking of him. He looked at her a
long time, like he was actually reconsidering his plans. She prayed
every prayer that she could think of, hoping he would listen to her.
No good.

"I have to, Scully. Please, don't ask me not to." His eyes begged
for her understanding as her whole world fell apart around her. She
fought back tears, finally turning away from him. She heard him sigh
loudly, and she knew she had hurt him.

Within a few minutes, Mulder finished packing his files. He lifted
the box off his chair and placed it near the door. He walked back
toward Scully's desk.

"Scully." His eyes were still begging her. "I guess it's time."
Scully stood up and came to stand in front of him. She knew Mulder
could read her emotions; for once, she made no attempt to hide them.

"Please be careful, Mulder. You know how dangerous these people are.
Promise me you'll be careful!"

"I will, Scully, I promise. I'll probably be out of contact for
periods of time, but I'll stay in touch as much as I can." He
stepped forward and put his arms around her, kissing her forehead as
he pulled her into his embrace. "I'll be back in the X-Files in no
time, I promise," he mumbled into her hair. "Think of how many
theories you can debunk without me standing in your way." Scully
laughed, but her insides were twisted with fear and heartbreak. She
hated that he was willing to cut all his ties in order to go it
alone.

She finally pulled away, reluctantly. Letting go of Mulder this time
meant much more than it ever had before. Mulder stepped back and
moved to pick up his box. He winked at her as he opened the door.
"See ya' around, Scully," he said with a sincere smile, then closed
the door behind him. Scully's heart shattered at the realization
that she might never see him again.

**********

While Mulder was gone, Scully tried to immerse herself in work in
order to keep him off her mind, but it was difficult to concentrate
when she knew that he could be in trouble and there was nothing she
could do about it. She refused to request a temporary partner,
although Skinner insisted she take back-up whenever she was in the
field. Conveniently, there hadn't been too many new cases during the
time Mulder had been on leave. Scully realized that they usually had
so many X-Files because Mulder sought them out. He reviewed the
cases of other agents, read the tabloids and news reports off the
wire, and kept his ear to the murmurings of contacts like the Lone
Gunmen. Without him looking for cases, there really weren't all that
many that came their way. For the most part, Scully was relieved.
She simply didn't have the motivation or the inclination to work them
if Mulder wasn't around to provide the far-out explanations that
forced her to stay grounded.

Three weeks passed and she hadn't heard a word from Mulder. Not a
personal word anyway. Mulder left requests for information with
Samantha who either brought them by Scully's apartment or asked that
Scully come pick them up. Samantha was staying at Mulder's place
until he returned. Scully found it a bit peculiar that she would be
willing to leave her family--Mulder could be gone for months.

After Scully had pulled the appropriate information for Mulder or
done the research he requested, she would return the files to
Samantha at Mulder's apartment. After a week of Mulder being gone,
she began to include personal notes in the files, asking Mulder to
please call her or get in touch with her somehow. He never did.
Scully couldn't stop her suspicions that Samantha was intercepting
the notes. As far as Mulder communicating, there was nothing more in
the files passed from him except the occasional note clarifying some
request. Scully was upset that he was avoiding her so expertly. She
didn't expect him to keep in constant contact, but it would have been
nice if she had a clue where he was or what he had been doing, just
in case something happened to him. She tried his cell phone, even
though she knew that wasn't a good idea, but the number had been
disconnected.

Finally, in desperation and concern, Scully tried leaving messages on
his answering machine thinking that maybe Mulder called in sometimes
to get messages, but that got her nowhere. No doubt Samantha
intercepted those too. She even contacted the Lone Gunmen thinking
that Mulder might have asked them to do some work for him. He had
been in communication with them earlier in his search, but Frohike
assured her they had no idea where he was. When meeting with
Samantha, Scully would ask her politely to please have Mulder get in
touch with her, but Samantha insisted that she had no way to contact
him. Scully didn't believe that for a minute. She had even held
surveillance outside Mulder's apartment one night to see how the
files were getting from Samantha to Mulder, but it was only a
delivery boy who came for the package. Scully accosted him on his
way out, but he clearly had no idea who he was working for. He was
told simply to deliver the package to a certain motel office. Scully
decided going there might put Mulder in danger, so she simply gave
the delivery boy a note for Mulder and twenty bucks to deliver it
with the file.

Still Scully heard nothing. It frustrated her to no end that she had
absolutely no way to reach Mulder if something important came up that
he needed to know. All was dependent on Samantha, and Scully trusted
her to give Mulder the messages about as much as she trusted his fish
to do it.

All she could do to help Mulder was provide the research he
requested, so she did. In fact, she threw herself into it
wholeheartedly, always getting it done as quickly as she could and
returning the file to Samantha sometimes within twenty-four hours.
She knew that in order to stay sane, she had to do *something*
helpful, and if this was the only thing he'd let her do, then so be
it.

Scully did pay attention to the information Mulder was requesting of
her, but she saw no pattern to the requests. He seemed to be looking
at background checks on a number of people, but Scully could see
nothing in common between them. They represented various low-profile
government officials and leaders of corporations. It didn't seem to
be the right track to Scully, but, of course, she had no other
information on which to base her hypothesis.

Scully had just about had enough of the royal run-around she was
getting from Samantha, when Skinner called her into his office one
afternoon and changed everything.

Skinner looked uncomfortable the minute she entered his office, and
Scully was worried he had gotten some bad news about Mulder. "Agent
Scully, I have no idea why Agent Mulder has taken a leave of absence,
but I'm sure it wasn't to go sun himself on a beach in the Bahamas.
I don't know what he's up to, and honestly I suspect it's better that
I don't. I've come across some information, however, that might
interest you and, I suspect, might be something you want to let Agent
Mulder know about."

"What is it, sir?"

Skinner didn't answer but instead opened a folder and removed a
photograph, which he then handed across his desk to Scully. Scully
took one look at it and gasped. It was a picture of Smoking Man
picking up logs from a woodpile outside a small cabin.

"Where did you get this?" she demanded.

"I can't tell you that. Actually, I'm not exactly sure where it came
from. It just . . . came into my hands. I can tell you, however,
that the photo was taken within the last month. That is something of
which I can assure you."

So, Smoking Man was alive and well after all. Scully heart lurched,
and suddenly it all became clear. She wasn't sure how she had come
to the conclusion, but she knew with certainty what was going on.
She dropped the picture on Skinner's desk as she stood.

"Excuse me, but I have some pressing business to take care of."
Skinner nodded, but Scully had already turned to go.

**********

Scully's car screeched to a halt in front of Mulder's building as she
parked illegally. She used the stairs so she wouldn't have to wait
for the elevator. She was hoping like crazy that Mulder would be
there, but she knew instinctively that it would be Samantha she would
have to deal with.

Sure enough, Samantha opened the door after Scully had pounded on it
so hard her knuckles ached.

"Dana, what is it?"

Scully didn't wait for an invitation. She barreled her way in and
slammed the door behind her.

"You knew, didn't you? You've known all along! How could you have
done this to Mulder?" Scully's tone was far beyond accusatory, yet
Samantha hardly flinched.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as calmly as if Scully had
whispered it to her.

"Oh, cut the crap. You know he's alive, don't you? Your father's
alive, and you're working with him. You're getting Mulder to do your
dirty work."

Samantha looked like she was going to deny it, but then she seemed to
change her mind. "All right, yes, my father is alive. He asked me
to help him. He's been betrayed; he needs to know who tried to kill
him."

Scully was so angry she felt like she was out of control. This was
unreal. "So you're using Mulder? How can you do this to him after
all he's done for you?"

"I'm not using him. I'm giving him what he wants. My father was
betrayed by them. Now he wants to see them pay. They're the same
people Fox is after. We're both looking for the same thing. By
finding out why they tried to kill my father, Fox will get his truth
and his answers, and so will my father."

Oh God, this was horrible. Scully couldn't believe this situation
was even happening. "Samantha, you have to stop it now. You can't
let Mulder walk into this trap."

"Do you love him?"

"What?" Scully wondered where that had come from. "Of course I love
him. We've been though hell together--five years of it."

"If you care about him so much, how can you stop him? How can you
deny him what he's spent his whole life searching for?"

"How can I not stop him?" shouted Scully, her anger getting the best
of her again. "He's gotten the answers he really needed. He found
you. That's what this has always been about."

"It's about more than that, Dana, and you know it. For Fox, it's
about finding the truth. He's only found half of it."

"You have no idea what we've been through. You have no idea what
he's gone through to find you. How can you ask him to continue?"

"I *do* know what he's gone through."

"I'm sorry, Samantha, but you don't. You couldn't. You haven't been
here to see it, to see all he's suffered over the years you were
missing. I don't mean to offend you, but you couldn't possibly
understand."

"Oh, and you're saying you do? You're saying that you know what he
wants and what he needs even better than he does?" Samantha, now,
was the one boiling with anger.

"Yes, I do. I know him better than anyone, including you."

Samantha's face turned up into a grin, but it had an edge of meanness
to it. "You might have known him before, but you don't know him now.
I'm the one he confides in now. I'm the one he's working with now,
not you." So she *was* in contact with Mulder. Scully's blood
churned at the thought that Samantha had been lying to her. "You
don't know anything about what he needs now."

"I know he needs me." Scully knew that wasn't the best answer given
Samantha's recent hostility, but Mulder *did* need her. She was as
certain of that as anything else between them.

"Look, I know this hurts you, Dana, but Fox needs *me* right now.
You're his partner, and he needs you to watch his back, and he'll
always need your friendship. But right now, he needs support for his
quest, and I'm the one who's giving him that. You're interfering.
You should stay out of it, stay away from him. You'll only make
things worse."

"Well, everything was fine until you came back. Maybe it's you who's
making things worse. Did you ever think of that?" Scully knew that
was unfair, and mean to boot, but she didn't care anymore. Samantha
was all wrong about this, and there was no way Scully would let her
destroy Mulder for her own benefit, not after all he had already
sacrificed to find her.

"I'm his blood. I'm his sister."

"Well, I'm his . . ." Scully stopped. She had no word for what she
was. "Partner" would have sounded lame. "Friend?" Not recently.
And she couldn't claim anything more than that.

Samantha smirked, and Scully had to clench her fists to keep from
ripping the smirk right off of her. She had Scully beat. When it
came right down to it, Scully was nothing more than a friend, while
Samantha was everything. Scully hated her. She hated her with every
fiber of her being, and then she felt guilty for hating her.
Samantha was Mulder's sister, and she should be grateful that he had
found her again, but she couldn't help but hate what Samantha was
doing to him, and to their relationship. Nothing had ever come
between Mulder and her before, and now, of all things, it was
Mulder's sister who was going to rip them apart. The irony was
painful. After all, it was Mulder's sister who had led them together
in the first place; it was her disappearance that had brought Mulder,
and then Scully, to the X-Files. And it was her disappearance that
had made Mulder who he was, the man Scully loved.

Scully decided there was no more time to waste. She had to get
through to Samantha from a rational standpoint. This was about much
more than the petty power plays between the two of them.

"You have to tell him, Samantha." She willed her voice to remain
calm. Shouting was getting them nowhere. "You have to tell him what
you know about your father. If he goes into this without knowing
everything, you put his life in danger. Tell him the truth. Tell
him whose team he's *really* playing for."

"Do you think that would change anything, Dana? Come on. He'd do
whatever I asked him to do, no matter whose side it's on. It's
better for him not to know."

"You're crazy! You're sending him on a suicide mission. He needs to
know what he's up against."

"What difference does it make? What he needs to find out is the
same, no matter if it's for me or for my father."

"It makes all the difference!" The gall of this woman was
incredible, and Scully felt her rage rising again. "If you knew
Mulder, you'd know that. He lives for the truth. By keeping it from
him, you work against him." Those words--Mulder had said them once
to Scully, and now she was using them with his own sister.

"I *do* know Fox. We're of the same blood, and we've come to know
each other well in the last few weeks. He and I are the same. We're
alike in more ways than you understand."

It was all Scully could do not to slap the woman. "You're nothing
like Mulder! Nothing!" she spat out. The thought offended her
beyond reason. "He's sensitive, and kind, and understanding. He's
the most human man I know. He cares more about victims than a good
agent should. He's sacrificed his whole life to find you and to find
out what happened to you. Don't think for one minute you are
anything like him!"

Samantha's face turned up into a snarl. "And you, Dana, are jealous.
It's as clear as day. I can see it in your eyes every time you look
at me. You wish you could get rid of me so you could have Fox all to
yourself. You can't stand the idea that he loves me more than he
loves you, and that he chose to work with me instead of with you."

Scully was going to lose it, fast. "That's ridiculous. I'm just
concerned about him. I'm concerned that he's fallen under your spell
and would do whatever you ask him, even if you lead him straight to
his death."

"He's my brother. I don't want anything bad to happen to him.
That's why I want you to stay away from him. You're the one who will
destroy him. You know, the day he left, he almost decided not to go
because you asked him not to." Scully was shocked and,
unfortunately, she knew Samantha had seen it. "Luckily, I managed to
convince him it was for the best. He'd quit this if you begged him
to, and I don't want to see that happen. I don't want to see him
give up everything he's always wanted for *you*."

"Now who's the jealous one?" Scully couldn't control herself
anymore. No point in pretending to be polite.

"Dana, step back and let me do this my way."

"If he knew what you were all about . . ."

"Then what? You won't tell him. He wouldn't listen to anything
negative that you said about me, and if you tried, it would ruin your
relationship forever."

Oh God. She *was* manipulating him. She was forcing him to play her
games. The thought that Samantha, whom Mulder loved so much, would
resort to such threats sickened Scully.

Well, one thing was clear. There was no way now that Samantha would
tell Scully how to contact Mulder. She'd have to figure out some way
to communicate with him through the reports. She had no idea how to
do that, but she'd have to think of something. Mulder's life
depended on it. He was flying blind, and it was up to Scully to
light his way.

For now, she had to get out of there before she did something really
stupid--like beat the crap out of Samantha. Scully stepped toward
her and grabbed her arm. "So help me, if he dies because you didn't
tell him the truth, I'll personally see to it that you regret it for
the rest of your life," she snarled at her. "You have my word on
that."

Samantha merely sneered at Scully and pushed her away violently.
"Yeah, I can really see why Fox loves you so much," she said, her
voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're just *so* nice."

Scully once again resisted the urge to knock the daylights out of her
and instead directed her energy toward tearing open the door. Before
leaving, she flashed Samantha her best "you're going to pay" agent
look, then slammed the door behind her so hard that the hallway
shook.

_________

TITLE: Thicker Than Blood (3/3)
AUTHOR: Susanne Barringer
EMAIL: sbarringer@usa.net
Disclaimers, etc. in Part One.

**********

The next night, Scully was awakened by the ringing of her phone. She
opened her eyes to find the clock read 4:21 a.m. Mulder. It had to
be Mulder.

She grabbed the phone, her heart pounding with hope.

"Mulder?!"

"Hey, Scully," replied a familiarly warm voice that filled Scully's
eyes with tears of relief. "How'd you know it was me?"

"No one but you would call me at 4:00 in the morning," she kidded,
trying to keep her voice light. The last thing Mulder needed was to
be concerned about her, which he would be if he thought she sounded
upset. "Are you okay, Mulder?"

"Sure, I'm fine. Look, I don't have much time, and I might have to
hang up on you suddenly. I just wanted to tell you . . . "

Scully cut him off. "Wait, Mulder. I have to tell you something
important. Smoking Man is alive." She still couldn't bring herself
to call him Howard. That was too human.

Mulder paused in surprise. "Are you sure? How'd you find out?"

"Oh, it's a long story. We don't have time now. But I'm sure of it.
He's alive, Mulder."

Mulder sounded puzzled. "Actually, that does clear up some things I
found out. So the old bastard's alive, huh? Did you let Samantha
know? She must be so thrilled."

Scully felt the now-familiar hatred rise in her at the mention of
Samantha's name, but this was not the time to get into it with
Mulder. "Yes, she knows," she replied simply, feeling slightly
nauseous at having to keep the truth from Mulder. Time to change the
subject. "What have you found out, Mulder? Can you tell me?"
Scully didn't want to push him, but she wanted to have some idea what
he was doing. In case he got into trouble, she needed to have a
place to start.

"Too much to tell right now. I've hit a dead end. I think the best
thing is that I bring back what I've found and you and I work on it
together. We need to sit down and figure out how it fits into what
we already know. I need your take on things, Scully. I'm pretty
confused, and I don't know what to do next."

Thank God, it sounded like he was going to stop this crazy pursuit.
Relief settled over her, and her eyes filled with tears again. She
couldn't cope with the idea of Mulder being used as a pawn, most
likely a sacrificial one.

"Come home, Mulder. Please come home." Scully didn't care if it
sounded like she was begging. At that moment, it was the one thing
she wanted most in the world.

"Hey, I hear ya'," he responded lightly. "I've got a few more things
I want to look into before . . ." Mulder stopped. Scully heard
voices in the background, loud, angry. "Uh, Scully, I gotta go.
I'll see you in a couple of days." Mulder hung up before Scully
could say goodbye.

"Be careful, Mulder. Take care of yourself," she whispered into the
dead phone. Her excitement that Mulder was coming back was dampened
by her concern for him. She hoped he hadn't gotten in too deeply to
get out again.

**********

Three days later, late in the afternoon, the door to the office of
the X-Files opened and in sauntered Mulder in full FBI regalia,
looking like he'd just come back from vacation. Scully launched
herself into his arms before he even got a chance to speak, knocking
out of his hands a large box full of papers. As he held her, she
remembered how many times he had come safely back to her--from
Alaska, from Russia, and now from the lair of the very devil
himself--and said a quick silent prayer of thanks.

"Hey," said Mulder placing her back on her feet, "I guess that means
you're glad I'm back, huh?" he teased.

Scully ran her hands over his face, his shoulders, his arms, then
back to his face again, checking for what, she didn't know. "Are you
okay, Mulder? Were you hurt? Are you injured in any way?" She knew
her voice was too heavy with concern, but she couldn't help it.

Mulder pushed her hands away. "Quit touching me, Scully. I'm fine."
Despite his seeming annoyance, she heard the laughter behind his
words. He hated when she fussed over him. "I missed you though," he
added. Scully felt warmth spread over her at that. Mulder wasn't
usually so sentimental.

"I was so worried about you, Mulder. You never called me or
anything. I should be pissed. I didn't expect you to completely
ditch me." She crossed her arms in front of her to send the clear
message of reprimand.

A questioning look crossed Mulder's face. "Didn't you get my letter?
The one where I told you I wouldn't be able to contact you for a few
weeks? I put it in one of the files I sent to Samantha."

Scully swallowed the lump in her throat. "No, I didn't get the
letter," she replied simply. No point in letting Mulder in on all
her suspicions just yet. She didn't know if Mulder and Sam had
talked since his return.

"Hm, that's weird," stated Mulder practically. "Well, anyway, even
though I didn't get to the bottom of things, I did find out a lot of
information I think we can use," he motioned to the files now
scattered across the floor thanks to her enthusiastic greeting.

"Oh, sorry about that," Scully apologized sheepishly.

"You were just happy to see me," Mulder helpfully added for her. His
eyes sparkled with laughter and Scully was relieved that he had come
back from his journey in good spirits. Usually when he came back, it
was in an ambulance.

Mulder spent the rest of the afternoon filling her in on what he had
found out, and they worked on collating the information with what
they had already discovered and what Samantha had given him. It
became clear very quickly that many of the mysterious people they'd
dealt with--Smoking Man, the man who'd warned Scully at Bill Mulder's
funeral, and the heavy man whom Scully had met at the leper
colony--were working together in some kind of consortium. It would
take much more work, however, before they'd be able to find out
exactly what it was all about. One thing was clear--these men were
hiding something, something big. Mulder hadn't even begun to scratch
the surface. These men were buried so deeply, it would take forever
to get close enough to touch them.

The partners worked straight through until 7:00, with only a quick
break while Mulder ran up to Skinner's office to tell him he was
back. They were so busy piecing together all the many parts that
Scully didn't have time to think about what she should tell Mulder
about Samantha. Mulder did tell Scully that he had seen Samantha
earlier in the day, and he had given her copies of all the
information he had found. Scully didn't like that idea; she knew the
information was probably already on its way to Smoking Man, but there
wasn't much she could do about it.

At 7:00 Mulder called it quits for the day. "I want to go see
Samantha. She's leaving to go home tomorrow morning." Scully
thought about telling Mulder the truth just then, but her intuition
told her not to. There was no point in ruining their final evening
together. Samantha would probably be honest with him anyway, since
she knew Scully knew.

Mulder hugged her goodbye, not his usual behavior. Scully couldn't
resist the emotions she felt welling up inside her. "I'm so glad
you're back, Mulder."

"Me too," he stated with sincerity as they stepped apart. "You have
no idea how much I missed your constant hounding and
second-guessing," he joked, gently running his hand down her cheek.

Scully smiled and shook her head in mock disgust. "Go," she told
him.

"See ya' in the morning," he threw out as he closed the door. Scully
just hoped Mulder would still be in such high spirits tomorrow after
Samantha told him the truth.

**********

Scully was awakened by a loud pounding at her door. It was 2 am.
She grabbed her robe and her gun and padded out to the living room.
Peeking through the peephole, she was surprised to see Mulder.
Setting the gun down, and tying her robe closed, she opened the door.
Something was very wrong.

"What is it Mulder? What's happened?"

Mulder silently stepped inside; he looked like hell. His face was
wracked with pain, and he looked stunned, in shock. Scully held on
to his arm and guided him to the sofa.

"Mulder, you're scaring me! What happened?" she demanded as she sat
next to him on the sofa and took his trembling hands in hers.

Mulder gazed at her with a sadness that Scully felt in her soul.
Unchecked tears ran down his cheeks. "She's gone, Scully. She's
gone." His words broke on a sob, and he fell forward into Scully's
arms.

Scully wrapped her arms around Mulder and stroked his hair.
"Samantha? She's gone?" Scully wasn't sure what he meant. Gone
gone, or gone dead?

Mulder simply nodded against Scully chest, the sobs prevented him
from speaking. Scully wanted to kill Samantha. What had she done to
him?

After a few minutes, she pushed Mulder away from her so she could
look him in the eyes. "Tell me what happened, Mulder." She stroked
his cheek to reassure him and encouraged him with her eyes. "Where
did she go?"

Mulder had regained control of himself for the most part, at least
enough to talk coherently. "I don't know, Scully. She just left. I
got home, and all her stuff was gone, and she was gone too."

"I'm sure she just went home, Mulder. Didn't she leave you a note or
something?" Scully wasn't as sure of these things as she tried to
sound. She knew instantly that Samantha *was* gone--straight to her
father, no doubt, with all the information Mulder had dug up.

"No. There was nothing, no note, no message on the machine, nothing.
I figured I'd track down her husband. She had told me all about
him. Scully, he doesn't exist! She was never married, she has no
kids. Why would she lie to me? Why would she make up something like
that?" The pain on Mulder's face tore at Scully's insides. If she
knew where Samantha was, she would have hunted the bitch down and
killed her with her bare hands.

"I don't know." That was all she could say for now.

Mulder was silent a while. All he did was look down, studying his
hands clasped in hers. "She's not coming back, is she?" He looked
up at her with such agony, his eyes begging her to tell him what he
wanted to hear. She pulled him into her arms again and rocked him.
He was so weak, so destroyed, that it scared her. She had never seen
him so emotionally on the edge.

"I don't think so, Mulder." It was the hardest thing she ever had to
say. Mulder nodded with resignation, as if he understood.

As the pieces fell into place in Scully's analytical mind, she grew
so enraged with Samantha she could taste the bitterness in her mouth.
Samantha had been using Mulder all along, and the loving sister act
was just an act. She didn't care about Mulder, not at all. She had
used her own brother in order to protect her father. It was
unbelievable. Scully kept her thoughts to herself as Mulder grieved
in her arms. It nearly killed her to see what Samantha had done to
him. She had ripped apart his heart again--Mulder's heart, so good
and so pure, which had already been torn to shreds when he was twelve
years old and had never gotten to heal. The more Scully thought
about it, the more enraged she became. She finally had to shut off
her brain and try to concentrate on Mulder.

He said nothing. He just let Scully hold him for a long time,
exhausted from emotion. He eventually fell asleep, and Scully laid
him down on the couch. She retrieved a pillow and blanket from her
linen closet and returned to the sofa. Mulder slept peacefully,
though his forehead remained furrowed with emotions that Scully
couldn't even begin to understand. She covered him with the blanket
and smoothed back his hair. She rested her hand on his head for a
few minutes, shocked by the sight of such an incredibly strong man
broken in sheer emotional pain. It was something she hoped to God
she'd never have to see again. The worst part was, he didn't even
know all of it. He didn't know to what extent his beloved Samantha
had deceived him. Scully wouldn't tell him though, she realized as
she planted a kiss on his forehead.

She decided at that instant that she wouldn't tell Mulder that
Samantha had known her father was alive and that they had used Mulder
for their own purposes. At least not now. She knew instinctively
that she was doing the right thing. He might be angry with her when
he found out she had kept it from him, but she hoped he would
understand that she had done it to save him. He had done it with her
when he discovered that the people who had abducted her had stolen
her ova. He had waited until she was ready to know, and she would do
the same. She knew she'd have to tell him someday. He would need to
know that if he insisted on bringing down these men, he was likely to
take his own sister down with them. Samantha had been an innocent
victim of kidnapping once, but Scully had no doubt that she was into
this thing up to her eyeballs now. Mulder didn't need to hear that
yet. Scully truly believed that it just might kill him. Coping with
Samantha's betrayal would be infinitely more devastating than
grieving her loss. He was used to that. He was accustomed to
mourning a missing sister. A lost sister and a traitor sister were
two very different things; no man should ever have to deal with the
latter. Especially Mulder, not after all he had been through.

Scully tucked the blanket up under Mulder's chin, then removed his
shoes so he could sleep comfortably. Mulder stirred slightly.
"Scully?" he called out, a mixture of panic and weariness in his
voice. Scully wasn't sure if he was awake or dreaming.

She stroked his hair, his cheek. "Shhh. I'm here, Mulder. I'm
here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Scully," he murmured, this time contentedly. Then he stilled again.

Scully was amazed at how different this scene was from earlier in the
day when Mulder had come home to their office alive with joy.
Samantha had done this to him, and she would never forgive her.
Ultimately, she would do what Mulder wanted, but she couldn't help
but hope that he would take Samantha down and bring her to justice if
she was involved in this thing to the extent Scully suspected.

Scully turned out the light, then retired to her bedroom. She knew
she wouldn't sleep much, but she would be there for Mulder in the
morning, and that was the most important thing. Samantha may have
left him, but she never would. She would help him through this, and
through what he would have to deal with when he learned the whole
truth. They would do it together. Blood may be thicker than water,
but she and Mulder were something greater. Strong, unbreakable,
unyielding. They could survive anything. They already had, more
times than most relationships could bear.

They might not be family, but they were partners, and friends, and
they loved each other--purely, unconditionally, and, most
importantly, honestly. It was a love that Mulder had never gotten
from his family. Any semblance of normal love had been taken from
him that night when Samantha had been taken. For one brief
exhilirating moment he had gotten it back, gotten the love he had
dreamed of, but then Samantha, like everyone else in his life,
rejected him. Denied over and over again the love of his family, it
was amazing he was as sane as he was. Mulder was a survivor, and
Scully would do whatever it took to keep him that way.

Although it wasn't always easy, to love him was no sacrifice. It
was, in fact, a welcome responsibility, a secure risk, a pleasurable
intensity. Scully was Mulder's family, or at least good as it.
Thicker than blood.

THE END
________

I'm thinking of continuing this as a series. Is it interesting
enough to continue? Any ideas?

sbarringer@usa.net