Let's Face the Music and Dance-Part 5/7
Summary and disclaimers in Part 1

*****

"Just where, exactly, are we going?"

Mulder never took his eyes off the woman seated next to him
in the back of the black sedan that had picked him up in
front of the apartment less than an hour ago. She seemed
much colder today, more in control. An emotionless
automaton. The kind of person Mulder could see working for
the Devil. Last night, when she had been telling him about
his son and the other children, she had seemed much more
human.

"I can't tell you that, Mr. Mulder," Susan said without
looking at him. "If he wants you to know, he'll tell you."

Mulder was confused by that statement. He glanced out the
window of the swiftly moving vehicle, then looked at the
driver, meeting the emotionless eyes of the human robot in
the rearview mirror. He looked at Dr. Donahue again. "What?
You gonna blindfold me or something?"

"Eventually," the dark haired woman said softly. 

Was that regret he heard in her voice? Which was the real
Susan Donahue? The mother concerned for her son and the
other children? Or the woman who acted as one of the minions
of Cancer Man? He tried to probe her mind, but she suddenly
turned toward him, her eyes flashing.

"Stop!" she exclaimed. 

Mulder drew back, both mentally and physically.

Donahue lowered her eyes, her face turning pink. "I'm
sorry," she said. "I've learned to recognize telepathic
probes. I'm not comfortable with them."

Mulder sat silent for a moment, then asked, "Your son?"

She nodded, but kept her eyes on her hands, which lay folded
in her lap. "Yes. And..."

"And?" Mulder encouraged her. She was afraid of something.
He didn't have to be a telepath to see that. "I thought you
weren't in any danger. He knows I'm coming, doesn't he?"

She sighed. "Yes. Of course he does." She looked at him
again, and her gaze was no longer cool and emotionless. "But
*they* don't. I don't know how they'll react."

"You told Scully that they're afraid of me," Mulder noted.
"Isn't that right?"

She swallowed and nodded. "They are. And that's the problem.
You are a threat to them. They would like nothing more than
to destroy you."

"Why don't they?"

"They understand martyrdom, Mr. Mulder. Spender has made
sure of that."

Mulder snorted. "Me? A martyr? Never in my wildest dreams."

"You don't even know the extent of the possibilities,"
Donahue whispered, casting a covert glance toward the
driver. "If you knew..." 

"Knew what?" Mulder whispered back, feeling his trepidation
grow even more.

Donahue shook her head. She reached into the bag at her feet
and pulled out a black handkerchief. "It's time to blindfold
you, Mr. Mulder."

Instinctively, Mulder pulled back. He really didn't like
being blind.

Holding the cloth up, she looked him in the eye. "Please.
It's only a precaution. If the meeting goes well, you
needn't wear it on the way home." Her gaze became intent.
"Trust me. Please."

He didn't want to. But his instincts told him this meeting
was important. That it was to determine his future. And his
son's future, as well.

Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward and allowed the
woman to lay the folded cloth over his eyes and tie it
behind his head. Then, he leaned back and settled in for the
ride. 

He must have dozed, because Donahue's voice was telling him
they had arrived and he felt as if only minutes had passed.
He wasn't surprised that he had; he hadn't gotten much sleep
last night. And he had been very active. He felt the corners
of his mouth twitch.  Very. 

He felt Donahue exit the vehicle and knew that the driver
had also gotten out. He reached over to his right and felt
around for the handle of the door. He had just gotten a hold
of it when it moved under his hand and the door opened.
"Please step out, Mr. Mulder," a man's voice told him. He
didn't recognize it, but he didn't think it belonged to the
driver; this man's presence wasn't the same. In fact, this
man's presence wasn't human. 'Hey, I'm getting good at
this,' he thought wryly.

He carefully got out of the car and stood, waiting. He felt
the man reach behind him, and the loose knot at the back of
his head came undone. The bright sunlight he was suddenly
exposed to caused him to squint, and he didn't see the man
in front of him clearly. He blinked, chasing away the tears
that had formed in response to the light, and looked close.
He recognized the man standing before him immediately,
though they had never met before. 

"Ray Hoese."

The man...only Mulder knew it wasn't a man...smirked at him.
"Come," he said, and he turned away. Mulder followed,
looking over at Donahue, who was watching the replicant with
a combination of fear and hatred. He looked at Hoese's back.
Was this who could read her mind? he wondered. Could they be
telepaths, too? Mulder sent out a mental question toward the
thing in front of him, but got no feeling back. No emotion.
Nothing. Odd. Even when Scully was blocking him, and when
Donahue had blocked him earlier, he was still able to feel
*something*. But with this *man* there was nothing.

But, there was something. A presence on the other side of
the door that felt very familiar. His heart began beating
faster. Adrenaline rush. As if he was preparing himself for
battle. He followed Hoese into the building, a modest cabin
sitting in a golden forest.

His eyes adjusted to the dark of the room easily since they
had never really had a chance to adjust to the sun. He swept
his gaze from one side of the room to the other, quickly
taking in the number of people in the room as well as
possible escape routes and weapons. Donahue passed him and
headed for the far right side of the room, where a little
man with wire-framed glasses stood, hands folded behind his
back. He had the air of a doctor. In the center of the room,
straight ahead of him, stood Billy Miles. Hoese walked over
to his fellow replicant and stood next to him, turning to
face Mulder. Their stiff stance gave them the appearance of
soldiers, which is what Mulder supposed they were.

He looked to his left and saw the man he had come to see.
Only what he saw shocked him. CGB Spender was a frail
looking old man in a wheelchair. The blonde Greta stood next
to him, one hand on the back of the chair. Mulder took a
couple of steps in the old man's direction, eyeing him
carefully. Was it an act? It sure didn't look like it.
Cancer Man was falling apart: wrinkles covered so much of
his face, Mulder could hardly see his eyes. A tremor in his
right hand seemed completely uncontrollable, and he appeared
to be nothing but skin and bones underneath the flannel robe
that covered him from neck to toe. This had to be a trick.
There was no way a man in this condition could be
controlling the aliens.

*Don't let appearances fool you, Fox.*

Mulder was so startled by the words in his head that he
jumped. With a frown, he leaned in closer to the old man.

*Why are you so surprised, Fox? Did you really think that,
with my body falling apart, my mind would be going, too?*

*How?* Mulder stood straight and looked about the room. *Can
they...?*

*No.* Spender shook his head slightly. *They aren't gifted
like we are. And of course, the only reason I can is because
of you.* A smile became apparent through the creases in his
face. *You are the reason I am where I am, Fox. And I am
going to make sure they know that.*

*Why?* Mulder asked.

*Because, I am dying.* Spender closed his eyes. *And after I
go, I want you to take my place.*

*****

Scully reached down to pick up the soft latex toy her son
had thrown across the room earlier in the day and stifled
another yawn. Standing straight, she glanced at Skinner, who
sat reading on the sofa, hoping he hadn't noticed. The last
thing she needed was to be asked why she was so tired. She
had never been able to lie to her former boss; not very
well, anyway. 

Will had finally gone down for his afternoon nap only a few
minutes earlier, and she was seriously contemplating taking
one as well. It was Sunday. The laundry was done, as were
the dishes from both breakfast and lunch. And Skinner was
here to keep an eye on things. She could tell him she, too,
wanted to catch up on some reading in her bedroom and pass
out on the bed instead. It wouldn't be a lie if she really
did attempt to read first. 

Biting her lower lip to keep from smiling at her thoughts,
Scully walked over to her front window. Though he seemed
preoccupied with his novel, she knew the AD was more than
aware of his surroundings; she had long ago learned to never
underestimate the man. Especially after the incidents that
lead up to Will's birth those short six months ago. She
glanced at him again from her new position. He hadn't been
the only one changed by the events of those days. While he
had become more relaxed around her and Mulder, she had heard
that he had become even more of a hard-ass at work...if that
were possible. He had a tendency to rage at the agents under
his command for the smallest of infractions. She wasn't sure
what had lead to the change, but she told Mulder that she
suspected it had something to do with Krycek and the way the
younger man had died. Mulder disagreed. He thought all
Skinner needed was to get laid. Hey! It had worked for him,
hadn't it?

Maybe Mulder was right, but God knew the man was never going
to find any romance when he spent all of his free time
guarding her and her family. 

She looked out the window and saw the familiar van parked on
the curb. Mulder had called the Gunmen and told him he was
visiting 'an old friend' and that, though Skinner was
spending the day with Scully and his Godson, Mulder wanted
them to keep an eye on things as well. Scully knew that he
believed in the importance of meeting with Cancer Man, but
he wasn't about to discount the possibility of a set-up.
Nobody was about to lure him out of town just so they could
grab his son.

Scully leaned her head against the window frame and sighed.
She closed her eyes and relaxed, sending out 'feelers' with
her mind, something she had only just learned to do early
that morning. He was out there. She could feel him. Where,
she had no clue, but the connection they had established the
night before was still there, though it was very weak. She
could not read his thoughts, or even his emotions, but the
simple fact that she could feel his living presence was
enough to give her comfort. She wondered how far this tie
could be stretched. And she regretted not opening herself up
to it long before last night. Oh, what time they had wasted.
She snorted softly. What time they were wasting even now.

"You okay?" 

Scully jumped slightly at Skinner's question. Opening her
eyes, she turned to find that he had left his book to join
her at the window. He stood only a few feet behind her.
Sure, she could feel Mulder's presence from who knew how
many miles, but she hadn't noticed someone right next to
her. Obviously, she wasn't the telepath of the family. "I'm
fine," she said to Skinner softly.

"You're worried." It wasn't a question. It was a statement
of fact.

Scully tilted her head. "Oh, so now you're psychic?"

Skinner smirked at her and shook his head. "No. But, I have
observed you and Mulder worrying about each other for
several years now. I'm very familiar with the
'I'm-fine-on-the-outside-but-falling-apart-on-the-inside'
expression."

Scully allowed herself a small smile. "Well, if you knew
where he was, you'd be worried, too."

The former Marine folded his arms and cocked his head at
her. "I assume it's something to do with the Hoese case," he
said. "Something Mulder doesn't want Doggett or Reyes to
know about. Though why he'd want to keep them in the dark, I
don't know."

Scully sighed. "Or you, right?"

"I'll admit, I'd prefer to know the whole story, yes." He
sighed. "But, I trust Mulder. And I trust you. You'll tell
me when you feel I need to know."

Scully felt her eyes widen. "Wow. I think I like you better
when you aren't our boss."

Skinner laughed.

With a smile of her own, Scully glanced out the window. What
she saw made her pause, and she moved closer to the glass,
her smile fading. Skinner noticed her expression and also
leaned in to look outside. A woman was standing next to the
Gunmen's van talking to someone inside. A familiar woman. 

"Is that...?" Skinner left the question open, disbelief and
growing anger in his voice.

"I think so," Scully responded. Quickly, she spun away from
the window and headed for the door.

"Scully!"

"Stay with Will," she told him, easily avoiding Skinner as
he reached out to stop her. She reached the door and turned
to look at him. "Please?"

Skinner nodded. "Just be careful. You know who she
associated with in the past."

She nodded and left the apartment. Yes, she did indeed know
who Marita Covarrubias' loyalties had been to once upon a
time. Which was why Scully wanted to talk to her now.

*****

*It's a wonderful plan,* Spender was saying to Mulder in his
head. *Unless they discover the truth, of course.*

They had been left alone by the others several minutes ago,
but Spender was still communicating telepathically. It was
probably easier for him than talking. And it was definitely
safer.

Maybe. 

*Those things out there can't hear us, huh?* he asked.

*The replicants cannot hear us, no. But the others can if we
want them to.*

*Others? You mean the Grays?*

Spender nodded. *You will have to learn to guard your
thoughts around them carefully. They can't force their way
into your head if you put up protective barriers, just as
you can't get inside theirs if they don't want you to. But
you have to learn how to keep them out.* He tilted his head.
*Talking, like we are right now, is very different than
simply reading emotions and such. You have the ability to do
that with anyone, whether they want you to or not.*

Mulder thought of Scully and how he had been able to clearly
sense her emotions for the last several months, but until
last night had not been able to decipher why she felt the
way she did. 

*Of course,* Spender continued, *most people are unaware
that you are trying to read them and won't even know you are
there in their mind.*

Scully had known.

*That's because you two are so very close emotionally.*

Mulder glared at the old man. *Stop it.*

Spender simply smiled. *Make me.* He shook his head
ruefully. *Fox, if you are to take my place, you will need
to protect your mind from invasion. Otherwise, they will
read you like a book, and you will be able to do nothing to
protect this precious Earth of yours from an invasion of
another kind.*

*I'm not taking your place.* If he had been speaking,
Mulder's voice would have sounded like a growl.

*Ah, Fox. You are the only one who can. Don't you see?*

Mulder stood from the chair he had been sitting in and
started to pace the room. *No. I don't see.*

*No one believed that the vaccine would cause your DNA to
mutate. No one thought that it would allow you to become
more like them. And when it did, it started to kill you. Had
we been able to foresee that, we still would not have been
able to prevent it. But, they could.* Spender closed his
eyes as if he was preparing to fall asleep, but his mind was
still active and intent on Mulder's. *They cured you. They
kept you alive. Of course, they wanted you to become like
Billy Miles and Ray Hoese. But, you didn't. You lived. And
you will continue to live for a long, long time. The only
reason I can do what I can is because--*

*Because you cut open my head and took a part of it for
yourself!*

Spender sighed. *Yes. But unlike you, I haven't been cured.
I am still dying. And you are the only one who can keep my
lie alive.* He paused. *And if my lie dies, Scully's
nightmare will become reality.*

Mulder's whole body felt like ice. How could he know of her
dream? Not even Mulder had received a clear mental picture
of it from her; she had had to describe it to him verbally.
Spender appeared to be waiting for a response, so Mulder
knew his attempt to keep the man from his private thoughts
was working. But he also knew the old man felt his anger.

"What do you know of her dream?" Mulder asked aloud, venom
filling his voice.

Spender's eyes opened. *The aliens are watching you and your
son. They know of it.*

*Are they controlling it?*

*No.* He smiled again. *Fox, you must know how special she
is. Your son is the way he is not just because he is your
son, but because he is hers. The tests done on her years
ago, combined with the vaccine you gave her in
Antarctica...they have made her special.* He shifted
slightly in his chair. *When we discovered that the
offspring of such subjects like Teresa Hoese and Billy Miles
were as special as they were, I knew that a child of Dana's
would be even more so. But I also knew she had been left
barren by those very tests.*

*So you did something to her, didn't you?* Mulder felt as if
his blood was beginning to boil. *Last year, when you made
her lie to me and took her away. You did something to her
that allowed her to get pregnant.*

Spender began to laugh, and the sound was harsh. *Oh, Fox.
You overestimate me. She was right in her suspicions that I
drugged her. But I only acquired blood from her, to ensure
she was healthy and wasn't somehow suffering from the same
brain disorder you were at the time. It was wrong to keep
that from her, by the way. It's amazing she forgave you.*

Mulder ignored the last part. *You took blood from her,
nothing more?*

*Believe me, the idea of her producing a child with you was
thrilling. I could only imagine the power that a child with
both your enhanced DNA and hers would be like. But I didn't
think it was possible. I was so very hopeful when the two of
you tried the IVF, and so very sad when it failed, though if
it had succeeded, the resulting child would not have been as
powerful as your William is. After all, Scully had not been
exposed to the vaccine when her ova were extracted.*

*But she conceived. And Will is ours; we had his DNA tested.
You had to have done something to her!*

*Fox! Don't you understand yet?* Spenders 'voice' was
strong. *I did nothing. I am not responsible for the
existence of your son!*

*Then who is?*

*****

When Scully stepped out of her apartment building, the woman
next to the van across the street, as well as the occupants
inside, looked her way. Which was a good thing, Scully
thought, since they were supposed to be surveilling her
complex. Glancing up, then down the street, Scully jogged
across it toward them. Marita turned to face her.

Scully took in the other woman's appearance and was
surprised by what she saw. She had only met the blonde once,
though Mulder had used her as a contact many times before,
and that occasion had been one she dearly wanted to forget.
It had been the day before Mulder's abduction, when both
Marita and Krycek had come to their office to talk Mulder
into going back to Oregon and finding the ship that was
hiding there. Scully had often wondered if Krycek had known
Mulder would be taken. Or if Marita had known.

That day had been a lifetime ago, or so it seemed, and
Marita looked very different. Then she had been cool as a
cucumber, slim, statuesque and beautiful in a frigid sort of
way. Scully had felt a pang of jealousy at the knowledge
that Mulder had known this woman for quite some time. But
now she looked much older than she should have only sixteen
months later. Her face was thin, and though she had a
naturally pale complexion, it seemed almost ghostly white in
the thin sunlight. Her eyes were light blue pools of
concern. And fear. 

Scully couldn't imagine why this woman would be afraid of
her, but she tried to approach with a little less audacity
and more caution. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Mulder," she said, her voice breathy. She
nodded to the van. "But these guys wouldn't let me in."

Good for them, Scully thought. "Gee, I wonder why," she said
aloud, sarcasm heavy in her voice.

"Agent Scully, I--"

Her voice was suddenly silenced by a wail coming from inside
the van. Marita turned back to it, her expression almost
panicked, and Scully stepped closer to peer inside. 

Frohike sat just inside the doorway, holding an infant. A
very tiny infant. Marita reached in and took the baby,
cooing and cuddling as only a mother could. The baby's cries
quieted, and Scully looked down into her scrunched up eyes.
She, at least Scully thought it was a she, had to be only a
couple of months old.

"Yours?" Scully asked unnecessarily.

"Yes."

"Is she one of...?" What did she call them, these special
children?

"I'm not sure," Marita said, her voice shaky. "She is
special, but I don't know if she's as special as your child
or the others I heard about." She looked up from the baby to
meet Scully's eyes. "What I do know is that the Cigarette
Man wants her." She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "I
can't believe the bastard didn't die." There were tears in
her voice now.

Scully looked at Frohike, who sat in the van with a tortured
look on his face. Byers and Langly were standing behind him,
also looking quite concerned. 

"Miss Covarrubias?" The woman didn't respond. "Marita?" 

She opened her eyes. "He wants to take Rebecca from me," she
whispered. "But, she can't be like the others. I was never
abducted."

"But you were tested, weren't you?" Byers asked. "By the
Consortium?"

The woman shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut again. Then
she looked at her baby. "Do you think they planned this?"
she wondered aloud. "Do you think they were trying to
recreate what the aliens had accidentally done to you and
the others?"

Scully paused. She hadn't thought of that, though it was
obvious to her now. Jeffrey Spender had told them, just
before his death at the hands of his own father, that he had
helped Marita escape from Ft. Marlene. Both he and Mulder
had seen the horrible condition the Consortium had left her
in, though neither knew where she had gone after her
release. Somehow, she had gotten her life back together, and
somehow she had ended up working with the senior Spender
once again. Why had they kept her so long after she had been
cured by the vaccine? What kind of tests had they performed
on her?

"Maybe," Scully whispered. She reached over and placed her
hand on the baby's head. Mulder had taught her how to open
up to him. Could she open herself to another telepath as
well? Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and projected
her mind, hoping to catch a stray thought from either Marita
or the baby. Though she heard no words in her head, it was
very obvious that the baby was indeed special. Comfort,
warmth, slight hunger, and...

She opened her eyes to meet Marita's gaze. "She needs to be
changed," she said with a soft smile.

"I knew I smelled something," Frohike grumbled. 

Marita looked at the men behind her, then turned back to
Scully, her gaze startled. She smiled. It was weak, but it
was real. Then her expression turned pleading. "Please, help
me. Help us."

Scully simply nodded.

*****

End Part 5/7

    Source: geocities.com/virtuesandvices