Guardians Book IV: Milestones - The Collector's Edition
by Junko Mitani
<mitani3@beige.ocn.ne.jp> 

Rating: PG13 


Prescott Hospital Pediatric ICU Vera's Room
8 PM Next Day
 
 
     It didn't surprise Jake too much when he came back from his daily
walk to the roof and found Dana Scully settled into the comfortable chair,
reading "Moby Dick" for Vera. Scully raised her head and smiled at him,
then continued on reading as he settled down into another chair set on the
other side. She now wore a long printed skirt, a sleeveless blouse, and a
sweater jacket over it. Jake also spotted a mug of hot chocolate Mulder
bought for her at a grocery store across the street. It was rare to see her
in anything other than business suit, and Jake honestly appreciated the
change. 

     Vera's hyper-volemic shock sent her into a coma, and it was the
doctor's advise to have her exposed to as much familiar surroundings as
possible. Voices were one of the best tool. Music and favorite songs always
topped the list of saving grace. Jake could have talked forever, but his
voice didn't last that long. And he had to be excused as well as some
others involved, from the hospital room to the scheduled court appearances. 

     "How's Mulder?" Jake asked, but did just then Mulder walked in with a 
prescription bottle and two ice packs, over strapped onto his lower neck,
and another held in his hand pressed against his head. Jake grimaced and
offered Mulder his seat. Mulder accepted the offer and sat down. 

     "I'll live." He mattered before asked how he was. Scully smiled the
briefest smile, and kept on with the reading. 

     It all started when Jake's firm's accountant made the biggest mistake
of his career that afternoon by barging into the pediatric ICU ward and
requested Jake. Mulder went to answer in his casual attire, and began
insisting that the man leave the hospital. Mulder didn't want to scream nor
shout, because he didn't want to have any audience. Making a scene in ICU
lobbies will get him kicked out along with Brace. The man demanded Jake's
resignation from the firm, and Mulder realized the man mistook him for
Jake. He knew and heard about Jake's "French Boys" trying to scout him into
their firm after the completion of Jake's last cruise ship blue-print. Jake
didn't want to leave, because he'd been through the guilt of leaving firms
in his earlier years. Mulder, acting again as Jake, quickly pointed out
Jake's loyalty to the firm, but the man actually handed Mulder a folder
including a simple two-page document with the entire firm's partners' names
occupying the top half of the first page. Mulder read the document upon
Brace's insistence, and realized it was a request for Jake Kathler's
resignation made by the entire firm. Mulder mentally tortured Brace as
Mulder slapped the folder back on the man's head. Mulder felt sick just
seeing Chunovic's name on the letter. 

     "Then I'll file a wrongful termination suit against all of you. How
could you do this to me? And what's Chunovic's name doing there on the
paper? I supported him, the FBI even checked on the man out of concern and
this is how he repays me?!" 

     "Jake. You don't stand a chance if you do. And you'll lose even more
money fighting it." The little man shook his head. 

     "Why the fuck do you think I'm even fighting the civil suits? I'm not
doing it to sell myself out to the big league. I was doing it to cover our
medical bills, idiot." 

     "Jake, it'll take time. Months, even. Of wait until we get that
money. And you know the firm's insurance coverage is choking our accounts!
How long, jut how much longer, are you going to sit by and drain out the
firm's money?!" 

     "Just what the fuck are you trying to say?" Mulder hissed through his
teeth, already sensing the other man's intentions. 

     "The girl's gonna die no matter what, Jake! Give it up already, will
you?! There's not a cure for that cancer, and everyone in the medical
community knows that! Sure, she's a lovely girl, but it's not worth the
price..." The man's breath was cut off by Mulder's grip on his throat, and
he thought his body actually felt lighter as Mulder lifted it up against
the wall. 

     "You say that one more time, and I'll throw you out of that window
right there. Then you can complain about this piece of crap. No, you're
more likely to lose your voice permanently before that happens. Or, I might
be so kind to end your misery by kicking you off of the balcony, and
they'll have to clean you up with tweezers. Get the hell out of here. And
don't you ever return." Mulder then released Brace, and watched the man
drop on the floor. Mulder shook his arm a little to alleviate the pain the
move caused him. Mulder was furious, but was very careful not to crash the
man's trachea when he put the pressure. The man choked, trying to get back
to his feet. But he never forgot to leave the cursed letter for Jake to
sign. But when Mulder bent to pick up the papers, the little man moved so
fast, Mulder barely had enough time to avoid the fire extinguisher brought
down to his head. It hit the base of his right shoulder blade half an inch
from the spinal cord, and Mulder fell to his knees on the floor, unable to
breathe. Brace's foot then landed on his side, and Mulder saw stars as his
body flew against the nearby wall and hit his head. A nurse who heard the
commotion screamed and called for security. The little man grunted, picked
up the documents, and swiftly left the scene. 

     "I was never here. I was never here..." He recited as he ran down the
stairs. The nurse hardly saw his face, and visiting with official letter
wasn't usually an accountant's job. He jus volunteered for it. It would
probably be Jake's word against his. He rubbed his throat gingerly as he
sped out of the parking lot. 

     When Mulder came to, Scully was on her knees, cradling his head in
her hands and on her lap. Then he remembered being attacked by the full
force of pain that blinded him. Seeing him gasp for air, she reminded him
to calm down and take deep breaths. 

     "Mulder? You've been unconscious for about three minutes. They're
getting the stretcher to get you into the ER. You may have a spinal code
injury, so don't you move." Her tone was in full doctor mode and when he
opened his eyes, her eyes quickly masked her worry. So, he closed his eyes
again, and worked on steadying his breathing. 

     "It's the accountant, Scully." His voice was husky, and Scully
quickly pressed her finger over his mouth. 

     "Later. The hospital security should have it on tape." 

     "But I..." 'I attacked him first, Scully.' Mulder tried to say, but
found no voice. The said stretcher arrived in no time, and she accompanied
him to the ER, staying long enough to view his X-rays and the CAT scan of
his head. Satisfied to find nothing threatening, she returned to Mulder,
who was awake for a while. 

     "It was the accountant, Scully. From Jake's firm." Mulder said, now
in his normal voice. She narrowed her eyes and he sensed he had to let all
out. "The entire firm, including the sentimental Chunovic guy's requesting
Jake's resignation from the firm. They're kicking him out. The son of a
bitch handed me the letter and began bitching about how Vera was draining
out the firm's money, and Jake should just let her die. Because she can't
be saved anyway." 

     "What?!" Scully's eyes now held the blizzard Mulder rarely saw. 

     "That Mr. Penguin didn't know who I am. So I spared Jake the trouble
and acted as him. And, I attacked him first." Mulder admitted, and gingerly
sat up on the bed. "He hit me on the back of my neck with a fire
extinguisher. And kicked me in the ribs. It sent me flying to the wall and
I hit my head. I think I'll be fine, Scully. Nothing's broken, right?" His
gaze told her he already knew the answer. Scully nodded. 

     "You have a bruised rib and you also bruised your shoulder blade. But
no serious damage was done to the spinal code as I was concerned. But your
muscle tissues are damaged around the area, so, It'll be hell to lift
anything for a long time. It might even hurt to move the arms. Your
concussion was very light this time, so no need for a worry there." She
said as she adjusted the ice packs over his neck. 

     "Did you find the letter?" Mulder asked, holding onto the other ice
pack pressed against his head. She shook her head no. 

     "Oh. The smart bastard." 

     "We have to tell Jake." Scully mumbled as she took out her cellular,
but Mulder stopped her with a hand over hers. 

     "Jake's a wreck. Give him another blow, and he'll be beyond repair.
How about we offer the penguin man a chance to escape criminal charges for
striking me, and in turn have him declare the letter non-existent? The firm
already looks bad for complaining about Vera. I don't think they'll risk
another log in the fire by firing Jake plus circulate the rumor about
hiring accountants for their dirty work." 

     "... Okay, Mulder. We'll talk to the security and the police. It's
you who got bonged this time and you were off-duty. It's up to you to
decide." 

     "Tell Jake it was a random attack." 

     "No. That's not going to work on him. Not now." 

     "Too smart, huh? Okay, say... That I was mistaken for somebody else.
Think of something here, will you?" Mulder's eyes begged for help, and
Scully stared at the ceiling while figuring out a script. 

     "How about you tried to break up a fight in someone else's room? You
were walking around to stretch your legs, then heard the commotion. You saw
people arguing and got beaten up trying to get in between them." 

     "Much better. It' partially true." Mulder nodded, and instantly
regretted it. 

     "Almost all true. Only the fight that caused this attack wasn't
physical. But it hurts worse." 

     "Okay, then. Go on and join Vera. I'll be up in a bit. Read her your
'Moby Dick' again. She'll be interested to know how the sailors used to
dine like kings and how they used to describe whales." 

     "That's not all there is! ... You're delirious. I'll let it slide."
Her smile betrayed her words and Mulder insisted her return to Vera. 

     "Call the firm and demand them to have that accountant fired." Mulder
said, then yelped trying to get off the bed to get dressed. Scully stopped
him with a shake of her head and threw him his clothes. 

     "Rest on the bed for a while, Mulder. Fill out the paper work and get
your prescription. It'll be a long while yet, anyway. I told you it'd hurt.
Don't even try to get off the bed again without someone assisting you. But
I did the paperwork for your health insurance claim. All you need to do is
sign on it." Mulder smiled his gratitude as he watched her leave. 

     And now, back in Vera's room, Jake handed him another fresh bag of
ice, and they continued listening to Scully read the part about the kings
taking over the profit of whales captured, claiming them to be his,
according to the territory they were captured. Mulder watched Jake as he
faced his laptop, typing up something he couldn't see. 'A man who doesn't
love easily loves too much.' He recalled the line from a television series
he liked. It was true. In both his and Jake's case. 

     "You know, I forgot to mention to Dana." Jake leaned close to Mulder,
so as not to disturb Scully's reading. "Vera once asked me about this book,
because Dana thinks about it from time to time." Mulder nodded. 

     "Ahab is her later father's nickname. Hers was Starbuck." Mulder kept
his voice low. Not that he could speak louder, anyway. "And her late dog
was named Queequeg." Both men nearly burst into laughter. 

     "I hope you can stay here a little longer this time." This statement
got Mulder's head to turn, too fast. "Sorry, didn't mean to..." 

     "Don't worry. I'll do everything I can for us to stay here longer. We
brought our homework, an this time we got Hall's chopper ride. I think your
case is very highly valued by the bureau. They should okay our stay." 

     "I still feel bad about yanking you out of your DC office." 

     "I don't care. This is where I need to be." Mulder already sensed
Jake was losing confidence, probably in his ability to withstand the
pressure. Mulder didn't blame him. The firm's request for his resignation
didn't just come out of the blue. There had to have been reminders,
warnings, for its impending arrival. And, the firm had to be careful
because Jake was a partner and no one could just fire him outright. 

     "Even if both of us couldn't stay, one of us can, and I'll always put
Scully first if that should become a necessity." 

     "Put me first for what?" Her words no longer softly spoken, broke up
their conversation. The men stared at each other, then back to Scully, who
place the book on the nightstand and faced them. 

     "I was just saying, if both of us can't stay here when needed, I'll
put myself on the first flight out and I'll work. You stay. That should
keep the bureau at bay." 

     "Mulder?!" Her frustration was carefully hidden. 

     "Hold on. I'm just saying that one of us should come here in case
we're needed. If we're on a case, I'll take care of the rest, but you,
partner, will be on the first available flight." Mulder the commander
appeared and Scully sighed with frustration. 

     "Mulder, how many of our cases close without my performing
autopsies?" This was true. 

     "I'm only hypothetically speaking. Okay, if that happens, I'll be on
the plane." He held up his free hand for effect. 

     "But Mulder..." 

     "Scully, wanna take this outside?" Mulder indicated the door, then
Vera, and finally to Jake, whose head was buried in his hands. Scully
sighed. 

     "I'm sorry, Jake. ... I think you should have some privacy with
Vera." Scully muttered as she handed him the book. "Start with page 250.
There's about 800 pages in here, so it should keep you occupied." She said
as she stood up and patted him lightly on his head before leaving the room.
Mulder was already walking about twenty feet ahead, briskly to the
elevator. She kept quiet until they reached the top floor lobby, then
climbed up the stairs to the roof. The open fresh air felt better than the
confinement of the ICU. 

     "I'm not going to take off on my own, Scully. Only if Vera wants me
to, I will." 

     "Mulder, why me? Why did you think I should be the one?" 

     "You're close to her, your expertise in the issue of cancer, your
attentiveness to children..." 

     "Cut the crap." 

     "It's not crap! Vera needs someone who she can identify with. Someone
whose experiences brought a greater understanding of what she goes through.
And someone who's courageous enough to see her through this 'till the end."
Mulder watched as she turned away and raked her fingers through her hair. 

     "All right. If we both can't stay here, you return and do what you
can." 

     "I'll request a personal leave for you and I'll even do the
paperwork. Just call me with updates and if it really gets close, I'll come
over. Agreed?" 

     "Just tell me you aren't doing this because of your need to baby me."
Mulder paused for a moment, puzzled. 

     "No. It's the complete opposite. It's apparent I'm... I shouldn't be
here too often. And to tell you the truth, I don't want to have to put up
with crap like this again. That son of a bitch Brace still thinks he
attacked Jake. Wait 'till finds out he assaulted an off-duty federal
agent." 

     "So, you're chickening out." 'This isn't his reasons', Scully
thought. 

     "That, and the fact that I'm not really doing anybody any good by
staying here. Not unless she wants me here." 

     "What makes you think Vera doesn't want you here?" 

     "With you, I know exactly what to do and where to be. Because Melissa
told me. I needed to be with you, so I could tell you I wanted you back.
But before that, I was about to go on a one-man rampage to try to take
revenge on the men who took you. I still would take off in a heartbeat, if
Vera wants me out there looking for the cure for her. I can't decide. I
don't know where I should be this time." 'So this is it.' Scully thought
hard. 

     "Wherever your heart tells you to be." She crossed her arms. 

     "It's torn in half." Mulder pressed his palms together and separated
them to make the point. 

     "If I was Vera, I'll ask you to stay." 

     "That's what Jake's here for. By God, that man loves his daughter
with his life. They don't need me here, Scully." 

     "What if she does and can't tell you?" 

     "What would she want me here for?" 

     "Comfort?" Scully heard his bitter laugh, and inhaled deeply. She was
losing her hold on him. 

     "I'm the least comfortable person for a kid to stay with, Scully." 

     "And how would you know that? I've never met a child during the
course of our partnership who was ever afraid of you. Rather, they approach
you, trust you, and follow you. Who are you kidding? No, I think you're
backing away because it's too painful for you to stand and watch. Whether
it has to do with your sister or your being with me everyday, worrying
about me, isn't clear. But I'm not blind, Mulder. I know when your mind is
set on that direction." 

     "What do you think I should do? I'm asking now, because twice before
making up my mind to get here, I decided to ditch you. And I know exactly
what's gonna happen if I do. I'm asking you to give me a direction." 

     "You're asking me to save you from yourself." Scully always got to
the point. Mulder nodded. "I'll still tell you to stay here. And if you
leave, that's only by Skinner's order to go back." 

     "If that happens, you stay here." 

     "I agreed to that already. Now, can we get back in? It's chilly out
here on the roof." She walked to the door, holding it for him to follow.
Mulder looked around the downtown Oakland one more time before following
her. 

     When they returned, the police officers who came by earlier were
waiting in Vera's room for Mulder, and now he kicked himself for leaving
the floor. Mulder told the officer what the extent of damage was on his
body, and was informed the firm's accountant just confessed after being
arrested for injuring a federal officer. But not before telling the officer
about who started the fight. Mulder winced and asked the officer if the man
had a two-page document with him, but he was told the man didn't have it
with him. 

     "All right. I'm not going to press charges but only if I get to talk
to him in person first." 

     "The guy's not going to attack you again, I can tell you that much.
He's in the lock-up, surrounded by cops." 

     "Oh, good. It's not fun getting knocked out." Both men laughed, and
the officer led their way, leaving Scully with the Kathlers. This time,
Scully didn't follow. She knew Mulder was going to try to get Jake his job
back, and in exchange the guy gets to go free. And they both knew the man
would still get fired for causing yet another blow to the firm's
reputation. 

     "Is everything okay now?" Jake asked her quietly as she closed the
door. He closed the book and faced Scully. 

     "Yeah. The man who attacked Mulder got arrested, and Mulder just went
with the officers to the city jail." Jake's expression was so smooth,
Scully was unprepared for the bomb ticking away. 

     "Oh, good. Because I was wondering why Chunovic just called, and
asked me why I attacked our accountant. I was also wondering why that
police officer thought I was a federal agent named Fox Mulder, the victim.
I told him you two stepped outside for a talk and should be returning in a
while." Jake's eyes were no longer gentle. Scully bit her lower lip.
'Damnit, fuckers!' Scully wanted to loyally kick the entire firm's ass. No
doubt Brace called the firm's lawyer telling him Jake attacked first. Then,
the police officer burst into the case and charged the man of assaulting a
federal agent. And the police officer had to ask Jake for Mulder to begin
with, because they knew the truths from Scully's report. 

     "Well, it just happened." Scully declared finality. Jake's intensity
grew even more. 

     "Tell me what happened." 

     "No." 

     "Dana?" 

     "No." This time, she put her foot down. 

     "Please?" 

     "Sorry, still no." The fire in her eyes sparked with the one nestled
in Jake's eyes. They stared at each other for an eternity, until Scully's
cellular summoned her attention. 

     "Scully." She answered and immediately straightened. "...What?... Oh,
I expected that. May I speak with my partner?" She eyed Jake, but decided
not to move, looking into Jake's 'Don't you leave' gaze. She kept her hand
in Vera's right hand gently caressing the small fingers as she waited for
Mulder. "Mulder? Jake knows." She blurted out, and found out Mulder was
already informed. Then her mouth dropped open. "No, you didn't. Tell me you
didn't. Really? ... Okay, fine. ... You've what?! How did he know?! Oh, God
damnit!!" 

     "Dana? What's wrong?" Jake couldn't resist asking. Scully held out
her hand to silence him, and mouthed a 'later'. 

     "Well, at least something is going right." Scully kept talking or the
next five minutes, until she turned suddenly and faced Vera. Jake by then
had his face buried in Vera's hair, next to her frail shoulder. Scully
muttered a muted "I'll have to call you back, Mulder. Get here soon." and
hang up. She patted Jake on hi shoulder. He widened his eyes at the sight. 

     "Jake, she's awake. I'll call the nurse." She was gone before Jake
replied. 

     "Vera? I'm here. Do you understand me?" Jake whispered in he ear and
got a small nod in response. He gave her a sip of water and explained to
her exactly how long they've been there, who was with her and who sill
later join them. 

     "Where's Fox?" She asked, puzzling Jake. She never asked for Mulder
first. Usually it was about Stella, him, or Scully. Sometimes, she asked
him to turn on music or read her something. Jake often chose poetry. 

     "He's at a police station. Why?" 

     "Tell him I want him around." This confused Jake but he nodded, and
told her Mulder was on his way. 

     "Around where? Do you mean us?" Jake hoped so, and got another tiny
nod. 

     "He's lost and asked me where I needed him to be." 

     "When were you awake?" Jake was sorry he missed it. 

     "I wasn't. I just felt it." Realization dawned oh him at the
statement and he nodded slowly. Scully returned with the nurse just then,
and Jake moved over to make room for the medical staff suddenly flooding
into the room. But it didn't last longer than ten minutes, and she drifted
again into unconsciousness. 

     It was two more hours before Mulder returned, exhausted and still in
lots of pain. He had fresh ice bags as he knocked on the door. 

     "Got a message for you." Jake started instead of a hello. Mulder
narrowed hi eyes and waited for it. "Vera came out just over two hours ago
and told me, to use her exact words, she wants you around." 

     "What?! When? ...I mean, wh..." It took a moment to realize what was
really said. He exhaled and approached the bed to give her a kiss on the
forehead. 

     "So, she's still feeling... I mean, reading, everything around her.
Good. I hope you won't have a problem with me sticking around." suddenly
sensing his distress, Mulder asked. Jake shook his head no. 

     "How could I deny my daughter anything?" He said as he typed in
something on his computer. Mulder inwardly winced. 

     "Skinner's got a full temper right now. Your office lawyer called him
up and bitched about me. I maybe ordered to go back to DC. But if that
happens, Dana stays with you. A lot safer option, I'd say." 

     "Why did you have to choke the guy?" Jake needed no more word. 

     "Because he made me very angry." Mulder spoke like a school boy, and
this got Jake's smirk. 

     "What did you do to get rid of him?" Jake kept staring at Vera's
gentle features. 

     "What do you mean?" Mulder held Vera's hand, but kept focused on
Jake. 

     "You got him fired." Jake's words faltered with laughter at the end. 

     "Good. It doesn't matter. He's gone, that's good." Mulder smiled in
return. 

     "I think I have an idea of what he said to you." 

     "Probably the same things he's been saying to you for the last couple
of weeks." 

     "Probably. ...I know he was exaggerating. Chunovic, Dana remembers
him from the hospital, and you've heard about this guy ...called me right
before you got here, to tell me one of the biggest reasons Brace's got
fired is because the man falsified the financial reports to the firm. The
guy saw me as too big a threat to the firm's financial future, and began
rewriting my health care cost report..." 

     "To make it look like you're spending a whole lot more than you
actually did." Mulder finished for him. Jake nodded. 

     "Yeah. Conspiracies, conspiracies... Jesus, can't we breathe around
here without smelling one?" Jake stopped his hand on the keyboard to caress
Vera's cheek. 

     "At least you know who did it. You got your job back, though. Good
thing." This got him Jake's stare. 

     "I wasn't informed of ...anything about that." Mulder literally
looked like a thief caught red-handed. "What the hell did you do to
convince them?" Jake moved on, deciding Mulder had suffered enough getting
beaten up. 

     "Nothing. Just told them they'll be feeling like they got fucked in
their asses if they lose you." They laughed together over it a bit. 

     "No, you've done a lot more than that." Jake's tone was gentle but
firm. 

     "Well, I did scare the guy and told them if they didn't take you
back, I'll press charges against the assailant." 

     "Uh-huh. Nice try, Fox Mulder. I meant the other things." Jake was
smiling, but still wasn't letting go. Mulder was confused. 

     "What other things?" 

     "Things like, why did the doctors suddenly become so interested in
running another battery of tests? Like, why my partners are calling me on
my cellular, asking me if there's anything they can do? Things like, why is
Stella's physical therapist asking me if I want Stella back into the
regular therapy sessions? Things like, why is Chunovic suddenly so
concerned about my blue-print equipment and asked me if I wanted them
personally delivered to this very room from my house? Things like why are
my French bosses are suddenly so interested in recruiting me? Things like,
what's keeping Dana so busy that she's canning herself in the hospital lab,
discussing Vera's conditions? Things like ,what the hell did you do all
this for??" Mulder was at a complete loss. Then he remembered they were no
longer in the confinement of high-security environment, thus anyone
physically harmless and wants to reach Jake Kathler could. The distressed
man's face turned to a grimace, and Mulder suddenly felt claustrophobic. 

     "I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd find out so soon." 

     "Sorry? I'm the one who's fucking sorry." 

     "Look. It's just a temporary solution to more pressing problems." 

     "You're gonna have a hell of a time in court explaining why my debts
just disappeared." 

     "It's Scully's idea. Thank her." Although he felt guilty using her
for cover, it was the truth. And it had the desired effect. 

     "What?!" 

     "Calm down. It's true. She read the financial statements Brace was
waving at her and called around to ask for loans. She called her mother,
then Skinner, before she asked me. I told her to calm down and call the
plan off until you ask for it yourself. I know you'd just grit your teeth
and take the whipping. And, I was right. At the police station, I woke up
my probate lawyer that my father originally hired to leave his assets for
me. And the rest is history. Actually, the bastard ... Your firm's ex-
accountant, I mean ...was helpful and had all the list of numbers to
contact about bills. I snatched the file from the guy's briefcase, and did
the rest." 

     "No wonder you were taking so long." 

     "Like I said, don't feel any guilt or pressure over this. It's a
temporary thing and I have a feeling your civil suits will go smoothly." 

     "So, Dana doesn't know a thing about this?" 

     "She does. That's why she was upset. I specifically asked her to keep
discreet." 

     "And, she's not, uh..." 

     "No, you don't owe her any money. But you owe her a lot of gratitude
and a lot of thanks which can only be expressed by other means." 

     "Jesus, I can never repay this." Jake shook his head, a genuine smile
telling Mulder he was relieved to let it all out and clear. "No wonder
everyone was so enthusiastic about getting me or wanting me back in their
lives. Chunovic sounded so guilty over the phone, constantly apologizing to
me. I now know why. My partners literally kicked me out before you paid my
bills." 

     "I think all your partners are feeling guilty right now, and mostly
it's because of Brace. I read the letter from all your partners asking for
your resignation." Jake took his head out of his hands and stared into
Mulder's eyes. 

     "Is that why you lost your head earlier?" Jake saw Mulder nod. 

     "If I didn't move so fast, I'd really be losing my head. IT was a
fire extinguisher, and last time I got hit with it, it nearly fractured my
skull. And that was done by a frail and deranged woman. If this blow came
to my head, it'd undoubtedly broke into the skull. I'd be dead by now from
excess bleeding." 

     And you are not pressing charges because that the reason I'm being
put back in?" 

     "Hey, you've got to pay the rent." Mulder hoped Jake took the point
of his joke. Jake didn't disappoint him. 

     "I guess now you'll have to stay a little longer for the civil suits.
Your presence is now required." 

     "I'll be there. ... So, are you going? To France, I mean." 

     "I don't think so. It's a great opportunity, but I don't speak their
language and I honestly don't think these guys want me for anything other
than my work. I mean, that's good, but I have a life here. It's surely a
screwed-up life, but it's my home. My friends are here. But I'll be more
than happy to contribute to their work and do some more joint projects.
Being in big league benefits." 

     "Sure, I know what you mean." Mulder nodded his agreement. "Without
the FBI' resources, I wouldn't have gotten this far. And I wouldn't have
met Dana Scully. Unless, by some tricks of fate." 

     "They want me flying there again for demonstrations of the cruise
ship and my partners are already starting up the shopping mall construction
process." 

     "Maybe it's a nice idea to get out of this country for a while,
Jake." 

     "Not until the things calm down." Mulder shrugged at the reply. The
chances were, things probably won't settle down for a long, long time. 

     "How long was Vera awake?" The question came out on its own accord. 

     "Ten, fifteen minutes. But doesn't mean Vera doesn't know about
what's around her, nor what we talked about." 

     "What did she tell you, exactly?" 

     "That she knew you were lost and wanted her to tell you where you
needed to be." 

     "I asked her about it. ... What else?" Mulder could see he hit a sore
spot. 

     "Nothing much. She asked about Stella, Elly, Skinner, and then she
wanted me to read. She also wanted to draw, but she slipped back." 

     "Jake? Go to sleep." 

     "Huh?" This command puzzled Jake. 

     "She can sense these things. She probably sensed my distress. You're
around her almost twenty-four hours a day. Don't burden her with your
stress." This got an open-mouthed reaction from Jake. 

     "Oh, man. I forgot." Jake got up and moved to the reclining chair. 

     "I'll have you sedated if you don't. You get tired, she gets tired.
You love her, she loves you back. You worry sick about her, she worries
sick about you. That's how it works while you're in her personal space. If
you wanna brain-storm, do it somewhere else." 

     "All right, all right. Chunovic will be up here or down at the lobby,
delivering my stuff so I can actually do blue-prints. Will you go for me?"
Jake was already shedding his jacket an tie. Mulder nodded. 

     "Sure. Look, I'll put on some slow music and finish up the book. I
see you got some new ones from the book store. I didn't know you had taste
in poetry." 

     "Maya Angelou made me cry a lot in old days." Jake replied as he took
off his shoes. "She still manages to make me cry to this day." 

     "Who else?" 

     "Uh... Auden, Elliot, Tennyson, Blake, Shakespeare, Milton, Adams,
Frost, Poe... You know, the big names, beautiful words. Sometimes lyrics
from songs will do." 

     "Sure. You get to drown in them." 

     "That's why I didn't need drugs. Oh, and I had sex, so it worked on
me as stress reliever. ... Lucky me. I'd be going in and out of jails all
my life if I'd ever acquired a taste for drugs." Jake said as he unbuckled
his belt and finally lay down on the chair. 

     "I'll wake you if anything noteworthy happens." Mulder said as he
picked up Scully's copy of 'Moby Dick'. The page was already up to 400, and
still it was only half-way through, because of the illustrations in this
particular edition. Mulder again took Vera's hand in his and began reading.
Mulder couldn't believe it when Jake began to snore lightly only several
minutes later. "Whatever the man sets his mind to it, he'll go for it."
Mulder thought as he put in Scully's Enya CD, volume turned down. 

     When Scully returned shortly after, she called Mulder out of the room
upon seeing Jake's sleeping form. Mulder nodded and left, turning up the
music slightly to hopefully drown out their voices. 

     "We gotta call in Skinner." Scully said as she led them back a few
doors down and sat in one of the lined chairs with folders spread. Mulder
complied, already sensing what was coming. 

     "How bad?" 

     "They don't think she'll make it through the night. The doctors took
the Jarvis' serum ...it's just a temporary name. Anyway, they tested it on
her the last time she was awake, and it's not working. To make the matter
worse, the serum seemed to weaken her body further." 

     "Oh, Scully. Please tell me she's gonna last at least for a week." 

     "Doesn't look hopeful." She dropped her chin. 

     "Scully, Jake found out about my secret plan, because everyone I
called from the city jail began calling in Jake, asking him if he wanted
them back. I underestimated these people's situations. About how badly they
were demanding Jake's payments. The man's practically walking over a bed of
hot coals, bull-whipping himself with the guilt and humiliation right now."
Mulder wiped his face with his hands. Scully's shoulders dropped. 

     "But, we still better call Skinner in." 

     "Yeah. Jake said Vera asked about him. I think she knows, Scully." 

     "The doctors said it was practically a miracle Vera awoke at all.
Take a look at this." Scully spread out the MRI film. Mulder gasped. 

     "That's about three time the size of mine, Mulder. She won't last
long." Mulder's gaze turned instantly sharp, aimed at her. She sighed and
showed Mulder Vera's blood work, knowing he didn't know how to read them.
"The cancer entering the blood stream..." Mulder shushed her with a hand
slipping under her chin. 

     "Is that why you didn't get back up here sooner?" He kept his voice
soft and low. "Because if you're seriously trying to teach me how to read
that thing, you'll have to start with Chemistry 101. In the five years
we've been working together, chimps could figure out my weakness in hard
sciences." 

     "All right, damnit. But I need this for Skinner and explain her
conditions." 

     "Sure. Look, Vera can sense these things. Whenever anyone's in her
personal space, she can still read our thoughts. She answered my question,
and that's enough proof for me. I ordered Jake to go to sleep for that
reason. If we all go in there with this, we'll burden her. Make sure you're
calm before going in." 

     "I think she knows, Mulder. If that's true, she'd have felt it long
ago. And that might be why she kept quiet. She knew we needed to get
stressed out and fire at each other." A big part of her wanted to believe
she was wrong, because if everything she just said was proven true, then
they were all guilty of burdening Vera to death. 

     "I'll call in Skinner. You go to sleep. You've done enough. You
didn't sleep during the flight, and you..." Mulder kept on, not wanting to
go into the line of her thought. 

     "Yeah, yeah. I know." 

     "There's that comfortable-looking chair next to Jake. Use it. Or did
you want to use me as a mattress?" Mulder chuckled. 

     "Huh?!" Scully's frown was enough reward. 

     "I heard about your trip back from the custody hearing." He was still
chuckling. 

     "Mul..." 

     "I'm teasing you. The driver who gave me a ride back here ...he was
there for some other business ...told me on the way back." 

     "Well, the testimony was quite emotional, and you read the
transcripts. I suppose." Her cheeks flushed at the memory. 

     "Must've been a hell of a dream." Mulder was still smiling. 

     "Jake didn't know who I was. He was dreaming about Nicole, he was
feeling guilty..." 

     "I know. He called you Nicole. Good thing he fell back asleep before
he deprived your brains of necessary oxygen." Mulder began to laugh,
embarrassing her further. 

     "You should've seen Skinner's face." This time she couldn't resist a
laugh. 

     "Keeping an eye on his agents' activities is his main duty, Scully.
He's doing his job. Give him a break." She shook the laughter off herself,
and glared at him with the 'don't do this to me' look. 

     "I was on my back. He caught me off-guarded. He won't remember what
happened. I was listening to a tape. And..." 

     "Yeah, yeah. Sure." He didn't sound at all convinced. 

     "He's a wonderful kisser. Leave it at that. And don't you dare
mention that to him, Mulder. Damn it, I almost forgot about that, and you
had to dredge it up at a time like this." 

     "Go on, Scully. Get in there and go to sleep. I'll wait for Skinner,
and I'll wake you two for any news." Mulder didn't wait for her reply as he
opened the door and gently pushed her inside and closed the door behind
her. Mulder even took the medical files out of her hands. When she finally
realized Mulder's tactic plan, he was already waking away and winking. 

     Now Scully had to be in the room, fidgeting and blushing. 'Mulder and
his mind games.', Scully cursed mentally, and settled down in the said
chair. 'But it worked.' She thought as she took off her shoes, picked up
her 'Moby Dick' copy, and widened her eyes at the page number 450. It was
definitely progressing, and Scully figured everybody took it upon
themselves to get through the book. She turned down the music, and began
reading again. She also spotted some of Jake's poetry books and read them
also from time to time, mostly when she hit rather boring chapters bout
description of oil gathering procedures or descriptions of the whales. Maya
Angelou and Auden were some of her favorites also, and she knew Mulder has
read some of them. She gladly drunk in the feelings transcended through the
words before returning to Moby Dick's good chapters. She didn't want to
fall asleep reading those least interesting parts of the book. Then she
figured Mulder must've done the same, judging from the number of pages
consumed. 

Prescott Pediatrics ICU
1 AM Next Day
 
     Mulder stood next to the bed, just looking at the tiny form on the
bed and holding her hand. He managed not to wake neither Jake nor Scully.
But when he moved his hand to caress Vera's cheek, her eyes fluttered open
and she smiled. When Mulder thought about waking the others, she pressed
her index finger on her lips and Mulder knelt down beside the bed to level
their eyes and to whisper whatever he was going to say. She motioned him
closer and asked in a very tiny voice if he could stay awhile beside her,
but to leave the room when she asks him to. Breath stuck in his throat, he
agreed and kissed her forehead. He'd been in Penny Northern's room several
hours before she passed away. And he remembered the woman's dreamy gaze
while she talked with red-eyed Scully. 

     That same look was on Vera's face. Although he tried very hard to
shut the memory out, it was just too much. And all broke loose when she
touched his face, and told him it was okay. That, he didn't have to hide it
any more. He managed to keep taking deep breaths to stop his body from
breaking into sobs. But his eyes were as open as an open book. 

     "Fox? Take me for a walk." She motioned for the nurse passing nearby
to come inside. While Mulder explained the situation to the nurse, Vera
climbed off of the bed slowly, barely standing when the nurse came in and
took out all IV needles and turned off the monitors without waking the two
sleepers in the room. Then the nurse quickly went to the nurses station to
let the others know not to worry. 

     Mulder then took one and a half doze of his pain pills, and picked up
her body into his arms. He almost screamed, but he didn't care. He walked
around the floor, then up the stairs that led to the roof, all the while
talking to Vera. He let her cling to his neck and shoulders, with her feet
resting over his hipbones to help him support her weight. She didn't stop,
and rather encouraged, Mulder to cry. To let it all out, because there was
no use hiding it. And, because he had to deal with it for the rest of his
life, and letting it out will only help. They talked about his sister, his
mother, and Mulder told her all about his embarrassing childhood memories
just so he could laugh with her. And understood for the first time, why
Jake Kathler loved her so deeply. Mulder eventually found a chair in the
hospital top floor lounge where people scattered around. Mulder's shirt
sleeves were already soaked with his tears and they no longer could dry his
face. Vera realized it, and used her own sleeves to wipe his face. Mulder
laughed softly at the gesture. 

     "You know what amazes me?" His voice was kept under control, but it
still was barely understandable. 

     "I think I understand it. You've had the same thought many times." 

     "I feel guilty I'm taking so much out of your time, but... I need
this, Vera." Out of experience as a professional psychologist and as a
person, Mulder knew he shouldn't deny himself of this pleasure, or he'll go
nuts. 

     "You'll find her, Fox. Just don't give up." 

     "I hope so ...I think so." Mulder nodded and relaxed his shoulders a
bit. 

     "You'll be okay, too, Fox. I'm happy. I mean, of course I'd like to
stay longer, but... I've been to so many places, felt so many things, and
learned so much. And, I don't think too many people will ever get to see
what I've seen. There were lots of good stuff that I recalled out of my
ears in captivity, remember? I've seen that field. And there are places
where desert is ocean, sky's the ground, and emotions run free as air. I
couldn't tell you with other words. I mean, I did drawing of those places,
that I added to my collection, but ...really. If I get to see my parents
again and everything, it's okay." 

     "I wish I could believe that." 

     "Whatever you believe, Fox. Like Dana said, there's nothing to fear
when it's over. Just do me one favor ...no, two favors." 

     "Anything." Mulder answered seriously. 

     "Watch over Jake for me. And Stella. Stella watches over Jake well.
But she can't do everything. And be more honest to Dana. You and Dana
remind me a lot of my parents. The way they cared for each other, is just
like you and Dana do." 

     "Oh. You've been reading my private thoughts?" He blushed. 

     "It comes too loud. And watch over your mother. She's a good person
who needs to remember how she used to be and what kind of person she really
is." 

     "Okay. I promise she'll be cared for." 

     "Are you okay, now?" She gazed into him, and he breathed deeply and
nodded. 

     "I have to be. And I will be." 

     Mulder continued on with his childhood tales, all the adventure and
happiness and horrors Mulder and Scully went through together and survived.
He never exaggerated nor down-played their stories, because there was just
no use for it. Vera listened in, and the stories had them both engrossed.
By the time they returned to the room, the nurse was waiting for them,
quietly ushering them inside. But upon spotting Skinner with Stella on toe,
Mulder stopped and asked the nurse to let Skinner be alone with Vera for a
while. Understanding the reasoning, the nurse quietly nodded and returned
to her station. Stella's arrival was a surprise, but Mulder half-expected
it to happen, because Jake had been requesting it for a while, and Skinner
could pull any string to get it done. 

     Concern on Skinner's face was threatening to shed the remaining hair
out of his head. Mulder smiled at the thought as he handed Vera to Skinner
and groaned. 

     "What happened to you, Agent Mulder?" Skinner asked, indicating
Mulder's red eyes, the swollen-and-scrubbed-raw eyelids, and his soaked
shirt. Mulder looked away for a second before telling the man about the
walk they took to the top floor. 

     "What are you doing out of bed? They assigned you a room..." 

     "I know, Sir. But this is far more important than my arms or the
bruised rib." Mulder managed to finish as he stepped back, and choked back
another sob. Skinner's questioning gaze then turned to Vera. "And now it's
your turn." Mulder finished the thought for the man, and took a seat at the
chair lining in the hallway, indicating Jake and Scully still sleeping at
the chair. Realization hitting him at full force, Skinner was speechless. 

     "Walter, will you come with me?" Vera was already trying to get
Skinner to move before anyone else noticed. 

     "Oh, my God." ...was all Skinner managed to utter before leaning
heavily against the wall. 

     "Go. I've had my chance, and it was long enough. You need this. Even
I had to admit I needed this." Mulder didn't bother with the professional
courtesies at this point. They were all human beings, and that was all that
mattered. Skinner seemed to recognize the gesture, and handed Vera back to
Mulder while he shed his coat and jacket, then loosened his tie. Mulder
watched Jake and Scully carefully to see if they'll suddenly wake up and
give them hell. Skinner was quiet and quick enough, and soon Mulder felt
her body lifted out of his arms, and Mulder waved them off. 

     Getting a clean shirt out of his trunk, he changed quickly and
pressed a fresh ice bag to his swollen eyes and flushed cheeks. His
shoulders and arms will be hell in the morning, but Mulder was rather glad
for it. 'The pain will serve you right, stupid.' Mulder scolded himself. He
spent fifteen minutes outside the room to calm himself down, then walked
into the room. Jake had stopped snoring, but from time to time mumbled
something intelligible. Mulder feared if it was an attack of a nightmare,
but decided to leave him alone before he got punched in the face for
letting Vera out of the room. He was tempted slightly to move Scully out of
the chair and onto the bed, because judging from the posture she now slept,
she'll suffer some back-pains and kinks in her legs. Then he felt the pain
in his back and thought better of it. Thinking back to Vera's earlier
comment about Scully and about how he cared for her, Mulder smiled and sat
down on the bed to study her. 

     The movement startled her out of her sleep for a moment, and she
opened her eyes just a crack, and began swiping her hand over the mattress
in search for a living human body. Mulder quickly took her hand and
stretched himself out over the bed. A small flicker of recognition and
relief passed over her sleepy eyes, and she went back to sleep again.
Mulder wondered if she recognized him, or if she mistook him for Vera. He
decided it wouldn't matter, and stayed for five more minutes before he
removed himself from the bed. Seeing no more chair in the small room, he
sat on the tiled floor next to Scully, and kept studying her hand in his.
He had to believe Scully would be all right. Believe that they will indeed
find the cure, and as she promised to Penny Northern, Scully will be the
one to survive through it. After a while, he kissed on the back of her
hand, and stood up to walk around the floor again. 

     It took about half an hour for Skinner to return with the expected
red eyes and the gigantic knot in his throat. Mulder quietly took Vera from
Skinner's arms and handed the man a towel-wrapped ice bag. Vera was also
crying as when she was with Mulder, but not as much as the two adults who
wept in her arms like babies. Mulder didn't blame Skinner when he left the
scene without a word, noting the man will return soon enough since he took
the ice bag with him. Mulder gave Vera a kiss on her forehead, and asked
her if she wanted to wake Jake. She nodded, but soon as Mulder got back to
his feet, the attending physician came half running through the hallway, a
thick folder presumably for the final test results and analysis held
securely in between his arm and the side. 

     "Oh-oh." Mulder murmured and stopped the doctor half-way by holding
out his hand. 

     "Doctor, everything is under control. Please, calm down and let me
get my partner and Jake." Mulder's insistent tone kept the doctor at bay.
Vera thanked him before Mulder could, and the doctor was at a complete loss
how it was possible for her to stay awake, much less communicate. Mulder
stepped back into the room, and asked Vera to wake her father. She wriggled
out of his hold, and shook Jake's knee. Upon recognizing the doctor, Jake's
moment of happiness upon seeing his daughter awake vanished. The doctor
motioned for Jake to accompany him out of the room, and Jake quickly
followed. But not before he set her back down onto the bed. She refused to
stay under the covers, and Jake didn't want to take her with him to listen
to the doctors even after she insisted it was okay. Mulder took the
initiative and took her again out of Jake's arms. But just then they saw
Skinner returning to the room completely composed. Mulder quickly handed
Vera to Skinner because he couldn't be sure his body could take any more
abuse for the day. Vera never once complained during this tossing play, but
eventually she had to return to bed because Skinner also needed to talk to
the flustered doctor. Mulder also could no longer have Scully out of the
picture. She was the medical expert, and she had all the facts. Mulder
stepped back into the room, and asked Vera to 'wake my sleeping beauty for
me'. Vera smiled. 

     Scully's head was buried next to the bed frame, and her book was
spread on her lap. The book barely supported its balance by the bed frame
when she felt a hand on her face, blushing her hair. Scully opened her eyes
slowly, and came face to face with Vera's green eyes. She instantly shook
herself awake, then noticed Mulder's presence for the first time. 

     "I asked her to wake you for me. She's been up for some time now, but
she wanted to leave you asleep." Scully's angry look disappeared in a
flash, and he straightened herself. 

     "Where's Jake?" She asked, indicating the empty chair at the corner
of the room. 

     "Outside, in the hallway. Talking to the doctors and Skinner." 

     "What?! How long was I asleep?" She hastily fixed her hair. 

     "Just over four hours. You spent about two hours reading the book." 

     "How did you..." 

     "I was right outside the door." 

     "Oh." This puzzle Scully. 'Why did he stay out there?' "So, Skinner
came and..." 

     "He was talking with Vera awhile. You were pretty much gone." 

     "Oh." Her voice lowered, in a deeper tone of frown. 

     "Jake and I left him alone with her." 

     "Relax." Vera's tiny voice came, effectively shutting them up. "He's
okay. He loves me." The simplicity of the words made them all smile. 

     "Well, who wouldn't?" Scully tipped in, and raked her fingers through
Vera's long hair. "Would you want me to braid it for you? I think the
doctor and Skinner can wait a little longer." Scully asked, straitening
Vera's fine hair. 

     "Okay." She replied, reaching for her hairbrush. Mulder leaned
against the glass wall and watched as Scully's skilled hands worked the
braid perfectly. 'I'm okay.' Mulder ordered himself long ago. 'I'll be
okay, damnit!' 

     "How does it look, Fox?" Vera asked him cheerily, and Mulder nodded
in approval. Scully laughed with her, but her laughter vanished in an
instant as she came to really recognize Mulder's swollen eyes. 

     "Mulder? What happened to you?" Her eyes narrowed with concern, and
she stood up to inspect his eyes. He took a step back, fishing for some
lame excuse, but finding none, he pointed to the door instead. 

     "They've been waiting for you. Go." His eyes pleaded for her to
follow, and she pursed her lips, giving him the 'you aren't off the hook,
Mulder' look. He nodded in silent understanding and gently guided her out
of the room. Mulder didn't have to hear any of the reports, because he knew
exactly what was in them, and so did Vera. He returned to her, and asked
her if she wanted him to leave as soon as the doctor leaves. She nodded
lightly, but told him to let her talk with Scully first. Mulder nodded in
understanding. 

     "I know. Your father should see you off. He deserves it." Mulder
finished the comment, but failed to choke back another set of sobs, and
buried his head again in her arms. Realizing that her night wear now was
soaked by two men's tears, he handed her a fresh nightshirt and left the
room while she changed. He didn't even look toward the three adults
conferring in their hushed voices. When Vera called him back, Mulder
stepped back in and picked up 'Moby Dick' again and began reading the pages
upon her request. 

     When Scully and Jake came back in, Mulder closed the book and left
the room, patting Jake's shoulder and signaling with a jerk of his jaw
their need to leave the room. Scully narrowed her eyes again, but after
Vera insisted Scully to stay and asked Jake to give her a few minutes, no
one complained. Mulder took them out to the roof again, and completed the
task of telling Jake exactly what have been happening since Vera woke up,
quite possibly for the last time. Jake's loud gasps soon sent him to the
concrete floor, unable to stand. 

     "Oh, fuck. I may well have killed her, Mulder." Jake's body and voice
shook violently. 

     "No, you didn't. We all made the mistake of burdening her, and we
have contributed to her current condition. But that was the trade-off." 

     "Mulder, I'm not ready. I can never be fucking ready." 

     "No father will ever be ready. But you can't go tempt fate just
because you want to forget the world exists the way it does. You do that,
and you'll betray her love for you as you betray yourself." 

     "Speak for yourself, Mulder. Geez." Mulder swallowed hard and winced
inside. 

     "'The years / And cold defeat live deep in / Lines along my face. /
They dull my eyes, yet / I keep on dying, / Because I love to live.'" 

     "'The Lesson'. Maya Angelou." Jake shook his head. "Too much honesty
really breaks you." Jake turned his gaze to Mulder, whose eyes stared off
to somewhere very far. He leaned heavily on the security fence, breathing
in the fresh night air. 

     "Mulder? I have this nagging feeling that you've been through this
before." Mulder turned sharply toward Jake, and nodded. 

     "A woman named Penny Northern. Scully saw her off. I stayed in the
hallway until Scully came out. Penny was ...a federal witness helped us
track down a doctor who killed his patients by aggressive treatments using
excess doze of radiation and chemotherapy." 

     "I'm sorry. And I'm sorry you're going through it again." 

     "I'll be fine, Kathler. As long as I have Scully, everything will be
all right someday." The conviction in the man's tone never surprised Jake. 


Prescott Main Lobby
Same Time
 
     No one objected when Vera led Scully out of the room. Vera was
already exhibiting signs of extreme fatigue and Scully asked Vera if she
should have at least let a nurse follow them. 

     "No, Dana. I think we should be by ourselves now." Vera startled her
again with her mind-scan. However, by now she didn't even try to look for
scientific explanations. Vera was already enough proof, though she'll
remain skeptical about individual cases. 

     "I love you for what you do." Vera started again, bringing her out of
her reverie. "And for who you are." Scully returned Vera's smile. "I know
you don't really believe in God, and I'm not sure myself. But I remember
the words my birth parents spoke to me from time to time. And I know you
know them, because you used to be a Catholic." 

     "Yes, I do know the prayers. And I was a Catholic. Did you want me to
recited them or read them to you?" By now Scully understood where this was
going and her assumption was confirmed by Vera's nod. 

     "If you don't mind. Not because I truly believe in God but just for
the sound of those prayers. Like a piece of music." 

     "Vera, I don't mind. I don't think I can deny you anything. Sure, I'd
love to do that for you. I f I just find a bible somewhere..." 

     "Thank you, but not right now. Later, when Jake calls you in." 

     "Okay." Scully almost choked on it. 'This is impossible'. Scully
thought repeatedly as he was sure Mulder and Skinner thought. 'This much
understanding couldn't possibly exist inside a ten-year old.' 

     "There's one more favor I need to ask you, Dana." Vera spoke again,
and Scully was momentarily stunned at Vera's seriousness held in her eyes. 

     "Yes?" Scully swallowed hard, not knowing what to expect. 

     "You might hate to do this, but I don't want anyone doing it other
than you." This didn't make Scully fell any easier. She nodded. 

     "Yes? Anything that I can do, I will." 

     "I want you to do the test on me. ....Uh ...autopsy? After I leave." 

     Of all things Scully imagined Vera would ask, she was completely
unprepared for this one. 

     "Oh, God. ... Vera, I maybe too close to you to do this." Scully knew
they'll probably let her do it. She was only trying to look for an escape. 

     "You'll be fine. I don't want anyone other than you touching me." Her
de termination was clear in her eyes. Scully sighed. 

     "As much as I hate to think about it, yes, I will. I can't deny you
anything, Vera. No one who loves you could." Scully fought back tears
again. "God damn sons of bitches!' Scully cursed mentally. 

     "And keep an eye on Jake for me. He's strong, but I'm not sure he's
strong enough." This Scully was sure she'd see to it. 

     "Jake has us this time, Vera. We'll take good care of your father."
Scully finally felt her dam beginning to break. 

     "And believe that you'll be okay." 

     "I have Mulder with me, always. I think ...I want to believe so." She
could barely utter the words over the soft sobs that broke through her
shields. 

     "He loves you, more than he loves anyone." 

     "I know." She could only nod. "And it will stay wherever I go, with
or without him." 

     "And watch over him for me, too. He worries me." 

     "I think he worries everyone who loves him, including Skinner and my
mother." A little calmed down, she manage to reply without breaking up. 

     "Because Fox worries about everyone. It all goes in circles." 'Full
circle to find the truth' Scully remembered from their past case. 

     "And probably because he knows he can depend on us. ... I've always
wondered what would you like to do with your artwork?" 

     "Jake's thinking about putting them in a museum. We already had
offers, abut I think he's thinking about building one." 

     "What? Oh, that wonderful. He can request punitive damages and it may
cover a lot of the cost." 

     "I think so." Vera nodded, then paused a little. Scully walked with
Vera, knowing Vera knew when to return to her room, and she was still
allowed to spend some more time alone with Vera. True to her guess, Vera
broke their silence again. 

     "Dana? Are you okay now?" Realizing that Vera had been working on
trying to get her min off of their current situations, Scully took a deep
breath and nodded a yes. 

     "Thank you, Vera. It's ... The whole thing's a bit too overwhelming." 

     "Tell me about your family, Dana. You are very close to them, and you
love them very much." 

     "Yes. Yes, I do. Bad things have happened but we always managed. My
late sister, Melissa used to play with me in front of our assigned house in
Navy base..." Starting with Melissa, Scully told Vera all the embarrassing
stories on Charlie, Bill, then finally her Ahab and her mother, Margaret.
They both laughed their heads off on occasion, surprising them both. 

     Jake was waiting in the room when they returned, somewhat shocking
the ret of the on-lookers to witness their laughter and smiles. They'd all
predicted the two would return just as read-eyed and devastated as they
were. Although Mulder detected the sign of dried tears on Scully, her
smiles over-shadowed the sadness. This was when Mulder witnessed Dana
Scully's true strength. But soon as Vera was inside, Scully went looking
for the bible, not giving Mulder the chance to ask her anything. But Mulder
needed no explanation the moment Scully returned with the bible and Mulder
told her he'll return in a couple of days. 

     "What?! What do you mean? You're leaving now?!" Her flustered
reaction was anticipated by both him and Skinner, who took the charge to
explain the change in their plan. 

     "We've all said good-byes, and there's no use in us sticking around.
I think they deserve to be away from us, and we have a lot of people to
answer to back in D.C.." 

     "Sir, shouldn't you just stay at Jake's?" 

     "I'll be back for the ...services, but I need to return to my office.
Mulder can return here tomorrow." 

     "Scully, I already told you this. If I need to go back by Skinner's
direct order, you stay here." Mulder supplied a back-up, and Scully bit her
lower lip before nodding. Then she mentioned them the request for Vera's
pending autopsy made personally by Vera Kathler. 

     "What?!" The men replied simultaneously. 

     "Yes, she just asked me to do it for her, and I don't believe I can
deny her wish. I'll be staying at Jake's house, and you two take care of
things at home. Maybe Mulder can pay my mother a visit and explain what's
been going around here?" Mulder nodded with a blink. If by chance he was to
be autopsied, he'd want nobody but Dana Scully doing it. "And I think you
two can just leave your luggage here since you'll be returning in a few
days. They'll be going to Jake's house with me." 

     "Sure, I'll do that." Mulder answered quickly, then went inside again
to give Jake a hug. When he turned to Vera, Mulder took a full minute to
memorize everything those green eyes told him, and they concluded their
moment with kisses on each other's cheeks. Mulder felt stronger to witness
Vera smiling at him. 

     When Mulder came out of the room, now completely composed and dressed
in perfect order, he accepted Scully's embrace. Their gaze met and locked
on for a few moments before Mulder blinked her a good-bye and left the
hospital with Skinner beside him.  Prescott Pediatrics ICU Ten Minutes
Later  By the time Jake was finally left in peace with Vera, he knew
exactly what was coming and why Scully was asked to remain and stay with
him and Elly throughout the ordeal. She opted to review the bible on a
couch at the waiting room, selecting passages she' like to read to Vera.
Tales of the saints usually were fascinating and reading through them again
brought Scully feel closer to her own past, to her childhood. The bible was
simply a collection of stories, and she felt no reservation in looking
through them again. 

     Jake gazed out of the door at Scully lying down and closed the door
hoping she wouldn't be offended. 

     "Dad, she's fine. Everybody's fine. Come lay down with me." Vera's
use of that first word brought Jake a smile and a nod. He paused and looked
at the familiar sight of her and Stella lying side by side, watching TV. 

     "I even requested Stella to be here. I didn't think she'd forgive me
if I kept her away, you know?" Jake added sheepishly, still thankful to the
understanding hospital staff's courtesy. 

     "You're my dad. No one's going to argue with that." Vera declared
firmly, and pulled him toward her. Jake returned a glassy-eyed smile. 

     "I'm so damn lucky, Vera. To get to be with you like this. That, I'm
your father now and I have the honor of declaring myself as one." 

     "Dad? Just stay here with me, and promise me never to let go of me
until it's time, all right?" 

     "That's what a loving father's for, Vera." He laughed and patted her
head. 

     "Can I do anything for you? I'm afraid I'm clueless, because there
are just so much we could've done if we had more time." 

     "No regrets, Dad. I don't want a sad good-bye. It's sad, but... I
need to know you'll be all right." 

     "Not for a long time, but I will be." Jake honestly answered and he
knew Vera appreciated that. 

     "Why don't you read me again? Then teach me how to do those Japanese
paper-folding things. You make good paper aeroplane, you know? Better than
my birth parents did." 

     "Why don't I do that first, and then read you something? You can sing
to me while I show you the moves, and I'll walk you around the room while I
read the poems. It'll be like old times." A genuine smile broke over Jake's
face and Vera's delightful acceptance added to the joy of "fatherhood".
However, as he began folding the paper, he couldn't help asking her if she
wanted to get the hell out of the hospital for a drive. They didn't have to
stay in the hospital because there just wasn't any use. Vera quickly
disagreed, surprising Jake. 

     "No. You'll go to jail if you do. Doctors have to pronounce me, and
Dana has to perform those tests on me. You'll be in big trouble if we
aren't here." Jake simply gaped at her open-mouthed. 

     "I don't care about that, Vera. We both hate hospitals. I don't want
you spending the last ours in this confinement. Okay, we can take Dana.
She's a medical doctor and no one's going to defy her credentials." This
got him a slap on his cheek, and he gaped again with shock. 

     "Dad! You have to stay here." 

     "But... But..." Jake was confused, drowning in pain. 

     "Dad? Listen." Her small hand grabbed at his face, effectively
shutting him up. "I know you love me, and I'm grateful for it. But you have
to promise me to be here. I'll come outside with you only if you promise me
to come back here when I ask you to. I still want to hear Dana read, and
she's not coming outside with us because I'm spending it with you and you
only." Finally understanding that she's willing to go for a short night-
out, Jake quickly wiped the mess on his face, and picked her up, kissing
her on her forehead. 

     "Are you sure?" He couldn't help asking. She nodded a yes. 

     "I'm sure, Dad. This is the right thing to do, and good fathers
always do the right things." Jake was beat. There was no arguing with his
daughter. 

     "Okay, then. Let's not waste a second more of this." He said as he
hurried to the elevator, his coat wrapped securely around Vera's form. It
was a miracle they managed to slip through the nurses station and Scully
sleeping on the couch. The fate was being kind for once. 

     "Where would you like to go, Vera? The ocean? The Golden Gate
Bridge?" 

     "We have a few hours, Dad. You decide." With an obvious relief, Jake
agreed with the plan, and stepped on the gas. Obviously she spared the best
for last. 

     As they drove through the familiar parts of the city, including the
building they've first met, the ice cream place they visited when they had
their food fight and the diner where they had breakfasts, Jake lived all
the cherishable moments he spent with Vera. They sang the songs she loved,
talking about everything about him that she wanted to know. He talked about
Nicole, who Vera didn't know much about until around the time of the
custody hearings, when he thought about her a lot. She told Jake should
talk to Eve again, because there seemed to be 'so much you need to know'.
Jake didn't notice the cryptic messages hidden in the statement, but it was
apparent to everyone that Jake will someday know the truth. 

     Vera disagreed going to the Golden Gate Bridge, because she'd seen it
every day and night when the San Francisco Regional Agents drove her in and
out of the learning center the FBI investigated. Instead, she suggested
Jake of driving her around the city and end the tour by 'going home' to
Jake's loft to relax before heading back to the hospital. 

     "I bet Elly's got some homemade soup or something in the fridge that
we can eat. I know you're tired of eating hospital food. And she's actually
better than most of the chef I know in this town, or anywhere. Even in
France, I couldn't find food cooked with as much love as Elly does." Jake
was determined to enjoy these moments, without fear and without tears.
Vera's radiant smile and full serving of giggles helped ease the mood. 

     "You know something I always wanted to do?" Vera asked, suddenly
serious. Jake instantly stopped laughing, and stopped the car for a little
while to gaze into her eyes, silently urging to continue. Vera sighed and
stretched her legs. "At Thanksgiving time and the Christmas, my birth
parents used to drive around Sacramento downtown area for literally hours,
with a big bucket full of one-dollar bills and hand one to every homeless
person on the streets. I know it maybe weird, but I loved them for doing
it. They did donate my old clothes and money to the shelters and ate with
them at the table, mostly to teach me how to help them." 

     "I wish my parents were like that. ...You wanna go do it right now? I
don't mind, you know. Come to think of it, I've never ...really got close
enough to talk to them much. We can go to twenty-four hour restaurants,
glossary stores and gas stations to get the bills, because ATMs don't hand
out one-dollar bills. Shelters aren't safe this time of the night, so I
can't take you inside." 

     "It's rather outrageous, I know. But..." Vera looked at Jake
guiltily, but he only smiled and started the car again. 

     "It's not outrageous, Vera. It's very noble. And something I
should've done it a long time ago. ...Tell you what. I'll do this every
year, on this day. It's marked, and it's as important to me as your birth
day." Vera's genuine laughter was a big enough reward to him, and he
intended to keep promises he once made. 

     "Thanks, Dad. You know, most people think this is all a mushy stuff,
but I like mushy." 

     "I know there are lots of cliches in what we've done over these
months, but I treasure every single one moment. And if anyone says to me
how queasy they feel about anything we've done together, it's their loss,
because they weren't there. Besides, I think we are a hell of a unique and
strong pair in terms of the bond we have. If anyone fails to recognize
that... I feel sorry for them. You know?" Jake took another glance at Vera,
and saw her nodding. 

     It was another ten minutes before they found the first gas station to
rummage for the one-dollar bills and to get some beverages to sip on during
their hunt for the one-dollar bills. After going around for two hours, they
gathered enough to fill in the plastic bucket Jake bought at the gas
station began handing out the bills. Jake phoned in Scully twice to make
sure she knew they were safe and they intended to return to the hospital in
time. Scully was furious at first, but after Vera insisted she 'abducted my
Dad for the drive' and laughed with Jake, she had to give in. They both
thanked her, and went on with their night-out. Jake willingly let Vera hand
out the bills whenever she sighted the next person. She, as Jake guessed,
was used to this, and had much better eyes than Jake did to spot them. 

     It was almost into the fourth hour when they finally returned home
and crashed on the couch. The house seemed awfully empty without Elly and
Stella. Jake's throat tightened at the sight, and it didn't escape Vera's
mind. 

     "Dad? Come dance while the soup's heating up." She called out to Jake
the minute he discovered the black bean soup in the kitchen and put it on
the burner. Jake smiled, and gladly obliged. Jake noticed Vera was getting
tired, but since they've been sitting for hours in the car, Jake opted to
lift her up into his arms, and danced around slowly. When he asked her what
she liked him to dance to, she told him to surprise her. Jake picked up the
remote and pushed the 'play' button, just to test the waters. He was happy
when Loreena McKennitt's rich Celtic tune flooding over the emptiness of
the loft. Vera giggled, and after a while, asked him to put her down so she
could dance with him in circles. Vera had a flexibility that rivaled Alex,
and Jake noticed it in the earlier days when they did it as a way of
'getting to know each other'. Celtic music tended to be easier to follow,
because you could dance to it as slow or as fast as you wanted, depending
on your interpretation. Jake lifted her back up into his arms when her
movement slowed down. 

     They didn't stop dancing until the soup boiled over and the contents
spilled over the burner, producing a loud hissing sound. Jake's arms were
seriously hurting by this time, but Jake never took notice. 

     "You know, you're a wonderful father." Vera said once Jake placed the
dishes in the dish washer. Jake turned back, smiling shyly. "Promise me you
won't stop at me." 

     "What?" Startled a bit by the statement, Jake leaned over the
counter. 

     "Promise me I won't be the only kid you'll ever have. There aren't
many good fathers around these days. I noticed that at the hospital." Jake
swallowed hard. 

     "I won't be ready for a long time, Vera. But I promise you, I'll keep
my options open." 

     "Good." Vera nodded after sensing his honesty. Jake nodded back,
wondering if he could keep all the promises he's made in recent months.
While Vera went into the restroom, Jake took out his black trousers and
pale green cotton dress shirt and quickly changed into them. He was tying
his shoe lace when he heard a noise and a thud behind the double glass
door. 

     "Vera?" he hastily completed the task at hand and leaped toward the
restroom. He didn't panic. Anyone present had to give Jake credit for that.
And Scully was certainly one of them. 

     "Jake? Just get here and don't kill yourself on the way." 

     "I know, Dana. I'm already in my car, driving. Got your bible ready?"
Jake asked, sensing Scully's hysteria. 

     "I have it. Look, you just concentrate on driving, and keep her head
tilted up." 

     "I know. She's still conscious. I'll warn you, tough. I didn't
actually see her collapse, so I don't know if she hit her head on the way
down." 

     "If she's conscious, probably not." Scully hanged up at the moment,
most decidedly to gather around the medical staff at the hospital. Jake
came to a halt at the traffic light that he was tad short of passing
through, and looked at Vera. She was icing her nose and pressing the towel
to stop the blood. Hyper-volemic shock attacks rarely but viciously. Jake's
intense gaze locked on with Vera's calmer one. 

     "I'll get you there in time, baby. I'm sorry we didn't get out
sooner." He said as he kissed her on the top of her head. Vera shook her
head no, and briefly touched his cheek with her bloody hand. Jake closed
his eyes for a moment and turned his focus back on the road just as the
traffic light turned green again. At the next stop light, he dialed Scully
again, and told her not to alert the ER team if she's waiting there with a
welcome wagon. Scully told him she hadn't notified the trauma team, and at
the pediatric ICU, she requested minimal staff, which consisted the
attending physician and two nurses besides herself. Jake nodded to himself,
grateful that Scully was perfectly reasonable as well as professional, in
her decisions. 

     Jake cursed the Henry Barrington's hospitals for the thousandth time
as he passed it and kept going toward Prescott. Vera knew what he was
thinking, however, and patted him on the knee. Jake instantly took a deep
breath and calmed down, and took her small bloody hand in his, and gave it
a firm squeeze before stepping on the gas again the moment the light turned
green. 

     The moment he parked the closest space he could find to the stair
entrance, Vera reached over to the door handle and unbuckled the seat belt.
Jake flew to the passenger side and cradled her in his arms, thanking the
Jeep's elevated seat unlike his former BMW. 

     "Just a little further, baby. Hold on, or you'll miss the prayers and
Dana won't forgive me." Jake spoke as he ran up the stairs two steps at a
time to the fifth floor. All the while, Vera kept her nose iced, staring
into Jake's determined eyes set on the and clenched teeth. There was only
love in those eyes. Vera slowly blinked and kept her free hand around his
neck to steady herself and to feel his pulse against her rapidly cooling
skin. His shirt was stained with her blood, and she briefly regretted
collapsing in the restroom, because that was where his fiance  died, soaked
in blood. 

     "I'm sorry." Vera didn't know her words reached him. Jake looked
stunned at her words, violently shaking his head no. 

     "You did nothing wrong." 

     "My blood is in your bathroom." Jake stopped for a second at the
comment. 

     "So what? ...Oh." Finally recognizing what she meant, Jake took a
deep breath and gave her forehead another kiss, wanting to relieve her of
whatever unnecessary suffering. "No, it's all right. Okay, just one more
floor." Jake was sweating profusely, but that wasn't the only reason why
Vera's clothes and face were suddenly wet. He felt her hand patting his
face gently with her sleeve, and released a laughter mixed with a sob. 

     "I just needed to tell you love you." Vera barely managed the words
before losing her voice. Jake managed a hasty reply before he saw an
orderly coming out of the door at the pediatrics floor, and wedged his foot
inside just before the door closed. "Here we go." Jake muttered as he
kicked the door wide open, and dashed inside. He paid no heed as people
immediately turned their heads toward them as his learned mind guided him
to Vera's room. 

     "Jake!" Scully waved them over the moment she saw them. Jake skidded
to a stop, and handed her to the waiting arms of the physician. 

     "Take care of her." Jake said as he watched them set Vera up with the
all too familiar IVs and monitors. Scully nodded and went inside, watching
over the monitors. Soon as Vera was set up, the medical staff left them
alone, shaking their heads. 

     "Thank you for your understanding." Jake muttered as he went inside.
Scully was already beginning her reading, her gold cross now in Vera's
hand. Jake sat down on the other side of the bed, keeping his hands over
her free hand. Vera slowly opened her eyes and brought the hand out of his
grasp and up to touch his face. Jake covered it with one of his, then
brought them down to his neck as he buried his face next to her head. He
then covered Vera's other hand already covered by Scully's free hand. The
three hands acknowledged their presence, and he intertwined his fingers
with all of them. He kept the position, listening to her breathe and
stifling his sobs at the same time, so as not to disturb Scully's reading. 

     Jake's eyes loosened their squeezed lids as he began paying attention
to Scully's soothing voice, carefully kept in control despite the tension
and her own tears threatening to break her composure. He then concentrated
on Vera's breathing once again, willing to ease her suffering. Jake at this
point didn't care how long she lived. Wherever she was now, he only wanted
to not leave her stranded. If she needed to see where she was going, he
wanted to guide her way, to be with her as long as she allowed him to. 

     Suddenly, Jake felt as if he was floating. Mentally, he was aware of
everything around him, where he was, and what was happening. But
physically, his body felt increasingly lighter until he no longer felt the
weight of his legs on his feet, until his back stopped complaining of the
pain it was forced to endure, and until he no longer felt the chair he sat
on. He was simply there, but without the body acknowledging it. He somehow
understood not to open his eyes, but to let it be. He didn't know why or
how he knew it, but he did. His ears grew increasingly aware of the heart
beating against them, until he no longer needed to strain his ears to catch
them. They simply came closer and closer to him. Not stronger, but closer
as the sound came to surround his senses. His body grew even lighter, and
he felt as if he was drifting in the air. 

     Jake remembered the time he watched a feather fall to the ground in a
slow and steady descent. He visualized that feather as he began feeling the
slow descent himself. He felt completely relaxed, at peace, and '...loved?'
That was Jake's last thought before his body acknowledged a painfully tight
squeeze of his hand, followed by the high continuous sound of the monitor
just before it was turned off. 

     "Time of death, five-ten a.m. Dr. Scully, may we have a moment,
please?" 

     The doctor was speaking, and Jake felt Scully's hand slip out of his
grasp. But Jake was still in the process of the slow descent and he didn't
even bother raising his head. He knew he no longer felt her pulse. No
longer heard her breathe. And he knew she was gone. But he was too stunned
and too far gone to even think about moving. He thought he heard her say,
'It's okay, Jake. It's all over now.', but he couldn't be sure. He should
be in pain, screaming his guts out, throwing punches in the air. But he
wasn't doing any of the above, and he didn't know why. 'You still have a
lot to do, Jake. Go home.' The unknown voice spoke to him again, and he
wanted to tell whoever it is to show herself. But of course she didn't. 

     A sudden shock of exhaustion came to him as he acknowledged Stella's
presence next to him. Then he felt even more exhausted when she laid her
paws on his thigh, gently mopping his hand with her warm tongue. 'I'm
back.' Jake thought as he blinked his eyes. When he blinked again, the
whole weight of the situations at hand settled over him like cold, gentle
fall of snow. 

     "Dana?" Jake asked, his voice rough and still a little weak. He saw
Scully standing next to him with teary eyes, and he saw her nod. He nodded
back and took a deep breath. It really was over. He then reached over to
Stella to embrace her furry body. He decided to chance another back pain by
assisting her jump up on the bed to let her say good-bye. 

     "She looks so beautiful. Like an angel." Scully commented as she
looked toward Vera's body. Jake finally straightened himself in his chair,
and looked over the tiny frame lying still next to them. Jake nodded in
agreement. Vera's features were ever so gentle, her pale complexion smooth
and almost surreal with its beauty. 

     "Yes, she was beautiful." Jake surprised himself by so honestly
speaking in past tense. He didn't feel the need to deny it. He felt the
heartache and sadness that death tend to bring over, but nothing to the
extent of convulsing on the floor and pass out. That was when he realized
just what Vera did for him. Jake took another deep breath, and stood up a
little unsteadily, but only because of his earlier exertion. He recovered
quickly, and moved to embrace Scully warmly. 

     "I already called Mulder and Skinner. We both need to rest as much as
we can manage before getting started on the funeral arrangements, you
know?" Scully was barely managing to let the words out, and Jake understood
how she felt. 

     "Sure. I think that's the right thing to do." Jake let go of Scully,
and bending over Vera's still form, placed a kiss on her forehead and both
cheeks. "We can take the whole tomorrow to recover a bit. You can start
your autopsy whenever you feel you're ready. You know you guys don't need
any consent from me to start it, so that saves you some time and paperwork.
Use my bed and I'll sleep on the couch. You can self prescribe some mild
sedative for the day. Don't argue with me, because you're my guest and your
toughest day in this case isn't here, yet." He said as he slid the gold
cross out of Vera's hand and after a moment of thinking, took the liberty
of placing it back on Scully's neck himself. 

     "Jake? ...Umm, thank you for all this, but I need to ask you. ...What
happened to you in here? You seemed to be ...please don't get this the
wrong way, but ...out of it. You didn't even seem to recognize when the
doctor re-entered the room, nor when the monitors began beeping off. Are
you sure you're all right?" This was a reasonable question, and one
requiring hours to answer. He nodded a yes instead. 

     "I can't be sure what happened to me ...just now. But I'll tell you
once we get home. You may not believe me, or you may have answers that I
don't. I'm not making much sense now, but I will once we settle down in my
house with a bowl of Elly's black bean soup." Jake spoke as he took
Scully's hand and gently guided her out of the room with Stella in toe. 


Kathler Family Grave
Exact Location of the Cemetery Unknown
Oakland, CA
Four Days Later 7:30 AM
 
     Statue of the angels glowed like sparkling jewel in the perfect
California sun-shining day. Jake remembered the last time he was here, the
same cloudless sky left him feel as though the heavens were fully open to
accept its visitors. But that day, because he was not so sure they'll be
open enough for the one he sent off, he glared at the sun till it went
down, swearing revenge unless they took in the one soul he once believed
was the one he would be with for the rest of his life. 

     It was Jake's idea to create his family grave site separate from that
of his parents. And without a question, he chose the same resting place as
that of his former fiance. He liked the cemetery because it didn't possess
the common stereo-typical loneliness that linger in the air. This place
felt more settling, relaxed and holy. Jake still was hesitant not to bury
Vera with her birth parents, because he was doubtful he deserved to have
Vera as his even after this life. But this was Vera's request, and he was
honored to oblige. And, if there were such things as gods and angels and
saints and heavens just as there would be the death and devils and satan
and zombies and vampires, Jake would rather spend his afterlife with his
first daughter (assuming he'll find a true significant other and have more
children in the future) and Alex, and not his parents or relatives. 

     The large marble headstone laid on the ground with its head elevated
a little for easier reading, was designed by Jake's old friend whose work
was valued among young sculptors. Without being asked for what Jake wanted,
after talking to Jake for two hours about how he loved his daughter, what
he thought as the most intriguing characteristics in her, and about how he
met her and came closer to her - over a pot of coffee and Elly's Moroccan
stew three days ago - the young man generously curved-in the design of a
very much simplified version of the Tree of Life in order to make room for
the list of names to be occupying the headstone surface. 

     The Tree of life was founded on Judaism and perhaps one of the few
religious symbols Jake liked as a child and a young man. It signifies
(according to Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience)
the descent of the divine into the material world, and the path by which
people can ascend to the divine while still in flesh. Each sephirah is a
level of attainment in knowledge. The seven lower sephirot - Sovereignty,
foundation, endurance, majesty, beauty, loving-kindness and judgment -
correspond to seven energy centers located along the spin in the human body
and the top three-Understanding, wisdom, and crown (humility) - are
mystical steps to unity with God. Each sephirah is divided into four
sections in which operate the Four Worlds, which constitute the cosmos.
Only the most stable and ethical, who have first purified their bodies,
minds, and spirits, are permitted to approach. The sephirot are
contemplated by visualizing them vibrating with color, to gather with image
of their corresponding Hebrew letters of the divine names of God, and the
planets, angels, metals, parts of the body, and energy centers. 

     As an offer for the Catholic part of the landmark, when Jake sought
advice from the Scullys, Margaret told Jake about a passage in the bible
they used for Dana's headstone when they were ready to give up the search
for their daughter. Dana agreed for Jake to use it, since it was Vera's
namesake. Thus "spirit is the truth" was curved at the very bottom of the
stone. 

     The ceremony would be very unique and unusual in style, since Jake
was born as the result of a union between a Russian, practicing Jew father
and a Scottish, Christian mother. Jake Kathler himself didn't exactly
subscribe himself to a church nor religion for that matter. He just knew
the supreme beings existed, whether in the form of a God or a Goddess or
saints or even extraterrestrials whose civilizations were so advanced their
technology equals a divine intervention. The Jarvis family, on the other
hand, was entirely Irish Catholic. Jake had no idea how to do what in the
beginning because of these complications. But the priest didn't have a
problem with the place he chose nor the design of the new family headstone.
The priest called in for the ceremony was the same man who was present at
the Jarvis' funeral, and was also the trusted priest for the couple. Mulder
flew the man in from Sacramento upon tracking him down. Though burying Vera
was something he never wanted to do, this time he was blessed with
understanding of the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. He was also
blessed with those who he kept and been kept as company. He trusted them
all, and they all trusted him. 

     People frowned at Jake at first for showing up with Stella and a
bouquet half his body size, constructed only with various types of
sunflower. However, Elly, Mulder, Scully, and Skinner praised Jake for it.
Sunflowers reminded them of Vera very much, because they signified her
radiance. The guest list for this ceremony was impressive. Because of the
publicity of the Kathler case, the mayor of both Sacramento and Oakland
were invited, along with the judge who granted Jake the custody of Vera,
Dr. Claiborne was one of the world's leading cancer researcher, and Clive
Shaw the cancer survivor and now a top research assistant at Claiborne's
lab. Skinner was the Assistant Director of the FBI, then there were five
agents of the FBI including Scully, Mulder, Steele, Hall, and another agent
who watched over Stella in Napa. With Stella was also her physical
therapist, standing next to the loyal canine. Jake even went to the extent
of inviting Kate Lyons, Linda Lowry, Karen Kosseff, Alex's mother, Elly's
family, Tina Mulder, Margaret Scully, Sharon Skinner, and the three members
of Jake's firm who were willing to attend. To top it all, Eve Austin
unexpectedly showed up, startling the family court judge, Jake, Scully and
Skinner. But Jake greeted her warmly, and thanked her dearly for helping
him get Vera's custody. Jake invited her also for the memorial service to
be held after the funeral service due to the time constraints with the
civil court, requiring Jake and the three FBI agents' absence from nine. 

     Everyone brought over some types of flowers to eventually decorate
the mound of earth. Mulder stood next to Elly in his black Armani suit,
white dress shirt, and a midnight blue tie, holding hand with Scully in her
conservative, long black dress that covered her ankles. They both brought
over their sunglasses, but decided against wearing them. 'Why hide our
sorrow?' was their reasoning. Next to Scully stood Jake, and Stella stood
on the other side of Jake with the physical therapist. Behind the five of
them, stood Alex's mother, next to Tina Mulder and Margaret Scully who
quietly observed their children while Elly's family stood next to them,
observing Elly. The Skinners, Steele, and Hall stood next to each other on
the other side of the coffin, surrounded by Jake's business partners. At
the foot of the coffin stood the two mayors next to Eve Austin and the
judge. Linda Lowry, Dr. Claiborne, Clive Shaw, and Karen Kossef Stood
focused on the ground. Karen looked up from time to time, observing Scully
and Mulder. 

     The priest began his speech by greeting everyone to the burial
ceremony. He then went on to express how honored he felt for being the one
to perform the Jarvis' wedding, funeral, and memorial services. Jake and
Mulder instantly realized they were very right in calling in this
particular priest. The man proceeded to speak about his own memories of the
days spent with the Jarvis', and how energetic and adorable Vera had been
as a small child known to be a nightmare for kindergarten teachers. This
priest's speech gave Jake and everyone else present a deeper insight to
Vera's competent and radiant character. Then, from out of the blue, the
priest laid his hand on Jake's shoulder, and gave him the turn to speak.
Jake added a few words of thanks to the participants, and that he hoped to
see them at the memorial service, to be held (untraditionally) after the
burial service. 

     Jake threw the bouquet, then was handed the shovel for the soil to
cover the beautiful coffin. He inaudibly sighed before accepting it, and
closed his eyes momentarily before throwing the first scoop of the moist
earth into the six-feet harrow. Scully and Mulder's grip on each other's
hand tightened further as they watched with Jake the harrow kept growing
shallow until it was covered completely. Jake barely had time to see all
the flowers placed, grazing over the blackened mound of soil before being
ushered into the waiting car to be escorted to the courthouse with the FBI
agents. 


Vera Kathler Memorial Service
Exact Location and Name of Church Unknown
Oakland, CA 6 PM Same Day
 
     The court for the day ended up with a rather nasty glaring contest
between the two sides. The defense always had a thinner supporting crowd
due to the circumstances, but on this particular day, the defense had even
thinner crowd, because the defense supporters who were smart enough to
remember Vera's funeral date didn't show up. The plaintiff team on the
other hand was surrounded by public support. 

     The press who was present at the burial ceremony was gone now that
the mayors left, and it saved the memorial service participants from some
trouble, because they didn't want the press there, listening and taking
down every single word. Songs Vera loved were playing freely, the selection
quite diverse as the result. Spending so much time with Vera got Jake,
Mulder, Scully, and even Skinner to remember many of the songs played, and
they sang along a few of them. The list of speakers consisted of the
previously mentioned three plus Elly and Linda. Eve accepted Jake's
invitation to attend, but refrained from giving a speech since she's never
met Vera, though she had an idea how much Vera meant to Jake. But she told
Jake that if this was Jake's memorial service, she will be the only speaker
and whoever else tried to even stop her from continuing, there'll be hell
to pay for those poor souls. Jake laughed at the comment, and thanked her. 

     The priest again welcomed everyone and began the ceremony. Jake
without a question took the final speaker's turn, and gave Scully the honor
of being the first to take the stage. This wasn't in any way traditional,
but they figured nothing about them is really traditional, so why not? 

     Scully stood, giving a firm squeeze to Mulder's hand before heading
for the short stairs. She introduced herself and began reading her speech,
having barely had time to prepare because of the trials. 

     "What I remember most fondly about Vera Kathler, is her courage.
Physically speaking, she was very small, and seemed rather frail because of
it. But in truth, she was like a snow flake made of steel. Her mind
possessed the well-documented intelligence, but more than that, I was
fascinated by her iron will. The strength she possessed in her heart to
face the greatest of enemies without fear. Everyone who's ever met Vera
said they couldn't believe they were speaking to a ten-year old. But, too
often, bad things happen to good people, and it happened to Vera Kathler,
and her birth parents. And I took it upon myself to find the answers to
just what and how these horrible tragedies sprang upon these three
individuals. The answers I've found with the help of my colleagues only
strengthened my understanding and love for what made Vera Kathler who she
was and who she had become. 

     "When my partner and I were assigned for the case by the request of
San Francisco Regional Office, it was just another unexplainable,
unsolvable missing child case to me. Little did I know the lessons I've
been set to learn. Anyone who has spent enough time with Vera and Jake,
will tell you that one of the largest reasons why Jake loved and still
loves his only daughter, is because of what he has learned from this child
who was taken from our lives far too soon. I felt the same way about Vera.
Just a flicker of light in her sparkling green eyes spoke a thousand words.
She was always, as her name sake, true to her words. And her, for the lack
of a better term, moral sense. Always insisting, wanting and demanding the
truth and nothing but the truth in those who came in contact with her, no
matter how terrible and cruel the truth maybe. Sometimes the strengths
nestling in those eyes were overwhelming, that I couldn't bring myself to
face it. Because I knew the brutality of answers she wanted, and I thought
it was because I didn't want to see her pain and suffering caused by my
answers. But I realize now it was the opposite. That, I didn't want to feel
my own pain caused by my own words, and I was afraid of Vera reading that
vulnerability in me, because I was there to protect her, and I wanted to
win her trust. 

     "It is never an easy task to deliver news, especially if they
contradict the results desired. Even after doing residency and required
courses treating patients in hospitals as a medical student and then as a
medical doctor, the challenge of finding and facing truths never changes.
And I came to face it during the course of our investigation, when I found
in Vera the same illness I struggle with. And after her passing, when I
performed her autopsy upon her request. As a medical doctor and a forensic
pathologist, I rely on the concrete facts and evidences provided by hard
sciences and thorough investigations done by justifiable means. And I will
remain true to my profession for however long I am to remain on this earth.
I believe Vera's request for my performing her autopsy was the gesture of
her trust and faith in my abilities to do what I do. And I couldn't have
been more honored. And I shall continue with this trying and wonderful
journey that is my life, make useful the lessons Vera taught me. 

     "But in the end, after all the facts and evidences will be presented,
judged, and understood by whoever demands them, all that really matters is
that Vera Kathler was loved since the moment she was conceived, then loved
every moment Dr. Jarvis' lived. Then, she loved and was loved every moment
after her care was taken over by her step-father, Jake Kathler. All of us
here, are extremely fortunate to be allowed to touch and be touched by her
life. To be allowed to love her and be loved by her. And hopefully, my
lifetime of understanding and love for her will be enough for what she's
given me in return." 

     With that, Scully quickly folded back the pages of her speech and
stepped down from the stand. She then for the first time saw tears in many
of the audience, including Jake. He stood from his seat and gave her an
embrace and a kiss on both cheeks for thanks. When she took her seat,
Mulder rewarded her with a beaming smile and a brief embrace. He was to
take stand after Skinner, who now stepped up to the stage. 

     "Thank you agent Scully, for leaving me practically speechless."
Skinner blurted out, and the audience suddenly broke into laughter. "But, I
suppose I could find a word or two to add." His mock wince got him even
bigger laughter, and Skinner unexpectedly returned a small one of his own.
"I didn't come as prepared as agent Scully was, so bear with me if I rumble
a little too much." Mulder and Scully stared at each other. This was
Skinner they rarely saw. Then they figured Sharon's presence had a lot to
do with it. 

     "...Spending days and very often nights behind a desk could make a
person's life a confined and pretty miserable existence. And the greatest
tragedy of all is to be comfortable in it. Before getting involved with
this investigation, and before getting the chance to work with the agents
I've worked in this case, I have to admit I was getting comfortable at
where I was. Being in the position to direct many officers is something
I've been doing for decades, and of those years, half was spent in the US
Marine, and the other half in the FBI. And I came to stand in the unique
position to understand the two, often conflicting, interests. In my
position of management, I deal with the same type of conflicts every day.
And although I hate to admit, sometimes my ethical, moral sense of duty and
the honor that comes from the achievement of goals set according to these
just sense of duty, have to be compromised. Mostly as a necessary sacrifice
in the political game of chess. For future benefit, as they might call it. 

     "Living in such uncompassionate and cynical environment for as long
as I have, it is easy to lose one's vision of what it is that you are doing
what you are doing in the first place. And pretty soon you become blind to
the essence of that duty, that oath you took as your mission for life.
Well, I was getting close to joining the walking blinds myself. That is
until I've began working with fine agents such as agents Scully and Mulder,
who will be taking this stand shortly. And I get few opportunities to thank
my agents. You two don't get too comfortable. You're still grounded.
...When I began getting the facts surrounding this case, I knew I had to
come down here myself. Something deep inside me knocked at me and kept
telling me to come, because there was something that could change my life.
I found out soon how right I was. 

     "I wish my first meeting with Vera Kathler was under happier
circumstances. She was lying unconscious in a hospital bed. As I reviewed
the case reports written by my agents, I realized what the magnitude of the
case will be and just what was coming. And I doubted whether it will all be
worth it. That is, until I got to see her eye to eye. I kept my calm. My
professional demeanor. But I knew deep down she wasn't buying it. Those
green eyes really were intriguing. I believe everyone who's ever taken the
time to get to know her, share the same opinion. It was a while before she
first spoke to any of us. But I felt her eyes did just as good a job as her
mouth. And, because she couldn't use her mouth for such a long time, she
sought other ways for communication. I've learned how to maintain an
adequate level of communication by watching how she and her father talked
to each other. She used her hands a lot, a few gestures and facial
expressions. I never thought those measures were enough, and honestly felt
foolish to even try. But once I did, I felt myself being pried open. Those
parts of myself I usually keep hidden to do our jobs. The strangest thing
is, it didn't bother me too much. I didn't try to stop her opening me up to
the deepest of my feelings. 

     "She opened that old, neglected door to my soul for me. And without
even having me utter a single word, she knew my problems. My pains, my
anger, and most importantly, my love. Vera Kathler made me rediscover how
to express my love, professionally and personally. This includes not only
my renewed respect for my profession, but especially for my wife Sharon.
Vera seemed to do this with everybody else around her, and I still don't
know just how it was possible. I guess once you start realizing just how
closed-up you are, you realize just how far off the track you'd gone. 

     "From Agent Scully's words and our own experiences, we all know how
much Vera Kathler had been through in her lifetime. I confessed some of my
secrets to her, because she was willing to listen to them. Then, I took it
as my duty to deliver her the truth about her cancer being untreatable as
the result of her second abduction. That, the best available medial science
technology couldn't save her. And this is a ten-year old girl without a
home that I'm speaking to. I couldn't have hated myself more. She began
crying, and I was told before that Vera very rarely cry. Right then, I
couldn't think of any way to bring myself to ask her for forgiveness. I
couldn't deny that I've failed. That I've let her down. Our initial goal
was to find her parents and get clear the circumstances surrounding her
disappearance and reappearance. We did achieve those goals but they weren't
real ones. Everyone involved quickly realized it was a battle to search for
the cure for the cancer she suffered from. 

     "If I am to tell you what I loved the most about her, then I'll have
to say it's her hands. They held the most amazing power no word can
explain. I have to admit that I'm a tough nut to crack. Very few people
will ever really know me. But the moment this ten-year old touched my face
with her hands after I delivered her the terrible truth, everything just
flowed. I can't recall the time I so openly wept other than my days in
Vietnam. Those tiny hands ...they practically yanked me out of my defenses.
And I know just how many and how much more lives could have been touched by
that little girl's presence if she was to remain with us. 

     "This power of forgiveness that she possessed was unsurpassed by
anyone I know, except maybe for my wife. And I was shown that power again,
the day before she passed away. She knew exactly how much time she had, and
how to spend it. She spent it with those fortunate to be present at the
time, because she knew we needed to say good byes to each other. She let us
take a walk with her in turns, just so we each could spend some time by
ourselves to talk. This realization alone sent me almost to my knees. And I
didn't bother holding anything back from her at that point. I just went
with whatever came up. I was completely honest with her, because I wanted
to be. 

     "I won't pretend to know just how much I owe her. And how far I and
my agents will have to go to even realize how close Vera Kathler brought
all of us to the highest of our goals. My meeting Vera forced me to renew
my faith in what I am here to do. In what and how much I can do. And it
made me want to believe again, that the crisis we struggle to resolve
everyday takes us one step closer to the answers of answers we all seek.
That, all the dead-ends we hit will eventually be led to answers. I don't
want to be blind to myself again like I was destined to be. And I owe Vera
Kathler my lifetime of gratitude. Thank you for your patience." 

     Skinner stepped off the stage, and they all watched as Sharon
embraced her husband tightly. Mulder took a few deep breaths, because most
of the audience was in tears. He had his entire speech memorized to every
letter and comma, but still he wasn't confident he could make through the
whole thing without breaking into sobs. Skinner was a real professional for
never once breaking his composure. He gave a pat on Scully's shoulder
before he walked up to the stage. But when he faced the group of tear-
streaked faces, he knew he had to scrap his drafted speech. They were
mostly composed of his past field journals, written much like poetry than a
speech. Fighting the jumbled mass of emotion that was his mind, he fought
to relax enough to be able to let his words out. 

     "Excuse my voice faltering a little. It should be fine in a moment.
...Just to clear things up, my name is Fox Mulder, and Jake Kathler is the
one sitting at the audience." This managed to stir up some laughter from
the audience, and Mulder breathed easier. "As mentioned by Assistant
Director Skinner, I have the pleasure of working almost everyday with him
and my partner, agent Scully. And I agree with them both. More than once, I
came very close to giving up on my quest to find answers to the questions I
kept asking myself for decades. I was hitting too many a dead end and
losing too many friends to even care about going out looking for those
truth I yearned to know. But Vera told me never to give up, and made me
promise that I won't. And I intend to keep the promise with everything that
I am, and everything that I will ever be. I owe that much to her, at least.
I agree with the AD that honesty is something too often compromised,
neglected, and under-valued. 

     "As an officer of the law, seeking truth and see justice done is my
duty. And truth is where my faith lay. And that faith is the closest thing
to religion that I have. Seeking truth takes one's commitment, solid
belief, dedication and devotion. I have to admit, I seem to always step on
a few toes here and there for Scully to patch up later, and I owe her my
best just for that reason. But I'm not here today to talk about that. I'm
standing before you here tonight, to tell you that Vera Maxine Kathler
never deserved to die the way she did, and for the reasons she died for. No
one so true and full of humanity should ever die so young. Four days ago,
the world has lost its valuable asset. 

     "I've spent many hours day and night, watching over Vera. I was
always careful to leave as much time as I can for her and her father to
spend by themselves, but not because Vera mixed me up with her father. That
was never a problem. She didn't even seem bothered by our physical
resemblance, while some others insisted us wearing name tugs. Also, when I
heard our case would involve a small child, Vera wasn't the person I
expected to meet in the wildest of my imaginations. For one, she never
complained. She hated hospitals, because she hated to be confined in a room
with strangers and big machines. I've sent myself to Sacramento for two
weeks to train myself with psychotherapy so I could be ready to help Vera
when I returned. But there was really little I could do, because she rarely
showed that part of her. Without a doubt, she's the strongest person that
I've ever come to know. 

     "I can very much identify with Vera in hating hospitals. In my line
of work, I've been through countless tests. X-rays, MRIs, decontamination
chambers, IV needles, hypodermic needles, ICUs and tubes down my nose and
throat. It's hard enough when I'm thirty-six. If I was ten years old and
woke up in a strange place and smell, surrounded by pink and green clothed
people hovering over me and poking me around, I'd probably scream my guts
out. And if someone I remember as my rescuer held my face inches away from
my eyes and assured me I was safe, I'd probably cling to that person and
won't let go. And as long as that person's presence can be sensed, I'd stay
calm or as calm as I can manage, for the time being. This is one of the
many reasons I knew Vera should belong to Jake Kathler. They were silently
communicating before anyone could see it. Before Vera could tell anyone
about her past, about where she came from and where she's gone to, they
somehow knew where they stood. 

     "Restoration of faith and for the lack of a better word, virtue, is
what Vera did for me and others involved. In saying this, I meant she made
me want to believe again, in the very essence and notion of justice and why
it's worth fighting for. She made me believe again in my ultimate dream,
that is to find my younger sister Samantha, gone missing twenty-four years
ago. I have to admit, this case was extremely emotionally taxing for me,
because it was, after all, a missing persons case. Vera was, estimating
from the size and form of her body, believed to be about eight year-old,
just the same as when my sister disappeared. The circumstances involving
Vera's abduction was also a very close match with the one on my sister. 

     "In our investigation, Vera Kathler has brought us closer than ever
possible to justice believed forever beyond our reach. And I can never let
that go to waste. Instead we should mark her accomplishments as a
milestone, and keep going. Hopefully, she can forgive my failure in
bringing everyone who's responsible for her death to prosecution, because I
never will be able to. However, I never intend to give up. Because I loved,
and still love Vera Kathler, I know whenever something threatens to break
my spirit, I have her to hold onto." 

     Mulder felt much better. No. He felt great, as he stepped off the
stage and accepted Jake's bear-hug. And as they returned to their seats,
they listened to Elly speak fondly about how Vera was very much like one of
her own children and how she would insist on waiting up for Jake until very
late at night, insisting that if she fell a sleep, Elly needed to wake her
up. And this was all within two weeks of their knowing each other. They
were, she said, very much a family and she was honored to be able to become
a part of Vera's life. Elly also mentioned how Jake always treated her like
his friend or a family member than her job title ever counted for, and she
was very fortunate for that fact. And that once Vera came into the picture,
Jake became the happiest she ever remembered seeing him. That, Vera was
truly loved by her second father. 

     When she stepped off the stage and Linda took her place, Jake invited
her to sit next to him and they exchanged a few words while Linda
introduced herself. They quickly quieted down, but Jake insisted Elly
remain where she was until his turn comes. Elly nodded, and they listened
as Linda explained how her job forces her to think rationally and in a
detached manner much like any law enforcement officers, about situations in
relationship of people she needs to investigate. And that she had many
doubts in Jake Kathler's capability to look after a child considering his
personal history. But that the doubt began disappearing after he invited
her into his house willingly, and told her to come check on Vera any time
of any day, for whatever reason she thought was necessary. That, as hard as
it was, she still had to remain professional, not because she doubted Jake
Kathl er, but more significantly because she thought things were just going
too good. Because she has seen just too many dead-beat fathers incredibly
skilled to hide evidences of child abuse. 

     Linda spoke how much she could relate to AD Skinner's speech about
restoration of faith, because that was exactly how she felt. That, in this
case, in this man Jake Kathler, she could believe that she wasn't being
fooled. That every smile Vera gave him and her, her every laughter and
every touch these two people gave each other, was sincere and true. And,
although she could spend so little time with them both until the FBI took
over the assessment, she had no doubt in the end about how they were
perfect for each other. And that she really wished she could have visited
the Kathlers many more times in the future, because success rate in
adoption cases was incredibly rare. 

     She concluded her speech by telling the audience there was no doubt,
as Scully said, Vera was loved by everyone around her, and that they were
each responsible to carry out their duties to the fullest of their
abilities in return. 

     When Linda stepped off the stage, Jake was composed enough to take
the stage to make announcement for a short break before his turn came,
because he would like to take some time for his speech, and he didn't want
to hold everyone hostage. And, after all the emotions stirred up in the
room, everyone could use a little breather. They all followed, because they
understood Jake's need to clear his chest, and that he had a lot of
clearing to do on the stage. Elly's presence calmed Jake down as always,
and he thanked her dearly for it. He embraced Linda and kissed her cheeks
for thanks, and laughed a little at her telling him he'd be fine. Music was
turned back on as he left the room. He went to the restroom first, then
took a stroll around the other rooms in the small church. He was feeling
stronger after all the speeches. And he felt even stronger to find no one
left the church after the fifteen-minute break. 

     This was the father's honor. To be able to thank the people who loved
his daughter. To always be able to stay by her side till the very end,
because she belonged to him. As he passed the people he came to respect, to
love and trust as humanly possible, he saw not a dry eyes in the entire
room. Even the priest was crying. Jake took the stage, and waited for a
moment to calm everyone down. He'd break again, listening to all the sobs
in the room. 

     "I'm Jake Kathler, and I have the honor of being the final speaker
this fine evening, and to thank you for coming. Vera must be so happy
seeing you all here tonight. And I'm really grateful for the beautiful
words you all had to offer to the rest of us. I couldn't have asked for
more. I only wish I could have delayed this moment for decades or never. I
wish I could have traded places with her, and let her be the one to stand
here, delivering her speech. She would have done a far better job than I
ever could. 

     "...My first words to Vera were spoken in fear. That one cool, wet
evening over half a year ago. Eighty stories off the ground, kept in place
by one-foot wide, several yards-long metal. I was working late, and I was
inspecting the building for any damage the storm has left for me and my
workers to repair. The building was nothing but skeleton, and it was, to
say the least, unstable. I grabbed her, threw her in behind the security
railing, then passed out after climbing the fence after her. She hadn't
moved from my side and kept me warm while I was unconscious. The second
time I spoke to her, it was in carefully controlled terror, but they soon
broke in rage. I literally screamed into her face, telling her if I
couldn't save her, if she in fact fell to the ground, I'd have rather
followed after her than facing her parents alone and explain to them why
their daughter wasn't coming back. I then dragged her with me to the ground
and into my car, so I could take us to the Henry Barrington's. She must
have been hurting, because my foot slipped, and I had no choice but throw
her in behind that fence. But she never whined. She only whimpered once I
yanked her arm to lead her to the gondola. 

     "I don't know just what came over me. But, ever since my eyes locked
into that green abyss, I felt I needed to see this little girl safe and
well. I took her in without a question. That was the best decision I've
ever made in my life. At the time I was thinking, 'okay, this is just a
temporary thing. I'll keep her safe until we find her parents and her
home'. Then the next morning, she woke up screaming. I never expected
...anything, that followed after. I never expected her to throw herself at
me, and cling to me so tightly, it hurt. But I didn't let go, and I don't
think I could have if I tried. I never expected her to follow my requests
after I yelled at her so harshly. I never expected her to settle down so
quickly after I took her to my house for the first time and introduced her
to Elly and Stella. And the funniest thing is, I never felt awkward having
here there, and she never acted as if she had any problem staying there. I
didn't even give her a tour on what's where, not because I felt she won't
be staying long enough to need everything in the house. But because some
how I felt she already knew everything. 

     "After the FBI findings and Agents Mulder and Scully's expert
opinions, I believe the unique structure of my house probably had a big
part of it. Its high ceiling and practically no walls between rooms helped
her claustrophobia. The basketball court and Stella's presence may also
have made her feel relaxed. And I realize now that I was just extremely
lucky that I had all these things, or else she wouldn't have felt safe
enough to stay there without me. 

     "I knew we were growing closer too fast for any two strangers with
more than twenty-four years of difference in age. I knew, when Linda
eventually came, what she would look for and what she would want to know
because I had experience dealing with social services. Not just as
adolescent but also as an adult, after I lost my fiance  who now rests in
the same place my daughter rests. I may have been a little paranoid, and I
did everything I could to stay open to Linda. I didn't have confidence
being a father, because I never had a good role model. Instead, I began
thinking 'what would I have loved for my father to do for me when I was a
kid?'. The rest came easy enough. Soon after my return from France, she
didn't seem particularly too interested in letting go of me and neither was
I. Linda was worried, because I would have a serious problem letting go of
her once her parents are found. But it turned out for the better in the
end. 

     "First time I realized the level of her intelligence was when I first
took a look at her drawings. They were above and beyond the capability of a
child her age. I asked her about it, but she couldn't tell me much of
anything about them, so I just made sure she always had enough papers and
coloring pencils within easy reach. I quickly realized that was probably
the only available method for her to express herself. Then, after using my
virtual reality machine I use for my work, I realized they were three-
dimensional images. ... The large part of me that convinced me the FBI
involvement was a necessity, was when I began isolating those images she
drew in my own computer and I almost fainted at the horror I saw in them. 

     "I did encourage repeatedly for her to speak, write, or even sign
something to me. To have her tell me her story. Because now I recognized
the seriousness of her situations. But I never pushed her to do anything,
other than to cooperate with the police and the FBI when they began the
investigations. I wasn't trying to spoil her rotten. I just thought about
how much I hated to have my parents push me even as I did my very best. I
just chose to trust that she did her best. And I wanted her to reunite with
her parents no matter what. But I no longer felt that wherever the place
she grew up in was the place she would want to go back to. Not after I
caught the glimpse of the horrors she was subjected to. And this was proven
correct after she had the first break-down while playing with my virtual
reality machine and she accidentally saw the images I was analyzing. And I
wasn't there to watch over her or calm her down. Since then, I grew even
more protective of her, and didn't even take her outside the house. But
it's not like I ordered her to stay in, or locked her inside. Vera had
enough space and things to do in the house, especially with Elly and Stella
to protect her, and she didn't seem interested in going out much, either. 

     "The first time she spoke, without the assistant of hypnosis, was the
day after the final hypnosis session. I was groggy, too exhausted out of my
mind to take notice of the songs playing in the room. I was thinking it was
funny, because the songs weren't sang by the voices I remembered, and there
was no background music. But the noise of the monitors, shuffling of the
feet in the hallway and people speaking in hushed voices drowned out what
little doubt I had. It wasn't until I finally got up to my feet and went to
turn off the radio that I noticed it was off in the first place. Then I
heard her giggling, and she kept on singing. It was the sweetest singing
voice I've ever heard. But she didn't really start conversations until
after the third hypnosis session, when she fist said my name. And I knew I
had to belong to her, as family. I couldn't stand the idea of our having
this barrier. That, I was just a care-taker and she's just my ...what could
I say? My friend? Confider? House guest? Whatever it is that isn't my
'family'. I couldn't stand the idea of our not being able to address each
other as family. 

     "I saw Vera cry only five times. Five times in the nearly eight
months that I'd known her. Once after I took her to a business meeting
where twelve angry men were shouting at each other, blaming each other's
mistakes. And Vera wasn't spared from becoming a target. Second time was
when she was returned to me, after two weeks of being held captive by
individuals unknown to us and now are facing charges. Vera still didn't
speak to me, but I didn't care because we were doing just fine. Third time
was when AD Skinner told her about her past and her medical condition, as
he mentioned earlier. Forth time was during the first hypnosis sessions,
when she recalled the brutal murder of her birth parents. The last time was
when we all took turns and said good-byes. As AD Skinner mentioned earlier,
she knew exactly how much time she had. 

     "It could very much be a miracle that she even came out of her coma
in the first place, and still sustained enough brain activities to talk to
us as she did before the cancer took over her body. And it makes me stop
and be taken with awe whenever I think about just how understanding, how
noble, how compassionate, and how brave any human being has to be, to do
what Vera had done. And this is largely the reason I believe ever word said
tonight before my taking this stand, was sincere. That, they weren't spoken
just because Vera is no longer with us. But rather because they silently
wish, as I do, that she'll be kept alive in the hearts of every life she
changed. 

     "Have I ever loved Vera enough? ...This is a question I kept asking
myself since her passing. I don't know whether I loved her enough. I know
that I did my best given the circumstances surrounded us. But was it
enough? I don't know. I just hope that what I did was enough, and that
everything that I'll ever be doing everyday for the rest of my life, I'll
be doing with her on my mind. Which brings me to the next tough question.
Was Vera happy? I kept thinking the answer was no. Up until very recently.
I mean, who could blame her for being unhappy with where she ended up
being? She wasn't the one responsible for being confined in hospital beds.
In those small rooms. There wasn't a thing she could have done to stop her
parents from being murdered in such despicable manner. It wasn't her
decision to be poked around by strangers, and she didn't choose to find
herself standing on a piece of metal eighty stories off the ground, rigid
with fear. And she didn't have a choice when I yelled at her. ...The only
thought that I can take comfort in, is that she did love me, and everyone
else who supported and loved her till the very end. 

     "During the last few months I spent with her, I made it a habit to
read her a story or a poetry. She loved listening to poems, because they
involved more creativity than many short story books and novels for
children. ... Come to think of it, she almost showed no interest in
anything for children. When she watched television in my living room while
brushing Stella's hair, she liked watching documentaries. Like the CNN,
PBS, Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, Travel
Channel, CNBC, Fox News, even Court TV, and sometimes music channels.
...And thinking back now, she didn't watch any soap operas or talk shows,
nor sit-com. I don't know why, but I don't really like any of them, either,
so it didn't matter. Maybe those are the programs her birth parents liked
to watch, and that unconsciously reminded her the home she grew up in. 

     "Speaking of homes, the very concept of a home in my sense is
probably different from the majority of the public. I don't see homes as a
space surrounded by four walls and a floor. I truly subscribe myself to the
idea of home as where one's heart lay. I don't know whether Vera had the
same beliefs as I do. And I could only hope that in my love for her,
because my heart truly belonged to her, she found her home. I did find
peace in her presence. And because I know she loved me, I would still call
her my home, as I do all souls where I found my home. ...And speaking in
this sense, I would like you to go home tonight with the thought that
Vera's home, her true home, is in all of us. 

     "If I could ask for a little more of your time and patience, as I was
saying before, I made it a habit to read Vera stories and poems ...I
apologize for getting side-tracked earlier, ...and I'd like to read a few
of them in conclusion. This is the best way I could think of to put a
closure to this evening." When Jake looked around the room and saw no one
even showing the slightest sign of protest, he smiled and took out the
hand-written papers he copied the poems to before stepping into the church.
&&&"These lines are excerpts from Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise'.  

     

     'You may write me down in history
     With your bitter, twisted lies,
     You may trod me in the very dirt
     But still, like dust, I'll rise.
  
     'Did you want to see me broken?
     Bowed head and lowered eyes?
     Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
 
     Weakened by my soulful cries.
     'You may shoot me with your words,
     You may cut me with your eyes,
     You may kill me with your hatefulness,
 
     But still, like air, I'll rise.
     'Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
     I rise
     Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
     I rise
     Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
     I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
     I rise
     I rise
     I rise.'

     "...That poem really reminded me of Vera, and those women who have
been lost as the result of their abductions. I read this next one, an
excerpt from a poem titled 'A Brave and Startling Truth', in the hope that
one day, as we venture into the twenty-first century, that justice and our
peace of mind will be achieved. This was also written by Maya Angelou, and
was read at the fifth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, at
San Francisco on 26th, June last year.
  
     'We this people, on this small and drifting planet
     Whose hands can strike with such abandon
     That, in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living

          Yet those hands can touch with such healing,
          irresistible tenderness,
          That the haughty neck is happy to bone
          And the proud back is glad to bend
          Out of such chaos, of such contradiction
           
     We learn that we are neither devils nor divines
     'When we come to it
     We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
     Created on this earth, of this earth

     Have the power to fashion for this earth
     A climate where every man and every woman
     Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
     Without crippling fear
  
     'When we come to it
     We must confess that we are the possible
     We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
     That is when, and only when
 
     We come to it.'

     "...This last one, is truly for Vera, but it also serves as the good-
night message for all of us present here tonight. This is William H.
Auden's 'Lullaby'.
  
     'Lay your head, my love,
     Human on my faithless arm;
     Time and fevers burn away
     Individual beauty from
     Thoughtful children, and the grave
     Proves the child ephemeral:
     
     But in my arms till break of day
     Let the living creature lie,
     Mortal, guilty, but to me
     The entirely beautiful.
     'Soul and body have no bounds:
 
     To lovers as they lie upon
     Her tolerant enchanted slope
     In their ordinary swoon,
     Grave the vision Venus sends
  
     Of supernatural sympathy,
     Universal love and hope;
     While an abstract insight wakes
     Among the glaciers and the rocks
 
     The hermit's sensual ecstasy.
     'Certainty, fidelity
     On the stroke of midnight pass
     Like vibrations of a bell,
     And fashionable madmen raise
     Their pedantic boring cry:
     Every farthing of the cost,

     All the dreaded cards foretell,
     Shall be paid, but from this night
     Not a whisper, not a thought,
     Not a kiss nor look be lost.

     'Beauty, midnight, vision dies:
     Let the winds of dawn that blow
     Softly round your dreaming head
     Such a day of sweetness show
     Eye and knocking heart may bless,

     Find the mortal world enough;
     Noons of dryness see you fed
     By the involuntary powers,
     Nights of insult let you pass
 
     Watched by every human love.'
     "...Good night, everyone. See you in court tomorrow."

     Jake concluded his speech and left the stand. But as everyone began
clapping their hands for a standing ovation, he raised his hand for an
additional comment. "Those who don't know already, Elly's planning on
cooking a killer supper for us at a party in my place after the verdicts
are in. When that happens, come on by and taste the absolute best food this
side of the country. And don't you worry, Elly's only there to cook and
enjoy herself with her family. I'll do all the clean-up. She'll have the
night off." He managed to sound cheerily as he accepted all-round hugs,
saying his good-nights and thank-yous.  


Exact Location Unknown
Lake Tahoe, CA
10 AM Next Day
 
     Vera never had a pony ride before, let alone a full-grown green
broke. Jake hadn't gone riding since he was twenty-two years old, after his
parents died. But once Jake test rode on the dark-chocolate colored,
magnificent horse, he found he still had the skill. 

     "Just like riding a bike. You never forget." Jake muttered to himself
as Vera watched from the ground, her eyes hungry with curiosity. The owner
of the house easily lifted Vera up for Jake to reach and saddle her up in
front of him. He pointed to the rope, and then to the large iron handle set
in the center of the saddle's front edge, and told her to hold on to it for
dear life. Jake never left the premises of the house nor rode faster than a
trot, but it still worried the agents to cold sweat. 

     The house itself was equipped with a satellite television system, a
phone without long-distance connection, a modern bath and sauna, and no
newspaper. But none of it mattered, because ever since their arrival, the
Kathlers had stayed outside, or in the barn and played with the horses.
Their boarder collie and Stella became instant friends, growing inseparable
since then. Jake had been to Lake Tahoe only once as a third-year college
student on vacation. But in that trip he mostly stayed in the mountains,
camping out to enjoy the view or relaxing at a friend's log house. This was
a perfect location for a hideout, since Sacramento was close, where the
preliminary hearing was held and the first real trial is set in three
months. It may take longer due to the likelihood of the defense requesting
a continuation in order to let the trial outlive Vera. 

     Although this was the second case to make its way to the court, Jake
expected it to be the toughest of all, given the nature of the case and how
it hits home for Vera. To help easing the tension, the State of California
planned on holding Stella's awards ceremony in front of the court house on
the same day, immediately following the day's session. The talk among the
other agents told Jake there would be a flock of vultures waiting for their
chances to get a good photo with everybody in them. 

     "And we mean, 'everybody'. Including you, Vera, Mr. and Mrs. Spooky,
and Skinner." The elder agent said, shaking his head. Jake nearly kicked
the man in his balls for uttering the despised nickname for the respectable
X-Files duo. 

     After their three-hour ride, Jake unloaded Vera from the saddle and
showed her step by step how to clean and groom the horse. "Not a big deal,
really." Jake said as he handed Vera the hair brush twice the size of her
hand. "Just think of the horse as very big Stella." They both laughed, but
the horse complained, its pride forever hurt by having to be compared with
a dog. 

     "Hey, give me a break. Stella is special. You should feel honored."
Vera protested, raising Jake's eyebrows. Just then, they heard their host
announcing their dinner. 


The Department of X-Files / Office of Fox Mulder
J. Edgar Hoover Building Basement Floor
Washington, D.C.
3 PM Eastern Time Next Day.
 
     Both Scully and Mulder had a bad feeling when they were called in for
a meeting with Skinner that morning at nine. They exited the office fully
satisfied with the accuracy of their instincts. 

     "I can't believe Skinner's stuffing us with more cases!" Scully
barked as she threw the case file on Mulder's desk. Mulder kicked the
office door shut, announcing his own rage but not being able to shout it
out. "You're not even fully recovered yet. It will slow our investigation
down." Scully turned back to face Mulder, who suddenly raised his index
finger and slightly shook his head no. "What? What is it?" Scully asked
with blank expression. 'Another bug in the office?' She thought, but was
soon presented with a small compact size black plastic case. She opened it
at Mulder's insistent gaze. The full-inch jump of her eyebrows was all the
answer he needed. He produced another one from his briefcase side-pocket,
and opened it up for Dana to see. 

     "You know, Mulder. I've seen one of these advertised all over on
television for the last six months. Thanks." Scully said, inspecting the
pocket-sized electronic mailing devise. 

     "Like they said, 'good things come to those who don't wait in
business'." The letters appeared on Scully's screen, and she laughed with
delight. 

     "I guess this will have to do the job for our conversations, huh?"
Scully said, leaning against the desk, her palms flat on the surface.
Mulder nodded, and typed something again. 

     "I went on another follow-up check before I came. That's why I was
late coming back from the lunch. My original appointment tomorrow was
canceled, but lucky me, there was another cancel during the lunch hour, so
I jumped in on it. Sorry, I didn't tell you." Scully nodded an approval.
"So what do you know about kettle mutilations?" Scully's smile vanished,
but was met with Mulder's chuckle. "You're so fun to pick fun with. Sorry,
no offense. But it's another serial murder case, Scully. We'll fly to
Nantucket eight sharp tomorrow morning. Our depositions for Kathler case is
another two months away. I bet the entire prosecution team and their
cavalry will take up the time. We'll be back by then, and still have plenty
of time to prepare for the case." 

     "Are you sure about this?" Scully asked, seeing Mulder nod. "Okay,
fine." Scully said, but then she began typing. "I need to get used to this
thing." She said as she worked with her right hand only, knowing that would
probably be the way it has to be for some time. "One more thing before we
go. Will you come back to my house with me? My mother wants to have dinner
with us. She's been staying with me for the last two days, and she misses
you. And you awe her a few thanks in person." 

     "I'll be there." The words came jamming in underneath her sentences
even before she was finished. 

     "Well. It's early, but since we're taking off early tomorrow, let's
just grab the files and go." She typed, closing the memo devise. Mulder
only nodded in return, thinking 'anywhere but my apartment'. But as Mulder
gunned the car engine, he knew exactly what she knew. He unconsciously
substituted Vera with his own sister. It took him two weeks to realize it,
because homesickness was something he never experienced. The closest thing
that ever came to it was how he missed Samantha after she was abducted. He
made a mistake, and he realized it too late. Now he was suffering the
withdrawal symptoms. Scully knew why he needed to stay out of his
apartment, and why he experienced the urge to return to his mother. But
with their new cases, he will be able to take himself back. With work, he
could distance himself from the dreaded Kathler case to re-establish
himself. Mulder knew that was exactly why Scully agreed to go with him. She
just knew him too much. Mulder gave her a side glance at a stoplight,
meeting her censoring eyes. He held it for a long moment before giving her
a small smile of thanks. 'For understanding.'  


Federal Courthouse
Sacramento, CA
9 AM Pacific Time
Deposition Day One
 
     "Will you raise your right hand, please?" The officer said as he
raised his own right hand. The witness followed, staring directly into the
officer's eyes. She was so small, her upper body could be barely seen above
the wood railing of the witness stand. 

     "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the
truth, so help you God?" 

     "I do." The voice was very young and very direct. She took her seat
and moved her gaze a little way to the side. Familiar faces were there but
she only found one to focus on for the moment. He looked happy. Then she
mentally corrected herself. 'No, proud.' It was only their depositions, and
they've already met resistance on the way. Paparazzi chased them everywhere
they went, working for God knows who. They labeled Vera as "Space Girl",
and their cases as "Alien Cancer Case." No one had a clue how the press got
hold of so much leak. But it served their enemy's purposes, degrading the
legitimacy of the trials. 

     "Will you state your full name for the record?" This was right along
the script. 

     "Vera Maxine Kathler." She dropped "Jarvis" from her name by her own
request. Jake asked her repeatedly if she was sure. She answered yes each
time. She wanted to belong to Jake. It wasn't hard to tell (or read) the
judge's mind when they signed the adoption papers. She was dying. The man
had seen her medical records, interviewed A.D. Skinner over the phone, and
confirmed the fact with Dr. Claiborne and with Scully. No one wants a dying
young girl separated from someone who the girl so strongly desired to
belong to. Someone who stood by her through the toughest times. Vera hated
pity, but this time, it worked well for them. As the questions began, she
looked at the lawyers then to Jake, who had his hands clasped on the smooth
table in front of him. He gave her his supportive smiles or a look of
reassurance each time she asked for it. She noticed he never looked away,
even when he was spoken to by someone. No doubt thinking he needed to have
every single detail curved into his memory. 

     Ever since she retrieved the details of her parents' murders, she
replayed those scenes over and over again inside her mind. She didn't want
to, but they kept returning to her. Forced her to retrieve as many details
as possible. She explained that to the court more than once. The girl with
acid-melted face, the men who grabbed her roughly and took her away. If
there was a grand jury they'll be allowed to listen to her taped hypnosis
sessions, but there was none here. She saw that Mulder seated at the end of
second row, averting the jury from recognizing him on the screen aside from
Jake as the deposition was played in front of them. 

     It was only when she saw Jake's tears that she noticed her own tears
soaking the fabric of her green dress. No wonder speaking grew difficult
for some time. Vera talked about her parents' distress regarding her
mother's illness, about their secrecy regarding their work, to be later
backed up by their journals and diaries. The record computer files
retrieved by Mulder would also be exhibited. She looked at the defense
council table. There sat the officials who falsified the police reports,
next to the two sorry-looking men delivered express by Cancer Man. But from
earlier depositions, these men only stated what they've done, giving away
nothing about who ordered the cover-ups. No one expected them to touch
these basis, and everyone doubted they'll be kept alive until the actual
trial. Now Vera stared at them face to face, and responded to the lawyer's
request of pointing to whoever she could remember from her parents' house,
and she pointed her finger to one of the men who poured acid onto the dead
girl's face. Her hand trembled slightly as she swallowed hard and glared at
the men. The defendants and Scully would later testify in meticulous detail
about how it was done and how it was supposed to look like a part of the
serial murderer's work who was arrested approximately eight hours before
the subjected crime was committed. 

     When Vera was called off the stand for the day she was exhausted but
eager to jump into Jake's arms. She had grueling depositions - three more
days for two more trials, to give. Three trials, three federal prosecutors
needed or aided by Warren. Same days and same place for depositions. This
was nothing less of living hell for everyone involved. Especially for the
prosecutors who had to prepare their cases in a frenzy they never
experienced in their wildest nightmare. First off, their star witnesses
were racing against time. They all knew Vera Kathler's conditions enough to
rise to the challenge. They decided before-hand to take the depositions for
one trial at a time, with each counselor getting the court room for an
entire day, so they could spare the agony of holding Vera in the room
longer than absolutely necessary. Jake thoroughly appreciated the gesture. 

     Unlike trials, there were no one-hour recesses and side-bar nor
chamber arguments between the lawyers. All went smoothly, but intensively.
And since the depositions were taped, the order of the questioning didn't
need to be the same with the actual trial. The lawyers only had to film
what she had to do and go on to someone else. It was, in a way, a movie-
making. Shooting scene by scene and later assembling into one big picture.
And the whole thing was only a safety-net. The trial preparations in
themselves were still at their discovery phase. The agents were there
everyday, taking notes and escorting them under their personal protection.
But Skinner had them under ordered protection by SWAT team as before. Only
this time, it was in a confinement of a safehouse (mansion) in Sacramento.
Its security level rivaled the White House. The view of the surrounding
forest was beautiful in itself, but it also made everyone feel even more
isolated. Vera simply loved the house, however, and Jake had no complaints
of his own. All he wanted was to be safe enough until the trials are all
over, and they could finally be left alone. Dr. Claiborne who attended Vera
and Scully ordered them both to bed the moment they returned from their
deposition each time. As predicted Fox Mulder happily volunteered on
enforcing the doctor's orders. 

     Jake took naps with Vera in their room, but as a consequence he never
slept during the night. Instead he chose to stay up, and using his laptop
and the VR, worked in his blue prints which he ordered to be delivered by
an agent from his house when he moved in. Although their life as witnesses
was convenient, it was exhausting to have to shuffle around between the
three cases each day. Jake had the inevitable grilling by the defendants'
council team, on the legitimacy of his actions during the one month he
posed as Fox Mulder. Skinner had to fight off the persistent barking of the
attack dogs all the way to the courts just to keep Mulder from being fired
from the bureau, and Scully facing the same summary action as consequence.
Mulder's updated personal records promised him no promotion, and labeled
him to be a screw-up. Dana Scully's future in the FBI also looked doubtful.
And they've had a few arguments about the issue each time they were poked
on by yet another disciplinary hearing. It got to the point wh ere Skinner
himself had to run for cover protecting his own position in the FBI.
However, Skinner's personal records had been impeccable even after the bad
ha-ha with the implications raised by the prostitute's murder he was nearly
framed for, it was doubtful he will be dismissed. 

     Their toughest day came when Dana Scully, prior to Fox Mulder,
testified regarding the events occurred in Vancouver, and how they were
attacked. About where the bullets came from and how she acted in the
situation, to be supported later by the surviving agents. And possibly by
the defendant who now sat at the defense table, staring at his feet. The
man came as a part of Cancer Man's special delivery package. Scully then
testified about the discovery of Vera's illness. She spoke in detail about
Vera's damaged DNA and about Vera's suspected modified cancer gene. The
implant taken from her neck was submitted as an evidence to support her and
soon her partner's claim. 

     Scully's hell came when Warren mentioned her own medical condition,
and how that was helpful as well as a problem for their investigation. They
even asked her about her treatment options and what their side-effects
were. They were supposed to be mentioned only superficially. Not in such
precise detail. Scully told as much as she could, but left a few comments
to indicate the limit of her knowledge. Advising them to ask Dr. Claiborne
and her own oncologist on the more technical detail. Fox Mulder, who was
questioning the prosecution team on their sudden change of plan, never
missed her taking deep breaths. Just the part of her testimony regarding
the function of the serum, and about the discovery of its not working on
patients with branched DNA was hard enough. Especially considering no one
knew how it was possible to perform such procedure and how the implants
worked. The defense asked her in detail about her abduction three years ago
by Duane Barry. They detailed how closely the circumstances in her case was
related to Vera's abduction, before the prosecution team and Mulder
objected. The judge shut the defense up on the issue. 

     The whole thing spun out of control when her nose began bleeding
while she was still on the stand. Mulder jumped from his seat by instinct
before Scully and the judge both motioned for him to sit down. Scully kept
dubbing at her nose and forced the deposition to continue. By now, she
figured out the prosecution's intentions. They wanted the case to be
emotionally taxing. And the defense could only help them by intensifying
the effect. Each time the defense or the judge asked whether Scully wanted
to stop, she kept refusing, saying they were only wasting the court's
valuable time. That, she was a medical doctor and was able to work as an
investigator for nearly a year after diagnosis so quit bothering with the
issue. Mulder wanted her to stop, but knew better than trying. So, instead
he gave her his rare smiles, and a shake of his head in a familiar, "you
amaze me, Scully." gesture. She acknowledged it with her eyes before
returning her gaze toward the defense counselor pacing in front of her. She
then testified in gruesome details about the SWAT team she treated and
performed the autopsies for. That those who survived the crisis were
recently assassinated by men in black uniforms who are yet to be
identified. 

     She kept her professional cool exterior until she returned to the
safehouse and refused her partner's offer of "wanna talk about it?" with
"Mulder, please. I've been talking about it all day long." Mulder didn't
dare push her. But he still couldn't help reaching out to her with a firm,
long embrace and a kiss on her forehead before she closed her door. Mulder
was still frustrated that they'd even mention Scully's abduction from three
years ago as well as the cancer treatment issue in court instead of
reviewing the two X-Files in question and save the torment for Dr.
Claiborne and Fairfield Oncology department chief to knead around. Although
he was yearning for a chance to jog and was repeatedly denied of the
pleasure, he was allowed to use the indoor basket ball court. Choosing Jake
as his opponent, Mulder dragged the man out of his work load and father
duty to play the game of 21. This was practically the only pleasure Mulder
was allowed, and nightly, he spent three hours with Jake at the court,
working out the madness. 

     The next day, Mulder listened to Scully's testimony on his conditions
upon being hospitalized after the rescue. She described the hostage
negotiation procedures as well as the detail of his condition which are to
be supported later by the testimony of Fairfield Central Emergency care
team. Precise detail of what damages was done to his body did nothing to
help Mulder, who kept rubbing his healing jaw by habit. Then he was put on
a later deposition schedule hopefully to allow the injury to recover. But
still, it wasn't long enough for him to start speaking. When Mulder took
the stand to give his deposition, the computer screen was turned toward the
camera, so he had no clue if he'd typed anything wrong until the computer-
programmed voice replied. Mulder by now became twice as good a typist as he
was prior to this mishap, surprising his partner and Skinner. 

     Another problem was each time he was sworn in, he had to sign the "I
do", the only coherent sentence he learned to sign besides "yes" and "no",
since typing required sitting down. And he risked, as practically always,
later losing the jury's popularity vote by taking oath under affirmation
version (which let you take the oath without the 'so help you god?' part as
done in their first X-File case), because he had no religion. It hardly
helped the case having a witness who defies ninety-five percent world
population. But in a way, his work was his religion. It required commitment
as well as spiritual faith, to believe in "the truths as elusive as the
memory itself". It still troubled him that people can so easily believe in
something so vague but powerful as God(s), and refuse to even acknowledge
scientifically proven facts about the existence of extraterrestrial life on
Earth. It came much easier for him to believe in paranormal than any
alleged existence of God, because he witnessed and experienced the
paranormal phenomena first-hand. 

     The deposition started smooth enough, since Warren was following the
scripts. The grilling by the defense came as anticipated, starting slowly
then quickly taking its down turn. The defense questioned Mulder regarding
the incident at Jake's house and blamed practically everything on Mulder.
Declaring the course of his action as 'unreasonable, not by the book, and
most of all reckless', was easy for them, since they dredged up enough
previous X-Files and his reputation as an outcast. The judge then refused
to include any unsubstantiated testimony in his court. Mulder knew an AIDS
discrimination case Doe v.s. Kohn, Nast and Graf in Philadelphia where
employees testified on rumors and was glad when the defense didn't use it
as reference in order to push their witness's claims to be admissible in
this case. Mulder couldn't believe his ears when the federal prosecutor
requested someone be his character witness later. That was practically what
Skinner was there for as well as to testify on his own witness account with
the subjected witness negotiation process and the SWAT rescue mission that
resulted in arrests of the subjected terrorists. Skinner was also to
testify about how the doctors who operated on Mulder escaped. 

     Scully winced at the pain laid bare in Mulder's eyes while he talked
about Vera. And again, when he was ambushed by being asked about the Duane
Barry case and about his trading himself with the hostage while being
inside the building with the man. Then he was asked about his partner's
condition in relation to that of Vera. Although the mike was turned off,
Scully swore she could hear Mulder draw shuddering breaths. But she was
relieved to see him not leaving anything out of the testimony. The detail
of his lost memory was also discussed. Mulder told Warren in detail about
the night when they returned home from their last case, jumping directly to
the moment when he awoke in Prescott, watched over by his partner.
Frustration level was high, for he was being forced to rely on others'
testimony regarding his behavior for the entire month. "Losing the memory
of the one month period wouldn't have been so painful if I wasn't on this
case. It's the number of lives lost and destroyed during our investigation,
including Miss Kathler who now face a mortal danger, that I find hard to
bear. I can't even remember how and what brought this case to this
magnitude. Everything I've done during the month is a second-hand
information." Mulder typed up the statement while Warren was looking away,
reviewing his notes on the legal pad. That fired up some argument between
the judge, the lawyers and the audience. 

     "I advise the court will disregard the witness's last statement."
Warren said, looking ready to chew Mulder out. Mulder shrugged, and simply
hit "Delete" until the sentences were gone. This act somehow enraged Warren
even more, for he abandoned the subject and jumped right into the next. The
issue was what Mulder did in order to help out Vera Kathler and how he
regained the knowledge of his actions. Mulder explained he did what he
could to keep former Vera Jarvis and her current adoptive father, Jake
Kathler by leaving them in their room together. He stated, from watching
his own tapes and reading his own reports of similar cases, he decided that
keeping the two together was a necessity. The Keneally staff team would
surely provide the rest of the information, Mulder added with clear
irritation toward Warren. All the while Scully was shooting him looks of
warning from behind the prosecution table. 

     The defense council brutally attacked Mulder's credibility, pulling
out past incidence where he had no choice but to ignore "The book". They
mentioned Tunguska, mentioned Operation Paper Clip, mentioned Ellens
Airbase, and mentioned Townsend, Wisconsin. They even pulled John Barnnet
case file to maul his credibility, and Warren did nothing to stop the
attack until the moment the cult mass suicides case was mentioned, when the
X-Files investigators used hypnosis, and told the court about Vera's
hypnosis sessions used in the Kathler case. The detail was inadmissible
from the beginning, but it hurt Mulder enough. Warren covered the damage by
staying away from Mulder's personal records and instead telling the court
about the X-Files department's excellent solve rate. 

     "Your Honor! This agent investigates mambo-jumbos and UFOs for a
living! How can he be called a credible witness?! And just how many more
lives will be placed at risk because of this man's obsession!" The defense
counselor bitched with every chance, no doubt using all eaves drops
collected from Cancer Man-and-Company. 

     "I'm credible because of the nature of my involvement and depth of my
knowledge concerning the issues raised in this case." Mulder wrote, then
bit his lower lip and erased the statement before hitting the "enter" key.
The judge had enough of the defense counselor, and threatened the man with
a warning of being held in contempt of the court. Mulder focused on Scully
who had her head buried in her hands. He faintly wondered if her headaches
were back. 

     "Please, Sir! Your Honor!" Warren stood from his seat. "I called in
Special Agent Mulder for an obvious reason. He's the primary in the
investigation as well as an expert in behavioral science and psychology.
This man is an essential witness in this case. For God's sake, this is only
a deposition! There's supposed to be none of these arguments. Save it all
or the trial, before the jury!" This line of sparring match went on for
nearly half an hour before the judge ordered everything said and done after
the defense counselor took over the deposition to be stricken off the
record. Mulder hit "delete" for his portion of the testimony, and waited
calmly for the school yard bully to calm down and begin again. This time he
merely questioned Mulder's use of highly-classified undercover operation
and hypnosis as legitimate avenues of investigation. But still, the part
about hypnosis was deemed inadmissible. After he was finally called off of
the stand, he closed his eyes and released a deep breath as he returned to
the seat next to Scully. She tried talking to him, but he merely shook his
head. Instead, he took her hand in his and entwined their fingers be fore
giving it a final squeeze. The move went undetected by everyone else. 

     Although Vera was spared from the X-Files duo's court battles, having
instead to stay at the safehouse with Jake all day long, she quickly
figured out the reasons why Mulder and Scully hardly spoke with one another
by the time their depositions finished. Jake could offer little help, since
he also was questioned by the disciplinary committee of the FBI on that
regard. He never imagined their actions would call for such level of
scrutiny. He had to tell the committee exactly what he did and said during
the one month period each time he was summoned. It didn't help them one bit
that the Sig Sauer was fully loaded every day, though he never fired a
bullet and he only drew it once (on official record) at the Castro Valley
Airport. Jake was threatened to be prosecuted, convicted, then thrown in
jail for impersonating a law enforcement official. That he'll certainly
lose Vera's custody. Jake leaned his lesson, and swore he will never dream
of doing it again. 

     But he refused to change his mind about keeping Fox Mulder and Dana
Scully as his best friends.  
Federal Courthouse
Sacramento, CA
Deposition Day Four
Exact Time Unknown
 
     Jake Kathler's deposition came after Fox Mulder and prior to Dr.
Claiborne, Clive Shaw, and the Fairfield Oncology Department chief, who are
to testify on regard of the serum and its possible benefit to the general
public. 

     Starting with the fateful stormy night when Jake and Vera first met,
Jake told the court exactly what he'd told to the police, plus the tiny
details not mentioned in their official report. Moving on to Vera's first
drawings and the first nervous breakdown she had during his absence. Next,
Jake told about the VR machine he and Agent Hall used for analysis. But
since the judge decided the drawings admissible only to the extent that
they gave the investigation team a series of clues to how her parents were
murdered. Jake wasn't allowed to discuss what they were about, since Vera
and Hall testified enough on the issue. Jake moved along with the
prosecutor's line of questioning, including how Vera responded to his care
and how he found ways to reach her. 

     "I don't know for certain, but I know I got her trust. After the
medical tests mentioned Agent Scully and the staff at Prescott, I
understood Vera's capabilities. I never underestimated her, and I was there
for her as much as I could. I've always stayed as open to others as I could
to show them my commitment toward taking care of her. It was obvious Vera
needed time to think. A safe place to live. And somewhere she couldn't be
alone. As mentioned earlier by Karen Kossef and Linda Lowry, my house is a
loft, converted into a modern living quarter. She grew fond of my dog, and
though I couldn't place her in any school due to the temporal suppression
of her abilities in writing, speaking, and reading, I felt almost no need
for any of them for us to maintain sufficient communication." Jake smiled
at Vera as she smiled back. "She's able to fully stand up for herself now,
because of her regained communication skills through hypnosis." Jake knew
that was as far as he could go regarding the hypnosis. Sims will have his
day explaining the function and legitimacy of the unorthodox procedure. 

     Jake had a little trouble keeping facts straight because of what and
how much he had to speak for Mulder, especially when they traded places and
what motivated Mulder to act in such a manner. "He never forced me to do
it, if that's what you're wondering." He began. "He only told me there was
something needed to be discussed, but not when I couldn't be alone with
him. It was very much later revealed it had to do with Vera's test results
about her branched DNA, and an attack planned on me to have me go through
the subjected memory-drain surgery. Because Agent Mulder wanted me on this
stand, live to tell about what I'm telling to the court right now. He's
very selfless when it comes to delivering justice." Jake hoped he wasn't
too wordy. He wished the agents were in the room with them, but they'd been
ordered back by Skinner to their current assigned cases until they are
needed for the trial. Jake didn't know what was said in the agents'
depositions, but just by getting the sneak-previews from Mulder was enough
for him to want to strangle the defense counselor and kick Warren's ass for
not stopping the disaster fast enough. They only exchanged a few words
before parting, but not before Jake insisted Mulder to spend a few h ours
alone with Vera. Knowing from what Scully told him, the man's nightmares
returned with a vengeance to include abductions of Vera in addition to the
old nightmares about Samantha and Scully's abductions. Mulder took Jake's
offer immediately, saying Skinner would be back for his depositions. After
the depositions, there were a few months of hiding until the trials open
with a panel of jury and an audience. But to everyone's request, the press
had the gag orders. 

     After testifying on the events happened at Vera's second abduction
and the conditions (infections) he suffered from, he detailed about the
composite sketch Mulder called in the specialist to have done based on
nurse Mary's advise of the alleged news reporter named Richard Melbrick.
Moving on to describe his troubles at work just enough to mention the
negative publicity his firm suffered as the result. In the same afternoon,
he testified about the hostage negotiation he participated in, detailing
how he came to find the two bars, carefully leaving out Miss Covarrubias
and the Lone Gunmen as Mulder and Scully had done. It took a little hard
thinking when he detailed about the chopper ride to the time he was picked
up from the golf course and discovered a near-death Mulder. He told in
detail of what he'd seen but the court had details from Scully. He then
testified about the incident at the Castro Valley airport, detailing what
he'd done and why he felt it necessary to pull the Sig Sauer. 

     "I had no choice. The man was going to cut Mulder's throat. I saw the
blade. What I didn't know at the time was that Agent Mulder planned on
making himself a target, and deal with them on his own as he did at my
house, just as when he was abducted and tortured mistaken for me. When I
was questioning him on his actions at the Castro Valley Airport, he reached
inside his jacket that I was wearing to get the gun out of the holster.
Then he fired three bullets. None of the shots were fatal, as he testified.
I didn't notice the shooter, because my back was facing the man. Agent
Mulder saved my life there, again." Jake pointed to the gauze clad man at
the defense table as asked by Warren to identify the man as the shooter. 

     That was when Warren handed him to the defense team. Jake knew
exactly what was coming because Mulder warned him enough. And, as always,
Fox Mulder's guess was dead-on. After a few lame questions about Jake's
personal history, the man abruptly mentioned his fiance's suicide. Warren
immediately bolted from his seat to object, and the defense counselor was
quickly silenced by the judge. Then the man mentioned the letters,
allegedly sexually-explicit in nature, claiming the fact necessary to
"expose Jake Kathler for what he is". The judge dismissed the man's claim
as irrelevant to he trial, and gave out another warning for the spiteful
man. Jake focused on Vera's eyes, who was scheduled for another intensive
cancer treatment the next day, since she was done long ago with her
depositions. During the lunch break, he spent the entire hour holding Vera
in his arms and talking to her about everything and nothing. He thought
about several places they cold visit while under FBI protection. 'Somewhere
there's a lot of trees and no traffic', he thought. Their current safehouse
was comfort able enough, but after an entire month it grew small and
boring, because they weren't allowed to go outside into the forest. So,
Jake worked on blue-prints and construction strategies at night while
shooting hoops with other agents, having Vera and Stella as
cheerleaders/score keepers/audience. In the house there were no televisions
and no phones, but that was something they've gotten used to over the past
month. Jake even found it refreshing. 

     While he testified about how deeply he was been involved in Vera's
drawing analysis he told the court that it was from the very beginning.
That he was used to 3-D viewing of the world as result of his work, but
refrained form mentioning the fact to the police or the San Francisco FBI
agents, because he hadn't trusted anybody with what he found. Until the X-
Files investigators visited them. 

     "In a way, the 3-D world was our common ground. Vera and I both had
the ability to see things differently, and so did agents Mulder and Scully,
than ordinary people do. But Agent Hall is the one who truly solved the
puzzle." Jake said, never forgetting how Mulder treasured the young man who
now returned to Tina Mulder's residence the day his deposition was done. 

     When Jake was finally off the witness stand, Skinner personally told
him and Vera they were to come as soon as they finish packing. Jake argued
the man to give Vera some time to take a nap and rest because her cancer
treatment session was awaiting her tomorrow. To this, Skinner shook his
head no, and told them the treatment was delayed for a day. They just had
to move quickly, but make others think they would still remain for a couple
of days by leaving most of SWAT guys. Upon completion of their relocation
procedure, they will be joined by the guards. The new locations were to
remain secret as always, but it included a few weeks on a boat. Jake was
about to cry out with joy when Skinner cupped his mouth, successfully
shutting him up. Jake nodded, and promised the man he wouldn't spill a
word. 

     Elly took her stand the following day, giving her statement while
glaring at the defense attorneys with all her might. The sons of bitches
were the reason why she wasn't allowed to see her family since over two
months ago. She wasn't even allowed to speak to them for the past three
weeks. She had all the right reasons to choke the men to death. The chief
defense attorney sensed Elly's 'kill' look, and gave her a genuinely fake
smile. When the flame lodging in Elly's eyes intensified, the man cleared
his throat and scribbled something meaningless down on his legal pad. Soon
as Elly was done with her deposition, she was led out of the court by at
least four agents disguised as regular passers-by.  
Nantucket Island
Same Time
 
     Skinner, who kept close attention to all court proceedings, updated
Scully but only when she asked for it, and only to her. Mulder claimed the
need to rewrite the original profile for their serial murder suspect, and
using his usual method, confined himself in his motel room while Scully
interviewed the witnesses and contacted Mulder in between through the
electric memo pad. And with each contact, Mulder gave her suggestions on
who to contact next and what questions needed to be asked, no matter how
strange or irrelevant they may sound. It was inevitable that Mulder stayed
in and did researches over the internet and local libraries while she made
phone calls or gone out for face-to-face interviews and questioning at the
local police station. It was slow, they both had to admit, but it was
working. Scully knew Jake and Vera changed their location at least once a
week, exhausting the Kathlers but also allowing them to experience or at
least see the parts of this country not many can touch. 

     Mulder acquired a habit of submitting everything they found to
Skinner's office ever since the Kathler case, and since he did majority of
their written reports previously done by Scully. 

     "You go have all the fun." Mulder said when asked. But before
Scully's eyebrows begin to furrow, he added, "But you're the one buying
dinner and pay for the pay-per-view movies." Scully raised her eye brows in
mock show of her attitudes, but her lips eventually curled up into a smile. 

     "It's a deal, partner." Scully said as she picked up her phone to
order in their dinner.  
Exact Location Unknown
Grand Canyon, Arizona
6 PM Pacific Time
One Week to Trial Day One
 
     Vera sat down at the top of a large smooth rock, and breathed in the
fresh desert air. She'd never been to Grand Canyon, but she's seen a place
like this before, while she was held captive. She stared at the large
sketchbook spread on her lap. The colorful lines traced on its white
surface quickly turned themselves into 'her' version of the landscape lay
naked before her eyes. Jake hadn't yet known about the sketch. She knew how
anxious he was to see her draw again, but she needed some time alone to do
it. Before the hypnosis session, she drew as her mind commanded her to do.
Frustrated at times for not being able to get its messages out, but good
enough for Jake and good enough for Fox Mulder. She knew how much the
agents missed her, because of what she saw and felt in Fox Mulder, in Dana
Scully, and Walter Skinner's eyes and minds. And she knew how lucky she was
to have them protecting her. 

     But she also knew the things nobody could help her with or fix for
her. Since two weeks ago, she began having nosebleed daily, taking longer
each time to stop it. She felt fatigue following around her every minute of
every day like shadow wrapping around her. Her appetite was getting closer
to zero with each meal. She finally recovered from her last cancer
treatment session a week ago. And there will be another one as soon as she
returned to the safehouse. Jake knew where she was, and agreed to leave her
alone for a while. 

     "I love it out here." She muttered to herself. In this place, each
passing moment was a gifted work of art laid bare for her to see, to feel,
and to touch. It was as if she was being accepted as a part of the
landscape. She raised her gaze toward the pale shadow of the full moon
displayed in the showcase of the darkening blue sky. Then she cast her gaze
towards the rapidly-changing shades and shadows stretching out toward the
never-ending horizon. She could trace the layers of soil, and listened to
the stories told by each. History was so clearly evident, recorded, read
and measured by a clock and a calendar thousands of times bigger than the
one people usually looked for. She lay herself on the floor over her coat,
letting her mind take flight. 

     She felt so, so small. But no longer frightened, and never alone.  
Main Camping Site
Grand Canyon National Park 7 PM
 
     When Jake walked out from their camping site as promised, he found
her asleep on the ground. At first Jake focused on her over-coat spread
underneath her thin frame. But what drew his attention the most was Vera's
sketchbook and the same box of coloring pencils she used at his house. Jake
smiled, and pulled it out gently from her grasp, flipping the pages and
rubbing his chin as he took in the drawn images. He placed the sketch book
in his back-pack and easily picked Vera up in his arms to take her back to
their tent. He already started the fire, the flame glowing against the
persistent darkness of the night sky. By the time the 'essential' ensemble
of graham crackers, dark chocolate, and the bag of fresh marshmallows were
ready to work their miracles on the open fire. Camping was his idea, and
Steele, the agent who accompanied them to the tent, was understanding
enough to allow them the family night out. But when Jake stopped the engine
of the Jeep, the agent waggled his hand to gesture Jake to approach
quietly. Jake sensed trouble. 

     "What is the matter? Is it us?!" Jake's voice was a hushed whisper. 

     "I don't know! The guys at the house won't respond to the radio nor
their cellular. I'm waiting for Sacramento guys to find out what the hell's
going on." Steele's voice was an equally tense whisper. 

     "I hope it's nothing serious. But, for now I think we should postpone
our fun." Jake said, quickly putting out the fire. When agent Steele
apologized, Jake shook his head no. "I wouldn't want wrong guys seeing
smoke coming out of here." He was slightly thankful that Vera wasn't awake
to hear it. Jake stared down at the open box of graham cookies and the
chocolate bar, and offered them to the agent. But the moment Steele put one
in his mouth, he stopped, his body rigid. Jake asked him what was wrong,
but was quickly silenced by a raised index finger. Then Jake heard it, too.
Very faint and remote the noise was coming closer to them. Fifteen seconds
passed, and Jake was 'very' sure of its source. How could he forget it? 

     "It's a chopper. It's them. I've been on it. Come on!" Jake scrambled
to his feet, barely taking the time to wear his back pack. Then he fetched
Vera and her sketch book before kicking everything else off of the cliff.
Making a dash for their hidden jeep wrangler, Jake tripped over a few times
but managed to hold himself in balance. "Where's the cave that ranger was
talking about? It's supposed to be a couple of miles away from here. We can
hide there." Jake said, feeling the jeep begin to breathe. 

     "I think I have a pretty good idea, but we'll have to hike up there.
We can't take the car!" Steele raised his voice against the roar of the
engine. Jake hesitated for five seconds before deciding he was in too much
shock to think logically and made up his mind. 

     "Let's go, then. Toss the car off the cliff, and they might think we
crashed." 

     "Good call." Steele said as he jumped out of the car and pulled Vera
out. She was awake the moment she heard the car engine, but immediately
sensed the urge to keep quiet. She reached for Jake upon touching the
ground, and he gladly took her hand while handing Steele her sketch book
and his backpack. 

     "Hold this for a second, and guard that sketchbook for me. It's very
important to her that we not lose it." Jake said, shouldering Vera on his
back before retrieving his backpack and slung it down from his shoulder. He
was going to at least get Vera to court. The nose of the black chopper
appeared just as Steele tossed the car over the cliff, while Jake and Vera
hid behind one of the small openings with a nice shadow. They saw the
chopper descend after the jeep as it exploded and smoldered at least four
hundred feet down. 

     "Here! Keep this with you." Steele said, tossing Jake his back-up
piece. Jake didn't hesitate this time, and he strapped it on a belt hole of
his khakis. He was glad he didn't wear his blue jeans, or it would be much
easier for the assassins to spot him. Seeing that the chopper began to
land, the three of them ventured out into the open. Sunlight lasted only
three more hours, forcing them to move faster and stumble into the edge of
the cave while being barely able to watch their steps. 

     "It's got to be an inside job." Jake said, mentally torturing the
ones who betrayed them. Steele shook his head in disbelief. 

     "Maybe. But we were panicking, and we never made sure it was 'their'
chopper that came here." 

     "Trust me, I know the sound. I flew in it when I made the deal with
the Morley bastard. And you said our guys weren't answering phones or
radios. They either fled to save their asses or were murdered. I hate to
incline for the latter, but I know them too well." 

     "If he's as big a son of a bitch as he is believed to be, he wouldn't
have a trouble getting our own chopper. That one could've been ours." 

     "Well, then we should get back to the house and see if anyone's still
alive in there." Jake couldn't believe his own words, and the fact that he
actually uttered them. He was fairly confident that Stella had survived
whatever they'd tried to get to her. She was healthy, and her physical
therapy was going good. 

     "We ought to go there anyway. If we are to survive long enough to get
help, we need supplies." Steele said, laying down on the layer of gravel a
bit uncomfortably. "You go ahead, and go to sleep. How's she holding up?"
He asked Jake, nudging his head toward sleeping Vera. Jake shifted her a
little to find a comfortable position for himself. She was practically on
top of him, listening to his breathing. The sleeping pills helped her. 

     "She's okay for now. Don't worry, she's a strong girl. And I won't
let her walk too far. I dare won't risk over-exhausting her." Jake said,
stroking her hair. 

     "Well, I'll help you carry her down there." 'For what is worth',
Steele thought. Jake nodded appreciatively. 

     "Hope I won't be too much a burden. She's my daughter, and how can I
call myself a father if I couldn't take care of her?" It wasn't really a
question. 

     "Oh, you'll do just fine. You're still at the top of the list if we
think about all the dead-beat fathers we see around." 

     "I know, I've had one myself." Jake chuckled out of sheer sarcasm,
still keeping his hand on her hair. 

     "Yeah, and so did I." Steele said, his gaze fixed on the scenery in
front of him. 

     "Hey, at least we've got a hell of a view." Jake mumbled just before
closing his eyes. If this was the end of his life, he couldn't think of a
better place. He had a daughter who loved and stayed with him, and best of
all, he was surrounded by the markings of history, old and bold as Earth
herself. 'No wonder aliens keep coming here', Jake thought. 'How can they
resist this? It's still so beautiful.'  
Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona 7:15 AM Next Day
 
     The morning came, tracing and transforming the landscape with each
passing minute. Vera took a deep breath, and stirred in Jake's arms. Soon
he woke up, then noticed for the first time that Steele had stayed awake as
his part of the 'watch' duty, and had gone to search for a suitable way
out. It quickly dawned on Jake that Vera had no experience whatsoever in
climbing, nor mountaineering. Steele had been a semi-professional
mountaineer who worked once as a guide in the Glacier Park, Montana. Jake
was grateful for the man's skill in reading the weather and where what had
probably led. Jake was able to keep right up with the towering man, two
months of living his life on edge and the three-hour daily basketball
practice by himself and with Mulder toned up his muscles and nerves. Vera
insisted on walking as much as possible by herself, or as much as Jake
would allowed her to before he picked her up and shouldered her. 

     "Vera, I don't want you getting hurt. You've never been to these
places before, and I'm afraid you're gonna..." Jake couldn't finish the
sentence, feeling her little feet dug into his ribs, indicating she wanted
to speak. 

     "Stop it, Jake. I'll be fine." 'Now where did I hear that before?'
Jake thought. 

     "You are starting to sound just like a woman I know." He said as he
took another five steps, over a rough edge of the rock that was blocking
their view. Jake was breathing hard, though not from hyper-ventilation as
people often thought. 

     "I said I'll be fine, Jake. Let me walk, or you'll over-exhaust
yourself." 

     "Are you sure you are really ten years old?" His voice came out a
little tense, a little forced. 

     "On Earth, yes." Vera's tone was completely serious, and Jake loved
her even more. "What are you laughing at?! Come on. I promise, I'll tell
you if I get tired." Vera said, already trying to wriggle out of Jake's
hold. He sighed and let her go. There was to be no fighting. And he knew
her well enough to always reach some kind of compromise. 

     "All right, baby." 

     "Please stop calling me a baby!" 'Yeah', he thought, 'this is Vera in
her child-mode.' 

     "All right, then. But can I call you all the other names I've always
wanted to use but couldn't on anyone?" 

     "Oh, all right. But don't call me butter cup, or sugar. Or I'll have
to kick you off of here." Jake shook his head, laughter escaping his lips.
Vera was only trying to cheer them up. 

     "Fine, that's a deal." Jake said, taking her small hand in his. 

     "Hey, you two! We need to hurry up! I think I see a game trail
leading to the other side!" Steele's voice cut through the air. Jake told
the man they would catch right up, and they'd kept their word. After three
hours of walking carefully, avoiding the paths they used, they reached the
valley where the house was visible. Jake almost blacked out. The house was
on fire, engulfed in a whirl of smoke and an occasional explosions. 

     "Oh, fuck!" Jake no longer cared about his manners. Vera stared at
the house in horror. No doubt recalling something from her recovered
memory. "Vera, are you all right?" Jake asked, taking out the canteen of
water and bringing it to her mouth. She never looked away from the fire,
but slightly nodded and took a sip. Then he felt Steele yank on his arm,
and Jake left Vera for a moment with the canteen. 

     "Hey, Jake. Don't be stupid. Just how much of that water did you take
for yourself?" Steele was observant. Jake wiped his face with the sleeve of
his shirt, and tried to keep a straight face. 

     "Just enough." 

     "Bullshit. That's the first time I've seen you take a sip. Don't pull
a stunt like that again." 'Guilty as charged', Jake thought and took a sip
for himself when he returned to her. He was relieved to see Vera was
entirely focused on the burning house and not on his thoughts. 

     "There. Satisfied?! Vera needs this more than I do, and you know
that. Now, let's go." Jake said, leading the way. 

     "Hey, hey, hey! Where'd you think you're going?!" 

     "There must be something in there that's still salvageable. With
luck, search and rescue guys will come pick us up." 

     "And you never know if whoever waiting there are our guys or Morley's
guys." 

     "We'll be careful, all right? I just need to know if anyone's alive
in there! I left Stella with the others, and I can't give up on her." 

     "She's a dog, Jake! Sure she was a good soldier, but for God's sake,
let it go!" 

     "I can't." Jake shook his head, putting his foot down. Steele shook
his head in disbelief, but to be honest, he didn't see any better choice.
They were so isolated, the nearest town was fifty miles away. 

     "All right, but you follow my orders to the letter, got that?" Steele
said, shouldering his back pack. Jake thanked the man, and the three had
set out again.  
Local Police Station Morgue Basement Floor
Nantucket Island
2 PM Eastern Time Same Day
 
     Dana Scully was just about to provide the local sheriff with an
update on her findings when Mulder burst into the morgue. She stopped the
tape of her latest autopsy of an elderly woman, and turned toward her
distressed partner. 

     "Mulder, what are you doing here?! You found our guy?" Scully was
yearning to get out of the island, but he only shook his head no, and
roughly yanked her by her arm, leading her to the door. "Mulder! You're
hurting my arm! Stop and tell me." The sheriff watched the exchange, and
walked up to them. Mulder then put his index finger on his lips. The move
stopped the sheriff's further advancement, silenced by the frozen man's
look. Mulder took out the electric note-pad and began typing. 

     Scully turned blue instantly, and began a hasty clean-up. Mulder
helped her, obviously aware of the procedures. Scully apologized the
sheriff of their hurry and his inconvenience, but he just had to read the
rest in her field report. The man shrugged, and told them not to kill
anyone while getting to the airport. 

     "What happened!? When?!" Scully asked Mulder as she gunned the car
engine. Mulder was typing furiously next to her. 

     "The last communication from the safehouse was received late
yesterday afternoon. When they went to check it out this morning, it was
completely destroyed. Everything's burned and no body, live or dead, was
found. They didn't find Stella, either. I received it all in a phone call,
and all I could do was listen. Your cellular was turned off, so I figured
you're in the middle of the latest autopsy." 

     "You figured that right. Are they conducting aerial searches?" Scully
asked, barely dodging an incoming car at the parking lot as she tried to
drive fast and read Mulder's words at the same time. 

     "Slow down, Scully. It'll do us no good if we're dead." Mulder typed
in a hurry and finally saw her take a deep breath and slow down to 65 MPH. 

     "Practice what you preach, Mulder." She said, urging silently for him
to go on. 

     "They spotted a Jeep supposedly driven by one of Steele's at the
house crashed and burned to pieces at the bottom of the valley. They're not
sure what the car was used for, but it had been there overnight for sure.
No one knows if anyone survived. There's hardly anything to find down there
unless you bring magnifying glasses and tweezers. And yes, they're
conducting around-the-clock aerial searches and ground searches, ever since
the fire was reported by a camper." 

     "Mulder, what did Skinner say? Is he on top of it?!" 

     "Should be. He's the one who called me. I don't know if..." Mulder
didn't get to finish typing as Scully's cellular phone rang. Mulder was all
ears as she mouthed "Skinner". 

     "Yes, sir. ...What? But... All right, we'll be there." Scully hang
up, and turned the car around. Mulder's reaction was obvious enough. "We
can't go. Not until this case is closed. He said if we want to come down,
wrap-up our case as fast as we can." Scully's own anger was radiating
through her, and Mulder kicked the dashboard as response to his anger.
"Well, I guess I should go back to the morgue and you should type up what
you can. I have them all on tape, as before." 

     "Fine, then. I'll try again to check with all the sources. No
guarantee how long it'll take them to reply this time. I hate not being
able to speak. I mean, on the paper no one really takes me seriously. I've
been screaming, well, typing in capital letters, at them to try to speed up
things for us at the labs. But they think the whole thing's a joke. You're
right, Scully. I'm a little easier to crack under emotional pressure." 

     "You're doing your best, and I wouldn't think for a moment to get
another partner. No one's as good as you." Scully was trying to encourage
him, but she was speaking honestly. She hoped he wouldn't dismiss her
statement as another sympathy vote. 

     The drive back to their motel took half an hour. Mulder's laptop was
where he left it. As soon as he sat down and logged onto the internet, he
ignored the rest of the world until Scully the doctor made him eat his
lunch while waiting for more information. Scully spent the rest of the day
running around the island hunting for more information, and ended up taking
a flight to Boston to confirm an information. 

     It was close to midnight when Scully told Mulder she had to take
another flight to Chicago, and was going to stay there overnight to
interview another witness. Mulder asked her when she'll be back, but all
she told him was she'll return as soon as she can. Mulder asked her if she
wanted him to join her, but she disagreed. 

     "No, Mulder. You have to stay here and keep everything under control.
The locals will go nuts without you. They're freaking out because of the
negative publicity and the damage done to their tourism industry. I know
the local sheriff's kept the press out of this, but sometime soon someone
has to issue an official statement." 

     "And you want me for the job? ... Okay, all right. I'll do it through
the sheriff's office and I don't have to put up with the indignity of not
being able to speak." 

     "Shut up, Mulder! You're fine. You do what you have to do, and keep
me informed of any news. Good night." She signed off before Mulder could
reply. 

     "Sure. Fine. Whatever." Mulder typed in, deleting it before he end up
spending the next month fighting with Scully and signed off himself.

Exact Location Unknown
Grand Canyon National Park
8 AM Next Day Pacific Time
 
     "You know. People talk about how they don't have space to live in
cities. And we haven't seen anybody for the past twenty-four hours." Jake
muttered as he shouldered his backpack, Vera taking his right hand and
following after him. It was a sheer luck that they salvaged her portable
medicine box out of the scorched cabinet. They also salvaged some dry food,
and a few cans of soup. They also took as much water as they could store in
their canteens and themselves. But they had to make a rather hasty retreat
as choppers and cars began to arrive at the scene. 

     Steele was still doubtful of Jake's idea of hiking out of the area by
themselves, without even reporting the state police or the highway patrol. 

     "You never know who will get the call. I don't even want to trust
Skinner on this. The only people I want to contact right now are agents
Scully and Mulder. They're off for a case until the trial starts. I just
want us hiding out in a safe place somewhere until the trial. It's only
five more days, we'll manage. No one knows who we are, really. Not around
here, anyway. Look. We can hitch hike our way back to Sacramento if we have
to. Just avoid the public eye." Jake told Steele the night before. 

     "How much money have you got on you?" Steele got right to the bottom
line. 

     "About two hundred bucks. Should be enough, don't you think?" Jake
asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Steele shrugged. What they needed to
find was a long-distance delivery truck. Or, more plausibly a station
wagon. Even a camping car traveling the area unsuspectedly would do fine.
The national park was a famous site, and they figured it won't be too hard
to find someone willing to help them, and willing to hide them at every
road block if there was any. Both Steele and Jake doubted it will ever be
necessary. Jake longed to use his cell phone, but he tossed it down the
canyon as soon as he figured if it was an inside job, his phone may have a
bug or a motion detector. He just hoped it would land somewhere close to
the scorching car. 

     "Hey, have you done any climbing?" Steele asked, getting a nod for an
answer. 

     "Sure, not since I've been in Oakland, though. Not since ... God.
eight, nine years ago? During my college days and in high school. Virginia
state's got nice mountains, you know." 

     "Sure. And a hell of a good ham." Jake noted the man wasn't laughing.
'This man sincerely loved Virginia Ham', Jake noted. 'I outta send the man
a lifetime supply if he ever gets out of this alive'. 

     "So, I guess we're going down and up pretty steep spots?" Jake asked,
his tone full of understatement, and Steele recognized it. 

     "Yeah, if we're going with your plan. I was leading us to the nearest
park ranger station." 

     "We wanna avoid that. Nearest house maybe, or even a ghost town. But
not the authorities. You're the only authority we need right now." Jake
didn't expect the man to chuckle, but the man surprised him. 

     "In my back pack, I have a couple of rope and harness. I don't think
we'll need that, but we never know. If the need should arise, I'll climb
down first, then you and Vera come down together." 

     "Is that okay, Vera? If you want, you can go with him. He's got more
exp erience." 

     "Nope. I'll go down with you." Vera's uncompromising tone told the
two men she wasn't going to yield. 

     "Okay, then." Jake replied and made her take another sip of water
before they set out again. 

     It wasn't long before they were forced to duck behind a caved-in spot
to avoid constant aerial search craft, and they stayed for two hours before
the chopper was out of the airspace. Jake cursed the plane for wasting
their precious time, but if the chopper was from the good guys', then they
must have been afraid for their lives. A pang of guilt stung Jake's gut.
Vera took the opportunity to catch a brief nap and to down her prescribed
pills with graham crackers. Steele then called it a day claiming they only
had a few more hours of daylight, and they better rest than risking
tumbling down the cliff at night or to have the bad guys spot their
flashlight slicing through the night air. At dawn they set out again, Vera
well-rested and anxious to put more milage to her already stretching
journey. Their path gradually became crumbly, and it grew worse as they
progressed. The gravel completely lacked moisture and nothing was holding
the fragile ground of the paths they took. 

     "God! It's like a bad cheesecake crust!" Jake complained, kicking at
the brown soil. 

     "Stop it, Jake. You're making me hungry and that reminds me of the
graham crackers." Vera muttered as she walked in front of him. For the past
two days, that was practically all that she ate. The two men also had grown
sick of them. Jake apologized Vera for the inconvenience. 

     "If we didn't have those damn choppers to worry about, we could have
a good time doing this." Jake commented, indicating the scenery around
them. 

     "Hey, that's the river I was talking about! Looks like we've been
right on the track." Steele exclaimed, pointing at the pale greenish mass
of water showing over the crack of the cliff they were climbing. Jake
craned his neck and felt his jaw drop. There had to be at least another
three steep, menacing hills before they could finally touch the water. 

     "Well, at least we have a focus point now." Jake replied rather
hesitantly, then felt a familiar tug at his shirt sleeve from Vera. 

     "You said you climbed before. He said he knew where we are going. I'm
feeling okay. We'll be fine." She curved the words into Jake's mind with
the look on her eyes. Jake nearly flinched at the fire burning behind the
glassy green eyes. They were beautiful. No, Jake corrected himself
immediately. 'They're intriguing'. 

     "Soon as we get to the water, I have the portable filter for my water
purifier. And that inflatable boat I got from the house. The rest should be
a piece of case." 

     "I sure hope so." Jake nodded, and gestured for the man to lead them
away. This time they hardly took a break worthy of holding its name until
the sun disappeared behind the canyon. Vera became an expert in reading the
soil patterns acutely curved into the landscape, tracing the shapes and
changes in each layer's thickness or color. The once beautiful but foreign
place suddenly turned into a large play ground in Jake's mind. No longer
dreading on the distance yet to be covered, and no longer frustrated at the
maddeningly slow approach of the emerald the. Vera asked Steele all kinds
of questions on how the canyons was curved as today. Jake enjoyed listening
to their conversations immensely, noting the change in their moods as
Vera's excited voice jumped at them. 'Yes', Jake thought. 'This may not as
bad as it was thought to be'. 

     It took them another three days and a half of power hiking / climbing
till they reached the water. They were all exhausted out of themselves,
ready to drop into the river water and float for as long as humanely
possible. So far they've only been forced to use the harnesses three times,
which slowed them down considerably since Jake had to carry Vera with him,
sending his pack down first to Steele who anchored their way. None of the
three hesitated for a moment before jumping into the water to get rid of
the days of grime, dust, and sand off of their skin and hair. Jake really
wished he brought a bar soap, but remembered it was a prohibited item
within this sanctuary. So he spent nearly an hour and half swimming in the
water with Vera while the satin smoothness of the cool water wrapped them
completely and soothed their strained muscles. They stayed quiet however,
to avoid any unwanted attention. Jake tried his best not to ingest any of
the untreated water. The last thing he needed in his system besides the
fatigue was some devious virus attack. He had enough of that in Oakland. 

     By now they all knew well they would never make it to the trial in
time. They knew the prosecution team would try their best in going on with
the procedure as far as possible without requiring their presence. And
there was a lot of ground to cover in this second trial. They could afford
to be a couple of days late. They just had to worry the X-Files trio to
half-death as a consequence. 

     "So what would like for dinner tonight?" Steele asked, already
knowing the answer as he set up their inflatable boat to be used in the
morning ready to go. 

     "The deer again?" 

     "Well, either that or we'll have to wait for hours until I can catch
enough fish to feed us all." 

     "Never mind. ...Think you can chop up the meat in tinier pieces than
a ... uh... huge steak?" Vera asked, watching Jake nodding as he unwrapped
the meat. They'd encountered four deer traveling along the water previous
night, and they both instantly chose one s as their evening feast. Vera
looked away while the two men did the skinning and the basic butchery duty
with jack knives. The deer meat was much less gamey than Jake braced
himself for, and he downed the fresh sizzling meat at a surprising rate.
And tonight was no exception for none of the party. The meat had also
provided Vera with essential protein, fat, and calories she sorely needed
at the time. And Jake made sure Vera had gone to sleep with full belly as
last night. 

     "You know? I could live like this." Jake muttered at the burley man
sat next to him and laughed at himself. "I can't believe I'm saying this,
but ... yeah. Yeah, I could do it. I've never been a country boy, but I
know I would like it if I tried. I'm learning survival skills hands-on. My
parents were never outdoor people, so we never went anywhere there wasn't
enough civilization. And that's an understatement." 

     "I'm sure you'll be fine as an outdoor man. You're pretty tough. I
didn't think you'd last this long out here. You always act like a typical
city boy. Why's that?" 

     "I don't know. Just the way I am, I guess. ... I don't mean to be
acting like a city slacker, although I am. It's just the way I am. I don't
really think it matters unless it affects the rest of the group or
something." 

     "Says a lot about stereotyping, doesn't it? And none of us fits in
it." 

     "I never wanted to, and I'm not planning to start now." Jake said,
laying down next to Vera and shifting onto his side for more comfort. "It's
so quiet out here. ... So peaceful. Sometimes I just wish the time stops
except for us. And we could just relax in here, with nothing at all to
worry about." Jake's voice was mere whisper as he drew himself closer to
Vera. 'Nothing at all.' Jake thought before sliding into the welcoming
sensation of sleep. 

Federal District Court House
Sacramento, CA
Trial Day Four 9 AM Pacific Time
 
     "Your Honor. We still haven't received any report of them being
spotted..." Warren began, stress adding a decade to his fairly young
features. 

     "I have been informed of that. Yes." The judge replied, leaning back
in his chair. 

     "The FBI is still on full alert of the situation. However, at this
time I'd like to ask the court to halt all trial proceedings until this
matter is cleared and we have our witnesses ready to testify." 

     "And there's absolutely no way you can move things further without
them?" The judge knew the answer well, but he had to let the jury know. The
tall man nodded resignedly. The judge sighed, and declared a recess until
they could continue. At the sharp sound of the judge's gavel rap on the
wood, Mulder closed his eyes and released yet another sigh of exhaustion. 

     "I hate this, Scully. Why can't we just go out there ourselves and
look for them? I know they're alive." 

     "Yes, I know. But we have to be patient or the whole case goes up in
flame like those houses we saw." Scully stood up, but Mulder stayed where
he was. He'd been yearning to finally use his voice on the stand, having
had enough of the notepad and uncomfortable stares from others, much less
the yearning to speak, to have his voice heard. 

     "Come on. Let's go back. Elly and Stella must be worried sick." 

     "They'll be disappointed. We've been waiting for this. If this was
the result, we wouldn't have had to hurry up wrapping up our cases. We've
left them thinking FBI's got a bunch of tight-ass agents with iron fangs."
Mulder buried his head in his hands. 

     "Still better than the city called home by a madman who served his
customers little boys for dinner." 

     "You know, this is the last time we investigate two cases at once.
The restaurant owner will forever be haunted by the memories of all those
skinned bodies in his freezer. The state's health inspectors will spring up
on their asses asking them why no one had noticed or taken the customers'
complaints of 'overly mushy steak' seriously. How's your shoulder by the
way?" Mulder was still concerned despite her repeated, 'I'm fine's. 

     "It's okay, it's shallow. It didn't reach the bone or sliced through
any ligament. Nothing too bad." Scully said, recalling in a heartbeat the
events from a week ago, when they finally tracked down their suspect.
Mulder had no choice but to shoot the man slashing at his partner on the
tiled floor of the kitchen. She had another tiny scar on the point of her
chin that was meant for her throat. The butcher died almost instantly,
bleeding from his back. The blood ended up filling his lungs. Even Mulder
had to fight back nausea as he helped Scully up, and watched with horror as
the man twitched until he breathed his last breath five minutes later, just
as long as it took for the ambulance to arrive at the scene. A feather-
light touch she felt on her cheek brought her out of her reverie, and she
faced her partner now standing next to her. 

     "Ready to go?" Mulder said with his arm already holding their
briefcases and coats. When she nodded, the hand on her cheek slid down to
her back in a familiar gesture. Scully led their way out of the courthouse. 

     Stella was found the day they returned to Oakland from Milwaukee. A
college student who was driving through the national park found Stella
wandering around, and called Jake's house, reading the number off of the
gold I.D. tug. Agent Hall, who was back on regular duty in San Francisco
office after security alert for Tina Mulder was called off, volunteered to
pick Stella up in Colorado. Now she was back home, living with Elly who was
off the hook for some time until her testimony was needed. When the X-Files
team arrived in Sacramento, they were again forced to invade into Kathler
residence for the duration of the delay. Skinner promised no more hectic
cases until their testimonies are given in court, reminding them that they
had to be under protection. 

     "Your last four cases including this one were wrapped up with
success. I suppose it'll be fine." Skinner said when they turned in their
investigation report. Skinner himself was scheduled for testimony but he
refused to leave D.C. until his presence was an absolute necessity. 

     Once Steele reached their car and Mulder began driving, Scully
noticed they weren't heading to the loft. "Where are we going, Mulder?" She
asked, watching her partner drive in silence. His eyes were listless though
alert, that Scully knew it had to be somewhere she better figure out for
herself or just wait until it was staring right at her. She chose the
latter and decided to take a nap. 

     "Sure, go ahead. It'll be a little while." Mulder said as he turned
down the car radio. 

     It was a fairly long drive, and Scully was surprised over an hour had
passed before Mulder woke her up. What she noticed, even before looking out
of the window was the sweet scent of fresh flower bouquet. She rubbed her
eyes and shook off the cobwebs. Mulder was already out of the car when she
finally opened her eyes, and found herself in the parking lot of a
cemetery. 

     "Mulder?" She asked, quickly catching up with him. He didn't turn to
look at her, but was focusing on the names etched in the rows of
headstones. Scully silently followed him, letting him do whatever he needed
to do. The bouquet was made entirely of white lily, held together by a
widely cut white silk ribbon that hang nearly half a foot from the handle.
It was also large enough that her partner used both hands to carry it. It
was a very unique choice, but Scully loved the simplicity and the statement
it spoke. 

     When her partner finally stopped, studying the name on the stone
intently, Scully knew it was her cue. She closed their distance in three
strides. Her breath was caught momentarily as she read the name. She tried
to say something but changed her mind quickly and knelt down beside the
headstone instead. Mulder's gaze shifted to Scully as he heard her offer a
prayer. He simply placed his hand on top of the headstone, and closed his
eyes. 

     "I wanted to thank you for letting us meet your daughter." Mulder's
voice was little more than a whisper but it startled Scully enough to bring
her out of her reverie. Never in five years of working with this man, had
she seen him do this before. 'Not even after Melissa was buried', Scully
thought. Then she assumed this maybe his habit, but he hadn't been open
enough to her to share this part of him. "And I wanted to introduce
ourselves in person. My name is Fox William Mulder, and this is my partner,
Dana Katherine Scully." Mulder then placed the bouquet in front of the
headstone sideways, and pulled himself back to a standing position. "I'm
also here for another reason. I assume you already know about Jake Kathler
taking care of your daughter. He's doing a fantastic job, and I'm sure he
would have wanted to visit you before we did but not for a while. But then
I assume you already know why." 

     Scully kept watching Mulder, intrigued. He spoke to them as if he was
actually meeting them in person. "I hope you know we've done, and we're
still doing, absolutely everything that we can to save your daughter's
life. And I'm sorry we weren't here for them to protect her or Jake Kathler
from this madness." Scully inhaled sharply as realization settled in. This
was Fox Mulder's formal apology. 'Is that why you introduced us with our
full names?' She silently questioned. She wanted to say something, but
decided to wait until he was finished. She would've hated if someone just
jumped in and interrupted her. "It is amazing. How much faith you put into
your work. And, through the help of your trusted colleagues, you've managed
to carry out your work even after your deaths. I've only been able to catch
a glimpse of your legacy, but it was enough for me to feel honored to take
a part in helping you and your daughter." 

     Mulder paused, taking a deep breath. The look in his eyes told Scully
he wasn't finished just yet. "I admit I'm guilty for our shortcomings in
bringing those men to justice. And I wish I had your strength. All I can
ask from you now isn't your forgiveness, but your love for Vera. We haven't
a clue where she is, or how she is. I feel it in me that she's still alive.
" Scully felt her heart sink at his tone. "We need her smiles. We need her
intelligence, and we need most of all, her strength. We need her. She's
reached all of us. She brought us together, and made these past months
bearable. You must be really missing her, and her life for the past three
years has been nothing short of horrifying. But please let us, and
especially Jake Kathler, have her again." 

     "...Ready, Mulder?" Scully asked when she felt him lay his hand on
her arm. Mulder faced her, and nodded. Scully noted his tension had eased
considerably. Mulder turned again toward the headstones, and motioned for
her to signal her turn. 

     "Wanna add something?" He asked, his eyes already sensing that she
did. 

     "Yeah, if you don't mind, I'd like to offer a little prayer." She
answered, knowing the Jarvis' were Catholics. Mulder nodded, and stepped
back. He watched her as she knelt down and touched her hand at the top of
their head stones and recited the words. When she was done, Mulder offered
a brief smile, and let her lead their way. 

     "Feeling better now?" Scully asked, taking her seat in the passenger
side as Mulder slipped into the driver's side. 

     "Oh, yeah. Much." He replied as he pulled out of the parking lot,
quickly dialing on his cellular the number for Jake's house. An agent took
the phone, but soon handed it to a worried Elly. Mulder listened in for a
few moments before nodding an understanding and began apologizing for their
de-tour. Scully laughed when Mulder stopped at a flower shop and bought her
a single pink rose. 

     "Does that trick always work with your mother?" Scully meant only to
tease, but her eyes widened when he replied, 

     "Always."  
Jake's House
Oakland, CA
4 PM Pacific Time Same Day

 
     Mulder was in an exhaustion-induced sleep when his cell-phone
demanded his attention. Nearly stumbling off of the bed, he silenced the
noise by finally pressing on the "Talk" button. 

     "Mulder." 'This better not be another case', he thought. But what he
heard at the moment was a rumbling, almost a tumbling, noise in the
background. "This is Fox Mulder. Who is this?" He repeated the question
after a moment of non response, suddenly awake and alert. 

     "Mulder?!" The familiar voice was unmistakable. 

     "Kathler! Where are you?! Are you all right?! Is Vera still with
you?!" His voice was out in a rush. But Jake told Mulder to calm down, that
they needed to talk privately. Mulder agreed reluctantly. He walked over to
the kitchen where Scully was busy typing on her laptop. He quickly pressed
his index finger on his lips to indicate Elly he needed absolute silence,
and tapped Scully on her back. 

     "What is it, Mulder? What's wrong?" Scully asked, not getting any
answer in return except an insistent pulling of her arm and heading toward
the bathroom. The other agents were on guard at the door and outside the
house and none of them noticed their movement. Mulder didn't answer. She
watched as he listened intently to whoever he was on the phone with. 

     "Okay, we're alone in your bathroom. Now, spill. Where are you?"
Mulder finally looked at Scully and mouthed "Jake". Scully's eyes widened
as she practically pressed her face into Mulder's to listen to their
conversation. 

     "Oh, we're in the back of a truck. Don't worry, we're unharmed.
Vera's okay and we have an agent with us who guided us out of the national
park. I don't know where we are right now. But the driver doesn't know a
thing about who we are, and I'd like to keep it that way. I don't want to
trust anybody else but you and Dana. We climbed and hiked out of the area
and we hid whenever the aerial search choppers went by. I feel bad for you
two, but I didn't want to find out who was really looking for us." 

     "Smart move. I thought your cellular was destroyed in the fire with
the car." 

     "It was. Well, we tossed them both off the cliff. I didn't want them
tracing our moves. I'm calling on the truck driver's cellular right now.
Excuse me for the noise." 

     "Fine. How's Vera? She's probably due for another treatment session,
isn't she?" 

     "She's way overdue. But she seems to be fine and she claims she is.
God, she's so much like Dana." Jake's laughter from the phone was all
Mulder and Scully needed to believe they were really fine. 

     "Okay. Where is the driver going? I mean, where were you going to get
off?" 

     "At the train station near my house. Are you still in Sacramento?" 

     "No. The judge declared recess until you two get back here. Skinner's
team is conducting their own investigation on who torched the house." 

     "You know, I haven't a clue where Stella is. I couldn't find her at
the safe house when we went back. I don't know if she's still alive,
but..." 

     "She is, and she's with us." Scully jumped in, and they both heard
Jake exhale with relief. 

     "Oh, my God. That's just great. How did you find her?" 

     "We didn't. A college student on his vacation found her wandering
around the mountains and called your house. Agent Hall picked her up. She's
exhausted, and still recovering from fatigue and dehydration. Nothing
further. She's still doing her physical therapy here." 

     "Thank you, Dana. And I'm sorry we didn't make it there in time. I'll
call you when we get to the train station. Come get us then? Should be
there before midnight." 

     "We'll be there, Kathler." Mulder replied with conviction. 

     "Jake." 

     "All right, Jake. We'll be there, and we'll keep this quiet." 

     "Not even to Skinner." 

     "Fine. It's your lives at stake. Do what you feel is necessary."
Mulder said before motioning to hang up, but then a familiar, 

     "Fox?" jumped into his ears and he was back in a heartbeat. He felt
warmer just listening to her. Scully never knew Mulder's smile could spread
so wide. 

     "Vera? It's wonderful to finally get to talk to you." 

     "So do I. I just wanted to say this before I use up the rest of the
battery on this thing. We smell bad. We've been bathing in river water and
eating whatever we caught as food. You'll have to open the car windows when
you pick us up." Both Scully and Mulder burst out laughing at the
statement, mostly out of their relief and its need for release. 

     "Okay, Vera. Thanks for the tip." Scully answered and they quickly
hang it up when an agent knocked and opened the bathroom door. 

     "May I ask you what you're doing in here?" the agent looked halfway
between shocked and irritated. 

     "We?! Oh. We're just... uh..." Mulder didn't know what to say. He was
half dressed. In Jake's bathroom. With Dana Scully. Laughing out loud and
holding a phone. 

     "We were talking to our mutual friend. We didn't want to bother you,
and we wanted to talk to our friend without you guys listening in." This
was all she said before she exited the bathroom, back to the kitchen
counter to her laptop. Mulder apologized the agent for his 'indecent
appearance', and told the man to leave him alone because he wanted a
shower. The agent looked at Mulder and Scully back and forth suspiciously
before giving up and exiting the room to resume his post. 

Federal District Court House
Sacramento, CA
9 AM Two Days Later


 
     "Is there anything I can get for you, Vera?" Jake asked, feeling a
slight attack of jitters. 

     "No." She answered, and shook her head. She seemed very calm, very
collected. She was the one to first take the stand, and Jake was the one
sweating. The situation was so familiar to the three people sat next to
Vera. She was always the strongest, the calmest, and the most confident one
in the bunch. She almost seemed at peace. 

     "Are you sure?" Jake asked, feeling the smiling eyes of Mulder and
Scully. After the fiasco Jake and Vera's reappearance stirred up, everybody
was tense. 

     "Quit it, Jake. I'm fine." Her words sounded a little too direct, but
her voice was so soft. Scully arched her eyebrows, remembering Jake's
remark. Then her eyes widened at Vera's next comment, "You know, you really
remind me of 'him'. He used to get jitters all the time whenever he watched
my class presentation or spelling bees." Emphasis placed on the word 'him'
could only be addressing one person. Jake noticed it, too but kept smiling
nervously. Mulder released a soft laughter, remembering the afternoon he
spent with her parents at the cemetery. 

     "I'm sorry, Vera. It's just that I've been ... waiting, for this day
and I..." 

     Jake didn't get to finish it, for the bailiff announced the arrival
of their judge. 

     "All rise..." 

     The man announced their case number and the judge's name for the
court when Jake lowered his head enough for Vera and whispered, "I'm so
very proud of you." Vera's head shot up to stare directly into Jake's eyes,
now holding the same sparkle as her own. 'Beaming, is more like it', she
thought. 'Just when did I see them before? Somewhere not so far away but
long time ago...' She was still thinking as the court was seated,
instinctively growing quiet. The tall federal prosecutor stood up from his
seat, straightening his suit and tie quickly as he did. 

     "The prosecution calls Miss Vera Maxine Kathler to the stand." He
announced as he motioned for Vera to stand up. She slipped out of her seat,
and whispered something in Jake's ear before following the lawyer's
command. 

     "Raise your right hand please, miss?" The officer asked, motioning
for the witness on the stand. She followed, confidently this time, finally
feeling herself coming out of hiding. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the
whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you God?" 

     "I do." 

     "Please be seated." 

     "Thank you." Vera said as she practically hopped up on the chair. A
few faces in the jury box lightened up. Vera was advised from the beginning
to look into the jury to make eye contact with them while she talked, and
this she followed also. She was studying the twelve people plus the four
additional 'substitute' jury seated next to them in a separate corner ever
since she took her seat next to Jake. They all looked friendly, mostly
because of her situation and her age. She then adjusted herself into the
leather chair. Everything looked so much the same yet so different. The
courtroom was packed, and she could see Mulder and Scully was nervous. The
federal prosecutor walked over to her and began his direct examination. 

     "Please state your full name for the record?" 

     "Vera Maxine Kathler." 

     "And before you were adopted by Mr. Kathler?" 

     "Vera Maxine Jarvis." 

     The courtroom was in absolute silence with exceptions of the
stenographer's typing, and Vera and the prosecutor's voices. Scully leaned
in toward Jake, who's been smiling from ear to ear since the moment Vera
left for the witness stand. In a whisper, she asked Jake what Vera had
said, and if it was possible, Scully saw Jake smile even brighter. 

     "She said, 'Thanks, Dad. Now, keep your cool.'" Jake kept his eyes on
the witness stand, still smiling. Soon Scully's own smile followed his.
Mulder's curiosity got the better of him, and he leaned into her to ask the
same question, and was given the same answer. On the stand, Vera Kathler
delivered her words of truth, which belonged to the court in the first
place. Suddenly Scully felt Mulder take her hand in his, and entwine their
fingers. Scully looked at him with a quizzical gaze, but he only smiled
warmly and nudged his head toward the witness stand. 'Look.' it said. Her
eyes followed, and didn't try to break off their hand-holding. 

     The questioning and answers continued, until finally Mulder saw her
identify the defendants by pointing at them. Then he released a long breath
of relief. He knew there was a lot more to come, especially from the
defense. But after going through the hell at the witness stand, and after
their 'friends' failed in assassinating Jake and Vera Kathler, Mulder knew
they wouldn't even try to mention the Grand Canyon incident in the open
court. The jury didn't know, and so as the most of the audience and the
press. 

     Pieces of the puzzles fall into place. The events not only from the
past six months but from the depth of his heart and life itself reveal
their shapes and edges in the new light. It was another beginning of the
same mystery, unfolding before his eyes. 

     "Mulder? Are you all right?" Scully asked in a whisper, letting go of
his hand and staring at him. 

     "I'm fine, I'm fine. ... I'm just ...glad. ...We did it, Scully. We
came this far." Scully's smile returned, finally realizing what deflated
Mulder. Scully nodded with conviction, and repeated his gesture by taking
his hand in hers this time. And gave it a firm squeeze before declaring, 

     "And we're gonna win." 

The Department of X-Files
J. Edgar Hoover Building Basement Floor
Washington, D.C.
Three Weeks Later 9 AM Eastern Time
 

     "Mulder." He answered his cellular on the first ring, but no reply
was heard for a moment before the theme music from the "Three Stooges" came
streaming out of the receiver. Mulder chuckled, recognizing it instantly.
He sat down on the edge of his desk to relax a little. 

     "Hey Mulder! We're back!" Langly did the honor of announcing their
return. 

     "I knew we were too good a date for you to ditch forever." Mulder was
glad he is finally able to talk to them instead of hearing or worrying
about them as he had been the past year. 

     "We've missed you both, but never as much as I miss Dana Scully!"
Frohike's voice jumped in and it made Mulder laugh. 

     "Ahh. See? I keep telling you. Hits just keep on coming for poor
Scully. She's at the travel coordinator's office trying to arrange us
another flight to Sacramento." 

     "For the verdict." Byers, always the serious one, tipped in. 

     "Yeah. I just got a call that they might be in by the end of the day.
If not, they should be in by tomorrow. It's amazing. The jury came out in
record times. None of them took more than a day. But you already knew that,
didn't you?" He felt the corners of his mouth curling up even further. 

     "Right down to the zip, Mulder. I even know what they ate and what
music they listened to in their motel rooms." Langly replied cheerfully,
and Mulder knew they really 'had' those information. 

     "I don't think I'm interested in the details, but you guys keep up
the good work. Where have you been all this time? We've been worried sick." 

     "Yeah, well. It's nice to be missed." Frohike added, a silent gesture
for him not to ask further. Mulder nodded in silent understanding. 

     "Scully's gonna be back pretty soon. Call back in half an hour if you
want to talk to her. If she won't be back by then, you know you can find us
in Sacramento. Kathler's house's off the hook and he's there with Elly and
Stella. You've even spoken to the man on the phone for crying out loud. Why
don't you join us?" 

     "We need to keep on the safe side, Mulder. Not until everything else
calms down. Things are just too hot right now even for you to visit us. But
you know where to leave messages if you need our help." Byers added
solemnly, an indication he missed the X-Files duo's company. 

     "All right, guys. Be there by tomorrow and keep in touch. Scully
misses you guys so much, she just might agree for a brunch or two with you
guys. Later." Mulder hang up, and grabbing his briefcase, stashed the phone
into his trousers pocket. 

     First time Vera collapsed during the trial, Mulder abandoned his
paperwork at the DC office and headed straight to the hospital. He later
dearly accepted Scully's wrath as the price. 

     When he did it for the second time, he left the hotel room he was
staying during an investigation. There was no time for Scully to stop him,
since she had been doing a final check on the body she recently autopsied.
She couldn't even get the news of her partner ditching her until she was
out of the morgue. Mulder was changing the plane at Salt Lake City by the
time he got through to her. It didn't get Mulder fired, since they were
wrapping up their latest case. But Mulder didn't get away unharmed by
Scully's wrath when Mulder returned the very next morning and entered
Scully's adjacent hotel room at seven. Mulder had two hot cups of coffee
and a bag of pastries with him when he entered, and didn't make the mistake
of waking her up until he set their breakfasts on the room's small square
table. Mulder hit his head on the corner of the side table upon falling,
and ended up with a hell of a bump on the back of the head, plus a generous
ring of black bruise around his right eye where grouchy Scully's kick
landed. He was ordered to bed with Tylenol and a bag of ice to use as his
pil low. Scully apologized upon returning to the hotel with their final
report. But unexpectedly, Mulder laughed and told her to go in first next
time they have to kick a door and burst in during a stake-out. Scully had
no choice but to return the smile and forgive him. 

     However, as the news of the second and the third hospitalization were
de livered, both Mulder and Scully became better coordinated, packing and
getting ready to literally leave within minutes' notice. 

     Now that the criminal trials were coming to their close, Skinner
passed them two new cases when they were summoned into the man's office. 

     On the day they landed in Sacramento they were met by the welcome
wagon from Skinner's escorts. They weren't surprised to have the man at the
court on this monumental occasion. They were waiting at their reserved
hotel rooms, frustrated that they couldn't see Jake until the verdict was
in. 

     "For security reasons." The agent at their doors said. 'Security
reasons, my ass.' Mulder stopped tad short of actually speaking out the
words. Scully was impatient also, claiming she felt restless and stupid
confined in her room, pacing. So, he yanked her into his room and they sat
down together at the room's round table, doing research for their new cases
and playing chess while waited for returned phone calls and fax. That was
the best way either could think of to spend the torturous waiting hours.
When they eventually needed to relax, they moved to the bed and ordered
room service. No one complained about their being in the same room, so they
both watched TV, discussing about their favorite television shows from
childhood, to the possibility of time travel to their favorite old horror
movies. They were both dozing off side by side on the bed with their
cellular phones and their case files left open in between them by the time
the hotel phone screamed for their attention. 


Dana Scully's Residence
Annapolis, Maryland
6 PM Eastern Time Four Days Later


 
     The moment Scully took the call and heard the man calling her name,
she knew exactly what to do and where to go. 

     "I'm on my way." She replied quickly, sparing the speaker the pain of
de scribing the details. She grabbed her suitcase and called her partner.
She spoke two words and he replied with one. It was their long-standing
agreement that as soon as the call came, he'd be down to her apartment to
pick her up to drive them out to the airport. 

     "I'm on hold with the oncologist's office, but I don't want to force
Jake to talk." 

     "I know, Scully. I know." Mulder sped through the weekend D.C.
Traffic. "I packed enough clothes to stay for a week without doing laundry.
I've got case files to review for us, and brought over all the paperwork on
our last case. Skinner's got no room for complaints." Scully was impressed,
realizing that he kept a closer eye on this than her. That he had been
expecting the call for some time. 

     "How was Jake holding up?" He saw her shake her head, and shut up.
She didn't know. Meaning she didn't stay on line long enough. He tabled
further questions as she began talking to the doctor. He pulled into the
parking space. He saw her nod, uttering monosyllables and closing her eyes
at the end. Mulder slumped in the seat for a moment before getting up and
took out their luggage from the trunk. He didn't need to ask her what she's
heard. He slung their computer briefcases from his shoulders, then grabbed
their suitcases on both hands and harried toward the terminal. He'd rather
exerted his anger carrying heavy luggage than punching the nearest car
window or kicking and damaging someone else's car. He had bad enough
reputation without causing such catastrophe. If he had a chance and
persistence to push Skinner to let them investigate more cancer researches,
Pentagon secrets and shadowy informants, maybe they made it on time. But
not this time. Not with this child. The truth was, twice before making up
his mind to head out to Scully's place as planned, he was going to ditch
Scully to go find his answers. He then remembered Melissa Scully's comment
that eventually saved them both. He had to do the same again. 

     "Mulder!" Scully's voice followed by the clicking pattern of her
high-heels told him she was still on the phone, and was trying to either
stop or slow him down. He did neither. "Mulder, wait up!" Her footsteps
neared, almost directly behind him. 

     "Hang it up, Scully. I don't wanna talk to anyone except you." Mulder
didn't bother slowing down, nor give a glance in her direction. He heard
her sigh as they went through the main double door and headed for the
ticket counter. He heard Scully mumble something, then hang up the phone. 

     "In case you're still wondering, we don't have much time, and I
...excuse me, where are we going?" Seeing Mulder going past their usual
counter, she asked him, she still followed at slow trot, now that she'd
retrieved her own luggage and struggled to keep up with her partner. He
only pointed to a spot far off with the point of his jaw. He still kept
silent, but when he finally met her gaze, his eyes were glassy. She shut up
at the sight, and didn't object when he gave her a brief second glance and
grabbed her suitcase again out of her hands. He picked his pace up again,
and now Scully was really at a half-run. 

     "I couldn't find a closer parking space." ...was all Mulder said. 

     "And I heard aliens are landing at the Lincoln Memorial and singing
at the Kennedy Center." Scully glared at her partner's back. 

     "This flight is the quickest one to get us there!" 

     "Where are we going, Mulder?!" 

     "Oakland, California!" Mulder answered. Scully grew more nervous as
they passed by most of the major commercial airlines. She kept following
him, deciding it useless to even attempt a conversation until they were at
least on board. But the moment she recognized the slim aircraft approaching
in the distance, she nearly dropped. 

     "Oh, no way!!" 

     "Yes, way!" Mulder declared, picking up his pace. 

     "How did you...?" Scully shut up again as she broke into a trot. Even
though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was ready to drop onto the
ground with exhaustion. She only hoped he would still be conscious by the
time they reached the gate. 

     "Skinner." Mulder answered just loud enough for her to hear. Scully
slowed down to digest the information, then picked up her pace again. 

     "Mulder! Slow down!" She yelled after him. At that moment Mulder
finally complied, panting. He was dripping with sweat, his face beet-red as
Scully expected. People stared at them, but they never stopped nor slowed
down. Scully was rather thankful for it, and she was sure Mulder was, too.
"Mulder? You're killing yourself. Sow down. I'm not going to carry you on
board." Scully declared, finally being close enough to touch him. "I'm
carrying my own luggage. Catch your breath before going anywhere." 

     "What if we get there too late?" 

     "We won't, Mulder." Scully tugged at his arm, thus slowing him to a
complete halt. She took her baggage and made Mulder sit down on a nearby
planter. "You're dangerously close to shock. Your pulse is racing, your
respiration is out of control, and I'm not in the mood to give you CPR." 

     "Okay, okay." Mulder raised his free hand in mock surrender. That
plane leaves in twenty." Mulder coughed furiously, gasping for air. Scully
undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt to the third button. Mulder closed
his eyes, and didn't protest Scully's ministrations. 

     "Are we still traveling under our own names?" 

     "Don't ask. At least we have a direct flight." 

     "Where are the tickets, Mulder? At the counter?" 

     "Yeah. I... I thought we should at last experience the famous super-
sonic flight." 

     "Concord isn't so pleasant. But I appreciate your concern." Scully
saw an empty indoor airport car coming their way, and quickly raised her
hand for it. Mulder stood up, now that he recovered enough. The car stopped
in front of her, and Mulder watched his partner explain their situations to
the driver, then took out her budge. 'I'm so smart.' Mulder thought and
watched as she motioned for him to get on. Scully hit the roof as she
glanced at the ticket price. "Mulder! This is too much!" She exclaimed as
they took their seats. 

     "Not when you have two sponsors. The federal government's paying
about one-third of the whole thing." 

     "I think I don't need to question you who's paying the rest? Jake
couldn't have possibly afforded this, and his firm is ready to cut him off
the rope." Mulder stayed quiet, and wiped the still-dripping sweat off of
his forehead. "I'll pay you back." Scully saw Mulder turn sharply to face
her. 

     "No!" Mulder replied a little too loudly, and got a few heads turned
his way. "I already owe you enough. Don't bring this up again." His tone
told her it was an order. Then his flushed face lost its color in an
instant. Scully noticed, but didn't need to ask the reason, because he
handed her his handkerchief. Mulder took a deep breath, realizing his
mistake. Scully dubbed at her nose, assuring him she was all right. But
Mulder wasn't handling it well at all. 

     "It's not your fault, Mulder. We needed to make it here in time." She
watched as he wiped his face with his hands, then stood up from the seat to
get some ice from the flight attendants. When he returned, the plane was
about to take off. 

     "I'm sorry, Scully. I'm really sorry." Mulder switched their seats so
Scully had the window seat, enabling Mulder to move quicker for any
emergency. 

     "Get used to it, Mulder. You know I'll always be fine. Remember
Bruckman's words." When he said nothing, she looked away and out of the
window. 

     "Scully? Do you think you can get some rest? We'll be in San
Francisco within two hours, anyway. It's not often that you get to sit in a
comfortable seat, Scully. Enjoy the extra space." He smiled, and handed her
the pillow and a blanket. Scully was about to open their unread case files,
and she wasn't going to put up with his babying her. She handed the blanket
and the pillow back to him, and told him to use them. 

     "You almost had a stroke back there, and if you keep this up you'll
kill yourself before start losing friends." Mulder contemplated her words
for a moment. 

     "Okay. I'll be quiet, and you'll have your peace. All right?" 

     "Sure, Mulder. I'll wake you." She didn't even look up from the
files. Mulder reclined his seat, and closed his eyes. "You're handful,
Mulder." She muttered before starting the next file. 

     "So are you, Scully." Mulder muttered before adjusting his position.
Scully chose not to deal with it, but didn't pull away when he reached for
her hand, holding it in his and resting them over his chest. And, figuring
she didn't need both hands to read files, she didn't remove it until the
touch-down. 

     Both Scully and Mulder didn't expect Agent Hall to be the welcome
wagon, especially with the chopper. 

     "Pilot's a friend of mine, and we had another FBI agent escorting a
witness in a drug-bust case coming in from Oakland this afternoon. We're
going there to pick her up, so I thought you'd better come with us." Hall
spoke as he loaded their luggage. Mulder let Scully in first before
following them inside. 

     "How have you been doing, Hall?" Scully asked, enjoying the young
man's blush. She knew Hall was very successful. Almost phenomenal, by the
looks of it. 

     "Pretty good, thank you. But to tell you the truth, I miss you two
too much." He answered, looking at the X-Files duo back and forth with the
same look of pure respect and adoration. Even Mulder softened up when Hall
was present. 

     "Are you coming with us to the hospital?" Mulder asked, not really
looking forward to what awaited for them. Hall shifted uncomfortably in the
seat. 

     "I'll try, but not right now. I'll get back to the office to grab
some stuff, and I'll join you if that's all right. Looked like you two
brought your homework, too." Mulder laughed nervously in response. He knew
Scully finished reading the three case files while he took the nap. They
were long way from getting any break. 

     "Jake said you visited him last week?" Scully jumped in, and Hall's
face lit up brighter to see her addressing him directly. Mulder almost
burst out laughing. 

     "Yes, I did. They were doing some kind of TV interview in a cemetery,
and Jake said he wanted you two with them. But you were on assignment." 

     "Yeah, we were pretty swamped." Mulder nodded. 

     "What TV interview? I hope it's not..." 

     "Oh. No, no. Don't worry, that's what Jake called me in for. He
needed someone from the bureau to explain to the TV network never to air it
until after the trials are over, and the verdicts are in." 

     "Or, else they face criminal prosecution?" Scully nodded with relief. 

     "Yes, and so as the photographs they took at a park." 

     "What?! I didn't know any of this." Mulder was now worried, and Hall
was sweating, trying to explain. 

     "Same deal, Agent Mulder. I t was a young woman and she's personal
friend of Jake's. They were doing pretty incredible stuff, from what I've
seen." 

     "Whatever they did, it's over already. Make sure he won't get out
again." Mulder sounded frustrated for being kept in the dark, and so was
Scully. 

     "The depositions and all else are going as smoothly as legally
possible." Hall said, facing Mulder. "I know you wanted your arrival as
discreet as possible, so no one knows about Jake calling except the people
you already met. Vera's been drawing again, and Jake's got about three,
four binders full of them. Some of them were of you and Agent Scully. I
laughed out loud when she included me. She's a real doll on the phone, too.
But so often I can't believe it's her, because she talks like any adult.
I've got a sister, and she was never at all like Vera when she was young." 

     "When are they taking off? If things go well?" Mulder asked, wanting
to divert the issue. Scully realized the problem instantly, and gave Hall a
reassuring smile. 

     "She's got two more trials to go. One in Sacramento, and another here
in San Francisco. They've arranged for another safehouse out of state but
within touching distance. If she does well enough, they should be departing
Wednesday, next week." 

     "That's only five days, Hall." Mulder narrowed his eyes. 

     "But she's stable and seemingly well. Besides you know these trials
won't be for another three weeks." Hall added as a reassurance, and Scully
glanced at Mulder. He neglected to consider how little Hall was informed of
Vera's actual medical conditions. 

     "Yeah, I know. Sorry, Hall. I didn't mean to forget." 

     "Agent Mulder, you never forget things. What's wrong?" Hall nailed
Mulder, a technique he acquired form the Jarvis' case. Mulder glance at
Scully literally like a fox trapped by a noose. Scully quickly moved to
cover her partner. 

     "We've been swamped with cases, Hall. Neither of us had much sleep
lately, and expect us to be this way for a while." 

     "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I hadn't been able to catch up with you
two too often, and I always underestimate your work load." Now Mulder felt
guilty. Hall was apologizing for a mistake he never made. It was them who
needed to apologize to Hall for keeping him in the dark. Scully picked up
on it. 

     "No, Hall. You have nothing to apologize about, and you never
underestimated us. Don't think of it like that. ...I have to confess you're
right. We haven't dispensed all the facts to you about Vera. But you have
all you need on the developments of this case." 

     "So, what don't I know?" 

     "Personal, confidential information bout the Kathlers. I'm sorry to
keep you in the dark." Scully gave the young agent an apologetic look, but
saw him shake his head no. 

     "That's out of my jurisdiction, Agent Scully. Sorry to push you. I've
had enough close contact with them both, so I know them enough. Hell, I
even know your mother, Agent Mulder. She still writes to me and I write her
back." This got Mulder's full attention. 

     "She what?!" His voice came out raspy from the shock. 

     "She writes to me. Every week. My own mother's not that close to me
any more, so it's refreshing. Talks about you all the time, but mostly I
enjoy her talking about herself." 

     "Uh... Ah, that's great, Hall. What does she like?" Mulder's question
got him an elbow on the ribs from Scully. Hall stared at him with
confusion. 

     "She loves soft jazz, and said she danced with you for hours. She
said you're a smooth dancer, and that she used to dance with her husband
before the craziness of motherhood came over her. I know they divorced. I
don't know ...was she talking about her second husband or something?" 

     "No, she only married once. To a Bill Mulder." 

     "Oh, right. She loves to cook, though not for herself. I know she's
active in church stuff, and some school bake-sale ...I miss her cookies the
most. She uses morasses in oatmeal cookies." 

     "Go on." Mulder was now staring down at his feet, his hands clasped
in front of him and supporting his head. Scully sighed inaudibly, silently
asking, 'why do you do this to yourself?' 

     "In one of the letters, she told me about poems she loves and some of
what she wrote by herself in collage. She's quite a renaissance woman." 

     "Uh-huh. And? Did she say anything about ... Anybody else in the
family?" Mulder was now in his interrogation mode, though only Scully
recognized it. 

     "Uh, she wasn't too big on her husband. But, she told me ...quite a
few of your childhood tales. Arguments you had with your sister about
stratego games and your science projects. Once your sister pulled down your
pajama bottom in front of the entire guest in one Christmas morning. Just
as they were taking a picture. Boy, did I relate to that one!" He was
genuinely laughing, and despite themselves, neither Scully nor Mulder could
contain their own laughter. 

     "Oh! Mothers! They always embarrass us kids." Mulder said, shaking
his head. 

     "She told me you ran so fast, she could feel the wind just by
watching you do it. And that whenever you played basketball, it went into
the goal like it knew where you want it to go." 

     "Funny, she never said that to me." Mulder answered honestly. "You
should spend some time with her, maybe. She seems to love you like her own
son, and frankly, I'm not too close to her. I feel more love coming from
Scully's mother. Mrs. Scully's a real treasure. Her kindness is never
something I can turn down." Scully blushed, though recognized Mulder's
hidden agenda. 

     "Yeah. You know, the woman raised two Navy boys and me, the FBI
agent. She's no ordinary mother." Scully tipped in, desperate to alleviate
Mulder's suffering. 

     "Oh, I can say the same about Mrs. Mulder. She even asked for my
photograph for her collection." Scully was at a complete loss, and dropped
her shoulders. It wasn't working. Mulder nodded appreciatively, though it
was all for show. A mask of pretense. She desperately wished Jake was here,
then remembered the topic of family was also a painful one for the man. 

     "I'm sure yours is already up on the wall." Mulder commented. His
tone was so smooth, no one except Scully could register the bitterness
behind his words. Hall smiled innocently, breaking Scully's heart further.
"Why aren't you close to your mother?" Mulder couldn't help asking. Scully
gave him a look of caution. Hall's expression darkened. 

     "Uh, she died. About ten, eleven years ago. A robbery. A random shot.
That's probably why I wanted to be in law enforcement." Mulder was
immediately sorry he asked. No wonder Hall enjoyed having his mother as a
company. 

     "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. But, I can tell she loved you
very much. Or else you wouldn't be here with us." Mulder the person
returned, and Scully recognized the deep compassion now held in his eyes.
The look that always made her feel warmer and safer. 

     "No. It's fine, Agent Mulder. The guy's in jail. She's ...well, your
mother is asking me to come over for Thanksgiving dinner, and during the
Christmas holidays, but I didn't want to go that far without asking you
first." Hall seemed to finally notice what Mulder's problem was. Mulder
shook his head no. 

     "She's her own person, Hall. I'm glad for both of you. Good company
is tough to find, so enjoy each other as much as you want. I'm afraid the
X-Files keep me on my toes. Even on holidays." 

     "Are you sure it's all right? I'm usually invited to my sister's..." 

     "Fine, Hall. I told you once, and I'm not going to repeat it again. I
hardly say what I don't mean." 

     "Oh. That's great. To be honest with you, I didn't think I could
afford to follow my sisters to Paris." 

     "Paris?" Mulder and Scully asked simultaneously. 

     "Yeah. Her husband is an actor and a fashion model." 

     "Oh, figures. Paris is a mecca for them." Scully nodded. 

     "And you know, 'you'll always have Paris'." Mulder managed to joke.
"Really, Hall. Thinking about how old my Mom is, I think it is better if
you spend the holidays with her. You're doing me a favor." Mulder replied,
opening up his arms lightly in the gesture of welcome. 

     "Thanks you, Agent Mulder. I'll be honored." Hall spoke with his
radiant smile, just what Mulder returned. Scully wondered if Mulder was
glad to find someone who could be her friend or even a son in her mind,
without getting into arguments. 'Because' Scully thought, 'now Mulder won't
have to feel too bad about her?' It was a question he didn't have any way
answering. 

     "Hey, Thomas! We're here!" The pilot called out just in time, and all
three snapped into action as if on cue. 

Prescott Hospital Vera's ICU
Oakland, CA
Five Minutes Later
 
     "So. Tell us, Jake. What happened this time?" Scully asked after
their usual round of hugs and Jake's kisses on Scully's cheeks. 

     "She ...had a nosebleed on the witness stand while testifying. She
almost dropped into another hyper-volemic shock. Dr. Claiborne's been with
us for a long time after Clive Shaw's recovery. Vera's stabilized now, and
she was just fine a couple of days ago when Hall came to see us." Jake
seemed clearly shaken, but composed. Mulder broke away from he group first,
and directly went inside Vera's room. He leaned heavily on the back of the
door, deflated. Vera didn't look stable at all. He couldn't even believe
she was strong enough to take the stand again in five days. 'No wonder Jake
freaked out' Mulder thought as he tried to find the strength to face her,
to reach for her. He took her hand in his, and squeezed it firmly. He hoped
her mind-scan still worked. 

     "Vera? It's Fox Mulder. I'm here with Hall and Scully. Skinner
couldn't be here today, but I'm sure he wanted to come. I know you have
been having hard times lately, and so did we. Scully's right outside, and
she'll come in to watch over you." Mulder wanted to cry. Vera reminded so
much of Scully in her hospital bed, after she was returned. Pale, lots of
tubes and IVs, ugly tapes here and there covering her face. Her skin was
much less smooth than before, her cheeks were showed much deeper harrow
than he remembered. He wanted to see her eyes again, but they were now
hidden behind the heavy lids. Dark circles under the eyes grew two shades
darker. Mulder wondered if Scully should see Vera in this state, because he
wasn't sure if she could handle seeing another abductee like Penny
Northern, and very likely herself, fade away before her eyes. 

     "Vera? I know you maybe scared right now, because if I were you, I'll
be scared. But you're the most courageous person I know. I think you know
we love you. And I think that you know how much we want you around. Jake's
been around you a lot, because you're the person he needs the most. There's
something I haven't told you bout, but it's something you drew and probably
heard about. Dana was take from me, much the same manner you have been
taken. When she was returned to us, her sister told me something that saved
both of us. That I have to be with her if I want her back. Instead of
chasing after these people responsible for the crime. Well, I was going to
go. I wasn't going to come here at first, because I was desperate for the
cure to your cancer. I don't know if I've done the right thing by coming
here. But I love you, so I did. For Dana, I knew I was doing the right
thing, because she's the most important person in my life. For Jake, you're
the most important person in his life. I need you to tell me, Vera. Or at
lest give me a sign that tells me where I need to go. I have a few leads on
how to find the cure. But my heart is with you and Dana. And I know she
wants me here. Just ... Command me, Vera. As you wish. Where would you like
me to be? This time, I can't decide. If I had a clone, I'd let him run
around for me, but unfortunately I don't." Mulder knew what he was asking,
and its unreasonable demand. But honestly he had no time to spare, and with
Vera, only she can decide what was right for Mulder to do for her. 

     "Vera? Until you can answer me, I'll be here beside you. With Dana
and Jake and Hall. But I need you to know, that whatever your answers may
be, I'll follow without regret." Mulder wanted her to wake up. But after
staring the same spot for ten minutes without a response, he let Jake back
in and Mulder took his seat in a chair outside the room. Scully was
catching up with Dr. Claiborne on the new cancer researches, not
exclusively on the serum they found, but about a field research being held
in a research camp in the Amazon rain-forests. Understandably enough, many
cancer vaccines and medicine candidates were found among rain-forest plants
and insect species that are mostly on the endangered species list, or
unfortunately already extinct. It was no surprise Dr. Claiborne was on top
of it. 

Jake's House
Oakland, CA
6 AM Pacific Time
 
     The party continued way into the wee hours of the night until around
4AM or 5AM, people began dropping out. Of those, many were loaded into cabs
and their friends' cars. They began with a houseful of guests including
Jake's business partners now that he was finally able to return to work.
Now the only person remained awake was the host of the party, Jake Kathler. 

     "Elly's going to kill us." Jake joked more than once, but she was
present and so was her entire family. Jake had given her an weekend off as
well as a large bonus 'for putting up with all this shit'. He even refused
her offer of helping him with the clean-up after the party. It was a three-
day weekend, and he reasoned she was probably entitled to month-long, paid
vacation by now. Jake would have given it to her if she didn't insist on
staying with him. He began picking up the pieces of confetti papers and the
'We Won!' banner that Alex's old friends made for the occasion. He was
returning inside and was about to start sweeping the floors when he spotted
Fox Mulder, tired but refreshed at the same time, volunteering for the job
himself. Jake didn't resist the man's offer. It felt strange being in the
host's position when the party itself was for whoever involved except
himself. He never was in a party mood. Not after what happened. Not after
three months and probably never, after losing Vera. 

     As for the verdicts, they weren't exactly an all-round victory. None
of the criminal cases was ever to be, but it still hurt. On the day of the
final verdict for the final criminal trial, the courtroom was packed and so
as the surrounding area of the courthouse. Anyone within two blocks radius
trying to get past the traffic suffered the consequence. Mulder told Jake
he had never seen such a large crowd gathering in his entire career. 

     "Ready for this?" Jake asked Mulder then, who looked around the
packed courtroom and took a deep breath. 

     "As ready as I will ever be. No one's prepared for 'this'." Mulder
indicated the crowd. 

     "I'm so ready for it, I can smell it." Jake declared. 'The desperate
need to put a closure', Mulder thought. The fourth trial was added after
the Grand Canyon incident ended in a two-week long stakeout by a very
capable local police and Skinner's SWAT team leading to the four arrests
and prosecution. X-Files duo was left out of the court proceedings because
they weren't involved in it in the first place, and because Agent Steele
was more than willing to fill in the details. Jake wanted them all in jail.
He got his wish. Four jury panels, four foremen reading verdicts, and four
judges adjourning the courts at last. There was half a dozen ten-year jail
sentences, two twenty-year sentences, and two five-year sentences with
five-years probation, all of them without a chance of parole. 

     There were nearly ten defendants charged in civil court from these
criminal trials, each requiring another set of testimony and possibly
appeals. 

     "No way. There's just ...no fucking way I'm gonna put you two and
Elly through this shit." Jake muttered in despair to Mulder, but he had no
choice in the matter, considering the requests and complaints filed against
him by his firm accountant and the French architectural firm lawyers. The
prosecution team told Jake it was a rather easy win, because the criminal
trials were closed with such success. They would hand over the lengthy
files and transcripts from the criminal trials to the civil prosecution
counselor's office. Jake asked whether these trials involved what "they"
did to agents Scully and Mulder. He was told whatever happened to the
federal agents involved during the investigation was done "on the line of
their duty", and thus in a way, expected and understood as risks
accompanying their jobs. The defendants who attacked Mulder mistaken for
Jake had already been prosecuted for "assaulting federal law enforcement
officials" in their criminal trials. Jake nodded, understanding the matters
were not just about him and those women subjected to the illegal tests. If
he was being told nothing was to be done for the agents, he'd have told the
lawyers to drop the civil suits. 

     Jake remembered about why civil suits had to be filed before she
passed away. He was still at the house, the day before the interview with
McDarmont at the cemetery. They were arguing, not as father and daughter,
but as two individuals standing on the equal ground, about the legitimacy
of Vera's idea of going on with the civil trials over a pitcher of fresh
lemonade and a bag of pretzels. 

     "Vera, I know what you are trying to do for me, but you know how much
I want you to stop worrying. You know how much I want you out of this
trouble, and you know how much I love you. Criminal trials are enough of
the burden for you." Jake didn't want Vera misunderstanding him. "In this
country no one is above the law. It won't be as bad as the last time,
because the bad guys are already in jail. No one's gonna chase us around
with guns and bombs. No one's going to drag us around the country trying to
hide us. But still, you'll have to listen to me talk about all my problems.
I want you to enjoy every day as it comes. There's a whole lot better ways
to spend a day." He tried to convince her but she kept refusing to give in. 

     Vera guided him to the long couch and he lay down with her resting on
his chest. "Jake? These charges were brought against those bad guys to
cover the damages done to us, right? Fox and Dana were attacked, and we all
came close to losing our lives. If it's to say, 'hey, you made the mess,
you clean it up', so the bad guys lose their licenses, titles and
privileges... They can't be doctors, soldiers, professors or detectives
ever again... Then let's just do this." Vera's show of intelligence always
made Jake look at her with awe. 

     "Vera, there are reasons I want us out of these trials. These trials
are for covering damages they've done to us. Damages as in cost, or price,
of things. Like my car, the house, and both our medical bills, let alone
Stella's medical bills. Now, I know what you're thinking. I didn't get
involved in all this to get money off of it. You have to trust me. I was
perfectly willing to just take care of you on my own, but it was before I
expected the case to go to this extent. I was so busy on surviving, I
completely ignored what was to follow." 

     "These bad guys are the ones who put us through hell. They need to
pay their debt to us." Jake had no idea where she learned to speak this
way, but she was doing it now. Vera was no-nonsense, confident, and
brutally honest. Jake then remembered her comments about wanting to be like
Dana Scully, and snickered thinking how things progressed. He watched Vera
build a house with the wood blocks, then gave her a hand once in a while as
she watched him remodel it. Jake lay on his back and stared at their
progressing joint project. It was much easier to distract himself a little
when talking about something he didn't really want to. 

     "There is something called actual damage, and punitive damage. I want
to only request the actual damage and not the latter. Actual damages are
the things that needs to be paid no matter what. Like the medical bills,
for example. Punitive damage is simply a sympathy vote from the jury. I
don't know if you know any civil rights violation trials where the
plaintiff got millions in damages, but that's not what I want. I could
request it and put the money somewhere useful. This is your case, Vera. I
know I'm the adult and other adults talk to me for advise, but this is
essentially your case." 

     "You're scared." Vera's statement threw him off. 

     "Scared? I'm terrified. About what? Take your pick, because there's
just too many reasons." 

     "Those people who you said won millions for their pain. And you're
scared because you think other people will think you've done all this for
money. That, money's the only thing on your mind from the beginning." 

     "Exactly." 

     "But you can't decide because your friends at work need money because
you were out for six months. And they're pushing you to get it so your
office can be richer, and they'll want you back." 

     "Right again." 

     "And you're thinking Elly won't have to work if you got the money and
gave it to her family." 

     "Keep hitting the jackpot, and machine's gonna break down." 

     "And you're afraid I'll be hospitalized again and die if I had to go
through trials again." 

     "What?! Vera, I..." 

     "Jackpot." Her tone told him to tell the truth or suffer her wrath. 

     "...All right. Yes, right on. Again." Jake surrendered, and now he
was begging for mercy. 

     "Jake, what's a back pay?" Jake dropped his head again on the soft
pillows, defeated. 

     "Back pay, is something I can request in the 'actual damage'
category. It's the money a person has lost because of his or her absence
from work. In other words, it's the amount of money you would have been
making if you weren't in trouble." 

     "Okay." Vera nodded, and stared down at his face from her kneeling
position on the floor. 

     "So, I was thinking when I get that, Elly gets paid enough. I've
given her bonuses, so that must've covered much of her own expense. And
when she was away from her house and her family, the government provided
for her essentials. ...Am I being too adult here?" 

     "No, I understand it." Jake rolled his eyes. There was practically
nothing she couldn't understand. Especially after the criminal trials
began, she listened to lawyers and witnesses talk in professional manners,
exhibiting evidences written in professional language, and talking with
adults including Warren, police officials, court reporters and the judges.
Her already-exceptional language acquisition skills enabled her to level
her communication to everyone around her. No one could take her in an
argument and expect to win. 

     "I'm sorry, Vera. I'm really, terribly sorry. I never wanted you
thinking about what costs how much. I don't want you feeling any stress
whatsoever. Just think about yourself. I want you with me every day. And I
don't want to use you to get money off of you. I know you know that's not
my motivation. But it's kind of the same thing." 

     "Don't over protect me. I did it once, I can do it again. I probably
won't be there to hear the verdict with you and Dana and Fox, but you'll be
all right, because you're not alone. You never had to do all this from the
beginning. But you did, because you wanted to see them punished, and
because you knew I needed you. Now it's my turn." This couldn't be a ten-
year old talking. 'No way', Jake thought, then realized Vera was reading it
as her eyebrows furrowed. "Jake? Don't give me that crap." He sputtered out
a laugh. He crashed her body to his, feeling her magic hands gently wrap
over his face. 

     "They all know I was financially stable before all this happened. I
don't want new enemies, Vera. And I don't want people judging us because of
it." 

     "Then, tell them. Make that short snobby man read your financial
statements tell everybody what hell we went through. You never deserved
this. You never had to get kicked around. You never deserved to be bullied
in court. You never had to pay for all our medical bills. You never had to
find my parents. And, you never had to spend every single day at the
hospital with me." Jake took a deep breath, the harrow of his torso rising
an falling in response. It was a while before Jake felt confident to face
and speak to Vera without breaking into a wail. 

     "Answer me truthfully. Are you sure you can do this? I'm ready to go
to the end of the earth and walk through the furnaces of hell a hundred
times over for you. But I never want you doing the same for me." 

     "Jake. Dad. Listen." Jake blinked with surprise. This was only the
third time she called him "Dad", indicating she was dead serious. She
smiled at his reaction. "I can, and I should do it with you." 

     "...Thank you." Jake kissed her on her cheeks and forehead before
standing up and picking up the phone to start calling. 

     That was only two weeks before she collapsed for the last time, in
the car on their way back. 

     And now, standing in the middle of an empty house after he saw the X-
Files duo off at the airport, called his civil suit lawyers and cleaned the
house best he could, he went to an exhaustion-induced sleep next to Stella.
No battle can be won if the leader was too tired.

Dana Scully's Apartment
Annapolis, Virginia
Date Unknown 11:21 PM Eastern Time
 
     The knock on the door was persistent, and when she refused to answer,
she heard the door open. And she sighed. 

     "Mulder?! What are you doing in here? Something wrong?" She asked as
she ran a quick check of his condition. 'No broken bones, no bruises, nor
lacerations'. It had to be something from the inside. 'Another case-induced
fatigue? Nightmares? False leads? Threats?' Scully was clueless. 

     They wrapped up the two pending cases during the Kathler civil
trials, sneaking into the courts only when they were required. The
procedures had gone smoothly since the jury knew what defendants were
guilty for. And in the end half the defendants simply plead guilty to
lighten their burdens. But still, it was relieving to see Jake worry-free
from the mounting pile of medical bills as well as the lost income for his
firm and for Elly. They've been surprised to learn Jake refused to get the
replacement for his white BMW, settling for instead a new Jeep Cherokee, so
he, Stella, even some friends including Elly, her family, and colleagues,
could travel around on weekends and time-offs. 

     The X-Files department received an unexpected double increase in its
budget, which the department gratefully accepted. They cerebrated it in the
finest French restaurant in D.C. that night, but they cut the cerebration
short to spare the rest for Jake's skyscraper opening ceremony on location.
The building was finished on schedule, thus been done for the past half
year. But the building owners used the other six months to decorate their
new building for business, that nothing was officially open until the
little cerebration at the entrance of the building. The building had
consisted of ninety-five floors plus three basement floors. Mulder and
Scully could hardly recognize the magnificent building that stood before
them. It was, when they saw it last time, a skeleton. It was surrounded by
piles of dirt, loud bulldozers and cranes operated by hundreds of sweating
men. Now all that stood before them was a perfectly presentable sky
scraper. 

     "Wow." They commented simultaneously. 

     Now that they've returned home and things were slowly returning as
normal as they could be, Scully observed her partner carefully. His trouble
in sleeping receded, but she knew the 'something' he told her about months
ago was haunting him again. 

     "Mulder? I asked you what was wrong this time." Scully repeated the
question. 

     "Nothing, really. I just couldn't sleep." Mulder grinned sheepishly. 

     "What's wrong?" Her concern never changed. 

     "Technically, nothing." His sheepish grin also remained. She nodded
slowly in mock agreement. 

     "Did you come to invite me to an exotic party in your place with your
high-tech cyber-porno bimbos?" This had to level with Mulder's old, 'Does
this have anything to do with the tooth found in the cafeteria jello?' She
was rewarded with an open-mouthed frown from him. 

     "I'm impressed, Scully. Sorry to disappoint you, but I just came to
drop these off." Mulder said, taking out from his briefcase several video
cassette tapes. Scully eyed them as if they'd spring up and bite her. 

     "What are they?" 

     "Let me use your VCR and you'll know." 

     "Fine, I'll get the coffee. Don't expect me to be in my best mood
tomorrow morning." 

     "Since when are you in good mood?" This got Mulder a slight kick in
his leg. 

     "Ow! Sorry. I didn't mean it like that." 

     "Then how the hell did you mean?!" Her irritation finally broke
through her professionalism. 

     "Nothing. Just a mean tease. ...Watch them, and you'll know what they
are about." 

     "Was there anything else? Like a note or something attached to it?" 

     "Yeah, just this." Mulder said, this time tossing on the table a
cassette tape. "Voice messages from our friends." 

     "Play that first, then." She said pouring coffee into mugs and
stirring in cream for hers. Mulder walked over to her entertainment center,
and inserted the cassette into its slot. 

     "Fox? Dana? It's me, the world's most obnoxious and feared ten-year
old. I just wanted to tell you before you start watching the tapes, that
I'm innocent of any wrong-doing. It's not my idea, and it's not my fault he
kept it quiet. We miss you, and come visit us as often as you can. That's
all, bye." 

     "...When was this recorded? It has to be at least five months old"
Scully asked, still frozen on the spot at hearing the sweet voice taken
away from them not too long ago. Mulder shook his head. He didn't know.
Soon the familiar voice of Jake Kathler came through the speakers. 

     "Mulder and Dana? It's Jake. Look, I don't know what Vera recorded,
but I made a promise I won't listen to it. Anyway, this was something I've
started doing since our reunion with Elly and Stella at my house. I hope
you won't kill me over this. It's just that we were having so much fun, I
thought it was too good to let go. I don't have photographic memory,
Mulder. I want reminders. 

     "...Anyway, Mulder I hope you are okay now that everything's been
taken care of. Well, except for a few ongoing stuff, but oh boy, we won't
dare go there now. I hope Dana's okay, too. You scared us on the stand last
month. Speaking of scares, Vera's okay now, she's out of the hospital.
Playing basketball with me and Stella. Come visit us on holidays if you
can. I remodeled the house a bit. Nothing too big, just added some features
for Vera. And, I'll send you official invitations for Vera's art exhibition
ceremony at the National Children's Art Museum. You really ought to see
this. Hall's going to be there for this, too. I miss you all. Hell, I even
miss Skinner. Come on by. We'll be here." Scully looked toward Mulder,
whose eyes were as expected, swollen red. No doubt they were filled with
tears before he couldn't take it any longer and rushed out of his
apartment. Scully swallowed hard, and excused herself. Mulder didn't
object, and stayed quiet as she washed up and went for another cup of
coffee. 

     "...What did he do, Mulder?" Scully's tone was a forced laughter. He
shrugged, and picked up the first of the three tapes. 

     "Watch and learn." He said, pushing 'Play' button on the VCR. Scully
looked back at Mulder wearily, and saw that behind the sadness, he had the
'I know something you don't know' child-like smirk. The tapes were, as Jake
indicated, the scenes from their reunion after coming home from the
hospital with them. The memories were too vivid in Mulder's mind as he
remembered how the events had turned out to be after that fateful phone
call from Skinner detailing that Jake had made a mistake of dealing with
Cancer Man in the dark. That part was carefully cut however, and the tape
started once Mulder made up with angry Stella. Scully remembered that day
in detail, and smiled fondly at seeing herself and Elly enjoying themselves
in the kitchen as Mulder and Jake enjoyed Vera's presence. 

     "Jake's right, you know. Good memories shouldn't be forgotten."
Scully said as she patted Mulder's arm. 


Department of X-Files Office of Fox Mulder
J. Edgar Hoover Building Basement Floor
Washington, D.C.
Exact Date Unknown 11 AM
 

     "Mulder, what is this? Another pet project from Jake?" Dana Scully
asked Mulder who laughed and shrugged. 

     "Arrived here this morning. I haven't seen it, yet. And you know what
else? The sender's address and name is a documentary television network." 

     "Why do I have a bad feeling about this, Mulder?" 

     "Oh, come on. You know Kathler's not stupid enough to 'tell it all'.
And there's another package arrived today, but it's at my apartment. It's
some kind of book and a thick manila envelope. They were from Jake. I'll
bring them by your house tonight." 

     "Okay, I'll take my chances." Mulder gave her his trade-mark grin,
and inserted the tape. Scully pulled up a chair and sat next to Mulder. 

     "Chips and beer?" Mulder asked, grinning wider. 

     "Don't push it, Mulder." Scully warned, snatching the remote control
out of his hand. 

     "Fine. Press 'Play' and it'll come." Mulder said as he reached out to
his desk lamp and turned it off. 

     The tape contained the un-cut, un-censored, typical documentary
television network interview session. The tape nearly ran one hour and a
half in between the 'oops' and 'cut that part out', and the 'uh's. The note
attached was written by their interviewer McDarmont, saying "This is the
unedited version, but the actual broadcast will be done according to Mr.
and Miss Kathler's request. Keep this copy for your reference." 

     "Think we should let Skinner watch this?" Mulder managed to utter
without choking from tears as the tape finished. 

     "Sure. Why not? It was directed to all of us." Scully also managed to
say without falling apart. She patted her partner on his shoulder, and
stood up from her chair to go freshen up. Mulder was sure from the looks of
it that the camera man had kept the camera rolling even after the
interviewer gave him a stop call. The sight of Jake and Vera sitting in
front of the headstones holding each other close, was a little too much for
Mulder. He visited the graves months ago, asking the Jarvis' to watch over
them. And now they were there. Both of them. No matter how short it lasted,
they were there. 

     "We did it." He muttered to himself as he pressed the 'Rewind'
button. 

     "Did what?" Scully asked, making Mulder turn around. 

     "We did it, Scully. They're telling their story. Their personal
stories. Free of the lawyers leading them." Mulder repeated as he
approached her in two large strides. Scully smiled, closing her eyes and
nodding. "We're an amazing pair, Scully." 

     "And we'll do it again, partner." She said, looking up and gently
bumping Mulder on the side. When he moved to give her a hug, she resumed
the position for a little longer, and Mulder didn't break the contact. But
soon he was at the door, grabbing his jacket and motioning for her to get
the tape that rewound. 

     "Think Skinner's gonna try to stop the broadcast?" 

     "I don't think so. Documentary television networks have rights."
Mulder answered as he pressed the 'Up' button of the elevator. 


Apartment of Dana Scully
Annapolis, Virginia
7 PM Same Day
 
     Mulder knocked on the door, but didn't bother waiting for her to open
the door. He let himself in and dropped off the cardboard box on her dining
table. Mulder opened the contents after losing a battle with his curiosity.
He also had a file folder, unmarked and new. Nothing official. 

     "Mulder!? You should at least tell me it's you in there!" Scully
yelled from her restroom. 

     "Sorry, Scully. My arm was cramping from the heavy box." Mulder
replied, walking into her kitchen and starting the coffee machine. 

     "Okay. I'll be right there." Scully's voice came out giving another
minute or two for the coffee to be ready. Mulder had no idea how to tell
her why he was so restless or frustrated lately. Scully would shoot him
again, and have him cuffed to keep him from what he was going to do in the
morning. But he already made up his mind. He needed more desperately than
ever to know his answers. It was back to the old game of hide and seek.
Find answers kept hidden and bring them out into light. He only wished he
had courage leveled with the late Vera Kathler. She put herself through
hell to recover her memories, insisting to be put under each time someone
tried to talk her out of it. 

     In the past two months, between the civil courts and paper work aside
from their new cases, followed by more courts and paperwork for other
closed cases, Mulder came across a supposedly- reliable new memory recovery
technique. He contacted the doctor in charge and the man readily agreed to
take his case "to the extreme". Mulder knew about as much of the treatment
methods as anyone can without actually going through with it. He knew it
posed high risks of cardiovascular damages as well as psychological and
neurological damages. For all he knew, it could be a bogus and the doctor
could be Cancer Man himself. But he had to know. He had to know how exactly
Samantha was taken, why the file was changed from his to Samantha's name,
and who really took her. It was also his chance to know what roles his
parents played in the array of conspiracies and deaths and cover-ups he and
Scully have been subjected to. He knew if he recovered enough of what
happened by going deeper into his youth, he will finally know the truths,
and maybe put a stop to his nightmares. He was done waiting for hints that
toyed with him. It was time to cut through the chase. 

     He was so intent on trying to come up with the explanations for his
pending absence from their office tomorrow, he didn't notice Dana Scully
staring into his eyes until she began furrowing her eyebrows. 

     "Oh. Sorry, Scully. Just thinking. I started the coffee, and I
brought the Rolling Stones, 'Stripped' with me. I have the books and
photos, and background check on Kate Lyons." 

     "Mulder? Are you okay?" She wasn't fooled by his discoursing her. 

     "Sure. Why wouldn't I be? ...You know, the interview video had me
remembering stuff." Mulder managed to say as he returned to Scully's living
room couch and sat down. Scully sighed and let her shoulder s drop,
deciding whatever bothered him, he would tell her eventually. 

     "Okay, what stuff?" She tested the waters. 

     "Stuff like, how she smiled. How she picked our brains, and how she
made people laugh and cry at the same time." 

     "Vera?" Scully asked as she handed him a mug of fresh black coffee.
Mulder nodded and swallowed the hot liquid. 

     "Yeah. I miss her." It was not an entirely truthful answer. But it
wasn't a complete lie, either. 

     "So, what was in the package?" Apparently, Mulder wasn't the only one
feeling his pain. 

     "Just what I told you. The photos are exceptional, by the way. We
ought to frame them and hang them up in our apartments. But they'll stay
out of our offices. Never know who walks in there these days." Mulder said
bitterly. 

     "But it's a matter of public record..." 

     "I can't stand the thought of that son of a bitch breathing on the
photos as he picks them up from our desks and stare at them. I can't."
Mulder saw Scully's expression change to that of disgust. 

     "You're right. Who knows what that does to the photos?" 

     "Not to mention the frames." Mulder said as he slid the photos out of
the manila envelope. Immediately, Mulder heard her gasp, and saw her
expression. Her mouth was in the perfect "O" shape. Mulder released a slow
laughter. 

     "Amazing, aren't they?" 

     "Oooh, Mulder. They're definitely going up on mine and my mother's
walls!" 

     "They don't belong in the offices, believe me." 

     "No. They're too good." 

     "So, which ones do you want? I'm sorry to say there's no solo shot.
But I'm glad Stella's included. She saved my life." 

     "Looks like they shot them in two places. Canoga Park and at his
house." 

     "Scully, there's also a note of captions, typed but still separate
from the others." Mulder said as he handed her the one page document filled
with size nine fonts. Scully chuckled soon as she recognized the titles
marked above the caption in bold letters. Mulder nodded knowingly as she
smiled at him. 

     "Pretty sneaky, huh? They're all titles of songs Vera loved." 

     "I don't know if there's any secret message in the titles or lyrics
of these songs, but we don't have time to look for them all. It's probably
just one of Jake's mind games." Scully said. There were total of twenty
black-and-white photographs, all of them to be distributed separately to
carefully selected photo galleries and publishers of professional
photography books. They were also to be shipped out to cancer research
fund-raisers and various conferences including the one for supporters of
alien abductees. It was still a sore spot that they never could mention the
word 'alien abduction' or 'alien abductee', not to mention
'Extraterrestrial Biological Entities" in official court transcripts or
files. This photo-shoot must have been the Kathlers' best attempt to
address the issue. 

     The first photograph Scully selected for herself was titled "Building
A Mystery". Jake and Vera were lying on their backs on the polished
hardwood floor of Jake's house. They were both focusing on the pile of wood
blocks in front of them about to be made into a building or a castle. Jake
had his grey dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves as he watched vera adding
another piece on the pile. The camera captured the lights in their eyes as
well as the sunlight escaping through the polished edges of the colorful
wood blocks creating patches of pale spot on their faces and their clothes.
The angle was perfect, missing nothing without showing too much. A close
examination of the photos proved it to be Kate Lyons' style. 'No wonder
Jake chose her', Mulder thought. 

     Scully also selected "Power of Two", which had Jake and Vera lying
flat on their stomachs on the carpet of green grass of the park, both
smiling brightly in the sun. Then she selected "Ode To My Family" which was
shot at Jake's kitchen with Elly during one of their dinner proportions,
both Jake and Vera helped Elly peel vegetables with a knife and a peeler
for Vera. She then selected two more to be shipped out to her mother. First
being, "Return to Innocence" which had Vera, Jake and Stella running and
rolling around on the grass of the park, both laughing to the point of
gagging. Pieces of grass were sticking to their clothes and hair. Vera had
Jake nailed to the ground and tickling him while Stella had her paws on his
shoulders to hold him down and mop his face. 

     Vera looked so happy, and so incredibly true as her name sake, in all
of them. The second photo she picked for her mother was titled "Disarm". In
it, Jake, Stella, and Vera lay sleeping on Jake's hardwood floor in front
of the TV set, just as she saw them do on many nights. Jake was sleeping on
his side, his arm draped over Vera and the other stretching out to barely
touch Stella's head. When Margaret Scully heard about them, she once said
she should meet them sometime in the future. That idea remains to this day,
even after Vera's passing. 

     They decided that the rest should go to Skinner and whatever left
should be sent back or filed in the very thick X-Files relating to the
Kathlers and the Jarvis'. Mulder picked three of them, having had all of
them memorized by his photographic memory. First one he selected was "How
Can I Keep From Singing?" which had Vera singing in the park, under a tree
with Stella trying to mimic her by howling. It made him laugh, and he just
had to have it. The second one was "This Little Light Of Mine", which was
the song Vera was singing in her hospital room. In the photo, Vera was
about to blow out a candle standing over a piece of a large cupcake. The
candle light was the only illumination in photo, enhancing her expression
of wonder and delight. Even Stella's white and black spotted coat was
almost invisible. Stella's head was laying on the table right next to the
cup cake and her eyes in the dim light were filled with expectation and
temptation. Mulder chuckled at the image. Kate Lyons was a genius for
coming up with these ideas. The last one he selected was titled "I Shall
Believe", which had Jake and Vera sitting next to each other at Jake's work
desk, only Vera's drawings replaced Jake's blue prints. Mulder noticed one
of them had the vague shapes of the little EBEs surrounding Vera standing
in front of them, communicating. Jake and Vera were looking into each
other's eyes intensely. There was no doubt where this one ends up being
exhibited / published. Mulder already handed a copy of most of the Kathler
file to the Lone Gunmen, but they've been wanting pictures, and this was a
perfect one for them. 

     Just when he was putting the remaining photographs into the box,
Mulder changed his mind and picked another one called "Over the Rainbow",
as in the song she sand to. In this shot, Vera and Jake were at the park,
and was looking over the scenery from a treetop. Vera was pointing at
something in the distance, and Jake had his head lowered, almost touching
Vera cheek to cheek, in order to level his eyes with hers. Mulder had a
little hesitation picking anything with Jake in it, because they looked so
much alike, despite Jake's providing cover for Mulder in the interview.
After he placed the photos, he handed her the books. 

     "These are the books these photos are sent to. The photos aren't in
them, yet. I did a little digging into Miss Lyons' history, and found
Jake's statements to be true. She had an extra-marital affair with Jake,
and didn't keep it a secret for obvious reason. She claims they split up
clean and became friends. She's left her multi-millionaire husband. But she
also managed to do this clean, and he's invited Jake for the annual Masai
Tribe charity for the past two years. I promised to her this background-
check file will remain locked up in the X-File with the photos." 

     "Does Jake know about your little snooping around?" 

     "Nope. And this is where the line is drawn. It was only as a
precautional measure so if someone in Consortium gets a little neurotic
about lints on their black coats, we'll know who to protect and where to
go." 

     Scully examined the song titles listed on the accompanying sheet.
"Building A Mystery" by Sarah MacLachlan, "I Shall Believe" by Sheryl Crow,
"Ode To My Family" by Cranberries, "Power Of Two" by Indigo Girls, "This
Little Light Of Mine" by The Steele, "Return To Innocence" by Enigma,
"Disarm" by Smashing Pumpkins, and "How Can I Keep From Singing?" by Enya. 

     "Quite a collection, I should say." She muttered. 

     "Not all of these songs are my taste, but they are good in their own
ways." Mulder added, pouring his fourth cup of coffee and still wondering
what he should say to her as an excuse for being absent the next day. He
decided to let Skinner give her whatever the excuse the man could come up
with. Scully was going to see Skinner in the next morning anyway. Mulder
felt incredibly guilty for ditching her again by his personal reasons. He
just couldn't pass up a chance he's been waiting for all his life. To
finally learn the truth, or figments of that absolute truth, behind his own
memories. As he returned to her couch, it dawned on him that this could be
the very last time he could see Dana Scully as himself. Before the
treatment changes him into something different or kills him off. He turned
the volume of her stereo up a little, and fast-forwarded the tape until he
hit just the right one. Scully looked at him wearily for a few seconds
before deciding not to ask what really bothered him, and took his offered
hand for a dance. 


Office of Assistant Director Skinner,
J. Edgar Hoover Building
Washington, D.C. Next Day
 
     When he was delivered the photos, Skinner only selected two of them.
One was "Full of Grace", capturing Vera busy at work facing a sketch book
full of doodles, mostly of the alien alphabets and an unmistakable scene of
the Grand Canyon. No doubt trying to draw from her memory of their "great
escape". The other one was titled "Touch", showing Vera working magic with
her hands on Stella's face, her expression looking ready to melt into her
hand. Skinner knew the feeling. There was one titled "What A Difference
Today Makes", that showed Jake shouldering Vera and walking through the
Canoga Park. Stella stood on her hind legs and was busy catching dog
biscuits thrown from Vera's hand in the air. After a little consideration,
he took the photo, and thanked Scully. She nodded and returned to their
basement floor office. She filed away the rest and sat in the empty office
at Mulder's desk waiting for him to show up. After waiting all morning, she
called Mulder's apartment and got his answering machine. She then tried his
cellular, but it was turned off. She finally called Skinner, and was told
Mulder took the entire Friday off, but he was due back on Monday. 

     Fuming at Mulder for letting her drown in their paperwork, Scully
swore to give him hell later. Just then, her cell-phone rang and she
answered it on the first ring. 

     "Scully." She didn't bother hiding her irritation. 

     "Hey, it's me." 

     "Mulder! What the hell's going on?!" Her tone grew even bitter. 

     "I'm sorry, but something personal came up. Look, Skinner knows I'm
gone. I'm sorry but I have to go." The background noise indicated he was in
a car. Scully sighed. If it was Tina Mulder facing some crisis, Scully will
have to forgive him. 

     "Family emergency?" She asked, sighing when she heard, 

     "Yes. Yes, it is." His hasty response did nothing to comfort Scully's
rising worry. 

     "Expect all your homework to be here, waiting for you." Her flat tone
spoke enough of her mood. 

     "Okay, thanks, Scully. You're the best." With that, Mulder was gone.
She gaped at the receiver for several seconds before slamming it down on
the cradle. 

     She knew something was bothering him, and he'll never let it out.
Especially after they picked out the photos, Mulder began playing Sheryl
Crow's "I Shall Believe", followed by his Rolling Stones CD "Wild Horses".
He even offered her his hand to dance, just as they did at the hospital
room with Vera. Scully obliged, though already wondering what was on his
mind. But he didn't let it out. He was dancing. Ever so smoothly and
gracefully now that his body allowed him to move freely. Scully followed,
noting from time to time that Mulder kept away from looking into her eyes
for too long a time, opting to rest his head on top of hers, or on her
shoulder. She noted his breathing was unusually steady and at ease. Too
calm. He asked her to play the videos, ones with them acting like a couple
of mean teenage kids at Jake's house. The lyrics of the two songs didn't
make her feel any easier. 

     "What's going on, Mulder?" She asked more than once. 

     "Whatever you think it is, it's not important enough to think about
right now." Mulder answered. Then he made a swift clean turn, faced her and
told her how wonderful a job she's done in the Kathler case. 

     "Where are you, Mulder?" Scully wondered out loud now, alone in their
awfully empty office. Everything in the room including herself claimed they
missed Fox Mulder's presence. She tapped her finger on the surface of the
desk, remembering what Mulder said as he was giving her a hug and leaving
the house. 

     "Answers, Scully. We'll find them and still come out of this alive.
The truth will save us." 

     "Yeah, and I want answers on what's going on with you." Scully
muttered, leaning back further into the old chair, and toyed with a pencil.
Deep in thoughts.
___________________________________________________________________________
_
*Epilogue:
 

Department of the X-Files
J. Edgar Hoover Building Basement Floor
Washington D.C.
Exact Date Unknown
10:13 AM Eastern Time
 

     Scully hated turning down Jake's offer of the cruise ship's first
sailing trip. Jake was allowed to invite up to three guests on the ship,
and he wanted the X-Files trio to go with him. But, in Mulder's current
mental state, she didn't think he could handle being reminded of Vera again
any time soon. Plus, Mulder would suffer another attack of sea sickness
without Dramamine, and Scully couldn't see Mulder taking another pill after
being confined in another hospital, this time in a psychiatric ward, after
receiving Dr. Goldstein's memory-recovery treatment. Mulder knew his limits
in this case, and agreed with Scully's decision to pass it up this time,
though he told her he thought of going once. 

     She could go, but at this point Scully didn't want to leave Mulder
alone and it's only been two days after her "Mulder watch" duty expired.
Jake was of course kept out from the detail of the incident, but he knew
Mulder had been drugged and was going through detox procedures, and didn't
protest when Scully called him to turn it down. She was surprised however,
to hear the Skinners were on the list of stand-by, nd her cancellation
meant both Walter and Sharon Skinner were invited. Scully immediately
approved the idea. The ship was to leave Florida, then head out to the
Bermuda Islands. Skinner told her to take the week off, since Mulder was
recovering and staying with her in her living room couch, and it had been
an exhausting two weeks between answering yet another disciplinary
committee, giving advise for other agents' cases to the extent of
performing autopsy for a couple of them by request. During which time,
Mulder took care of all paperwork regarding the illegal memory-recovery
operations case, and the last remaining paperwork on the Kathler case
follow-ups. 

     When Jake called back after returning home, he informed her the last
remaining cruise guest spot went to Eve Austin, whom he grew very much fond
of and who to everyone's surprise, had been leading a fund raising campaign
to make Jake's dream to build a children's museum in San Francisco a
reality. It had been Eve's secret plan to meet with the French architects
to deliver a proposal on the project. Jake was kept in dark, although he
himself was already working on its blueprint. Scully was a little
disappointed that he was still in the dark about Eve Austin's true identity
but decided Eve would tell him when the time was right. 

     Mulder contacted Jake mostly by e-mail, but never revealed much in
detail telling Scully the man needed to be away from the case as much as
possible, because what the guy was going through would literally take years
to resolve, and the last thing the man needed was another reminder of what
he lost. Soon, Scully also lost herself in work again, having had a mound
of cases showering down on the department. 

     "Double budget increase was fantastic, but I should've realized a
double increase in our caseload would be tugging along." Mulder complained
in one of his latest e-mail to Jake. Then added, "Be sure to invite us to
the opening of your museum. And thanks for sending us the project proposal.
It looks really impressive and you deserve to get all the praise coming
your way. When you do the television promotion, send us a copy. Scully
would be happy to see you smile." 

     'Impressive' was a serious understatement. The sketched outer-view
image of the building, or rather an assembly of buildings, connected by a
dome-shaped building in its center, was phenomenal. Five long three-story
buildings are stretched out from the center four-story dome like the sun,
and each entrance was decorated with marble curving. In the triangular
spaces between the surrounding building were picnic tables, two flower
gardens, manicured trees, and a playground. If that wasn't impressive
enough, the center dome was to be made with a painted ceiling and stained-
glass for its windows. All other buildings (the five of them) were to have
plain bullet-proof glass windows, and chairs to be lined up against them.
The main lobby at the central building is to house a statue of Vera Maxine
Kathler, curved by the same sculptor who did the Kathler family headstone.
Jake planned to hire his own firm for the job, but if Eve Austin's secret
plan worked then the French boys would give him a hand or two for credit
and publicity. 

     Scully was told when the civil law suits and business disputes were
all settled Jake ended up with about a half of the budget, because everyone
at the jury box and in the audience knew what Jake planned on doing with
the paid punitive damage. The actual damage of course went to the bills
Jake owed to Mulder. Jake's firm, after holding a series of business
meetings outside Jake's presence, accepted the resignation of two of its
partners who most treated Jake disrespectfully, much to Chunovic's delight.
As the result the firm saved a little more money, and Chunovic, being the
only one in the entire firm besides Jake knew about the museum project,
thought the extra money useful for the project. And it was in Eve Austin's
agenda to gather the rest of the fund, which again, Jake knew nothing
about. 

     "He'll find out soon, Dana. He's in for a real surprise." Eve wrote
to Scully on e-mail. "You have no idea how many private organizations are
backing this up. And half the people I've had productive conversations with
are foreign organizations. Many senators, including your Matheson, are
behind to make private contributions." Scully again was at awe. Eve
Austin's passion was unfathomable when it knows where to go. 

     "I had Chunovic make a copy of everything Jake already has, including
the outer sketch he sent to you two, and began passing them around to the
right people. You know, the people who know the value of museums. Jake's
even thinking about creating a restaurant just for kids, with menus just
for them and he told me how he wanted it to be unique. Dana, he's so alive.
I know the grief is tearing him in and out, but he knows what to do with
it. And, at the rate things are going, I don't think he's going to have
enough time to even feel alone. He was reluctant when he asked Elly to stay
with her job, because he now had the museums to build and couldn't afford
to give her too much bonus. She never complained because she was also
compensated for her troubles." Scully sighed with relief and read on. "Jake
knows how my life is and he doesn't demand too much from me. It feels
comfortable being with him. You know, without the fuss. I hope I'll be
ready to tell him my whole story sometime soon. Maybe soon after my secret
fund-raising project ends with success, I'll be ready. 

     "Oh, I got side-tracked again. Jake was doing his best to enhance the
uniqueness of the place, and he's planning on using the floor space of the
exhibition halls for games. Nothing elaborate. Just some trivia, foot
prints coordinating basic dance step sequence, and the what do I call it?
...Some stepping-game? You know, the one you throw a stone and step over
drawn squares? I forgot the name. Anyway, that and other simple children's
games from all around the world. OH! Did anyone tell you? Each outside
surrounding area is named after something that reminds Jake of Vera.
There's 'Dana's Garden' for the flower garden. Then there's 'Fox's Den' for
the children's playground. There's 'Stella's Dreams' for the tree garden
and 'Elly's Smile' for the picnic table areas. The fifth space is left open
because it's right next to the entrance and ticket booth will be there. Can
you believe it? How adorable. Oh, and 'Elly's Gift' is the name of the
indoor museum restaurant. They also will serve espresso for adults and
adolescents, but absolutely nothing for adults' taste. Jake insists on it.
There'll be a curved sign on the entrance saying, 'return to your childhood
- leave your adulthood at the door'." 

     "At least nothing is named after Skinner." Scully mumbled to herself,
silently laughing. 

     "Oh, by the way. At the center lobby where Vera's statue will be,
Jake'll install a huge brass plate to curve in the names of the founders
and contributors. The entire wall will be named 'The Wall of Honors', and
Jake put all of you on the list. 

     "The basement is also worth mentioning. Most of the space will be
used for children's art workshop to be held three times a week by
volunteers and guest artists. The rest of the time, some people from the
local libraries will be coming to read stories for kids. And if anyone
regardless of age wants to read what they wrote, they can do that without
fear of being ridiculed. There will be a small conference room in the
basement also, and that's for holding meetings and events. ...The security
of the museum will be very tight. It's impressive in fact, and the plan's
got a metal detector at the front, plus the security department and even a
holding room is located in the very end corner of the basement for holding
in thieves or kidnappers until the police arrive. Jake named the security
department office 'Fort Skinner', and the little holding room as 'Jerky's
Ashtray'. Don't ask me why and never tell Skinner. Or else we'll end up
literally skinned." 

     Scully laughed at it so hard, she almost fell out of Mulder's old
office chair. One had to know Jake and be around the X-Files trip long
enough to figure out where the reference to Cancer Man came from, and how
Jake named Cancer Man a 'Morley Jerky'. 

     "I hope Fox is all right. I've heard pretty scary things about the
case you worked on. I'd love to see him again and reward him with a kiss.
Not to destroy our lips, but for greeting. You know, the 'promises kept'
kiss? Nothing elaborate, because I think that's your honor. Hopefully, the
bureau will be understanding enough to let you two have enough freedom if
and when you two decide to take your working relationship a step further.
You two are already as close as two human beings could get without physical
involvement. Whatever you do, you two always know what's best for you,
anyway. Thanks for being the one to break the ice." Miss Austin finished
her message, and left Scully wondering. She then phoned Mulder, and
informed him of her pending arrival. 

     "What? Another case?" Mulder sounded ready to cry, but Scully laughed
and told him to 'get ready for another adventure'. 
End of Book IV  


*I sincerely, royally thank those of you who made it through this novel. Be
proud (ha)! 

     I've thought of a few different ending for the story. Originally, the
story was supposed to end at Vera's second abduction and she wasn't
supposed to be returned. I wanted the XF team and Jake to be friends and
possibly socialize outside official capacity, but I loved the characters
too much to end it so abruptly. And, this ending worked excellent, since in
the fifth season, Mulder looked for Scully and Kritchigau' files in the
file cabinet.
     Thus, my biggest mistake as a busy college student has been made. The
story kept stretching because the characters screamed for 'closure'. Right
now, I feel like screaming "There!! Are you happy now, you bastards!?" to
all characters. However, if they appeared before me, I'm likely to be shot
in the gut by Fox Mulder, kicked in the ass by Dana Scully, publicly
humiliated by Eve Austin, burned by Skinner's wrath, slapped in the face by
Vera, have my personal files erased by Thomas Hall, be abducted by Cancer
Man and company, land on the top of one of Jake Kathler's skyscrapers, get
kicked and fall off. Who knows? Alex may even help Jake and pull me down
for the agony I put him through in this story. 
     The three poems I've used in the memorial service segment are used without
the permission of the authors nor the publishers of the books. But no copy
infringements were intended. Please forgive me whoever this fact may concern.
Come on, I wanted to add something that could summarize how Jake felt about the
whole thing. Anyway, the list is: Maya Angelou's "The Lesson", "Still I Rise",
"Brave and Startling Truth", and William H. Auden's "Lullaby". 

     Hopefully, I won't have to add another clear-the-smoke comments like this
one again before finally and successfully, posting this novel. That's all folks!