Hole in the Black
by PD

ARCHIVAL:  Gossamer, no thanks. Stories will be housed at 
my site only. If you'd like to link, I'd love it, but 
please drop me note with a heads up.

DISCLAIMER:  Can I borrow the keys to the franchise, Chris? 
I won't go to any FBI balls, I promise to make a full stop 
at most clichés‚ and I will try not to dangle my 
participles at the nice couple in the unremarkable house.

CLASSIFICATION: SRA, MSR, IWTB, TMI, ASAP

RATING:  R

SPOILERS:  Through The X Files: I Want To Believe

SUMMARY:  "I wasn't in the group, Mr. Mulder. I was a 
tangential part of the project - in league with those few 
who were adamant on the subject of developing an antidote 
and a vaccine. He was our man on the inside, but we were 
not on the side of complicity with the colonists and that 
meant we were on the outside. Fringe element. We were not 
highly regarded. We weren't even invited to the group 
barbecues." He caught himself and smiled. "Ah. No pun 
intended."


~ Chapter 4 ~
 
For the first time in years, Scully left the gate at the 
head of the driveway unlocked behind her. Latched, but not 
locked. It was a new world.

She walked through the front door to find him lying on the 
couch, his bare feet crossed at one end, arms folded behind 
his head at the other. 

"Honey, you're home," he said, eyes closed. 

Scully pulled off her coat and dropped her briefcase on the 
chair. She stood over him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm - " He stopped and sighed. "Thinking."

Scully frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know yet." Mulder sat up and swung his legs over 
the edge of the couch. He patted the empty space next to 
him. "Sit."

Alarms and air raid sirens went off in her head. 
Hesitantly, she lowered herself down and perched on the 
edge of the cushions. "What. What is it?"

"It's - uh," he started. Don't hedge, he thought. Like a 
band-aid. "It's William."

A range of emotions fluttered over her face, butterflies 
looking for a place to land. They were still settling as 
Mulder finished.

"I got a call. A man in Arizona -" Mulder shook his head, 
clearing it. "I don't know how to - he said he has 
William." 

"What? Has? How has? Is he, what, kidnapped? Is he hurt? 
Where are his - his parents? Why did he - how did he call 
you? How did he get your num-"

"Okay," Mulder said, taking her hand. "Please calm down. I 
don't know much more than you do right now. He called this 
morning after you left and - "

"This morning! Why didn't you call me?"

"Scully, I've been - there was no point. He's going to call 
back tonight, and there was absolutely nothing either of us 
could have done had you known any sooner." Scully sighed in 
frustration. "I'm sorry. You're right, I should have called 
you."

"Damn right you should have." She paused, rewinding the 
tape in her head. "Calm down?!"

"This isn't necessarily bad news," he said and she narrowed 
her eyes at him. "Okay," he said, "I didn't mean to - I'm 
sorry. My bad, okay, Scully, let's *let it go* and move on," 
he said, his tone indicating he was through apologizing. 
"Okay?"

She sighed, closing her eyes to the headache that was 
beginning at her temple. "Okay." 

They were silent for a moment as Scully caught her breath 
and Mulder mentally reattached his testicles. She finally 
drew one leg onto the couch so that she was fully facing 
him. 

"Can you tell me exactly what this man said?"

~:~:~

"Mr. Mulder, I'm a former associate of a man with whom you 
were once familiar."

"Not in the biblical sense, I assume?" he asked. Mulder's 
pulse was pounding and his face was hot. He hoped he didn't 
have a heart attack before he found out what this was all 
about.

"It's likely you never knew his name, so it's pointless to 
go into the details. Suffice to say, he was on your side - 
most of the time."

"Go on," Mulder said. 

"Your son came to me, Mr. Mulder. I did not abduct him and 
I am not asking for a ransom. And before you speak, I am 
aware that you are his natural father. And that Dana Scully 
is his natural mother. The adoptive parents have not yet 
been contacted."

"Assuming I believe any of this, why the hell not?"

"They'll be notified in time. Now, it is not in their best 
interests. Or yours."

"Then let me -"

"Mr. Mulder, please be at this number at 9 pm tonight. I'll 
call back and I'll tell you what you want to know."

The call disconnected before Mulder could speak again. The 
thought that was to be a question came out in a groan of 
disappointment when he heard the click. He spent the next 
fifteen minutes simply staring at the top of his desk and 
thinking about the newborn baby he'd once held in his arms.

~:~:~

Scully sat stunned next to Mulder on the couch. Finally she 
asked, "what are we going to do?"

"We're going to find out what he has to say when he calls 
back."

Scully nodded, still not quite comprehending. She had a 
million questions floating in her head. It seemed she could 
only put words to one. "Do you think he was talking about 
Deep Throat? His associate."

"I'm betting on X, but I don't think it really matters."

"Oh," she sighed, distracted. "How do you know he's in 
Arizona, Mulder?"

"I had the call traced. Payphone."

Scully sighed and slipped her hand into his. "He'll be 
seven next month."

Mulder nodded and hung his head. Scully brushed his cheek 
where there may or may not have been tears and draped her 
arms around him. They held each other and waited.