Title: S.N.A.F.U. Part 6 Chapters 19-20
Author: Emily Sim
Headers: see part 1

**************

Chapter 19 

After Midnight
	

Mulder was just pulling off of the Jefferson Memorial Bridge when 
his cell phone began ringing. Hopeful that it was Scully he 
hurriedly pulled the phone from his pocket and flipped it open.

 "Mulder."

"Special Agent Fox Mulder?"

"Speaking."

"Agent Mulder, this is Stephen Mills with the Alexandria PD. We 
responded to a call about forty minutes ago and your name came up 
in connection with our preliminary inquiries. 

Mulder felt cold fear grip him. If anything had happened to 
Scully Ð

"Agent Mulder?"

"What caller?" 

"Agent, we have a situation at 22 Wolf Court."

Relief was momentary. "I'll be right there."

"We'll be waiting, Agent."

Mulder disconnected and turned his car around.  Fuck, what else 
was going to go wrong tonight.

*******

The area around Kristen's house was cordoned off with yellow 
tape, and the flashing lights of at least a half dozen squad cars 
gave the dark night an eerie glow. The sight set Mulder's heart 
pounding. Coming to a lurching stop just before the police tape, 
he had the car door flung open and was out of the car and 
sprinting towards the front door in record time, almost running 
over the officer who was attempting to stop his progress. 

"Sir, this is a crime scene. I can't let you go any further." 

Mulder pulled his badge out hastily and identified himself. "I'm 
looking for a Detective Mills."

He pointed Mulder towards the front of the house. "You'll find 
him inside or somewhere near the front area. Big guy with red 
hair."

Mulder headed off in the direction indicated and found Mills just 
inside the front door of Kristen's home conferring with a small 
group of officers. Apologizing for the interruption, he hastily 
pushed his identification between two men and introduced himself, 
grabbing the small group's attention. 

"Agent Mulder, thanks for coming so quickly. I'll be right with 
you."  

Mulder noted that Mills was indeed big; the man probably had six 
inches on him, with a shock of red hair, which disappeared under 
his cap when he put it on and dismissed the men around him. 

"Detective Mills Ð"

Mills put his hand up to stop Mulder. "This wasn't a call in any 
official capacity, agent. I had an anonymous tip to check this 
address out and the caller was insistent that I contact you."

"What have you got?"

Mills glanced at his notes. "Homicide victim, female, around 30, 
35. Medical examiner hasn't been able to positively ID the body 
yet, but we are assuming it's the owner of the residence, a 
Kristen Kilar. Did you know her?"

Mulder took a deep breath. "Not very well. She was part of an 
investigation a few years ago."

"Any idea why someone would insist we call you?"

"Not really. She came to see me earlier in the day." He wasn't 
going to say more than he had to. "Where's Hannah?" 

At Mills' puzzled look Mulder grew agitated. "Hannah, her - the 
little girl who lived with her; she's about this high," -- Mulder 
held his hand up mid thigh -- "and has curly dark hair."

"Agent, the City has only one occupant listed and we didn't find 
anyone else in the house. Approximately what time did you last 
see Ms. Kilar, and is Hannah her daughter?" 

Fuck. How the hell was he going to answer that question? He 
needed to get into the house and do a search on his own, but he 
couldn't have Mills sounding an alarm. There was also no way he 
could tell the man the real story, and an outright lie would 
complicate things in a whole other way. 

"I'm not a liberty to share much, except to tell you that Ms. 
Kilar and the girl came to the Bureau's attention on another 
matter. We had some questions of our own and I was here earlier 
with my AD trying to get some answers. I would like to have a 
look around; Hannah may have heard the commotion and hid." Mulder 
figured Skinner could live with that as an explanation, and it 
was a subtle way to make a comment regarding jurisdiction. Mills 
didn't need to know the particulars of his visit, and he needed 
to get in there and find out what had become of Hannah.  

Mills nodded. "I can do one better." He stepped out onto the 
porch and got the attention of two officers. "Forbes and Lewis, 
this is Agent Mulder. He says there might be a child living here 
as well. You two help him go through the house, make sure she 
isn't hiding somewhere. And Agent --"

"Just Mulder will do."

"Mulder, I'd sure appreciate it if you could ID the body for us."

Figuring it was easier to be cooperative, he nodded his assent. 
"No problem." The small group made their way up the wide 
staircase to the second floor. Forbes and Lewis separated to 
begin a search of the rooms, while Mills led Mulder into the 
bedroom.

There was a small group of officers methodically dusting for 
prints and collecting evidence. A box sat near the door with 
several plastic bags tagged and marked, and the flash from the 
photographer's camera periodically lit the already bright room. A 
small thin man looked up as they entered.

"Charlie, this is Agent Mulder, with the Bureau. He may be able 
to provide a positive ID on the victim."

Charlie's voice was thin and reedy, suiting his frame. "That'd be 
great, Steve." He stepped aside and pulled the sheet back. 

The body was indeed that of Kristen Kilar. Or something that 
looked like her. The blood he could see was red, but that didn't 
mean anything. "Yeah, it's her. What have you got as a 
preliminary cause?"

Charlie looked to Mills. "Go ahead."

"Well, it's the oddest thing. No marks on the body, except this." 
He pointed towards the back of Kristen's neck, where the blood 
had crusted into a thin line snaking its way down. "There's a 
small puncture wound right here, but we haven't found a weapon or 
anything in the room that could have been used."

If Mulder had any lingering doubts as to Kristen's humanity, they 
were put to rest. The only reason to target that particular spot 
in an attack was to kill a hybridized clone.  He rocked back on 
his feet. There was nothing he could do for her anymore. His 
priority had to be Hannah. A call to Skinner would take care of 
Bureau jurisdiction and get the body sent to Quantico. Scully was 
already there this week finishing up the Dusett case, and there 
wasn't anyone else he trusted to do this. Despite their 
difficulties right now, Scully would never be anything but 
professional. He wiped his eyes, unable to stifle a yawn or hide 
the weariness. It had been a long day and it wasn't over yet.

Forbes and Lewis appeared outside the door and Mulder didn't need 
them to tell him that they'd found nothing. 

Forbes was nodding his head in agreement as Lewis spoke. "Not a 
thing, Agent Mulder. Are you sure she lived here?"

Mulder swallowed, wondering how to smooth this over quickly so 
that he could get out and start looking on his own. These men 
wouldn't be of any use in tracking one little girl down, not 
considering who had probably taken her. "No, I'm not sure. Hannah 
wasn't her child. When I saw them last they were together, but 
that was early this morning." God, was it just this morning?

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. Do you know the parents at 
all? Could you check that she's with them?"

Mulder bought the opening the officer had given him. "I'll do 
that. Do you mind if I have a quick look through the place 
first?"

Forbes shrugged. "I don't see the harm. If you do happen to find 
anything, give a yell."

"Thanks."

"Let someone know when you're leaving, just in case Mills needs 
to ask you anything."

"Will do."

It didn't take long to go through the upstairs, and like the 
officers had said, there was nothing to be found. Nothing to 
indicate Hannah had even been in the home. Not a stray hair clip, 
stuffed toy, or storybook anywhere. He even rooted through the 
laundry looking for a stray sock, the bane of all mothers with 
children. There was nothing, which was telling in itself. Whoever 
had gone over the place had done so with great care. He needed to 
contact Skinner and the Gunmen. 

Another little girl missing, and if Scully was right, and she 
usually was when it came to hard facts, one more link to his 
sister was gone before he could do anything about it. Fuck. He 
was going to have to get in touch with Scully, and he still 
didn't have a clue what he was going to say.


*******


Chapter 20

After a mostly sleepless night of tossing and turning, Scully 
finally gave up fighting and got up. She spent the first few 
hours cleaning her already spotless apartment. She had an 
appointment at the clinic at 8:00 and after last night she was 
resigned to going on her own. Frankly, the idea of having Mulder 
accompany her had been an almost romantic notion. She needed to 
keep reminding herself that this was an arrangement between 
friends. Mulder's comment had hurt, but served to hammer home 
this point. Besides all that, there was now another child mixed 
into the equation: Samantha's daughter. How that would impact 
their relationship was a wild card. Her head hurt trying to sort 
through the complicated personal dynamics. On top of it all, the 
Gunmen couldn't have missed hearing and understanding Mulder's 
comment. Hell, the trio probably had access to, and tracked, her 
medical records. She wouldn't put it past Frohike to have a file 
on her tucked away somewhere in that dungeon of theirs. 

She chose one of her black suits from the closet. It seemed to 
suit her mood, and this particular suit always made her feel 
powerful. She needed every ounce of that to get through this day.

The clinic was quieter than normal when she arrived. There was 
always a sense of calm to the place. Soft music played in the 
background and the office was filled with exotic plants. 
Skylights, soft lighting, and a water feature helped create an 
atmosphere that seemed to ooze fertility, as if the surroundings 
themselves were part of the treatment. She checked in with 
reception and didn't have to wait long before she was ushered 
into the office where Dr. Parenti was waiting to go through the 
details of the final procedure, scheduled for tomorrow.

"Good morning, Dana."

"Morning, Dr. Parenti."

He looked briefly at the file in front of him. "So, how are you 
feeling?'

"I'm fine."

"Any cramping, swelling, or changes in bowel movements?"

"Nothing like that. I've had a bit of a mild headache, been a 
little irritable, but nothing that seems serious."

"That would be due to the higher dosage of hCG we used. Aside 
from that, there's been nothing else of note?"

"No, I've been fine."

"I have you scheduled for 4:00 tomorrow. Because this is the last 
embryo, I'd like to try something a little different this time 
around. First off, your hormone injection today will be a little 
stronger than the last one. You might find yourself with a bit of 
cramping tonight and your headache may be a little worse, but I 
think we should do all we can. I'd also like Anna to do an 
ultrasound to get a good look at how ready your uterus is to 
accept the transplant. Did you take the day off or are you 
scheduled to work?"

"I'm going to work from here."

"I'd like you to take it easy. If you can cut out a bit early and 
get some extra rest tonight, I'd recommend it."

"Is there a problem with being on my feet? I'm scheduled to 
autopsy today."

"No, nothing like that. I just want your body to be as ready as 
we can make it. Will your partner be joining you tomorrow?"

"No." She realized that she'd answered far too quickly when the 
doctor gave her a puzzled look. "He's in the middle of a case and 
may need to go out of town, so I've arranged a ride with a 
friend."

He seemed satisfied with her answer. "That's good, because I'd 
like to give you something to relax you before the procedure 
tomorrow. It will make you drowsy, but I think the more relaxed 
you can be, the better our odds. I'd also like to keep you a 
little longer, just to give it every chance. Is that okay?"

"How long do you think I'll be?"

"Not longer than an hour. If you'd like, Jill can call your 
friend for you just before you're ready to go so she doesn't have 
to wait the whole time here."

"No, that'll be fine. I can give her a call myself when I'm 
ready."

"Good then. Any questions before Anna takes you in?" 

"No, I'm fine."

They both stood and a small Asian woman entered in response to 
his buzz. "Anna, Dana is ready."

"Okay, Dana. You get lucky number four today."

Scully smiled at her. "Wasn't that what you said last time?"

"Last time we did the actual implant, you were in three; this 
time I told Dr. Parenti we needed four all the way."

"And he agreed?"

Anna's response was softly spoken. "Oh, Dana, we all know how 
much you want this. I want to help all I can, and if a lucky 
number helps, so be it." She pushed open the door and ushered 
Scully in, dropping a gown on the table. "Okay, Dr. Scully, you 
know the drill." 


***********

When Scully got back to Quantico any ideas about a relaxing day 
were gone. Not only did she have the last four bodies from the 
Dusett case to finish up, the clipboard in front of her had a 
note with Skinner's signature indicating a body had been 
delivered late last night. And there was no Denise to assist 
today. So much for Dr. Parenti's advice about taking it easy. The 
upside of things would be how quickly the day would go. She would 
be far too busy to dwell on her difficulties with Mulder. 

She had spent a large part of her sleepless night mulling things 
over, and she had come, reluctantly and somewhat painfully, to 
the conclusion that she had read far too much into her 
arrangements with her partner. Somewhere along the way, 
weathering two failed attempts had brought to light feelings she 
wasn't sure what to do with, feelings for Mulder that went beyond 
affection between partners, or gratefulness for his assistance. 
She had begun to feel a much stronger bond with him, one that she 
was now aware was one sided. She had begun to think about family 
and all the things that went with it; God, she was downright 
maternal at times. Visions of a little boy with wonder in his 
hazel eyes, and the ordinary trappings of family life, lulled her 
to sleep most nights. She was dreaming of white picket fences and 
parent teacher meetings, feeling nothing like Dr. Dana Scully, 
Special Agent. It was obvious to her that she was the only half 
of the parental equation who was crossing the invisible line. She 
was embarrassed and prayed she could pass most of it off to the 
hormones swimming in her body. To hope he wouldn't notice would 
be silly; Mulder noticed everything.

She changed into scrubs and waited patiently while two of the 
regular morgue assistants moved the first body into the bay and 
onto the table. The toe tag identified her as Maggie Duffers, 18. 
She was the last victim, a popular but troubled girl. Scully was 
glad she had no need to contact the parents. She was strictly the 
slice and dice part of this investigation. She took a deep breath 
and got down to it.

Several hours later and Scully was able to put her part of the 
Dusett case behind her. She pulled the sheet up and called to 
have a diener take care of the last body, Susan Fraser. She knew 
it was psychosomatic, but along with her aching back and feet she 
was feeling phantom cramps and a dull ache low in her abdomen. It 
was well after two and she'd only stopped long enough to eat her 
yogurt and gulp back a bottle of water someone handed her when 
she complained of thirst. Skinner's autopsy order would have to 
wait until after she took five minutes and put her feet up. She 
had a feeling that despite the paperwork bearing the A.D.'s name, 
that Mulder was lurking in the background somewhere. And these 
orders were specific. Skinner had made it clear that she and she 
alone was to do the work, which meant no assistants. She headed 
to the outer area and the hot coffee she knew would be ready.


********** 

Mulder leaned over as Frohike pointed to a spot on the screen. 
"Near as we can tell, the call came in after eleven."

"I don't want to know how you got this information, do I? Don't 
answer that. That's about an hour before I left here."

"Give the man a cigar." Frohike scrolled down the page. "That's 
it. Just the one call to the Alexandria PD."

"And the house?"

"Bought last month, buyer listed as Kristen Kilar. Cash sale; 
city has only the one occupant listed."

"I should have fucking checked that out before I even went there 
yesterday."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Langly threw in. "None of us 
thought of it either."

"I'm sure you had other things occupying your mind." Byers pulled 
a stool closer to where they were working. "Have you had a chance 
to talk to Scully today?"

"No, she's still at Quantico finishing up the Dusett case. I've 
got Skinner trying to shake some information from his 
connections, but there just doesn't seem to be much. I'm betting 
Krycek made the call."

Frohike looked up. "You think he grabbed the kid?" 

"How crazy is it that I hope she's with him and not old Smokey? 
I'm betting she was gone long before the cops got there." 

"You think she knew the kid wasn't hers?" Langly stood up.

"Haven't a clue, boys. I don't know how they --" he paused --
"created the baby; whether she was an implanted embryo, or grown 
in one of those tanks. I think Kristen cared for her; she must 
have." At least he needed to think that was true. He couldn't 
bear to think of Hannah being used and discarded like yesterday's 
trash. He needed to believe she was loved. He needed to believe 
he would find her.

"I'm going to head back over to the Hoover, see if Skinner dug 
anything up."

All three gunmen nodded. "We'll keep digging, watching the place 
just in case."

"Watching it?"

Frohike hit a switch and one of the monitors flicked on, showing 
an exterior shot of the front of the house, two police cruisers 
still parked outside. "Like magic."

"That is some serious shit, Frohike."

"Live feed and recording as we speak." Frohike pointed proudly to 
the black box underneath the monitor. "Say it, Mulder."

"Your kung-fu is the best." 

Frohike answered with a wide grin.

"Hey, Mulder." Langly swiveled around on his stool. "Just don't 
mess up anymore."

Mulder's reply was softly spoken. "I don't plan on it." He made 
his way to the door. "Let me know if anything comes up."

Frohike grunted a goodbye and Byers gave a small, sad smile. 
Langly dismissed him with a wave of his hand and all three men 
turned back to their computers and data streams.

*********

Scully was only mildly surprised to discover the body waiting for 
her was none other than Kristen Kilar. Somehow it seemed fitting 
with all the events of the past two days, as fitting as a case 
that made no sense could be. Not that she took any joy in the 
woman's death. It just seemed that things kept getting stranger 
and more convoluted with each turn. She looked over the notes 
included with the autopsy order. It seemed Kristen's unfortunate 
end came not long after Scully left the Gunmen and Mulder the 
other night. It would explain why Mulder hadn't called her yet. 
Whatever else he was, he did care and hadn't failed to call after 
each appointment she had. The days that she had to sit with her 
failure he was a steady rock, offering comfort that never became 
oppressive. She appreciated it more than she could ever tell him. 

When she pulled the sheet back she wasn't sure what to expect. 
Oh, she knew what the dead body would look like, what she wasn't 
sure of was Kristen herself.  Except for noticing the dark hair, 
she had managed to block out the woman's features when going 
through the pictures Krycek had left for her. It wasn't that she 
wasn't interested in seeing what she looked like, it was more 
that she could make an educated guess based on the other women 
from Mulder's past. She didn't need another long legged brunette 
to compare herself with. And she wasn't quite sure what her 
avoidance meant, or the fact that it bothered her to be faced 
with another of Mulder's women. Damn, that man had a propensity 
for getting involved with needy females. She took a deep breath 
and lined up her instruments. Whatever it was that she might be 
looking for would not yield easily. Any little fragment she found 
could be needed information. There was a certain amount of 
satisfaction and pride in knowing that both Skinner and her 
partner counted on her to do this, to be the best. 

Her cursory exam was thorough and when she saw the small puncture 
at the nape of the neck she understood Skinner's directive that 
she alone work on this. The mark meant one thing only: it was a 
hybrid. Yet this body didn't bleed green. She wasn't sure what 
that meant, but knew it was important and that time was of the 
essence. Bodies like this one had a habit of disappearing along 
with the evidence. She ignored her rumbling stomach and got busy. 

**********