Disclaimer: You know who -- CC, 1013 Productions and Fox Network own Fox Mulder, Dana Scully and any other characters you recognise from The X Files. I'm only borrowing them temporarily (sadly) and I will return them in one piece (I hope). The characters of Zoe Bateman and Doug Shelton are the creation of Jess Archibald and are used with her permission. Author notes: This story follows my previous story "Me and My Friend" and "In Limine" and reverts to my typical sort of action story. Summary: Mulder and Scully disappear and it is up to Zoe Bateman and Doug Shelton to locate them. Set after Memento Mori. Rating: G. No violence, no sex, just characterisation. Archives: S, A, T(sort of) **************** The X Files Postliminium by Missy missy@lexicon.net **************** PART 1/? Zoe Bateman's Apartment Virginia 11.05 p.m. Throwing down the book in disgust on the doona, Zoe watched as the force caused it to bounce twice before settling on the front cover. The book had been very intriguing and good up until the point at which she discovered that one of the main characters had cancer, reminding her of memories she avoided a lot of the time. The reason she had begun reading well into the early hours of the morning was to avoid the dreams which had been plaguing her since her friend's discovery that she had a brain tumour. Dana's illness had brought to the fore all those memories she had repressed for many years in an attempt to cope with the loss of her mother at the age of five. But now, each time she relaxed, they flooded forth. Those memories of walking down the large cream corridors, her hand caught tightly in her father's as they made their way down to her mother. The sound their feet made on the floor reverberated through her mind, her feet flying to keep up with her father's larger steps. All the while, her head turning to follow each of the big men and women in white coats and uniforms striding importantly past her. Then there was her mother, her face gaunt after all the chemotherapy treatment had sapped the fullness and vitality out of her, leaving only skin and bones. But her eyes always lit up when they walked in to visit. Her dad would place her beside her mother and comment how beautiful they both were, planting a kiss on her mother's cheek and whispering how much he loved her. There was never any doubt about it, their actions sealing for her their love and care for each other. But it was that last visit which always stayed firmly in her mind when they had gone down the hallway as usual to visit to find her mother very still in her bed. Her father had bent over her mother to wake her up when his face had become grief-stricken. Knowing something was wrong, she had climbed up the other side of the bed, gripping onto the metal sides and tried to wake her mother up as well. The sound of her voice calling for her mother to wake up left tears falling down her face as she came back to the present. Zoe was frightened by the prospect of watching her close friend suffer the pain that she had witnessed with her mother. Not only her pain but that of Mulder. She knew what effect cancer and its treatment had on the body even thought it was such a long time ago and distorted by a child's memory. However, Zoe knew that Mulder would not be prepared for what Dana was going to suffer. After the depressing memories, she just needed to speak to Dana and reassure herself. Picking up the phone on her bedside cabinet, she dialled Dana's number. "Hello." "Hi, Dana. Sorry to call so late but I just wanted to know how you're doing?" "I'm find, Zoe. Mulder's here at the moment. He finally made me sit down and watch 'Superheroes of the Superbowl'. You're not going to believe this but he cooked dinner for me tonight." Zoe could hear the teasing laughter floating down the telephone line and she tried to imagine Mulder's reaction. "Mulder? Cook?" Zoe spluttered, laughter tinging her voice as she continued. "Are you sure you are really okay?" "No. He *really* can cook. Maybe you should get him to do it for you sometime." Zoe was the ultimate healthy eater and put Dana to shame, let alone any comparison with Mulder. However, his cooking tonight would be something that her friend would need to taste to believe. Zoe heard Mulder call out that he would charge and hourly rate. "Huh. Doug keeps me in line these days. What I was ringing for was to find out what you're doing tomorrow. Do you want to go out for lunch?" "That'd be......" Her response was cut off and Zoe could hear a crashing sound before Mulder and Dana's exclamation of surprise. "Dana! What's happening?" Zoe heard a heavy clunk and a couple of strange sounds before the line was cut off. Looking at the phone in her hand, her brow furrowed, trying to deduce what had just happened to her two friends. Dialling Dana's number again only succeeded in an automated response that the line was out of order. Punching another series of numbers, she jumped out of bed grabbing her jeans and sweater while waiting for an answer. Zoe was getting agitated and already had on her jeans before the phone was picked up at the other end. "'ello", came the mumbled response. "Doug! Wake up! Something's happened to Mulder and Scully. I need you to meet me at Dana's apartment." The words flew think and fast overwhelming Doug Shelton who had only just been woken by the ringing phone after a long eighteen hour shift of a successful stakeout and the follow-up paperwork to complete the charges. "Whoa, Zoe. Slow down." "Doug, there's no time for that. I was talking to Dana on the phone when there was a loud crash in the background. Both Mulder and Dana yelled out and then the phone was disconnected. Something's happened to them." By this time, Doug had his bearings and was also throwing on his clothes while speaking to his partner. "Okay, I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes." "Okay." Zoe slammed the phone back in its cradle, running out the door after grabbing her FBI identification and her gun as she did so. End Part 1