The Truth is Out There--Scene 76 from XF3
by Lolabeegood

E-mail: lolabeegood@gmail.com
Distribution: Archive freely with my name attached.

Rating: R
Categories: S, R
Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance, Post-IWTB
Spoilers: IWTB
Summary:  The truth is something Mulder & Scully may 
have to pay a steep price for.

Author's Notes: 

Ever since I watched IWTB I have thought of the ideal 
way to start and storyline a third movie.  So, after 
much thought and deliberation I have a series of scenes 
that I have written for the third XF movie.  The 
scenes will not necessarily run right after each other 
but they are in sequence.  They are more like scenes I 
would like to see in the XF3 that develop character, tie 
loose ends, and add plot interest.  

I do not own the characters and I don't make any money 
from this.

Enjoy!

**********************************

Fox Mulder made his way to the Peaceful Rest Motor Court 
in Peabody Kansas and tried to look as inconspicuous as 
possible as he searched the parking lot for Doggett's car 
and retrieved the key hidden from under the wheel well.

He walked toward Room 6 and thought about all the crappy 
motels he'd dragged Scully to while on cases.  He hoped she 
and William were fine and that he would see them soon.  His 
desire to find answers was great, as was his need to return 
to them.

He turned the key slowly in the lock and called out into 
the room.

"John?" 

"I'm over here Mulder" a groggy voice said from across the 
room "I was just catching a few minutes"

Mulder walked into the darkened room and dropped his bag on 
the floor.  "Go back to sleep, if you're that 
tired."

"No" John said swinging his legs over the edge of the bed 
"I'm better now." 

John Doggett reached for a bedside lamp and snapped it on, 
shielding his eyes from the bright light.

"You look like shit" Mulder said taking a heavy seat in the 
chair.

Doggett glanced up at him.  He took in Mulder's unshaven 
face, his crumpled appearance and the bags under his eyes, 
"You look worse."

Mulder snickered at his comment "So what have we got?"

"Their patrols are spaced at 24 minute intervals at night.  
They are heavily armed and all guards seem to have military 
training.  They are definitely not rent-a-cops."

"I was kind of hoping for rent-a-cops" Mulder sighed.

"No such luck." 

Mulder leaned back on the chair and looked toward the 
ceiling.

"C-Wing is where we are likely to find the kids but that is, 
of course, the highest level of security and only the top 
dogs get in and out of there."

"Of course."

"Apparently they work on a keycard security system so I'm 
thinking if we attach a small explosive device to it, we can 
over-ride the system and gain entry."

"Along with alerting everyone that we are there" Mulder 
groaned.

"Mulder, I can't think of any other way we'll gain access."

"What else do you have?"

"The lower level scientists perform tests with samples of 
skin and tissue but they don't have access to the kids.  They 
seem to think the kids have a contagion that allows them to 
remain immune to several viruses and a broad spectrum of 
diseases."

"So they are testing the kids for infection control?"

"They are testing the tissue for infection control; those 
kids could be long dead Mulder."

Mulder stood up abruptly from the chair and paced back and 
forth.  Doggett could see the agitation in his motions and 
wondered what was going on in his head.

"No, the kids would have to be alive because tissue starts to 
break down immediately after death." 

"And you know this...?"

"Scully" Mulder said authoritatively.

"So the kids are alive and being used as lab rats."

"We need to get them out of there" Mulder said as he paced 
some more.

"Mulder, we are not going to act impulsively.  I promised Dana 
we wouldn't take any more risks than necessary.  We're going 
to watch the day patrol before we hatch any plot.  Deal?"

"Fine" Mulder agreed as he stopped pacing.

Doggett was impressed that one word about Dana managed to 
cause Mulder to stand down and act sensibly.  He hoped this 
would continue throughout the days to come.

The two men sat in silence for several minutes.  Each 
immersed in his own thoughts about what needed to be done.

"Mind if I use the shower?"

"Help yourself" Doggett said as he rubbed his face "I hope you 
enjoy the centipede companions that are all over the place."

"Centipedes?" Mulder winced.

"It is the motel where we were least likely to draw attention," 
Doggett noted as he reached for bottled water "what did you 
want, turn down service?"

"Hardy har" Mulder said as he walked toward the washroom.

"I'll pull up some more Intel once you're out of there" John 
called after him.

The door shut and John sat drinking his water and thinking.  He 
had promised Dana that he would take care of Mulder, that he 
would get this man she loved, back in one piece.  It was a 
promise both she and he knew would be hard to keep but he would 
try his best.  

He understood that a leopard doesn't change his spots but...John 
didn't understand Mulder anymore now then he did when he first 
met him.  He knew that Mulder needed answers, and part of him 
understood the need to secure a future free from further 
interference but...if that was his son, and he was with Dana...
he would take off and never look back.  It would probably take 
them years to track the trio down, if they even did, and by 
then, who knows?

John rose from his bed and walked over to his laptop, booting 
it up and watching the screen come to life before his eyes.  

Another thing he didn't understand was Dana.  She didn't seem 
upset by his choice to risk life and limb to track down the truth 
about their son and his pursuers.  For all that she loved the man; 
she never stood in the way of his independence, of his ability 
to make his own choices regardless of her own set of beliefs.  
He always knew her as a fiercely independent woman but the 
decisions she had made in recent days brought that independence 
to a whole new level.  

John thought of his own ex-wife and how she would have threatened 
him, given him an ultimatum, told him she wouldn't want him back 
even if he did manage to return...they had a very different 
relationship compared to Dana and Mulder.  At that moment John 
wasn't sure which one was better.  Sure he would have been pissed 
off at his wife, but he would have stayed, taken off with her and 
the boy, and lived a long safe life together.  Mulder's choice 
could lead to a life he spends alone while Dana and Patrick live 
in hiding.  

"Penny for your thoughts" Mulder said from the door to the 
washroom.

John hadn't realized how long he had been standing there deep 
in thought.  He turned to find Mulder in the doorway of the 
washroom wet and clad in a cheap towel holding a pile of dirty 
clothes under his arm. Either his shower was very short or John 
had really lost track of time.  He glanced at the computer screen.  
Twenty minutes.  He'd been starring at that same screen all that 
time.

"I just zoned out there for a second" he apologized and leaned 
toward the computer screen.

"You look like you were trying to figure out a puzzle" Mulder 
commented as he crossed the room to his bag and began to pull 
out clean clothes.

"Maybe I was" John murmured.

"Can I help?" Mulder asked as he pulled on somewhat fresh jeans 
and a long-sleeved jersey.

John paused for a few moments and then, feeling suddenly brave, 
turned to face him "maybe you can."

"Hit me" said Mulder as he sat on the edge of his bed to pull 
on a pair of socks.

"Why doesn't Dana ever threaten you?" John asked sincerely.

"She did shoot me" Mulder responded amicably.

"No, really." John struggled with how to put the next words "if 
that was my wife, she'd be all over me telling me I wouldn't 
have a family to return to, that she could care less about the
truth, as long as we were all safe."

Mulder continued to silently pull on his socks as John Doggett 
stood awkwardly across the room.

"Mulder?" Doggett asked after some time had passed.

"I guess the simple answer is, she's not your wife" Mulder said 
as he set his feet down and looked up at John.

"That's not much of an answer" John commented.

"John" Mulder began as he looked up at him "there is no one in 
the world like Scully."

"I am starting to see that" John commented.

 Mulder sighed and rubbed his forehead,  "To remain as independent 
as she has all these years, has taken a lot of work.  She 
respects my ability to make my own decisions as an extension of 
her autonomy--without that she would lose her liberty as well."

"You make it sound so easy" Doggett chuckled.

"Far from it" Mulder grinned "Do you know how many times I've 
wanted to just tell her what to do?  Times I've wanted to threaten 
her so she would bend to my will?  The times I haven't been pleased 
with her decisions but I have to live with them anyways?"

"So...independence isn't all it's cracked up to be" John chuckled.

"Something like that" Mulder snickered with him "but I respect 
her too much to force her into anything that is against her 
nature."

"And she respects you...got it" John nodded.

"That being said..." Mulder smiled "there is a thing called 
bribery...I haven't been with her all these years and not 
learned a thing or two about what makes her tick."

"So you bribe her?"

"Maybe bribery was too harsh a term...how about, influence her 
decisions passively?"

"You mind explaining that to me?"

"All those years we were in hiding."

"Yes."

"I had various news magazines and underground zines shipped to 
a PO Box in Richmond and Scully hated picking them up for me."

"I can see that."

"So I ordered her a few decorating and women's magazines and got 
them shipped to the same PO Box."

"So, she wouldn't mind picking up your stuff while she was there?" 
John said as a smile crept across his face.

"Bingo" Mulder grinned.

"And has she done things to passively influence you as well?"

Mulder smirked and shook his head "I'm sure she has, but she's 
so good at it, I don't know what she's done."

"You two are definitely a pair" Doggett smiled at the man.

He handed Mulder a print out that he read quickly and handed 
back.  

"Looks like they aren't expecting us." Mulder said definitively.

"Nope, no sign of any increased security.  But, we still have 
to check out the day shift."

Mulder stood up and walked toward the head of his bed.

"Well, seeing as we have a few hours before we need to start 
patrolling Kite again...I'm going to get some shut eye" Mulder 
said as he turned down his bed.

"I'm just going to do a little more research" John said as he 
took a seat in front of the laptop.

"Wake me up when it's time" Mulder said as he turned onto his 
side.

"No problem" Doggett responded as he started to look at the Kite 
subsidiary directory.

***************************************************

The end of scene 76