Disclaimer: Chant official disclaimer words aloud while standard denial song is hummed loudly in foreground. Don't own 'em. Never will. Ain't making money from 'em. Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Reggie Perdue, Jerry Lamatta Blevins, Steve Wallenberg, John Barnett property of Carter, 1013 & Fox. Author note: Pre-xfiles story. All Mulder. No Scully. Rating: Mild R for language and violence. THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS BY KMS! kmspider@aol.com Fox Mulder's still form lay on the bed, his wrists in the restraints. His breathing was rhythmic in sedated slumber, an intravenous needle still lodged in his arm. Reggie Perdue glanced up as Assistant Director Walter Skinner walked into the room. Skinner hesitated a moment, taking everything in, then sat down on the chair beside Reggie. "Blevins notified me. How is he?" Skinner asked. Reggie's eyes rested on the sleeping form of Mulder. "They got him sedated now. He's been asleep for a couple of hours." Reggie's gaze moved back to Skinner's face. "The stuff he said before...did it pan out?" Skinner looked away, removed his glasses and tiredly rubbed at the bridge between his eyes. "They found the girl, right where Mulder said to look," he said with a sigh. "But the bastard got away." He slipped his glasses back on and looked at the older black man. "Do you think we dare wake him up long enough to ask him where to go next?" Reggie looked hard into eyes that were made a little larger behind the glasses. He shook his head with a sigh. "I hate to. He's pretty bad. Mostly incoherent." "We may not have a choice. Baltimore PD just got a report of another missing child. The squad thinks it may be our man again." "Damn." Reggie said softly. Skinner slid his hands down his thighs to wipe them as he stood up and walked to the bed. He gazed at the sleeping form of his agent, noting the regular rise and fall of his chest. A moment later he felt the presence of Reggie Perdue next to him. "I feel like hell, asking you to wake him," He shook his head. "He looks so damn young when he's asleep. Like a little boy," he said with a frown. Reggie nodded his head in agreement. "I know what you mean. It got pretty ugly when he was awake. It took four of us to hold him down so they could sedate him the first time." "I know. I read the report. They found glass all over the bathroom? 'Cause he broke the mirror?" "Yeah." Reggie rubbed his tired eyes. "His hands were cut up pretty bad." Skinner looked down for the first time and noticed the bandages on Mulder's hands and forearms. "Do you think he tried to hurt himself?" he asked sharply. Reggie looked to where Skinner's eyes rested. "No," he shook his head slowly. "No. Most of the cuts are on the palms of his hands. We think he was slapping at it when he broke it. Trying to get out." Skinner looked at Reggie, amazed, "Through the mirror?" Reggie's gaze returned to Mulder's face, so peaceful in sleep. "Through the looking glass." Reggie said distantly. Skinner studied Perdue a moment. "What does that mean?" he asked softly. Reggie's eyes didn't leave Mulder's face. "You mean beyond the reference to 'Alice in Wonderland?' I don't know. Nobody does. He just kept saying it over and over until they shot him so full of drugs he stopped talking." Mulder shifted in his sleep, a moan escaping his lips. He pulled feebly at the restraints. Instinctively Reggie reached out a hand and placed it on Mulder's shoulder, a warm touch to let him know he was not alone. The frown that had furrowed Mulder's brow smoothed itself out. With a sigh, Mulder relaxed and lapsed back into sleep. Skinner lifted his arm and glanced at his watch. "I have to go." He said to Reggie. "I'm sending an agent by to record anything he says. He should be here shortly. And, Reg?" Reggie looked up. "The name of the missing child? It's Alice... Alice Glass." A cold finger shivered down Reggie's spine. "And, Reg?" "Sir?" "She disappeared about the same time Mulder had his 'outburst'." Skinner said carefully, pausing before the last word. Disbelief showed on Perdue's face. Skinner raised one ironic eyebrow. "Spooky, huh? Keep me updated." Reggie looked back over his shoulder as the AD exited, "Yes, Sir," he replied and a moment later he was alone with Fox. He looked down at his friend, reaching out to smooth a stray lock of hair from Mulder's forehead. Reggie and his wife had never had children, and he remembered the first time he had taken Fox Mulder home for dinner. He thought Emma was going to squeeze the life out of the poor boy with her welcoming hug. He had met Fox Mulder when Mulder had just graduated from the academy at Quantico. The still wet-behind-the-ears agent had arrived at the bureau with a reputation already in place. Rumor had it he had picked up the nickname 'Spooky' at the academy. His talent for putting together off-the-wall facts and solving cases were becoming legendary. Some of Mulder's ideas seemed extreme but damn if they didn't turn out to be true. There was a story going around about Mulder's abilities. One of the many cases the bureau was unable to solve was used as an example for students. The whole class was given the chance to solve the case. In the last ten years, no one had. At least, no one, until Fox Mulder had shown up on the scene. Part of the assignment was for the student to write a profile on the suspect. Fox Mulder's profile was like a blueprint for his professors. Intrigued by Mulder's profile, the instructor had asked a fellow agent to check it out. Twenty-four hours later the suspect was in custody. About the only thing the profile didn't include was the man's shoe size. A twenty-year old case, solved by a student in a day. Spooky! That's how he got the name. Now who had given him that name? Reggie thought hard. Oh yeah. Jerry. Jerry Lamatta had teasingly nicknamed him that and it had stuck. Reggie's brown eyes were sad a moment. Poor Mulder. He hated that name. Reggie grinned. Almost as much as he hated being called by his given name, Fox. As soon as Mulder graduated from the academy he was assigned to the Violent Crimes Section and Reggie was assigned as his ASAC. Mulder had practically bounced into his office, he was so eager. Perdue got pissed off just looking at him. He was so green. So preppy! Reggie had kept an eye on him. Mulder was so full of himself and so sure that he could solve the bank robberies that they had been assigned, he was almost annoying with solutions. But Mulder was right about the robber's moves and was out-thinking the man. Barnett, the perpetrator, started to view it as a game of cat and mouse, leaving notes for Mulder. 'Fox and Hound play chase,' one note had read. The way that Mulder was two steps ahead of Barnett; it was eerie. Watching the way Mulder's mind worked, Reggie understood why they called him Spooky. The case had ended badly when they had surrounded Barnett and he had tried to shoot his way out. Mulder had followed the rules, played by the book, but Barnett didn't. The shoot-out had resulted in the death of fellow agent, Steve Walenberg. Mulder blamed himself. He felt that he should have been able to predict that Barnett would not give up and he should have broken the rules and shot Barnett, even if it meant endangering a hostage. Mulder also felt guilty that Walenberg had left a wife and kid behind. "I think it was then you threw out the rule book, Mulder," Reggie said quietly. Reggie thought back to the beginning of this case, wondering what had set Mulder off, caught in this internal world surrounded by his own demons. He studied the boyish face again. "Damn it, Fox," he whispered to the sleeping man, "Why didn't you just ask for help? I could have taken you off this case if it was too much for you." But he knew the answer to that one. Mulder had an unerring instinct for solving cases and getting into trouble. Even some of the people he caught, admired his abilities. The name John Barnett, again, floated to the surface of his thoughts. 'Bastard! Thank God, he was behind bars now,' Reggie thought. Reggie studied the sleeping face again. What Reggie wouldn't give at this moment to hear Mulder's teasing voice saying his name over and over like a mantra. Reg-gee. Reg-gee. Reg-gee. Like he was Reggie Jackson at the World Series Games and Mulder was a fanatical fan. Reggie snorted to himself and his face twisted with a wry grin. God, he hated it when Mulder did that. Still, it would be better than the screams he had been hearing since yesterday. Reggie had been the first one they called when they had found him in the bathroom. They had heard Mulder's screaming and had pounded on the door to be let it. Mulder hadn't responded, just more muffled yells and then the sound of breaking glass. Someone had finally kicked the door in. There was Mulder, screaming and incoherent, broken pieces of mirror everywhere. Four agents had gone in to subdue him. Reggie had gotten around the other agents and had reached Mulder's side, only to find him holding a piece of broken glass in his bloody hands and repeating over and over, 'Through the looking glass. Through the looking glass.' Reggie had finally eased the glass out of his hands, listening as Mulder hissed with pain. He quickly wrapped the hands in a towel, then, glancing over his shoulder, yelled "Get an ambulance." At the time Reggie had noted that Mulder had no cuts on his wrists. The palms of his hands and the back of his forearms had been lacerated. There were no cuts or bruises on his knuckles. Mulder had not hit the mirror with his fist, he had hit it with his open palm until the glass gave way under his hands. Reggie was still puzzled. What was with the mirror? What did Mulder see? Was he just so distraught with the case that he freaked out? Under too much pressure? This case had to be doing a number on him. It was doing a number on all of them. The abduction and death of four children, so far, had haunted them all. The press quickly dubbed the killer 'The Harton Murderer' after the small town where the first body was discovered. Mulder felt responsible, wanting to prevent them all. Each small body that was found was like a knife in his heart. When the third child had been found, a small, dark haired girl of eight, Reggie had arrived at the scene only to find Mulder apart from the rest. His arms were wrapped around himself, his head down, while tears streamed silently down his face. No other agent had seen, so Reggie had hustled Mulder out of there until he could collect himself. Reggie silently cursed himself now for not having paid more attention to what had happened. Everyone had trouble with cases once in a while, but this case was pushing Mulder right over the edge. HAD pushed him over. Reggie sighed again. He knew Mulder would have to be questioned again, but the prospect of it made him shudder. Best to get it over with now though and be done with it. Perdue pushed the call button to signal a nurse and a moment later one appeared at the door. "Please get Doctor Saunders." Reggie said. The dark haired nurse turned and left, returning a few minutes later with the doctor. George Saunders was a middle-aged man with a slight paunch. 'Too much hospital food.' Reggie thought to himself. "You wanted to speak to me, Agent Perdue?" Dr. Saunders said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "I hate to do this, Doctor, but we need to talk to Mulder. Do you think you could start bringing him around?" "I'm not recommending it, Agent Perdue." Dr. Saunders replied. "I know that, Doctor. And believe me, if it wasn't vital, I would never ask. We believe Agent Mulder may be able to help us prevent the death of the children being stalked by the Harton Murderer. The doctor drew a sharp breath. "I had no idea he was working on that case. My son went to school with one of the victims, Susan Freedman." He shook his head in horror. "Do you think he can really help? I was the admitting physician when the ambulance brought him in. He didn't even know his own name." "He wrote the profile for this criminal, Doctor. From what he has put together so far, we were able to prevent another child being taken today. We need to talk to him. We have to find out what our suspect will do next, especially since we managed to stop him today." The doctor looked down at his patient and shook his head. "I'll do it, but I have to insist we keep him in restraints until we can assess his condition." "Agreed," Reggie replied. The doctor looked down at the medical file he carried in his hands. "Agent Perdue, are you aware of the results of the toxicology tests that we ran on Agent Mulder?" Reggie looked up at the doctor. "What were they?" he asked, puzzled. Mulder wasn't a druggie. "There was evidence of an psychtropic derivative found in Agent Mulder's bloodstream." "What?" The word exploded from Reggie. "I've ordered a second set of tests to confirm the results, but, yes, so far it looks like he managed to ingest a very nasty substance. I've already looked for evidence of injections and there doesn't appear to be any, so I'm assuming it was ingested. I'll go now and get what I need to bring him around." Unseen by both men, another man had entered the room. The doctor brushed by him as he left. Reggie looked up and finally acknowledged the man. "Agent Perdue?" The young man asked. "Yes?" Reggie answered. From the man's suit Reggie knew the man was an agent. "I'm Agent Simmons. AD Skinner asked me to come by and record anything Agent Mulder said." He held up a micro-cassette recorder and a pad and pencil. Reggie smiled to himself. CHRIST! Another green one. He could almost hear Agent Simmons' voice crack with nervousness. Reggie nodded toward a chair, giving Simmons a speculative look. "Have a seat, Agent Simmons. As you can see were not quite ready, yet." Simmons nodded once and pulled up a chair to the other side of the bed, near Mulder's head. "Is it true what they say?" Simmons asked, "That he was able to tell them where the kid was?" Reggie looked at the young agent. "Yes. It's true," Reggie said cautiously. "Whew! He's really that good?" Reggie studied the young man a moment. "He's really that good," he stated flatly. The younger agent studied Mulder. "I read the profile he drew up on that guy. Do you think that's what sent Spooky over the edge?" Reggie sighed heavily. "Agent Simmons?" "Yes, sir?" "Don't call him Spooky. He doesn't like it." "Yes, sir." "Have you read the case file, Agent Simmons?" "Yes, sir." "Were you there when we found Agent Mulder?" Reggie couldn't recall seeing him before. "Yes, sir. It's all anyone has talked about all day." "Agent Simmons. You will be listening to Mulder's testimony, if, and when, we manage to get him coherent enough to talk to us." "Yes, sir." "And if you ever talk about this to anyone other than me or the Assistant Director I'll make sure you spend the rest of your career with the bureau doing electronic surveillance. In Alaska. UNDERSTOOD?" Simmons' eyes grew round and Reggie watched as his Adam's apple bobbed while he swallowed nervously. "Yes, sir," he said in a subdued tone. Secretly, Reggie was happy to see he still had the ability to inspire fear in the younger agents. Not that it ever seemed to work on Mulder, who just grinned lopsidedly at him and chuckled. A second later Doctor Saunders entered the room, followed by a nurse. The needle he carried was injected through Mulder's IV and moments later Mulder began to moan, his head rolling from side to side. Reggie smoothed Mulder's hair away from his face and spoke to him in a low, calm voice. "Mulder, it's me. Reggie. Can you hear me, Fox? It's Reggie. Reggie noticed Agent Simmons had clicked on the recorder and set it near Mulder. "Come on, Mulder, wake up. It's Reggie. Wake up, Fox." Reggie watched as Mulder's lips moved. He had to lean down to catch the whispered words. When he did, a smile spread across his face. "What did he say?" Agent Simmons asked curiously. "He said, 'Mulder, not Fox.' He hates being called Fox. " Reggie glanced up at the doctor. "I guess you didn't have to worry, Doc. He does know his own name," a relieved grin on his face. The doctor returned his smile with a small one of his own. "Don't over-estimate this, Agent Perdue. We may not be out of the woods, yet." The black man nodded soberly before returning his attention to Mulder. The doctor was right. They still had a long way to go. He turned his attention back to Mulder. "Mulder. Do you know who this is?" "Reggie?" Mulder's whisper was a little stronger. "That's right, Mulder. It's me." "Where am I, Reggie?" Mulder said in a small voice. "You're in the hospital. Do you remember freaking out in the bathroom?" Mulder's eyes narrowed in concentration. "The girl. The mirror. Through the mirror." His words came fast now, breathless. Reggie placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "It's okay, Mulder. Your safe now." Mulder focused on Reggie again. "Can you tell me what you saw?" Mulder was silent a moment, studying Reggie. "There was a girl. I saw her in the mirror. She wanted me to help her, but I couldn't get through the glass. There was someone coming for her. I couldn't see him but I knew he wanted to hurt her. She kept calling me, but I couldn't reach her. I couldn't get through. I couldn't get through." Mulder's voice rose in panic. Reggie squeezed his shoulder. "It's okay. It's okay," he said quickly. The doctor motioned for Reggie's attention. Reggie looked up. "If he becomes agitated, I'll have to sedate him again," Dr. Saunders said. Reggie nodded impatiently and returned his attention to Mulder. Mulder was watching the doctor but returned his attention to Reggie when he heard his name. "Mulder. We got the child back before our suspect had a chance to do anything. We need you to tell us what his next move will be. Do you think you can do that?" Reggie was watching Mulder's eyes, trying to see if the wildness would return. But Mulder's hazel eyes were calm, watching Reggie. He looked tired, older than his years, as a frown crossed his face. "I... I'm not sure. I think that's what the girl in the mirror was trying to tell me." Mulder's voice trailed off. "I know it sounds crazy, Reg, but I think the girl was his next victim. We have to stop him before he gets to her. I... I think he was using the last girl as a distraction. So he could give himself enough time to get to the girl in the mirror." Mulder was becoming agitated again. He pulled at the wrist restraints and tried to sit up. Both the doctor and Reggie laid a restraining hand on his shoulders. "Whoa. Slow down there, boy. You ain't goin' anywhere just yet. These nice people here want to talk to you." Reggie said, indicating the doctor. Again, Mulder tried to sit up. "We don't have time for this, Reg. He's out there and I've got to stop him." Together they pushed him back on the bed again. "Settle down, Mulder. That's an order," Reggie said in a stern voice. Reluctantly Mulder lay back down. He looked at Reggie earnestly. "I've got to go, Reggie. If you stopped him this time, it just means the next time will be worse. We've got to hurry!" Mulder looked from Reggie to the doctor and back. "We've got to go," he insisted. Reggie studied him a moment then looked at the doctor. "If what he says is true, Doc, then we've got to spring him." The Doctor eyed Reggie a moment. "He's delusional, Agent Perdue," the doctor insisted. "Telling you someone came to him in a mirror and told him what to do? Do you realize how that sounds. And if he loses it again, Agent Perdue? Are you willing to take that risk?" Reggie gave the doctor a dead-eyed stare. "If it means saving another child's life, then yes, Doctor. It's a risk I'm willing to take." "They don't call him Spooky for nothing." A quiet, unnoticed voice spoke from beside the bed., and all eyes suddenly focused on young Agent Simmons who had broken his silence. "Can we take the chance that he's wrong?" He looked up at both men. The doctor looked at Reggie a moment. Finally he said, "A temporary pass. Released into your custody. YOU will be responsible for him, Agent Perdue," the doctor said for emphasis. "If he has another episode like the last, I'm admitting him for forty-eight hour involuntary observation." "Agreed, Doc." Reggie said. "If you'll just follow me, you can fill out the paperwork before you leave, and I'll give you a prescription for antibiotics and pain relievers." Reggie nodded. The attendants moved to release the restraints. The nurse quietly disconnected the IV and removed the butterfly needle. Mulder sat up and looked at his bandaged hands. "How bad is this, Reggie?" "Let's go, Mulder. You'll live." "Thirty-four stitches." Agent Simmons whispered to Mulder as he handed him his jacket. Mulder grinned at him conspiratorially and quickly finished getting dressed. Reggie made his way to the door to get the necessary paperwork done and collect Mulder's prescriptions. He watched the exchange between the two. "Simmons!" "Sir?" Simmons squeaked, caught in the act. "You're with us." "Yes, sir." ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Mulder had not been happy when Reggie had told him of Alice Glass' disappearance. Reggie heard him cursing quietly and muttering under his breath, 'too late, too late.' Finally, they arrived at the base of operations. Mulder insisted he needed to talk to the latest child to see if there was anything new he could learn. Reggie stood apart and watched him as he talked to the little girl, Chrissie Beston. He seemed to have it together but Reggie wasn't taking any chances. He wanted to stay close to Mulder. Behind him, unnoticed, trailed Agent Simmons, looking for all the world like a lost puppy. Mulder sat down next to the little girl, watching her face as he questioned her. Quietly, he asked her to describe the man. Any marks. Tattoos. Scars. Did she see his car. Mulder had managed to get her to talk about all the 'scary stuff' (as she called it), without upsetting her. He showed some pictures to the child and asked her some more questions. He even managed to get her to giggle once with his gentle teasing. Even from a distance Reggie could see the child was responding to Mulder. He did seem to have a knack with kids. They seemed to like him instantly, the trust immediate. This wasn't the first time Reggie had noticed it. He could hear the girl question Mulder about his hands. Vaguely he heard the words 'Alice in wonderland' and 'Through the looking glass'. The girl giggled again at Mulder's joke. Finally Mulder finished and re-joined Reggie. He looked a little better than he had in the hospital, but not much. Still much too pale. "Were you able to get anything out of her?" Reggie asked. Mulder glanced back at the child and nodded. "A description of the car. Not much of a description of the man, but what we got coincides. Maybe some other stuff. Have to check it out first." Agent Simmons asked, "How'd you do that, Mulder? Earlier the kid wouldn't talk to anyone. Just sat in her mother's lap and cried." Mulder shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. It's a gift, I guess." Mulder wasn't looking at either agent. He stood there talking to them, but his mind was elsewhere. Reggie frowned, worried again. Mulder turned abruptly and headed out the door. Reggie quickly followed him. Mulder stopped when he got outside, thrusting his hands deep in the pockets of his overcoat, glancing around a moment before continuing towards a group of agents that were standing beside the vehicles, talking. "Agent Green?" Mulder asked. One of the agents turned in his direction. 'Oh shit,' Reggie thought to himself. He knew there was bad blood between Donald Green and Mulder. He had even thought about taking Green off the case when he had found that Green and Mulder would be working together. They had worked together previously and Green had never forgiven Mulder for solving a case by using the testimony of a witness that Donald Green had chosen to ignore. He had had to separate them once already. "Agent Green?" Mulder said again. "Yes?" the man said, a look of venom in his eyes. "You wrote the report when the Beston girl was found?" "Yes," the agent replied. "Did you interview the child's grandmother?" Agent Green tilted his head curiously. "Yes. Yes, I did." "Did she tell you if she ever took the child with her when she had her hair done?" Green started to open his mouth, then shut it, a puzzled look on his face. "I didn't ask her, Agent Mulder." "Do you think you could?" Mulder asked after a moment. "Why? What does that matter?" Agent Green flared, getting angry over any implication that he had failed to do his job properly. "Who cares! Who cares if she did or not?" He moved to get into Mulder's face. "Are you saying I missed something? I messed up? I can't handle my job, you nutcase?" Reggie moved closer behind Mulder, hoping against hope that Mulder wouldn't lose it again. But Mulder stood there calmly staring at Agent Green, letting the other man continue with his tirade. Reggie could see his eyes moving over the other man's face, studying him. Mulder's only movement was to pull the overcoat tighter around him. He reminded Reggie of a man at sea facing an oncoming storm. Finally, Donald Green's voice petered out and he was silent. His face was red and the veins stood out on his forehead. He looked down at Mulder and realized he was getting no reaction. Again Mulder asked, "Do you think you could call and ask her? Get the name of the place?" he said calmly, enunciating each word, as if nothing had been said before. Green opened his mouth to start up again then shut it when he looked over Mulder's shoulder and noticed Agent Perdue for the first time. He licked his lips and visibly got himself under control. "Yes. I can call and ask her," he said tightly. "Thank you." Mulder said, and turning on his heel, he walked away. Reggie snagged Mulder by the elbow as he passed, pulling him to one side. "What was that about?" "The Beston girl was able to identify photos of the other victims." Mulder appeared contained before Reggie. "How? They didn't go to the same school. Didn't belong to the same girl scouts. Didn't go to the same church. They don't even live that close to each other." "She'd seen them before." Mulder stated firmly. "Where?" "Chrissie said it was where her grandmother had her hair done. That's why I need Green to double-check and see if it's true for the others." "No one else ask her about the other children, did they?" Reggie studied his face. "She said they didn't." "How did you know? How did you know to ask?" Mulder hesitated. "I... I... Reggie... it was the girl in the mirror. Something about the way he touched her hair." Mulder glanced away. The haunted look in his eyes again. "I don't understand, but what I saw in that mirror is important. I just don't know why yet." Mulder looked back up at Reggie. He shrugged his shoulders, then stared down at his shoes. "Do you think I'm losing it?" he asked the ground. Reggie studied the bowed head a moment. Reaching out a hand he placed it on Mulder's arm. "I don't know what the answers are yet. God knows, I've seen you do some remarkable things before. Maybe this is just another one of them." Mulder looked up into his face. "I've never had anything like this happen to me before. I've never been accused of being psychic. I believe Alice is trying to warn me, to give me clues, but I can't figure out what I'm supposed to see." ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ An hour later, Agent Green had returned with confirmation. Chrissie Beston's grandmother regularly had her hair done at a boutique called 'Wonderland Hair Design' on Cheshire Street. Agents were dispatched with photos of the previous victims to interview family members, looking for a connection to the salon. Reggie put in a call to headquarters for a background check on the salon's owner. One by one reports filtered back with positive results. Previous victims had been sighted at the boutique and all the victim's families had a connection there. Mulder sat quiet and thoughtful as reports found their way back to him. He was chomping at the bit to go out and do some of the investigating of his own, but Reggie was keeping him on a tight leash, restricting him to the premises. Reggie had already dispatched two agents to interview the owner of the shop, but they were having some trouble locating her. The lateness of the hour precluded an interview at the salon and they were busy tracking down her place of residence. Word finally arrived from the two agents that Wonderland's owner was out of town and would not arrive back until work the next morning. Now they could only sit and wait. Reggie Perdue sent young Simmons out for Chinese food, ordering Mulder to try to eat. It was nearly midnight and Reggie was exhausted. Using his senior agent status, he appropriated an hotel room. To his dismay it contained only two single beds. Reggie was bound and determined to keep an eye on Mulder and he knew to do that he would have to have help. "Agent Simmons, you're with us." Snagging Mulder's elbow he steered him to the hotel room. "I'm not tired yet." Mulder whined, sounding very much like a child who had been kept up over-long. "You're going to go to bed, whether you like it or not. There isn't any more we can do tonight. Simmons, you have the couch." Wearily Mulder let himself be led to the room with a sigh. There was no fighting Reggie when he was in one of his moods. Mulder stripped off his suit coat, dropping it over a nearby chair, his necktie crumpled in its pocket. Toeing off his shoes, he headed for the bed. With one last bone-cracking stretch, he fell face down on the mattress. Oblivious to the noises of the others, he was asleep in minutes. Reggie glanced over at the still form and shook his head. Mulder never ceased to amaze him. Letting Agent Simmons use the bathroom first, he prepared himself for bed. Patting down his pockets, he discovered the medication Doctor Saunders had given him for Mulder. Pain medication and antibiotics. 'To be taken before meals and before bedtime' Reggie read. 'Shit' he cursed softly. Agent Simmons exited the bathroom and Reggie went in to retrieve a glass of water. Opening each bottle and tapping out the proper dosage he nudged Mulder's shoulder. Groggily, Mulder opened his eyes with a grunt. "What?" "Time to take your medicine, Mulder." "I don't want it." Mulder fussed. "Do you want to go back to the hospital so they can give it to you in an IV?" Mulder grumbled and sat up, awkwardly taking the pills and water from him, tossing them back and gulping down the water until it was gone. "Happy now?" "Ecstatic. Now get out of your clothes and get into bed. We'll change the bandages in the morning." Mulder frowned at him. "Yes, Dad!" Agent Simmons gave a small cough to hide his chuckle. Reggie glanced over his shoulder at the young agent. "And you too, SON." Reggie commanded with a grin. "Yes, Sir." Simmons responded with a salute, spreading his blankets on the couch before jumping down on it. Reggie shook his head. "Lord in heaven, now I have two of them." Lightly punching Mulder in the arm, he said "You're a bad influence." "So, I've been told." Fifteen minutes later, Reggie came out of the bathroom to find Simmons with the television on, playing softly, bathing the room in flashing blue light. Simmons turned it off as Reggie entered the room. Mulder appeared asleep on his stomach, under the covers, his arms wrapped around the pillow, his dress shirt and slacks on the floor beside the bed. Reggie got into the adjoining bed and snapped off the bedside lamp. Mulder's disembodied voice reached Reggie in the dark. "I can't sleep. Talk to me, Reggie." "About what?" "Doesn't matter. Anything. Emma's cooking. Cutting the lawn. Anything. Anything but the case." Reggie smiled tiredly. "You mean you want a bedtime story." "That would be nice. Just so long as it's not about this case." Reggie could understand that. Mulder, more than anyone he had ever known, had a hard time disconnecting from tough cases. "So do you want 'Goldie Locks' or 'The Three Little Pigs'?" Mulder's voice chuckled. "Only if its the X-rated version of 'Goldie Locks'." Reggie grinned at that. He was silent a moment, then asked, "Did I tell you I was writing a book?" "Really? What about?" "It's a mystery." Reggie heard the quick intake of air as Mulder yawned. "Detective novel?" he asked around the yawn. "Yeah. Maybe I'll even call my main character Mulder." "As long as you don't call him Fox. Marty, John, Fred. Anything but Fox." Reggie chuckled. "Maybe, I'll just let his secretary call him Foxy." "I'll have a secretary? Will this be adult fiction?" Reggie outright laughed at that. "Don't get your hopes up. I just may make his secretary a man." Mulder hunched his shoulders. "Eewww. Don't go there. Will you let me read it when your done?" "Maybe, but for now, get some sleep. If I'm too tired, we'll never finish here and I won't be able to go home to Emma and finish my 'Great American Novel.' By the way, I called her earlier tonight. She wants you to come to dinner. I think she wants to set you up with a friend of hers." "Have you met this woman?" "She didn't tell me who she had in mind. I told her you weren't fit for polite company, but, and here I quote, 'you just make sure he gets his skinny white butt here or I'll have to go to his apartment and drag him back by his ears.'" Mulder chuckled at that. "You married a tough woman there, Reg. You can tell her I would be happy to accept. Besides, I make it a policy to never disappoint women. Especially your wife. I know better. She could hurt me." "Your telling me! Goodnight, Mulder." Mulder let go another jaw-stretching yawn. "Good night, Reggie. And thanks. 'Night, Simmons." Their only response was a soft snore from the other side of the room. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ The morning broke bright and cold. Reggie awoke with the sun slicing into his eyes through a break in the curtains. Rolling over he peeked at the bed beside him before bolting upright. The bed was empty. 'Damn that man.' Reggie quietly cursed him. Looking around he saw that Simmons still snored on the couch. He pushed himself off the bed and stumbled over Mulder's shoes on his way to the bathroom. Stopping for a moment, he studied the shoes, trying to put his thoughts in order. If Mulder wasn't wearing his business shoes, then he couldn't be far. Hopefully. Passing a hand over his tired eyes, he yawned and stretched. It was just too damn early in the morning to be trying to figure out Mulder. Even after strong coffee and a full breakfast it was a task. Glancing down at his watch, he noted the time. Quarter to seven. Stumbling on his way, he wondered where Mulder had gotten himself off to now. Twenty minutes later, Reggie was just stepping out of the shower when Mulder returned. "Where the hell have you been?" "Gee, Reg, and I thought you were a detective," Mulder said with a grin. Looking at him, Reggie noted the running clothes and well-worn sneakers. A light sheen of sweat covered his face, making him glisten in the early morning light. "You could have left a note." "Sorry, mom." Mulder brought a foot up on the end of his bed and began to untie his tennis shoes using the tips of his fingers, the only part that peeked out from the bandages. "Very funny. Not like you didn't spend most of yesterday in the hospital, you know." "Yeah, well, not 'cause I was ill. Physically anyway." "That may not be true. Doctor Saunders told me yesterday that you had evidence of drugs in your system. Nasty drugs to hear him tell it." At that, Mulder's head came up. "Why didn't you tell me this yesterday." "We were a little busy yesterday. Why?" Mulder looked thoughtful for a moment. "You think it could be connected to the case?" "You think so? Someone targeting you? Your not getting paranoid on me now, are you?" Mulder shook himself. "Probably. But something sure feels funny. What if their trying to throw me off the scent." "I already have a couple of agents tracing your movements the day before yesterday. Doctor Saunders said you might have ingested it so I'll need a list of places you ate at on that day." Mulder nodded before heading for the shower. "Are you going to make me stick around here today, too?" "No. I think I'll let you off your leash today. But I want Simmons to stick with you, so don't even think of trying to ditch him." Mulder gave him a mock salute before closing the door. A second later Reggie was knocking at the bathroom door. Mulder opened it up and peeked out. "YES?" he asked archly. Reggie held out two rubber gloves. "What are these for? This ain't no crime scene and you ain't my proctologist." Mulder looked puzzled. "And I refuse to call you nurse." Reggie dropped them in his hand. "Put them on before you get in the shower. You're not supposed to get your stitches wet and I refuse to wash your back for you." Mulder grinned. "Do you think I could get Emma to come and do it for me?" Reggie snorted. "She'll scrub the white right off your scrawny hide. That woman could scrub the white off of rice." Mulder left Reggie chuckling as he closed the door and yelled from behind the closed panel, "Call her up! Call her up!" Shaking his head, he walked over to the couch and shook Simmons by the shoulder. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." Simmons groaned and pulled the pillow over his head. "Wake up, wake up, wake up." Simmons groaned again and sat up. "Do you have to be so cheerful, so early?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Reggie fought down a grin, his dark eyes dancing in merriment. "I'm a morning person. So shoot me." Simmons gave a squinty look around the room. "Where's my gun?" "Your up next for the shower. Mulder's in there now." "Thanks. That should give me at least fifteen more minutes," he said, flopping back down on the couch. By the time Simmons had showered, Mulder, bandages changed, had compiled a list of places he had eaten the day of his 'outburst.' Reggie took the list in hand to pass along to the agents he had assigned to track Mulder's movements that day. They were headed out the door when the phone stopped them. Reggie picked it up only to find Walter Skinner at the other end. Quickly briefing his boss on what they had learned so far, including Mulder's possible poisoning, before he outlined their plans for the day. He promised to fax the doctor's results when they were received. Skinner passed along the background check on Wonderland's owner: Doris Fredrickson, divorced, one child, had owned the boutique for the last fifteen years. No prison record, no arrests, no warrants. Even her taxes were in order. The woman was clean. "Thank you, sir," Reggie said into the phone. "No problem, Agent Perdue. If you need anything, just give me a call." "Will do, sir." "And, Reggie?" "Yes, sir?" "Keep an eye on Mulder. His HMO is starting to scream again." At that, Reggie chuckled. "I'll try to do my best, sir; but, you know how he can be." "I've read the reports. Good luck, Agent Perdue," Skinner said before hanging up. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Arriving back at their base of operations, Reggie began to coordinate the team for that day's events. Mulder was antsy, eager to be out of Reggie's watchful eye for a few hours. With a heavy sigh, Reggie assigned Mulder and Simmons to talk to Doris Fredrickson. The hour was getting late and she should be arriving at her place of business soon, so the two agents confiscated a car and headed downtown. Reggie had insisted that Simmons do all the driving, not that Mulder could with his hands still bandaged, but Reggie made a point of saying it nonetheless. 'Mother hen,' Mulder thought as he relaxed against the seat, watching the shadows shorten into the morning. It was Simmons who noticed they were low on gas and pulled into a station a few blocks from the salon. 'Joe's Garage' the sign above the service bay proudly declared. While Agent Simmons filled the tank, Mulder got out of the sedan and hunted down the candy machine for some breakfast. Wandering around the station, Mulder nibbled on the candy bar his coins had purchased. Something was tickling at the back of his thoughts and he let his mind wander to follow its crooked path. Something about the place was triggering a reaction from him. Mulder meandered around, entering the service bay, studying, searching, trying to put the pieces together. Nearly stepping in a puddle of oil, he withdrew his raised foot. One of the sites had carried a similar stain. Frowning in concentration, his eyes unfocused, lost in the puzzle, he continued around the bay. Suddenly, he saw a mechanic round the corner and lock eyes with him. Chrissie had described the man as wearing a uniform. Seeing the mechanic, dressed in cover-alls, his mind connected a piece of the puzzle. But something about this mechanic was registering wrong. The man had froze at the sight of Mulder, his eyes growing wide in recognition. Mulder noted the features, long blond hair, uniform, build like a line-backer. Chrissie's description. Just as his own eyebrows raised in recognition, the mechanic turned and fled the other way. Mulder gave chase, drawing his weapon, calling out to Simmons as he did. Rounding a corner into a breezeway, Mulder felt a grasp on his arm, pulling him off-balance. The suspect grabbed him and throwing a shoulder into Mulder's chest, pinned him to the wall. Mulder felt the mechanic's hands cover his own, not attempting to remove the gun from his grasp, but squeezing his fingers into the grip. Mulder cried out as stitches began to tear in the tender flesh of his palm. Instinctively he tried to open his hand and release the offending object, but the other's hands crushed his fingers around the weapon. Both men looked up as Simmons flew around the corner. The suspect tightened his grasp over Mulder's until the gun exploded with an impossibly loud retort, echoing in the breezeway. Simmons' body hit the pavement a moment later, shuddering to a stop. Mulder attempted to jerk his hand away, but the other man's grip was impossible to break. The blond let go with his left hand and thrust his elbow backwards, hitting Mulder square in the jaw, even as he tried to turn away. While Mulder blinked to clear his vision, he missed seeing the elbow coming again until he felt the impact. His head snapped back, thudding into the cinderblock wall, before he slid, unconscious, to the ground. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Reggie sat in the borrowed office of the local police station and cursed all constabulary coffee. This stuff should have a toxic warning on the side. He put the styrofoam cup away from him in disgust. Suddenly, Agent Green appeared in the doorway, huffing out of breath. "Agent Perdue!" "What is it, Green." "Someone called from the front desk. There's been a shooting on Cheshire Street. Officer down." Reggie felt his stomach clench, the coffee turning to stone. "Do they know who it is?" "It's Agent Simmons, sir. He's in an ambulance on his way to the hospital." "And Mulder?" "No word." "Shit! Green, get the car. I want to go to that goddamn hair salon." "It didn't go down there, sir. It happened a few blocks away. A 'Joe's Garage'." Reggie was scooping up his coat as he made for the door. "Then drive me there. Send Douglas and Jackson down to 'Wonderland' and see if Mulder and Simmons ever made it there." Agent Green acknowledged him as he raced ahead of him, snapping orders to the other agents. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Mulder awoke to find himself lying on his stomach, hands bound behind his back. Both his wrists and feet were securely wrapped in duct tape. 'Quack quack,' Mulder thought to himself as he remembered an old radio program's joke. Another piece of the gray tape secured his mouth. Lying on greasy cement, he had a few more bruises than he remembered acquiring. His ribs ached with every breath, his hands damp with the blood that had soaked through his bandages. His fingers felt numb. Thank god for small favors. Lifting his head he tried to get an idea of where he was. Possibly an old garage or an abandoned warehouse from the looks of things. The minute he lifted his head someone grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head backwards until his neck was stretched, his throat exposed. The sharp pain of a knee landing in the middle of his back, followed by a heavy weight, forced the air out of his lungs. As he struggled to take a breath, a voice whispered next to his ear, "Sonofabitch, I can't believe you found me." A harder yank on his hair made Mulder cry out from behind the gag, then forced his head forward until it impacted with the cold concrete beneath him. Mulder felt a spot above his left eyebrow open up and warm blood spilled down to blind his already star-filled eyes. A whimper escape him and the fist in his hair forced his head up again, the voice hissing into his ear. He wiggled to escape, but the knee in his back only pressed down harder, digging into his spine. "I told that bitch we should have given you enough of that stuff to kill you. But, no. That wasn't part of the plan. 'We could get into trouble messing with a cop,' she says. 'Too dangerous,' she says." The voice released his hold on Mulder and he collapsed back onto the cement. "Stupid bitch," the voice muttered as the man levered himself up heavily. Mulder sighed with relief before the aches returned. He realized where the line-backer had fisted his hair was right where he had smacked his head against the wall during the fight. Ouch. Even his scalp ached. "Sonofabitch," the blond muttered again as his foot lashed out and connected with Mulder's ribs. Mulder groaned and curled his body into a ball, doing his best to protect his stomach and ribs from further injury. "You've gone and fucked everything up." The mechanic kicked out again, this time landing a blow on Mulder's shoulder. Mulder yelped behind the gag and attempted to schooch away. "What the hell!" Mulder heard a feminine voice exclaim. He turned his head to the voice and, blinking the blood from his eyes, he saw a petite woman standing at the entrance of the building. "What the hell is he doing here?" Mulder recognized the woman and tried to place where he had seen her before. "He found me," the blond said simply. "How?" The anger radiated from the petite form. "I don't know. Him and another guy showed up at the garage." "Damn it, Jack. How did he find you?" "I... I don't know." The blond man seemed to quell before her anger. The woman stomped over to Mulder. "The least you could have done was to blindfold him. And now he's seen us both," she hissed in disgust. "Turn him over and take off the gag." The big man followed her and rolled Mulder over onto his back. Digging a dirty finger into his cheek he managed to catch the edge of the duct tape and yanked it away. Mulder hissed with pain, sure he could see his skin and lips come away with the adhesive. The woman squatted down next to him and, taking out a crumpled tissue from her pocket, she gently wiped away the blood from his eyes. "So, how did you find us, G-man?" she asked curiously. Mulder swallowed convulsively, trying to get his voice working again. "I didn't," he whispered. "I chased him," Mulder indicated the blond man with his chin, "When he started to run." The woman examined him a moment, looking for the lie. "Shit," she spat. Looking over her shoulder at the blond. "You panicked, you idiot. Now you've messed up everything." "It wasn't my fault. He started chasing me," the big man whined. The room was silent a moment before Mulder quietly said, "I remember you from the restaurant across the street from the police station. You were our waitress. Jenny, right?" Mulder's brain was finally kicking in, remembering the nametag on her uniform. "I wondered how long it would take you to remember." "It was you who poisoned me, wasn't it? Why?" Mulder asked in a puzzled voice. "Working there is a great way to keep tabs on things. Those officers do like to impress a gal. I heard them talking about you." She studied him a moment. "I knew the rest of those knuckle-heads would never figure out what was going on, but you... you were a danger to the plan." "The plan? Just what was the plan?" Mulder demanded, "What possible reason could you have for killing those kids? The woman gave him a feral smile. "The oldest reason in the world. Greed." "Money? Someone's paying you?" Mulder asked in disbelief. "Insurance money, Agent Mulder. I've got a policy out on each one of those kids. And who's going to question the payout when even the FBI is looking for a serial killer." The woman smiled in triumph. Mulder felt a shudder run through him. Standing up, Jenny brushed non-existent dust from her slacks. "You want to see my million-dollar baby, Mr. Mulder. We've still got little Alice. Bring him along!" she commanded her companion. The blond man grabbed a handful of Mulder's shirt front, pulling him upright, before lifting him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Mulder nearly screamed as feeling poured into his bloodless arms. A moment later he squeezed his eyes shut as his view swam under him, the blood rushing to his head. The couple carried him into an adjoining storage room. Mulder and the blond waited as the small woman unlocked the door. Flipping on the overhead light, they entered the room. None-too-gently, Mulder was placed on the floor. Looking around him, he saw the terrified form of Alice Glass huddled in a corner. "Are you okay?" Mulder asked the terrified child. The girl began to cry. "Shut up, brat," the big man snapped at her. "Leave her alone, Jack." Walking over to the child, the woman reached out a hand and caressed her hair. "This, Agent Mulder, is my million-dollar baby. When the insurance pays off on this one, Jack and I are gone. No one will ever find us. But, we have to wait awhile. It's not time yet for your local serial killer to complete his task. Got to stick to the schedule. Though you throw a bit of a wrench into the works." "Are you going to keep me here?" "For the time being. Enjoy yourself." The couple approached the door. "Wait!" Mulder called. The woman turned back to him. "Yes?" "Please. Untie my hands. I can't even feel my arms anymore." Glancing up at the big man beside her, she asked, "Do you still have his handcuffs?" Jack produced them from a back pocket. "Right here." "You've emptied his pockets, right." The man nodded, indicating he had. "Cut the tape and put them on him. At least he can keep the kid quiet." Mulder almost cried with relief as the pressure on his arms was released. Jack quickly snapped the cuffs over Mulder's wrists. Watching from the doorway, the woman asked, "How did you do that?" indicating his bandaged hands. "Accident. I broke a mirror," Mulder said, looking in Alice's direction. But Alice gave no indication that she knew what he was talking about. "Seven years bad luck, Agent Mulder," Jenny laughed as the door clanged shut behind them, sounding like a death knell. He heard the bolt slid home as he and Alice were firmly locked in. "Are you okay?" he asked again. "Yes," the tiny girl sniffled. Mulder sat up and tried to find the edge of the tape to release his feet, his bloody hands making the process nearly impossible. Alice left her spot against the wall and came to sit silently at his feet. Mulder looked up at her. "Do you think you could find the end. I can't seem to grab it." Alice wiped away the blood smears with her tiny hands and pinched the end of the tape with her fingers, tearing it away. Quietly she worked the tape away from his ankles. Mulder took the time to study the girl. She appeared unharmed. When she had finished, he stretched out his long legs on either side of her, sighing with relief. He wiped the tips of his fingers on his pants and held them out to the child. "Fox Mulder," he introduced himself. Alice looked into his eyes before solemnly taking his fingers with her own. "You can call me, Fox." "Alice. Alice Glass," she said. "Are you a policeman?" "I'm with the FBI. We've been looking for you." "Have you seen my dad?" she asked anxiously. Mulder remembered reading that Alice's mother had died a couple of years earlier. Alice was being raised by her single father. Mulder shook his head. "No. But I know that he's worried about you. Are you all right? Are you hurt?" "No. But you are," Alice said, turning over his larger hands in her tiny ones. Mulder winced a little as the handcuffs chaffed his wrist. She bent to examine the bloody bandages wrapping his hands as Mulder smiled down at her. "Going to be a doctor when you grow up?" Alice glanced up with a grin spreading over her face. "That's what I've always wanted to be. That's what my mama was." Mulder returned her smile. "Looks like you'd be good at it." "Do you think they'll be able to find us?" "I hope so, Alice. I hope so." Alice nodded and released his hand. It wasn't in Mulder's nature to talk down to children and he could be quietly attentive when the moment called for it. Many agents tended to be too brusque with older folks and children, not giving them the gentle prodding that Mulder could. Being patient, waiting for them to reveal themselves in their own time. Some of his best leads came from senior citizens and children. "Papa says mama is an angel in heaven and she looks out for me. We're going to be okay." Mulder had no idea how to respond to the girl. "Are you cold, Alice?" Alice rubbed her hands up and down her upper arms. "A little." Mulder moved to stand up, Alice beside him. Stretching the kinks out as much as he could with his bound hands, he padded around their cell, looking for an escape. Alice trailed behind him. The only opening was the door, a heavy steel panel barring their way. No handle was evident from inside. Fresh air found it's way in from the inch gap at the bottom of the door. The light came from a single bulb attached to the ceiling. Ten feet above their heads. The rest was cinderblock walls. No way out. Not unless he turned into Spiderman. "Wish we had a baseball and a bat," Mulder muttered. Alice looked at him curiously. "Why? What could you do with that." Mulder pushed at the door. "You know. Three strikes, you're out," he said with a grin. Mulder was delighted to hear the girl giggle. She shook her head. "I don't think baseball is going to get us out of here." "No. I suppose not. Do you play little-league?" "Pee-wee baseball." "What position?" "They move us around alot. I like being pitcher. I'm good at it," she said proudly. "I'll bet you are. Any no-hitters?" "In pee-wee ball? They're all no hitters." Mulder grinned at that. He pulled back a sleeve and glanced at his watch. Almost two in the afternoon. "When do they feed you around here?" "Usually by now. They missed lunch." As if in answer to their words, they heard the deadbolt draw back. The door swung open and Jenny stood there. In her hands she held Mulder's pistol. Jack stood beside her. "Step away, Mr. Mulder. Against the wall. I wouldn't want to have to use this." Mulder and Alice backed up until they were against the far wall. Mulder pushed Alice behind him, shielding her small body with his own. Jack tossed in a white paper sack. It landed at Mulder's feet, wrapped burgers and fries spilling out. Beside the entrance he gingerly placed another bag, before standing up and pushing a bucket in with his foot. Inside sat a roll of toilet paper. "Dinner and a potty break," sneered the woman, "What more could you ask for." With that, she shut the door with her foot and turned the lock. "Can't say much for the service in this place," Mulder said, "Lets see how good the food is." Mulder bent down to retrieve the bag, looking in as he stood up. "At least its still warm." Mulder handed the bag to the child and went to inspect the one by the door. "Drinks, too!" he called out to Alice. Together they brought the food to the far corner of the cell. Sitting beside each other, they distributed it out. The first burger seemed to disappear in a frenzy. Mulder had missed breakfast and this was Alice's only meal of the day. Finishing up, they held a couple of burgers out for their dinner. The two spent the rest of the day trying to amuse each other, Mulder doing his best to distract the child. He prayed Reggie would find them soon, afraid that Alice did not have much time left. He knew the pattern and what to expect. Their present circumstance didn't give him much hope. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Reggie arrived at Joe's Garage with a grim look on his face. Simmons had been taken away by ambulance long ago. The crime scene technicians were swarming over the place. Agent Green pointed out evidence of a struggle and the spots of blood on the cement floor and wall where Mulder's head had impacted. "Was Simmons able to tell them anything?" Reggie asked. "A little. Just before he went into surgery. He saw a mechanic struggling with Mulder before he was shot and one of the mechanics is missing." Green checked his notes, "A Jack Carson. Hasn't been seen or heard from since the incident. His vehicle is missing, too. An APB has been placed on both." "Get his home address from the owner and send someone down there. Have you already done a background check on this guy?" "Already in the works. We should be hearing back soon." Reggie sighed. "Any news on Simmons yet?" "Still in surgery." "Damn it," Reggie swore vehemently, "What the hell happened here?" Wearily he sighed. "Did Douglas and Jackson talk to Doris Fredrickson?" "Yes, sir. She acknowledges knowing the families of the victims but doesn't know how it's connected to with the shop. She gave us a list of employees and we're having that checked out." "Get someone out to Carson's. Stake the place out and talk to the neighbors. Let's get a work history from the owner. I want to check out any absents against the days of the murders. The guy may not be involved but I'd rather be safe than sorry." "Yes, sir." Green trotted off to delegate the job while Reggie studied the crime scene. As he came around the building he spotted the car Mulder and Simmons were using. Opening the driver's door he turned the key to its first mark, making the electrical system kick in. Sure enough, the needle on the gas gauge was in the red. Reggie shook his head. Could they have simply walked into a gas station robbery? With Mulder's luck, certainly; but... something didn't feel right. Somehow this was connected. Otherwise, where was Mulder? Where was the mechanic? Reggie turned the car off and got out. He continued to wander around the station. In the service bay he discovered a half-eaten candy bar, carelessly dropped in a small puddle of oil. Payday. Mulder's favorite when he wasn't munching on those god-awful sunflower seeds. Reggie stood there a moment, looking around. If Mulder had stood here, he could not have seen a robbery in progress. He might have seen someone coming around the corner and followed them. The mechanic? The man was missing. Somewhere deep in his bones Reggie was sure Jack Carson was connected. But how? And how to prove it? Reggie stood thoughtful for a moment. "Agent Green," he called out. "We have a picture of this Jack Carson?" Agent Green produced a photocopy of Carson's license. "There has to be a connection between this," he waved his hand to indicate the crime scene, "And that boutique. Mulder was sure that place was connected somehow. Someone could have been stalking the customers or someone connected to the shop is involved. Let's show it to the owner and see what she says. It's possible they just walked into a robbery, but I want to know for sure." "Yes, sir," Green answered as he headed toward their car. "Let's go see Doris Fredrickson." ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Mulder now knew just about all he ever wanted to about camp songs. Alice began to teach him another. 'Hurry, Reggie. Be here soon,' he prayed. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Reggie Perdue and Donald Green arrived at 'Wonderland Hair Design' within minutes. They introduced themselves to Doris Fredrickson. Reggie stepped back and let Green handle the interview. Green produced the picture and proceeded to ask her about it. "That's Jack Carson," Doris confirmed. "How do you know him, ma'am?" "He's my daughter's boyfriend." "Does she work here? Do you think we could talk to her?" "Well, sometimes she helps out but she has a job over on Lincoln street." "Could you tell us her name." "Yes, it's Jenny. Jenny Thompson." "Do you think you could give us her address and phone number? We'd like to speak to her." "Sure, no problem. Has Jack done something?" "He may be a witness to a crime." Doris rummaged around for a paper and pencil, jotting down her daughter's address and number. "Those other gentlemen already asked me about those poor children. Is this connected to that?" "We're not sure yet." "My daughter may not be home yet. She may still be at work." "Where does she work, ma'am?" "She waitresses at a coffee shop across from the police station. 'The Thin Blue Line Cafe'." Reggie's jaw almost dropped and he caught Agent Green's eye. "Thank you, ma'am," both men said before they exited. Once outside, Green turned to Reggie. "What is it?" "The restaurant. It's on Mulder's list of places he ate the day he was poisoned. I think we need to talk to Jenny Thompson." ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Reggie and Green arrived at the 'Thin Blue Line Cafe' to discover that Jenny Thompson had not been scheduled to work that day. They talked to the owner and asked him for employee records. The owner, Al Wystead, turned out to be an ex-cop, injured in the line of duty. He gladly opened his office to them. It didn't take long to establish that Ms. Thompson was absent from work on each day of the murders. When the picture of Jack was produced, the owner quickly verified that he was Jenny's boyfriend, Jack Carson. Agent Green put out an APB for Jenny Thompson as Reggie sent agents to both their homes to stake them out and talk to the neighbors. DMV records were searched to see if the woman owned a car and an APB was placed on that as well. Now all they needed to do was find Mulder. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ At nine o'clock the lights went out. One of their captors had turned it off from the switch outside the door. They huddled together in a corner. Mulder lay on his back, inspecting the ceiling, his head pillowed on the roll of toilet paper. Alice slept next to him, her small form a nestled warmth at his side. He drifted off at last, only to awaken with a jerk. A dream of losing another little girl pulled him back from peaceful slumber. Looking down, he saw that Alice had climbed into his coat with him to keep warm, her tiny hand clutching his shirt in her sleep. A trace of a smile crossed his features as he stared at her. Her inner strength had impressed him from the moment he spoke to her. Such a solemn child. How he had come to see her in the mirror, he had no idea. She certainly didn't seem to recognize him. His head hurt, his ribs ached, his hands had swollen up and the cuffs were cutting into his wrists. Reggie was going to kill him when he found him. If... he found him. Reggie would find him. They both knew better than to disappoint Emma. He had to keep telling himself that. They will come. They will come. Believe... Believe. Slowly he drifted off to sleep, again. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ It was after midnight and Reggie's tired eyes ached. Damn that Mulder. Stop for gas and get hijacked by a serial killer. Mulder luck. Dumb fucking Mulder luck. The stuff ought to be bottled and sold as a curse. 'Give it to your enemies,' he could hear the sideshow man hawking it like snake oil. Granted the man was brilliant, insightful, and right, ninety percent of the time, but, damn, he knew how to step in it. Reggie nearly jumped when the phone beside him rang. Snatching it off its cradle, he nearly yelled a 'Perdue' into the mouthpiece. "Agent Perdue. I just called to get an update." It was Walter Skinner. "Sorry, sir. Not alot yet. We found Carson's car. Apparently abandoned. The team has gone over it. Traces of Mulder's blood type were found in the back seat. I have men staking it out in case he comes back. No sign of Jenny Thompson or Carson. Neither has returned to their residences or to their workplaces. Something interesting though. Jenny Thompson's bank account has been growing by leaps and bounds lately. I have agents talking to the bank, tracing the source of the money." "No family reported paying ransom?" "No, sir." "You think someone could be paying her?" "It may be easier than that. It could be insurance money. I have feelers out on local insurance companies. No call-backs yet." Reggie rubbed his tired eyes. "Any word on Mulder yet?" "Not a one. It's like the earth opened up and swallowed him whole. I think I have a division out there searching for him by now. Something's bound to break." "Damn. I got the copy of his doctor's report and spoke to some of our experts here. From what they tell me, his reaction to the substance was pretty light. They tell me it could have been alot more dramatic." "MORE DRAMATIC! Hell's bells, sir, we were peeling him off the walls as it was." Reggie sighed heavily. "I'd hate to see what they called a dramatic reaction." Skinner was quiet a moment. "Apparently it usually results in a dead body. Or two. If you're lucky. Sometimes the patient has to be permanently institutionalized." "Shit." Reggie said quietly. "Count our blessings, I suppose." "My thoughts exactly." "Are there going to be any side effects that I need to warn the men about, sir?" "No. Apparently if you survive the initial trauma without physiological damage, the rest of the effects are transitory." Reggie snorted in disgust. "Where the hell did they get something like that?" "Do you want to know the street value?" "No," Reggie said in resignation. Reggie was quiet a moment, thinking. "How come you're still up, sir?" Perdue could almost see the tired smile over the phone. "I wanted to see if you found our boy yet. That and I wanted to know how you were holding up." "I'm okay. Just tired. Frustrated." There was a pause on the line. "And I'm going to kill him when I find him." Skinner chuckled. "Find him first. Any word on Simmons?" "Came through surgery just fine. I'm going to see him tomorrow. See if he can tell us anything more." Reggie shook his head tiredly. "I never should have sent a rookie out with Mulder." "You couldn't have known." Skinner needed to stop the self-recriminations before they started. "You know how Mulder is, he's a magnet for trouble. Some people are high maintenance and Mulder... he's higher maintenance." Reggie snorted at that. "Ain't that the truth." "Go to bed, Reggie. Get a fresh start in the morning." "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." "Goodnight, Reggie." Perdue heard the phone click as Skinner hung up. Reggie stood up with a stretch. Passing the front desk, he made sure they had his cellular phone number and his hotel number. "If anything comes in..." he started. "We know, sir. We'll call you if we hear of anything," the desk sergeant assured him. "Goodnight, sir." Reggie barely made it to the hotel room before he collapsed into bed. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Finally, he reached for the phone, dialing a familiar number. "Emma?" he said, when the line had been answered. The sound of her voice calmed him, like a fresh spring flowing over his soul. Quietly he told her what was going on and guaranteed her that he would make sure Mulder made it to the invited dinner. He would get him back. Emma's soft voice reassured him and she didn't really mind when he drifted off to sleep, the phone still clutched in his hands. She continued to speak to him until she heard his soft snores, then gently hung up the phone. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Mulder drifted slowly back to consciousness. 'Must be daylight already' he thought to himself. He could feel the warmth of the light and its brightness showed red behind his closed eyelids. Opening his eyes he looked past Alice and saw a woman. It wasn't Jenny or anyone else he knew. She appeared to glow with an inner light, her radiance lighting up the room. Mulder stared harder. He could see through her! He could clearly see the far wall and the outline of the door through her translucent body. In startled suprise, he tried to sit up, but she raised a restraining hand and he lay back down. That blow to his head must be worse than he thought. The woman gave him a gentle smile. "You found my Alice," she said at last. "W...w...who... who are you?" he stuttered. "Alice's mother." Mulder shook his head. "Alice's mother is dead." "Yes," she replied simply. "But how?" "I knew you believed. So, I sent you a message. To save my Alice." The woman looked fondly at the sleeping child. "That was you? How... how did you do that? I'm not psychic." "When these people drugged you, your resistance to receiving my message was lowered. And you believed. It made it possible for me to reach you." Mulder studied the apparition a moment. "I don't suppose you can open the door for us." Carol Glass gave him a tiny smile. "I'm sorry. I will be watching over you. I'll do whatever I can, but I have no mastery over the physical plane. Take care of my Alice." And with that the light seemed to dim and Alice's mother disappeared. 'Reggie is never going to believe this,' Mulder thought. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ The next morning Reggie awoke with a start. Sitting up, he rubbed the side of his head, which held an impression of the phone he had found still clutched in his hand. He smiled to himself at the memory of Emma's voice calming his frazzled nerves the night before. God, what would he do without her. Pressing the buttons on the phone he dialed the station. A quick conversation with the desk sergeant confirmed no new developments. Reggie thanked the woman and hung up. Getting up he stretched and headed for the bathroom. An hour later he was headed to the hospital. Stopping at the nurses station, he ascertained Agent Simmons' condition. Simmons was stable. Yes, he could receive visitors. Yes, he was awake. In fact, he was just having his breakfast. Reggie headed into the room. The young agent was propped up in bed, looking pale and sore. His shoulder was bandaged and he was managing to feed himself with one hand while the other arm was strapped to his side, an IV still attached to the back of his hand. He looked up as Reggie entered and nodded a 'Good Morning' to him. "How're you feeling this morning, Simmons?" "Better, sir." "Well enough to tell me what happened?" Simmons nodded and proceeded to fill him in. He described discovering they were low on gas and stopping at the station. Mulder had gone to hit the candy machine while Simmons had filled up the tank. He had heard Mulder shout from the service bay and had raced around the corner, saw Mulder struggling with a mechanic, before the weapon had discharged and he had been hit. He had come back to himself to find the station owner standing over him. Simmons had no idea where Mulder had gone. Reggie held up the photocopy of Jack Carson. "Is this the man you saw?" "Yes, sir." "Any idea what happened to Mulder?" "No, sir. I do know they were struggling for Mulder's gun, but with his hands the way they were..." Simmons held out his hand expressively. "I was shot with Agent Mulder's gun, sir." "Anything else, Simmons?" "I vaguely remember Mulder crying out and a car starting a little after that, then nothing." "Thank you, Simmons." Reggie rose from the chair. "Sir, have they found him yet?" "Not yet, son. But we will." "Yes, sir." "Get some rest now. I'll keep you updated." "Thank you, sir." "And, Simmons?" Simmons looked up. "Sir?" "What the hell is your first name?" Simmons grinned, the boyish smile lighting up his face. "Harold, sir. Everyone calls me Harry." "Get some rest, Harry." ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ It was ten o'clock before Reggie made it back to the precinct. He had just sat down when Donald Green walked through the door, a pile of messages in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Handing Reggie the coffee, he informed him of the latest developments. "The insurance database turned up something. Each of the victims had a policy drawn up in their names. I sent agents out to talk to the insurance brokers and it looks like they were not paid out to the same name. Different names, different brokers, different companies. Each policy has a different receiver's name on it, but the brokers' descriptions match the Thompson woman. She claimed she was using the policies for a future school fund for the kids. She also claimed to be related to each child. An aunt in most instances. The only one without a policy was Chrissie Beston. Someone may have just screwed up and nabbed the wrong kid by mistake." "Damn," Reggie swore softly, looking over the documents. "The payout amounts match the leaps in Thompson's bank account?" "Exactly, sir." The phone rang, interrupting them. "Perdue." It was the sergeant at the front desk. "Agent Perdue, we just got a report from one of our patrol cars. Seems they may have found Jenny Thompson's car." "Where?" "Outside an abandoned warehouse. Fifth and Elm. I have the officers keeping an eye on it until you arrive." "We're on our way." Reggie turned to Green, spouting orders a mile a minute. Five minutes later they were headed for Fifth and Elm. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Perdue and Green arrived at the site fifteen minutes later, their car skidding to a halt. Within ten minutes the place was surrounded and a swat team strategically placed. The faded sign on the side of the warehouse read, 'Mirror Image Storage Facility.' Reggie sat in the swat van listening to Frank Robbins, the team leader, co-ordinate the squad. Men in black flak jackets moved about purposefully. Reggie felt helpless, needing to take a backseat to other expertise. "Team one to team leader. Sighting confirmed. A man and a woman moving about in the warehouse. "Roger that, team one." Turning to Reggie the team leader said, "That's confirmation, Agent Perdue. Your suspects are inside." "Any sign of Agent Mulder or the child?" "Not yet, sir, but the blueprints describe several storage rooms. They may be located in one of them." Reggie nodded his agreement. Inside he just prayed they were both still alive. "Is your team set yet?" "Yes, sir. Set and ready to go, on your word." "Then it's a go." ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Inside the darkened room, Mulder awoke to the sound of the door unlocking. He struggled to sit up, but Alice was faster and slipped out from inside his jacket before clutching his arm in her small hands. Mulder knew the time table. Today was the day they would kill Alice. "Alice!" Mulder whispered urgently to the little girl. "If I tell you to run, run for the nearest door. Just as fast as you can, okay?" Alice acknowledged him with a swift nod of her head before the door swung open. In the doorway stood Jenny and Jack. "Rise and shine, my dears," Jenny called out. Jack stood beside her, pointing the gun in their direction. Jack stepped in and pulled Mulder to his feet, turning him around until he could wrap one meaty arm around Mulder's throat. Mulder's hands flew to Jack's forearm, insuring that Jack wasn't trying to choke him. But Jack just held him loosely before he gently tapped the barrel of the gun against Mulder's temple. "You're not gonna give us any problems this morning, are you?" Mulder swallowed nervously but stayed silent. Jack used his arm to knock Mulder's chin up, then placed his lips close to Mulder's ear and softly said, "That's a good boy." Mulder cringed away from the hot breath and he heard Jack chuckle behind him. "Move out!" Jenny ordered, leading the others out of the room. Mulder studied the situation. The only gun apparent was the one that Jack held. If he could distract Jack long enough, Alice might get away. Jenny was ahead of them, Alice behind her, walking in front of the two men. The dingy windows of the warehouse didn't let in much light and without the interior light on, the place was gloomy. What windows there were, were unreachable from the ground floor. No more than ten feet away from them was an emergency exit. But even if they got outside, he didn't know where they were or how far they were from any help. Just as Mulder was plotting his best strategies, the room was plunged into darkness. Everyone stopped and Mulder blinked in suprise. Reaching out to Alice in the dark, he pushed at her shoulder, "Run," he hissed at her. Alice took off like a shot, heading for the large door. Behind him, Jack roared to life, cursing loudly, he brought the gun up, aiming for the small fleeing figure. But the gun was knocked aside as Mulder pushed his arm away, throwing off his aim. They struggled a moment before Jack swung the butt of the gun against Mulder's head. Mulder sagged in his arms. They all winced as Alice slammed the push bar down and opened the door. The room was flooded with the brilliant morning sun as it bathed the interior with it's morning glow. Hands flew up in front of faces, trying to reduce the glare. Mulder heard Jenny's shoes slapping the concrete floor as she raced to catch the child. But Alice's small form didn't stop, didn't slow, barely registered the impact of the door. She raced out the exit and pumped her legs as hard as she could. Behind her she heard someone explode out the door as they followed her, curses and threats streaming from their lips. The crunch of the gravel grew closer and she prayed for another burst of energy from her too-short legs. She felt a tug at the ends of her hair as it fluttered out behind her, her breath catching in fright. 'Nononono' her mind sang out to her. 'Tooclosetooclosetooclose.' And suddenly there were arms catching her up. Alice screamed and struggled a moment before she realized it was not Jenny. This man was big and tall and was dressed all in black. He wore a helmet and goggles and carried a large rifle. The letters 'FBI' were printed across the back and the name Johansen was sewn above his right breast. Then she noticed the raised voices. "FBI! FREEZE! ON THE GROUND!" "It's okay. It's okay. It's okay." Johansen tried to reassure her, one arm still wrapped around her waist. She looked back and much to her suprise, there was Jenny, face down on the gravel, a dozen men surrounding her, guns drawn, while another placed handcuffs on her. Alice almost giggled at the sight, remembering how this woman was always so picky about her clothes. She looked up at the man. "Fox! Fox is still inside!" The man frowned at her a moment until he remembered the missing agent's name was Fox Mulder. "He's got Fox!" Alice insisted. "He's got Fox's gun." Looking up at the group around him, he called out a warning, "We've still got someone inside, people! Let's get out of the line of fire!" Jenny was lifted from the gravel and placed in the police van, armed men surrounding her. She shot a nasty glare in Alice's direction, but made no other moves toward the child. Johansen turned to the girl. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" "Fox is still in there. The big man has Fox." Alice insisted. Johansen put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. We'll get him out. Are you okay?" Alice nodded her head. "They didn't hurt me. I'm okay." "Can you tell me how many there are?" "Just the man now. It was just the man and her," Alice said, pointing in Jenny's direction. "He has the gun. And Fox." The swat member relayed the information to the team leader and minutes later Alice was sitting next to Reggie Perdue and Frank Robbins. They questioned her gently, wary of her harrowing experiences, before they released her into the hands of the paramedics. Alice had been insistent that they get Fox out and Reggie was determined to do just that. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Inside, Jack roughly pulled Mulder to his feet. Mulder staggered a little, still dazed by the blow to the head. Then they heard it, voices yelling "FBI! FREEZE! DOWN ON THE GROUND!" "Oh, shit," Jack cried. "Shit. Shit. Shit." Carson wrestled Mulder to the door and nudging it open with his foot, peered outside. Jenny was on the ground, surrounded by men armed with guns. "Jenny!" he cried softly, unheard. "Damnit!" he tightened his choke hold on Mulder, drawing him back against his body. Mulder began to cough before Jack relaxed his grip enough for him to breath again. They waited quietly a few moments until they heard a voice over the loud speaker interrupt their thoughts. "Carson, this is the FBI. Come out with your hands up." Carson didn't react. Mulder was silent, waiting. He wanted to see what Jack would do. Waiting for his moment to break free. Finally, Jack pushed him to the door, using Mulder as a shield. He kicked the door open and put the gun to Mulder's head. "Stay back or I kill him." Mulder could see the swat team, guns aimed in their direction. "You come in here and he's a dead man." "Let him go, Carson. You can't get away." "I'll kill him!" Jack screamed. All eyes were focused on the two men in the doorway. Johansen cursed under his breath. Mulder was in the way, they couldn't get a clean shot. Mulder and Carson squinted against the bright morning light. Suddenly, to their right, a bright light flared. Thinking the swat team had entered the building behind them, Jack swung his gun in the direction of the light. Mulder looked up to see Carol Glass, surrounded by luminescence so bright it outshone the sun. Carson panicked, seeing the strange figure, and started to unload his weapon at the apparition. Mulder made his move. Jabbing Jack in the stomach with his elbow, he dove for the opening. Carson swore aloud and swung the gun around, but before he could train the weapon on Mulder, a dozen sharp-shooting rifles opened fire. Carson crumpled into a bloody heap in the doorway. The light inside the warehouse faded away as if it never existed. Carol Glass was gone. Her child safe from these avaricious monsters. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Mulder blinked as the sun was blocked by bulky shadows. Hands reached down and brought him unsteadily to his feet. A dozen voices around him secured the area and asked if he was all right. Mulder mumbled his replies before he was lead over to the waiting ambulance. When Alice saw him she threw herself into his arms. Mulder flinched a little as she connected with his sore ribs but returned the embrace. He was grateful when someone finally removed the handcuffs, giving him the chance wrap his arms around the little girl as she wept into his chest. And that was how Reggie found them, paramedics working around the two to re-wrap Mulder's much-abused hands and dab antiseptic against the cut on his forehead. Reggie caught his eye and smiled at him, relieved that they had finally resolved this case. Perdue diverted his attention from Mulder long enough to thank the swat team. Calling to Donald Green, he sent him to contact Alice's father. "Have him meet us at the hospital," he called out to Green. ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Later that afternoon, Reggie walked into the room Mulder and Simmons shared. Mulder wasn't badly injured, but Doctor Saunders wanted to keep an eye on his ribs for a day or two. Reggie stopped at the door, watching the two agents argue over basketball teams. "But, if Jordan... Hey, Reg!" Mulder called out. "And how are you two today?" Mulder looked at Simmons. "I'm ready to get out of here, but I think Simmons, here, has fallen in love with Nurse Ratchet." Simmons gave him a mock glare. "It's not Ratchet, it's Flowers. Helen Flowers." "My mistake," Mulder grinned. "I think you just like her for her sponge baths." Simmons ears turned a interesting shade of red. "She's never given me a... " Simmons began to defend himself. "But you've thought about it, eh?" The blush rose further until Harry's face was pink. "Mulder, stop giving the boy a bad time. You could do with a life yourself." Simmons shot him a triumphant grin. "I have a life." Mulder stated. "Miss September doesn't count. You realize this won't get you out of Emma's dinner. Maybe she can help you get a REAL life with that girl she's trying to set you up with." "But, Reggie, I'm wounded." "No excuses. You know how she is. And, Simmons, why don't you ask Nurse Flowers to come." The blush had disappeared for Harry's face. "Yes, sir. I will, sir." "By the way, Jenny Thompson is being charged with four counts of murder and the kidnappings of Alice Glass and Chrissie Beston. With everything we've collected, the District Attorney doesn't see any problem with getting a conviction." "And Carson?" "Didn't make it. He was dead at the scene. Mulder... I meant to ask you. When we were outside, the swat team had cut the power, but we all saw a bright light inside the building. Do you know what that was?" Mulder's smile froze on his face. He knew what it was, but there was no way he could tell them it was Alice's mother. Not without them permanently locking him up and throwing away the key. "I think it was just a latent power surge. Must have burned out a transformer in the building." Mulder lied smoothly. Reggie frowned a little. He could tell Mulder was lying, but couldn't tell why. "Yeah, that was probably it," Reggie quietly agreed. "How's Alice?" "She's fine. That is one great kid. Said she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. I hope she's okay if they put her on the witness stand." "She'll be okay, Reggie. The kid has one hell of a guardian angel." Reggie smiled and nodded his head. 'And so do you, Mulder. So do you.' ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ The End ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ send all comments to: kmspider@aol.com