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.Author:Josie Marchant
Title: Possessed
Rating: R
Summary: Mulder finds a case has a profound affect on him and his behaviour
Disclaimer: They are not mine, I wish they were, but hey Chris, thanks for the loan

4:00pm Vancouver

Dana Scully followed her partner through the woodland as they trudged through the mud and foliage.
"Mulder,are you sure this is right, we could be wasting so much time by wading through all this crap" she asked her partner in an annoyed tone. "This is leading us nowhere"
"Scully, the boy is here, I'm sure of it" Mulder looked at her. "It's a child Scully" he sighed. "We have to find him, I'm sure he's still alive" the sheer emotion in Mulder's eyes told Scully that he may have been right about this. They had been looking for a missing child, the kidnapper himself had left clues as to the boy's whereabouts. Wayne Marshall was four years old and had not been seen for three weeks. The killer John Mason had killed ten other boys before him and each had been subjected to the same ordeal. Mulder was sure he could find this one before it was too late. "There, up ahead Scully" Mulder pointed. "That cave covered by that bracken" he picked up the pace a little and they hurried to the opening in the rock. On entering the foul stench of blood hit their noses. There were candles burning and tools laying around the floor. "What the hell" Mulder looked around. "It looks like some kind of sacraficial site"
"Mulder" Scully called from the corner, "he's here" a small child lay in the corner of the room, covered in blood, there was no movement from him.
"Is he alive?" Mulder came over to them, he felt his stomach roll as he saw the child. He had been disembowled. Mulder put his hand over his mouth. "Oh...Oh fuck"
"I'm sorry Mulder" Scully shook her head.
"I was too late" he put his head in his hands. "Too late" he lifted the child up and held him close to him. "I'm so sorry" he murmured. "The fucker was here too, the candles are burning...he was just here"
"Mulder, those candles are big, they could have been burning some time" Scully whispered.
"Scully...I was too late" Mulder gritted his teeth and tried to fight the tears.
"Mulder, you did all you could *we* did all we could" Scully put her hand on his shoulder "it's okay" she gently squeezed his shoulder. "Let's get everyone up here, come on" the quiet moment was interupted as a sharp gust of wind blew into the cave, swirling the leaves around. The burning candles flickered and the breeze blew Mulder back against the wall.
"Shit" he wheezed. "What the hell was that" he rubbed the back of his head. "Something pushed me"
"That was the wind Mulder. Did you hurt your head?" Scully asked worriedly.
"No...I'm fine. Come on, let's get this poor kid out of here, give him a little dignity" Mulder took his coat off and wrapped it around the boy, he lifted the body up and they carried it out of the cave. Outside they were met by the other Agents working on the case, the paramedics took the body away and soon all was quiet.
Mulder got into the car and rested his head on the steering wheel. He let out a sigh. "We have to find him Scully. I don't know how to do it yet, but we have to find him. I'm not going back to DC till we've caught the bastard"
"Okay, but right now, we go back to the motel, you look exhausted" Scully reached out and took his hand. "You did all you could Mulder" she repeated again. He smiled slightly and started the engine.

Four Pines Motel
Vancouver

"Mulder, you actually did good on the motel this time" Scully smiled at him. "The bed's are comfortable and there's running water" Mulder's mouth turned up at the corners slightly, his hand came up and he wearily scrubbed at his eyes. "Why don't you get some sleep Mulder, you look done in" Scully pushed him to his bed and made him lie down.
"I have to find him Scully, he'll get another kid, he will" Mulder was clearly in distress over this case. As he was with anything involving missing children. His own sister's disappearence when he was just a child had left scars deeper than one could imagine.
"Mulder, shh" Scully soothed. "You can't do anything at this moment, especially seeing as you're so tired. There are other Agents on the case, it's okay. Now shh, close your eyes and go to sleep okay"
"Okay Mom" he gave her his lopsided grin and rolled onto his side to try and get some rest. Scully pulled the covers over him and gently tucked him in.
"I'm here for you Mulder" she whispered in his ear.
"I know" he murmured.

Later that evening Scully was sat on her bed typing up the report on her lap top, she looked up as Mulder came through the interconnecting door of their rooms. She smiled at him.
"Hey" she said "you slept a while, you feel better?"
"Mmm" he nodded, he came over and surprised Scully by lying down on her bed, he huddled right up to her with his head in her lap.
"Mulder, you okay?" she asked him, gently she ran a hand through his hair. "Mulder"
"gotta help...'em" he murmured, his eyes slid shut. Scully sighed, he must have been sleep walking. She gently folded away her lap top and lay back on the bed holding onto Mulder as she did so. She flicked on the television and placed it on low volume. Mulder suddenly grabbed onto her hand and held it tight. Scully was startled by his sudden movement and gasped. "Michigan...in..Michig.." he wriggled in his sleep.
"Mulder" Scully shook him and he sat bolt upright breathing hard and fast. "Hey, you okay?"
"Wh..what why am in here?" he looked around.
"You came in Mulder, a few minutes ago. You must have been sleep walking" Scully gently pushed some hair from his forehead. "It's okay" she whispered. Mulder shivered, "are you cold?"
"Mmm, all of a sudden" he rubbed his eyes. "Scully, I don't feel too good"
"Lie down Mulder"
"What here?" Scully nodded, she pulled the comforter of her bed over him and smoothed his hair.
"You sleep in here with me" she whispered. She half expected a witty remark from Mulder but he just huddled up to her and shut his eyes. "Mulder, were you dreaming about Michigan?"
"What?" he looked up at her.
"You were saying something about Michigan in your sleep" Scully stated. "I just wondered what you were dreaming about"
"Don't remember" he shivered again and pulled the blankets tighter around himself. "I don't know"

The next morning
Four Pines Motel
8:20am

"What do you mean we have to go back to DC Sir?" Mulder asked the AD standing infront of him. "He's still out there, he's still a risk"
"Mulder, there is nothing we can do at the moment, we've got teams working on it, there are other cases which need our attention. Now you and Agent Scully are booked on the 12:30 flight back to DC. So I suggest you get packing. Okay" Skinner put his hand on Mulder's shoulder. "Agent Mulder, you did a good job, there was nothing more you could have done. Your work has given people an insight as in to where to find this guy. You did good"
"Yeah...not good enough" Mulder turned and walked into his room to begin packing his bags.
"Agent Scully, did he sleep last night, he looks rough" Skinner asked.
"Yes, he slept solidly all night, that's kind of strange for him" Scully replied. "He was a bit restless at first, but then at 11pm he went out like a light" Scully gathered her things together. "Sir, this case has hit him hard, he's emotionally involved that's all. He'll be okay when we get back to DC"
"I hope so. Look I've got to go now, I'll see you back at the bureau okay"
"Bye Sir" Scully smiled. She looked up as Mulder came back into the room. "You ready?"
"Yeah, I guess so" he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Mulder, are you all right, you do actually look like hell" Scully went towards him in doctor mode.
"I'm fine Scully. I'm okay, just tired" he put his hands up in his defense.
"Mulder you slept 10 hours straight last night"
"Then I'm overslept, I never sleep that much" Mulder smiled. "That's like one weeks sleep in a night for me"
"Jesus Mulder" Scully put her hand on his back. "You're going to get sick if you don't sleep"
"Scully, I've not slept properly for twenty years or more, I'm okay, really I am. Now come on, we'll miss the flight"

The Aeroplane
12:00pm

Scully put their bags in the overhead compartments and sat down, Mulder gazed out of the window and rested his head against it. Scully looked at him,
"Mulder" she said, "are you okay?"
"Uh...yeah" he looked round at her. "I'm tired again" he yawned. "Can I just..." he pushed the arm of the seat up and lay down with his head on Scully's lap. "Can I snuggle up" he asked.
"Sure...but we have to take off first Mulder" Scully stared at him. He was not acting as he normally did. "We take off soon, then you can lie down okay"
" 'kay" Mulder nodded. He rubbed his eyes again. The flight attendents went through their usual routine and soon the plane was taking off. "My....ears" Mulder put his hands over his ears. "Ow...they hurt" he whined.
"Mulder, you need to see a doctor, you are not 100%" Scully put her hand on his knee. "I think you may have a bit of a flu virus or something" he nodded.
"Can I lay down now" he asked her.
"Yeah, sure, hold on" Scully reached under her seat and pulled out the provided blanket, she put it over him as he lay down curled up on the seat. "I'll go with you to a doctor when we get back okay Mulder?"
"Mmm" he shut his eyes and seemed to drift off. Scully got comfortable with a book and absent mindedly stroked Mulder's hair.

Two Weeks Later
J Edgar Hoover Building.
9:00am

Mulder came into the office, he was clutching at his side, as he walked in. Scully looked up
"Hi...Mulder Jesus Christ sit down" he looked dreadful, his hair was plastered to his head with sweat and his eyes had big rings underneath them. His lips were dry and cracked and each breath he took seemed ragged. "Mulder, you're sick"she guided him into the chair.
" 'm okay" he gulped. "Just..little out of sorts" he reached for the papers on his desk. "Must've been something...I ate"
"Whoa, stop there Mister" Scully pushed him back in the chair. "Mulder, you look awful" she felt his head. "You're so hot" she got up and pulled her coat on. "Come on" she said.
"Whe'..we.goin' Scully?" he murmured.
"I'm taking you back to my apartment, you are in no condition to be in here" she looked back over at him. "You've been getting worse and worse lately, have you taken those pills the doctor gave you?"
"Yeah...don't help" he went to stand up but his legs turned to jelly. "Oh...shit" he gripped onto the table. Scully was right there to catch him.
"You really need to go back to the doctor Mulder, you're one sick guy"
"Can...I please go to bed" he murmured.
"Yeah, come on" Scully took his arm around her shoulder and they left the building, he leant on her with all his weight. They somehow got to the car and Scully pushed him into the passanger seat. He lay back with his head against the rest and cocked his head to look at her.
"Take...care..of me" he said to Scully.
"Of course I will Mulder" she gently stroked his cheek. "You know that I will" she started the engine and headed off to her Georgetown apartment. Pulling up outside her building she hurried around to the other side of the car and helped Mulder out. He held onto her and staggered up the staircase to her front door. Letting them both in she set Mulder down on the couch, he lay down on his side and wrapped his arms protectively around himself. She sat down on the floor and started to examine him. "Does your tummy hurt Fox?"
"Yeah....loads...I...shit" he gritted his teeth in pain. "I feel sick" his hand shot to his mouth but he was too late, the contents of his stomach spurted out of his mouth and ran down his fingers. "Oh....God..I'm sorry...I..." he shut his eyes. Scully stared at him, his vomit looked a very odd colour.
"It's okay Mulder, honey what did you eat lately?" she asked him as she continued her examination of her partner.
"Nothing....much, I've not been hungry"
"It's just you just coughed up some odd coloured stuff, come on let's clean you up a little. Come to the bathroom" Scully led him to her bathroom and stripped him down to his boxers. She stared at his chest "How long have you had these?" she probed the red lesions on his chest and tummy. He winced.
"Few days"
"Why didn't you tell me Mulder?" she went to her cabinet and pulled out some antiseptic cream. Gently she tended to the marks on him. "Mulder, have you eaten anything strange, have you changed your brand of washing powder or...anything...can you think of anything?"
"No...I'm so..c..cold" he shivered. "Plea..se give me a b...lanket...Scu..leeee" he whined.
"Come on, let's get you into bed" she helped him stand up and then led him to her room. Sitting him down on her bed she pulled the covers back. "In you get" she said as she fluffed the pillows for him. "Okay, go to sleep now" she ran a hand through his hair. "Shh"
"Scully" he murmured.
"Yes?"
"Can I have that?" he pointed to Scully's childhood teddy bear which lived on the chair in the corner of her bedroom. "To...cuddle"
"Uh...sure Mulder" she went and picked up 'Henry' and brought him over. She tucked the bear in with him and gently sat down on the edge of the bed. "Fox....I really want you to see a doctor"
"You're a...doctor" he coughed. He pulled the bear into him and rested his nose in it's soft fur. "Don't want..another doctor" he closed his eyes as another shiver took over him.
"Okay, shh don't get upset Mulder, it's okay. Look I'll just be in the kitchen, you give me a shout if you need anything at all"
"Yeah...Scully" he sat up in the bed and pulled Scully into a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder and murmured. "I don't feel...very..well"
"I know. I know you don't. I'm here it's okay" Scully pressed her lips to his head and kissed him gently. "Shh, lie down now, shh" she laid him back down and stroked his cheek. "See you soon" she got up, turning the light off she went to the kitchen, leaving the door slightly ajar. She was slightly confused by how childlike Mulder was being, he had never expressed a desire to cuddle teddybears before. But she just put it down to the fact that he was feeling sick and wanted to be Mommied for a while. She was quite happy to do that for him. Scully went to the sink to begin the washing up which she had uncharacteristically allowed to pile up. She donned her rubber gloves and squeezed the detergent into the bowl. As she washed the dishes she thought about Mulder. He was so sensitive lately, ever since the case of the Marshall boy in Vancouver he had become somewhat distant. Mulder was always somewhat aloof but this was different. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and continued with the washing up. Her train of thought was interupted by her telephone ringing. She pulled off the gloves and went to answer it. "Scully"
"Dana it's Mom"
"Oh hi Mom, how are you?" she set herself down on the couch,
"I'm fine Dana, I just thought I'd give you a call to have a chat"
"Oh that's nice" Scully got comfortable. She and her Mother talked for about three quarters of an hour she told her that Mulder was staying and that he wasn't too well.
"What's wrong with him?"
"He's run down I think Mom. He gets exhausted and the last case we were on was a tough one. He's fast asleep now"
"Well, if you need any help Dana, you know I'm here"
"Thanks Mom, well I'd better go check on him actually. I've not done so for an hour or so. I'll call you Tuesday and we can go out for lunch like we said we would"
"Okay honey, talk to you later. Give my love to Fox"
"I will, bye Mom, love you"
"You too honey, take care" Scully placed the phone back down and went to her room. As she reached the door she was hit with a cold breeze.
"Jesus" she pushed the door open, all her windows were wide open, the curtains blowing with the cold air that filled the room. Mulder lay huddled on the bed with the blankets at his feet. He was shivering. "Fox, my God, why did you open the windows?" Scully ran around and shut all of them, she went to the bed and quickly pulled the covers back over Mulder. She rubbed his back furiously trying to get some warmth back into him. "Why'd you do that?"
"Didn't....I...didn't" he sniffed. "Wasn't m..e...it..wasn't"
"Mulder, you must have done, I certainly didn't open them" she pulled the blankets around him and felt his head. "You're freezing...I'll go get you a hot water bottle"
"Mommy" Mulder murmured, he let out a yelp. "It's hurting....it's hurting"
"What is...Mulder?" she sat down on the bed. "Mulder?" he was starting to hyperventilate. Scully sat him up and tried to get him to calm down.
"Hurts...Mommy hurts" he wheezed.
"You want me to call your Mom?" Scully felt his head, he was burning up badly. "Fox, you want me to call your Mom?" she asked again. He put his head on Scully's shoulder, and she slipped her arms around him, gently stroking his back. "It's okay. You're not well shh" his cries were reduced and he gradually began to relax. Scully laid him down and gasped as she saw his blood soaked t shirt. "Oh my God" she lifted it but was more shocked to see no wound there, she probed the area, but there was nothing. "What the hell is going on?" she turned the bedside light on and looked at his chest, all the lesions that had been their previously were gone. "What is this?" Scully shook her head. "Fox, are you in pain?" she asked him. He stared at her through glazed eyes.
"He's gonna...hurt...me" he murmured. "Real...bad...he's gonna hurt me" he squinted his eyes shut. "Help...me" he started to writhe. Scully held him still.
"Who's going to hurt you Fox, who is?" Scully stared at him.
"The...man" he sniffed "the bad man"
"Mulder, what are you talking about?" Scully gently put her hand on his chest. "What man?"
"Gonna...cut me...up" he swiped at his eyes with his hands. "Real bad"
"Fox, listen to me, you're dreaming honey, you've got a really high temperature, and you're dreaming about the case sweetheart, that's all shh now close those eyes" she stroked his hot forehead. "Shh, I'm here now, shh" his breathing slowed down slightly and he appeared to relax. He buried his nose back in the teddy bear and let out a contented murmur. Scully went to tuck the covers around him again and noticed his clean white t shirt. No blood stains at all.
*get some sleep Dana* she thought to herself, *you're tired too* she got up off the bed and reached under her pillow to pull out her pyjamas. Taking them into the bathroom she got cleaned up and showered. Tying her hair up she brushed her teeth and washed her face. Switching the bathroom light off she came back to the bedroom. Mulder was still sleeping soundly. She picked up her book and gently got into the bed. Glancing one last look at Mulder she started to read. Sleep was threatening to take over her within about half an hour and a look at the clock told her it was actually 10:30pm. Turning off the bedside light she lay down and gently put one hand on Mulder's arm. Closing her eyes she felt herself drift into a peaceful slumber.

Scully's apartment
3:30am

Scully rolled over in bed and went to cuddle Mulder, he wasn't there. Opening her eyes she looked towards the bathroom.
"Mulder?" she called. "Fox, you in the bathroom?" she climbed out of bed and pulled on her bath robe. The bathroom was empty. "Shit...Fox?" she quickened her pace to the front room, scanning it her eyes fell on Mulder who was huddled in the corner of the room. She crept toward him and bent down opposite. He had his eyes open but he didn't appear to see her. "Fox?" she put her hand on his arm. The heat coming off him was incredible. "Can you hear me"
"The bad man...he's here" Mulder murmured. "Mommy he's here"
"Okay, Fox, come on back to bed, come on" she helped him stand up. "Come on, you're dreaming sweetheart" she led him back to the room and got him back into the bed. Going to the bathroom she wet a washcloth and came back with it. Gently placing it on Mulder's forehead she stroked his cheek. "You've got a fever Fox it's okay. There's no bad man honey, no bad man" she soothed. "Shh I'm here"
"You...don't understand...he's here...Momma..he's here" he kicked his legs.
"Fox, shh" Scully whispered. "Shh now, you're safe. I'm here. Shh" this caused Scully some concern, he seemed to be hallucinating quite severley and his temperature was very high. There was also no indication as to what had caused this recent illness in Mulder. Since returning from Vancouver he had been extremely unwell, his behaviour was eratic and his general demeanor had altered. When she had taken him to the doctor immediately after the case he had just said that Mulder had been run down and was suffering from a nasty virus, but as time went on Scully was concerned that it was something altogether more serious. Mulder bucked as she held him down. He was in so much distress that Scully was concerned as to what to do. "Do you want to talk to me about it?" she said quietly. "Tell me what's wrong Fox" she helped him sit up. He stared at her, his face was white, beads of perspiration covered his brow, and he was breathing hard. "Fox, tell me what's wrong"
"The...ba..bad man" he panted.
"Yes honey, what does he do?"
"Hurt...he hurts...kids"
"Okay, it's okay" she gently rubbed his shoulder. "Why are you scared?"
"Get...me...he's got me" he put his head on Scully's shoulder and nuzzled into her neck. "He's got me.....Michigan...in Michigan" Scully had heard enough.
"Shh, nobody's going to get you honey, I promise you that, now come on, off to sleep. Lie back that's it. I'm right here with you" Scully climbed back into the bed and wrapped her arms around Mulder. "I'm here sweetheart, I'm here"

9:00am
Scully's apartment.

Scully came into the room with a tray of breakfast, Mulder was sprawled across the bed, he finally slept by 5am. Sitting down on the bed Scully very gently stroked his head.
"Mulder, how are you this morning?" she whispered. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Sc..ully" he whispered. "I'm... tired" he closed his eyes again.
"Do you not want anything to eat?" she gently whispered. "You were sick yesterday, you won't have anything left in your tummy"
"Mmm, 'k thi.rst..y" he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. He looked even worse today, his face was white. Scully handed him a glass of orange juice, he reached for it, but his hands were shaking so much he couldn't hold it.
"Okay, I've got it" Scully held it to his lips and he gulped it down. "Mulder, I want you to go to the doctor today, you were delerious last night"
"Scul..ly...'m..'k" he muttered. "Sick...just a bit sick...I'm..'k" he wheezed.
"Mulder, you are not okay" Scully sighed. "You're really sick, you need to be in hospital" Scully sighed. "Why are you being so stubborn?" she started to check him over again. "I really think you should see the doctor"
"You're ....a.doctor"
"I know, but I'm a pathologist Mulder, it's different really...and I don't know what's wrong with you. You'll feel better if you go to hospital, that's what you want isn't it?"
"So...tired" he lay down again.
"Okay, you get some more rest" Scully tucked him into bed. "I'll have to pop into work, but I'll be back soon okay. You'll be all right won't you?"
"Yeah....bye bye" he snuggled down into the bed, burrowing himself into her blankets.
"Phone if you need me okay?" she kissed him gently. "Get to sleep Mulder" Scully left the room, she didn't like to leave him alone but she had so much work to do that she had little choice. She gathered some things together and headed to her car. She kept tossing in her mind about how she had seen the blood on Mulder's t shirt last night, it was obvious to her that she had imagined it, after all blood can't just disappear can it. Then there was the matter of the lesions on his chest and stomach, but there could have been any number of scientific explainations for that.

J Edgar Hoover Building

Scully parked her car and made her way to the office. Placing her case down on the desk she opened it up and pulled out the papers she had been working on.
"Agent Scully" AD Skinner came into the office "Mulder not in today?"
"No, he's sick sir"
"Again?"
"Yeah, he's at my place, he's been spiking a fever and he's hallucinating. Terrible things about the last case. He keeps talking about Michigan" Scully smiled and shrugged.
"What?" Skinner stared at her. "Michigan?"
"Yeah, must be some kind of baseball thing or something, maybe there's a game there, he keeps on talking about the place" she continued to sort through the files. "He's not well though Sir, I promise you he's in no condition to be at work. The poor thing is tucked up in bed at home, he's been in a real state Sir he.."
"Agent Scully, did you and Agent Mulder know that there had been another child murder in Michigan?"
"The same guy?"
"Yeah, same routine as before, a 5 year old boy. He was um.....disembowled, the same as the other kid...sorry did you say that you didn't know about this?" Scully shook her head.
"It's all coincidental though Sir, Mulder's hardly been in this world the past few days. Do you want me to tell him about this Sir?"
"Best not to, if he's sick he'll need to rest. It's not going to do him any good if he knows. He'll want straight back on it Scully"
"When was the kid killed?"
"Time of death was approximately, 3:30am this morning" Skinner replied. Scully felt her blood run cold. That was the exact time that Mulder had got out of bed and cried. *Dana stop it* she told herself. *conincidence* "Scully" Skinner interupted her thoughts. "If he's sick go back to him. Keep an eye on him. I'll take over these" he patted the files. "Mulder never takes time off work unless he's sick, go on" he gave a smile.
"Thanks Sir, I really didn't like the thought of leaving him on his own too much" Scully pulled on her coat and as quickly as possible made her way back to the carpark. Getting into her car she sped off to her apartment. She cursed as she saw her usual parking spot was taken up by a big delivery truck. Turning the corner she found a nearby space and left the car there. Scully locked it and proceeded to walk to her building. As she came up the stairs she fumbled in her pocket for the keys. Pulling out the one she wanted she unlocked the front door. She was immediately alarmed by the noises coming from her bedroom. "Mulder?" she pushed the door open. "Oh God Mulder" she rushed to his side. Mulder was lying on his side shivering, sweat ran down his face and blood was dribbling down the corner of his mouth. Each breath was coming out in short gasps. "Honey can you hear me?" Scully said slowly and clearly, "Mulder, sweetheart" Mulder looked up at her through his fever glazed eyes. "I'm calling an ambulance Mulder, you are sick" she reached for the phone. Mulder cried out as she did so.
"N..o...no...no." he writhed on the bed. "Nonononononono" he kept murmuring. Scully put the phone down and turned her attention back to him.
"What is it?" she whispered. Gently she stroked his cheek "Fox honey, you need to be in hospital. You are sick sweetheart, really sick. They can make you better" she spoke to him as if he were a child. "You want to get better don't you?" Mulder scrubbed at his eyes with his hand.
"Si..ck" he put his hand to his mouth.
"Okay Mulder, hold it for two seconds" Scully ran to her bathroom and pulled out the trash can. She hurried to Mulder and just in time too. He heaved into the bin. "Oh my God, Mulder. You've got to go to hospital, I don't care how much you fight me on this. You are going" Scully stared at the blood filled bin. She picked up the phone and dialled 911. "Okay G-man, it's gonna be okay honey I promise" Scully rubbed his back tenderly. "It's okay" he looked at Scully again, tears in his eyes.
"H..elp me.." he wheezed.
"I am helping you Fox, I've got you honey, I've got you" she whispered.

George Washington Hospital
1:30pm

Scully paced up and down the plain white corridor, it seemed like such a long time ago that she had been separated from Mulder. They had rushed him off as he began to vomit more and more blood. She was extremely concerned for him. That much blood loss could be fatal and was a sure sign of heamorrage.
"Agent Scully" a doctor came over to her and extended his hand to her. She shook it.
"How's he doing?"
"He's stable, we've given him a mild sedative to stop the nausea, and we've taken some samples to try to find out what's going on. To be honest we are at a loss to explain Agent Mulder's condition" he sighed.
"Can I see him?"
"Sure, he's in ICU, he's a little groggy. But go on in" he gestured towards the room. Scully smiled and thanked him, gingerly she crept towards the room. Mulder's pallour immediately startled her, he was white, not just pale but white. He looked at her through sleepy half shut eyes.
"Hey there" Scully smiled at him. "How you feeling?"
"Wanna g'home" he murmured. "don't...feel..well"
"I know, but you know I had to call that ambulance. You were so sick Fox"
"Mom...my" he shut his eyes. Scully ran a hand through his hair.
"You want me to call your Mom Mulder?"
"No..s'kay" he reached his hand to the oxygen cannula and whimpered. "Tak'i'out" he whined.
"No sweetheart, leave it in. That's to help you" she whispered. "Do you want me to stay the night with you tonight?" she moved her hand to his arm and gently stroked it. "It's okay"
"P..lease" he closed his eyes. "I...yeah" he murmured.
"Okay. I'll be back later on. I'll bring my overnight bag" she kissed his cheek, "the doctors and nurses are going to take care of you. See you soon"
"Where...y'goin' Sc.." he wheezed.
"I'll be back in a couple of hours okay? I've just got to sort some stuff out. You hang in there okay?" she kissed his head again. "I promise I won't be long. Get some more sleep okay?"
Mulder nodded slowly as his eyes flickered shut. Scully got up and glancing one more look at Mulder, made her way to the door. She left the hospital and drove to Mulder's Alexandria apartment. Making her way up the stairs, she pulled out the key that she held for number 42. Letting herself in, she busied herself with packing a night bag for Mulder. His answering machine flashed up with a couple of messages, so Scully pushed the button. The first was from his Mother, Teena.
"Hello Fox, this is your Mother, give me a call. I'm worried about you, where are you?" *I should call her* Scully made a mental note in her mind. The second message was from the Gunmen, also wondering where Mulder had been hiding himself lately. It appeared that over the past few weeks Mulder had had little contact with anyone apart from Scully. This was in itself strange. He didn't talk to his Mother often, but for her to call him as he hadn't been in contact, was in itself a rarity. Scully shrugged this off and continued to put a few things together that she thought Mulder might want. When she was done she stopped off at home to gather a few bits and pieces. Her apartment felt cold as she went in, and again the windows were all wide open. "What is going on?" she muttered to herself as she began to close the windows and shut out the draft. Then the conclusion that someone may have broken in came to her. She pulled out her gun and checked the apartment. There was noone else there, and it appeared as if nothing had been touched or moved. She picked up the teddy Henry from her bed and put him in Mulder's bag. Sitting down on the bed she put her head in her hands. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She was worried sick about Mulder and the fact that she had no idea what was wrong with him. Pushing these thoughts aside she rose off the bed and made her way out of the apartment.

George Washington Hospital

As Scully made her way up the corridor she was met by the doctor she had spoken to earlier on about Mulder's condition.
"Hi Agent Scully"
"Hello, uh...where's Agent Mulder?" she looked in the room and saw an empty bed.
"We've had to move him out"
"Oh is he better?"
"Not exactly. We've moved him to the psych ward"
"The Psych ward? why?" Scully stared at him in disbelief "Why have you put him there?"
"He entered a huge delusional state Ag....Dana, we had to drug him, he was screaming and crying and..."
"Why didn't you call me?" Scully glared.
"We tried, there was no answer on your cell" Scully pulled it out and saw that she had it switched off. She nodded.
"When you say dillusional....what was he saying?"
"He seemed to believe that he was a small child. Screaming that someone was going to hurt him, I don't know if this is a flashback to childhood, or whether it's a severe hallucination brought on by the fever"
"He was hallucinating earlier, I just thought that it was in connection with his fever. Can I see him?"
"Sure. the ward is that way, just follow the signs. He's on some pretty strong medication Dana"
"Okay" she nodded. Scully looked up and followed the sign up the corridors to the psych ward. She knew when she was approaching it as there was a certain feel to a psych ward of a hospital. She approached the nurse sitting at the reception. "I'm looking for Fox Mulder, he was brought up here today" she smiled.
"Oh yes, room 432, straight ahead" she smiled. "Are you family?"
"I'm Dana Scully, I'm listed as his next of kin"
"Okay, go on in" she smiled. Scully nodded and made her way to the room. Looking in through the porthole window she stared at the huddled form of Mulder sitting in the corner of the room hooked up to an iv.
"Oh Mulder, what's going on with you?" she pushed the door open and went in. "Mulder, hey there?" she bent down by him and put her hand on his cheek. "It's me Mulder, can you hear me?" he stared at her with glazed eyes. "Oh God, you're still burning up, it's okay" she gently stroked his cheek. "Let's get you back in this bed hey?" she helped him up and walked him to the bed, he leant heavily on her and lay back down as she pulled the blankets around him. He stared at her and tried to speak. "Shh Mulder. You rest now. Shh" Scully pulled a chair alongside his bed and sat down. Taking one of his hands she gently held it, rubbing it softly with her finger. "It's going to be okay sweetheart, I promise you that" she whispered.
"M..o..m" Mulder murmured softly.
"I'll give your Mom a call Mulder, I promise I will" she smiled. "You go to sleep now. Shh"

Some hours passed by as Scully sat beside his bed, the effects of the medication seemed to start wearing off when Mulder opened his eyes. Scully shot him a smile,
"How you feeling?" she asked. Mulder was shivering still and sweat covered his hot skin.
"Bal..timore" he wrinkled his face in pain.
"Shh, it's okay, shh" Scully soothed. Mulder stared at her and repeated again.
"Bal..timore....ow...oh...no..no..no" he began to shake.
"Fox shh, it's okay. Shh now" Scully chewed on her bottom lip. "It's okay"
"No....no...he's here...he's here" Mulder's eyes showed pure fear when Scully looked into them.
"Who's here Fox, what are you talking about?" Mulder sat up in the bed and threw his arms around Scully sobbing. She held onto him tightly, stroking the back of his neck as she rocked him tenderly. "It's okay, shh you're sick that's all. You're sick shh Fox shh"
"Too....late....now" he murmured into her neck. His eyes slid shut and he relaxed in her arms.
"Okay, you sleep honey" Scully lay him back down and brought the blankets around him again. "You sleep"

FBI Building
Skinner's office.

"Take a seat Agent Scully" Skinner gestured towards the chair.
"Thanks" Scully seated herself and crossed her legs. "You wanted to see me Sir?"
"Yes, I heard that Mulder has been put on the Psych ward"
"That's true Sir, he's still running a high fever, he's suffering from delusions"
"Well, I hope that he gets better soon, we need him back on this case Scully. There's been another murder. This time in Baltimore" Scully froze.
"B_altimore Sir?" she questioned. "Oh my God"
"What is it Scully?"
"This is going to sound a little odd, but I think that somehow Mulder is predicting these murders. The last one was in Michigan, and yesterday he was crying about Baltimore. Really crying, shouting, he was saying something about the bad man"
"The bad man? Agent Scully. This is very far fetched, Mulder is on pretty strong medication is he not? This sounds more like one of his theories"
"I know, but you looked shocked yourself when I told you that Agent Mulder was talking about Michigan. This is too much of a coincidence for it not to mean something. He hasn't been right since we were in Vancouver. I think that Mulder's profile was so in depth that he is somehow reading the killers mind to help him towards the next move"
"How do you explain his childish behaviour, the doctor thinks it's flashbacks" Skinner sat down at his desk again.
"You seem to know all about it Sir, why may I ask did you call me in?"
"Agent Scully, Mulder has had a hard time in his life, and I think that all the pressures he's been under may have finally pushed him over the edge"
"Mulder is not insane Sir, there's something wrong with this picture. I'm going back to the hospital. I'll be in touch" Scully got up and left the office. She was furious. How could Skinner suggest such a thing about Mulder, she had thought of Skinner as a friend as well as her superior. Now it seemed like he was joining in the mass fight to kick Mulder out of the FBI. "He's going to be okay" she said to herself.
Arriving back at the hospital Scully hurried to the Psych ward and made her way to Mulder's room. He was lying in the bed staring into space, clearly he had been dosed up with some strong drugs again.
"Hey there" Scully gave him a smile. She slid into the chair by the bed and took hold of his hand. "Listen to me Fox" she said. "I think I know what's happening with you, you know where John Mason is, don't you?"
"Y-eah" Mulder slowly nodded. "It's f_unny it's like_I_I'm not me...I'm some...kid..an' I" he yawned. "Oh..sleepy" he scrubbed at his eyes with his hand. "Don't_feel well" he whined.
"I know, I know you don't" Scully gently ran her hand through Mulder's hair. "Fox, you have to try and concentrate. You can help us catch him Mulder. So that he can stop hurting people hey?"
"Mmm" Mulder closed his eyes. "I don't know_when_it's gonna happen...I just feel funny...and not myself"
"Fox, just tell me when it happens okay, it's all right" she rubbed his arm. "You think you can do that? let me know?"
"Yeah....'k" Mulder sighed. "I'm....hot"
"I'll try and see what I can get for you to cool you down" she smiled. "Hold tight for a minute honey" she whispered. Getting up she called for a nurse. "Could you get me a cool wash cloth please, he's burning in there" the nurse nodded and went to fetch a cloth. Returning to Mulder she placed it on Mulder's forehead. He winced in pain. "What hurts Fox?"
"My_head" he groaned. "The drugs...are meant to stop...pain...why am I in pain?" he sniffed.
"I don't know Mulder, I don't know why it's hurting you" Scully whispered. She gently stroked his cheek. "You'll feel better soon, I'm sure you will" she smiled. "I promise you'll be okay" Scully sat by Mulder's bedside for a good couple of hours while he slept. When he opened his eyes again to look at her, she wasn't sure if it was Mulder she was faced with.
"Hey there?" she said.
"Baltimore...again" he blinked as tears began to stream.
"Okay, where in Baltimore. Can you tell me honey, can you tell me?"
"In....in a house...2..23...it's 23....he's coming....help me" he sat up in the bed and threw himself into Scully's arms.
"Can you tell me the name of the road?" Scully could hear herself, yet she could not believe what she was asking him. This was really not within her beliefs but the evidence that Mulder did know what was happening seemed to be so strong. "What's the name of the road sweetheart" she gently stroked his back.
"Gr...Greenwi..Greenwich drive....2..2..23 Greenwich drive....oh no...Momma..." his grip on Scully tightened.
"It's okay, shh. I've got you. You're safe" Scully reached in her pocket for her cell phone and dialled throught to Walter Skinner, she told him about 23 Greenwich drive address in Baltimore. Skinner hung up the phone and Scully turned her attention back to Mulder. He continued to cry into her shoulder for a further ten minutes when gradually he started to calm down. He sat up and scrubbed at his eyes with his hands. "Mulder?" Scully asked him. "You okay?"
"I...um..I've got a headache Scully" he sniffed. "It happened again didn't it?"
"Yes it did Mulder, now you gave me an address, I'm waiting to hear from Skinner soon, he sent the PD there, it may be that he could be caught"
"I hope so" Mulder lay down. "I'm so..sleepy Scully"
"You rest now then Mulder, you did really well" she helped him lay down and gently ran her hand through his hair.
"Scully?" he turned to face her. "Why is this..happening to me?"
"Mulder, I don't know, I can't explain it. I think that you've become too tied to this case. Too emotionally involved" she sighed. "That's all I can think of to explain this...." She was cut off by her cell phone ringing. "Scully.....yes....really? okay sir....yes yes I'll tell him. Bye"
"What?" Mulder looked at her. "They got him didn't they?"
"Yes, they did. John Mason. Greenwich drive, Baltimore, and they saved a little boy....he's okay Mulder" she smiled at him. "He's okay" Scully flashed him a smile.
"I think it's over...now" Mulder sighed. "I think....it's okay" his eyes slid shut and he fell into a deep sleep. Scully pulled the blanket over him, gently stroking his arm.
"You sleep now Mulder, it is over"

Two Weeks later
Mulder's apartment.

"Right, I've restocked your fridge, and you've got some vitamins in the cupboard which I want you to take" Scully came into the bedroom where Mulder was lying huddled up in his blankets. "Now is there anything else that you need?" she sat down on the bed beside him.
"To not be lying here. Scully I'm okay" he whined.
"Well, I don't think so Mulder" she shook her head. "You have been very sick, and it's doctors orders that you are to rest, and seeing as you won't let me have you at my apartment, you're going to be watched by me here, now is there anything else you want which doesn't involve the words work, or getting up"
"I have everything I need right here" Mulder gave a small smile. "Thank you Scully"
"Hey, someone has to take care of you, you sure as hell don't"
"Not just the food and stuff, I mean for believing me, all that stuff with Mason. You're the only one who believed in me"
"Mulder, I've worked with you for six years, I can't believe in everything I see, but I believe in you, and you did good" she smiled. "Now rest" she leant in and kissed his head. With that she left him to sleep.

FIN

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