TITLE: Thicker Than Blood
AUTHOR: Susanne Barringer
EMAIL: sbarringer@usa.net
ARCHIVE: Anywhere okay w/ my name and e-mail attached
SPOILERS: Up to The Red and The Black
CLASSIFICATION: SA
RATING: PG for a handful of words
KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully UST
SUMMARY: Samantha returns, but Scully suspects her motives.
DISCLAIMER: Not my characters. Belong to CC, 1013, Fox. No
infringement intended.
NOTE: This is my first shot at something besides MSR fluff and at
something that actually has some plot.
_____________
Thicker Than Blood
by Susanne Barringer
Early on a Friday morning, Dana Scully opened the door to the office she
shared with Fox Mulder. Before she had even stepped inside, Mulder
bounded out of his chair, flew toward her, and scooped her into his arms,
swinging her around in a complete circle before setting her down. This
was in no way his usual behavior, and Scully was concerned to say the
least.
"Mulder? What's going on?" she asked suspiciously.
"Guess who just phoned me!" Mulder practically shouted at her, his
enthusiasm reaching out to put a smile on Scully's face. His eyes danced
with a happiness she had never seen before.
Scully stepped inside the office and shut the door behind her before
answering. "Uhhhh, E.T.?" she guessed. She had no idea who could
possibly put that radiant look on Mulder's face.
"You're close!" he said. She arched a questioning eyebrow. "Samantha!"
he shouted, grabbing her once more and swinging her around, twice this
time.
"You're kidding!" Scully exclaimed incredulously as Mulder set her down
again. "Samantha called you?" To say Scully was surprised was putting it
mildly. About six months earlier, Mulder had met a woman whom he
believed to be his sister. What should have been a happy reunion,
however, had turned out to be Mulder's worst nightmare. Samantha had
more or less told him she didn't want anything to do with him. Although he
had been stoic when he finally told Scully about it, she knew Samantha's
rejection had devastated him. Scully was suspicious. It just didn't sound
normal for a woman not to want to talk to a man she had just learned was
her brother. The fact that Smoking Man was behind the reunion didn't
exactly lessen Scully's suspicions either. Mulder had never mentioned the
mysterious meeting again after he first told Scully about it. She knew it
was painful for him, so she was reluctant to bring it up. Besides, until he
knew for sure it was Samantha, there was no point in calling attention to
how strange the sequence of events had been.
"I can hardly believe it myself." Mulder's words brought her back to the
present. His eyes were still sparkling with delight, but Scully was relieved
when he stepped away from her. Being swung around in circles by an
exuberant Mulder was a bit too strange for her comprehension.
"She wants to meet with me, Scully. Today. She wants to get together
and talk and get to know each other."
"Why now? What made her change her mind?" Scully couldn't help the
misgivings that formed in her head. She hated to have to question this--
Mulder was so oblivious with joy--but her intuition was screaming that
something was very strange about this out-of-the-blue communication
between the siblings.
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. I guess she thought about it and
decided that she needed to know. Part of it might have to do with
Smoking Man's death. She knows he's dead; maybe she has a freedom now
she didn't have before. Maybe he wouldn't let her."
Scully could understand Mulder's need to rationalize the situation. It didn't
make a whole lot of sense to her, but she guessed that since she didn't
know Samantha, it was unfair to inflict her own assumptions onto her.
After all, it must be difficult to find out that the man who raised you had
essentially abducted you and lied about your real family. And, if she really
was Mulder's sister, how could she resist knowing him? From what
Mulder had told Scully, they had shared a very close bond as children.
That kind of bond doesn't just disappear, no matter how much time passed.
"So, when are you going to meet her?" Scully decided to be supportive.
"I'm leaving right now; I decided to take the day off. We're going to spend
the whole weekend together. She's even going to stay at my place!"
"Really?" Scully tried not to sound too surprised. Why would anyone want
to spend a whole weekend with Mulder in his sardine-can apartment?
"Yeah, it'll be great! We've got a ton of catching up to do. It'll be like it
was when we were kids--staying up late, talking, playing games, eating
Jiffy Pop."
Scully was concerned about Mulder's idealism. They weren't kids anymore,
and if he expected things to be like they were when they were twelve and
eight years old, he'd only be disappointed. Mulder apparently read her
mind. "I'm kidding, Scully. Well, partly anyway. We gotta have Jiffy
Pop!"
Scully smiled in relief, but the nagging doubt still haunted her. "Be careful,
Mulder." She raised both eyebrows at him as a reminder of all the
deception and subsequent disappointments he had already had to
overcome.
"I know, Scully. I won't be a fool again." Mulder gave her one last hug--
happy Mulder was becoming annoying--then grabbed his coat and was out
the door before Scully could wish him luck.
"Good luck, Mulder," she murmured to herself. "I hope, for both our
sakes, that this is the real thing."
**********
Scully was a wreck all day, wondering how things were going with Mulder
and the presumed Samantha. She willed the phone to ring, for Mulder to
call and let her know what was going on. She realized, though, that she
was probably expecting too much. Mulder was being reunited with his
sister after twenty-five years. They were likely too busy catching up for
him to call.
Scully managed to get through the day without calling Mulder on his cell
phone just to check. When her phone rang sometime after eleven o'clock
that night, however, she suspected it was him. Finally. She hoped to God
it was good news.
Mulder didn't even wait for her to say hello. "It's her, Scully. It's her!" He
sounded so awed, so in wonder.
"Mulder, I hate to sound like I'm second guessing you, but are you sure?"
"I'm sure. She knows everything, Scully. She remembers that I used to
call her 'squirt' when I wanted to tick her off, and that I ate peanut butter
and mustard sandwiches, and that I used to pull the noses off her stuffed
animals when she wasn't looking, and that we used to play Indian Ball out
in the street in the summertime."
"That's all well and good, Mulder, but they could have . . ."
"I know Scully. I know exactly what you're going to say. I knew you'd
want some hard evidence, so I got it. I made her get x-rays taken; she has
a cracked collar bone, right where she broke it when she fell off the swing.
Not to mention she has a scar on her knee where she got stitches after she
snagged herself on a rusty nail climbing over a fence. It's her, Scully. I can
feel it. I know it's her."
Scully felt a wave of relief pass over her. The evidence did seem
convincing. She would have to trust Mulder on this. His enthusiasm
helped ease her doubts. He had finally found his sister, and the twelve-
year-old in him was coming out in full force.
"I'm happy for you, Mulder. I can't believe you finally found her."
"Me neither, Scully. Hey, I can't wait for you to meet her. You guys will
be great friends, I'm sure of it. She's a lot like you, Scully--strong,
independent, *very* opinionated." Scully stifled a laugh as she heard a
female voice in the background saying "I heard that!" Mulder laughed
affectionately, then continued. "I can't wait to have my two favorite
women together, in the same room. I know it sounds corny, but it's like a
dream come true." Mulder was breathy with anticipation. Scully had never
heard him like that before; it was as though finding Samantha had opened
up a part of him that had been hidden so deeply it was barely recognizable.
She briefly wondered to herself how much this would change Mulder, now
that he had found what he had spent his whole life looking for. What
happens to a man when he finally gets what he's always wanted?
"I look forward to meeting her, too."
"Great! So why don't you come over now?" Mulder's excitement was
relentless.
"Now? It's almost midnight, Mulder."
"So? This is a once in a lifetime thing, Scully. C'mon! I want you to meet
her. You've waited a long time to meet my sister, my *real* sister. Now's
the time."
His enthusiasm was difficult to resist, even though she felt some
unexplained trepidation lurking at the back of her conscience. Still,
meeting Mulder's sister? How could she decline? "All right, Mulder, I'll be
there in half an hour. Are you sure it's okay with Samantha? She might be
tired. Unlike you, she probably sleeps."
"You're so funny," he said sarcastically. Then, "I'll see you in twenty
minutes." He hung up before she could protest.
**********
Scully was nervous as she took the elevator to Mulder's apartment,
although she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because Samantha probably
knew her better than she knew Samantha, at least the adult Samantha. She
had a sneaking suspicion that Mulder had told Samantha everything about
her.
She calmed herself, then stepped out of the elevator. She tapped lightly on
the door. Even though she usually used her key when Mulder was
expecting her, it seemed to be the more polite thing to do under the
circumstances.
Mulder ripped open the door within seconds. "Scully! Hi! Come in." He
was flushed with happiness and utter joy. It was a look Scully had never
seen on him but which he wore beautifully. She stepped in, and Mulder
closed the door behind her. An attractive woman with curly brown hair
materialized out of the kitchen. She looked exactly like the clone that had
tried to pass itself off as Samantha a couple of years ago. Mulder was
literally bouncing on his feet with excitement and anticipation.
"Samantha," Mulder pronounced with a flourish, "may I present my partner
and best friend, Dana Scully. Scully, this is my sister, Samantha."
Samantha smiled affectionately at Mulder's emphasis on the word "sister."
"I'm so thrilled to meet you, Dana," she said, stepping forward to give
Scully a quick hug. "Fox *never* stops talking about you!" Scully looked
over Samantha's shoulder in time to catch Mulder's sheepish shrug.
"Samantha, I'm the one who's thrilled," Scully commented as they broke
the embrace. "I wasn't sure this day would ever come." The two women
stood looking at each other, sizing each other up, while Mulder positively
beamed with delight. He looked like he was going to keel over from sheer
happiness.
"Dana, please sit," said Samantha as she indicated a place on the sofa.
Scully obliged and Samantha sat next to her, taking Scully's hand in her
own.
"I feel like I know you so well already, Dana. Fox has told me all about
you, and about the work you two do. Of course, it wasn't until just now
that I even knew you had a first name. All he ever calls you is 'Scully'!"
She laughed.
Scully smiled affectionately at this woman who meant so much to her
partner. "That was his idea, of course," she explained. "Something about
nobody ever calling him Fox . . ."
Samantha laughed again and winked at Mulder who had taken a seat in the
nearby recliner. "Oh, I called him a lot more than Fox." Her eyes twinkled
just like Mulder's. "Fox with stinky socks, Fox in a box, Fox eating lox,
Fox with the head of rocks. He hated it all."
"We never should have let her read Dr. Seuss," protested Mulder. He
glowed with elation at this memory of his sister, now here beside him in the
flesh.
Samantha turned serious again as she addressed Scully once more. "I'd like
to thank you for helping Fox in his search for me. I know you've risked a
lot." She squeezed Scully's hand with affection. Scully felt moved by this
woman she had just met but whom she felt like she had known, in a way,
for five years.
"You're very welcome. Really, I was just doing my job. Finding you was
the bonus." Samantha smiled warmly at her, then at Mulder. Scully was
surprised at how connected Samantha and Mulder seemed already, how
often they shared meaningful glances. She was pleased that things were
going well; she had been worried Mulder was expecting too much from this
reunion.
Samantha and Scully engaged in small talk, Samantha filling in the general
details of her life and asking Scully lots of questions about Mulder. Mulder
eventually stood up and faced the two chattering women. "Hey, I hate to
break up this lovely scene, and it is unbelievably lovely, but how about
beers all the way around? We need to celebrate!"
Both Scully and Samantha nodded their agreement. Mulder stepped into
the kitchen and immediately Samantha dropped Scully's hand. She shifted
her position to put some distance between them, and her face turned hard.
Scully was shocked at the change in the woman's demeanor; it was so
sudden and without cause.
"So," Samantha began, eyeing Scully distrustfully, "Fox said that you
would insist he get some evidence that I was really Samantha, that you
wouldn't trust his judgment?"
Despite the neutral tone of the question, Scully felt that Samantha's words
were an accusation. "You have to understand, he's been duped before,"
she defended herself. "He thought he found you once, but it turned out to
be a trick."
"But you still wouldn't trust his intuition? His belief in the connection
between us?"
Scully wanted to set Samantha straight, to explain to her that Mulder was
too obsessed to be objective about anything that involved his sister, but she
decided to let it go. There was no point in alienating Samantha the first
time they met; it was important they get along for Mulder's sake. It
seemed to be making him happy--maybe happier than he had ever been.
Mulder returned to the living room, three bottles of beer in hand. "So,
ladies, shall we have a toast?" He sat down on the coffee table in front of
them and raised his bottle. "To family," he said in the direction of
Samantha. Then he turned toward Scully, "And to friends," He flashed
her a look of affection that nearly made her blush from its intensity.
Scully drank, then offered her own toast. "To the end of the journey," she
pronounced. She noticed the look that passed between Mulder and
Samantha. She didn't like it. Something was up that Mulder wasn't telling
her about.
After a few minutes, Scully couldn't stop the curiosity rising in her; she
couldn't shake the feeling that something was brewing between her partner
and his long lost sister. "So, Mulder, what are you going to do with
yourself now that you've found Samantha?" She asked it with a light tone,
but the question was honestly a serious one.
Mulder and Samantha exchanged glances again, and Scully felt a sick
feeling rise in the pit of her stomach. Something *was* going on that they
weren't telling her.
"Um, Scully. We need to talk about that," Mulder said timidly, setting his
beer down next to him.
The feeling in Scully's stomach rose into her throat. Mulder scooted over
on the coffee table so he was sitting directly in front of Scully and their
knees almost touched.
"Even though Samantha and I are together again, it's not over. I mean, we
still don't really know how she was taken or, more importantly, why. The
reason Sam asked me to meet her is because she wants me to find out
exactly what happened. She wants to know why she was taken, and who
Smoking Man really is, and especially who killed him. His name's
*Howard* by the way. Can you believe that? Anyway, Sam knew he was
involved with some powerful people, and he had told her that his life might
be in danger, but she doesn't know why he was killed."
Scully felt dread descend upon her. "Mulder, don't you think this is just
asking for trouble? We couldn't get close enough to these people before.
What makes you think you can get the information now?"
"Well, I have Sam to help me now. She has information that could help us
blow this thing wide open, Scully." Scully knew what he meant, but that
didn't stop the hurt she felt flood her body.
"Mulder, this sounds dangerous." She stared him down, knowing that her
look would communicate to him her intense concern. She felt
uncomfortable talking about it in front of Samantha, especially given what
had passed between them while Mulder was in the kitchen.
Mulder moved closer to Scully and put his hand on her arm. "I know,
Scully. But Sam needs to know. She needs to know what happened to her
father . . . the man she knew as her father. Remember how you felt when
Melissa was killed, how you needed to know? You should understand."
Scully couldn't help but be offended by the comparison. Her sister had
been an innocent woman, caught at the wrong time in the wrong place.
Samantha's "father"--he was a criminal, a liar, a murderer. The comparison
was insulting. Tracking down Smoking Man's numerous connections
would no doubt piss off a lot of people, a lot of dangerous people.
Just as Scully was about to voice her concern once more, Mulder dropped
the bomb. "I'm going to take a leave of absence from the Bureau until this
is settled. I'm not asking you to be in this with me, Scully. It's my own
personal battle and you have no obligation to stand by my side. Besides,
Sam will be with me, so I won't be alone."
Scully used every ounce of her strength to stop the tears welling up in her
eyes. Even though he hadn't intended them to, Mulder's words ripped at
her heart. How could he dismiss her so easily? Of course she understood
what he was saying about her not having to go with him, but to imply that
Samantha could replace her? That hurt like hell. And to leave the Bureau?
That was ludicrous.
"Well, that's good, Mulder, because I won't fight this one with you. I won't
assist you in running off to your death in search of answers that no one will
ever let you have. They won't let you know, Mulder. There's no way
you'll get what you're looking for." She knew anger was rising in her
voice, and she also knew that Mulder wouldn't miss it. It didn't help that
she was annoyed with herself for not being able to control her emotions in
front of Samantha.
"We have to try," piped up Samantha. Scully resented her, although she
didn't want to. This woman had just walked into Mulder's life today, after
breaking his heart for six months by not having any contact with him.
She'd been in his life for all of eighteen hours and already asked him to put
his life on the line for her. Like he hadn't already done that a million times.
Yes, she knew that Mulder had to find the answers someday, but to walk
right into it without any investigation first, without finding out exactly what
he was dealing with, and without the Bureau's resources was too much to
ask. Even of a brother.
"Samantha has asked me to do this. For her. I have to, Scully. Can't you
understand that?" Mulder's voice was pleading, but Scully knew that it
made no difference what she thought or felt. Mulder would go through
with this no matter what the potential consequences.
Mulder effectively changed the subject after he saw the parade of emotions
on Scully's face. He knew her well enough to know that they had taken the
conversation far enough for the moment. Scully hung around for another
ten minutes out of politeness, then decided she had to get out of there
before she exploded. This whole situation was just not sitting well with
her.
"I hate to break up the celebration, but it really is late and I need to get
some sleep." Scully rose and turned toward Samantha. "Samantha, it was
wonderful to meet you finally."
Samantha stood up and embraced Scully, kissing her cheek. "It was nice to
meet you too, Dana. Thanks for taking care of my brother all these years."
Mulder beamed with happiness and pride, but Scully saw something
different in the glare Samantha gave her as they parted.
Scully intended to see herself out, but Mulder followed her into the hallway
and walked with her to the elevator.
"Hey, Scully, I'm sorry about what I said in there, about Samantha helping
me with this. I didn't mean that I didn't need you, just that I don't want to
involve you in something so dangerous."
"I know, Mulder."
"It just looked like I upset you, and I didn't mean to do that." Mulder
reached over and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. Scully
unconsciously moved back slightly.
"I am upset, Mulder, but not about that. It upsets me that you're talking
about leaving the Bureau."
"I'm not leaving; I'm just taking a break while I work on getting these
answers."
"Why don't you stay on the job? You can still investigate this stuff in
between our cases. That's what you did before."
"I can't, Scully. That wouldn't give me enough time, and I'd have to drop
everything whenever a new case came up. If I'm going to get to the truth
behind this, I have to commit myself full time. Besides, I can't have
Skinner breathing down my neck constantly, and there's no way I'd get
anywhere if I needed every step approved by the higher-ups. I need the
freedom." It sounded like he really had thought this through, but Scully
still didn't like it.
"I understand that, but you also need the Bureau resources. How can you
accomplish anything without those?"
"Well, if you mean the information and databases, I was kinda hoping you'd
help me out with that. If I ask you to look something up for me, you
would, wouldn't you, Scully? I mean, it wouldn't really go against protocol
or anything since I am an agent, and you wouldn't actually be involved."
Scully let loose a sigh. "Of course, Mulder. I'll help you however I can,
but it's not just about information. What about access, and money?"
"Hey, believe it or not, 'Howard' was loaded! He set up Samantha with
investments and a huge trust fund. She's willing to put up the money. The
rest will work itself out."
"And what about me?" Scully knew how pathetic that sounded, but she
couldn't help it. It felt like Mulder was leaving her in the lurch to go out on
some crazy quest. That was nothing new, of course, but this time it was
much bigger--and more dangerous.
Mulder missed the point. "You keep working on the X-Files, of course.
We can't give those up. There are still plenty of mutants and unexplained
phenomena out there." He smiled at her reassuringly.
"How can you do this to me?" God, pathetic again, but she could not
believe Mulder was going to leave her alone. He was ditching her in the
ultimate ditch. To top it off, he seemed entirely unfazed by the implications
of her questions.
"It's not permanent, Scully. If you really want a partner, you can request a
temporary one. I could recommend a few people who think a little along
my lines." Like anyone could replace Mulder's lunacy! "Scully, this could
find the answers you want too. We know it's all connected--your
abduction, the staged aliens, Smoking Man and his cronies."
"Maybe, but I don't think this is the right way to find those answers
Mulder. You're hanging yourself out to dry, with nothing and no one to
back you up. There are other ways to the truth." Frustration rose in her
voice, and she poked at the elevator button with force. What good would
the answers do her if Mulder was dead?
"This is the best way, Scully. It'll get me closer. I won't have to go by the
book on everything, and I've got Sam's connections."
"I don't like this, Mulder. I just want to go on record as saying that I don't
like the whole idea. I'm worried you're getting yourself into something
bigger than you can handle. I don't like that you're willing to isolate
yourself in this, without the FBI behind you."
"I'll be fine, Scully. And I promise I'll be careful," Mulder assured her as
the elevator doors opened. "I'm going to talk to Skinner on Monday and
see if he'll release me immediately. I want to get started as soon as
possible."
Scully simply nodded and stepped into the elevator. There was nothing left
to say. Mulder gave her a small wave as the doors shut. She burst into
tears.
**********
PART 2
When Scully arrived at the office Monday morning, Mulder had already
been there. His coat was draped over his chair, and there were files
sprawled across his desk. With a sick feeling, she realized he had already
gone up to Skinner's office to discuss the leave of absence.
About forty-five minutes later, Mulder opened the door to their office. He
looked worn and tired.
"How'd it go with Skinner?" Scully wasn't sure she wanted to know, but
she knew she would have to face the music eventually.
Mulder smiled. "Well, I had to put up with about twenty minutes of him
verbally kicking my ass, but he reluctantly agreed to release me
immediately."
Scully's heart hit the floor. "Oh." She wasn't sure she'd be able to say
anything else Mulder wanted to hear.
He began sorting through files on his desk, every now and then tossing one
into a box on his chair. Finally, Scully pulled herself together enough, she
thought, to carry on an appropriately supportive conversation.
"So, where are you going?"
Mulder looked up from his sorting. "Are you sure you want to know that,
Scully? It's probably better that you know only the basics, in case Skinner
grills you or something."
"I'd like to know what the plan is, at least."
"Okay, well, Sam and I spent the weekend combining our respective
knowledge and figuring out where to start. Howard was working with
several different people--government officials of various countries. The
only way to get close to them will be to immerse myself in their world
somehow. I'm going to New York first--I've got some leads there. After
that, I have no idea."
"When are you leaving?" She braced herself for the answer. Whatever it
was, she wouldn't like it.
"As soon as I get this stuff together. I've got a noon flight." Even worse
than she thought.
Scully was silent again as she watched Mulder finish up the stack of files on
his desk, filing away the ones he didn't put in his box. Was there anything
she could say to stop him from doing this?
"Don't go, Mulder." Well, that wasn't likely to do much good, but she had
spoken it without thinking.
Mulder stopped his paper sorting. He stared at her, searching her eyes,
reading in them what she was asking of him. He looked at her a long time,
like he was actually reconsidering his plans. She prayed every prayer that
she could think of, hoping he would listen to her. No good.
"I have to, Scully. Please, don't ask me not to." His eyes begged for her
understanding as her whole world fell apart around her. She fought back
tears, finally turning away from him. She heard him sigh loudly, and she
knew she had hurt him.
Within a few minutes, Mulder finished packing his files. He lifted the box
off his chair and placed it near the door. He walked back toward Scully's
desk.
"Scully." His eyes were still begging her. "I guess it's time." Scully stood
up and came to stand in front of him. She knew Mulder could read her
emotions; for once, she made no attempt to hide them.
"Please be careful, Mulder. You know how dangerous these people are.
Promise me you'll be careful!"
"I will, Scully, I promise. I'll probably be out of contact for periods of
time, but I'll stay in touch as much as I can." He stepped forward and put
his arms around her, kissing her forehead as he pulled her into his embrace.
"I'll be back in the X-Files in no time, I promise," he mumbled into her hair.
"Think of how many theories you can debunk without me standing in your
way." Scully laughed, but her insides were twisted with fear and
heartbreak. She hated that he was willing to cut all his ties in order to go it
alone.
She finally pulled away, reluctantly. Letting go of Mulder this time meant
much more than it ever had before. Mulder stepped back and moved to
pick up his box. He winked at her as he opened the door. "See ya' around,
Scully," he said with a sincere smile, then closed the door behind him.
Scully's heart shattered at the realization that she might never see him
again.
**********
While Mulder was gone, Scully tried to immerse herself in work in order to
keep him off her mind, but it was difficult to concentrate when she knew
that he could be in trouble and there was nothing she could do about it.
She refused to request a temporary partner, although Skinner insisted she
take back-up whenever she was in the field. Conveniently, there hadn't
been too many new cases during the time Mulder had been on leave.
Scully realized that they usually had so many X-Files because Mulder
sought them out. He reviewed the cases of other agents, read the tabloids
and news reports off the wire, and kept his ear to the murmurings of
contacts like the Lone Gunmen. Without him looking for cases, there
really weren't all that many that came their way. For the most part, Scully
was relieved. She simply didn't have the motivation or the inclination to
work them if Mulder wasn't around to provide the far-out explanations that
forced her to stay grounded.
Three weeks passed and she hadn't heard a word from Mulder. Not a
personal word anyway. Mulder left requests for information with
Samantha who either brought them by Scully's apartment or asked that
Scully come pick them up. Samantha was staying at Mulder's place until he
returned. Scully found it a bit peculiar that she would be willing to leave
her family--Mulder could be gone for months.
After Scully had pulled the appropriate information for Mulder or done the
research he requested, she would return the files to Samantha at Mulder's
apartment. After a week of Mulder being gone, she began to include
personal notes in the files, asking Mulder to please call her or get in touch
with her somehow. He never did. Scully couldn't stop her suspicions that
Samantha was intercepting the notes. As far as Mulder communicating,
there was nothing more in the files passed from him except the occasional
note clarifying some request. Scully was upset that he was avoiding her so
expertly. She didn't expect him to keep in constant contact, but it would
have been nice if she had a clue where he was or what he had been doing,
just in case something happened to him. She tried his cell phone, even
though she knew that wasn't a good idea, but the number had been
disconnected.
Finally, in desperation and concern, Scully tried leaving messages on his
answering machine thinking that maybe Mulder called in sometimes to get
messages, but that got her nowhere. No doubt Samantha intercepted those
too. She even contacted the Lone Gunmen thinking that Mulder might
have asked them to do some work for him. He had been in communication
with them earlier in his search, but Frohike assured her they had no idea
where he was. When meeting with Samantha, Scully would ask her
politely to please have Mulder get in touch with her, but Samantha insisted
that she had no way to contact him. Scully didn't believe that for a minute.
She had even held surveillance outside Mulder's apartment one night to see
how the files were getting from Samantha to Mulder, but it was only a
delivery boy who came for the package. Scully accosted him on his way
out, but he clearly had no idea who he was working for. He was told
simply to deliver the package to a certain motel office. Scully decided
going there might put Mulder in danger, so she simply gave the delivery
boy a note for Mulder and twenty bucks to deliver it with the file.
Still Scully heard nothing. It frustrated her to no end that she had
absolutely no way to reach Mulder if something important came up that he
needed to know. All was dependent on Samantha, and Scully trusted her
to give Mulder the messages about as much as she trusted his fish to do it.
All she could do to help Mulder was provide the research he requested, so
she did. In fact, she threw herself into it wholeheartedly, always getting it
done as quickly as she could and returning the file to Samantha sometimes
within twenty-four hours. She knew that in order to stay sane, she had to
do *something* helpful, and if this was the only thing he'd let her do, then
so be it.
Scully did pay attention to the information Mulder was requesting of her,
but she saw no pattern to the requests. He seemed to be looking at
background checks on a number of people, but Scully could see nothing in
common between them. They represented various low-profile government
officials and leaders of corporations. It didn't seem to be the right track to
Scully, but, of course, she had no other information on which to base her
hypothesis.
Scully had just about had enough of the royal run-around she was getting
from Samantha, when Skinner called her into his office one afternoon and
changed everything.
Skinner looked uncomfortable the minute she entered his office, and Scully
was worried he had gotten some bad news about Mulder. "Agent Scully, I
have no idea why Agent Mulder has taken a leave of absence, but I'm sure
it wasn't to go sun himself on a beach in the Bahamas. I don't know what
he's up to, and honestly I suspect it's better that I don't. I've come across
some information, however, that might interest you and, I suspect, might
be something you want to let Agent Mulder know about."
"What is it, sir?"
Skinner didn't answer but instead opened a folder and removed a
photograph, which he then handed across his desk to Scully. Scully took
one look at it and gasped. It was a picture of Smoking Man picking up
logs from a woodpile outside a small cabin.
"Where did you get this?" she demanded.
"I can't tell you that. Actually, I'm not exactly sure where it came from. It
just . . . came into my hands. I can tell you, however, that the photo was
taken within the last month. That is something of which I can assure you."
So, Smoking Man was alive and well after all. Scully heart lurched, and
suddenly it all became clear. She wasn't sure how she had come to the
conclusion, but she knew with certainty what was going on. She dropped
the picture on Skinner's desk as she stood.
"Excuse me, but I have some pressing business to take care of." Skinner
nodded, but Scully had already turned to go.
**********
Scully's car screeched to a halt in front of Mulder's building as she parked
illegally. She used the stairs so she wouldn't have to wait for the elevator.
She was hoping like crazy that Mulder would be there, but she knew
instinctively that it would be Samantha she would have to deal with.
Sure enough, Samantha opened the door after Scully had pounded on it so
hard her knuckles ached.
"Dana, what is it?"
Scully didn't wait for an invitation. She barreled her way in and slammed
the door behind her.
"You knew, didn't you? You've known all along! How could you have
done this to Mulder?" Scully's tone was far beyond accusatory, yet
Samantha hardly flinched.
"What are you talking about?" she asked as calmly as if Scully had
whispered it to her.
"Oh, cut the crap. You know he's alive, don't you? Your father's alive,
and you're working with him. You're getting Mulder to do your dirty
work."
Samantha looked like she was going to deny it, but then she seemed to
change her mind. "All right, yes, my father is alive. He asked me to help
him. He's been betrayed; he needs to know who tried to kill him."
Scully was so angry she felt like she was out of control. This was unreal.
"So you're using Mulder? How can you do this to him after all he's done
for you?"
"I'm not using him. I'm giving him what he wants. My father was betrayed
by them. Now he wants to see them pay. They're the same people Fox is
after. We're both looking for the same thing. By finding out why they
tried to kill my father, Fox will get his truth and his answers, and so will my
father."
Oh God, this was horrible. Scully couldn't believe this situation was even
happening. "Samantha, you have to stop it now. You can't let Mulder
walk into this trap."
"Do you love him?"
"What?" Scully wondered where that had come from. "Of course I love
him. We've been though hell together--five years of it."
"If you care about him so much, how can you stop him? How can you
deny him what he's spent his whole life searching for?"
"How can I not stop him?" shouted Scully, her anger getting the best of her
again. "He's gotten the answers he really needed. He found you. That's
what this has always been about."
"It's about more than that, Dana, and you know it. For Fox, it's about
finding the truth. He's only found half of it."
"You have no idea what we've been through. You have no idea what he's
gone through to find you. How can you ask him to continue?"
"I *do* know what he's gone through."
"I'm sorry, Samantha, but you don't. You couldn't. You haven't been here
to see it, to see all he's suffered over the years you were missing. I don't
mean to offend you, but you couldn't possibly understand."
"Oh, and you're saying you do? You're saying that you know what he
wants and what he needs even better than he does?" Samantha, now, was
the one boiling with anger.
"Yes, I do. I know him better than anyone, including you."
Samantha's face turned up into a grin, but it had an edge of meanness to it.
"You might have known him before, but you don't know him now. I'm the
one he confides in now. I'm the one he's working with now, not you." So
she *was* in contact with Mulder. Scully's blood churned at the thought
that Samantha had been lying to her. "You don't know anything about
what he needs now."
"I know he needs me." Scully knew that wasn't the best answer given
Samantha's recent hostility, but Mulder *did* need her. She was as certain
of that as anything else between them.
"Look, I know this hurts you, Dana, but Fox needs *me* right now.
You're his partner, and he needs you to watch his back, and he'll always
need your friendship. But right now, he needs support for his quest, and
I'm the one who's giving him that. You're interfering. You should stay out
of it, stay away from him. You'll only make things worse."
"Well, everything was fine until you came back. Maybe it's you who's
making things worse. Did you ever think of that?" Scully knew that was
unfair, and mean to boot, but she didn't care anymore. Samantha was all
wrong about this, and there was no way Scully would let her destroy
Mulder for her own benefit, not after all he had already sacrificed to find
her.
"I'm his blood. I'm his sister."
"Well, I'm his . . ." Scully stopped. She had no word for what she was.
"Partner" would have sounded lame. "Friend?" Not recently. And she
couldn't claim anything more than that.
Samantha smirked, and Scully had to clench her fists to keep from ripping
the smirk right off of her. She had Scully beat. When it came right down
to it, Scully was nothing more than a friend, while Samantha was
everything. Scully hated her. She hated her with every fiber of her being,
and then she felt guilty for hating her. Samantha was Mulder's sister, and
she should be grateful that he had found her again, but she couldn't help but
hate what Samantha was doing to him, and to their relationship. Nothing
had ever come between Mulder and her before, and now, of all things, it
was Mulder's sister who was going to rip them apart. The irony was
painful. After all, it was Mulder's sister who had led them together in the
first place; it was her disappearance that had brought Mulder, and then
Scully, to the X-Files. And it was her disappearance that had made Mulder
who he was, the man Scully loved.
Scully decided there was no more time to waste. She had to get through to
Samantha from a rational standpoint. This was about much more than the
petty power plays between the two of them.
"You have to tell him, Samantha." She willed her voice to remain calm.
Shouting was getting them nowhere. "You have to tell him what you
know about your father. If he goes into this without knowing everything,
you put his life in danger. Tell him the truth. Tell him whose team he's
*really* playing for."
"Do you think that would change anything, Dana? Come on. He'd do
whatever I asked him to do, no matter whose side it's on. It's better for
him not to know."
"You're crazy! You're sending him on a suicide mission. He needs to
know what he's up against."
"What difference does it make? What he needs to find out is the same, no
matter if it's for me or for my father."
"It makes all the difference!" The gall of this woman was incredible, and
Scully felt her rage rising again. "If you knew Mulder, you'd know that.
He lives for the truth. By keeping it from him, you work against him."
Those words--Mulder had said them once to Scully, and now she was
using them with his own sister.
"I *do* know Fox. We're of the same blood, and we've come to know
each other well in the last few weeks. He and I are the same. We're alike
in more ways than you understand."
It was all Scully could do not to slap the woman. "You're nothing like
Mulder! Nothing!" she spat out. The thought offended her beyond reason.
"He's sensitive, and kind, and understanding. He's the most human man I
know. He cares more about victims than a good agent should. He's
sacrificed his whole life to find you and to find out what happened to you.
Don't think for one minute you are anything like him!"
Samantha's face turned up into a snarl. "And you, Dana, are jealous. It's
as clear as day. I can see it in your eyes every time you look at me. You
wish you could get rid of me so you could have Fox all to yourself. You
can't stand the idea that he loves me more than he loves you, and that he
chose to work with me instead of with you."
Scully was going to lose it, fast. "That's ridiculous. I'm just concerned
about him. I'm concerned that he's fallen under your spell and would do
whatever you ask him, even if you lead him straight to his death."
"He's my brother. I don't want anything bad to happen to him. That's why
I want you to stay away from him. You're the one who will destroy him.
You know, the day he left, he almost decided not to go because you asked
him not to." Scully was shocked and, unfortunately, she knew Samantha
had seen it. "Luckily, I managed to convince him it was for the best. He'd
quit this if you begged him to, and I don't want to see that happen. I don't
want to see him give up everything he's always wanted for *you*."
"Now who's the jealous one?" Scully couldn't control herself anymore. No
point in pretending to be polite.
"Dana, step back and let me do this my way."
"If he knew what you were all about . . ."
"Then what? You won't tell him. He wouldn't listen to anything negative
that you said about me, and if you tried, it would ruin your relationship
forever."
Oh God. She *was* manipulating him. She was forcing him to play her
games. The thought that Samantha, whom Mulder loved so much, would
resort to such threats sickened Scully.
Well, one thing was clear. There was no way now that Samantha would
tell Scully how to contact Mulder. She'd have to figure out some way to
communicate with him through the reports. She had no idea how to do
that, but she'd have to think of something. Mulder's life depended on it.
He was flying blind, and it was up to Scully to light his way.
For now, she had to get out of there before she did something really stupid-
-like beat the crap out of Samantha. Scully stepped toward her and
grabbed her arm. "So help me, if he dies because you didn't tell him the
truth, I'll personally see to it that you regret it for the rest of your life," she
snarled at her. "You have my word on that."
Samantha merely sneered at Scully and pushed her away violently. "Yeah,
I can really see why Fox loves you so much," she said, her voice dripping
with sarcasm. "You're just *so* nice."
Scully once again resisted the urge to knock the daylights out of her and
instead directed her energy toward tearing open the door. Before leaving,
she flashed Samantha her best "you're going to pay" agent look, then
slammed the door behind her so hard that the hallway shook.
**********
PART 3
The next night, Scully was awakened by the ringing of her phone. She
opened her eyes to find the clock read 4:21 a.m. Mulder. It had to be
Mulder.
She grabbed the phone, her heart pounding with hope.
"Mulder?!"
"Hey, Scully," replied a familiarly warm voice that filled Scully's eyes with
tears of relief. "How'd you know it was me?"
"No one but you would call me at 4:00 in the morning," she kidded, trying
to keep her voice light. The last thing Mulder needed was to be concerned
about her, which he would be if he thought she sounded upset. "Are you
okay, Mulder?"
"Sure, I'm fine. Look, I don't have much time, and I might have to hang up
on you suddenly. I just wanted to tell you . . . "
Scully cut him off. "Wait, Mulder. I have to tell you something important.
Smoking Man is alive." She still couldn't bring herself to call him Howard.
That was too human.
Mulder paused in surprise. "Are you sure? How'd you find out?"
"Oh, it's a long story. We don't have time now. But I'm sure of it. He's
alive, Mulder."
Mulder sounded puzzled. "Actually, that does clear up some things I found
out. So the old bastard's alive, huh? Did you let Samantha know? She
must be so thrilled."
Scully felt the now-familiar hatred rise in her at the mention of Samantha's
name, but this was not the time to get into it with Mulder. "Yes, she
knows," she replied simply, feeling slightly nauseous at having to keep the
truth from Mulder. Time to change the subject. "What have you found
out, Mulder? Can you tell me?" Scully didn't want to push him, but she
wanted to have some idea what he was doing. In case he got into trouble,
she needed to have a place to start.
"Too much to tell right now. I've hit a dead end. I think the best thing is
that I bring back what I've found and you and I work on it together. We
need to sit down and figure out how it fits into what we already know. I
need your take on things, Scully. I'm pretty confused, and I don't know
what to do next."
Thank God, it sounded like he was going to stop this crazy pursuit. Relief
settled over her, and her eyes filled with tears again. She couldn't cope
with the idea of Mulder being used as a pawn, most likely a sacrificial one.
"Come home, Mulder. Please come home." Scully didn't care if it sounded
like she was begging. At that moment, it was the one thing she wanted
most in the world.
"Hey, I hear ya'," he responded lightly. "I've got a few more things I want
to look into before . . ." Mulder stopped. Scully heard voices in the
background, loud, angry. "Uh, Scully, I gotta go. I'll see you in a couple
of days." Mulder hung up before Scully could say goodbye.
"Be careful, Mulder. Take care of yourself," she whispered into the dead
phone. Her excitement that Mulder was coming back was dampened by
her concern for him. She hoped he hadn't gotten in too deeply to get out
again.
**********
Three days later, late in the afternoon, the door to the office of the X-Files
opened and in sauntered Mulder in full FBI regalia, looking like he'd just
come back from vacation. Scully launched herself into his arms before he
even got a chance to speak, knocking out of his hands a large box full of
papers. As he held her, she remembered how many times he had come
safely back to her--from Alaska, from Russia, and now from the lair of the
very devil himself--and said a quick silent prayer of thanks.
"Hey," said Mulder placing her back on her feet, "I guess that means you're
glad I'm back, huh?" he teased.
Scully ran her hands over his face, his shoulders, his arms, then back to his
face again, checking for what, she didn't know. "Are you okay, Mulder?
Were you hurt? Are you injured in any way?" She knew her voice was too
heavy with concern, but she couldn't help it.
Mulder pushed her hands away. "Quit touching me, Scully. I'm fine."
Despite his seeming annoyance, she heard the laughter behind his words.
He hated when she fussed over him. "I missed you though," he added.
Scully felt warmth spread over her at that. Mulder wasn't usually so
sentimental.
"I was so worried about you, Mulder. You never called me or anything. I
should be pissed. I didn't expect you to completely ditch me." She crossed
her arms in front of her to send the clear message of reprimand.
A questioning look crossed Mulder's face. "Didn't you get my letter? The
one where I told you I wouldn't be able to contact you for a few weeks? I
put it in one of the files I sent to Samantha."
Scully swallowed the lump in her throat. "No, I didn't get the letter," she
replied simply. No point in letting Mulder in on all her suspicions just yet.
She didn't know if Mulder and Sam had talked since his return.
"Hm, that's weird," stated Mulder practically. "Well, anyway, even though
I didn't get to the bottom of things, I did find out a lot of information I
think we can use," he motioned to the files now scattered across the floor
thanks to her enthusiastic greeting.
"Oh, sorry about that," Scully apologized sheepishly.
"You were just happy to see me," Mulder helpfully added for her. His eyes
sparkled with laughter and Scully was relieved that he had come back from
his journey in good spirits. Usually when he came back, it was in an
ambulance.
Mulder spent the rest of the afternoon filling her in on what he had found
out, and they worked on collating the information with what they had
already discovered and what Samantha had given him. It became clear
very quickly that many of the mysterious people they'd dealt with--
Smoking Man, the man who'd warned Scully at Bill Mulder's funeral, and
the heavy man whom Scully had met at the leper colony--were working
together in some kind of consortium. It would take much more work,
however, before they'd be able to find out exactly what it was all about.
One thing was clear--these men were hiding something, something big.
Mulder hadn't even begun to scratch the surface. These men were buried
so deeply, it would take forever to get close enough to touch them.
The partners worked straight through until 7:00, with only a quick break
while Mulder ran up to Skinner's office to tell him he was back. They were
so busy piecing together all the many parts that Scully didn't have time to
think about what she should tell Mulder about Samantha. Mulder did tell
Scully that he had seen Samantha earlier in the day, and he had given her
copies of all the information he had found. Scully didn't like that idea; she
knew the information was probably already on its way to Smoking Man,
but there wasn't much she could do about it.
At 7:00 Mulder called it quits for the day. "I want to go see Samantha.
She's leaving to go home tomorrow morning." Scully thought about telling
Mulder the truth just then, but her intuition told her not to. There was no
point in ruining their final evening together. Samantha would probably be
honest with him anyway, since she knew Scully knew.
Mulder hugged her goodbye, not his usual behavior. Scully couldn't resist
the emotions she felt welling up inside her. "I'm so glad you're back,
Mulder."
"Me too," he stated with sincerity as they stepped apart. "You have no
idea how much I missed your constant hounding and second-guessing," he
joked, gently running his hand down her cheek.
Scully smiled and shook her head in mock disgust. "Go," she told him.
"See ya' in the morning," he threw out as he closed the door. Scully just
hoped Mulder would still be in such high spirits tomorrow after Samantha
told him the truth.
**********
Scully was awakened by a loud pounding at her door. It was 2 am. She
grabbed her robe and her gun and padded out to the living room. Peeking
through the peephole, she was surprised to see Mulder. Setting the gun
down, and tying her robe closed, she opened the door. Something was
very wrong.
"What is it Mulder? What's happened?"
Mulder silently stepped inside; he looked like hell. His face was wracked
with pain, and he looked stunned, in shock. Scully held on to his arm and
guided him to the sofa.
"Mulder, you're scaring me! What happened?" she demanded as she sat
next to him on the sofa and took his trembling hands in hers.
Mulder gazed at her with a sadness that Scully felt in her soul. Unchecked
tears ran down his cheeks. "She's gone, Scully. She's gone." His words
broke on a sob, and he fell forward into Scully's arms.
Scully wrapped her arms around Mulder and stroked his hair. "Samantha?
She's gone?" Scully wasn't sure what he meant. Gone gone, or gone dead?
Mulder simply nodded against Scully’s chest, the sobs prevented him from
speaking. Scully wanted to kill Samantha. What had she done to him?
After a few minutes, she pushed Mulder away from her so she could look
him in the eyes. "Tell me what happened, Mulder." She stroked his cheek
to reassure him and encouraged him with her eyes. "Where did she go?"
Mulder had regained control of himself for the most part, at least enough to
talk coherently. "I don't know, Scully. She just left. I got home, and all
her stuff was gone, and she was gone too."
"I'm sure she just went home, Mulder. Didn't she leave you a note or
something?" Scully wasn't as sure of these things as she tried to sound.
She knew instantly that Samantha *was* gone--straight to her father, no
doubt, with all the information Mulder had dug up.
"No. There was nothing, no note, no message on the machine, nothing. I
figured I'd track down her husband. She had told me all about him. Scully,
he doesn't exist! She was never married, she has no kids. Why would she
lie to me? Why would she make up something like that?" The pain on
Mulder's face tore at Scully's insides. If she knew where Samantha was,
she would have hunted the bitch down and killed her with her bare hands.
"I don't know." That was all she could say for now.
Mulder was silent a while. All he did was look down, studying his hands
clasped in hers. "She's not coming back, is she?" He looked up at her with
such agony, his eyes begging her to tell him what he wanted to hear. She
pulled him into her arms again and rocked him. He was so weak, so
destroyed, that it scared her. She had never seen him so emotionally on the
edge.
"I don't think so, Mulder." It was the hardest thing she ever had to say.
Mulder nodded with resignation, as if he understood.
As the pieces fell into place in Scully's analytical mind, she grew so enraged
with Samantha she could taste the bitterness in her mouth. Samantha had
been using Mulder all along, and the loving sister act was just an act. She
didn't care about Mulder, not at all. She had used her own brother in order
to protect her father. It was unbelievable. Scully kept her thoughts to
herself as Mulder grieved in her arms. It nearly killed her to see what
Samantha had done to him. She had ripped apart his heart again--Mulder's
heart, so good and so pure, which had already been torn to shreds when he
was twelve years old and had never gotten to heal. The more Scully
thought about it, the more enraged she became. She finally had to shut off
her brain and try to concentrate on Mulder.
He said nothing. He just let Scully hold him for a long time, exhausted
from emotion. He eventually fell asleep, and Scully laid him down on the
couch. She retrieved a pillow and blanket from her linen closet and
returned to the sofa. Mulder slept peacefully, though his forehead
remained furrowed with emotions that Scully couldn't even begin to
understand. She covered him with the blanket and smoothed back his hair.
She rested her hand on his head for a few minutes, shocked by the sight of
such an incredibly strong man broken in sheer emotional pain. It was
something she hoped to God she'd never have to see again. The worst part
was, he didn't even know all of it. He didn't know to what extent his
beloved Samantha had deceived him. Scully wouldn't tell him though, she
realized as she planted a kiss on his forehead.
She decided at that instant that she wouldn't tell Mulder that Samantha had
known her father was alive and that they had used Mulder for their own
purposes. At least not now. She knew instinctively that she was doing the
right thing. He might be angry with her when he found out she had kept it
from him, but she hoped he would understand that she had done it to save
him. He had done it with her when he discovered that the people who had
abducted her had stolen her ova. He had waited until she was ready to
know, and she would do the same. She knew she'd have to tell him
someday. He would need to know that if he insisted on bringing down
these men, he was likely to take his own sister down with them. Samantha
had been an innocent victim of kidnapping once, but Scully had no doubt
that she was into this thing up to her eyeballs now. Mulder didn't need to
hear that yet. Scully truly believed that it just might kill him. Coping with
Samantha's betrayal would be infinitely more devastating than grieving her
loss. He was used to that. He was accustomed to mourning a missing
sister. A lost sister and a traitor sister were two very different things; no
man should ever have to deal with the latter. Especially Mulder, not after
all he had been through.
Scully tucked the blanket up under Mulder's chin, then removed his shoes
so he could sleep comfortably. Mulder stirred slightly. "Scully?" he called
out, a mixture of panic and weariness in his voice. Scully wasn't sure if he
was awake or dreaming.
She stroked his hair, his cheek. "Shhh. I'm here, Mulder. I'm here. I'm
not going anywhere."
"Scully," he murmured, this time contentedly. Then he stilled again.
Scully was amazed at how different this scene was from earlier in the day
when Mulder had come home to their office alive with joy. Samantha had
done this to him, and she would never forgive her. Ultimately, she would
do what Mulder wanted, but she couldn't help but hope that he would take
Samantha down and bring her to justice if she was involved in this thing to
the extent Scully suspected.
Scully turned out the light, then retired to her bedroom. She knew she
wouldn't sleep much, but she would be there for Mulder in the morning,
and that was the most important thing. Samantha may have left him, but
she never would. She would help him through this, and through what he
would have to deal with when he learned the whole truth. They would do
it together. Blood may be thicker than water, but she and Mulder were
something greater. Strong, unbreakable, unyielding. They could survive
anything. They already had, more times than most relationships could bear.
They might not be family, but they were partners, and friends, and they
loved each other--purely, unconditionally, and, most importantly, honestly.
It was a love that Mulder had never gotten from his family. Any semblance
of normal love had been taken from him that night when Samantha had
been taken. For one brief exhilarating moment he had gotten it back,
gotten the love he had dreamed of, but then Samantha, like everyone else in
his life, rejected him. Denied over and over again the love of his family, it
was amazing he was as sane as he was. Mulder was a survivor, and Scully
would do whatever it took to keep him that way.
Although it wasn't always easy, to love him was no sacrifice. It was, in
fact, a welcome responsibility, a secure risk, a pleasurable intensity. Scully
was Mulder's family, or at least good as it. Thicker than blood.
THE END
________
I'm thinking of continuing this as a series. Is it interesting enough to
continue? Any ideas?
All my fanfic is available on my webpage:
http://www.oocities.com/Area51/Dreamworld/2442
sbarringer@usa.net
(
geocities.com/area51/dreamworld) (
geocities.com/area51)