THE X-FILES
	"AROUND THE WORLD IN TWELVE MONTHS"
	Part Ten
	"A Journey Through Japan"
	By Alien Girl
	comixgirl@juno.com

	Rating: PG, I think

	Classification: Adventure, Mulder/Scully Engaged, and some Angst.

	Spoilers: Nopers.

	DISCLAIMER BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH.

	Song Disclaimer: Oh my goodness gracious.....I DON'T HAVE A SONG FOR
JAPAN!! I've looked everywhere and I still haven't been able to find one
yet!! If anyone could be gracious enough to read this and then perhaps
think of a good song to go with it, I would be forever obliged!! It's
bad...I have a song for every single story except this one! (This tells
you how whacked it is.....)

	Summary: Upon arrival in Japan, Mulder and the others discover something
VERY important about Scully and her future...which is soon threatened by
the appearance of a familiar enemy.

	Author's Notes: Alright...I lied! I'm not waiting a month for this
story, it's coming right NOW!! Aren't you all just happy? ;) It's a good
thing because then I can hurry along to Pacific, which I've been eager to
write. I'm eager to write this one as well because it's *really*
important and very plot-based. This thing's gonna be drenched in
shippiness and other nicethings!! :):) Also, for those of you who are
interested in the technical aspects...I know absolutely zip about
Japanese culture, (being the ignorant little American that I am...) so if
anyone of that nationality is reading this and gets offeneded, please
don't take it personally!!! :):)

	On with the show!!!

------------------------------------------------------
***********AROUND THE WORLD IN TWELVE MONTHS**********
...............A Journey Through Japan................
*********************By Alien Girl********************
------------------------------------------------------

(No song yet!! :()

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_



	2:23 P.M.
	Sunday, May 14th, 2000
	Close to Hiloidea, Japan

	"I see it! I see the port, it's right ahead!"
	Troi's cry brought everyone else to the prow of 'The Believer', staring
ahead expectantly at their approaching destination. The thick gray-blue
waters of Japan reflected its coastal architecture, consisting mostly of
fishermen's buildings and dockmen's houses. The port was not very large
at all, but it was still crowded with dozens and dozens of fishing boats
and cruise liners resting in the dock or sailing around nearby like a
troop of disorganized ants.
	The group had decided not to stay in Tokyo, since they had wanted to get
more of a taste of the culture rather than Japan's industry and commerce.
The small coastal town of Hiloidea had seemed nice enough, and then later
on they could travel further inland to see what else there was to see.
	Mulder heaved a heavy sound. "It's hard to believe that this trip is
almost over. After Japan all we have left to do is cross the Pacific
Ocean and the Panama Canal and then we're practically home."
	"What do you mean, 'almost over'?" Scully countered. "It will take us
two months to get from Japan back to D.C. at the very least! We've still
got a lot more to look forward to."
	Mulder couldn't hide a small grin from Scully and her practicality.
"Alright, I guess you're right....I just have other things on my mind
right now, that's all."
	Scully didn't bother to ask what those 'other things' were. She felt the
gears in the engine within the hull shift. Maggie turned off the
autopilot and switched to manual so she could steer the immense houseboat
into the small docking place ahead of them.
	As 'The Believer' bumped up alongside the sock, several Japanese men
dressed in fisherman and docker's clothes came up to meet them. The nine
assumed that, like all the other places, it was to help them anchor and
unload the ship. But apparently they were there for different reasons...
	One of the men, apparently their leader, began to shout up to everyone
who was on board, only his shouts were in Japanese and completely
nonunderstandable. "We don't speak Japanese!" Mulder yelled down below. 
	The men conversed among themselves for a few seconds, then a different
spokesman stepped forward. "You can not keep boat here!" He said in very
rough English. 
	*That* obviously surprised everybody. Mulder and Scully exchanged
glances. "What do you *mean* we can't stop here?"
	The spokesperson just continued to wave his arms exhuberantly, shaking
his head with frustration. "No no no! You can not stay here!" The
frustrated Japanese stumbled over his words. "It is taken!"
	"There's no reservations for docking spaces!" Maggie remarked quietly.
"What are these people talking about?"
	The men seemed to be getting more and more antsy as 'The Believer' edged
slowly along the dock, still treading water. Several of them were making
wild motions with their hands for 'The Believer' to move away. "No, no,
no! You must leave now!"
	"What do you mean? We don't understand you!" Mulder hollered back. 
	Several of the men were now hollering frantically in Japanese, even
though they knew that 'The Believer' couldn't understand them. "You go
away!" The spokesperson yelled desperately.
	SKRUUUUNCH.
	A sound like a toothpick bridge snapping in two emitted from somewhere
beneath the huge houseboat. The Japanese fishermen began to cry out in
dismay. In confusion, everyone strained to look over the rail to see the
water below. It was then that they noticed the extreme error in their
docking plans...what had looked like a boat dock was in fact a fish-pen,
where fishermen kept large fish to keep them alive and fresh until they
could be sold later on. And 'The Believer' had just plowed through the
fence of the fish-pen, allowing all of the past week's catch to swim free
back into the ocean.
	Mulder looked uneasily back at the fishermen on the dock. Several ran to
get nets so they could try and recapture their escaped fish, and most
just stood there looking blankly at the smashed fish-pen. The Japanese
spokesperson had his lips pursed and was becoming red in the face.
	"Is it just me, or does anyone else want to melt into a little puddle of
embarassment on the floor?" Troi swallowed.
	Slowly, everyone moved away from the rail so they could back the ship
out of the waterway. It was not going to be a pleasant experience when
they had to apologize to the fishermen below once they finally got off
the boat.
	"Let's hop this isn't some kind of bad omen," Samantha sighed.


	5:31 A.M.
	Wednesday, May 17th, 2000
	Hiloidea, Japan

	Mulder awoke slowly, feeling more or less ashamed. He shifted over to a
different side of the bed and stretched, trying to get the kinks out of
his muscles. For a moment, he forgot where he was. Then, at seeing the
distinct decor and thin paper doors painted with colorful images he
remembered they were in Hiloidea, Japan, and they were going to visit
Matsusaka tomorrow.
	Mulder lifted his comforters and stole an uneasy glance at his sheets.
He cringed and groaned aloud. (Shoot. I'm gonna have to replace these...)
He must've had that dream again...that dream with Scully. He had had it
every now and then, no matter how carefully he ate before he went to bed.
Waking up in the morning with that *very* unpleasant damp feeling only
heightened his already-deep guilt. All it did was remind him of the
incident, and remind him of its consequenses. (Stupid photographic
memory.....)
	Mulder became more awake at a different sound. It was not a pleasant
sound...it sounded painful, and disgusted.
	Intrigued and slightly worried, Mulder slipped on a shirt and a
different pair of boxers and tiptoed quietly out of his room. He tried to
figure out where the sound was coming from.......Scully's room.
	(Uh oh.) Mulder rattled her doorknob; it was unlocked. He immediately
stepped inside without even thinking about knocking. 
	Scully's bed was empty, the covers in a tangled state. He glanced over
at the small conjoined bathroom, and saw that the light was on. Mulder
grimaced as he heard a familiar noise coming from the bathroom. He
quickly went in to help her.
	At first, Scully didn't even notice that Mulder had entered. She was
hunched over the toilet, clutching her stomach miserably, her face a
sickly pale color. Mulder frowned. He had seen Scully sick before, but
she had never been *this* bad. 
	"Scully, are you alright?"
	Scully jumped, obviously startled at his presence. Then she relaxed.
"I'm alright, Mulder. I feel better now."
	Mulder helped her out of the bathroom and over to her bed, fripping her
shoulders to steady her. Although she was resistant, there was little she
could do about his insisting guidance. 
	"Are you sure you're okay?" Mulder asked again, easing her down onto the
bed and sitting down next to her.
	"I'm fine Mulder, really," She insisted. She stretched out horizontally
on the bed, her white T-shirt riding up so her belly button was visible.
Mulder immediately focused his eyes on her face, so as to prevent them
from wandering down to her stomach. "I just got a little oozy, that's
all. Just seasick."
	"Scully, we're in a hotel on land. We're not even *at* sea."
	"So? Your point is?"
	"I think it was the sushi from last night," Mulder muttered darkly, as
though he would track down the tainted fish and make it pay for giving
Scully food poisoning. 
	"For heaven's sake, Mulder. I'm fine, believe me." Her voice lowered
suddenly, becoming something closer to a purr. "I'd be even better
if....." She trailed off, a hand fighting with the edge of his shirt. 
	"NO, Scully," Mulder said firmly, standing up quickly.
	Scully growled with frustration. "Why not?" She asked, sitting up on the
bed, her hair devilish. "No one else is up yet......"
	"Just no....no, Scully," Mulder shook his head.
	"What?" Scully saked, her voice challenging. "You suddenly don't want me
anymore? Is that it?" Her voice was louder than it should have been, and
echoed through the halls of the sleeping hotel.
	"Shhh....." Mulder hissed, bending down to cover her mouth. "No!" He
whispered intensely. "Hell, no. You know that."
	Scully pulled his hand away from her mouth. "Then *what is it*?" Her
blue eyes flashed angrily. 
	Mulder sighed. "It's just that......I wanted to save this, Scully. I
wanted to save it until our wedding night. I wanted it to be special--"
	"It *was* special, Mulder," Scully interjected.
	"I wanted it to be perfect," Mulder continued, ignoring her. "And now
with all that happened....now I've gone and screwed it up. Just like I
screw up *everything* for you." He slumped dejectedly.
	Scully's eyes flashed as though she'd like to pull out a gun and put a
matching bullet-hole in the other shoulder. "Correct me if I'm wrong,"
She said acidly, "But I seem to remember there being TWO of us involved."
	"Scully, I just--"
	"Forget it, Mulder," Scully stood up, pushing him away. "Just forget it.
Forget I ever said anything." She walked to the door and opened it. "Know
what? While you're at it, why don't you just forget it ever happened!"
She walked out, slamming the door so it reverberated behind her.
	"If only I could." Mulder mumbled to the emtpy room. 

	3:10 P.M.
	Friday, May 19th, 2000
	Matsusaka, Japan

	The air was filled with a wide variety of smells and sounds that ranged
from exotic spices to cigarette smoke and from the tunes of old musical
intruments to the burring of cell phones. Matsusaka was somewhat a
mixture between traditional Japanese culture and modern influence, as
evident when a metal-and-plexiglass office building stood next to the
old-style homes with paper doors, statues, paintings and curved roofs. 
	The group of nine soaked in the sights and sounds with interest,
enjoying all there was to see. Scully came in closer to Mulder as she
dodged around two young men. "With all this order and uniformity it seems
impossible that anything paranormal could happen here," She whispered to
Mulder.
	"Unless we happen across Godzilla," Mulder joked.
	Knowing Mulder, Scully instantly checked the streets ahead for any giant
fire-breathing lizards. None so far. 
	They had already stopped for lunch, and were simply making their way
around the city, looking for anything of interest. Maggie and Tina had
both wanted to go see a Japanese botanical garden, having heard that they
had some of the most rare and beautiful flora in the world, but they had
yet to find one. Obviously, Japan's most interesting feature was its
people, who were punctual, motivated, and educated in practically every
area known to man.
	Mulder began to wonder about Jacob Grant, or any of the other U.S
government agents that were assigned projects overseas. Did they get a
chance to simply enjoy these foreign lands in their unique beauty? Or
were they too involved in their projects to spend a little time
sight-seeing? He knew that he and Scully had never found time to spend
looking around when they had been on cases back in the U.S., back when
they were working on the X-Files together. (Woah, Mulder... don't start
down that train of thought again....)
	The knowledge that they would soon have to return to the U.S. and return
to the X-Files was still in the back of his mind even though he tried to
use the cruise as an escape route from it. He was, of course, eager to
get back his beloved files, to get that familiar feeling of something
mysterious and unknown awaiting his probing curiosity. But when they
finally did get back to their old positions, it would never quite be the
same. And it wasn't just from the fact that they were the heads of the
department instead of just two agents. It was almost like.....what was
the point? Samantha had been returned. The Syndicate had been stopped.
The alien colonists had been destroyed. So what was the point in even
carrying them on anymore?
	(I wonder if Scully wants to continue on with them even more than I do?)
	Mulder slowly but his thoughts short. There was an uneasy feeling
building up somewhere within his chest. But it didn't have to do with
Scully or the X-Files...it was something foreign, yet also familiar.
Secretive and sinister.
	And it was behind them.
	Mulder twisted around to try and get a view of whatever this feeling
was. All he saw were the crowds of Japanese people going about their
normal business, walking and talking. He turned and faced the front
again.
	Samantha noticed her brother's uneasiness. "Fox, what is it?"
	Mulder simply shrugged it off. "It's nothing."
	But the feeling didn't go away. He still felt the uncertainty, the
anxiety. He felt as if a large dog was walking behind him, waiting to
bite him the moment he turned and made eye contact. He curiosity got the
better of him, and he turned and looked again.
	This time, he noticed something. There was a man several people behind
them, just barely visible inbetween the heads and shoulders of the
uniform people. He was a Japanese man, but he was also very old, with
graying hair that was on either side of his hair but not on the top, like
Skinner. He also had a small white mustache and a goatee. He was dressed
in a more traditional white Japanese robe, the sleeves decorated with
elabroate embroidery. He looked like something out of a karate movie. The
most unsettling thing were his eyes, which were a piercing ceurelean
blue.
	And they were looking straight at Mulder.
	For a split two seconds, their eyes locked. Then the Japanese man
quickly turned away to look at some buildings, pretending not to notice
him. 
	Mulder turned around fast, feeling his breath catch a little. Whoever
the man was, Mulder did not like the look of him. He continued to walk
forward steadily, hoping that perhaps it was nothing and that the man
would become lost in the crowd.
	But when Mulder glanced back a few minutes later the man was stil there,
and still looking at him.
	Again, Mulder tried to reassure himself. He tried to get back into the
coversation that Sam and Byers were having, tried to shake the feeling.
About two minutes later he glanced back out of the corner of his eye,
just to make absolutely sure.
	The man was still there.
	Mulder leaned in very close to Scully. "Scully........I think we're
being followed."
	"What?" Scully asked surprisedly. 
	"Shhhhh.....I've noticed this guy walking behind us for awhile now. He
keeps looking at me. I think he could be following us."
	"Why?"
	"I don't know......"
	"Mulder...are you sure you're not just scaring yourself?" She whispered
in spite of what she was saying.
	"I've just got this feeling....a hunch. But it's a bad feeling......."
	Scully checked back behind her quickly. She seemed to notice the man
right away even though she didn't know who he was. He was closer now, and
closing the gap between them.
	"Hey! Don't look at him!" Mulder hissed warningly.
	"What are you going to do?"
	Mulder didn't answer for a moment. He just continued to walk forward at
a moderate pace, eyes focused straight ahead. Then, as if he were doing
an about-face in a marching band, he turned on his heel and began walking
in the other direction. He focused his gaze on the Japanese man, suddenly
filled with feelings of confrontation.
	"Mulder!...."
	The Japanese man saw Mulder turn and begin to advance towards him.
Contrary to his menacing atmosphere, he turned around and ran!
	"HEY!" Mulder shouted suddenly, giving chase as the white-robed figure
sprinted off into the crowd. He could hear Scully shouting behind him,
but he ignored her cries and pursued their pursuer. 
	"HEY YOU!" Mulder yelled again, hoping someone would hear him and stop
the man. But most people didn't understand him or didn't know who he was
referring to. Mulder ran as fast as he could, but the old Japanese man
disappeared into the crowds like a ghost. 
	"Mulder, please!"
	Having lost sight of him, Mulder spun around at Scully's voice. His
breath caught as he saw Scully... she had tried to run after him, and she
had stopped suddenly. Her face was *very* pale, and she limped forward
unsteadily, her legs turning to jelly. She held her stomach miserably,
gazing pleadingly at Mulder with glazed, fearful eyes. "Mul........"
	Mulder sprinted forward suddenly as he saw her legs give way. He caught
her just before she hit the ground. Mulder held her up in his arms
tightly, her body feeling limp and lifeless in his grip. Her face was
pale, and her eyes rolled back and then closed. For a moment, all Mulder
could so was stare at her, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
	"Scully?....."
	Mulder's world suddenly ground to a halt as he stood there in the middle
of the crowded street, holding an unconscious Scully in his arms. His
heartbeat lurched into overdrive, his lungs forgot the need to intake
more oxygen. "Scully!" He cried desperately.
	Frome somewhere in the distance he heard Samantha's voice..... "Somebody
call an ambulance!........."


	5:16 P.M.
	Friday, May 19th, 2000
	Matsusaka, Japan

	The small clock on the dull beige wall clicked away the seconds at an
agonizingly slow pace......... tick.........tick.........tick.
	Fox Mulder paced across the waiting room like a caged animal, running
his fingers through his slightly damp hair. He looked at the clock, then
he coughed. 
	He looked with unsettling eyes at the rest of the group. They were all
sitting in small, uncomfortable chairs. Frohike was whisperiing something
to Langley. Troi was looking at a magazine even though it was in
Japanese. But it was Maggie that worried Mulder the most....she couldn't
get comfortable in the hard chairs, and wrung her hands with anxiety. The
look in her eyes seemed so familiar to Mulder....
	(What happened to my daughter now?)
	It had been a hour and a half since they had arrived at the hospital and
had been told to stay in the waiting room. It had been two hours since
Scully had collapsed in his arms in the middle of the street. Mulder
barely remembered what happened....hearing Maggie struggle to talk to the
hospital in Japanese on the phone, seeing the light blue ambulance come
and lift Scully onto a stretcher and take her away.....
	Mulder didn't like it at all. Why didn't they let him come in and be
with her? He didn't have his badge or I.D. to show that he was
authorized. Those doctors didn't know all the things that had happened to
her before. They didn't know what they might come across.
	There was one word that persisted in the back of Mulder's mind, one word
that sent shivers through his blood and filled his entire being with a
feeling of terror.
	Cancer.
	(What if her cancer came back?)
	It all seemed to fit together. It would certainly explain all of her
recent sickness. And it had been nearly a year since they had stopped the
Syndicate and destroyed the colonists....and without the colonists
controlling the chips, that meant they could be deactivated and....
	Mulder felt his stomach tightening into painful knots. He had asked the
doctors to run a test for signs of cancer....and he was now dreading
their answer.
	(I can't go through this again. *She* can't go through this again. Not
now, not after we've come so far, not when everything was just becoming
right again. This can't be happening....)
	Mulder stopped his desperate pacing suddenly as a young Japanese doctor
entered the waiting room. "I'm Dr. Yoshito," He introduced himself in
tainted English. "Are you here for a Ms. Dana Scully?"
	"Yes," Mulder said, immediately jumping back to reality. "How is she?"
	"She's doing just fine, and she's awake now. We have run all the tests
you asked..."
	Mulder stood silently, waiting for the dreaded answer.......
	"We were unable to locate a cancerous growth anywhere in her body."
	Mulder felt his knees go limp, and he had to remind himself to remain
balanced. He exhaled out all of his fears, letting the words repeat
themselves in his mind..... (No cancerour growth......no cancerous
growth.........)
	The doctor spoke again, interrupting his thoughts of relief. "However,
tests did reveal something else...something that can definitely account
for her illness."
	Mulder felt his anxiety pick up again. "Something else?"
	"What is it?"
	"Is it curable?" Troi asked.
	"Not for at least seven months," The doctor replied.
	The waiting room was filled with tension. "What is it, then? What's
wrong with her?"
	The doctor paused, and then revealed an honest smile. "Ms. Scully is
pregnant."

The silence that choked the waiting room immediately afterwards was so
thick that it seemed to freeze the room in suspended animation. All of
the people stared at the doctor as if he were Jesus at the Second Coming,
the words not yet clicking in their brains.
	Mulder finally mustered enough strength to blink a few times.
"W...........What did you say?"
	"Ms. Scully is pregnant," The doctor repeated, beginning to feel just a
little uneasy at the shocked faces of these strange Americans. Did women
not *get* pregnant in America for some reason? "Two months' pregnant,
actually. I'm surprised somebody didn't notice it sooner," He said after
a pause.
	Mulder's ears and brain were apparently not connected at the moment. He
still couldn't quite comprehend the implications that could come of this.
(How could Scully become pregnant if she was sterile?) That was the
foremost question that echoed through his mind. But despite the question
in his head, his heart was still filled with hope, hope that it really
was true. Something like an unspeakable joy welled up inside him, and he
struggled to contain it within himself.
	"Are you *sure*?" Samantha asked after another long pause. It seemed to
be the only reasonable thing to say. 
	The doctor nodded. "All the tests are positive. We're all absolutely
certain." He stopped, and looked in Mulder's direction. "You're the
father, I presume?"
	All eyes instantly turned to Mulder.
	Mulder felt an extreme heat building up right beneath the skin on his
face. He was definitely on the spot now. He knew there would be no
denying anything that had gone on between him and Scully now...they *all*
knew, whether he wanted them to or not.
	Mulder nodded slowly. 
	"We haven't told her about it yet. We figured it would be best if you
told her," The doctor said.
	"Yeah..." Mulder stumbled over his words.
	The doctor smiled. "Good. She's waiting in room G103, whenever you're
ready." And with that, he left the group sitting in the waiting room.
	Mulder suddenly wished that they were in the Amazon so he could sink
into the ground away from view. The other seven people were looking
directly at him with the exact same looks on their faces, silently asking
the exact same question....
	"WELL???"
	Maggie was the first one to speak. "Fox......... when did this happen?"
	Mulder sighed and sat down so he didn't feel like he was standing on
stage. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. (There's no point
in trying to avoid the question because of this...) "The night before we
left for Australia. We got in a fight and said some things
and......things just sort of went from there."
	Scully's mother nodded slowly, soaking in the information. "And was this
the first time?"
	"No! I mean, yes! I mean....it was the only time," The last remaining
hints of guilt showed through in his voice.
	Luckily for Mulder, nobody seemed to be abhorrently shocked at the
notion that they had slept together after promising to wait until they
were married. It seemed that everyone knew that it would happen sooner or
later. In fact, Frohike was surprised that they hadn't been doing so the
day they got engaged.
	What was a greater shock was that something had *resulted* from their
little private time. Everyone in the room knew that Scully could not have
children...and everyone was under the impression that Mulder somehow had
figured it out or fixed it.
	"I don't *know* how Scully got pregnant...." Mulder stated. "I mean, I
know *how* she got pregnant...but I don't know how!"
	"It's beyond me," Maggie said, putting her hands in the air. "I just
want to know why she was infertile before and why she isn't now!"
	There was a long silence, as everyone pondered over every possibility
there was. Only Mulder was thinking about other things....
	(Scully is going to have a baby.)
	Something like a feeling of immense happiness began to grow inside him,
like bright sunlight burning away the thick fog of guilt. It suddenly
didn't matter whether or not he had ruined everything for him and
Scully....Scully was going to have a baby! After going through that
period of time of watching Scully in her sorrow, silently grieving for
the children she could not conceive, *he* had impregnated her on the
first time! (If we had known that we would've gotten together much
sooner....) He thought, smiling inwardly.
	Samantha's face suddenly lit up so brightly it looked like she might
explode. Her mouth hung open for a moment as her body reacted faster to
her realization than her voice did. "I think...........I think I know
what happened!!"
	"What?" Several voices sounded at once.
	Samantha paused for dramatic effect. "I remember last year.....when I
found everyone, the rebel group that Dana led. How I found her, she...was
shot by Krycek and bleeding severely in the warehouse......"
	Mulder was the only one who also recalled the incident, although his
memories were somewhat blurry. He wondered how the warehouse fight could
relate to Scully's pregnancy......
	"My friend Mr. Crawford and I found her. We tried to stop the bleeding
until we took her to a hotel and Crawford was able to heal her gunshot
wound. I think that....as he healed the wound, he healed the rest of her
as well. *Including* her infertility!"
	There was a surprised muttering among the group. Maggie was obviously
the most shocked of them all. "Is that possible?" She asked in a small,
unsure voice. 
	"I've seen it happen before to others. It's an involuntary side effect,
like wiping a hard drive clean by deleting one program. And it would
definitely make sense here. I can't think of any other explanation."
	"So that means that since last year...." Troi finally concluded, "Dana
is able to have a baby?"
	Samantha nodded. "And could have more after this one."
	There was a long silence, in which everyone just sat there, still
struggling to believe the possibility. Despite Samantha's explanation, it
*still* seemed pretty unbelievable. When Scully had first learned of her
infertility, Mulder and her mother and everyone else who knew her had
over time come to accept her burden, and had accepted it so well that it
now seemed impossible that it could be turned around and she *could* have
a baby.
	(But it's not a statement of that she *can* have a child....she *will*
have one,) Mulder thought to himself. (*My* child.) The idea made him
feel excited, slightly nervous, and just a little bit scared. (Can I be
the best father for Scully's child? I know I'll protect them and make
sure that nothing happens to them...but I'm not exactly what you would
call a "father figure". God knows all of the other things that have
happened to people that Scully loves... But this would be even more than
that. This child is a part of me, too. I can't let myself fall short of
Scully's needs anymore...because now her needs are also my needs.)
	After the long silence, Samantha finally said, "Well.....I guess that
Dana should learn the truth, too."
	Mulder took his cue. He slowly got up from his seat and left the waiting
room. He stole a look back at the rest of the group, who were looking at
him with expressions of both nervousness and amazement. 
	Mulder swallowed hard and walked into the hall. He didn't know *how* he
was going to tell Scully about her baby. What if she didn't believe him?
*He* barely believed it. It had all come upon them so fast that he still
didn't know how to react. 
	At that moment, a different doctor came up to Mulder in the hall. He was
obivously American. At seeing him he immediately held out his hand.
"You're the father?" He asked without hesitation. 
	Mulder nodded, still slightly bewhildered that he was now referred to as
'the father'. The doctor took Mulder's hand and shook it furiously. "My
congratulations to you, sir, for this blessed event!" He exclaimed,
smiling broadly. "I'm sure your wife will be veru pleased when she gets
the news!"
	"Fiancee'," Mulder corrected in a small voice. 
	"Oh, I see...not willing to wait a moment, are we?" The doctor winked.
It was all Mulder could do to restrain himself from twisting the guy's
hand off his wrist with sheer embarassment. Mulder breathed a sigh of
relief as the doctor continued on down the hall. Mulder was also thankful
that no one here had yet recognized he and Scully for their well-known
feats...he didn't think he could stand a sudden media press on the fact
that the infamous Agents Mulder and Scully were going to have a baby when
they weren't even married yet. That would be *another* thing they would
have to deal with once they got back to the U.S....Maggie's
great-big-Catholic-wedding plans would have to be dumped overboard. 
	But Mulder figured that this was worth any price they might have to give
up.
	Before he even knew it, he found Scully's room, G103. For a moment,
Mulder was frozen outside the door. He knew that from this moment on, he
would never look at Scully the same way again. 
	Finally, Mulder closed his fingers over the doorknob, opened the door
and stepped inside. 
	Scully certainly didn't *look* any different. She still had her red
hair, cropped short, her blue eyes, her small stature, her slim figure
and her flat stomach. The hospital bed was propped up so she was sitting
up, and she turned to Mulder as he entered.
	"Hey Mulder," She smiled at him.
	Mulder swallowed hard. Slowly, he closed the door behind him and walked
over to her bed. "Hey Scully," He answered dully.
	She reached up her hand and intertwined her fingers with his. Mulder
felt his heart thumping faster against his tissue. "Whatever you're
thinking, Mulder, you don't have to worry. I feel fine. I just...felt
kinda lightheaded all of a sudden, that's all. You probably didn't need
to call the hospital...."
	"I was worried about you," Mulder said stupidly. What was he going to
say?
	"Worried?" Scully sighed heavily. "Worried enough for all those tests?
Mulder, that's all over. The cancer *isn't* coming back. I'm certain of
it."
	Mulder looked at the floor shamefully. "Well, I......"
	"You didn't think they'd find anything unusual, did you?"
	Mulder choked slightly. He bent down beside the bed so that his eyes
were level with hers. He took a deep breath and made his statement as he
exhaled. "Scully...............the doctors told me that you're pregnant."
	For what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened. Scully's facial
expression didn't even change. Then her smile flattened out and her
eyebrows furrowed. For a moment, Mulder thought Scully might actually
believe him....
	The bewhildered expression instantly vanished. "Mulder, that's not
funny. I really don't need that, you know..."
	"Scully, I'm serious. I didn't believe it at first, but...you *have* to
believe me."
	Scully loosened her grip on Mulder's fingers. "Mulder, that's enough.
Seriously, is there anything else that's bothering you?"
	Mulder tightened his grip and looked into her eyes. "Scully, I have
*never* been this serious about anything before. I'm not joking with you!
You *have* to trust me right now....."
	"M-Mulder..." Scully didn't retailate right away. The tone of Mulder's
voice and the sincerity in his eyes was beginning to seep into her
through his fingertips. Her sarcastic answer was replaced more or less
with a defense. "Mulder....you know just as well as I do that I
can't....have....."
	"I know that, Scully, but Samantha says that she knows how you may have
become fertile again."
	Scully's face was becoming hot. "Mulder, I....."
	"Wait, just hear me out, Scully," Mulder insisted. "Do you remember some
time last year, during....that time? You were in the warehouse and trying
to get away from Krycek..."
	The memories instantly surfaced in Scully's mind. She did not want to
remember, but she let herself do so anyway. "That was when Samantha came
back..."
	"Yes. Her friend Mr. Crawford was there, and he healed your gunshot
wound..." he paused, rubbing his fingers against Scully's palm. "...And
Samantha thinks he may have healed more than just the gunshot."
	He let the thought hang in the air. Scully looked off blankly into
space, trying to think. But nothing came to mind, nothing except the
heightening possibility that Mulder could be telling the truth....
	"And then with what...went on two months ago..." Mulder hesitated at
mentioning the event. "It would certainly explain your always getting
sick in the morning...." He smiled. "And your weird cravings for oreos
and potato chips."
	Scully's lower jaw trembled slightly. Her gaze strayed to her stomach,
and she felt something different, something she hadn't felt before.....
	Mulder placed his hand over Scully's stomach, and felt the warmth of her
skin against his fingers. He smiled at her, sincere, pleading. "I believe
this, Scully. I *want* to believe it. And I want you to believe it, too,"
He said carefully. "I know you want to."
	Scully shook her head slowly, her eyes appearing glassy. Mulder could
see through her shocked expression...he could see her finally giving in
to the concept, the possibility, the fact. He could see the walls of
disbelief, constructed with the pains of her abduction and her
infertility and Emily, slowly being torn down brick by stubborn brick.
She *did* want to believe...and now, Mulder was giving her every reason
to, every notion that she could and *would* believe.
	"I.......I'm going to have a baby?" She finally choked, her words
sounding more like a question than a statement.
	"You would know better than anyone else," He said, a small laugh coming
through his words. 
	Scully swallowed hard. "Mulder, I....."
	"Scully, listen to me," Mulder interrupted her. "Ever since that morning
after in India, I've been regretting what we did. I thought that I had
forced it upon you, I thought I had ruined our chances of ever making our
relationship *right*. Having it go with the rules for once. And then
whenever you got sick it only made me feel worse. I was ashamed, and
afraid of what everyone would think if they found out..." Mulder rubbed
her belly gently, smiling broadly up at her. "But this, Scully.......this
completely changes everything. For the first time in my life, I feel like
I did something right."
	"Mulder, I....I don't know what to say....."
	"Just say it, Scully," Mulder replied. "Just say you're going to have a
baby. I want to hear it from you."
	"I'm going to have a baby," Scully said in a halting voice. After she
did she just sat there, staring at Mulder, as if unable to believe the
words she had just uttered. "I'm going to have a baby," She repeated, the
six small words having more meaning than six pages of words.
	Mulder got up from his kneeling position, and held out his hand towards
Scully. "Now get up. You don't have to stay in the hospital anymore, we
can go home."
	Scully hesitated, then grasped Mulder's hand and allowed him to guide
her to her feet. She held her stomach nervously, as if afraid that the
slightest movement would somehow make the unborn child in her womb
disappear. She took several deep breaths to steady herself. She felt like
she had been laying in the hospital bed for years.
	"Are you okay?" Mulder asked, steadying her with his arm around her
shoulder.
	For the first time since when Mulder had walked in the door, Scully
smiled. "I don't think I've ever been better."

	"I guess this calls for a drastic change in arrangements," Samantha
stated.
	The entire group was in the lounge of the hotel, sitting around a table
and all drinking coffee. Scully, of course, had chosen tea instead. She
sat next to Mulder at one end of the table, sipping her tea carefully.
She was beginning to understand Mulder's feelings of being stuck in the
limelight...everyone was staring at them with looks of amazement. Or
rather, they were looking at her stomach, even though she wouldn't start
showing for another six weeks or so. 
	"I don't think we'll need to change that much," Mulder admitted. "We
still plan to have the wedding once we get back to D.C. It'll just have
to be.....a bit more private."
	"It would be too suggestive if we got married right now, and too rushed.
We're willing to deal with whatever anyone has to say," Scully added.
	Maggie sighed heavily, shaking her head at her daughter. "This does
create problems for me, though...."
	"What do you mean?"
	"I'm going to have to completely redo the bottom half of your wedding
dress!"
	Troi and Samantha couldn't help but snicker under their breath at
Maggie's comment. "Y'know, it's also a good thing that we found this out
in Japan..." Samantha continued. "Or Dana would've been stuck in the
middle of the Pacific Ocean without the right kind of clothes!"
	Scully's face flushed. Although she could never retain her happiness as
to the fact that she was going to have a baby, she was having mixed
feelings at the knowledge that with pregnancy and maternity came some
extra weight that wouldn't go away.
	Langley cleared his throat and looked at Mulder and Scully expectantly.
"Of course...you, um, you *do* realize that there is little room for
Byers and Frohike and me in the living room....sleeping quarters, that
is."
	Mulder raised his eyebrows at the Lone Gunmen. "Are you saying that you
want to take *Scully's* room? But we haven't even talked abou--"
	"Sure, Mulder, I'll just move into your room!" Scully instantly agreed
with the idea, giving Mulder a *very* interested look. "You have plenty
of closet space to spare."
	Mulder obviously didn't have any problems with the idea, but he wondered
about the Lone Gunmen. "But there's only one bed in there. So unless two
of you want to *share* a bed...."
	"No, just one of us," Byers quickly interrupted. "There's just two
couches in the living room, and one of us has to sleep on the floor, so
it would be nice if we all had something soft to sleep on."
	Troi could see the anticipating looks that Mulder and Scully were giving
each other. "Well, there goes *my* chance of getting any sleep at
night..." She mumbled under her breath. 
	"Troi!" Samantha scolded, nudging the teen in the ribs with her elbow. 
	Maggie sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well..............I guess
there's really no point in having them stay in separate rooms anymore....
Fine. It's fine with me. You two can situate yourselves in Mulder's room
any way you want." Mulder and Scully were obviously both very pleased
with the decision. 
	"I get Scully's room!" Frohike exclaimed.
	No, *I* get the bedroom!" Langley countered back. 
	"I've slept on the floor more than both of you! *I* deserve the
bedroom!"
	"Pffft, yeah right! D'you think Scully'd want you coming in and throwing
your junk all over her old room? No way, at least I'd keep it clean!"
	"You? *Clean*?! Ha!"
	"Oh, like you're any better,
Mr.-I-like-twinkies-for-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner!"
	"Would somebody *please* shut them up?" Scully pleaded, thinking she was
going to get sick even if it wasn't the early morning.
	"I'll do you rock-paper-scissors for it," Frohike challenged. They
played it five times...and each time they tied. By the sixth time they
both tied again...tied showing each other the finger, that is. 
	"Alright, that's enough," Scully separated the two competitors. "*I'll*
decide who gets my room." She took a long glance at both Frohike and
Langley, and then turned to Byers. "Byers gets the bedroom."
	"Heeey!" Frohike whined. "That's not fair! He wasn't even asking for
it!"
	"Exactly."
	"We can start switching rooms tonight," Mulder concluded. 
	"Fox, it might be too late to do it all tonight, perhaps you should wait
until tomorrow..."
	The looks on Mulder and Scully's faces changed Maggie's mind. "Well, I
guess if you think you can get everything moved by tonight it's fine..."
	"Alright then, we should go while it's still light," Mulder said,
standing up. Everyone else noticed how carefully Mulder helped up Scully
even though she was perfectly capable of getting up by herself. Scully
had a feeling that Mulder was now more than a little overprotective of
her and their baby, and she just hoped that he would at least let her
walk on her own. But despite that, she rather enjoyed Mulder's hands
resting firmly on her hips, and decided that a little of Mulder's babying
wouldn't hurt too much. 
	(I think these next few months at sea are going to be *very*
enjoyable.....)


	11:56 P.M.
	Sunday, May 21st, 2000
	Matsusaka, Japan

	Frohike struggled with his chopsticks despairingly, still unable to
figure out how to hold them between his fingers. He was obviously rather
embarassed that everyone else knew how to use chopsticks and only he did
not. 
	"I *still* think it's funny that you don't know how to use chopsticks,
Frohike!" Langley said with a smirk.
	"I don't find it funny!" Frohike complained. "I thought they only used
chopsticks in China!"
	"A lot of Japanese culture is derived from Chinese culture," Byers
explained to his friend. "Besides, you used to eat Chinese food
practically every day!"
	"But I used a *fork*!"
	Scully couldn't help but snicker at Frohike's predicament. She herself
had tried to watch what she ate now and was very careful at chosing her
food. However, it was hard to ignore her cravings for various sweet and
salty junk foods.
	The group was sitting inside an old Japanese cafe' and pub, having
stopped for lunch and trying to decide where to go next. They were only
going to stay in Japan for about another week or so before setting out
across the Pacific Ocean.
	"I think we should actually go and get all of the things we'll need for
the Pacific," Samantha suggested. "That way we can get all of the hard
tasks we have to do out of the way and spend the rest of our time
enjoying ourselves."
	"Yeah, that sounds fine....." Mulder was about to continue speaking when
he stopped. As he reached for his napkin, he could feel something folded
inside...a piece of paper.
	"Mulder, what is it?" Scully asked at noticing Mulder's confused
expression.
	Mulder didn't answer her. He carefully unfolded the small piece of paper
and saw that there was writing within. The writing was a flat, bold
cursive, written in unrecognizable ink. The paper was thin, but the thick
ink still didn't bleed through. His eyes widened as he read the words
inside:

	Fox:

	You can't hide from me forever. I've been keeping watch on you for
awhile, and I am surprised at your lack of observation. Being a profiler,
after all. I assume your purpose of arriving here is for competition. I
have yet to receive your challenge. If you decline from a match I fear I
shall be forced to use extreme measures to construct some closure to my
training of my apprehentice.

					- Osumar

	The feeling of fear surfaced in Mulder instantly. He looked hurriedly
around the cafe', wondering if he could figure out who had sent him the
note. And somehow, he had a feeling that it had come from the old man he
had seen following them earlier.....
	"Mulder, what is it?" Scully asked again, her voice filled with concern.
	Mulder didn't want to worry Scully with anything that concerned only him
and whoever had been following him. (She doesn't need any stress right
now.....) "It's nothing. Just some prank or whatever....."
	Scully snatched the note out of Mulder's hand. Obviously this was
upsetting Mulder more than a mere prank, and she knew better than to
leave this to himself. She read the note to herself silently while Mulder
looked on with worry.
	When she finished, she looked up at Mulder with questioning eyes.
"Mulder, who is this person?"
	"I don't know....."
	"Yes you do," She persisted.
	"I...." Mulder lowered his voice so the others wouldn't hear. "I think
it's from that man who was following us a few days ago."
	Scully was clearly surprised. "What makes you think that?"
	"Just a hunch......"
	Scully handed the note back to him. "Mulder.....whatever you're
thinking, don't go looking for this person. He's trying to pick a fight,
and he wants you to start it."
	"But what if I don't seek him out? I'm not all that eager to find out
what 'extreme measures' this guy is willing to use."
	"Mulder, don't forget that we're on *vacation*. We're not on a case, so
you don't need to go running after him as if he were a killer or a
suspect."
	"Alright..." Mulder crumpled the note in into a small ball in his fist,
feeling the thick, inky words bleed into the thin threads of paper. In
crumpling the note he squashed his nervousness within as well, letting
himself believe Scully's confident words.
	"Just don't tell anyone else about it, okay?" Mulder whispered to
Scully.
	"Only if you'll not worry yourself over it."
	"Alright."
	From somewhere towards the back of the cafe', and elderly man watched
Mulder converse with Scully through slitted, blue eyes. He sipped his tea
slowly, feeling the pleasure of the scorching liquid slip down his
throat. He then turned his attention to another woman sitting at the
table, already planning his next move.


	7:15 P.M.
	Sunday, May 28th, 2000
	Matsusaka, Japan

	"So how's the morning sickness now, Dana?" Maggie Scully said
unexpectedly over dinner one evening.
	The whole table became suddenly quiet. It was really the first time that
anyone had brought up Scully's pregnancy in front of everyone else.
Scully looked down at her plate, blushing slightly. "It's better, mom. I
haven't gotten sick in almost 2 weeks now."
	"That would put you around the end of your first trimester," Maggie said
conversationally. "A few more weeks and you'll start to show."
	Scully glanced over at Mulder quickly, unsure of how to respond. Mulder
shrugged fractionally. Scully looked back at her mother and saw that
Maggie wasn't waiting for a response, so she turned her attention back to
her meal.
	"Have you thought of any names yet?" Troi suddenly piped up. The entire
table turned to look at her at once. "What?" Troi asked.
	"How about Illegitimate?" Mulder asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.
Scully darted an evil look at him and Mulder suddenly flinched as though
he'd been kicked under the table.
	"It's a girl, isn't it?" Tina Mulder asked suddenly. Apparently everyone
wanted in on the conversation now. 
	Scully suppresed a sigh. "Yes," She nodded, "yes, it's a girl. Or so Dr.
Yoshito says. But there's a 40% chance of error this early."
	"She's a girl," Mulder stated firmly. "I know it."
	Scully looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow as if to say, "How do
you *know* this". Mulder just looked back at her and impundently stuck
out his tongue at her. This, for some reason, caused her to grin all over
her face.
	Samantha coughed loudly in order to draw the couple's attention away
from each other again. "So *have* you thought of any names?" She quiered.
	"I was thinking about Melissa," Scully admitted. She glanced at Mulder,
looking for approval. "For my sister."
	Mulder nodded. "Melissa's a beautiful name."
	Scully smiled, and turned back to Sam. "But then I was also thinking
about calling her Samantha, after the person who started the quest," She
grinned at Samantha. 
	"Oh, so now you're blaming *me* for this pregnancy? That's rich!"
Samantha said teasingly. 
	"How about Samantha for a middle name?" Troi suggested.
	"Melissa Samantha." Mulder rolled the name over his tongue, testing it.
He smiled. "I like it."
	"Melissa Samantha it is then," Scully said, nodding firmly. "Melissa
Samantha Mulder."
	


	10:35 P.M.
	Tuesday, May 30th, 2000
	Hotel in Matsusaka, Japan

	The door opened with a soft click as Mulder entered the room slowly,
rolling his shoulders as he stretched his muscles beneath his gray
T-shrit. He let his eyes drift shut tiredly as he reached for the hem of
his tee and began to pull it over his head.
	"Keep going FBI man."
	Mulder whirled around. Seeing Scully sprawled across the bed, he relaxed
slightly. 
	But only slightly.	
	"Sheez, Scully," He breathed. "You could warn a guy."
	"What, Mulder?" Scully pushed herself up onto one elbow. "You weren't
expecting me to be here?"
	"Well--I--" Mulder swallowed, his throat feeling inexplicably dry. "I
mean, I was, but........."
	"It's kinda hard to get used to after all those years of being a
bachelor," Scully finished for him with a tiny smile.
	"Um, yeah," Mulder glanced away from her.
	"Mulder?"
	"Yeah?"
	Scully lifted herself from the bed smoothly, her silk pajamas against
her skin as she slid off the bed and walked toward him. Mulder looked
back at her, and found himself rooted to the spot as she came towards
him, an enigmatic smile hovering over her lips. 
	Scully walked up close to him, curling her arms around his back, and
stood on tiptoe to place her mouth beside his ear.
	"Mul-der....." She whispered, "I meant it when I said keep going."
	It was like her words generated an electric current that was now racing
through his body, banishing the fatigue and tiredness he had felt, and
calling every nerve and cell to full alert. 
	<Pay attention,> His body seemed to be telling itself, <cause you ain't
gonna want to miss this.>
	Scully was seducing him.
	He couldn't believe his luck.
	Of of her hands had found its way from his back to his neck, where it
was now tracing patterns into the short hair at the base of his skull.
The other had found the bottom of his shirt and was now sliding under it.
Mulder had to consciously restrain himself from wrapping his arms around
her and responding in kind.
	No, this was a relatively new experience, and he intended it enjoy it to
its fullest. 
	He wanted to see how far she would go on her own.
	"Mulder?" Scully's voice was a breath in his ear. "Did you hear me?"
	"I heard you Scully," Mulder answered back, his voice deceptively calm
and controlled.
	"And.....?"
	"Well, Scully.....You know what they say. You want something done, you
should do it yourself."
	"Really?" Scully's lips pressed into the sensitive skin beneath his ear.
"Is.....that...." Her lips closed over his earlobe momentarily, sending
another shock of electricity out. ".....what they say?"
	"Um--" The words caught in Mulder's throat, betraying his cool exterior.
"Yeah." It came out more like a sigh.
	"Okay then." Scully grabbed the bottom of the shirt and pulled it all
the way over his head in one swift motion. The moment the shirt was
tossed away, Scully gripped the back of Mulder's neck and pulled his lips
down to hers almost savagely. 
	It was the spark that lit the fire. Mulder's calm facade crumbled in an
instant, and he kissed back with enough force and passion to cause them
to stumble back Scully's direction several steps. Scully's lip bumped
against her tooth and she was sure it would be bruised in the morning,
but at the moment she didn't care. She only felt Mulder's hands in her
hair, his body pressed against hers.
	"Scully...." Mulder pulled away only long enough to say her name. 
	"Yeah?" Scully gasped in response before returning to the kiss.
	"I love you."
	Scully felt sudden tears prick her eyes. It wasn't like he'd never told
her before....but somehow... She sighed, relaxing into their kiss again
as it became slower and more langoid. It didn't matter how many times she
heard it. She would never get tired of it. 
	The back of Scully's thighs hit the bed, signaling her to sit down. She
did so, Mulder leaning over her as she slid back farther on the bed,
allowing him to follow on his knees, never breaking contact.
	Mulder's hands rested on her knees, then began to slowly slide up her
thighs, pooling the silk of her night pants between his fingers.
	Scully gasped into their kiss, opening her mouth further, drowning in
sensation.
	BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
	Mulder and Scully pulled away from each other suddenly, startled by the
pounding on the door.
	"Mulder, it's Byers!" The near frantic voice of the Gunman was muffled
by the door.
	Mulder hastily retrieved his discarded T-shirt and slipped it on. "Come
in--"
	Immediately, Byers threw open the door. "What is i--" Mulder tried to
finish, but Byers but him off breathlessly.
	"Samantha's gone."


Mulder marched down the hall at a fast pace, a very anxious Byers and a
very frustrated Scully following in his wake. Mulder stormed to
Samantha's room and threw the door open, his expression tense.
	"I was in my room when I thought I heard her say something to me," Byers
struggled to explain through gasps for breath. "And then I heard
something else, like glass breaking, so I ran in here and she was gone!"
	Mulder's eyes scanned the scene attentively, the covers of her bed were
torn off the top and mussed, and apparently the glass breaking they Byers
had heard had been Sam's glass of root beer that had falled on the floor.
The window was open, and a small, cold breeze sifted through the opening
and blew at the curtains. Mulder felt another chill wind within him turn
his blood cold.
	(Samantha.)
	(Taken.)
	He fought against the memories, fought against the rising sense of
panic. (This is not the same as before. This is different.)
	But she was still gone. 
	He struggled back to his almost automatic authoritative exterior. "It
doesn't look like there was much of a struggle," He said in a shaky
voice. "I wonder why......"
	"Mulder, what's that?" Scully asked slowly, pointing to something that
lay on his sister's empty bed.
	It was another note. 
	Mulder stared at it with frightened eyes, afraid to pick it up and see
what was written within. But his instinctual urgency to find Samantha
overcame his fear, and he picked up the note and unfolded it. It was just
like the note he had found in the restaurant...the paper thin and
brittle, the words in flat, bold cursive in thick ink.

	Fox:

	I believe I informed you earlier that I would be forced to use extreme
measures if you declined from meeting me. Now it is time for me to
challenge you, then. This life of your sister is, I'm certain, a strong
enough persuasive for your presence. If you wish for her to be returned,
meet me at the Ginko-Shaytu Palace at precisely 6:00 in the evening
tomorrow. Please do not bring any money, the only wealth I seek is the
wealth of victory. I eagerly await your appearance.

				- Osumar

	Mulder read the note over once again, letting the sinister words sink
into his brain. He looked up at the bedroom, and then at Byers and
Scully. They said nothing, they simply looked to him for an answer.
	Mulder pressed his fingers against his forehead, feeling sweat beginto
seep through his pores. (This can't be happening all over again...)
	"We'll go," Mulder answered, his voice cracking. "We'll do just what the
note says. Someone call around and try to figure out where the
Ginko-Shaytu Palace is. Everyone who is willing should come, it would be
better to have strength in numbers." He gritted his teeth with anger.
"Whoever this person is, I'm going to make them pay."
	"Why can't we try and find her now?" Byers pleaded. "I won't be able to
sleep if I don't know how....she....."
	Mulder raised his hand for silence. "I don't want to take any chances.
Call it a hunch, but I think we should do what the note says. Until I
meet with him, that is."
	Byers nodded, and swallowed nervously. Mulder could see a deep feeling
of guilt in his eyes...a feeling he was all too familiar with. He almost
got the impression that Byers was blaming himself for Samantha's
kidnapping, thinking that perhaps if he had come in when he first heard
the noise; if only he had gotten there sooner.
	"Byers, it's okay," Mulder told him, although he was mostly telling
himself. "It will be okay. We *will* find her. We'll meet the guy, give
him whatever he wants, and get Samantha back. I know we will."
	With that, Mulder left the room and started back to his own room. Scully
followed him, knowing that neither she nor him was in any mood for what
she had been planning. 
	"Mulder...you don't have to try and put up a front..." She pleaded with
him as he opened the door and stepped inside. 
	Mulder ran his fingers through his hair. "This is all my fault. If I had
just agreed to meet him the first time this wouldn't have happened to
Samantha...and Byers....."
	"Mulder, don't start on that," Scully warned. "You *know* it's not your
fault. How could you have found that man in the first place if you didn't
know where to look? He had probably planned this from the beginning."
	"How many times do I have to go through this?!" Mulder stared at Scully
with questioning eyes. "It took me 26 years to find her the first
time...and now I lose her again! How long will it take me to find her
this time?"
	"Just one day," Scully came up to him and wrapped her arms around him.
It was not a passionate or seductive embrace. It was just a comforting
one. "I promise you will."
	Mulder accepted Scully's embrace, trying to keep back the moisture that
suddenly seeped in beneath his eyes. "I believe you, Scully."
	Scully pulled back from his aways. "Try and get some sleep, okay?"
	Mulder nodded dully. However, he knew that there would be little chance
of that happening.


	5:58 P.M.
	Wednesday, May 31st, 2000
	Ginko-Shaytu Palace
	Matsusaka, Japan

	The Ginko-Shaytu Palace was, by all outward appearances, deserted. It
was fairly large, and white with a black and red roof. The roof was
tree-shaped in the style of traditional Japanese culture, constructed of
red-colored shingles and facing in all directions. The posts, doors and
windows were painted with colorful, detailed designs of birds and
mountains and men on horses. It was so called Ginko-Shaytu because of the
designs carved into the wood that pictured the extinct ginko-plant. 
	Mulder, Scully and the rest of the small group stood at the bottom of a
long flight of stairs that led up to the palace entrance. The only one
that was not present was Tina, who had decided to stay behind with their
things and watch after Moby. The palace was surrounded by trees, and a
few leaves blew underfoot as they stared up at the empty, desolate place.
It gave the impression that it was a haunted palace, a place where the
shadows of important men and servants that had once existed there now
roamed. Mulder was almost certain that it was. 
	Troi broke the glass-like silence with her nervous voice. "So where is
the guy? Didn't he say he was going to meet us here?"
	Mulder looked back at Troi, and the rest of the expectant faces. He
especially caught Byers's taunt expression. He had not said much at all
the entire day. Mulder looked at the ground in frustration. "I knew
it...I just knew that something like this would happen! It was all just a
lie, this guy has no intention of giving back Samantha..." Mulder halted,
cracking on his words.
	"Mulder...I think we should look inside," Scully motioned to the palace
at the top of the stairs.
	"Are you sure? He said he was going to...."
	"It wouldn't hurt to try," She said, and began to ascend the old stone
staircase. Mulder and the others said nothing, they just followed her.
	The seven reached the top of the stairs and stared at the front door.
The door was large and stretched up almost to the roof of the building,
with intricate designs carved into the wood and painted. There were no
handles or doorknobs.
	Mulder pushed on the door, and he heard it creak against the stony
ground. He exchanged glances with Scully, and then pushed the door open
completely. 
	The door opened to a large, rectangular room, like a courtroom. It was
darker inside the palace than it was outdoors. There was a single light
coming from somewhere within the courtroom, but from where they couldn't
tell. As Mulder's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he was able to observe
their surroundings...the walls were completely covered in large murals,
with the wall facing him largely dominated by a depiction of a fierce
Oriental dragon. There were also pictures of warriors on horses, ibises
and parrots, and mountain ranges and ginko-plants. The ceiling was very
high, almost out of sight, and supported by several large red pillars.
The floor was a mosaic of smooth tile.
	However, this main entrance area was also filled with about four doors,
all leading off to go somewhere else in the palace. Mulder halted the
company and considered their options. 
	"We'll have to separate," Mulder concluded. "Maggie, you go with Frohike
and Langley. And Byers and Troi should go together. Scully, you come with
me. I know there will be one passage left unexplored, but we'll just have
to take that chance. If anyone finds Samantha, just keep walking and
yelling until the rest of us come. But until then, keep as quiet as
possible."
	Everyone nodded in silent agreement. Casting looks of foreboding, they
quickly walked off to their respective search areas. Mulder looked
carefully at Scully, filling himself with the reassurance of her
presence. Then together Mulder and Scully walked to the back of the
courtroom and went through the door below the dragon.
	For a brief moment, they were plunged into darkness. They were inside a
narrow passageway that smelled of musk and was without light. Then the
passageway gave way to another large room, this one decidedly empty.
Empty, except for two items...a candle, in the very center of the room,
which provided the only light. There was also a gong hanging from the
celing close to the opposite wall. It was very large and dominating, but
whether it was made out of gold or bronze or some other material Mulder
and Scully couldn't tell. Like most everything else in the palace, it was
printed with intricate designs. They both noticed that the floor was
carpeted instead of tiled. They walked into the room a few steps, weary
of the eerie, candlelit room.
	"I have been expecting you, Mr. Mulder."
	Mulder jumped at the thick, guttural voice that uttered his name aloud.
All at once, four more candles that were placed in each corner of the
room lit up, giving the place more lighting. Standing inbetween the
candle and the gong was a man.
	It was the same man Mulder had seen following them earlier...his graying
hair and goatee, his white robe tied tightly around his body, and his
blue eyes, which was strange considering that he was obviously Oriental.
Mulder instantly got that frozen feeling in him again. Just looking at
the man was sending chills through his nerves. (Why does this seem so
familar...)
	"I understand that you have come here for your younger sister. Well,
every return demands its price, you know." He hissed in accented yet
fluent English.
	Mulder's eyebrows furrowed. "Look, I'm not here to bargain or play
around with riddles. I am only here for Samantha, and I have no intention
of 'challenging' you or whatever it is you keep wanting me to do."
	The old man laughed at Mulder. "I don't believe you have a choice in the
matter."
	Scully instantly came up and stood beside Mulder, completing their
defying bond. "If you're going to challenge him, you'll have to challenge
me as well."
	Mulder shot Scully an angry look. "Scully, there is *no way* I'm going
to let you try and fight as well!" He hissed under his breath. "You're in
no condition to do what I might have to do!"
	"I'm perfectly fine!" Scully snapped back. "What, you think I can't look
out for myself?!"
	"I know you can, Scully! But you've got more to look out for than just
yourself." His gaze strayed to her stomach.
	Scully wanted to talk back, wanted to help him in his struggle, but the
knowledge of what she carried with her allowed her to give in to Mulder's
words. She was angry almost that her pregnancy prevented her from helping
Mulder, but she did not want to risk anything.
	"Whatever it is you want or are requesting," Mulder turned back to the
Japanese man, "Take it and give us back Samantha. I want to get out of
here."
	The man began to walk towards Mulder slowly, his bare feet making no
sound on the carpeted floor. He cast an intrigued gaze at Mulder. "Am I
to take it that you still don't know what I want? I am perfectly aware
that you have met my apprentice and his sibling at some point in your
past. Believe me, I have done some extensive research since your arrival.
Did he not mention me at all? Such a shame that the student never gives
credit to the teacher nowadays."
	Mulder stood rooted to the spot as the elderly man walked closer. A
memory was beginning to surface somewhere in his mind, something that he
had almost completely forgotten...
	"Of course, Bobby was a very good student...very polite, at least. And
eager to learn. I never met his sister, although he mentioned her often.
We would spend some hours talking sometimes...."
	Mulder's precise photographic memory suddenly put names to faces. (An
old Japanese man...speaks of a student named Bobby...Bobby is
Robert...Robert Patrick Modell. Modell!)
	(Pusher!!)
	Mulder almost shouted aloud at his realization. This was it, then...this
man knew Modell, who was known as Pusher! *This* was the Japanese ronin
warrior that Modell had told them about! He and Scully had not believed
his statement that he had spent time training with a ronin warrior in
Japan so many years ago. But now...he realized how wrong they had been.
	And Mulder suddenly got a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
	The ronin recognized the shocked expression on Mulder's face. "Aha, I
knew you would remember eventually. I kept careful watch on Bobby after
he returned to the states...right up to his unfortunate death. Which, I
believe, you had a hand in."
	Mulder shook his head. "That's not true! Skinner shot him and he died in
the hospital...I didn't kill him."
	"But you did shoot him once, didn't you?"
	"He was about to make me shoot Scully!"
	"Ah yes, the Ms. Scully!" He turned his gaze in her direction. "And as I
understand it, she shot Bobby's beloved sister."
	Scully said nothing, she just glared at the taunting ronin. 
	"Because of these crimes against my pupils, you realize that I have a
need to...redem your mistakes."
	"You want revenge for their deaths," Mulder said flatly. The sick
feeling in his stomach began to expand. 
	"Call it what you will," The ronin said stiffly. "I call it an act of
closure. I have long since Bobby's death wanted to meet the man with the
ability to defeat my most talented pupil. I had great faith in that man.
He had lived unconquered until he faced you. You must have strong mental
capabilities to so much as match those of my student." The ronin looked
at Mulder expectantly. "In Japan it was once believed that the fox was a
magical creature, and that the gods would punish those who killed one.
Let us see if you live up to your name."
	The ronin's words did not put confidence in Mulder's heart. He knew that
he did not have the mental powers of suggestion that Pushed had...and
chances were that this man had them tenfold. Mulder now knew what the
ronin wanted...he wanted to test Mulder's abilities.
	"You have defeated the apprentice...now let us see if you will defeat
the master." He said stonily.
	Mulder took a few steps backwards. "What if I refuse to fight?"
	An evil smile cracked the thick-skinned face of the Japanese man. "Then
I would not want you to be present when the consequences are performed on
your sister."
	Mulder shuddered. He had known before that he did not have a choice as
to whether he would fight or not...but now he was dreading even more a
battle with this man. He remembered his conversation with Skinner, right
after Linda Bowmen had been put in the hospital...
	(...You won, Mulder. You beat her game.)
	(Then why do I feel like I lost?)
	No matter what Mulder did, this man would win in the end.
	Mulder accepted the challenge. He walked towards the center of the
carpeted room, facing the ronin. He silently told Scully to stay back,
and she caught his look and moved to stand against one wall, her heart
pounding loudly.
	"Remove your shoes and any other articles of clothing that might hinder
your movement."
	Mulder took off both his shoes, and then his socks. He then removed the
overcoat he'd been wearing, leaving him in a dark blue T-shirt and
slacks. It wasn't quite as practical as the ronin's loose white robe, but
it would do for now.
	"Let it begin!" The ronin declared.
	It was as if an imaginary siren had been sounded in their heads. The two
men moved in and began to circle each other slowly. Mulder willed the
memories of the says spent in self-defense training years back at the FBI
academy to surface, trying to remember each move, how to react to
different attacks, how to carry himself. Of course, the self-defense
training program had never been intended to be used against Japanese
ronin warriors who could use mind control. He waited for the ronin to
make the first move.
	And make the first move he did. He brought his fist up with lightning
speed that would seem impossible at his age, but Mulder blocked the punch
just in time. He moved again with a sharp kick, Mulder dodged to one
side. Mulder was surprised at his own speed and agility; he had not
exercized instensely for quite awhile.
	Mulder tried to counterattack. He brought up both his fists and punched
left, then right, then left again. The air was thick with tension, as if
the oxygen they breathed was anticipating their next moves, the entire
room an arena of invisible spectators. Mulder had distinct feeling that
the ronin wasn't trying. (He's playing around with me...)
	They continued to fight like this, circling each other, punching and
kicking and dodging. But with all the movement and force they were both
using, neither of them seemed to be getting anywhere. 
	The things started to go very wrong.
	It first happened when Mulder dodged another punch. Only when he dodged,
he felt something hard strike his ankles, and he tripped and fell to the
ground heavily, his legs aching.
	"Mulder!" Scully shouted in surprise. She couldn't believe what had just
happened...the ronin hadn't moved his arm at all, but Mulder had dodged
as if avoiding a punch. Instead, the ronin had caught Mulder completely
off-guard and brought his leg into his ankles.
	Mulder shook his head dazzedly at her voice and tried to stand up, tried
to fight back. But as he stood, he saw that the entire room was suddenly
tilted at an angle! Gravity caught him by surprise and he toppled to the
floor again.
	The ronin laughed aloud at Mulder's pitiful state. He looked like a
little one-year-old still trying to figure out how to stand up. "What's
the matter, Fox?" He taunted. "Can't you even stand on your own two
feet?"
	Mulder's head was spinning. His brain was telling him to get up and
fight, show that he was equal to this ronin. But something *else* in his
mind was telling him otherwise, a hissing voice that was foreign and
contradicting. Mulder realized that his fears had been correct...the
ronin had the same abilities as Pusher. Only he didn't need to use his
voice to project his power, and the mind control wasn't a suggestion...it
was a *command*. And Mulder was certain that this man wouldn't get tired
or need to replenish his energy like Pusher did.
	(You can do this, Mulder. You are the one in control here, as long as
you tell yourself that. You *need* to do this....)
	Mulder stood, feeling a little weak in the knees, but ready to fight. As
long as he was able to hold off the ronin's mental attack, he could
perhaps overpower him by strength. (So much for mind over muscle.....)
	Mulder twisted around and kicked; the ronin blocked the kick with his
arm. However, Mulder could feel the pulse of pain that he sent through
his opponent's arm, and he smiled at the possibility that he might win
after all. The ronin appeared in front of him, and Mulder sent a punch
straight into his jaw. 
	"Oooofff!!"
	The cry was not the ronin's, but his own. Instead of feeling his fist in
the ronin's teeth as he saw, he felt a sharp pain hit him between the
shoulder blades and send him sprawling on the carpet. He knew in an
instant that the ronin had fooled him again. Furious, he lifted himself
up and launched another attack. 
	The trickery happened again and again. Mulder's world had gone
completely mad. One moment he felt like he was standing on the ceiling,
the next he was blocking kicks when he felt punches, the next he would
run forward to the ronin, only to have him disappear and then reappear
behind him again. But there were two things that were constant...the
sound of Scully calling his name and the ronin's evil laughter.
	Mulder picked himself up from the floor for what seemed like the
millionth time. His entire body was steeled as a cat's, and his forehead
was covered with beads of sweat. His mind was filled with confusion and
his eyes with rage. 
	Without thinking, he launched his entire body, releasing a shout of
anger. Too his surprise, he *hit* the ronin this time, and sent the old
man to the floor. He prepared to charge on top of him to finish him
off....
	"Mulder, stop!"
	Mulder halted practically in mid-air. Where the ronin had been laying
just a moment ago now lay Scully! She held her arm over her face, trying
to shield herself from Mulder's attack.
	Mulder knew, by some instinctual means, that the person on the ground
was not Scully, that the ronin was messing with his thoughts again. (It's
not her!!) But his eyes deceived him, and at seeing that he was about to
hit Scully, he halted for a split second.
	It was all the ronin needed. The "Scully" suddenly brought up both her
feet and landed them in Mulder's chest, sending him spawling and gasping
for breath. This time, the ronin got to his feet, and stared down at the
wheezing Mulder menacingly.
	Mulder looked up at the ronin, clutching his stomach, his head and chest
throbbing with unnatural pain. The ronin smiled at him with a twitch of
the lips.
	Suddenly, Mulder cried out as a horrible, aching pain exploded in his
right leg. He collapsed on the ground, feeling as if someone had kicked
him in the nerve. But the ronin hadn't moved a muscle.
	Again, Mulder felt pain circulate through his arm, then his stomach,
then the base of his skull. Mulder pinched his face in agony, not knowing
where the pain was coming from and not knowing how to stop it. The ronin
was causing him to feel pain without even hitting him.
	The ronin snarled. "I am *very* disappointed now. I could kill you right
now, you know."
	"Then why don't you?" Mulder gritted.
	"Because I was hoping for a challenge!" The ronin hissed. "I had
expected that since you had defeated Bobby that you would be a challenge
to me. But you can't even stand up, much less pose a challenge!" The
ronin shook his head sadly. "I had faith in that man.....but now I see it
was hopeless faith. Such a shame that the lost art of the ronins of
Nusharm will never be found again..."
	Mulder sat on the carpet, thankful for the chance to catch his
breath...and the chance to think. What was the ronin going to do to him?
He knew that he would be killed if he tried to defeat this man. But if he
let himself lose, would he still let them go and give them back
Samantha...or would the ronin still kill him?
	"Mulder, get up! He's off his guard, now's your chance!"
	Scully's voice rang out loud and clear across the room, instantly
bringing Mulder back to his senses. Summoning up all of his remaining
energy, he sprang up and punched, completely ignoring his pain. The ronin
dodged, but not quickly enough, and Mulder's knuckles grazed the man's
shoulder.
	Scully instantly realized what she could do for Mulder...although the
ronin was able to direct Mulder's mind, he was unable to block out
outside influences like her voice. She was surprised that she hadn't
realized it before. And the ronin wasn't concentrating on her mind...she
could see what was *really* happening.
	Despite the ronin's mind tricks, Mulder began to get the upper hand as
he concentrated on Scully's voice. "Don't punch, kick with your left!
He's behind you, turn and hit! Wait, don't dodge, that's a pillar!
Remember, no matter what you're doing, you're always on the floor! Bring
your left up, go for his stomach! Wait, the other way, the other way!
Back, do that again!"
	With Scully's desperate shouts and directions, Mulder came closer and
closer to overpowering the ronin. He had landed him with several kicks
and punches. Even in his unstable mental state, he could see the ronin
was beginning to wear down. Mulder redoubled his efforts and became wild
with his actions, striking out at anything that moved.
	"Mulder, wait, don't--!"
	Mulder made another wrong move. In his madness he didn't hear Scully's
directions, and his fist collided with a *very* solid wall. The pain shot
through the nerves in his knuckles all the way up to his shoulder and
neck. For a moment, he was stunned, feeling too much pain to even make a
sound.
	It was the opportunity the ronin needed.
	Mulder let out a strangled cry as he felt his throat suddenly close. He
clutched at his throat desperately, choking, crying silently for his
supply of oxygen. He staggered forward a few steps, his vision beginning
to blur.
	"Mulder!..."
	Mulder tried to answer, but his airpipe was closed and he couldn't
breath. As the oxygen was lost he could feel his brain shutting down, his
last desperate thoughts concentrating on how to escape from the ronin's
deadly grip on his mind.....
	"Mul---!"
	And suddenly, he could breath again. He felt his throat open and his
lungs receive oxygen and the blurriness clear from his mind. He staggered
forward some more, gasping for each breath and thankful that the ronin
had let him live. But why--
	He saw why. The ronin was standing next to Scully, his hand curled
around her neck and his other hand holding her hands behind her back.
Mulder's heart jumped...the ronin was exercizing his power on Scully now.
	For a brief moment, silence reigned. Mulder stood in the middle of the
room, his face and hair and back wet with sweat, and his chest heaving
with each breath. The ronin held onto Scully tightly with his hands and
with his mind, while Scully looked desperately at Mulder with a look of
genuine fear.
	"I've had enough of this, Mr. Mulder," The ronin said in a rasping
voice. "It is time to finish this for good."
	Mulder felt hear building up beneath the skin on his face. "You let her
go right now," He growled. "Your fight is with me, not her."
	"On the contrary. It seems that when you fight, you fight together. You
can only defeat an obstacle when you are by each other's side. And you
claim that she is refraining from battling because it is just between you
and me. But I believe that there are *other* reasons behind you wishing
for her not to participate...am I right?"
	Mulder didn't answer, he just stared at the two and breathed heavily. A
silence froze the room like a shock of hot, dry ice.
	"Ms. Scully is pregnant!" The ronin continued, feigning surprise. "How
wonderful for you two!" He leaned in closer to Scully, his breath hissing
in her ear. "Do you know yet if it's a boy or girl? Tell me."
	Scully squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to give into the ronin's
hissing command. "A girl," She uttered through pursed lips.
	Mulder gritted his teeth, trying to hold back the rage that was building
up in his chest. "I SAID let her go!" He growled.
	"Very well," The ronin released his grip on Scully's neck and wrists.
But even though she was free, she still stood rooted to the spot. The
ronin still had power over her mind. "But as I understand it, there is
more behind this pregnancy than you would wish to be known."
	The ronin waited for a response. When he didn't get one, he continued.
"I see that you both wear rings on your fingers. But they aren't wedding
rings, are they?" He looked to Scully for an answer.
	"No." Scully choked.
	The ronin let out a sarcastic gasp. "Pregnant...but not married!
Conceived outside of marriage! You carry an illegitimate child, Ms.
Scully."
	"She's *our* baby," Mulder shouted back, the rage beginning to mutate
into fear. "And if you so much as suggest...."
	"You should be one to talk!" The ronin interrupted him. "Were you not
the one that caused it. Did you not force her conception on her in the
first place?"
	"You're lying," Mulder said, his voice cracking. "You're a lying
son-of-a--"
	"Admit it, Mr. Mulder. You broke your promise to remain abstinent until
your marriage. You made a mistake. Your baby is a MISTAKE."
	"THAT'S NOT TRUE!!" Mulder croaked desperately. The entire time Scully
said nothing. She just stood there, her eyes squeezed shut, a tense sweat
breaking out on her forehead. 
	"You never wanted this baby. It completely messes up everything for you.
Her pregnancy was completely unexpected, and you don't have the courage
to tell your friends what you *really* feel about your mistake." The
ronin's words tore into Mulder's heart, ripping away strips of flesh like
a knife. Mulder knew that what the ronin was saying wasn't true, but the
implications of what he was saying were what was hurting him. In a sense,
it was true, they weren't expecting it, and they did break their promise.
But he knew that both he and Scully wanted that baby more than anything,
and that whether or not Melissa was viewed as "a mistake", that she would
be the best mistake they ever made.
	Mulder knew this. But there was no telling what thoughts the ronin was
putting into Scully's mind.
	The ronin paused, and slowly reached his hand beneath his robe. "Of
course...there *are* ways for you to correct your mistakes....."
	Mulder felt his heart contract painfully. From his robe the ronin
withdrew a small syringe containing a clearish liquid. He held the
syringe delicately between his fingers. "I'm presenting an opportunity
for you to do so now."
	Mulder saw Scully's expression. All of her muscles were tensed, her eyes
glazed over with desperate fear, not daring to twitch her lips. The ronin
held the syringe out for Scully to inspect. "I expect you to know what
this is, Ms. Scully, considering your medical background," He hissed
evily. "Although, this kind is fairly new, there's a few modifications
that will make the process quicker..." He paused, eyeing the solution
within carefully. "It will only take about 30 minutes for the baby to
die."
	Mulder tried to make a sound, tried to cry out, but his voice evaporated
into the thick, warm air. He now knew what the ronin was pushing Scully
to do...and he found that he was frozen with terror.
	"Take the solution." The ronin presented the syringe to her.
	Scully took it. She didn't have a choice.
	"You don't have a choice," The ronin whispered. "If you do it now, while
the fetus is still small, there won't be as much pain. I know that you
are not one to leave errors uncorrected, Ms. Scully....."
	"Scully......no....." Mulder cried out.
	"Scully, yes." Came the reply.
	Slowly, yet in a halting fashion, Scully turned the syringe around in
her hand, and began to lower it towards her stomach. Scully opened her
mouth, releasing a silent cry. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to
block out the ronin's mental commands. She knew full well what would
happen when she inserted that needle into her skin...she knew exactly how
the salt-poison would be injested into her daughter's system and slowly
kill her. Inside Scully's mind she was screaming, screaming at her body
to stop what she was doing before she murdered her unborn baby....stop!
	"Scully, stop!" Mulder ran towards her to stop her before she committed
the hideous act, knock the syringe out of her hand. 
	"Stop." The ronin held out his hand. "It is the mother's choice whether
the child lives or not."
	"THE HELL IT'S HER CHOICE!!" Mulder roared in his terrified rage. "I
SAID LET HER GO!!!"
	"You take another step closer and it will be *my* choice," The ronin
growled dangerously, stepping close to Scully so that he was in a
position to grab the syringe and inject her himself. Mulder halted.
	"Go on," The ronin focused all of his attention on Scully. "You know
that it's for the best."
	A single tear slipped down Scully's cheek as she pressed the needle
against her skin. She looked at Mulder with terrified, sorrowful eyes,
eyes begging for his forgiveness. "Mulder........please......."
	"You don't have to do this Scully," Mulder's voice was little more than
a hoarse whisper.
	"Yes I do........"
	"Do it."
	Scully's thumb twitched against the syringe.
	BRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWNNNN....
	The silence shattered into a million tiny shards. A long, low, vibrating
sound echoed across the room, sending out almost visible waves of sound
into everyone's ears. The low, metallic bellow crashed into everyone's
thoughts like an unstoppable tsunami.
	And for a split second, the ronin's spell was broken.
	And within the space of a few seconds, Scully acted fast. She twisted
around, her entire body full of rage. She jammed the needle fiercely into
the ronin's neck and squeezed the trigger.
	The results were deadly. The salt-poison, which was meant to work within
the womb of a female, reacted violently inside the veins of a male. He
stumbled forward, trying to make a noise, clutching at his throat
desperately. Mulder and Scully watched in shocked silence as he fell to
the ground, an array of horrid gurgling noises emitting from his throat.
The old man convulsed violently, the skin around the puncture beginning
to turn a yellowish-gray color as the salt-poison ate away at his tissue.
Finally, he gave one last gurgle and lay still, a red and yellowish
substance trickling from the corner of his mouth.
	The syringe dropped from Scully's bloodless fingers. She looked at
Mulder and breathed, breathed for what seemed like the first time in
years. Mulder then ran forward to her and embraced her tightly. Scully
held him as closely as she could, finally allowing the tears to come out.
Tears of thankfulness that they were alive, and together. Mulder
shuddered as he cradled Scully's tiny form in his arms, feeling her shake
with each breath. He almost covered her completely with his large frame
and long arms. 
	"I'm okay," Scully finally uttered after several long breaths. "We're
both okay."
	"Mulder!" Troi's voice suddenly broke their frozen embrace. Troi, Byers
and Samantha suddenly ran into the room where Mulder and Scully stood. It
was actually them who had saved the two...they had come in through a door
on the opposite side of the room, when Troi had rushed over to the other
wall and struck the huge gong as hard as she could. Her arm was still
hurting from the solid metal. "What happened here?"
	Mulder and Scully turned to face them, still holding each other. Mulder
placed his hand over Scully's stomach, as if checking to make sure that
she hadn't really punctured herself. Her skin was smooth, warm,
protective.
	Mulder smiled broadly at seeing Samantha, and let go of Scully so that
he could hug his sister. "Samantha! Where...where were you?" He
exclaimed, completely ignoring Troi's question.	
	"We're not sure exactly. We're guessing it was the palace dungeon,
judging from the various torture instruments we found within. We found
her fairly quickly because she was pounding on the door the entire time.
The problem was trying to find *you* guys." Byers smiled. He was
obviously feeling much better now that they had found Samantha.
	Troi glanced back at the still figure on the carpet and cringed. "Dana,
what did you *do* to that guy?"
	Scully turned and cast one last hateful glance at the ronin. "I gave him
a taste of his own medicine."
	"We'll explain it all later," Mulder reassured the confused three.
"Right now I just want to get out of this place as fast as we can."
	Samantha then noticed how Scully's face was looking rather pale. "Dana,
are you okay?"
	Scully put a hand to her stomach. "I feel like I'm gonna be sick...."
	Mulder moaned. (Not again....) He quickly led Scully to a corner of the
room where he could let her do her business. When she was done, he helped
her walk back to where the others were standing.
	"Scully, I never thought that seeing you get sick could make me so
happy." He said with a grin.


	3:16 P.M.
	Monday, June 5th, 2000
	Hiloidea, Japan

	"Mulder, what on earth do you think you're doing?"
	Mulder stared up at Scully's confused face. "What does it look like I'm
doing?"
	"It looks like you're banging your forehead against the ground," She
answered, giving him "The Eyebrow".
	"I'm kissing the ground since it will be a whole two months at least
before I ever see land again."
	"Mulder, *get up*," Scully pulled Mulder to his feet. "We're going to
see land before two months is over, I promise! We're planning to stop in
Hawaii and maybe some other islands before we get to Mexico."
	Mulder stood and stared at 'The Believer' resting comfortably at the
water's edge, awaiting its long voyage across the Pacific Ocean. "You
feel okay, Scully?"
	"Mulder, you ask me that practically every day!" Scully stated. "And
every single day I give you the same answer! Don't worry...a mind-pushing
ronin is not going to convince me to have an abortion every day of the
trip."
	"Don't remind me," Mulder sighed. He stood silent for awhile, thinking.
"So I guess this means we destroyed a legacy."
	Scully shook her head. "A master and an apprentice is not a
legacy...it's a partnership."
	Mulder looked back to Scully. "But not our kind of partnership." He
leaned in a little closer. "Thanks for helping me."
	"I have more reason to thank you than you do me," Scully countered. "I
don't think I would have gotten through it if you hadn't talked to me."
	"Suggestion is a very powerful medium," Mulder said solemnly.
	"And *I* have a few suggestions for *you*," Scully said, her voice
becoming lower and more secretive.
	Mulder grinned from ear to ear. Suddenly, spending two or more months on
a boat with Scully seemed like a *really* good idea.
	"Hey, Fox!" Samantha came up to them quickly, her ever-present SamCam in
hand. Samantha had been completely unaffected by the ronin's kidnapping.
Aside from the fact that he had pushed her to climb out the window when
he had first taken her from her bedroom and forgot to feed her the next
day, she was in perfect condition, and just as energetic as always.
"Maggie's been looking for you two! We're ready to cast off now."
	Mulder and Scully exchanged glances and followed Samantha back to 'The
Believer'. They boarded their houseboat, where everyone else was waiting.
There was a fairly large crowd of Japanese dockmen who helped the boat
out of the dockspace and bid them farewell.
	Mulder and Scully waved to them from the deck (since they didn't know
what else to do.) Mulder looked carefully at Scully, watching the way she
moved and acted. He had been right...he never would look at her the same
way again.
	But he still loved what he saw.


------------------------------------------------------

THE END OF PART TEN

------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Yee-haw! Happy things going on, 'cause there's only two
more stories and then the series is over! (Or maybe that's sad things,
depending on your P.O.V...) The next part will be rather long, so it may
take a while, but if you read this, it will come!! :)
I GOTTA KNOW!!! Whadja think, whadja think?!?! About this part, I mean!
Liked it, loved it, would rather give it to your dog than look at it
again?? I have the impression that I'm going to offend people with a few
likkle things in this story, so if I do, I'm sorry! Just send me feedback
like the good little boys and girls you are and I'll be too happy to pay
attention to your problems!! :):) (Just kidding....)
FEEDBACK NOW!!!!! ;)

-Alien Girl