Title: Fight or Flight Author: Eileen S. Whipple Classification: Angst Rating: PG Summary: Vacation with the family can be hell. DISCLAIMER: Chris Carter owns all the characters mentioned although they like it better with me! (Oh, he can keep Bill and Tara!) This is only for entertainment purposes, and no money is being made. Note: This is a response to a challenge. "What if Bill is part of the Conspiracy?" and so on and so forth. XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX FIGHT OR FLIGHT by Eileen S. Whipple XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX The dinner party had started and people were immersed in conversations with each other. Special Agent Dana Scully sat quietly at one end of the table. At the other end was her older brother Bill. Guests would occasionally look at the silent woman, but she kept to herself. Her brother and his wife Tara were holding the party; they were supposed to be the popular people. Scully pushed her potatoes around on her plate, feeling like a child bored with a family dinner. She probably looked like that in Bill's eyes. Even their mother Margaret was busy talking to a man beside her. Scully didn't want to bother her, so she continued eating her meal. She caught occasional glances from her sister-in-law. Scully wasn't sure what look she was giving, but she took it as the "Don't-ruin-this-because-I-spent-hours-watching-Martha-Stewart-to-prepare" look. A loud ping against a glass caused a hush. Bill stood up. "Thank you all for coming to this dinner party. It wouldn't have been so great if it weren't for my lovely wife and my wonderful mother. They spent the entire day preparing the food." He leaned over and kissed Tara's blonde head. He grinned at Margaret. "Thanks, Mom." Scully lifted a piece of chicken to her mouth when she thought the speech was over. It continued and she dropped the meat onto the plate. "The real reason Tara and I decided to have a party was to share something with you all." Bill helped his wife to her feet. "In seven months, we will become parents for a second time." The guests all started congratulating the couple and chattering to their neighbours. Margaret Scully was surprised by her son's announcement. "Bill, Tara, I'm so happy for you." She stood up and went to embrace her son and daughter-in-law. Scully knew this song-and-dance. She loved her brother and his family, but she'd noticed that ever since Tara had been pregnant with their son Matthew, they seemed to shove parenthood down people's throats. It was not bitterness, but just an observation. She flashed a quick, fake smile at her brother. "Congratulations to the both of you." Everybody was so busy talking to the parents, they didn't even notice Scully stealing away into the front hallway. She wanted to call her apartment and check the messages. She hoped to find one from her partner saying they had a case to investigate. Fox Mulder had a habit of calling her while she was on vacation, and she actually wanted to hear a message this time. "You have one new message," the robotic answering machine voice said. She pressed the "1" key to hear the message. There was a long pause. "Come on," she whispered, looking behind her to see if anybody had noticed her leaving. The tape started playing. "Hello, Ms. Scully. My name is Darla," chirped a female voice. "I am an employee for Warwick Carpets. Isn't it about time you had your dingy carpets cleaned? We have a deal for y--" The woman was interrupted by Scully pressing "3" to erase the message. "I want Mulder to call and of course he doesn't." Now she had to go back to the table. "Vacations are hell." She turned to leave the hall and saw her mother standing in the doorway leading from the dining room. "Dana, what are you doing?" Scully sighed deeply. "I needed to use the phone. I had to call for my messages." Margaret was smiling. "I had no idea this was why Bill wanted us out here for a few days. It's too bad Charlie wasn't here." "Yeah. It's quite exciting," she said in a flat voice. "Are you feeling well, Dana? You're not acting like yourself tonight. I thought you'd be very happy for Bill and Tara, but I guess you have your feelings." Margaret put her hand on her daughter's upper arm. "Just remember that he's your brother." Scully kept a straight face. "I know, Mom. I just feel odd here. I feel out of place right now. I'm sure the feeling will pass." "Maybe get to sleep, sweetheart. You don't have to mingle with the guests. I'll tell Bill you're not feeling well." Margaret kissed Scully's cheek. You'll feel better in the morning." Her mother didn't even say goodnight; she just hurried back into the noisy room. Scully looked up the flight of stairs and then began climbing them. She was not looking forward to another night of uncomfortable sleep. Last time she'd visited, Tara had still been pregnant with Scully's nephew Matthew, and there had been a bed in the nursery. Now all Scully had was an unpleasant cot in the corner of the room she shared with her mother. She knew her older brother would take this early bedtime as her giving him the cold shoulder. She was surprised her mother had suggested it, but Margaret knew her children were not the picture of sibling love. Scully just wanted the day to end, because she and her mother were leaving in two days and she needed the time to go by quickly. Sleep was a good way to pass that time. She peeked into Matthew's bedroom and saw that he was asleep. He was wearing the Sesame Street pajamas given to him by his Grandma Scully and he had his arm slung around the blue plush bear from Tara's parents. Scully's room neighboured his nephew's so she started on her way again. She reached in the doorway and switched on the light before entering. Her grey silk pajamas were in a heap on her makeshift bed and she closed the door before beginning to change. She knew she'd be up at dawn when the eleven-month-old Matthew woke up crying. He made a lot of noise for a little boy. Luckily, Tara or Bill got up almost instantly so the screaming would stop almost as fast as it started, but Scully would be up for the rest of the day. She dimmed the lights and climbed onto the cot. She had mountains of blankets to use but that didn't help the stiff back she'd have in the morning. Her mother's back was sore so Scully couldn't take the single bed from her. The cot was good enough if she slept on her side. She tugged the covers up to her chin and fell asleep, not even noticing that it was nine o'clock. Scully awoke abruptly to the sound of footsteps on the staircase. They travelled down to the front hall and stopped. She then heard the hinge of the door squeak; Bill still hadn't oiled it. She looked at her clock and wondered who was going out at three in the morning. She pulled herself out of bed and despite her aching back, moved to the window. She lifted the blinds and peered outside into the inky night. The house's outside light had been switched off and she could only see the person in the glow of the light from the neighbouring residence. It was Bill and he was getting into a waiting black vehicle. "Who the hell is that?" Scully whispered as the car drove away. Her mind raced. She wondered if Bill was cheating on Tara, or if he had a secret life as someone else. Maybe he wasn't just a strait-laced Navy man and family man. She hadn't seen him very much since he'd left home for university at age eighteen, and now he was inviting her out every chance he had. Scully glanced over her shoulder and saw her mother sleeping soundly. The household was silent, and Scully was alert. Once she started thinking, there was no going back. She had to find out what was up with her brother. The taste of finished oak was not pleasant, as Scully found out four hours later when she awoke facedown on Bill and Tara's kitchen table. The aroma of sausage filled the air. She peeked out from under her mess of auburn hair. Tara was facing her, and was whipping a bowl of pancake batter. "Good morning, Dana. When did you come down here? I hope Matthew didn't wake you up. He started crying around five-thirty and he was loud enough to wake the whole neighbourhood." She looked around. "It was earlier this morning. Footsteps made me get up." "Footsteps? That's odd." Tara flashed a bright smile. "I didn't want to wake you to get you out of the way. Matthew had a little too much fun with his Shreddies this morning." Scully looked and saw that the table was littered with the cereal. She saw her nephew in his highchair and he squealed her name, which came out sounding like "Deena". Scully just stood up and ruffled his dark hair. The child was chubby and adorable, but his grip was like the Jaws of Life and he always went for her hair, never his mother's. Scully asked curiously, "Where's Bill? I thought he'd be up." "Oh, he goes jogging in the mornings." "At three in the morning? Bill's the one who was up, and I saw him leave." Tara's smile was still plastered on her face. "You must have been mistaken. Perhaps you were dreaming." Scully didn't answer. "Tara, where might I find a notepad or something to write on?" She continued with her cooking. "Check in Bill's study. He might have it locked up." "Thank you, Tara." Scully stood up and hurried up to the room beside the master bedroom. The study was immaculate with not a stray paper in sight. A date book was open beside the computer on the desktop. The book was on top of a notepad. She sighed and reached for the pad of paper, glancing down at the date book. Something caught her eye. Written in the space for the twenty-ninth of October was "Pregnancy trial 4--took". It was in Bill's handwriting. Scully knew how much trouble he and Tara had conceiving. Matthew had come along after several years. "Perhaps they finally consulted a fertility specialist," Scully muttered as she flipped back to September. This time, on September twenty-second, Bill had written "Pregnancy trial 3--failed". There was a creaking outside the study, and then a voice sounded, "Dana? Are you in here?" Bill was home. "Yeah." She snatched the notepad off the table after flipping the calendar back to November. Her brother came into the room. "I was just getting some paper." Bill looked down at her. "Tara told me what you were doing." He had a large manila envelope under his arm. "I see you've found what you needed. I have to work in here now." "Wait a minute, Bill. I have to talk to you." She moved and closed the door. "What's up? Things are a little strange here. I mean, I saw you leaving this morning at three." His forehead creased. "Dana, it's none of your business. This is my life, and you'll be gone tomorrow." She tossed the paper on the desk and crossed her arms. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're the one who has your nose in my life whenever you feel like it. You're constantly on my ass about everything--my cancer, my work, Mulder--and you have the audacity to tell me *your* life is none of *my* business? That's not right. You go off gallivanting in the middle of the night, expecting me to mind my business? I'm your sister, Bill!" He was furious. "Please, Dana, get out! I don't want to argue with you anymore. Mom's still sleeping." "Fine, Bill," she hissed. "Just don't complain when your secret life backfires on you." Dinner that night was silent. Scully only looked up to watch her mother's reaction to the occasional noise Matthew made. Bill had most likely told his wife about the argument that had occurred but Scully didn't care if he had Tara beside him in this. Margaret would probably take his side too, but Scully was used to that. The telephone rang and Margaret got up. "I'll get it for you." She went to the foyer. A minute later, she called, "Dana, it's for you." Scully jumped up. She had no idea who would be calling her at her brother's home. She didn't bother asking her mother who it was. She picked up the receiver. "Hello?" "Scully, it's me." "Mulder, you don't know how great it is that you called. The tension at the dinner table is amazing." "Scully, I'd love to talk about it but I have more important things to tell you, and it involves your brother and sister-in-law." Mulder sounded serious. Scully sat on the stairs, the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder. "What is it?" "You're not going to believe this," he said. Then he launched into a long speech. "Scully, your family isn't what you think it is. I just got a report from a source, and it turns out that Bill knows our cigarette-smoking friend quite well. He met with him this morning to get a report about a special project that Tara is part of." Scully wrapped her fingers around the receiver and squeezed. "What kind of project?" "Well, it turns out that she's part of an experiment that has scientists fertilizing her ova with an unknown sperm source. The only reason why it's being done is because Bill agreed to report back to the Syndicate about our activities, and he's told them that you're starting to suspect something." "Tara is pregnant, Mulder. They announced it at dinner yesterday." He continued, "They've done four trials to see if Tara's uterus would allow the fertilized egg to implant but it only took this last time. It took about seven times with Matthew." Scully could feel the blood draining from her face. "So Matthew is just like Emily?" Her own child had been conceived the same way but Scully hadn't the opportunity to know about the child, never mind carry her for nine months. Her Emily had died because she was the creation and test subject of these shadowy figures. "Not exactly. The material that fertilized the egg had been somehow crossed with Bill's own DNA. Matthew is supposed to grow and live just like a normal human being, and he doesn't have green blood. The technology is more advanced now." Her voice was now a whisper. "Why are you telling me all this? Aren't you worried about this being an unsecured line?" "Scully, it's too late anyway. We could have the most secure phone line but it can't help the fact that Bill already told them that you know something. You have to leave now. Your life is in danger. Just tell your family you have a meeting in Washington that just came up. I've called the airport to get you a ticket on the next plane out of San Diego. The next flight leaves at nine-thirteen. That gives you about two hours to get packed and out of there." She almost fainted when Bill stepped into the foyer. "Dana, are you coming back to the table?" "I gotta go now," she said into the phone before hanging up. "Sorry, Bill. That was Mulder. I have to get back to Washington tonight, for a meeting." Bill raised an eyebrow. "Oh, what's the meeting about?" "Um, just work." She stood and started up the stairs. "I'm going to pack my stuff. My flight leaves in about two hours." Her gaze never left her brother; she went up the stairs backwards. "I'll tell Mom when I get back down." This was the fastest packing job Scully had ever done. She just crammed her clothes into her suitcase. If what Mulder said was true, she couldn't spend another night in the house. Her brother was already on the other side and betraying her, his own sister, so there was nothing that could stop him from injuring her. She didn't bother making her bed. The suitcase was heavy but she lugged it down the steps to the front hall. She quickly slipped on her coat. "Dana, come in here please," Margaret called. Scully sighed and went into the dining room. "Yes, Mom?" "Why are you leaving in such a hurry? What's this about a meeting?" Scully said, "I'm really sorry but I got called back to Washington because of work. That was Mulder telling me about a meeting I have to attend." Margaret frowned. "At least wait until we're finished dinner so Bill can drive you to the airport." "No, Mom. I'm calling a cab. I don't want to ruin your plans." She noticed Bill and Tara glancing at each other. "I'm going to call the taxi company right now." Scully went back to the phone and requested a cab come to the entrance of the naval base. She was sure her mother had no idea what was going on. Margaret didn't know that her son was a member of the clandestine group that had killed her older daughter Melissa and had given her other daughter a deadly tumour. She picked up her suitcase and called, "I'm leaving now. The taxi's going to wait outside the base." Her family came to the door. Scully was outside and already on her way down the sidewalk. "Dana, what's the matter?" her mother asked. "Why won't you let your brother drive you?" "Mom, I just can't. You wouldn't understand what's going on." Bill's eyes widened and he went down the walk after his sister. "Dana, get back here!" he yelled. "Get away from me!" she shouted. "I know what you've been up to these past few years. You've been spying on me, reporting back to the group on my life, on what I'm doing with Mulder. They gave me my cancer and they killed Melissa, so just consider yourself responsible for her death and my illness. You took my children and killed Emily! You're just one of their lackeys, doing their dirty work so you could be Mister Big Family Man with your uber-babies." She could see her mother's face, and the woman was shocked. "Shut up, Dana," Bill growled. Scully broke into a run towards the front gate of the base. She'd left her suitcase but she didn't care anymore. She had her wallet and keys in her coat pocket. She was on the run from her own brother. The yellow taxi was waiting for her when she finally reached the mechanical arm. She could have stayed and fought her brother but she had to leave. Her life depended on it. It had been a month and Scully hadn't heard anything from Mulder. The ticket he'd bought for her was a one-way flight to Hawaii. He'd wanted her off the mainland until things simmered down. She was resting in her hotel room when there was a knock at the door. She became cautious every time a caller came to her door. "Scully, it's me!" she heard through the door. It was Mulder. She jumped up and threw the door open. Mulder was standing there, clad in jeans and an ugly Hawaiian shirt with large blue flowers on it, but it didn't matter when she saw that he was wearing a huge smile. "I'm so happy to see you," she said, pulling him inside her room. "How have you been?" he asked. "Scared. I mean, it was different when it was just those men after us, but now my brother? I'm glad you phoned when you did." She sat down on her bed. "How's my mother?" "Worried about you. She doesn't exactly understand what happened the night you left and she's been calling me every so often, asking where you are." Scully became quiet. "What's happening with Bill and Tara?" "Bill's been let go by the group. He didn't kill you that night, so they didn't want him anymore. Luckily, they decided not to kill him. He's one lucky man. Tara and the baby are fine as well." "And how did you know all this? What kind of source do you have?" Mulder ran his fingers through his brown hair and looked down. "Well, you won't believe it but Bill called me. It's like he's a new man. He never raised his voice once, but nobody changes completely and that quickly." "So when can I come home? I bet Skinner is furious with me." "I told him that your life was in danger and you had to leave. He told me to tell you not to come back until it's resolved." "So I can return when I know for sure Bill isn't a Syndicate member anymore? I'll never know that for sure." "I think that's true. He told me he just wanted a family so badly." "But enough to betray his own sister?" Scully closed her eyes. "I don't know if I can ever forgive him." Mulder crossed his arms. "I can't help you there, Scully, but we still have to watch our backs. Just because your brother's out, it doesn't mean that the Cigarette-Smoking Man won't be looking for us." He sat beside his partner on the bed. "Now you know how I felt when I found out my father was part of this group." She looked up, her eyes shiny with tears. "It just hurts." Mulder put an arm around her. "I know it does, Scully, but we have to go back sooner or later." "I know." END So finally, I know what deadlines are like... I had to finish this story extra early due to a trip I'm taking. Hope you had *some* fun. Eileen