Absolution

Author: PhileyX 
E-Mail: phileyxback@yahoo.com 
Web-site: https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx 
Rating: PG 
Category: MSR, WJR
Spoilers: Requiem
Prequels: Man Without A Face, The Matchbox, The Dinner Guest, A Nobody is Hard to Find, Time Out, Redhead, A Father is Hard to Find, Visions, Second Time Round, Keeper, One of Us, Revelations, Persuasion, Rubbing Off, Bird's Landing USA.
Disclaimer: All the characters here do not belong to me. 
Author's note: My version of John Doggett was created before the premiere of Season 8. Please disregard any dissimilarity in character. 
The prequels to this story can be found at:
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Face.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Matchbox.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Dinner.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Nobody.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Timeout.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Redhead.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Father.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Visions.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Secondtime.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Keeper.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Oneofus.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Revelations.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Persuasion.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Rubbing.html
https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx/Landing.html
Intro: This story takes place after the Requiem. Two years after his disappearance, a man appears claiming to be Mulder, with a catch; he just didn't have his face. Scully soon finds out he really is her ex-partner and makes the ultimate sacrifice; she gives both Mulder and her son up. Although intent on keeping herself away from her son, she is unable to stop herself from seeing Mulder. Meanwhile, Will grows up without her and soon without his father too. As the years go by, the truth begins to reveal itself, bringing them all together, challenging them to finally be a family.

XXXXXXXXXXX
Absolution

      Excerpts from the song 'Question Everything' by 8 Stops 7.

                               No infringement of copyright intended.

<Ever since I was a child
You always said that I should understand the rules
You take some and give less
Sit high above the rest... don't you>

As she waited for Doggett, Dana tried to concentrate on the High School Career Day Talk she was scheduled to give in an hour's time. But a minute later her thoughts inavertedly drifted to Mulder. It had been too long since she last saw him. She wondered how he was and what was he doing at the moment. 

Right after the 'ecological scare in Bird's Landing' as the papers put it, all their lives, as they knew it, changed. Being the only link the shadow syndicate was aware of, she returned to DC as Dana Scully to bore them silly while Vincent Alexander went back to Arcadia and Jason and Joyce returned to Chicago. Back in their rightful places, they resolutely laid low, waiting for the dust to settle. And lying low unfortunately meant no contact whatsoever with each other.

Although a vaccine was in hand, the human race was far from being safe from alien colonization. Somehow they had to distribute the cure and it was one task that eluded them still. How could they do it without exposing themselves to the syndicate? 

She was brought back to the present when a car pulled up on her driveway. John Doggett smiled at her from beyond the windscreen as she approached and entered the car. "Good morning."

"Good morning." She replied, fastening the belt securely. "You know Doggett, the things I do for you..."

Catching the teasing in her voice, he shot back. "Oh quit complaining. You're bored to death sitting about the house anyway."

"Have you seen my backyard? Believe me, I have better things to do than to give this speech. And since when did you have a Goddaughter?"

Her ex-partner shrugged. "Less of a Godfather and more of a guardian. Daughter of a good friend. You'll meet her later."

Dana rearranged the cue cards in her hand. "It's been a while since I've given a talk. I only hope it's not too technical for fourteen-year-olds to understand."

"Don't worry." He grinned. "I told Melissa to provide barfing bags, just in case you get too descriptive." 

She looked up and gave him a glare that he was all too familiar with.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"See something you've seen before?" Landell drawled with an amused voice.

Maston looked up from the burnt patch on the ground. "Before you jump to conclusions, let's get it tested first."

"Twenty bucks says I'm right."

"You're on." She returned the challenge and using a glove, gathered some scorched soil into a small plastic container. 

Then they both heard a creaking sound nearby. Looking up, they caught an older man emerging from the garden gate coming towards their direction. 'Uh oh.' Maston thought. 

"Can I help you?" The man asked a few steps later.

Landell pulled out his badge and his partner did the same. "My name is Landell and this is Agent Maston. We're from the FBI. Mr Vincent Alexander, I presume?"

The man cocked his head and Maston wondered if she just imagined the slight flicker of recognition on his face. "Yes of course. The police told me that you might be coming by."

"Just procedure. Ron Svenson was killed in a most peculiar way."

"Yes I know." Vincent Alexander frowned with a pointed look. "But Ron Svenson's house is next door. I'd like to know what you're doing on my lawn."

Landell and Maston exchanged looks before the former casually brought his attention to the reason next to his feet. "Any idea what caused this, Mr Alexander?"

Looking at the withered spot, Vincent Alexander shook his head. "It was there when I returned."

"From your trip to Chicago?"

"Yes. I came back, went next door to check for mail and found Swenson dead. But I didn't notice this patch until a couple of days later. You think that this has something to do with the murder?"

"Well you would think after all this while, fresh grass would have grown." Landell muttered.

Maston, not wanting her partner to continue his train of thought aloud, quickly interrupted. "Mr Alexander, would you mind if we came in and asked you a couple of questions?"

He hesitated before saying. "No, of course not."

Maston and Landell followed his lead into his home. The whitewashed house was immaculately white inside, just as all the houses in Arcadia were. The two agents took in the decor and each made their own judgment. As they entered the living room, their host politely asked if they would like refreshments. 

"Yes, thank you." Landell quickly answered, beating Maston's automatic refusal. And as Vincent Alexander disappeared into the kitchen, she turned to scowl at Landell. "What?"

"We really didn't have to trouble him." She muttered although she knew exactly why her partner wanted the time alone. In fact, she was already on her feet looking around just as he was.

"No photos." He pointed out. "Couples usually have photos."

She agreed. "And especially when they have children." 

"The son's from a previous marriage. Vincent Alexander's first wife died giving birth to him." Landell's brow creased as he strived to remember more particulars that came with the police file. "I believe he's a doctor in Chicago."

By that time, Maston was studying the items on a writing table nearby. A stack of files and stationery indicated some sort of a working area. One file was sprawled open and she peered nearer. It seemed to be a medical file. Then Maston frowned, there was something familiar about it.

"Agent Maston!" A voice called out urgently from the far end of the room, making her jump. It was Vincent Alexander. "Those are the files of my wife's patients. I believe they're confidential."

"Yes, of course." She immediately muttered, apologizing. "I'm sorry." With that, she hastily moved for the couch and sat down next to her amused partner.

Vincent Alexander walked over with two glasses and put them on the coffee table in front of the agents. "Shall we begin?"

Landell nodded and did. "How was your relationship with Mr Swenson?"

"It was good. He was nice man and almost perfect neighbour."

"When was the last time you saw him alive?"

"The day before we left for Chicago."

"And you have no idea why anyone would kill him? Did he ever tell you that he was in trouble of any kind?"

"No."

Maston who was quiet all this while, suddenly asked. "Mr Alexander, why didn't your wife come back with you?"

They both caught the twitch on his face. "She had to stay on, sort of a family crisis. Our son is about to get married you see and she was needed."

She looked thoughtful and silent. It made Landell wonder and thus he followed her lead. "And how was your wife's relationship with Mr Swenson?" The elder man was evidently surprised at the question and so was Maston for she turned to give him a queer look. 

Landell's face remained nonchalant and Vincent Alexander was forced to answer. "As good as my relationship with Swenson. I told you he was a good man."

"I understand that you and your wife were just recently married?"

"Yes, we were." Then the look on his face became more incredulous. "But what has it got to do this the Swenson's murder?"

Landell was extremely pleased that he was getting an extreme reaction. "We're just covering all bases."

"What are you insinuating, Agent Landell?" Vincent Alexander growled.

By now, Maston knew exactly what her partner meant. Ashamed that he had taken her question about Vincent Alexander's wife, misunderstood and was running wild with it; she quickly cut in with the first reasonable explanation she could think of. "Mr Alexander, we're not insinuating anything. We're just wondering perhaps the killer got the wrong house and thus the wrong victim." Wincing slightly at how lame it sounded, she blindly went on. "I don't suppose you and your wife have any enemies?"

From anger, Vincent Alexander's features now bordered between amazement and amusement. "Er... no. I don't think Laura and I offended anyone that badly."

Meanwhile, Landell was looking at his partner like she's crazy. She ignored him and continued. "Well Mr Alexander, we'll leave you our card. If you can remember anything that you think might be able to help us solve this case, please give us a call."

"Sure."

Maston rose to her feet and glared at Landell to do the same. He was reluctant but obeyed. The three of them shook hands politely and said their goodbyes.

"What was that?" Landell demanded to know as soon as they were out of Vincent Alexander's hearing range.

"That was saving you from embarrassing yourself!" She hissed back.

"Wait a minute. It was your idea."

"Oh no. You came up with the insane theory that Laura Alexander and Ron Swenson had an affair, Vincent Alexander killed him out of jealousy and now she's hiding out in Chicago all by yourself."

"Then why ask the question about his wife staying on in Chicago? I figured you thought it rather strange that Mr Alexander's new wife stayed without him when his son hardly knows her."

Maston rolled her eyes in frustration. "That wasn't why I asked the question."

"Then why did you?"

She sighed, unlocked the car and got in. He soon followed, waiting for her to give an answer. "Scully is in Washington." She finally muttered.

Landell's face screwed up like he just swallowed a lemon. "Sorry, you lost me completely."

Groaning, Maston looked miserable as she tried to explain the bizarre idea that popped out of her head in Vincent Alexander's living room minutes ago. "You know how we were trying to reach Scully for months but she couldn't get her?"

He waved his hand wildly. "First of all, what has this got to do with Scully?"

"I'm getting to that." She growled. "Do you remember or not?"

"Yes, I do. She was nowhere to be found."

"That's right. Then out of the blue she gives us a call, asking us for help to save the world."

"So?"

"So Swenson's approximate day of death coincides with the day she called us." Her partner confusion was still apparent from his gaping open mouth. Maston rolled her eyes yet again and tried from the beginning. "As far as we know Scully disappeared from the face of the earth about five months ago. Laura and Vincent Alexander married and settled in Arcadia about the same time. Then a week ago Dana Scully calls us for the Bird's Landing operation, again the same time Laura Alexander supposedly went to Chicago. And she's still there just like Dana Scully is still in..." She trailed off, giving her partner an intense look like a teacher wanting him to complete the sentence. 

"... DC?" Landell muttered cautiously, keeping his gaze locked with hers.

"That's right." Maston smiled, glad that he finally got it.

"You're saying that Laura Alexander and Dana Scully, they're... they're the same person?" He gasped quietly.

"Uh huh."

At first she thought that he was convinced but his sudden burst of laughter proved her wrong. Landell laughed so loudly and so hard that tears began to well in his eyes. "This is gold, Maston. Your finest yet!"

Although a fierce scowl set on her face, internally she was embarrassed. Usually it was Landell that came up with the ridiculous theories, not her. She was usually the realistic one. "What the hell is so funny?"

"You are." He managed in between his fit.

"It's possible, isn't it?" She hissed, irritated.

Her partner rubbed the water away from his eyes and took deep breaths to control himself. "How on earth did you come up with this? This is so not like you."

"The medical report." She sighed. 

"The one on the table that's supposedly confidential?"

She sighed. "It had Scully's writing on it."

He considered her answer for a while and then suggested. "Some people have the same writing."

"You know the little ticks she makes at the bottom of our X-files?"

"The ones that she does unconsciously while reflecting on our bizarre findings?"

"Yes. The report on the table had them too. And Scully had this weird way of writing her Os and Ts? It's exactly the same."

Landell shifted in his seat and looked straight into her eyes. "Let me get this straight, you're basing this whole ridiculous theory on handwriting alone?"

She stared at him for half a minute and then looked down. "You're right, this is stupid."

"No, actually I'm impressed." He surprised her. 

"Landell..." She warned, not convinced that he believed her.

He smiled and touched her arm. "I am. But let's try to match faces to be sure, shall we?"

"You're just humouring me, aren't you?"

He laughed. "Well most of the time, you humour me. I'm just returning the favour."

She sighed. "I'm glad when we finally get our transfers out of the X-files. It's getting way too weird for me."

As he started the car, her partner seemed to be concerned about other matters. "Just out of curiosity, why do you think Scully is posing as Laura Alexander? Do you think Vincent Alexander is the infamous Fox Mulder, returned by the aliens that took him?"

"He sure doesn't look like the Fox Mulder in the X-file. But of course that picture was taken more than twenty years ago."

"Hmm... So do you want to write this up for Kersh or shall I?" 

She gave him a look. "Oh shut up and drive!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

"That was great." Doggett told her as Dana walked by his side.

"Thankfully they got all my jokes." She muttered back.

He smiled. Suddenly someone called him by an affectionate term. "Uncle John!"

The teenager that demanded their attention was surprisingly small. She had bright copper hair, which she wore short, just above her shoulders. Her eyes were a gentle shade of blue and her smile, dazzling. For some strange reason Dana felt like she was looking at a younger image of herself. Back when she was young and innocent, namely before the X-files.

"Melissa!" Doggett grinned broadly at his Goddaughter and gave her a huge hug. "Gosh, how you've grown."

"Yeah, I have." She laughed and as they parted, gave him a severe look. "You haven't come to see me in over a year!"

"I'm sorry, honey. I was busy with..."

"... the FBI, I know." She rolled her eyes. "Dad's favourite excuse, even after his retirement."

'So Doggett's 'good friend' was an FBI agent.' Dana thought and noticed that his face had clouded a little. She wondered if she knew the man. 

"Thanks for bringing her, Uncle John." The fourteen year old suddenly whispered and stole a quick look at Dana.

Doggett took the hint and hastily introduced them. "Dana, I'd like you to meet Melissa. She pleaded me to get you for this occasion."

"I'm very glad to meet you Melissa." Dana shook her hand. "I hope the talk I gave met your requirements."

Melissa beamed. "Yes, it did. Thank you very much. I'm so glad to finally meet you. After all that I've heard about you."

Dana raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't believe half the things your uncle John said. He has a tendency to exaggerate."

"Not uncle John, I meant my dad. He used to be your boss."

Stunned, Dana hesitantly confirmed. "You're Walter Skinner's daughter?"

"Yeah." Melissa looked astonished. "Didn't you know? Uncle John didn't tell you?"

"I... wanted it to be a surprise." Doggett quickly muttered. Avoiding Dana's intense look, he proceeded to ask. "Do you want a lift home, honey?"

The girl's bright countenance dropped a notch. "No, but I could use a lift to the hospital?"

"Sure. It'll give me a chance to see your dad too."

"Thanks. Just give me a minute, I need to clear something with my teacher first."

Doggett nodded and watched her run off. Meanwhile Dana was still staring at him for an explanation. He sighed a minute later, conceding. "I figure twenty years is enough time to forgive and forget."

"You could have warned me." She growled and then her voice softened. "Why is he in the hospital?"

"He's dying, Dana."

XXXXXXXXXXX

<As I ask a simple question
Cuts me off with his reply
He's been practicing for decades
Now he thinks I have the time
He flows in and out of riddles
Looking me straight in the eye
But it seems like something's missing from the days
When he was more my size>

Walter Skinner was asleep when they entered the room. After waiting in silence for a couple of minutes, Doggett suggested that they get some coffee. But still disconcerted with the reality of Skinner's state of health, Dana opted to stay. 

It had been years since Dana last saw her former boss. The last memory of him was his retirement party, two years after giving her the SAC position. Once in a while, she heard rumours about him; how he was left guardianship of a child by a veteran friend and in more recent occasions, being frequently consulted in high-level meetings regarding the future of the X-files. In the latter, she knew exactly where his loyalties lay. Walter Skinner is probably the only reason why the department remained intact for so long. His devotion in finding Fox Mulder is well known and people respected him for it. 

Suddenly the patient on the bed stirred. Dana got up from her seat and moved closer. He soon opened his eyes and blinked as she came into focus. "Scully?"

"Walter." She greeted him using his first name, making his face soften into a smile.

"It's been a while."

"Yes, it has."

"I'm glad you came." He shifted slightly and she touched his arm as if to tell him not to. "I was afraid you wouldn't."

Dana was confused for a moment. "You asked for me?"

"I asked Doggett to ask you to come." He confirmed.

Rolling her eyes, she muttered. "Of course you did." Then silently, she cursed her former partner to the worst death possible. Actually she wasn't really surprised that Doggett hadn't out rightly asked her to come. All his previous attempts to smooth the misunderstanding between Skinner and her had failed miserably.

Skinner seemed to be studying the extra lines on her faces. She returned the rudeness and he knew he was busted, smiling. "We've come a long way, haven't we?"

She leaned over to touch the few strands of gray that withstood the test of time. "Yes, we have."

He laughed. "I could never get the upper hand with you, even as your boss."

They looked at each other for a while and almost concurrently, both remembered the day when they yelled at each other for the last time. And Dana shifted her gaze to the ground while Skinner's stared hard at his own two hands. 

There were so many things Skinner wanted to say to Scully. So many choices he made he needed to apologize for. But he dreaded to begin the process, for it will forever change her perspective to him. Although already labeled a total jerk since he called her a lunatic for letting Will go, it would be nothing compared to what she'd call him after she heard the rest. From a jerk, he will plunge right down to the lowest level of scum. Once the truth is known, he will become one of 'them'. And it was a classification that he couldn't bear to hear, especially from her. 

He took a deep breath to clear his muddled thoughts and suddenly felt a slight tug in his chest. The pain reminded him that he was running out of heartbeats. It gave him the courage to come clean with his former subordinate. "There're so many things I did that I'm not proud of, Scully."

Dana squirmed uncomfortably at his unexpected declaration and muttered. "You and me both."

"No." He shook his head and reached out for her hand in an attempt to show her that he was serious. "You've never strayed from the right path. You and Mulder both, always fighting for the truth." He tried to sit up again. "But I..."

Seeing his agitation, Dana quickly moved closer and gently motioned him to relax, whispering in a soothing voice. "It's all in the past, Walter. Let's not talk about it."

"No, I have to talk about it. Or I may never have the chance again."

"Walter..."

"Let me make it up to you, Scully." He breathed heavily. "All I ask is for you to trust me one last time."

"But I do. I always have." She firmly told him, her blue eyes staring sincerely into his. "Granted I was angry at you, but that didn't mean I stopped. It's just that for some reason, it was just easier staying away."

His warm gaze remained steady. "Because you were keeping the truth from me? That you found Mulder?"

It was as if time had stopped for her. 'How the hell did he know that?' Her eyes widened showing her total astonishment. "You... knew?"

"Only years later."

Dana stared hard at him, her heart suddenly beating furiously. Suddenly, all trust that she thought she had of him vanished. She wondered what else did he know and yet, she was afraid to find out.

"Sit down, Dana. It might take a while." He whispered.

Shaking her head slowly, she finally decided that she'd rather not hear it. "I've a better idea. Why don't I just leave and we can pretend this never happened."

"It won't do, Dana." He looked thoughtful for a while as if choosing the rights words to say. "Bird's Landing didn't end it, you know. 'They' don't give up that easily."

As she stood unmoving, anger and fear began to blind her with tears. After every precaution to ensure that their operations were in secret, here Skinner was revealing everything as if he was physically with them every step of the way. Trying her best to compose herself, she asked. "Tell me something, are you working for Marita or is it the other way round?"

"I work for no one." He quietly answered her, knowing that she had guessed that he was more involved in her life than she ever imagined.

"And why should I believe a word you say now?"

"Because dead men tell no lies." 

Her head lifted slightly as though she was considering his grave rationale. He was speaking the truth about that at least. From his chart, he had only a couple of months to live, if he was lucky. Afraid that her voice would crack if she spoke, she expressed her consent by sitting down.

Skinner cleared his throat and began his narration. "After Mulder was taken and you told me that were pregnant, I knew that nothing mattered except to protect Will. It was the one thing that you wanted more than finding Mulder. And I knew that he would have wanted it too. So I went to look for Krycek and asked him to leave your son alone. By then he had already an idea of what Will could be to the human race and told me that there was absolutely nothing I could offer him to keep away. But a month later, he changed his mind. He told me that Mulder had returned and that he had him. Then he made me a deal, I was to make sure that Mulder was never found and he would leave Will alone."

Dana snapped her head to glare at him. "All that time, you knew where Mulder was?"

"I kept it from you only because of Will. It didn't matter anyway, you found him in the end. And you didn't tell me." He accused and Dana looked away, conscious. Lowering the tone of his voice, he continued. "Krycek didn't tell me either. And because you found him, the deal was off. That's why he began to check if Will was the one. He never dreamed that you would make the ultimate sacrifice and give them both up.

Meanwhile I thought you had gone mad. Unable to bear the thought of not even trying, I tried to locate Will despite his sealed adoption records. But somehow I couldn't get any information, no matter how many strings I pulled. The last straw was when Doggett came into my office telling me that you were on some sort of an underage sex rampage. Filled with guilt that I could have prevented your descent into insanity by telling you that Mulder was alive and well, I went looking for Krycek again.

He was surprised. It never occurred to him that I was totally oblivious of what had happened under my very nose. Taking the opportunity, he asked for another deal. Your ovums for information."

"My ovums?" Dana was incredulous.

Skinner winced slightly. "Mulder mentioned about the in vitro that didn't work."

"He told you about that?"

"He mustn't blame him. I was about to send you away on a conference, not knowing that you were out of spirits that particular week. He asked for you to stay. He felt that you needed him to be around."

Sighing, Dana didn't know to be annoyed or touched at Mulder's protectiveness. So she prompted Skinner to continue his revelations. "So you took the deal?"

"Yes, but only because Mulder told me that the ovums weren't viable. I was under the impression that he got you pregnant... some other way." She didn't look up to answer his questioning tone so he went on. "Anyway, Krycek kept his part of the bargain and everything suddenly made sense, including your full blown passion for out-of-town conferences which he didn't know.

I started to make inquires. But getting no help from the Gunmen, I offered a computer hacker a chance to redeem himself by programming a software to match your seminar days with any other names whose flights coincide. It took the program six months to short list fifteen names that weren't FBI agents. And it took me another six to find Mulder, mostly because he had a new face."

Dana lifted her head to glare at him. "Then it was you! You were the one who told Krycek where to find him?"

"To protect Will, I did." He quickly defended himself.

"That's bullshit!" She growled. "By telling that son-of-a-bitch where to find Mulder, you think Will would be safe? He was the key to everything!"

"It was a deal and I had the upper hand. You see Krycek didn't tell the consortium about Will. And if they found out that he was playing both sides, I can assure you Krycek wouldn't be a problem to anyone anymore. 

I didn't tell Krycek Mulder's new identity. I told exactly where to find him, that's all. And just as I expected, Mulder got away and made all the necessary precautions to make sure that he could never be found again."

"And leaving my son an orphan!"

"True. But I did my part and Krycek had no choice but to do his! He stopped searching for Will, concentrating his efforts on Mulder instead by staking out alien sighting sites." Dana shook her head, her fist clenched tightly. Skinner studied her furious face for a moment and sputtered. "It wasn't as if Will wasn't looked after! Mulder made sure he was financially secured and I..." He trailed off.

"What?" She hissed.

"I looked out for him too. How did you think he got his internship in DC?"

"You did that?" To his utmost surprise, her outrage grew. "What were you thinking? By exposing him to me, you endangered his life!"

"On the contrary, I saved his life!" Skinner refuted. "The time was getting near and I knew that Will would feel the effects of it. Just like you did, once upon a time ago at Skyland Mountains. Bringing him to you seemed to be the only right thing..."

"Enough!" She suddenly stopped him, on her feet and glaring. Her anger was far beyond anything she had ever experienced before. Before she gave in to the urge of smothering him to death with a pillow, she decided that it was best to leave. "After all these years, why are you telling me all this, Skinner? What do you want? Absolution?"

"In a way."

"Well I'm sorry. But it's just impossible for me to forgive you!" And she strode to the door.

"Scully, wait!" She was at the door when he panicked and blurted. "You need to distribute the vaccine, don't you? Well I can make that happen." 

She instantly froze. Half a minute later, she slowly turned to face him. He could see her conflicting emotions just by looking into her eyes. And when she spoke, he could hardly recognize her voice. "'They' know about Will now and I'm pretty sure they'll do anything to get him or get their hands on the vaccine. How do you expect me to trust you?"

"Easy." He nodded towards the door beside her. "I have a daughter out there whom I'd like to protect as badly as you're protecting Will. The only difference is, I'm running out of time."

Dana closed her eyes and sighed. Skinner was wrong. As days went by, the consortium would eventually find her son. The only way to diminish his importance is to make the vaccine available to all. And since Skinner could be the solution to their current circulation dilemma, they were all running out of time.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Mulder had just walked out of his faculty building when his phone rang. Fishing it out his pocket, he answered. "Yeah."

"Mulder, it's me." A familiar voice said.

"Scully..." He began to protest.

"Don't worry, I got the guys to make sure the line is secure."

Relieved, he took the opportunity to warn her on about recent events. "Good, you might want them to make sure there's a Laura Alexander in Chicago too. For some reason, Landell and Maston got it in their heads that she was doing the wild thing with Ron Swenson and her jealous husband finished him off, sending his wife away as a precaution."

"What? How on earth did they come up with that conclusion?"

"Don't ask me. They're a new breed of X agents completely."

Sighing, she muttered. "Fine, I'll get the guys to arrange something."

"So do you miss me?"

Although smiling, she rolled her eyes. "Sure I do, Poopy Head."

"Aww..."

"Mulder, I called for a more serious matter."

"I know. You're in desperate need of some Mulder loving, aren't you?"

"Actually I'm in desperate need of some Mulder wisdom."

"Close enough. Where shall we meet? You bring your teddy and I'll bring mine."

She ignored him. "I found a way for distribution."

A pause and she knew she had his full attention now. "Really?"

"The problem is I'm not sure if we can trust him completely."

"Him?" He was surprised, fully expecting the solution to be Marita. "Who are we talking about here?"

"Skinner." She told him and added softly. "And we need to move fast."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey buddy, you're home!" 

Suddenly awoken, Jason jumped, his head thudding hard against the cab ceiling. He immediately cursed under his breath. 

The driver grinned. "You okay? Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." 

"It's all right." Jason mumbled and took out his wallet to pay the fare.

As he struggled out of the vehicle with his luggage, every part of his body protested painfully. They reminded him that he owed them a couple of days of sleep and rest. Unfortunately with his wedding coming up, he doubted he would be able to allow the indulgence. 

Saving the world couldn't possibly demand his attention at a worse time. But Joyce will be showing pretty soon and Skinner was dying. So somehow he had to juggle the two important responsibilities. He only hoped in his haste, he hadn't messed up yet.

Sighing, Jason dragged his luggage up the driveway to the Callahan's doorstep. He then retrieved his keys and unlocked the door. As he entered he could hear the TV still on. Too exhausted to bother with his bag, he left it next to the door and headed towards the noise. 

It wasn't Joyce as he expected but her parents. They looked up as he entered and Jason smiled at them as best as his tired face muscles could. "Hi, Jack. Emma." Since they found out that he was to be their son-in-law, they insisted that he use their first names. 

To his surprise, they didn't answer him or even smile. Instead they exchanged somber glances and glared at him warily. Then Jack spoke up. "Joyce is upstairs in her room. You better go see her."

Jason heart constricted. 'Did anything happen to her?' He instantly wondered. "Is she all right?"

Emma caught his worried tone and immediately calmed his fears. "She's fine, Jason. Just go see her."

Relieved but still confused, Jason frowned. "Okay." And he turned to obey. 'Why were they acting so strange? What did I do?' Then suddenly it hit him. 'I missed something!' He glanced at his watch and checked the date. It sounded vaguely familiar. 'Shit! What did I miss? Food tasting? Cake picking?' His pace to Joyce's room increased and when he arrived didn't even bother to knock.

Joyce was reading in bed and looked up when she heard the door open. The first thing she noticed was his exhausted countenance and then the guilt in his weary eyes. 

Clearing his throat, he said. "Hey."

"Hey." She replied, placing a bookmark in between the pages and putting it away.

"I missed something big, didn't I?" As he still couldn't recall what it was, he waited in anticipation.

"Yeah you did." She confirmed quietly. Her refusal to look at him told him that she was as angry as her parents were.

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Shrugging, she added testily. "At least now if the groom doesn't show up for the wedding, I'm sure I'll get everything right."

'Shit! I missed the wedding rehearsal!' He thought and winced. "Oh Joyce..." Trailing off, he hastily walked over to the bed and sat down. "I'm really sorry."

She closed her eyes for a moment. And in the silence, he debated with himself if he should touch her. Before he could come to a decision, she looked up at him. "You know, if I didn't have the ability to read your mind, I'd probably be really mad at you."

He didn't know what to say. Wishing he could read her thoughts in return, he wondered to what degree her claims were true. It was almost impossible that she wasn't mad at him even a teeny-weeny bit. Under non-superpower circumstances, the Joyce he knew would have given him a black eye by now.

He felt a tug of the sheets and found that she had snuggled underneath the covers. "Go to bed, Jace." She said and switched off the light on the bed stand beside her. 

Jason blinked repeatedly as darkness suddenly enveloped the room. He waited until his eyes adjusted appropriately before attempting for the door. And as he quietly closed the door behind him, he thought to himself. 'She's mad at me.'

When the decision to have the wedding at the Callahan's was made, her parents had insisted that the bride and groom slept in different rooms. Feeling extremely bad after dropping the pregnancy bomb on them, they opted not to argue. Thus Jason headed for the guest room, the room at the end of the corridor. Opening the door and kicking it shut, he strode to the bed and slumped on it miserably. Although he was dog-tired, he had a big feeling he wouldn't be able to sleep. Not with guilt bugging him like a bad tune in his head. 

He didn't blame Joyce though. It was totally his fault. How could he have lost track of the days and forget their wedding rehearsal? By doing so, he had literally abandoned her to the wolves. Everyone who mattered was probably there at the rehearsal; the family priest, her parents, her bridesmaids and the half a dozen elder relatives who came two weeks in advance to poke their noses where they didn't belong. And then the groom didn't even bother show up. "I am such a jerk." He groaned.

Despite her anger, he knew that Joyce fully understood his situation. He knew she was probably trying really hard not to be furious at him. Ever since the phone call from his mother a week ago, his bride-to-be insisted that she be updated with all the secret activities, no matter what. She knew that he went to DC to prepare for the vaccine distribution. She knew that there were initial problems because he had to cater for multiple doses on an individual since the plan was to use ordinary syringes to dispense the anti-virus through hospitals. 

Joyce participated in the operation by checking the paperwork between hospitals and the pharmaceutical companies that provide the syringes. She also worked with Skinner to draw up new deals that he pushed for the American Armed forces to consider. It soon became evidently clear that the former FBI agent's retirement did not prevent him from being a powerful presence in US Congress. And Jason's parents wondered what other deals did their former chief make to become so respected.

Getting the pharmaceutical companies to add another process of tipping the needles was slightly trickier. Thankfully most of the laboratory experts were secretly controlled by syndicate mandate. All Skinner had to do was to hint to Marita that he found a new way of processing syringes that could reduce infections considerably and she immediately understood. Within hours, with her help, the shadow government agreed for the first time to cooperate fully without any conditions.

The distribution is to be done in stages. To ensure that the good guys had the upper hand, the only three men who knew the allocation plans were the Gunmen and his father. If everything went according to plan, at least a quarter of the country's population would be immune to alien colonization in a year's time. 'Even our own child.' He thought.

The door suddenly creaked open, breaking his silent reverie. He peered across the dark room, towards the door. 

"It's me." Joyce's voice said as she came into the room.

"You okay?"

She didn't answer but walked to the bed and lay beside him. Jason frowned, unsure what he should do. She solved the dilemma for him, moving closer and resting her head on his chest. Then she whispered. "Get some sleep, Jace. We have a long day tomorrow."

"We do?" Jason grimaced, his memory still blank. "Umm... the wedding's not tomorrow, is it?"

He heard her sigh. "No, we're tasting food for the buffet tomorrow."

"Good." He let out a breath of air in relief. But the feeling didn't last long. "So when exactly is the wedding again?"

"Don't worry. I'll let you know a day before. Now, sleep."

Leaning closer to take a whiff of her sweet smelling hair, he concluded that she had forgiven him. Either that or she wanted to make sure he slept. After her embarrassment today, she needed him to be at least relatively conscious for tomorrow's appearance. Whatever the reason, he was content that she wasn't mad at him anymore. "Joyce?"

"Mmmm..."

"If your parents catch us, they're not going to like this."

"Too late. I'm already pregnant." She mumbled sleepily. He was just about to say something again when she interrupted him. "I know, Jace. Now shut up and go to sleep." 

He smiled. Thanks to their miracle she was carrying, she didn't need to be told how much he loved her. 

XXXXXXXXXXX

<<Ten years older and I finally found my pride
This old man comes rolling home to die
Old feelings make it hard to decide
Just what it means to me>>

Vincent and Laura Alexander slipped into the crowded church and settled for the first available seats they could find. They had just made it. The groom was already at the alter, waiting for everything to start. Vincent mumbled something into his wife's ear and then left her, taking long strides towards their son.

"Dad." Jason perked up when his father tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "I was afraid you wouldn't be able to make it."

"We got here just in time. Your mom sends her love." His son nodded and took several long deep breaths. It was then that the elder noticed that he didn't look too well. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You look pale and a little green."

"It's nothing." Jason hastily muttered. 

The former wasn't convinced. "What's wrong, Jason?"

He looked up and locked his eyes with his father's. Then dropping his voice to a low hoarse whisper, he confessed. "I don't really know what's wrong. But I feel something. Sadness."

Vincent raised an eyebrow and reminded him incredulously. "But it's your wedding day." 

"It's not my sadness, Dad. It someone else's."

"What?" Then realizing that he had exclaimed a little too loudly, he softened his tone. "What do you mean? Is it a vision?"

"That's the weird thing. There's no vision, only a feeling. I can't really explain it."

"Ever felt like this before?"

"Never."

The organ began to play and Vincent glanced nervously at the back of the aisle. "Maybe it's just nerves?"

"Dad, it's not nerves." His son snapped back and then as if only just realizing that the music had started, suddenly nudged him. "It's starting. Go back to your seat."

"Okay okay." Vincent muttered and dispensed his last piece of advice. "Whatever you do, don't faint."

Jason rolled his eyes and then proceeded to compose himself for the most memorable event of his life. Meanwhile, his father was back in his seat as fast as he could. The choir had just begun singing when Laura whispered to him. "What's wrong with Jason?"

Stiffening slightly, Vincent played dumb. "What do you mean?"

"He looks ill."

"He's fine. Cold feet, that's all."

"No really. He looks green."

Sighing, her husband took her hand in his and distracted her. "Oh look, here comes the bride."

"She's lovely." The proud mother-in-law gushed. Then suddenly she jumped, causing her husband to stare at her. He saw her other hand slip into her coat pocket and out again. Noticing his curious gaze, she explained quietly. "Cell phone."

"Oh." He frowned, slightly disappointed that she kept it on in the face of such a sacred occasion. But the dreamy look on she had on was gone and he began to wonder if there was something she was not telling him. 

By that time, Jack Callahan had pressed his daughter's hand into Jason's. The latter took it, his previously green face now replaced with a radiant glow. And still, Laura's face remained solemn. Unable to stand it any longer, Vincent leaned to ask in her ear. "What's wrong?"

She hesitated and then mumbled back. "Skinner. I told John to call when it's time." 

Stunned, Vincent felt his heart slowly drop. "Will you be able to make it in time?"

"I hope so." She whispered fervently, glancing at the vision of the cross above the alter. "I truly hope so."

XXXXXXXXXXX
End of Absolution

Author: PhileyX 
E-Mail: phileyxback@yahoo.com 
Web-site: https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx 
I had originally planned for one last installment to finish off the Face series. Unfortunately there were a couple of loose ends that needed tying up, hence creating two more chapters excluding this one. Thanks for staying with me!