She Who Hath Ears, Let Her Hear

Author: Pattie

Rated: PG-13

Category: MSR, MT, Myth Arc, Angst.

Spoilers: Fight The Future, Season 6, first half of Season
7, and after All Things.

Summary: There's another experiment, in the Arctic this time,
and Mulder ventures there to bring back concrete evidence,
with some interference. Meanwhile, Scully fights her own
inner turmoil and learns to listen to her feelings.

Feedback: Yes, please.  patfiler@hotmail.com

Archive: ATXC, Ephemeral, Gossamer. Anyone know where I can
find Pattie?

Disclaimer: I dusted the off, played with them, then returned
them to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Studios.
There was no money made and no copyright infringement intended.
(Besides, Mulder's Mom likes him home before dark.)




ARCTIC CIRCLE
SOMEWHERE NORTH OF THE NORTH WEST TERRITORIES, CANADA.


He had done it again. He had managed to rent a snow plough,
drive across innumerable miles of snow in the icy cold air,
and found another experimental site, in the Arctic this time.
Hadn't he had enough of snow, avalanches and mad scientists?
Evidently not.

Although the X-Files were again officially re-opened, and all
had been forgiven by 'The Powers That Be' in the Hoover
Building, Mulder just couldn't resist following up on a tip
about the site of an experiment similar to the one he had
rescued Scully from in the Antarctica. Scully was blissfully
unaware of his latest travel plan. At least, that was his
hope. Vacation time, which he hardly ever took, had mounted
up like that vast expanse of old files in the office, and he
had opted to take it. Well, some of it. "A two week period
away from Kersh," he had told himself. "A time to grieve and
recoup my energy," he had told Kersh. As for Scully, he had
convinced her to visit her mother and take time out to relax.

"Well, where are you going?" she had asked.

"Some sunny beach to de-stress and think about things," he had
replied. "I need to be alone for a while, to sort things out.
Don't worry. I'm fine. The Files are open again and we're due
for time off."

His mother had died recently, and he had found closure about
his sister's death, apparently due to many painful experiments,
and once again he was out for his 'Truth'. And although it was
against all the rules and protocol, he hadn't informed his
partner of his plans or whereabouts. He vowed he would never
allow her to suffer again as she had in the Antarctica.

There had been no photographs, tapes or physical evidence to
show their superiors in Washington all they had seen. All
evidence in Scully's body had disappeared. No matter. It
hadn't been the first time they had gone home empty handed.
Mulder had to try again.

The winds were bitterly cold, unrelenting and heavy snow made
the visibility almost zero, but Mulder eventually came upon the
familiar domes. Several tractors were parked, as well as
pretty well anything that could drive across this wasteland. He
looked through his binoculars to get a better view. Three men
exited one of the domes and drove off, away from Mulder and
the domes.

Another vehicle entered from the opposite direction, and five
people entered the domes. They were carrying what seemed to be
organ transplant containers, but it was hard to be sure with
the blowing snow. Mulder would wait until things settled down
in the apparent transports, and also for the snow to abate. He
was pretty sure this was not a cardiac transplant centre or
neonatal unit. Well, at least not a human neonatal unit.

It was dark when the Arctic sky cleared. Good thing he had a
Thermos of coffee handy. The winds were calm, and moonlight
made the snow sparkle.

Lights were on in the white domes, and it seemed this was a
24-hour operation, just as the one in the Antarctica had been.
He stepped down from the snow plough, unpacked one of those
sealed medical suits, an environmental suit, donned it, and
walked stealthily toward the little scientific set-up. This
time, he was determined to take something or someone back to
Washington, whether they were in an environmental suit or not,
naked or clothed.


                                 ***


MARGARET SCULLY'S RESIDENCE
MIDNIGHT


Dana Scully, the daughter of Margaret Scully, not the FBI Agent,
had been enjoying her time away from work. There had been walks
and catching up to do, shopping, lunch with old friends and
sweet freedom from the Hoover Building. No badges, files,
reports, meetings or autopsies. No Mulder. Then again, she knew
he would be fine on his own. Right? Maybe...

She was lying in bed in her mother's spare room, tired from her
busy day vacationing. "Good night, Mulder," she whispered. "I'm
sure you're shooting baskets, running, renting those videos and
catching up on strange and odd tips... Strike that. Have fun
without the oddities. And don't call me until I get back unless
you're either dying or Kersh needs us." She closed her eyes and,
after saying a few silent prayers for family and friends,
drifted off to sleep.


3:01 AM


Scully awoke to her mother's voice and gentle nudging. "Dana?
Honey, wake up! You've been having a nightmare."

She opened her eyes and sleepily sat up. "Mom. Yeah, I guess I
did have a bad dream."

"Do you remember it? Sometimes it helps to talk about them. Like
when you were small."

"I don't really remember anything," she said. She was lying, and
had apparently been successful at it, because her mother seemed
to believe her.

"Those are the ones I've never really liked, Honey. The ones
where you wake up scared, but don't remember what you dreamed.
Are you sure you're all right? Your hair is drenched." She
smoothed her daughter's hair off of her forehead and patted her
back, smiling reassuringly.

"Uh, I think I'm fine, Mom. Maybe I'm just getting all the
tension out of my system."

"You're sure, Honey? Would you like some tea?"

"No, no. If I can't get back to sleep, I can always make my own.
Please, go back to bed. I'm all right. Really."

Margaret kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Okay. I know how
much you've been through these past few months. If you need to
talk, you know where I am." She closed the door of the bedroom,
looked back for a seconds, then returned to her own bed. Maybe
it was best to let well enough alone, she decided. On the other
hand, her daughter had a stubborn streak, and was forever
protecting everyone else from her own pain and inner demons.
That was Dana Scully's Achilles Heel.

Scully remembered more than she wanted to. As she thought of
the images her dreams had brought back, a chill ran down her
spine. There was the tearful conversation about resigning from
the FBI and going back to medicine, the bee sting in his
apartment hallway, and the gagging when Mulder withdrew the
umbilical cord from her throat... the umbilical cord of something
not of this world. She remembered her nakedness in the cold,
underground lab, the long climb to the surface of the structure,
and the emergence of a triangular craft just before the
avalanche. Then, there was that long wait for the rescue, a
hospital stay, and the findings of the OPR. *How did that affect
Mulder?* she wondered. *That was some big virus*. Mulder had
traveled all the way to Antarctica to administer the antiviral
to her. She would be forever grateful for that.

Sleep would not return that night. The adrenaline was still
coursing through her system, making her hearing so keen she
heard every sway of the tree branches and occasional cars
passing by. She found herself wishing he had disobeyed her order
not to call in the middle of the night, out of that loneliness
and need for connection to her that he wouldn't admit, because
she found herself feeling needy for him in the same way at that
moment. She realized they had become much closer in the past
few years, and she was beginning to feel comfortable with that.
It seemed to be the right feeling, yet an achy feeling. She
would let Mulder have his vacation. The past few months had
taken their toll on him as well as on her.

Finally, at 5:00 a.m., she wandered into the kitchen and sat
alone in the dark feeling absolutely spent, nursing a mug of
tea. But she found that a nice, hot tea didn't make the world
right as it had when she was younger. Her mother didn't need
the burden of her pain, and neither did Mulder. Maybe she would
seek out Father McCue later that day.


                               ***


ARCTIC CIRCLE
6:07 AM


Mulder was successfully passing himself off as a scientist,
taking readings and checking for consistent temperatures in the
makeshift medical facility, alien nursery, whatever they called
it. The suit made it easier to hide his features, and he didn't
have to speak much. What he saw was amazingly different than he
had experienced in the Antarctica. He had more access to more
places than he had cared to visit the last time. But then, his
mind wasn't on rescuing Scully and getting the hell out of there
this time. He had an agenda, and he was going to stick to it if
at all possible. Armed with voice activated tape recorder and a
tiny camera, he was out for all the proof he needed to expose
this Conspiracy. From about three dozen I.D. tags, he had chosen
his tag and keycard, and no matter how tired he was or became,
he was on the hunt.

Now, the question in his mind was how to get one of these aliens
out of this gestation lab and onto a vehicle, keeping it cold
until they arrived in Washington. Even if it was the tiniest of
specimens, at least he would have irrefutable proof of all he
and Scully had found and seen.

Frohike, Byers and Langly were to arrange that in about another
24 hours. If all went well, the proof would be right smack dab
in front of the American public if he had to stoop that far, if
his superiors at the Bureau would not listen or view it. He
prayed they wouldn't destroy the evidence and close down their
office once again.


                                  ***


MARGARET SCULLY'S RESIDENCE
7:14 AM


Scully decided to try to go back to sleep, and passed her mother
as she was going into the kitchen to make breakfast.

The woman was becoming seriously concerned for her daughter.
"Dana? How long have you been down here?"

"About two hours. I don't want anything to eat right now. Maybe
later. I'll see if I can get some more sleep. Maybe later I'll
go see Father McCue."

"I think you should, Honey. Just remember, I'm here for you.
And you're on vacation, young lady! Try to relax. I don't like
seeing you like this."

Scully found herself ready to cry, but held back her tears.
"I know. Don't worry, Mom. Maybe later on we can try that new
coffee shop." She made her way up the stairs.

"Have a good sleep," her mother whispered.

As Scully pulled the covers over herself once again, she
prayed she would awake restored.


                                   ***


ARCTIC CIRCLE
9:05 AM


Another shift of men arrived at the site to relieve several
doctors and technicians.  One assistant tech couldn't find
his I.D. and keycard. "Hey! Who's been messing around with
the I.D.'s?"

"C'mon, Kellman, just suit up and grab them," a co-worker
laughed. "Bad night with the old lady?"

"No! Seriously, they're not here. I'd better report this to
the office. You KNOW we always keep everything in obsessive
compulsive order." Kellman walked into a Plexiglas room
and made it known his identity had been stolen.

"All right, we have a breach of security! I want every area
searched, and check those monitors." The security staff
went immediately to work. "Intruder Alert!" one mechanized
voice boomed through the hallways.

As Mulder made his way through the numerous labs, gestation
areas and long hallways, he knew he hadn't had much sleep in
the past 24 hours, but this was the price he was paying to
find his evidence. He had gone with very little sleep the past
few years, but that didn't mean he wasn't tired now.

He had managed to grab a coffee and a sandwich, which he ate
in a room that was not in use at the time. At least he felt
a bit better and ready to get that crucial piece of the
'Truth'. He had already taken many photographs and recorded
several conversations overnight and early in the morning,
all the while posing as some type of technical assistant,
with card key access. Things were going great, in his
opinion.

He found a laboratory which looked familiar: The same type of
cold, ugly place in which he had found Scully many months ago.
He could see several dozen human bodies with umbilical cords
dangling from their mouths and connecting to the bodies of
dormant grays. It wasn't a sight for the faint of heart or
weak of stomach.

Mulder left that room, glad to be seeing anything other than
the sight he had just been exposed to, and came upon a room
with what must have been hundreds of alien fetuses in varies
stages of gestation. Wait. They weren't all totally grays.
There were some abysmal looking combinations of human and
gray creatures, and a few fetuses which appeared to be fully
human. There were identification numbers and the names of the
abducted women from whom these monsters who called themselves
doctors had stolen and abused their ova. Were any of these
'things' Scully's? He tried not to think of that, but it
wasn't possible to stop wondering.

His thoughts drifted back to Scully's final chance to have
an in-vitro treatment succeed, and her sorrow when she learned
it had been unsuccessful. The baby she wanted wasn't going to
be. That was one reason he was here in the Arctic.

If he could just get one, two, maybe three of them before
The Gunmen arrived with the air ambulance... then he heard the
alarm go off and armed guards in environmental suits thundering
down the corridors. Before he could hide, one of the officers
removed his hood and injected him with a sedative. As two
others carried him off to whatever punishment he would meet,
he tried to say, "Scully", but his lips only went through the
motions. It was too late to warn The Gunmen away, he thought,
as he slipped out of consciousness.

Two hours later, the order would go out to shut down power and
abandon the area, and the one figure who always seemed to be
around when these things happened was C.B.G. Spender.


                                 ***


MARGARET SCULLY RESIDENCE
1:30 PM


Thank God she'd had a peaceful sleep. The terrifying things she
had relived in her dreams had not returned to her, and she
showered and dressed. Perhaps she should speak with Father
McCue, although the conversation would be limited to carefully
phrased generalities and feelings. How would he ever believe
the things she and Mulder had seen and lived to tell? She knew
her priest believed in a God that makes all things possible,
and than Man's limited mind could never understand all HE had
created. A tale of a Conspiracy between aliens and shadowy
figures in the government would sound like the writings of a
very imaginative school child, or a Hollywood screenwriter.

Her mother had heard her daughter's movements and prepared
a light lunch of egg salad sandwiches and coffee.  "Good
afternoon, Sweetie. Did you have a nice rest?"

"Yeah, Mom. It was a lot better than the first round. Would
you mind if I went out for a while? I need to go down to
the church. This vacation of mine has become rather stressful."
Scully took small, infrequent bites of her sandwich, and
although a bowl of sliced peaches sat in front of her, she
didn't touch them. She found her thoughts wandering. Had
Mulder relived the time in the Antarctica? Were there
nightmares and horrors that assaulted him every night? She
recalled having heard him shout in his sleep a few times,
when they were on the road in adjoining rooms.

"Dana?"

"Hmm? Sorry. What did you say?"

"Nothing. You just looked a million miles away. Now I know
there's something troubling you."

"I wonder... I mean, maybe I should see how Mulder's taking
this break from all the fascinating work. He's not used to
having time off just to enjoy himself. I think I'll call him
before I go see Father McCue."

"I'm sure Fox is just fine," her mother smiled. "Maybe he
went out of town for a change."

"That's what I'm afraid of." She kissed her mother and went to
get her cell phone out of her purse.


                                ***

The Lone Gunmen were in the Yellowknife making the arrangements
for an air ambulance and a quick get-away for Mulder. Frohike
had taken along a piece of equipment he had grown quite fond
of.

"Hey, why did you bring that thing along anyway?" Langly
asked him underneath a striped black and gray toque. "We've
got enough with us, and we'll need room for whatever Mulder
finds before we fly to that Alberta hospital he was talking
about."

"This little baby just might come in handy, Dude. And when we
get there, there's going to be hell to pay. Besides, Mulder
was supposed to call in, and he hasn't. It's nearly zero hour.
Zip up your parkas, guys. It's 40 below Fahrenheit out there."

Byers thought about what Frohike had said, while he was putting
on a pair of fur-lined boots. "Who says he has to call us?
Hasn't he got one of those phones that vibrate when you don't
want the ringing?"

"Uh huh. And if he doesn't answer, we have only two choices,
and he wouldn't want us to bring Scully up here unless it was
a life or death situation for him. So, we try his phone. No
answer, and we move in; double trouble, and we call Scully,
the RCMP and the FBI. Okay?"

"I don't like our odds," Langly remarked. "And think what
they did to Scully the last time she was even near that kind
of operation!"

Byers nodded. "Think what the right evidence would mean if
Mulder takes it straight to the government. That IS why we're
here."

Frohike held up his new piece of electronic wizardry. "This
should tell us where Mulder is if we can't find him before
anyone else does. C'mon, Bud. The wind's right and it's time
to warm up the chopper!"


                                  ***


MARGARET SCULLY'S RESIDENCE
2:09 PM.


Scully tried to call Mulder's apartment, but the answering
machine picked up right away. *Maybe he did go out of town.
Maybe he went to Graceland again, or out to clear up his
father's estate out in West Tisbury. Maybe he went out of town
and got himself into another mess.* Next, she tried his cell
phone, and that just kept ringing.

As she drove across town toward the church, it occurred to her:
The Gunmen might know where he was. She pulled her car into a
coffee shop parking lot and gave them a call. She received just
their usual type of answering machine introduction: "Paranoid
about a conspiracy? Got a great lead on something? Tell us, and
we'll get back to you when we can."

She decided to buy a coffee at the drive-thru window and
continue on her way to the church. She didn't like the feeling
she had. Something was not quite right. Granted, The Gunmen were
often out of their headquarters, and Mulder might just have done
something sensible on a perfectly legitimate trip away from
Washington. She found herself smiling as she thought about that.
No, there was something happening.



She parked her car outside of the church and locked it. It would
be comforting just to see Father McCue and maybe say a prayer
for that baby she still longed for. She didn't know if she could
admit to a priest that she wanted to be a single mother so much
that she was deliberately paying for the chance to have a baby.

As she walked into the church, she lit a candle, knelt before
the statue of Mary, and sat in a pew, trying to find the words
for her own special prayer. Sure, there was the book of prayers,
but this one was personal. Finally, she knelt, and said her
prayer.


                                  ***


ARCTIC CIRCLE
2:30 PM


It looked like everyone was going to need Scully's prayers at
the time. As the air ambulance reached the area of the domes,
Frohike tried to call Mulder again. There was no answer. He
decided to use his new infrared device to try to locate him.

"Guys, there are so many readings, I don't know which is his.
There are so many bodies here, it's crazy."

"Yeah, well look at all the humans running out of there. Looks
like they're abandoning it!" Byers shouted over the chopper
engine.

"I don't see Mulder," Langly shouted. See if he's underground.
That's where they took Scully at the other site!"

Frohike looked at the readings. "You're right. See this? That's
normal human body temperature. Everyone who has that is running,
and if Mulder's in there, he's underground, and his... okay...
yeah, I think I know where he is. His body temperature is
falling very fast. This time I'm calling Scully, and we're
going in there."

"I hate to think what we'll find," Byers whispered.


                                ***

Scully was in the middle of prayer when her cell phone rang. She
had forgotten to shut it off before entering the church. Once
an FBI Agent, always an FBI Agent. "Scully," she answered
quietly.

"It's Frohike. We're in the Arctic and Mulder is... "

"Oh no! Give me your location, and I'll get up there as soon as
possible. Buy me time! Let me get my pen... Okay. Yes. Yes. No,
DON'T warm him up yet! He's WHAT? Just keep an eye on him until
we can get help up there. You need to keep him cold. If the place
is falling apart, at least get him out doors, and get that thing
out with him. He needs that antiviral, so take the thing with
you! Call the RCMP in Canada and I'll get things into motion
from here."

"Will do. We've got the hospital in Alberta on alert for him.
Memorial in Winnipeg."

She ran out of the church just as Father McCue spotted her as
he was approaching the alter.

"Dana Scully?"

"Sorry, Father. Gotta run! I'll call you later!" *I know a
certain Assistant Director who just might know where to get
that antiviral*, she told herself. *Hang on Mulder. Help's on
the way*. She dialed Kersh's private line on the way to the
car."

"Kersh."

"It's Scully, Sir. I'm sorry to bother you," she said, as she
got into the car and started the engine. "I don't have time for
games right now. You know where to get a certain antiviral, and
I don't care what they're hanging over your head, but you were
in the Marines, had an exemplary record, but from what my
brother Bill heard about your father, he did not. So don't do
anything but get that antiviral to Memorial Hospital in
Winnipeg, Alberta, and I won't raise a public outrage about
your so-called 'highly decorated' father and his 'private'
matter."

"Now did you know about that?" Kersh asked, the tension evident
in his voice.

"A wise man once told me, 'That's why they put the *I* in the
FBI'. I told you I had connections, didn't I? Now let's get
going, and DON'T ever piss me off again! If anything happens to
Mulder, you'll regret it. Not only in the Hoover, but
publicly."

Now she needed to call her mother, explain that she was on her
way to the airport, and that she would have to pick up her
belongings the next time she was there.


                                ***


ARCTIC CIRCLE
5 HOURS LATER


Mulder and a small gray body were unconscious beneath the hood
of the refrigerated gurney the ambulance had carried. They had
managed to get him into the hospital and hold them in that
gurney.

Soon, FBI Agents would arrive, one with the antiviral agent,
and The Gunmen did not leave Mulder alone until Scully arrived.

"Agent Dana Scully, FBI. Out of the way, I'm a doctor." She
washed, gowned and gloved and administered the precious fluid to
Mulder. As his temperature began to rise, so did that of the
little creature beside him, but it was too young to escape.
After a few moments, Scully removed the umbilical cord and
ordered emergency room staff to give a very strong sedative to
the gray. She prayed that would work. It did. There were too
many things at stake for all of them to just incinerate it or
let it out of their site.

"I'm having it sent to the lab at Quantico," she told doctors.
"Do not repeat anything about this to anyone, and please advise
your staff to forget they saw anything in this room."

A private plane was dispatched from Washington immediately.
It would take a few hours to get to Winnipeg.


MEMORIAL HOSPITAL,
WINNIPEG, ALBERTA.
4 HOURS LATER


Frohike, Langly and Byers sat in the hospital cafeteria trying
to keep their suppers down.

Scully hadn't been hungry, just a little dehydrated, so she
sipped coffee at Mulder's bedside as two FBI Agents and a
Mountie guarded his room.

Just as Scully was about to go over his chart again, her cell
phone jingled. "Scully. I see. No, it wasn't what I had
expected. Thank you." She was crestfallen. This was just
another search for another piece of evidence that was taken
away. Again. She shook her head, pondering what to tell Mulder.
Now she felt she had let him down. How could she be angry with
him at this point?

He stirred and opened his eyes.

"Mulder? It's me. You're in Alberta."

"The jars? My camera... and I have them on tape... "

"All destroyed. And you were given the virus. You went off to
do another stupid thing."

"Am I going to... die?"

"No, Mulder. I blackmailed someone to get the antiviral, and
had the 'thing' that was connected to you sent to Quantico. I
wanted to examine it myself. The plane exploded over Lake
Superior. No survivors. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry. And you weren't
supposed to be involved in this. But since I told them to call
you only if I was dying, I guess I just contradicted myself."

"Yes. You did. But I kind of think I had a warning and ignored
it. I guess I should learn to follow my gut feelings. Maybe I
could have stopped you."

Mulder smiled at the irony of the situation. "They would have
found another way to get rid of whatever I had even if you had
been with me, Scully. And you'd be dying as well as me. I
couldn't do that to you. We'll find other ways to connect all
the evidence we need. Go back to your wonderful getaway."

The Gunmen arrived to see Mulder awake.

"We can't stay long," Frohike said. "It's good to see you
conscious again."

"That thing could make all the difference," Byers noted.

Scully shook her head. "The plane was destroyed. I know it
was deliberate."

"And you wouldn't be alive if you had guarded it yourself,"
he responded.

"Well, there goes our headline," Langly whispered. "We should
get home. We're missing our deadline."

"I'll let you know when he can go home," Scully said. "I'd
like to keep him in hospital for observation."

Frohike donned his toque. "Then, I guess you want to talk
about this. We'll be working as usual when you get back.
Just call if you need us."

Mulder smiled. "I owe you another one. Just go. I know
hospitals make you sick."


ONE WEEK LATER


Scully sat in the confessional and confided to Father McCue
that she believed God could warn people in dreams, and that
she hadn't known that until the incident in the Arctic.

"My child, there are many things God is telling us. If only
we could listen, turn off other things for a while and really
listen. Don't feel badly that you didn't 'get' the message
right away. As for the 'gut feeling' you had, that was just a
second message worded differently."

"Father, even if I could tell you all the details, and legally
I just can't, sometimes I think God has us working so hard
to teach us more about Him and ourselves. I'm going to pick up
my things at my Mom's and head home. Maybe I'll treat you to a
coffee the next time I'm in the neighborhood."

"That could be quite a while," McCue offered. "It's a 'feeling'
I have. Go back to work knowing you did the right thing, no
matter how things went against you. Someone needs you."

"Yes. I don't think he's the only one in our partnership that
needs. I realize that now. That's the lesson I learned before
I even knew he was in trouble."

"You have a destiny, Dana. And by the way, there's a look on
your face I've never seen before. A certain glow."

*What was that about?* She kept thinking about his words for
several days. Then, she and Mulder would soon be called
to Bellefluer, Oregon.



                                 END