Bird's Landing USA

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
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
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, to fight the future.

XXXXXXXXXXX
Bird's Landing USA 

      Excerpts from the song 'Wise Up' by Aimee Mann. 

                 No infringement of copyright intended.

<Prepare a list of what you need
Before you sign away the deed
'Cause it's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
It's not going to stop
'Til you wise up>


Mulder and Dana stared uncomfortably at the remains of the Alien Bounty Hunter for a few seconds. "Is everyone all right?" Mulder asked his son and Joyce. 

They nodded in silence. It was painfully obvious that the duo hadn't completely worked out their issues yet. And the elder couple wondered if Joyce had told him about their suspicion that made them grandparents.

Then Jason mumbled. "What did it want from us?" 

Mulder shrugged. "Now that Krycek's out of the picture, there's one person left who can tell us that."

Dana looked at him and shook her head firmly. "Oh no, Mulder."

"She's the only person that knows what's going on, Scully."

"She's also the one who baited you and tried to reel you in…."

"Well if you can think of someone else who can tell us exactly what is going on, I'm open to suggestions." He challenged her back.

He got her there and she scowled. Meanwhile Jason and Joyce watched them blankly, not knowing whom on earth they were talking about. Before they could ask, Dana growled. "All right, fine. But if we're doing this, we're doing this my way. I'm going in alone."

Mulder protested. "No you're not!"

"Yes, I am." She shot back, taking a step forward fiercely. "Because I just got the both of you back and there's no way in hell she's going to take either of you away from me again!"

Her husband froze in his tracks, a little intimidated by her sudden emotional outburst. "Okay, Scully. We'll do it your way." He softly muttered and then eyeing the gun in her hand, added cautiously. "Uh, would you mind putting the safety catch back on that thing you're waving about?" 

She rolled her eyes but conceded to his wish. Then giving him a nasty look, she huffed off towards the house. Mulder let out a breath of air he didn't know he was keeping, turning to the younger pair. "You heard her. We'll have to do it her way."

Jason shook his head and mumbled. "Remind me never to piss her off."

"Actually if you have to get shot, Scully's your safest bet. She's a perfect shot and picks a nice fleshy spot for the bullet. Barely took me a week to recover from it."

Both Joyce and Jason gaped at him. He didn't seem to notice as he turned to follow his wife's footsteps. His son frowned. "He was kidding, right?"

"I don't know." Joyce replied, unsure. "Perhaps we should take the gun away from her, just in case."

His eyes widened, thinking about the volcano that erupted just a moment ago. "We? I'm not going near her. **You** take the gun away from her."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Seated on a beach, Dana took a sip of her coffee as she watched agents move in and out the Chicago Federal building. It looked like a life she had once upon a time ago. A life that she now knows held no real meaning for her. 

She glanced at her watch. Doggett was late which was unlike him. For a moment, she wondered what could have held him up. Then her cell phone began to ring, she picked it up. "Scully."

"Maybe he's not coming." Mulder's voice rang clear through the earpiece.

"He'll be here." Frowning, she swept a quick glance around her. "Where are you and why are you here? Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"

"Jason's handling it. I thought I'd back you up."

She groaned. "Mulder, for the hundredth time Doggett didn't want to be assigned to the X-files and I sure as hell didn't want a new partner. Will you let it go already?"

"Sorry, I still don't trust him."

'I give up!' She thought, rolling her eyes. "Fine, whatever. I'm hanging up!"

"I'll be keeping an eye on him." He warned.

She didn't bother to answer and pressed the 'End call' button. It was just as well because she spotted her former partner walk out of the building, holding up his hand with a smile. She smiled back and got up to her feet.

"Dana, you look great."

"Thank you." She surprised him with a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. He looked at her suspiciously. 

"What?" Dana asked innocently.

"Er… nothing. It's just that you're usually not so … um…. affectionate."

'Usually Mulder's not watching.' She thought but held her grin and answered. "Usually we meet professionally."

"That's true." He nodded, still rather unconvinced. "Do you want to sit or shall we walk?"

"Let's take a walk." She decided.

They strolled down the cement pathway. He waited for as long as he could before curiosity got the better of him. "So, what's this about?"

She took a deep breath and told him the reason for meeting him. "I need a favour, Doggett."

"Yes?"

"I need to find someone. Her name is Marita Covarrubias."

"From the X-files." He muttered thoughtfully. "I don't understand. What makes you think I'll be able to find her? Don't you think Landell and Maston will stand a better chance?"

She shook her head. "They don't have the connections."

Raising an eyebrow, Doggett gave her a look. "And I do?"

"I meant that you have the authority. You ask a question and people notice. That's what I need. Because I need find her fast."

They had stopped walked. And Doggett turned to look at her. "What is this about, Dana?"

She looked away briefly, biting her inner lip uneasily. "You don't want to know, John."

"If I didn't, I wouldn't ask." He persisted. "And it must be something big because that's the only time you call me John."

It took her back in time and she had to laugh. "You're right. I do call you John when I'm absolutely serious, don't I?" Sobering up, she braved herself to look at him. "So you know for sure I'm not going to tell you anything."

His jaw tightened slightly. "After all these years, you still don't trust me." 

Dana was instantly taken aback. She never once considered that it still mattered to him. Shaking her head, she touched his arm. "If I didn't, would I have asked you to keep an eye on my son?"

"So tell me what's this about then."

Her brows narrowed, realizing that he had trapped her. She glared at him. "I fell right into that one, didn't I?"

He grinned. "Who knows? I may actually be of some help."

"I don't wanna screw your life up, John."

"Too late." He sighed. "It's screwed up already. Jean's filing custody for the kids."

"Oh." Her face fell. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…."

"Yeah, it didn't work out. That's why I need to do something, to get my mind …." Trailing off, he scratched the back of his neck restlessly.

Dana sighed. 'Mulder is not going to like this.' But looking at her former partner's defeated face, she felt that she would be able to convince her husband. And alien colonization would be a good enough distraction, even for Doggett. "Will you do it then?"

He looked at her. "Marita Covarrubias?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Sure."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"What? You're bringing Doggett into the loop?" Mulder bellowed in the phone and Dana shrank away from it at the other end.

"Mulder, it's not a big deal. And will you kindly not shout in my ear."

"What if he's one of them?"

"He is not one of them." She calmly maintained. "Look, why don't you just do what you're supposed to do and let me handle my end."

"Scully…"

'Saved by the bell.' She thought when the door buzzer began to buzz. She interrupted him. "I have to go, someone's at the door. Oh Mulder?"

"What?" He growled back.

"You're so adorable when you're jealous." She told him cheekily and laughed when he emitted an expletive before hanging up.

Dana put her cell phone down and went to the door. To her surprise, it was Marita Covarrubias. To think she talked to Doggettt barely two hours ago! So the woman **was** waiting to be contacted.

"Agent Scully." The latter greeted her softly as she walked in.

"You can drop the 'Agent', Miss Covarrubias." Dana told her briskly. "I'm retired."

"Yes and you've been very hard to find since then."

She told the other woman flippantly. "Well, I've been catching up on life."

"Indeed?" Marita smiled tightly. "Considering that we may not have much time left, maybe you're smarter than all of us."

Dana refused to be annoyed. "And just how much time do we have, another twenty years like the last warning we received?"

"No. I'm afraid this is it. They're ready for us now." Marita told her steadily. "They've tested the virus twice, the third time will be in two days. And if they succeed, it's over."

"You were the one who sent the newspaper clippings to the agents in DC."

"I knew somehow you'd be in contact with them, monitoring their progress. After all, you wouldn't want Mulder to be taken again, would you?"

Dana's eyes flashed with anger. "He almost was. Do you always send your sorority sisters to do your dirty work for you, Miss Covarrubias?"

Marita icily told her. "Alisa wanted to know so I pointed the way, that's all. And I was prepared to make her a deal. Yes, I wanted Mulder but only to talk to him."

"About what?"

"About our future." She looked down briefly. "The virus has evolved, Miss Scully. Evolved into a form capable of taking over our world. And it's still evolving. It's the Darwinian theory all over again, only on a quicker time scale. Like us, they have different races, variations of the same alien being. And Mulder is fodder for one of them." 

"And what did you think Mulder could do to help you?"

Marita hesitated before replying. "I was hoping he'd tell me where to find your son."

Dana smirked. "You don't think much of Mulder, do you?"

The former had to smile, shrugging. "I hoped to convince him that it was for a greater cause. Krycek believed that your son would be able to help us. He believed in it so much that he told no one why or how, not even me. So tell me, is your son really the saviour of the human race?"

Dana ignored the question, looking away at the floor beside her. "I'll make you a deal, Miss Covarrubias. You get us access into the third test and I promise you immunity."

The other woman was visibly shocked. "Immunity? He can do that?"

"Not yet but all he needs is time. That's why the third test has to fail."

Marita shook her head. "And how are we supposed to do that?"

"You have the vaccine, don't you?"

"I told you the virus has evolved."

"We'll have to give it a shot anyway. That's the only ammunition we have on hand at the moment."

"But it won't work!" Desperate, Marita pleaded. "Please, I have experts who have been working on the weak vaccine for years. Just trust me this once and let us take a look at your son."

"I'm sorry." Dana shook her head. "That's my only offer."

Marita looked defeated. She paced about Dana's hotel room for a minute before telling her. "All right. I'll give you the details tomorrow."

"I have another condition." Dana waited until she looked at her. "You'll have to come with us."

The former smiled. "Trust no one, huh?"

Dana smiled back sweetly. "Yeah. You guys taught us that one."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Is this really necessary?" Doggett asked as he folded up his sleeve. 

"Yes, it is." Dana replied, dabbing a touch of alcohol onto his skin before piercing it with a needle and drawing a little of his blood.

Standing nearby, Marita frowned suspiciously. "He's right. I don't understand why we have to do this."

"For research." The former muttered testily. "If we want to find a working vaccine, we've got to contribute to science. Your turn, Miss Covarrubias."

"Marita." The latter corrected. "We're running out of time for formalities."

Smiling, Dana nodded. "Okay Marita, this won't hurt a bit."

"Yeah right…" Landell muttered a couple of steps away, nursing his throbbing arm. 

Next to him, Maston grinned. "I told you shouldn't fidget while the needle's still in."

The former grumbled inaudibly and his partner surprised him by slipping her hand round his sore arm. He looked into his eyes and for a moment didn't know how to react. The way she was gazing at him….

Dana pressed the cotton bud onto Marita's skin, motioning her to take over. Then, she put away the blood samples into a special container. "Okay, we're all done. It's time to…" She trailed off when she caught sight of her former subordinates staring intently into each other's eyes, oblivious to everyone else in the room. Trying hard to keep a straight face, Dana deliberately cleared her throat. The duo jumped and immediately snapped their attention to her.

"Thank you." She told them and they both blushed furiously. "As I was saying, it's time for us move. Marita will bring us into the quarantined site. No weapons, we're supposed to be scientists. Remember, we're not to say a word unless necessary. Okay, let's go."

As they moved to the van, Doggett came to Dana's side and whispered. "I still think you're crazy, you know."

"Well, this is your last chance to back out, Doggett." 

He studied her face. "If this is real, it would mean my kids would never have a chance to grow up."

"That's right."

"But if it's not real and we get caught, I'm gonna lose my job and your agents will lose the X-files."

"I'm aware of the implications, Doggett. And so are they. Now, are with us or not?"

Sighing, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm in. But you know what, I think Landell and Maston secretly want to get their asses kicked from the X-files. It's the only way they can be lovers without breaking FBI protocol."

Dana laughed and added. "Are you implying that during the eight years of partnership, Mulder and I kept getting into trouble for the same reason?"

As she stepped into the co-driver's seat, Doggett took his place behind the wheel. "Oh spare me. Compared to you two rebels, those two are saints."

She incredulously protested. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"How did you get pregnant in the first place, Dana? As I recall you were still partners when that happened. Protocol, my ass…."

She hesitated and then gave up trying to explain. "Forget it. You wouldn't believe it anyway."

"What? Divine conception?"

"Bearing in mind I was supposed to be barren, I've always thought so."

Her former partner groaned. "Oh come on, spill. When?"

"Oh shut up and drive, Doggett."

"Spoilsport." He grumbled but fortunately for her, let the issue drop.

The long ride finally brought them to Montezuma Slough, in Central California. They had scarcely reached the border of Bird's Landing, reportedly the smallest town in the US when signs of trouble came in sight. Large military trucks and CDC marked vehicles lined the sides of the roads. They soon came to a large fenced up enclosure, securely guarded with military personal.

"You were right. This is real." Doggett muttered.

Dana composed herself and nervously knocked on the glass paneling behind her, signaling the others at the back of the van that it was 'Show time'. Doggett brought the van to a stop just before the gates. Then everyone got out of the van in silence. Marita stepped forward and had a low conversation with the guard on duty. Then, she strode back to the group, whispering. "Okay, we're allowed to go in. Suit up."

They were relived but were careful not to show it. Instead, they quickly removed their gear from the van and began putting their biohazard suits on. Once they were ready, they walked towards the waiting guard who led them to the gate. He opened the lock and motioned them to go in. 

And as they did, they noticed that someone was waiting for them on the other side, also suited up. The man didn't say a word, just pointed for them to follow him. And they obeyed, taking the opportunity to look around as they did.

There wasn't a soul about the tiny town square. It was as if the whole town had been abandoned. As they walked past the eerie empty buildings, they noticed a glowing in a distance. It seemed to be a lighted large makeshift tent, in the shape of a dome. Dana immediately recognized it and her heart began to beat faster. 

Nearing the shimmering enclosure, they could make out that there were people in it. They watched as some of the silhouettes walked, some sat, some talked and others were still. But the man leading them didn't stop at the entrance of the dome, instead he walked past it. They followed but each paused to peek through the small window on the tent door. It seemed that the shadows they had observed a little while ago was the population of Bird's Landing, under quarantine.

The stony faced man soon brought them to what looked like a large storage container. He knocked on the metal door, it soon opened. They went in and found that there were two other men waiting for them. Marita stepped forward once again and showed them her authorization. They studied it carefully. Then one of them walked past them to the door, as if standing on guard. All five of them instantly felt uneasy. Then the one holding the form removed his headgear. Smiling, he told them in a Russian accent. "Welcome to Bird's Landing."

Marita paled. She knew the voice; she had heard it before on the speakerphone, talking to Krycek once. Still intent on playing her part, she controlled her voice. "We are here to help with the quarantine procedures."

"No you're not, Miss Covarrubias. You know fully well there is no quarantine." The man calmly told her. "These people will cease to be human in 48 hours. And I'm glad to announce that you five will lead them in this amazing transformation."

Realizing that they walked into a trap, all five of them began to react logically. Doggett and Landell rushed towards the man near the door while Dana and Maston charged towards the Russian. Marita ran to the desk nearby, hoping to find a weapon of some kind.

Suddenly the door burst open and a dozen armed men began shouting at them to get on the ground. Landell and Doggett paid no heed and aggressively pushed them back, using their bulky suits as an amour. Dana released her grip on the Russian who was unconscious on the floor and shouted at them. "There's too many of them, don't fight back!"

And as Marita, Dana and Maston wisely admitted defeat; the men in their team accepted their fate the hard way. Both knocked to the ground, hard. "Landell, are you all right?" Maston called out but no answer.

Then, one of the armed men then brought out a leather case. Opening it, he revealed a few syringes. Marita looked at Dana and mumbled. "I didn't know…"

The latter nodded and comfortingly told her. "I know." 

XXXXXXXXXXX

"What's happening to them?" Mulder's voice crackled into the surveillance van. Joyce shared a worried look at Byers, both unsure what to tell him. "Joyce?"

She sighed and admitted to him. "They were lead into a storage room and a couple of minutes later, the video feed showed a team of armed men make their way in. No one has come out so far."

About a half a mile away from the van, Mulder closed his eyes briefly, trying hard to concentrate on the fact that Scully was fully expecting this and that she would be fine. 

Reading his thoughts, Joyce generously offered some comforting words. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be all right Mr. V. You know she's tough."

Jason looked at his father in surprise and added. "Yeah, dad." Listening into the conversation and realizing that Joyce had read the G-man's mind, both the Gunmen decided to offer their piece of mind. 

"Mulder relax, Scully knows to take care of herself." Byer told him.

Langly was less discreet, laughing out loud. "Awww… Is Mister Muldey missing his hunny bunny wifey already?"

Mortally embarrassed, Mulder growled into his mouthpiece. "Joyce, would you mind keeping **my** thoughts to **yourself**?"

"Sorry." Joyce winced and promised. "Won't happen again."

"Thank you." He muttered as his son, Byers and Langly chuckled. 

Then latter told him. "Okay Mulder, get your head out of marital bliss for a moment. You have only ten seconds, before the backup power system comes on. Do you read me?"

"Yeah." Mulder sighed. "Tell me when."

"Ready? Five… four… three… two… one… Go!"

The lights about the whole enclosure suddenly blacked out. Jason and Mulder ran from the bushes they were hiding under, to the fence. When the wire shearer first contacted the frame, tiny sparks flew due to residue charges but they managed to cut a hole big enough for them to crawl through. They had scarcely made it to the other side when the lights came back on and they ran into the shadows of a building nearby. 

"Jace?" Joyce breathlessly called.

"Yeah, we made it." He spoke in to the mic, assuring them that they were fine.

Byers hastily typed a couple of commands in the computer. "I'm trying to get access into another video feed. Give me a minute. These military networks are a mess."

"Hurry Byers. We don't have time." Mulder mumbled.

"Yeah yeah…" He replied and ordered. "Langly, I need another hookup, section 6G."

About three miles away, at a telephone exchange station, Langly unhooked the cables from the present connection and crossed to another panel of wires. "Section 6G. Okay, done." Then muttering under his breath, he grinned. "Byers, don't you just love digital telephony?"

The former grinned back. "We're just lucky the these guys are stupid enough to use the local PSTN network for their communication."

Mulder groaned. "Guys, enough with the technical details! Can we move now?" 

Joyce glared at Byers next to her and pleaded the same. "Yeah, come on Byers. While Dana's team are still keeping most of the men busy…."

"I'm working on it. I'm almost…… There, done!" He sighed in relief.

Joyce turned her attention to the monitor in front of her as it came to life. "Mr. V, Jace. I've got a visual. You're clear to go."

"Finally." Mulder muttered and nodded at his son. They moved, Jason leading the way. 

"Byers, they're out range." Joyce told him.

"Right." Byers tapped onto his keypad and selected a different surveillance camera. "Langly, get ready to switch to section 6F."

"Okie dokie." 

Joyce suddenly perked in her seat. "Jace, stop! Two men coming your way."

"What time?" Mulder asked.

"Time?" She repeated, confused.

Byers jerked from his seat, leaning to see the screen. "Two o'clock, Mulder." He then indicated northeast and informed her. "Time as in directions."

"Oh, right." Joyce grimaced. "Sorry."

Mulder and Jason backed quietly into the corner and waited until the two men passed them by. "Joyce?"

"You're clear." She told them and they began walking again.

The dome shaped tent soon came into sight and Mulder gasped. "Byers, do you see what I see?"

He looked over past Joyce's shoulder. "Saw it when Scully went in, Mulder."

"That's what I saw twenty years ago."

"It's actually kinda beautiful."

Mulder smirked. "Yeah. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Joyce, do you see the construction-site-like office next to the dome?" Jason asked.

"The one on the left?" She frowned, recognizing it as the one his mother went in with the rest.

"No, on the far right."

"Yeah. I see it."

"That's the one." He meant that it was the one the virus was stored.

"Are you sure?"

He took a moment to recall his vision and confirmed "Positive."

Joyce turned to her partner in the van. "Byers, you got that?"

"I'm on it." He frowned when he came upon the information he requested. "It needs an access code at the door."

"15 15 11." Jason told him. 

Byers looked at Joyce. "How did he know that?"

She smirked. "Oh, it's an alien thingy."

"Joyce…" Jason growled. 

"Kidding. Gees, lighten up." She told him with a smile as she watched father and son approach the container cautiously. Jason punched in the codes and the doors automatically unlocked. Then they disappeared from her sight, closing the door behind them. 

Inside, Jason unzipped his backpack and removed the specially prepped syringes. "I hope this works." He muttered.

His father, confiscating the original syringe supplies into his knapsack, caught his eye and told him confidently. "It will." Jason nodded and proceeded to substitute the supplies with his own. 

Meanwhile, Joyce's eyes widened in horror as two armed men came into sight. "Jace, are you guys done? There might be trouble. Two men coming your way."

Byers left his seat and stared at the monitor. "Guys, they're headed right for your container."

Mulder and Jason looked at each other in horror. Hastily, they packed everything the way it should be and looked about the room for a place to hide. Jason chose to crawl underneath a low cabinet while Mulder slipped behind large pieces of metal sheets leaning at an angle against the wall. They soon heard voices outside and sounds of the access code being punched in.

"Joyce?" Jason mumbled softly into his mouthpiece.

"Jace, shut up! They're coming in." She hissed at him as her pulse raced.

He ignored her. "I want you to know that if they catch me and lock me up…."

"Oh God, not now Jace. I don't wanna hear your noble …"

"Joyce!" He hissed louder, getting her attention but making Mulder, Byers and Langly cringe for fear of being heard by the men just outside the door. But the two armed personnel were busy chatting, not opening the door even after the access code checked out. 

So Jason continued softly. "I was about to say that if they lock me up and I only get out years later, you better still be waiting for me!"

Joyce blinked in surprise. 'Jace was being selfish? Incredible! For once the man was being possessive.' She impulsively mumbled back. "Jace, there's something you need to know."

A feeling of dread crept into Mulder's heart and he mumbled softly, hoping she would hear him. "Oh no, Joyce. This is not the …."

"Jace, I may be pregnant."

"… time for this." Mulder finished his sentence but a little too late. He groaned internally. Meanwhile, Langly and Byers gasped audibly into the communications unit.

But astonishingly, there was no reaction from Jason, only silence. Byers looked at Joyce's frowning countenance and whispered. "What's he thinking?"

"Nothing." She whispered back. "I'm not hearing anything. Just a blank."

Langly mumbled. "It's no wonder. That was quite a bomb you dropped on him."

Unable to believe the conversation that kept going despite the tight spot they were in, Mulder hissed. "That's enough! Will everyone shut the hell up?"

Everyone obeyed but only because the guards finally opened the metal door. Both Joyce and Byers leaned forward in suspense, their eyes glued to the screen. Through the open door, they watched the two men disappear into the darkness for about hald a minute. When they reappeared, they were carrying a metallic sheet and showed no signs of abnormality. Then to everyone's relief, they walked out, shutting the door behind them.

"Mulder? You guys all right?" Byers asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mulder replied, coming out of his hiding place. "Jason?" The latter slid out of the gap between the floor and the cupboard slowly. Mulder studied his son's dazed face and grimaced. "Jason?"

He looked up at him. "You knew about this?"

He must mean the pregnancy, Mulder thought and felt trapped. "I…"

It was apparently enough, his eyes narrowed. "And mom?"

"Jace, listen to me." Joyce hastily came to his rescue. "I asked them not to say anything."

"Why?" He demanded to know.

'This is crazy!' Mulder decided and cut in. "Enough, you two! This is not the time for this. Joyce, is the coast clear? Can we get out of here?"

She ignored him and answered Jason. "Because I wanted to be sure, Jace. It's just a suspicion."

Byers cleared his throat and took the liberty of answering Mulder. "Yeah, you're clear Mulder but only for a while. A group of white lab coats coming round the corner in about 30 seconds."

Meanwhile, Jason snapped back at Joyce. "Right. A big enough suspicion to tell my parents, but not me?"

Mulder gave up trying to communicate with words. Instead, he grabbed his son's arm and dragged him out the door. Thankfully, he stumbled along blindly.

"For God sakes, Jace, don't blow this out of proportion!" Joyce hissed.

"I'm blowing this out of proportion? Pregnancy is not a little thing that slips your mind, you know!" Jason sputtered back helplessly as Mulder pushed him along. 
"Just what the hell kind of relationship are we having, Joyce?"

Her anger rising, Joyce shot back. "Good question. It's what I've been wondering the past 48 hours."

"Well at least I have never lied to you nor kept anything from you." He snapped.

"No, you just look for stupid excuses for us to break up!"

"So we're back on the 'trust' issue, are we?" Jason growled furiously. "If you trust me so much, why didn't you tell me about the baby, Joyce?" When she didn't answer, he continued. "I'll tell you why. It's because you don't believe that I love you enough to marry you. You probably think I'd feel obliged and that it would be the honourable thing to do. So don't tell me that I don't trust you because it's obvious that you trust me either!"

Joyce was too emotional to reply. The words hurled by him were beginning to make sense and that scared her. Did she really think so little of him? It was possible. After all, the man still refused to acknowledge to her very own parents that they were involved.

"Langly?" Mulder's voice broke the sudden silence. "We're at the gates."

Langly shook himself out of the soap opera mood he seemed to be in and tapped on his portable PC. "Okay Mulder, lights out in three seconds. Ready?"

"Yup."

When the lights blacked out again, Mulder tapped on his son's shoulder. Thankfully, he was more responsive this time and Mulder scrambled through the fence in his lead. When they got to the other side, Jason pulled the earpiece off and passed to him, walking away warily.

The lights came on again and Byers asked. "Mulder, everything all right?"

"Yeah, the boy's just pissed. How about your side?"

Byers looked at the Joyce's abandoned earpiece on the floor of the van and muttered. "She went out for some air."

"Anyway, thanks guys, great job." Mulder sighed and shook his head. "Next time, remind me never to bring the kids again."

Byers chuckled and Langly cheekily added. "Sure thing, grandpa."

"Oh shut up, Langly!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

<No it's not going to stop 
'Til you wise up
Now it's not going to stop 
So just give up >

"Mr. V. Pull over!" Joyce suddenly told him.

"Why?" Mulder asked, bewildered and Jason perked up worriedly.

"Because I don't feel too good."

Seeing her white face, Mulder immediately slowed the car and parked at the side of the highway. Joyce got out and stumbled towards a patch of flora nearby. Jason hurried after her. 

He waited until she finished retching and gently held her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." She muttered, casually pulling away from his touch. "Just a little car sick, that's all."

He wasn't convinced but didn't dare refute her claims. Instead, he offered her a bottle of water. She took it from him, drinking some. It helped slightly and the nausea slowly subsided. 

Meanwhile Jason continued to watch her nervously. "Do you need anything else? Are you hungry? You need some crackers or something?"

Raising an eyebrow, she questioned. "Crackers?"

"I don't know…." He shrugged, looking mortally embarrassed. "It supposedly helps."

She gave a half-laugh and shook her head. "I'm fine, Jace. Really, this has nothing to do with that. Your dad's been driving like a maniac all day."

"Yeah, he has." He frowned, glancing towards the car at his somewhat preoccupied father. "I'm surprised we haven't been asked to pull over yet."

"Well, if he keeps this up…." She sighed. "Maybe you should drive. It would also give him a break."

"Yeah, okay." Joyce moved to walk back to the car but he stopped her. "Maybe you should walk around a little. We're not really in a rush."

She looked up at him, into his worried eyes. "Jace, I'm fine."

"Are you?"

Uncertain what he meant by that and too exhausted to read his mind, she muttered. "We don't know if I'm really pregnant. It could be nothing at all."

He coolly stated. "Well if you aren't, I'm sure we could do something about it." 

She frowned at him, unsure if he was being cynical or amusing. "Very funny, Jace. But we're not ready for that. It turned out we weren't even ready for the relationship we thought we were having!"

"So? Maybe we'll never be ready." 

"Jace…" She started but was cut off.

"I was jerk. A terrified jerk. And thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I would have freaked out if you had told me about the baby. But it wasn't as if I would stop loving you, I'd just be… well… flipped out." He then hesitated and looked at her intently. "The thing is, I'm still here."

She could hardly believe she was hearing these words from him. Her mouth twisted into a smile. "That's what I've been trying to tell you all this while." She whispered forcefully. "So am I." His brow cleared and she softly added. "And I flipped out too. It wasn't because I didn't trust you, Jace. It's because I was scared. I…"

"Joyce." He stopped her, taking a step closer, pleading her with his eyes to not say another word. "I understand. I finally get it."

She nodded and looked down. Silently, they stood facing each other for a while, both unsure what else to say. Then Joyce muttered at last. "Well, we'd better head back to the car."

Slightly disconcerted at the abrupt close of their talk, Jason frowned. "So we're okay?"

A flicker of a glare flashed across in her countenance. To his surprise, she started walking to the car, grumbling. "Unbelievable! The man still doesn't get it!"

Jason grimaced and proceeded after her. "I didn't mean that. I get it! I really do!"

"Yeah right." She rolled her eyes. 

"Joyce …"

The latter sighed. She wasn't really mad. She knew that it would take Jason time to absorb what he just comprehended, especially considering his past. "Listen Jace, let's just concentrate on getting home first, okay?" Nodding towards his father, she explained. "Your dad's really anxious. I think he arranged a way for your mom to contact him, to inform him she's okay."

Jason turned to look at his father in a distance and then back at her. "Really?"

Tapping her forehead, she indicated that he hadn't told her personally but she found out anyway. "He's worried about her. Although I don't know why, she's fully capable of taking care of herself."

"It's the wedding, I tell you. Turned the man into a sap." Jason groaned. 

She snorted. "Yeah right! Marriage had nothing to do with it. From what I hear, your dad's been a sap for her years before you were born."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Her eyelids fluttered open slowly. Part of her didn't want to wake up but Dana forced her herself out of the overwhelming slumber. When she turned her head, she noticed Doggett seated, next to her bed. He was fast asleep. "Doggett?" She called out.

He jerked slightly and blinked at her. "Dana, you're finally awake."

"Finally?" She asked, trying to get up from the bed.

"Easy." He told her and helped her sit up. 

Dana moaned and held her aching head. "What on earth happened?"

"They drugged us. You were the last to wake up."

She looked around her. It was obvious that they were in the dome tent, together with the population of Bird's Landing. And what struck her was that everyone looked normal to her. 'Definitely human so Jason's vaccine had worked!' She thought cheerfully. For once, they had won!

Then several local strangers shuffling by her bed gave her cold stare. She raised an eyebrow. "Not very friendly people, are they?"

"Can you blame them?" Doggett snorted. "The word round here is that we're psychos trying to stop aliens from colonizing the world."

"What?"

"I think they're discrediting us on purpose. Officially we're charged for trespassing, illegally infiltrating a hazardous quarantine area. Those were their basis of sedating us. To ensure we wouldn't escape."

Dana rubbed her forehead. "How long have we been here?"

"Three days."

Her eyes widened and she groaned. 'Damn! Mulder would be worried.' She hadn't expected to be confined this long. 

"You okay?"

She looked up at Doggett's worried face and offered a small smile. "I'm fine. I was just thinking of something I was supposed to do two days ago. Anyway, is everyone else okay?"

"Yeah, everyone is fine." He told her, his tone rather low. She immediately picked up on it, recognizing that there was something important he wanted to discuss. She waited for it. "Dana, I don't understand what's going on."

"Isn't it obvious? The third test didn't work."

He looked at her dubiously. "But you told us that if we didn't stop them, we'd be lost for good."

She hesitated, not really trilled at the prospect of explaining Mulder and Jason's part of the plan in the present company. Softly, she diverted. "So you would rather us be aliens right now?"

"No." He looked incredulous and then livid. "Actually, I would rather us not go through the wild goose chase you brought us on at all!"

It was then that Dana realized that he was furious. Furious that it didn't turn out as he expected and even more enraged that she was taking the turn of events this lightly. "John, do you remember the time you told me that you had more faith in me than you let on? I hope you really meant that."

He frowned, unsure for a moment. But looking into her sincere eyes, he was surprised to find that he did. Somehow, he still trusted her judgment. It was weird considering the circumstances. Fortunately for the both of them, Marita, Maston and Landell interrupted the tension in the air. 

"Agent Scully, you're finally awake."

Dana sighed. "For the hundredth time, it's Dana now."

They exchanged smiles. "Yup, she sounds all right to me." Landell quipped and immediately earned a slight glare from his former superior. Clearing his throat, he hastily continued. "I just heard the news, the quarantine is officially over as of this afternoon. They're letting us out of here after lunch."

"That's great." Dana mumbled. There was a sudden silence and Dana cocked her head curiously. "What?"

"The CDC has reported us and this time, it might stick." Maston softly explained.

Dana briefly closed her eyes. "You've heard from Kersh."

"The way he yelled into the phone, I think half of J Edgar heard too." Landell deadpanned before adding. "They're closing down the X-files."

She didn't know what to say to that so she didn't. Then noting Doggett's face, she stared at him. "And you lost your job too, didn't you John?"

He looked up slowly and warily. "Based on the phonecall I got, it doesn't look too good."

"I'm sorry."

He smirked. "Yeah well, perhaps you didn't fully think of the implications like you said you did." Then, getting up from his seat, he walked out of their midst.

Maston and Landell exchanged a look as Dana drifted into a pensive reverie. Unable to bear the guilt on his former superior's face, Landell softly told her. "Agent Sc.." His voice died when she shot him a look. "Uh.. I mean Dana. I'm glad you were wrong. About this town, I mean."

"No, John was right. I was so absorbed with the present, I didn't think about your future. Because of me, he lost his job and you lost the X-files."

To her surprised, the former shrugged. "Yeah we did. But maybe it isn't such a bad thing after all."

Dana raised an eyebrow, unsure of his meaning. But a quick glance at Maston's blushing countenance and she began to understand. She smiled. "I see."

Recovering from her embarrassment, Maston muttered before taking leave. "I should go and see how we can get out of here."

Landell grinned and nodded towards his partner. "I'll just go keep her company."

Dana grinned back. "Yeah, you do that." And she watched as he caught up with her, guiding her towards the quarantine officials by the small of her back. 

"They make a cute couple." Marita interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, they do." Dana sighed and looked at her. "So did I destroy your life too? They know you betrayed them now."

"I didn't betray them. I actually succeeded in their main objective, something that they have been working on for years."

Dana carefully kept her face blank. "And what's that?"

"Immunity." Marita told her, obviously not buying her innocent look. "Your son figured it out, didn't he? This whole operation of coming in here and injecting the weak vaccine into these people, was just a smoke screen for a bigger plan. That's how we're still alive."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Marita." Dana lied coolly.

The former smirked and rambled on. "How did he do it? Did he replace the virus with the antivirus? Or did he just use the same way of inoculation like you did to us, with the blood sample you took?"

Shaking her head, Dana still refused to acknowledge a word she suggested. "Have you ever considered therapy?"

Marita glared at her for a moment and then sighed. "I get it. Trust no one. Well, at least you kept your end of the bargain."

"I always do."

"So this is it then. It's the end."

"No." Dana smiled at her. "Actually, it's just the beginning."

"Of course." Marita moved to walk away but turned around a step later. "How about I put in a word or two for John Doggettt and the X-files?"

Dana's eyes widened. "You can do that?"

"Consider it a wedding present." Surprised and confused, Dana stared at her. The former smiled and said. "Nice ring."

Unable to help herself, Dana laughed.

XXXXXXXXXXX
End of Bird's Landing USA 

Author: PhileyX 
E-Mail: phileyxback@yahoo.com 
Web-site: https://www.angelfire.com/id/phileyx 
Okay, the final installment coming soon. Drop me an email, it's a great motivator. Thanks!