See disclaimers and notes in Part One.

---------------------------

Seconds
By Tiramisu

Part Seven:

He used to think of himself as an intellectual. Dispassionate, collected, open-minded. Oxford-educated and Quantico-trained. Dedicated to the pursuit of the truth. Beyond the influence of the mundane and the physical.

He used to think of himself that way, years ago.

But that was before he discovered that every synaptic connection in his brain could be overridden by a pair of sleepy green eyes in the morning, that logic and reason gave way under the pressure of warm wet kisses. Before he learned that the right words in the right voice could persuade him to do or say or forgive anything.

Before Alex.

Last night, Alex had confessed. Of all the things that Mulder suspected Alex to be capable of, Alex had confessed to the worst.

It should have changed everything.

But Mulder lay there, propped up on one arm, tracing the pattern of the early morning sunlight on his lover's skin, knowing that he just couldn't lose this again.

It should have changed everything.

But it changed nothing.

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

The chirp of a cell phone pierced his sleep. But before Alex could reach for the offending object, the shrill sound stopped, and the phone was resting against his ear. From behind, Fox drew him close, spooning their bodies from shoulder to toe. The older man's hand held the phone in place as Alex spoke.

"Yeah?"

Smith's voice came through the phone line to him. "Good morning, Alex. Did I wake you?"

"Yeah," Alex admitted. "But that's okay. What time is it?"

"Ten minutes past nine," Smith told him. Fox's voice murmurred the same answer into Alex's neck, following it up with a soft bite.

Alex angled his head back, encouraging more of the same.

The healer was still speaking into the phone. "If you or Mr. Mulder could bring my pick-up over here, I'd appreciate it. I have some errands to run this afternoon."

Alex yawned, then made a vague affirmative noise into the phone. "We'll be there in half an hour or so, Jem. You need a change of clothes?"

Smith accepted the offer with thanks, and closed the connection. Alex shrugged his shoulders to bump the phone from his ear. "Thanks, Fox," he mumbled. "Hang up for me?"

Fox did, asking, "Why'd you tell him we'd be there so soon? I've been waiting for you to wake up for a hour now, just so we can grab a shower."

With a chuckle, Alex rolled onto his back, settling his head in the crook of his lover's arm. Smiling, he gave a leisurely stretch. "We still can," he told him. "Smith just wants us to run the truck over there so he can get some errands done. We'll have the place to ourselves all afternoon."

He studied the other man's hazel eyes thoughtfully, recognizing in them a peace he hadn't seen in years. A peace he felt in himself for probably the first time in his life.

"We're alright now, aren't we?" he asked, though it wasn't really a question to him. The clear gaze in Fox's eyes had already answered that for him.

Still, he grinned more broadly as the other man nodded. "Yeah," Fox told Alex, leaning in to kiss him. "We're fine."

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

You could learn a lot about someone by combing through his possessions, Mulder discovered during that week. When they'd first become involved, six years earlier, Alex had owned only a handful of personal effects - his watch, his wallet, a number of pens and pencils to go with the little pocket notebooks he had carried back then. His clothes, like most of his belongings, were generic store-bought items. Nothing for the profiler in Mulder to latch onto; learning about Alex demanded more from the soul than from the mind.

His belongings were still small in number, but they reflected the strange and sometimes harsh turns Alex Krycek's life had taken. Heavy workboots, expensive shoes, worn jeans and Italian silk shirts, an assortment of keys and currency. Maps and guidebooks, an almanac, an atlas. Tubes of gel for his artificial arm. The laptop. And weapons.

A hand-held computer device drew Mulder's attention, and he tossed it onto the bed to ask Alex about later. They had agreed that there would be no more secrets, and Mulder intended to hold Alex to that promise.

He looked around the room, satisfied. All of Alex's things were now in here with his own few possessions. He'd framed the photograph of them, replaced it on the bureau with a pensive smile. He'd taken it with him to the Gulf - for luck, really - but he'd never expected Alex to notice its absence, much less to have been hurt by it. He'd thought of it as his, that picture; now, like everything else in the room, it was theirs.

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

"No, just get out of there, then," Alex was saying into the cell phone. Mulder paused in the bedroom doorway, but the younger man heard him. Alex turned, extended his hand for Mulder to take. Crossing into the room, Mulder took the offered hand and let Alex draw him close.

Into the phone, Alex said, "Yeah, okay…I'll check with you later." Disconnecting the line, he tossed the cell phone lightly onto the bed and turned his attention to Mulder.

"That didn't sound like good news," Mulder remarked. His arms slid loosely around Alex's waist. "What's up?"

Alex shook his head. "That was Lizzie. Scully fired her."

"For what?" Mulder wanted to know. "You said she was doing fine there."

"Scully caught her switching pills on her."

"Switching pills?" Mulder repeated, suspicious. "Switching what pills? I thought she was only there to keep an eye out for trouble."

"She was," Alex assured him. "But the folks at Wiekamp had her substituting some kind of enhanced supplement for whatever vitamins Scully's taking. It's perfectly safe," he added with confidence.

Mulder doubted that, but he didn't want to get into another argument with Alex about Scully. If the pills had been issued by the Wiekamp people, they weren't likely to be dangerous. The military scientists there had too much reason to want to keep Scully - or at least her baby - safe and well.

He looked into the troubled green eyes of his lover. "So what happens now?"

"I'm not sure," Alex admitted. "Right now, Lizzie is being interrogated by Agent Doggett. Your double is there, too, keeping an eye on things." That should be reassuring, thought Mulder, but the disturbed look remained in the other man's eyes.

"And…?" Mulder prompted.

"And Doggett still trusts Rohrer and that Crane guy," Alex pointed out. "If he passes along the wrong information…"

Mulder didn't need to hear the rest. If the replicants were tipped off to the truth about Scully's baby, they'd kill her before she could give birth. And Rohrer would kill Alex for the lie.

"Is Jem still downstairs?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Mulder told him. "He's waiting on a phone call before he heads to the compound."

Alex took Mulder's hand and led him out of the room. "Come on," he said. "We need to figure something out. The way things are going, this whole thing is going to blow up in our faces."

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

Smith stood at the window, his back to the other two men. There were times that Alex envied the healer's utter calmness during such chaotic times. But then, he reflected, maybe it was easier to remain calm when you possessed the ability to change shape or to heal. Hell of a lot more calming than the gun in Alex's pocket, anyway.

"Scully's baby is the only one who's currently safe," Smith reminded them. "The replicants are not going to allow anyone to interfere with that baby coming to term, as long as they believe it to be a hybrid."

"Right," Alex agreed, "But at this point, who knows how long that will be? Doggett trusts Rohrer and Crane. For all we know, he'll tell them everything Lizzie's just told him. Who knows what the hell can happen." He glanced at Fox, reading the concern in his eyes.

Smith turned, studying first Alex, then Fox. "Do either of you think that you can convince Agent Doggett to believe you if you speak to him?"

Alex looked at Fox, who shrugged.

"Well, I don't know how well he thinks he gets along with me," Fox answered. "I've only met him on the Orpheus, but he's been interacting with the clone for weeks now. But I can try to talk to him."

Smith nodded, and turned to Alex. "Your run-ins with Agent Doggett haven't been very productive so far, have they?"

"I haven't killed him yet, if that's what you're worried about." Alex scowled, but he had to admit to himself that it was true. And Smith himself wouldn't be able to talk to Doggett; the healer's face was still on a Wanted poster, since the arrests in Montana.

Fox, glancing again at Alex, had apparently followed the same train of thought. With that strange gleam in his eye that always unsettled Alex, Fox said, "Well, then. I guess it's me. I can head down to DC right now…"

"Hold on, doll," Alex warned. "You're not going anywhere right now. Not alone, anyway."

But to his surprise, Smith was already walking toward the coat closet in the hallway. "Actually, gentlemen," he declared, "I think it would be best if we all head down there."

Alex and Fox looked at each other, then at the older man. Grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair, Fox said, "Alright, then. Let's go."

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

Mulder was at the wheel, the once-familiar streets feeling strangely surreal in the wet night. He hadn't realized before just how comfortable he'd become with the peaceful dark nights of their temporary Pennsylvania home.

Beside him Smith rode, eyes closed, though Mulder knew the man wasn't asleep. In the back seat sat Alex, leaning forward, eyes intent upon the DC landscape.

The J. Edgar Hoover building lay just ahead. Mulder guided the Lexus into the lower level of the parking garage, drawing up into one of the many spaces left vacant in the early evening. Ahead of him, a concrete pillar identified this area of the garage as North 2. The surveillance camera attached to it hummed harmlessly.

"You're sure those things aren't working?" Mulder queried, pointing to the camera.

"Positive," Alex assured him. "They've been down for a month now. It wouldn't matter, anyway," he added. "The head of security answers to me."

Mulder raised a suspicious eyebrow at his lover through the rear-view mirror. "Nanobots?"

Alex shrugged lightly. "I do what I have to, Fox."

Giving the garage a quick scan and noticing nothing unusual, Mulder made a move to unlock the car door. "Just be careful," he cautioned Alex. "The people you use those on - they may do what you tell them, but they'd be happy to see you dead."

"Let 'em join the club," Alex muttered.

Mulder grabbed the door handle.

"Wait." Alex's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "It's over there." Gesturing with a nod of his head, Alex indicated a figure emerging from the westside stairwell. Mulder and Smith automatically glanced in the direction the younger man indicated.

Mulder caught his breath, stunned. He'd known about the clone, had heard from Alex just how like Mulder it was; he'd remembered, even without Alex's cautions, that he'd have to be careful not to be seen at the same time as his double.

But nothing had really prepared him for this moment, seeing himself - himself - walking across the FBI parking garage. It was eerie.

Smith peered in interest out the windshield. "Looks as though he's going somewhere in a hurry," he noted. "If Agent Doggett is available, this may be a good time to speak with him."

Alex nodded, catching Mulder's eye. "Would that work for you? If you'd rather, we can wait until Doggett leaves, then follow him home like we planned."

"No," Mulder told him, "I'll be fine. Besides, the sooner we warn Doggett, the less chance he has to tip off Rohrer." Across the parking lot, the clone had let himself in to a Ford sedan. Mulder squinted through the tinted windows to see it.

"God," he murmurred.

Smith gave him a quick, almost amused glance, then turned to Alex.

"You'd better follow it," he suggested. "I'll stay here and wait for Mr. Mulder. If the clone comes back, let us know."

"Alright." Alex climbed easily out of the back seat, as Mulder and Smith let themselves out of the Lexus.

Mulder stared for a moment at Alex before stepping aside to give the younger man access to the driver's seat. Behind him, he heard another engine start up, and realized that the clone was about to leave the garage.

"Good luck," Alex murmurred. Mulder nodded and stepped away from the car. He stood there with Smith as the car backed up and swung smoothly down the garage ramp.

"Well, Mr. Mulder," Smith spoke, once the Lexus was out of sight. "Are you ready to visit Agent Doggett?"

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

Alex realized where they were going, long before the clone parked across the street from the front entrance of Scully's building. Not surprising, he figured. That clone was becoming more protective of Scully than Mulder himself was, now. But then, Alex was himself feeling more protective of Scully than he used to. Maybe there really was something about babies…

The Ford was parked across the street from the apartment building, just in back of Scully's car. Alex pulled the Lexus up a few spaces behind them. The rain had stopped for the moment; Alex switched off his windshield wipers, but left the car idling as he leaned back. He suspected that he might have a long wait ahead of him.

He was wrong.

The entire building suddenly went dark. Alex leaned forward again, trying to see what had happened. None of the other buildings on the block were dark; this was no blackout. It was possible, he knew, that something had happened in the building's electrical system, something perfectly innocent, but Alex Krycek wasn't quick to trust in innocent explanations. As he stared, most of the building's lights came back on. Scully's remained off. Alex threw open the car door and climbed out.

He stood there, listening. His trained ears automatically tuned out irrelevant sounds, closed in on the clatter of rusty iron.

Fire escape.

Leaving his vehicle idling, Alex moved down the block, passing the front steps of the building, continuing on until he faced the alley which housed the back entrance to Scully's apartment building.

There they were. Mulder's double was hurrying Scully down the fire escape stairs, the cast-iron railings swaying slightly under their weight. Alex guessed that they would head for the clone's car. He glanced both ways along the wet street, ready to provide cover if needed. He withdrew the Glock from his pocket and backed slowly along the block.

The form visible in the front entrance hallway wouldn't normally have attracted Alex's attention. Its movement was slow, almost leisurely; nothing about it indicated that it was chasing anyone, let alone the two figures letting themselves down the final ladder of the fire escape stairs.

But in the dim light from the hall, Alex recognized the face of the pursuer.

Billy Miles.

Alex broke into a run back to the Lexus.

It was another long minute before Scully and the clone emerged from the alley and scurried across the street. They ran not to the Ford, but to Scully's car, directly in front of it. Billy Miles was descending the front steps, his pace measured and deliberate.

Get in there, Alex thought anxiously. Get in the damn car!

Billy Miles paused on the sidewalk, then continued toward the couple.

Scully and the clone were in the car now. Alex could hear the the cold choking of the engine trying to turn over.

Billy Miles continued along the sidewalk.

The car pulled forward, then backward, then forward again, its fenders slamming into the vehicles in front and back. It was hemmed in by the other cars.

They weren't going to make it, Alex thought. They don't have time.

Billy Miles stepped out into the street.

Damn.

Alex shot the Lexus forward and out onto the street in one fluid movement.

The body of the replicant wasn't thrown by the impact. It dropped heavily to the ground. Alex ran the Lexus solidly into it, then backed up sharply, taking the tires over it a second time.

His vehicle was nearly parallel with Scully's. Lowering the Lexus' side window, he leaned forward and peered into the agent's car.

Mulder's clone, its stunned expression so like Fox's own, was staring at him. It looked as though he couldn't quite recognize Alex. In the passenger seat, Scully sat dazed.

"We haven't got much time," Alex warned them. "Get in."

For a moment, neither Scully nor the clone moved. Alex threw another glance at the replicant; its face was bloody, but it was slowly pulling itself up onto its knees.

Scully stared out the windshield, seeing the same thing. Alex could read the uncertainty on her face. He felt sorry for her, really; all of her scientific platitudes couldn't begin to explain away the being in front of her eyes.

"Mulder?" she mumbled.

Alex shot one more look at the replicant. In the other car, the clone was still staring at him, Fox's suspicious frown on its face. Alex's patience snapped.

"Let's go!" he ordered sharply.

His shout woke the other two from their daze. Hurriedly, they scrambled into the Lexus, Fox's doppelganger taking the seat beside Alex. Slamming on the gas pedal, Alex threw the car into reverse and pulled away from the replicant.

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

Mulder braced himself as the elevator doors parted, but there was nothing out of the ordinary in the garage. He made his way silently toward the pillar where Smith waited for him. The older man stepped out of the shadows and greeted him easily.

"Were you able to speak with Agent Doggett?" Smith asked him.

Mulder shook his head. "He's not in the building, as near as I can tell. I've been searching it for the past hour…"

"He arrived just a couple of minutes ago," Smith informed him. "I had no way to reach you to let you know. You must have just missed each other."

That figures, Mulder thought.

Aloud he said, "Alright. I'll go back in and try again. You know," he added in a tone he knew Alex would recognize, "I need a cell phone. You and Alex have them. I want one, too."

Smith opened his mouth to speak, but instead paused and held up a hand for silence. Mulder frowned, listening. The healer nudged him, signalling the concrete pillar, and the two men hid behind it as an automobile sped through the garage, coming to a perfectly aligned stop in one of the empty parking spaces near the elevator corridor. Even if Mulder hadn't recognized the Lexus, he would have known Alex's driving anywhere.

He made a move to step forward, but Smith stopped him. "Wait," the older man hissed at him. "He's not alone."

Mulder peeked around the edge of the pillar, across the garage to where his lover stood. Smith was right; as Mulder watched, two other individuals exited the car. One Mulder recognized as his double, and again the eerie feeling from earlier tonight washed over him. But as he watched, the clone pulled open the rear door and assisted a red-headed female out of the back seat.

Scully.

Good God, she really is pregnant.

For a moment everything else left his mind, and a rush of happiness swept over him. He'd wanted this for her, because she'd wanted it so badly. In that instant, he remembered how much Alex had risked to keep her safe - and how he and his lover had argued over that - because Alex knew how much Mulder cared about Scully. It was this feeling that Alex was referring to, this moment he'd wanted to preserve.

God, I love him, Mulder thought.

But he couldn't go over to him now to say so. Alex was heading, along with Scully and the clone, toward the west-end elevator; it looked as though Alex were going to accompany the other two into the building. To Skinner's office?

Silently, Mulder and Smith slipped forward, claiming a new hiding place behind an unmarked white van. From there, they could see into the short corridor leading to the elevators. They strained to hear, but there was no conversation among the three people they observed.

The elevator doors opened with a soft whoosh and a ping that echoed across the nearly empty garage to where Smith and Mulder hid. Cocky as ever, Alex strode onto the elevator with the agents, no sign of his claustrophobic reaction evident.

Mulder glanced at Smith as the doors closed. "What do you think?"

"I think," Smith told him, "that it's going to be a long night."

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

Alex glanced over again at Scully. She wasn't quite ready to fall apart, but the strain was definitely taking its toll on her. She looked tired, and frightened. He felt bad for her.

She was the only one in the room who had that effect on him at the moment, however. Skinner hovered over him, refusing to sit, agressively suspicious of Alex. Feeling safer in a crowd, Alex figured. He dismissed the assistant director with a sneer.

Doggett, leaning against Skinner's desk, had made it clear earlier in the evening that he didn't believe anything Alex was trying to tell them. And nothing in his demeanor suggested that he'd had any conversation with Mulder.

Directly in front of Alex stood the clone of Fox Mulder. During the drive over here from Scully's apartment, no one had spoken a word. But once they had reached Skinner's office, the clone had taken on a more voluble personna. There were instants when Alex would forget that this wasn't actually Fox here with him.

"I don't believe this crap," Doggett was saying. "I don't believe you're all sitting around here listening to it even when you know this man's a liar. Worse than that."

Alex looked at Doggett, annoyed, then turned to the others. "You can believe what you want but I don't think you can take the chance that I'm wrong."

No one responded for a moment. Alex could see the concern in the clone's face, though, when he looked at Scully. There was something genuine there. McCarniss may not be sure how trustworthy his pet is, Alex thought, but I have a feeling that Scully can rely on this thing. The thought was almost reassuring.

But something still had to be done to get Scully to safety. "There is no hospital that's safe enough," Alex pointed out, looking from Scully to the clone. "She may never even make it out of this building."

Doggett interrupted him. "Why don't you just shut up?"

Alex swung his eyes to the agent; in that instant, he would have killed the man.

But Mulder's clone interrupted quickly. "Agent Doggett."

Alex and Doggett both turned to the speaker.

"Get on the phone," Fox's double ordered. "If we're going to get Scully out of here we're going to need some help." It - he? - turned hazel eyes on Alex, and for a moment Alex had the strange feeling that this was really Fox, pleased with himself for catching Alex as he just had.

Alex had to turn away. He glanced back at Doggett.

The agent was still scowling, but he had drawn out his cell phone. Skinner looked to Fox's doppelganger with curiosity. "What, exactly, do you have in mind?"

"We need to get her past Billy Miles. He already knows what Krycek and I look like, and he may have seen you and Doggett by now. We need someone from outside."

"Who do you want me to call?" Doggett questioned.

"Monica Reyes," the clone answered him. "She hasn't spent much time in DC. There's a chance that Billy Miles hasn't learned about her yet."

Doggett nodded. "She's in New Orleans, though. We'll have a bit of a wait."

The clone looked at Alex, and again Alex had the sense that this was actually his Fox standing here with him, waiting for him to agree or opine. The feeling was unsettling. He turned his attention briefly to Scully, then back to the clone.

"So we wait," he agreed, eying the clone warily.

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

Hours were going by, with no word from Alex. Mulder began pacing the garage. What the hell was going on up there? he wondered. Why doesn't Alex come down here to fill us in?

He paused near the Lexus. Turning to Smith, he suggested for the fourth time that night, "I think I should go up there and see what's going on."

"You'll only make everything more difficult for Alex if you do," Smith pointed out. "He's got enough to do right now."

So Mulder waited.

The parking garage covered the full city block; Mulder, during the past four hours, had roamed every foot of it. From where he and Smith now hid, the entrance and exit ramps were to their right, separated from them by nearly three-quarters of the length of the garage, but still in view. The corridor which held the elevators and stairs lay ahead of the men. To their right was another stairwell, this one used as a fire exit.

Mulder stared out at the night. The rain had started again, a fine cool mist that chilled him inside his jacket.

He never used to mind the night.

"Perhaps you should sit in the car for awhile, Mr. Mulder," Smith advised. "It…"

The soft but unmistakeable sound of the elevator doors opening carried through the garage. Both men instinctively pulled back into the shadows, hiding behind one of the supporting pillars. Mulder had expected, had hoped for, Alex. But he remained in hiding, watching.

The figure that emerged from the corridor turned to his right hurriedly, never noticing Mulder and Smith. He headed toward the upper level of the garage where, Mulder knew, the FBI fleet of cars would be. As the figure moved along the garage and out of sight, Mulder turned to Smith.

"That was Doggett," he told him.

The older man nodded.

Mulder stepped forward. "This may be my best chance to talk to him," he said. "Maybe I can catch him before he leaves." He glanced quickly at Smith. "You wait here, and I'll be back as soon as I can…"

"No," Smith hissed, grabbing Mulder's jacket. He nodded his head toward the entrance ramp. "Someone's coming."

Mulder watched the cab pull in to the garage. It sped up one aisle, turned, and began driving more slowly down the second aisle, coming to a stop almost in front of Mulder and Smith. A tan fleet car pulled up alongside it, and Agent Doggett alighted.

The dark-haired woman letting herself out of the taxi was a stranger to Mulder. Doggett paid her cabfare and sent the cab driver on his way. The woman spoke to Doggett, but Mulder couldn't make out the words. He did hear Doggett, though, as the agent brought his cell phone to his ear.

"Okay," he said. "Bring her down."

Her.

Scully?

Mulder turned to Smith, intending to ask him. But the older man's eyes were trained on the cab nearing the exit ramp. Or rather, just beyond.

Billy Miles.

Before Mulder could speak, the cab screeched and swerved. It looked, to Mulder, as though the cab had struck Billy, but the boy continued walking as though nothing had happened.

It's true, then, he thought. Billy Miles is a replicant. Mulder watched, horrified but fascinated, as the boy headed for the elevator corridor.

"Mulder! Skinner! He's in the garage!" Doggett's voice broke through, startling Mulder into action. He jumped up, ready to run forward. But Smith pulled him back by the arm and silenced him with those determined blue eyes.

"He doesn't mean you," Smith reminded him in a whisper.

Doggett was hollering into the phone even as he ran toward the elevators. "Go back! Go back!"

He wasn't fast enough, though. Billy Miles reached the corridor ahead of him.

Mulder moved to run forward, but Smith again stopped him. "Stay put!" the older man ordered.

"But we can help," Mulder argued, pulling away.

"If you're seen at the same time as that clone, your life is in danger. And if Alex has to protect you, he won't be able to protect Scully. Leave them be!"

Mulder stopped, glanced in the direction of the corridor again. The woman, whoever she was, was returning to the fleet car. Mulder drew reluctantly back into the shadows beside Smith, as the unknown woman steered the vehicle toward the elevators. Doggett still waited at the mouth of the corridor. The garage fell into silence.

Billy Miles was somewhere in the building.

With a glance at Smith, Mulder settled into a crouching position and waited.

It was unbearable, hiding in the safety of a shadow while his lover was God-knows-where.

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

Alex drew a relieved breath as the elevator doors closed. From the relative calm of the fifth-floor hallway, he watched the elevator's descent on the register.

They should be able to get her out of here, then, he thought. Now I've just got to go let Fox and Smith know what's going on. Fox must be going crazy right now, Alex thought with a grin.

He was headed for the door to the stairs when the elevator drew back up.

He turned in time to see the elevator door open, revealing Skinner, Scully and the clone.

"Hey, look who's back," he began, but Skinner cut him off.

"He's in the building."

No need to ask who 'he' was.

He's in the building.

Alex felt his blood chill.

The elevator doors started to close, but the clone reached out to prevent it. His eyes met Alex's.

Alex swallowed, returning the gaze. "What do you want me to do?"

"You're going to protect her," the clone told him, pushing Scully gently out of the elevator. The woman stepped past the doors and turned, dazed, to look at Fox's double. But she said nothing.

The elevator doors closed again.

Alex looked at Scully. Her usual tough shell was gone; at that moment she was no longer a scientist, a doctor, or an agent. She was just an ordinary woman, frightened for her child.

"Come on," he told her softly. "We'll get you out of here yet."

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

It was probably only a few minutes later that Alex emerged from the corridor with Scully in tow. To Mulder it seemed much longer. As he and Smith watched, Alex released Scully, who was assisted by Doggett and the other woman to the passenger seat of the waiting car. Even from this distance, Mulder could see that Scully was distraught. He wanted to run over and comfort her, talk with her, find out what he could do to help - anything. But he didn't. He couldn't risk it, not without knowing where in the Hoover building his double was. He remained with Smith, hiding.

Alex never looked in their direction. He stood slightly behind Doggett, watching as the dark-haired woman tucked Scully into the fleet car and let herself into the driver's seat. Doggett observed the women in silence; Alex appeared to speak, but Mulder was too far away to hear what his lover said.

The car drove off.

I may never see her again, Mulder realized with a shock.

Wish I could've at least said good-bye.

Smith's hand on his shoulder broke through Mulder's reverie. The older man nodded mutely toward the exit ramp, where Scully and her companion had been brought to a stop. The man waving his arms in front of them didn't appear to be threatening, though; he merely kept them waiting a moment as he turned to direct another vehicle past them along the street. From what Mulder could see, it looked like a sanitation truck.

The fellow then waved Scully's travel car along. The entire event would have been unremarkable if not for the tension in the air, and in the voice of the unknown man as he ordered the fleet car out onto the avenue.

Once the car was out of sight, Mulder returned his gaze to the two men near the elevators. Agent Doggett had turned to face Alex, but Mulder couldn't tell if any words were exchanged. As he watched, Doggett turned again and walked away from Alex, heading with a quick stride for the exit ramp. Mulder's eyes trailed the agent until he was out of sight.

"He's going to talk with Crane."

Mulder spun around, startled, as Alex's hand touched his arm. He'd forgotten how silently his lover could move.

"That was Crane?" he asked. "The one that stopped them?"

Alex nodded.

Smith frowned thoughtfully, looking off into the direction the two bureau agents had disappeared. "Do you know what he intends to talk with him about?" Smith inquired.

"No," Alex confessed. "But I doubt we'll have a chance now to get Doggett alone. He's going to stay here tonight, along with Skinner and your double. They're waiting to hear from Reyes," he told the men, nodding at Mulder. "You two may as well go home. I'll hang around here for the rest of the night. I've got to head to Wiekamp in the morning anyway. But I can just take a bureau car for that."

'Take' a bureau car? Mulder wondered. He resisted the urge to ask the question aloud, instead addressing his other concern. "Where was Scully being taken?"

Alex shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know. Only Doggett and Reyes know. They think that'll keep her safe," he explained. It didn't sound to Mulder as if Alex agreed with their suppositions. Mulder himself certainly didn't.

"This Reyes - that's the woman who's driving her?" he asked Alex.

"Yeah," the younger man confirmed. "She's an agent out of New Orleans. Monica Reyes."

"Is she trustworthy?" Smith wanted to know.

Nodding again, Alex said, "As far as I can tell. She's got a decent track record, too. Investigates ritualistic crimes, mainly, but seems open to just about anything. We may be able to use her down the road."

Mulder frowned at the choice of words, but knew that his lover was probably right.

Alex yawned. "Look. In a couple of hours it'll be light. Why don't you two go on home? I'll catch up to you tomorrow."

"No," Mulder argued. "Sooner or later we ought to be able to get to Doggett. If he's staying at the bureau all night, then he may not have a chance to meet with anyone but you three. So even if I can't catch him until tomorrow, there's still time to convince him not to talk to Rohrer."

"He's talking to Crane right now," Alex reminded his lover. "That may be as good as talking to Rohrer - I don't know. But at this point, talking to Doggett may not be good enough."

Mulder scowled. "But it could still do some good," he pointed out. "I think I should stay and try."

Beside him, Smith nodded softly. "I agree," he said. "Mr. Mulder and I will remain here until Mr. Mulder can find an opportunity to speak to Agent Doggett alone."

Mulder nodded, grateful for the support.

"But you do have a point, Alex," the older man continued. "We need to find out what Knowle Rohrer has learned. If Billy Miles is pursuing Agent Scully, it could be either to be sure she delivers, or to be sure she does not. You may be able to find out which it is, if you go about it carefully."

"What good would that do?" Mulder demanded. "Even if the replicants have found out the truth, we've still got no way to stop them…"

Smith explained, "We would know that the threat existed. Alex could alert Wiekamp to it."

"Wiekamp already knows," Alex reminded the healer. "That's why they've been trying to put clones around these women. To keep guard and tip them off when extra help is needed."

"Alex, that tactic hasn't been working," Smith pointed out. "Mulder's clone has been acting on his own. You said so yourself."

Alex turned his eyes from Smith to Mulder. Both men knew what Smith was about to suggest; both men dreaded it.

"Alex," Smith inquired coolly, "when can you meet with Rohrer again?"

Mulder flinched. He desperately wanted to argue against this. Every one of his cells was screaming to put a stop to this. If the replicant has discovered that Alex lied to him, Alex wouldn't live through the meeting.

But Mulder, like Alex, had agreed now to do what was necessary to their cause. He kept silent and waited for his lover's response.

Alex closed his eyes, thinking. When he opened them again, there was no sign of unease.

"Tomorrow," he told them. "When I get back from Wiekamp."

"Good," Smith said. "Hopefully, he won't have learned the truth yet. We may be fine, as long as he doesn't learn about Scully's baby for another day or so."

Mulder frowned. "Why?" he wanted to know.

"Because," Smith told him, "I was paying attention to Agent Scully when Alex brought her down here."

Alex and Mulder glanced uncertainly at each other, then turned back to Smith.

"So?" Alex asked.

"So," Smith explained simply, "I think there's a very good chance that by this time tomorrow, Agent Scully may be a mother."

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