"Mulder," he managed to not let his voice betray his sleepy state.

"Go to the park over in Arlington, meet me there."

Suddenly wide awake, Mulder spoke roughly into the phone. "Who is this?" Silence was his only answer. "Listen buddy, who are you? Why should I meet you?"

A gruff exhale responded to his questions. "Be there, Mulder. Forty-five minutes. I have information for you."

"Yeah, you and everybody else. Who is this?"

"Forty-five minutes. It is imperative to your work." The line went dead, and Mulder found himself very curious as to how these people always managed to find him. He decided he would have to look into getting an unlisted number.

A familiar instinct in Mulder kicked in, and within minutes he was finding his keys and his gun. He knew that there was probably little this mysterious informant could tell him, but he couldn't help but go. Since it was nearby, he figured he would go talk to him and be home long before anyone would think to question his location. It wasn't like he was ditching Scully again, after all.

Traffic was light as he traveled the roads between his apartment in Alexandria and the small city park in Arlington. He still had fifteen minutes and was nearing the park, so Mulder found himself obeying the speed limit, which was something he rarely did anyway.

He realized that his route to the park would take him by the street which led to Scully's apartment. For an instant he considered going to tell her about the meeting, but decided not to wake her up for this. Instead, he continued driving toward the park, stopping the car just outside the park and proceeding inside on foot.

Several minutes later, he heard the sound of a twig breaking beneath someone's weight. Turning in the direction of the sound, he found himself looking at a man not over twenty years old. "So what was so important that you drug me down here in the middle of the night?"

The young man inched forward to where Mulder was standing until they were less than two feet apart. "I needed to tell you something . . . "

Before he had a chance to finish, a loud noise sounded behind him. He half turned and both noticed a moving shadow. The would-be informant turned toward Mulder. Seeing his upraised arm, Mulder went to block a blow, but wasn't quite prepared and fell under the force of the blow.

The first blow to his head had left him dazed, and when he tried to stand back up Mulder found himself being kicked back to the ground. "Tell you . . . there's nothing . . . you can . . . do." Mulder heard his panicked words, between blows. Something had spooked him, but he had no idea what it was. The next kick to his ribs forced all the air out of his chest, and he found himself unable to recover from the continuous blows.

Mulder had no idea how long the blows continued to fall, as he struggled to stay conscious. After a lull, he opened his eyes, hoping to see that he had gone. Instead, what he saw was the man's shoe flying toward his head. Turning just a bit, the kick landed on the side of his face instead of full in the face. The last thing Mulder knew was the feeling of another blow landing on the side of his head.

Pain exploded to fill Mulder's world when he next awoke. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he first made sure that he was alone. Still confused by what had happened, he managed to lean up against a tree next to where he had fallen and somehow regain his feet. Ever so slowly he neared his car and crawled in the drivers side door.

Pain wracked his body, especially on his left side. A source of adrenaline he didn't know he had surged within him, allowing him to start his car. Curing the fact he had left his cell phone on the table near his computer, he put the car in gear and drove off. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, and he forced all his attention on staying on the road. It took only a few seconds of thought to decide where to go. He knew of only one person that would care enough to take care of him. Scully.

The only thing he could think of to be grateful for that night was that the meeting had been scheduled in a park so close to where she lived. What felt like hours later to Mulder, he pulled up outside of Scully's apartment building. After getting out of his car, he began to walk toward the building. Eventually he reached the front door, but the longer he walked the more weary he became. While waiting on the elevator, he found himself grateful that no one was out at such a late hour to see the beaten man standing in the foyer.

The hallway to her apartment had never seemed to go on for so long. By the time he reached her door, he had the energy to knock on her door. After knocking a second time, he felt what strength that had been in his legs give out. Leaning against the door, he felt himself slowly slide down until he connected with the carpeted floor. He fought to keep his eyes open, but knew it was a battle he was doomed to lose.

***

Dana Scully stirred in her sleep, searching for the source of what had interrupted her slumber. Several seconds later she heard the noise again. Having managed to wake up a bit more, she recognized it as someone knocking on the front door. Getting up, she pulled on her robe and walked into the living room. She switched on the overhead light, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Looking through the peep hole she didn't see anyone in the hallway, and began to go back to bed. For a reason she couldn't explain, she still felt compelled to open the door and check anyway. Unlocking the door, she slowly pulled it open looking out into the hallway.

Before she saw Mulder, she felt a weight fall over onto her legs. Jumping back, she looked down to find the unconscious form of her partner falling into her apartment. Dropping down onto her knees beside him, she searched his neck for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she found one. Lifting up an eyelid, she was alarmed to see that his eyes had rolled up into his head.

Mulder was still laying half in the hallway and half in her apartment when she ran over to grab her telephone and dial 911. She hung up the phone and pulled Mulder into her apartment and closed the door behind them. Brushing some of Mulder's hair away from his forehead, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him. The left side of his face was covered in matted blood, and checking his ribs, she was sure at least two were broken.

Scully heard the paramedics rushing down the hallway, and pulled open the door before they reached the door. The three men rushed in and began to see to Mulder. Scully watched as they performed a quick check and loaded him onto a stretcher. Having picked up her car keys, she started to follow them out into the hall when one man placed a hand on her arm.

"Ma'am, we're taking him to Georgetown Medical. You will probably want to change first." He turned and followed the others down the hallway and to the elevator.

She watched for a second as they carried her partner away and looked down at herself. In her haste over Mulder's condition, she had forgotten that she was dressed in only a silk button up nightgown and a flimsy robe. Jogging back into her apartment, she threw her keys down from where she had grabbed them in her rush. Heading straight for her bedroom, she wasted little time in finding a pair of jeans and a baggy tee shirt to wear.

Again grabbing her keys and picking up her cell phone, she locked the front door behind her and ran to her car. Getting in her car, she quickly put the key in the ignition and started it. As she drove out of the lot, she saw Mulder's car parked several spots away. Pulling out onto the road, she picked up her cell phone and punched in Skinner's number.

Three rings later, she was answered by a very sleepy sounding AD Skinner. "Yes?"

"Sir? It's Agent Scully."

Skinner sat up on the edge of his bed, instantly on the alert. "Agent Scully. What's happened?"

Looking down she saw that the odometer on her car was pushing past sixty, but didn't care. She was dividing her concentration between staying on the road and talking to Skinner. "It's Agent Mulder. He was just rushed to the hospital."

"What happened to Mulder this time, Scully?" Skinner sighed and looked over at the clock, three a.m. He stood, and walked over to the closet. As he listened to Scully, he began pulling out the pieces of a suit.

Passing a car on the nearly deserted streets, she responded. "I don't know, Sir. Not quite a half and hour ago, I was awoken by a knock on my front door. When I opened the door, I found Mulder collapsed in the hallway. It appeared he had been beaten, but I don't know why."

Skinner pulled on a pair of dress slacks before speaking. "No outstanding cases, Agent Scully. Nothing that you haven't let me in on?"

"No, Sir. Nothing like that."

"Okay, Agent Scully. Which hospital did they take him to?"

Scully pulled into a parking spot at the hospital, and got out of her car. "I'm at Georgetown now, I need to go, Sir."

Skinner nodded, although he knew it was merely instinct. "Okay." The conversation finished, he continued to get dressed. Within minutes he was walking out the front door.

Scully punched end on her phone, and walked the final ten feet toward the hospital. Walking through the automatic doors into the emergency room, she proceeded to the nurses station. A couple of minutes later, she was able to speak with one of the on duty nurses about Mulder.

"I'm looking for Fox Mulder. He was brought in a few minutes ago."

The nurse scanned several clipboards of information before speaking to Scully. "And you are? Are you family?"

Scully closed her eyes for a moment, doing her best to keep her temper. "I'm Agent Dana Scully. Agent Mulder is my partner and the closest you'll find to a family. Now tell me, when can I see him?"

Seeing Scully's best attempt at civility, the nurse looked over the notes on Mulder. "Agent Scully, all I can tell you is that he is in surgery. When they are finished, I'll tell the doctor that you are here. Please, if you will please just have a seat." The nurse returned to her work, and Scully found herself with nothing to do but wait.

It was half an hour later that Scully heard someone call her name. Turning, she saw Skinner walking toward her from the main entrance. "Sir?"

Walking up to sit next to Scully, he continued. "Agent Scully, I need to know where to start with this. Do you think there is adequate cause to search Mulder's apartment?"

"Sir, I'm not sure. I don't even know where to begin figuring out what happened. His car was parked near mine, which tells me he drove to my apartment after he was attacked. Although I have no idea how he managed to do that." Scully exhaled slowly, and rubbed her hands over her eyes. "I'm afraid the only one who can help us understand what happened is Mulder."

Skinner nodded, but remained silent. It was only a few minutes later that a woman dressed in green scrubs approached Scully and Skinner. "Agent Scully? I'm Dr. Collins, I operated on Agent Mulder. He's your partner, correct?"

Scully nodded. "Yes. How is he? Can I see him?" Standing, she actually stood at eye level with Dr. Collins.

"The operation took longer than we expected. It appears that he was kicked repeatedly. Two ribs were broken, and one other was cracked. One lung was punctured, but it was minor and relatively easy to repair. The internal bleeding was the hardest part to contain. One of the ribs caught an artery, he was slowly bleeding to death in his chest cavity. His spleen was ruptured, and we were forced to remove it."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "What is the cause of the most concern is the head injury. He received at least two major blows to the left side of his head. The inter cranial pressure is fluctuating. If it spikes to high, we might be forced to relieve the stress. The next few hours are most critical. If he wakes up, he should be in the clear. However only time will tell."

"Can I see him?" Scully asked after listening to the doctor describe Mulder's condition.

Dr. Collins nodded. "He's in recovery right now. Then we'll move him to ICU and I'll clear it for you to visit him. If you'll excuse me." Scully and Skinner watched as the doctor walked back toward the operating area.

Skinner looked at his watch, surprised to see that it was already well after four a.m. "Agent Scully, I'm going to stay here until they let you go back to stay with Mulder. After that I'll head into the office and see what I can do on that end to discover who did this to him."

Scully looked over at where Skinner sat, and considered the man sitting next to her. Over time she had begun to realize that more often than not Skinner would back the two of them, often forced to face the judgement of those in the chain of command above him. Still, if it hadn't been for Mulder, Skinner would have been found guilty of a murder he hadn't committed.

It was almost six when Scully was finally allowed to see Mulder. Skinner left when she walked toward the ICU to find Mulder. The walk to the ICU was one that Scully was familiar with, having followed Mulder there on several other occasions. It was because of this that she knew what to expect when she walked into his room.

The sounds always hit her first. Before she was close enough to quite be in the room, she would hear the beep of the heart monitor. Walking into the room, she found a chair and pulled it up to sit next to him. An I.V. ran into the back of his right hand, and she was careful not to jostle it when she picked up his hand and held it lightly. Even though his face was tilted slightly to the left, she could see the marks of purple bruises that were blossoming on the pale skin.

Watching Mulder, blissfully unconscious and unaware of his injuries, she was as confused as ever about how this had happened to him. Even more so, she was curious about how he managed to drive to her apartment in search of help. It was aggravating that the only way she was going to be able to have any of her questions answered was for him to wake up.

She heard a low noise come from Mulder's throat, and looked to see him working to focus his eyes. A wave of relief washed over her when his fuzzy hazel eyes met her own. "Hey there." She couldn't help smiling, like she smiled every time Mulder woke up and found her sitting at his bedside. She saw him look over to a water pitcher sitting nearby and she poured him a small glass from which he drank greedily, before dissolving into a coughing fit.

"Hey," he managed a hoarse whisper.

"How do you feel?"

Mulder appeared to be concentrating on something for a moment before answering. "My head hurts." He paused for a moment. "You found me?"

Scully nodded briefly. "Yeah. What happened to you Mulder?"

"I got a call. He wanted me to meet him in the park not far from your apartment." He paused to catch his breath. "Before he had a chance to tell me anything, there was a loud noise. He got scared and caught me off guard. Next thing I knew I was on the ground with the wind knocked out of me."

Scully listened to Mulder's story, nodding occasionally as she took in the details. "And he left and you drove to my place."

Mulder attempted to shake his head and was wracked with pain as a result. "No. Then he kicked me on the side of the head. Twice, that's the last thing I remember before waking up and him not being there. Then I drove to your apartment."

"You were unconscious before?" Scully was surprised to hear the rest of Mulder's explanation. "I found you outside my door about two thirty this morning. What time did you leave your apartment?" She wanted to know how long he had laid out in the middle of a park with no one finding him.

Mulder tried to remember what time it was when the phone call had woken him up. "A little before midnight I think. I was ticked because I had managed to fall asleep. He wanted to meet in forty-five minutes. We had only been there for a minute or two before he was scared off and went crazy. Couldn't have been any later than ten till one when that happened."

Scully closed her eyes, he had been out there for between an hour and an hour and a half. "Damn, Mulder. Why didn't you let someone know what you were doing?"

"Scully . . . " His voice was a plea, and he seemed to visibly shrink back into the bed. "Don't be angry. I didn't ditch you. I thought I wouldn't be gone long enough for it to matter. And I thought about driving by your place, but I didn't want to wake you up."

"So instead, Mulder, I'm woke up only to find my partner lying unconscious in the hallway." She sighed, and continued. "Don't be angry? Mulder why do you always chase these invisible threads?"

He looked down at his hands, almost pouting. "Somebody has to."

An awkward silence fell over the room after Mulder's statement. Mulder couldn't help but notice that his head was really beginning to hurt. However, rather that be yelled at by Scully again he kept quiet. He knew she would either be angry or concerned and he didn't want to worry her any more than he had already.

The uncomfortable stillness was broken by a knock on the door. Both Mulder and Scully looked up to see Maggie Scully standing in the doorway. Her attention diverted, Scully missed the wince of pain that filled Mulder's features when he moved his head to quickly. Closing his eyes, Mulder tried to steel himself against the pain, hoping it would pass quickly.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Scully stood up from where she had been sitting ever since entering Mulder's room. Walking over to where her mom had entered the room, she found herself receiving a warm hug. "Is something wrong?"

Maggie Scully almost laughed. "Fox being hurt is what's wrong, Dana. Assistant Director Skinner called me this morning and told me where you were. Hello, Fox." She smiled warmly and walked over to where Mulder was lying in the hospital bed.

"Hi, Mrs. Scully." Mulder managed a small smile, but was still struggling to cover up the pain. "You didn't have to come."

She smiled, more brightly this time. "Of course I did, Fox." Mrs. Scully brushed a lock of hair away from Mulder's forehead, and Mulder found himself again reminded of the similarities between mother and daughter. "You were hurt, you needed me. Haven't you figured out yet that you're part of the family, Fox?" Mulder smiled again, the pain was growing more intense, but his determination was stronger.

From near the door, Scully watched the interaction between Mulder and her mother. For an instant, she thought she saw Mulder grimace, but it passed so quickly she decided she must have imagined it. Shaking her head to clear it, she walked over to stand beside her mom.

Turning to face her daughter, Maggie Scully spoke again. "Dana, honey, why don't we go down to the cafeteria so you can get something to eat?"

She could see a look of protest forming on Scully's face, but before she could continue with her argument, Mulder took up the cause. "Why don't you, Scully. I'll be fine."

"Mulder . . . "

"I'll be fine," he insisted.

Mulder watched as Scully's mom managed to lead Scully toward the door. "Come on, Dana. You need to eat." With one last look back at Mulder, Scully let herself be led from Mulder's room and toward the cafeteria. Mulder held eye contact with Scully until she was through the door and out of sight, then he leaned back onto the bed and closed his eyes. Relieved that Scully hadn't noticed, he concentrated on ignoring the pain in his head.

***