Summary: It's the existence of alternate universes instead of aliens that Mulder believes will lead him to finding his long lost sister.

Rated PG

Disclaimer: This story uses the characters and situations created by Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and Fox Broadcasting. It also uses the characters and situations created by Tracy Torme, St. Claire Entertainment and Fox Broadcasting. Although used without permission, no infringement is intended. All other contents are copyrighted to the author.

This story is based on the original Slider characters from the first year or two when the show was on the Fox Network. For those of you who are completely unfamiliar with the show, I've included a description taken from the Fox web page:

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What if you found a portal to a parallel universe? What if you could slide into a thousand different worlds where it's the same year and you're the same person, but everything else is different? And what if you can't find your way home?

Now, what if Fox Mulder and Dana Scully resided in a world where the existence of extraterrestrials was never a topic of conversation, but the idea of traveling to parallel universes is an issue for government involvement and cover-up?

What if....

A Sliders X-File
by Fran Glass aka [email protected]
http://members.aol.com/dynojet/foreverx/

Chapter 1 of 8

Highway 1941
Butts County, Georgia
Oct. 16, 1996 11:34 p.m.

Earl Ray Jackson pulled his truck to a stop along the dark, deserted highway. Nature was calling. He got out and strolled a few short feet into the bushes. The five beers he had consumed at Dixie's Bar & Grill were taking their sweet time exiting his body. As he stood there emptying his bladder, a sudden gust of wind blew in from behind. It wasn't a chilling wind, which is what he would have expected on this cool, southern night. Instead, it was a blast of thermal air which caused the trees to rustle wildly and lose more of their leaves. The warm wind itself wasn't enough to cause him alarm, but added to the glowing ball of light that appeared out of nowhere and the unusual whirling sound that grew louder with each second, alarm wasn't far off.

Earl hastily zipped his pants and headed back towards his pickup. No more than twenty feet away from his vehicle, he saw it. It hovered in the middle of the road, a giant circle of swirling blue and white light. He stood and stared as a small opening developed in the center of the circle. It widened quickly, creating a whirlpool effect. He would have run if he could have. He would have gotten into his truck and floored it all the way home. But he was frozen solid with fear. They had come for him and he knew it. There was no running away.

As he stared at the ever-widening vortex, waiting to be sucked into it, he saw a shadow appear. It moved quickly, out of control, tumbling onto the grassy shoulder of the road. The first shadow was followed by a second of about the same size, then a third much smaller one, and by a forth much larger one. As soon as the vortex had expelled the four shadows, it shrank quickly in size and disappeared altogether.

"Is everybody all right?" Earl heard one of the shadows speak as they began to stand and dust themselves off.

"I'm still in one piece," came the reply from a female's voice.

"The only thing injured is my dignity," a deep, baritone voice declared.

"Uh oh, guys," said one. "Looks like we've got company."

If Earl hadn't just done it in the bushes, he was sure he would have done it at that instant. With the ultra bright, swirling light no longer silhouetting them, the dirty headlights of his pickup were better able to illuminate the four visitors. The three men and one woman walked slowly his way.

"Hi," said the tall, younger man in a none-threatening manner. "I know this might look a little odd, but I can explain everything. What's your name?"

"Ea-a-rl... Earl Ray."

"Nice to meet you, Earl Ray. I'm Quinn. These are my friends Wade, Rembrant and Professor Arturo." As he introduced them, they each gave a signal of greeting. Then he held his palm out in a friendly gesture. He saw Earl's shaking hand come up to meet his. On contact, however, Earl's eyes rolled back in his head and his body collapsed to the ground. Quinn grabbed the man's hand and cushioned his descent.

"Is he all right?" asked Wade as she moved in for a closer look.

"I think he just fainted," said Quinn, stooping down to check the man's pulse.

"Passed out might be more accurate, Mr. Mallory," said the stout man with the baritone voice. "I can smell the stench of cheap booze on him from here."

"Where do you think we are?" asked Wade.

"Butts County, Georgia," announced Rembrant confidently.

"How on earth could you possibly know that?" asked the professor.

"Easy. Pine trees covered with kudzu on one side of the road, corn field on the other, that thick, southern drawl of our unconscious friend there, and the license plate on his truck. I've got an uncle lives out this way. Well, at least back on our own world I have one."

Wade stepped in closer to Quinn and asked, "Wherever we are, how long are we going to be here?"

Quinn stood up and pulled out a remote control-looking gizmo from his jacket pocket. After fiddling with a couple of buttons on it and waiting for some red lights to finish flashing, he stated, "Well, we've got a little better than thirty-four hours to try and find your uncle, Rembrant."

"First things first," said Arturo. "We should do something about our witness here."

"Witness?" Wade laughed. "You actually think he'd tell someone that he saw four people emerge from a spiraling, multi-colored, lighted wormhole that just appeared out of thin air? Even if he wakes up tomorrow and remembers us, who the heck in their right mind would believe him?"

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Outdoor Running Track
Washington D.C.
Oct. 17 6:34 a.m.

Sweat exuded from ever pore in his body, his breathing was labored and he was beginning to feel a bit euphoric. Finally forced to slow his pace, his full run around the empty track changed into a trot, and then a walk. His hands rested on slim hips as he concentrated on regulating his breathing. As Mulder headed back towards the bleachers where he had left his gym bag, he saw a lone man sitting on the bench watching him. He took his time in approaching the stranger, curious about his presence but leery of his motives.

"Mr. Mulder," the man stood and greeted him with half a smile and a towel from the gym bag.

Mulder accepted the towel and wiped the perspiration from his face and neck, all the while, keeping a cautious eye on the stranger. He looked him over carefully, profiling him in his mind. The guy could easily pass for a banker or corporate lawyer, but Mulder saw past the expensive trench coat and tailored suit and considered the fifty-something-year-old man to be in a branch of the government. The generous crinkling of his eyes made him appear rather fatherly and non-threatening.

"You know my name," said Mulder, "but I don't know yours."

"Who I am is unimportant. I've been watching you, Mr. Mulder. I've been watching you work. You have a gift -- or shall I say -- a tenacity for seeking out hidden truths. I have something for you."

Mulder became somewhat alarmed when he saw the man reach inside his coat for something. The man noticed his apprehension and smiled amusedly. He slowed his actions to show he was not reaching for a weapon. Instead, he pulled out a business envelope which he held out to the young agent. Mulder accepted it and immediately checked the contents.

"What is this all about?" he asked after a quick perusal of the document inside.

"It's something you'll want to investigate further."

"Some drunk phones in a report to NASA and *I* want to investigate it? Why would I want to do that?"

"If you choose not to investigate, I'm afraid that would be a costly mistake. The decision is purely up to you. But you'll need to move quickly. You won't be the only one with an interest in this." The man turned and began to walk away.

"Hey, what if I need to get in touch with you?" Mulder called after him.

The man turned and replied in a cautious tone. "For both our sakes, I suggest strongly that you not try. If you have any success, we may meet again," he added, then briskly walked away.

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Day & Night Diner
Butts County
7:45 a.m.

Taking refuge at a truck stop diner, the Sliders filled their stomachs with hot coffee and what the waitress touted as being "the best home cooking anywhere." Reading the morning paper and watching the TV set on a high shelf behind the counter, they got a glimpse of the new world in which they had landed. It appeared to be pretty much like their own. There was no obvious deviation in evolutionary, geological or political development. At this point, the only evidence they uncovered to let them know they weren't back home was the fact that John Lennon was alive and well, and the Beatles were still together as a group.

Rembrant had leafed through the local phone book and found a number for his uncle Cleatus. He debated on whether to give him a call so early in the morning, but took a chance anyway and was pleasantly surprised by the wide-awake voice on the other end. As soon as he introduced himself as Rembrant Brown, his uncle let out a whoop.

"Crying Man, is that you? Where the heck you been keeping yourself, boy?"

"I've been traveling around a lot, Uncle Cleatus. But I'm passing through town with some friends of mine and we wanted to stop by and see you, if it's convenient."

"Shoo-o-ot, yeah! Come on!"

Rembrant smiled at his uncle's enthusiasm. "Thanks. Okay, we'll catch a cab then --"

"Cab? What do y'all need with a cab? Where are you? The bus station?"

"No, we're at a truck stop. A place called the Day & Night Diner."

"I know where that is. Don't go wasting your money on no cab. I'll come and pick y'all up."

"Well, we wouldn't want to put you out of your way."

"Naw, I got me some running 'round to do out that way anyhow. And I can just swing on by and pick y'all up on my way back home. Take me 'bout an hour or so."

"Well that'll be great, Uncle Cleatus. We'll wait for you outside. Bye."

"Did you talk to him?" asked Wade when Rembrant returned to their table. "Was he the right one?"

"Oh, he was the right one all right. He's coming to pick us up in about an hour and take us to his place."

"You don't suppose he'd let us sleep on his floor overnight, do you?" asked Quinn. "We don't have enough money for a motel."

"No harm in asking. He seems pretty accommodating. It'll be nice to see him again. Of all the places for us to land, seems kind of odd to end up here, doesn't it?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," said Arturo. "Mr. Mallory, can you think of a reason why we would stray so far off our normal course of landing in San Francisco?"

"No, I can't. Maybe this world has some kind of special magnetic curve to it."

"Or perhaps an emotional curve," Wade suggested.

"Emotional curve? How do you mean?"

"Sort of like the time when we landed in San Francisco, only in a different era and we met up with you when you were a little boy. A young Quinn who was going through a pretty emotional time of it, and an older Quinn who needed to help him. Maybe it's the same kind of thing with Rembrant and his uncle. Maybe the emotional pull is what brought us here. Maybe his uncle really needs him."

Everyone was quiet for a moment to allow the concept to sink in. Finally, Arturo spoke up. "Hell, it makes about as much sense as anything else."

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FBI Headquarters
Washington D.C.
8:54 a.m.

When Dana Scully entered into the secluded X-File basement office, she found her partner standing at a file cabinet, weeding through the contents of the second drawer.

"Morning, Scully," he chirped as he continued his search.

"Morning, Mulder," she responded in kind, then took off her coat and hung it up. When she went to her desk to put her purse away, she discovered a hot, cup of coffee waiting for her next to a large, fresh croissant and a file folder. She ignored the folder for the moment, already sure that it contained one of Mulder's special projects. Instead, she settled down comfortably in her chair and sipped the special purchase, amaretto coffee that she knew was more than a simple act of kindness. It was a bribe, along with the bakery fresh croissant that she delicately nibbled.

She liked it when Mulder sucked up to her. He didn't do it often enough, probably feeling that his partner would easily follow him to the ends of the earth if he dropped enough bread crumbs. And she probably would. But it was nice when he did small things like this to lure her.

He finally finished rummaging through the file cabinet and approached her desk, carrying several folders. "And how are you, today?" he asked, much too politely.

"I'm feeling fine, Mulder. How are you?"

"Good." His eyes shifted from Scully to the folder that lay untouched in front of her. "Aren't you the least bit curious?" he asked.

Scully popped another tidbit of pastry into her mouth and shook her head in a negative motion.

"You think you already know what it is, don't you?"

She nodded, her chewing exaggerated.

"I could easily investigate this by myself," said Mulder as he parked himself on the edge of her desk. "But I know what a joy you get out of shooting down all my hair-brained theories, finding logical explanations for inexplicable phenomenon, and having new reasons to say, 'I told you so.' However, if you'd rather not go along this time, I'll try not to think of you as a none-believer and a party pooper."

Scully took another unhurried sip of coffee, then with a look of total disinterest finally flipped open the folder in front of her. She silently read the words on the only sheet of paper inside. Upon finishing, she closed the file, such as it was, clasped her hands together and placed them on top of it. She looked up at her partner and spoke in a placid demeanor.

"Mulder, you've *got* to be kidding."

A huge grin spread across his face, "That's my little skeptic."

"You're getting all excited about a vortex sighting in a place called Butts County by a guy named Earl Ray?"

"You know me, Scully. I get excited by the vortex created when I flush a toilet."

"So what's so special about this one?"

"If you read that report carefully -- and somehow I don't think you did -- you would have seen that Earl Ray gave a description of the people he claims came out of the vortex. If you'd like to take another look at that...."

Mulder pointed with his finger, encouraging his partner to open the folder again. As she complied, he opened the other files he had been digging out of the cabinet when she arrived, and placed them within easy view.

"Earl Ray describes one of the men as being tall and young with dark hair. This," Mulder spoke of the photo in the first file, "is Quinn Mallory, age: twenty-three, height: six-two. Earl also describes a young, short female. This is Wade Wells, also twenty- three, five-foot-two. Then Earl goes on to mention a black male. This is Rembrant "Crying Man" Brown."

"Crying Man?" Scully questioned.

"Aptly named from his emotional outbursts during his concerts."

"Oh, so he's a musician?"

"Singer. Released a couple of albums back in the eighties, but he never hit it big. The last man Earl Ray said he saw, looked like an opera singer. This is Professor Maximilian Arturo. Looks like he could probably belt out a mean "Figaro," doesn't he?"

Scully studied the four photos laid out in front of her. "Okay, so how does this all connect?"

"Those four people have all been reported missing. The thing that makes them unique is that they all disappeared at the same time in the same fashion."

"Let me guess.... They were all sucked into a vortex?"

"You say that as if you don't believe it's possible. Three months ago at the University of California, those four people were seen entering the physics lab together. Five eye-witnesses reported seeing what appeared to be a vortex through the classroom window. Those four people were never seen again after that.

"Today, in the wee hours of the morning, Earl Ray Jackson woke up in the back of his pickup with a blanket thrown over him. He was five miles away from where he'd fainted after encountering the vortex and the people he saw expelled from it."

"Mulder...." She started to shoot down the conclusion she knew he had already drawn. She had planned to show him how it could all be logically explained away, but she made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Those sometimes playful, most times serious, hazel orbs were now dancing with enthusiasm and the hope of finding a long, lost treasure. She realized suddenly that she didn't have the heart nor the desire to extinguish his dreams. "When do we leave?" she asked with a tired smile.

"What? You're not even going to give me a decent fight first?"

"No. I don't feel like fighting today."

Mulder searched her eyes for some hidden secret she was keeping from him. "What's wrong?" he asked, detecting a hint of something not quite right.

"Nothing." She could see he wasn't buying that, so she instantly added, "Nothing I want to talk about right now."

He reluctantly gave up. "Okay.... We're on an 11:30 flight to Atlanta. Then a nice little drive to the country from there. Finish your croissant and I'll take you home so you can pack some frilly things for the trip."

"I don't own any frilly things, Mulder."

"No?" Mulder smiled devilishly. "Well, if you're a good little girl, I'll let you borrow some of mine."

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Chapter 2 of 8

Cleatus Brown's Residence
10:05 a.m.

Cleatus had picked his nephew and friends up in his twenty-year- old station wagon of which he had taken exceptional care. The color had faded over the years and the upholstery had a number of patches, but it still made for a comfortable ride. As he drove, the spry, sixty-eight-year-old widower chatted constantly, keeping it fairly light, discussing the weather, traffic and how faithful his automobile had been to him over the years.

His modest two-story home sat on a half acre of land and was surrounded by objects collected during his long career as a sanitation worker. A multitude of mostly worthless but well organized junk lined his property, acting as decoration. He was proud to show off his collection of lawn garden figures ranging from clay squirrels to plastic deer. After a tour of his home, he sat down with his guests in his crowded but organized living room to give them a chance to talk.

For Rembrant, it had been a good nine years since the two had last seen each other, so the fact that their recollection of family members and events sometimes failed to match was simply chalked up to the passage of time and aging gray matter.

"So how long y'all in town for?" Cleatus asked.

"We'll be leaving in the morning," Wade offered the information. "We're just passing through and Rembrant wanted to see you again."

"So where are y'all staying?"

The four took turns passing the question on silently to each other. Before anyone could decide on making a response, Cleatus spoke up.

"Y'all ain't got to answer. Ain't no decent motels around here no way. So y'all just gonna have to stay here. I got two guest bedrooms upstairs with bunk beds in 'em for when the grandkids come by, and this sofa here lets out into a bed."

"Well, really we don't want to impose," said Arturo.

"Impose? Who's imposing? I ain't seen this boy in nearly ten years. He can impose on me all he wants."

After that, it was easy to take the man up on his offer. Their most recent slides had been horrendous. The last one involved dream masters, brainy geeks with too much time on their hands. Poor Wade had almost lost her mind from the dream invaders, and she and Quinn had come thisclose to losing their lives as they slept.

Earlier slides had landed them in the path of constant tornadoes, prehistoric dinosaurs, raging infernos and viral epidemics. So far, this world held no such dangers. It seemed as though they would finally get a chance to take it easy.

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Highway 1941
Butts County
2:23 p.m.

"Kudzu."

"Mmh?"

Mulder pointed out his driver's side window at the mass of large, leafy green foliage growing wild, engulfing row after row of tall oak and pine trees that lined both sides of the highway.

"Kudzu. You can barely see the trees for the kudzu. Shows what happens when a non-indigenous life form is introduced into an unsuspecting ecosystem. Not unlike when the white man first came to this country and overpowered the natives. Of course, nothing was as bad as when the Tantonese were expelled into L.A. from the mother of all vortexes. And with no way to return to their own dimension, they ended up creating a whole new sub-culture of sour milk drinkers with spotted, ball heads and really dumb names."

"What?" Scully blinked her eyes and brought her unfocused attention back to the here and now.

"Good. I knew you were paying attention. Although, not to me."

"I'm sorry, Mulder," said Scully, shaking the cobwebs from her brain. "My mind was somewhere else. What were you saying?"

"You feel like talking about it now?"

"Talking about what?"

"Whatever's bothering you that you didn't want to talk about at the office."

Scully glared out of the car window for a moment trying to decide if she was ready to confess her secrets.

"Of course, if it's one of those personal, girlie things that I'd be absolutely no help with anyway --"

"It's my dad," said Scully softly.

The playful attitude Mulder had displayed earlier was instantly put aside. "What's wrong with him?"

"He uh... he's just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The doctors give him less than a year to live."

"Scully... I'm sorry." Mulder's eyes strayed momentarily from the road to look upon his partner with sympathy. "Why did you let me drag you all the way down here when you should be home with your family?"

"Because that's where I was last night. He and mom invited me and my sister over to dinner to give us the bad news. Apparently, he's known for a few weeks now, but he didn't want to upset any of us. He insists that he doesn't want to be fussed over or pitied. He wants us to simply carry on with our lives and not to worry about him. Today, he's leaving town to go visit both my brothers to tell them personally. He's handling it so well, but...." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head woefully.

Mulder finished her statement for her. "You're having problems with it all and you figured a little trip to Butts County, Georgia just might be what you need to keep your mind off things, huh?"

"It's a scary thing, Mulder. My life has been in peril more times than I can remember, but it doesn't compare to the fear that develops when it's a family member whose life is in jeopardy."

Mulder spoke in retrospect. "I know that feeling."

Scully noted the sadness in his voice. "I'm sorry," she apologized needlessly. "I didn't mean to bring you down."

"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry about your father, Scully. I know how much you care about him. And if there's anything I can do to help...."

"Thanks.... Mind if we discuss the case now?"

Her partner gave an understanding nod. "What do you want to know?"

"I didn't ask before, but how did you manage to get clearance on it? Or did you?"

"You'll be happy to know that I went by the book, sort of. I'm treating it as a kidnapping."

"A kidnapping? Mulder, from what I read in those reports, they were only considered missing, not kidnapped. There was never any ransom demands or even evidence of foul play. They could have just disappeared on their own."

"They disappeared in San Francisco, and now they reappear in Georgia. They've obviously crossed a few state lines. And although evidence doesn't point to a kidnapping, it was never officially ruled out."

Scully shook her head in disbelief. "Mulder, you're basing this whole case on nothing more than a NASA report from a man with too many beers in his system."

"The man may have had a few to drink, but it's obvious that he has a high tolerance level for alcohol. His description of those four people --"

"Could have been imagined or hallucinated. Mulder, NASA gets at least a dozen calls a day by people claiming to have seen vortexes, and none of them have ever proven to be authentic. What makes you think that this is any different?"

Mulder was quiet for a moment, thinking of the right response. It occurred to him at that moment that he had no response. Not a logical one at any rate, one that would stand up to the Scully scrutiny test. He looked at her with a lost expression on his face and shrugged his shoulders in ignorance. She took pity on him.

"Just when I'm ready for a good argument, you fizzle out on me. I'm disappointed, Mulder."

"I have a confession to make, Scully... I didn't come by that NASA report through my usual channels. Someone presented it to me. A man -- wouldn't tell me his name -- approached me when I was out jogging this morning. He told me that he had been watching me for a long time, watching my work. He gave me that report and told me that it would be a mistake if I didn't check it out."

"How do you know you can trust him?"

"I don't know, and I don't trust him. But my gut feelings tell me that there's something to be found in Butts County. I think those people are there, and I think we need to find them first." He grinned bashfully. "I know, not much of an argument, my gut instincts, right?"

Scully shrugged and smiled lightly. "I've put myself on the line before with a lot less to go on." ---------

Day & Night Diner
3:17 p.m.

After interviewing Earl Ray and checking out the nearby motels for newly registered guests, the two agents headed for the local diner which just happened to be the local truck stop. It wasn't very busy at this time of day. A couple of truckers and a family of four were the only other customers. Mulder and Scully approached the counter and a gum-chewing waitress with the name Daphne embroidered on the pocket of her uniform. She appeared to be barely eighteen, fairly attractive and bosomy with an extra friendly disposition.

Scully took the initiative and flashed her badge at the waitress, making Mulder's need to identify himself as law enforcement redundant, so he didn't bother.

"We're with the FBI. I'm Agent Dana Scully. This is my partner, Agent Mulder. We'd like to ask you a few questions about some missing persons."

Daphne ignored Scully's presence and zeroed in on Mulder instead. "FBI, huh?" she said, her eyes drinking in his handsome face and tall, well built frame.

Mulder only nodded and smiled, waiting for Scully to take over again. His partner took the photographs out of the envelope she carried them in and attempted to display them to the waitress.

"We're looking for these four people. Have you seen them?"

At the moment, she only had eyes for Mulder. He was forced to take the photos from Scully and hand them to Daphne himself. "Daphne, if you wouldn't mind taking a look at these, please," he spoke in his most charming voice.

She gladly did as he requested, nodding her head as she looked at each picture. "Sure, I seen 'em. They were in here this morning for breakfast. Why, what did they do? Rob a bank?"

"Are you positive it was them?" Scully asked.

Daphne made her reply to Mulder. "Of course, I'm sure. I always remember the interesting ones. The tall, good looking one that was with them... I won't likely be forgetting him anytime soon. Just like I won't be forgetting you. I find you *very* interesting." She gave a minor nod towards Scully. "I'll even remember little miss red there simply because she came in with you."

"Did you notice if they left on foot or if they caught a ride with someone?" Scully asked. When Daphne didn't answer her, Scully looked to Mulder. "Would you care to translate for me?"

"Daphne, did you notice if they left on foot or if they caught a ride with someone?" Mulder asked.

"The black guy made a phone call and sometime later I recall seeing them all piling into an old green-colored station-wagon. You know, for the life of me I can't figure out what color your eyes are."

Scully had just had enough. Before she was made to vomit, she walked away to check out the pay phone, leaving Mulder and his groupie a little privacy.

"That's not your wife or girlfriend, is it?" Daphne asked.

"No, she's more like my keeper. She has to make sure I behave myself and stick to business while I'm out on assignment."

"Oh, so I guess you need to hurry up and take care of business so you can relax and maybe get into other things." She spoke very seductively, heaving her chest out a little more in his direction."

"Yeah, I would like to wrap this up quickly and get on with other things," he responded just as seductively. He knew he was looking at trouble with a capital "T" and that Scully would undoubtedly crucify him for just having naughty thoughts about this possible jailbait, but he saw no harm in a little playful flirtation.

"So, what are they wanted for?"

"No, they're not wanted for anything illegal. We're just following up on a missing person's report."

Daphne nodded. "I don't think I got to see your badge, did I?"

Mulder bashfully pulled it out and showed it to her. She took hold of it and inspected it carefully. "Fox? Boy, your mama sure had you pegged right, didn't she?"

"Daphne, would you do me a favor?"

"For you sweet cheeks, anything."

Mulder took out one of his business cards, and handing it out to her, exchanged it for his ID that she was still holding onto. "If you should happen to see those people again or the vehicle you last saw them in, I'd like very much for you to give me a call. Also, if anyone else shows up asking about them --"

"Way ahead of you, Detective Fox," Daphne winked. "So, can I get you anything? Got some nice, hot cheery pie."

Scully returned to Mulder's side. "Mulder, I had the phone records checked. I think I may have a lead. If you're finished with your..." her eyes rolled in Daphne's direction, "interview, I suggest we get a move on."

"Daphne, thank you. You've been very helpful."

"Anytime, Detective Fox."

"So what did you find out?" Mulder asked after they had climbed back into the car."

"A call was placed this morning a little before eight to a Cleatus Brown with a local address."

"Brown. That's the same last name as Rembrant. Could be a relative."

Scully pulled the map from the glove compartment and began looking up the street name that went with the telephone number. The movement of Mulder waving his hand distracted her. She glanced back at the diner, seeing Daphne waving and smiling.

"Mulder, you're old enough to be her father," Scully remarked dryly.

"You overestimate the sexual prowess of my teen years. Aren't you suppose to be reading the map?"

"It's that way," she said pointing in a southerly direction.

Mulder started the engine and headed the car southbound. "It's not like you've never flirted with anyone to help a case along," said Mulder as they drove down the highway.

"I never have," stated Scully assertively while attempting to pinpoint their final destination on the map.

"What do you call what you do to Agent Pendrell?"

"I don't *do* anything to Agent Pendrell."

"Well, he certainly doesn't give anyone else at the bureau the same expedient service he gives you. And I can't get anything from him without using the magic words, 'Agent Scully says.' That time I went to pick up the results on a fabric sample without you by my side, he nearly bit my head off."

"Well, regardless, I don't flirt. Pendrell takes his job seriously and he does it quite well."

"Sure, all it takes is one whiff of your perfume and those baby blues staring up at him. It's a good thing I'm immune to you."

"Same here, Detective Fox."

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Cleatus Brown's Residence
3:35 p.m.

The Sliders found themselves relaxing on the old-fashioned front porch with Rembrant and Wade swaying back and forth on a wooden suspension swing, the professor settled in a cane-back rocker and Quinn sitting sideways on the top step. They had spent the first few hours chatting with Cleatus in front of the TV, finding out from him and the tube what his world had to offer. For the most part it seemed just like their own; some very good, wholesome qualities peppered with an acceptable amount of lunacy and violence.

The most noticeable difference stemmed from this world's complete lack of space exploration. There was no such thing as a space program, no trips to the moon, no satellite dishes and no Star Trek-like movies or TV shows. However, what took the place of astronomy was the science of cosmology and a strong, yet unrealized belief in the ability to travel through time and to other dimensions. Whereas, back home, a UFO and extraterrestrials were a topic of controversy; here, vortex sightings and the existence of Sliders were hotly debated. There was even a twenty- four-hour, toll-free hotline for reporting any such phenomenon to an organization referred to only as NASA.

"You don't suppose that guy would actually report us, do you?" Wade brought up the subject.

"Even if he does," said Rembrant, "so what? It's just like back home when people call in and report seeing UFO's. Nothing's ever done about it. Besides, we won't be here that long."

"You're looking rather pensive, Mr. Mallory," said the professor. "What are you thinking?"

"I was wondering.... According to what we've read, there's a lot of testing going on in this country and in others. It's sort of like a space race going on. Everyone's trying to develop the technology to travel inter-dimensionally. According to all the sightings -- though not substantiated -- I'm pretty sure that we're not the first to slide into this world. These people have seen it happen and they want to be able to do it themselves. I was thinking that maybe we could help them out."

"You think that's such a good idea?" asked Wade.

"Well, it's probably just a matter of time before they stumble onto it themselves. I really don't see what harm it could do. Do you, Professor?"

"If it's meant for them to come up with the technology, they will in time. I don't think it's up to us to interfere."

"We've interfered on other worlds."

"Yes, but, always with the intentions to help save lives and fight injustice. Helping scientists to create such a powerful device which may or may not be used sensibly... that's another story."

"I think the professor's right, Cueball," said Rembrant. "It's best to let them move at their own pace on this. I think we're better off just sitting back and relaxing while we have the chance."

Quinn nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right. It has been pretty hectic for us lately. For once, our lives aren't in danger, we're not on the run from anyone, we don't have to rescue anyone.... And it's a beautiful fall day."

"Yeah, look at all those leaves," said Wade. "You know guys, we could make ourselves useful around here and pick up a rake."

Since they hadn't done much of anything else all day, they found a little physical activity appealing. But it wasn't long before work became play and several piles of leaves became the battleground for a leaf fight. The mock battle came to an abrupt end when a dark gray sedan pulled up into the driveway.

----------

Chapter 3 of 8

"Well, there they are," said Scully. "What now?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? We came all this way to find them, we found them, and now you don't know what to do about it?"

"I guess I never thought it would be this easy. It's like big game hunting. You don't necessary expect to bag that moose or bear you're trailing through the woods, and when you happen upon them in the next clearing, you're a little overwhelmed."

"I never knew you've been big game hunting."

"I haven't. But I imagine the sensation's about the same."

"So, are you going to just sit here and admire your moose from afar or are you going to at least get out and take a closer look?"

Mulder turned off the ignition and got out of the car without answering. Scully dutifully followed his lead. As they approached the Sliders, Mulder took out his ID and held it up.

"We're with the FBI. I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, this is my partner, Agent Scully. We've been looking for all of you."

"Looking for us?" said Arturo. "Whatever for? We've done nothing illegal, have we?"

"No, Mr. Arturo, you haven't. We've been looking for you because you've been reported missing."

"Oh. Well, in that case, as you can see, we are no longer missing, are we?"

"Would you mind telling us where you've been for the past three months?"

Being caught off guard with the question, the quartet looked to each other for a believable response. "We've been... out of the country," Wade offered, non too convincingly. "We were doing some volunteer work in a poor African village. There were no phones or TV or radios, so we never knew anyone considered us missing."

"I see," said Mulder with a nod which said he bought her story. "Well, I guess that explains everything then. You should contact the local authorities in San Francisco so they can remove your names from their missing list, and of course, friends and family members who may not be aware of your safety."

"Of course. We'll take care of it right away."

Mulder turned and began to walk away, leaving Scully dumbfounded over his actions. They couldn't have possibly come all this way just so he could make such a simple speech and walk away. She shook her head in disbelief and started to trail behind him. She almost bumped into him when he made a sudden about-face.

"One more thing, Mr. Brown," Mulder addressed Rembrant.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your music."

"Oh.... Well, thanks," he beamed. "I'm always glad to meet a fan."

"I was wondering what you thought about Elvis' remake of your hit song, "Baby, Not Tonight."

"Elvis redid my song?" Rembrant asked excitedly.

"Of course, Rembrant," Quinn nudged him to stick with the game. "How could you forget a thing like that?"

"Oh yeah. What was I thinking. Must be the jet lag."

"Or perhaps you just arrived from a different dimension and you don't know that Elvis died ten years before your singing career even began, not to mention that you've never had a hit song on the charts."

"Very clever, Agent Mulder," said Arturo. "Mind informing us of your true motive in seeking us out?"

"A Mr. Earl Ray Jackson filed a report to NASA early this morning."

"NASA; what does that stand for?" Wade questioned.

"National Agency for Slider Activity. You really aren't from this world, are you?"

"No," Quinn confessed. "We're not. And we'll be leaving tomorrow, so you really don't have to worry about us causing trouble or anything. We just want to be left alone, then we'll be on our way."

"Will you be leaving the way you came?" Mulder asked.

"Yes."

"You know how to control it?"

"No, not really. It was part of an experiment. Unfortunately, I didn't get all the bugs worked out before I decided to test it out."

"You... are you saying that you personally invented a way to travel inter-dimensionally?"

Quinn nodded.

"Mulder," Scully's voice broke through his mounting excitement. "We need to talk."

"Not now," he brushed her off quickly and resumed his questioning of Quinn. "How many worlds have you visited?"

"I don't know. I've lost track. Fifty, sixty or so."

"Look here," Arturo spoke up, "why are you so interested?"

"Believe me. I'm not the only one interested. And if it was this easy for us to find you...." His eyes registered panic as a terrifying thought came to mind. "I'm afraid your lives may be in danger."

"From who?"

"The Black Squad."

"Who or what is the Black Squad?"

"There's a clandestine part of our government that has been trying for a number of years to create a device for sliding into other times and dimensions. Some believe they got the idea from others such as yourselves who have visited here. Apparently, some information was left behind that got them started in the right direction, but the rate of success has been less than stellar. So you can imagine that they would like nothing better than to get their hands on you and coax -- by whatever means necessary -- the secrets of your invention out of you. I wouldn't have come looking for you in the first place if I hadn't been tipped off by someone privy to such information. He told me it would be a mistake if I didn't come and find you. I believe he meant for me to protect you from others who may want to do you harm."

The Sliders looked to each other with obvious trepidation. "So," Wade spoke up, "you think some government goons will come after us, take us to some secret laboratory somewhere and torture us for our secrets?"

"Mulder, please," Scully grabbed his attention again. "We have to talk. Now!"

He wanted to ignore her again, but he could tell by the edgy tone of her voice that she was past becoming impatient. He walked off with her a few yards away from his newest obsession.

"Look, Scully, I know what you're going to say --" he began.

"Then shut up and let me say it!" she snapped at him. When he seemed taken aback by her anger, she took a couple of breaths and forced herself to calm down. When she spoke again, her voice was much gentler. "Mulder, I know that you want them to be the real thing and I know why. But we've been through this before. There's no proof that they're from another dimension."

"They didn't know that Elvis was dead," Mulder pointed out.

"Why should they? There are more Elvis sightings now than when he really *was* alive."

"Scully, if you're so sure I'm just on another wild goose chase, then... then why did you even come with me?" After he'd asked the question, he realized that he already knew the answer. He saw the flicker of sadness that crossed her features as she had a quick flash of her father's recently disclosed illness. "I'm sorry," he apologized, feeling instantly like a heel.

"It's okay. But it's not the only reason I came. We're partners, Mulder, and I feel that I have to look after you because you won't look after yourself. You react first and think later. Now, you've got these people all upset and frightened for no reason."

"Scully, I know it's your self-appointed job to keep me in line. Now, I know I've been wrong on occasions, but not often and not by much. Someone else initiated this search. It wasn't me this time. You have to ask yourself, why would anyone else but me be interested. Look at them, Scully."

He kept his eyes on his partner while he encouraged her to check out the topic of their conversation. She casually let her eyes shift to the three men and one woman whispering among themselves.

"Ask yourself," Mulder continued, "why are they together? What one factor could keep such obviously mismatched people together? I mean, the kid and the girl I can see. But a has-been singer and a pompous college professor... where's the common denominator? They're together because they *have* to be. All they have is each other. And they're trapped in an ongoing voyage that they have no control over. These are not the same people who disappeared from our world. I think someone in the government is aware of what actually happened to them. That's why when the description of these guys cropped up, someone took an interest."

"If they're not the ones who disappeared, then who do you think they are?"

"Their parallel doubles. Scully, I'm telling you, it's only a matter of time before the guys in black arrive."

While the two agents were having their private conversation, the Sliders had a discussion going on themselves. "What do you guys think?" Wade started off the debate.

"Well, it would stand to reason," said Arturo, "from what we've read that there would be special interest in anyone thought to be an actual Slider. Reminiscent to our earth's obsession with space aliens."

"Yeah," said Rembrant, "the government did go to a lot of trouble to keep what happened at Area 51 a secret."

"But how do we know we can trust this guy?" said Quinn. "I don't know, but I think he's a little weird. I mean, did you see the way his eyes lit up when I told him about my invention?"

"He was probably seeing dollar signs," Rembrant grunted. "Figuring he can get in on the ground floor using your design."

"I don't think so," said Wade. "Looked more to me like he was excited about the prospects of inter-dimensional travel on a more personal level."

"In any case" said Arturo, "We should decide on a course of action. Do we take what this gentleman tells us at face value or do we avoid him like the plague?"

"Call it woman's intuition, but I believe he's one of the good guys," said Wade.

"Mr. Brown, your opinion?"

"I don't know, but I'd say his partner looks more dangerous than he does. Maybe if we talk to them a little more...."

"Mr. Quinn, what do you say?"

"They could be setting us up for something. But then...." He looked over at the two arguing agents. "Looks like he's really trying to convince her to go along with something they hadn't planned on. I'm with Remmy. I think we should try finding out more about them first and go from there."

"I also concur," said the professor.

Both sets of conversations came to an instant halt when Cleatus came out of the house. "What we got here?" he belted out when he saw the two new visitors.

"Uncle Cleatus, these are a couple of acquaintances of ours," said Rembrant. "This is Mr...."

"Fox Mulder," Mulder took over the introductions and approached the porch. "And this is Dana Scully," he said, pointing to the demure redhead who had not bothered to step forward, though she nodded with a dainty smile. "We're with the FBI," he added, displaying his badge.

"FBI? What the FBI doing all the way out here? You ain't come to arrest nobody, have you?"

"No, sir. We didn't come to arrest anyone. We were following up on the missing person reports someone filed on your nephew and his friends."

"It's all just a big misunderstanding though," said Rembrant.

"But for our records," said Mulder, "we'll need to get some more information from you all before we can close the case."

"Well, don't y'all just stand out here like lost orphans," said Cleatus. "Come on inside and make yourself at home. Come on!" he waved the strangers inside.

Mulder looked to his partner and gave an "After you" gesture to which she begrudgingly responded. As she passed by, he whispered in her ear, "Don't you just love southern hospitality?" ----------

Cleatus was delighted to have more company, and Mulder ingratiated himself by taking an interest in his host's wine bottle collection. Though not much of a drinker himself, his investigations over the years had included a multitude of alcoholics and fine wine connoisseurs. Mulder was able to put a brand name to many of the unlabeled, decorative bottles which Cleatus had rescued from the garbage heap.

When Cleatus invited him and Scully to stay for dinner, although his partner gave him a dirty look, Mulder saw no harm in accepting the offer. Faced with the thought of feeding his house guests earlier that morning, Cleatus had already taken a couple of chickens, some ground beef and frozen vegetables out of the freezer. Still, he needed bread and something to drink to complete the meal. Mulder donated money to the cause and volunteered his partner and Quinn to go to the store.

Scully went reluctantly, knowing what Mulder had in mind for her to do. He wanted her to get Quinn to talk about his invention, not that she even believed that it actually existed. As she followed the directions Cleatus had given her to the nearest supermarket, Quinn was the one to start the conversation.

"So what's it like being an FBI agent?"

"It has its moments," she replied in a flat tone.

"I take it, this isn't one of them, huh?"

"No, it is not."

"You don't believe we're what we say we are, do you? That we're actually from a totally different universe."

"No, I don't."

"But your partner does."

"Mulder is more open-minded. He believes in his gut instincts. I believe in hard evidence. I need proof."

"Well, tomorrow morning at nine-forty-five, you'll see your proof. That's when the portal will be ready to open and we slide out of here."

"I thought you said earlier that you couldn't control it. How do you know exactly what time it'll happen?"

Quinn reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the timer. "This keeps track of the portal openings. So although we always know when, we just never know where the portal will lead to."

Scully took her eyes off the road for seconds at a time to get a look at what he held in his hand. "Looks like some kind of fancy remote control unit. Do you think it's wise showing that to me? I have a gun. I could shoot you and take it from you."

"Yeah, I guess you could. But I should warn you, if you start fiddling around with the wrong buttons in the wrong sequence, you could blow yourself up. And I'd hate to be responsible for the loss of such a pretty and intelligent woman."

Scully smiled, amusedly. "You're full of it, aren't you?"

"So, you won't be shooting me?"

"You're safe, for now."

----------

Chapter 4 of 8

Cleatus, Rembrant and Arturo each boasted on knowing the best way to prepare chicken and beef. As they argued over the right to cook, Mulder and Wade set the dinner table, then went outside on the front porch to talk. He listened intently as she told him about how her journey through the cosmos had begun, and what some of the places she had seen were like. When she had reached a stopping point, Mulder told her what he knew of the phenomena.

"When I joined the FBI, I ran into a lot of unsolved cases involving abnormal disappearances. There had always been talk about mysterious vortexes appearing out of nowhere and gobbling people up, and people claiming to have been expelled by the same unsubstantiated phenomenon. The mental hospitals were full of those people. But when I started to investigate some of those claims, I discovered there was a lot more truth than fiction. Irrefutable evidence was hard to come by, but photographs and videos have been authenticated. Eyewitnesses have passed polygraph tests. The government is well aware of the existence of Sliders. Rumor has it that they've even captured a few in hopes of discovering the technology needed to slide."

"And this Black Squad you mentioned earlier...?"

"So named because they dress in black, wear dark sunglasses and drive a black car. No one knows exactly who they are or who they work for, but everyone agrees, they're not very nice people."

Wade shook her head and grunted. "It's just so odd that we're looked upon as though we're little green men from Mars or something."

"Is that some kind of back home saying?"

"Oh yeah, that's right. You don't know about outer space stuff."

"Well, give me a few minutes and I could probably babble out a theory or two."

Wade looked towards the darkening sky. "Mars is one of the nine planets in our solar system," she stated, thinking that was sufficient enough explanation.

Mulder looked at the sky, then looked back at her questionably. "You believe that there are eight other planets out there?"

"If it were dark enough, I could probably point a couple out to you. Some you can see with the naked eye, some you can only see through high-powered telescopes. Astronomers have charted the positions, the sizes and the movements of other planets for centuries."

"Is there a significant reason why anyone would need that kind of information?"

"Well, it helps when we send a rocket up."

Mulder shook his head in confusion. Wade went on to answer his unspoken question.

"We have a space program where I come from. They've been sending manned rocket ships into outer space for years now. They've even made several trips to the moon."

"Really? And what did they find there?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. They brought back some rocks."

"Seems like a long way to go just for rocks."

"They didn't go just for rocks. The moon is the closest thing to us. That was the first goal, now they want to go further."

"Why? Did they figure the rocks get better the further out you go?"

"No, the whole thing about space exploration is to... uh... explore... strange new worlds... to seek out new life and new civilizations... to boldly go where... no man has gone before."

"Sounds like you're describing the one day a year I clean out my refrigerator," Mulder deadpanned.

Wade chuckled openly at his joke. Later, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "I guess it's pretty much like your scientists here trying to master the concept of sliding into other worlds."

"It sounds truly fascinating though, the idea of other planets and civilizations out there," Mulder mused as he cast his eyes towards the full moon making its debut. "But if I were you, I wouldn't mention any of this to my partner. She's apt to get the guys with the nets to come for you."

"That's considered crazy talk?"

"Personally, I don't think so. But then, I tend to live in a special world all of my own."

"No, you're just more opened-minded. Sometimes, on other worlds it's been necessary for us to tell people about ourselves and very few are willing to believe."

"I always believe the truth when I hear it," said Mulder matter- of-factly. "Problem is, sometimes I don't know when I'm actually hearing it. Or as my partner would put it, I'm extremely gullible."

"Did she warn you about believing in us?"

"Yes, she did."

"And yet...."

Mulder faced Wade squarely, searching her eyes for a sign that said she couldn't be trusted. What he saw was innocence and goodness and a complete lack of cynicism. His gut instincts were at it again. His gut told him that he could confide in her, so he did.

"When I was twelve, my sister disappeared," he began solemnly. "Samantha was eight. She was a genuine pain in the butt as is most younger siblings, I believe. She'd borrow my stuff without asking, barge into my room without knocking and threaten to blab to my parents about everything I didn't want them to know. There were times she got on my nerves so badly, I'd actually wished I could sell her to the circus or something. Then there were those times when I felt that she was my best friend and I was the big brother who could protect her from the world.

"My parents had gone out for the night and left me in charge. Samantha and I were in the den watching TV. Actually, we were fighting over what to watch. Anyway, being bigger and older, I won. Samantha went off to her room to play with her dolls. About a half hour later, I heard voices coming from her room. She was talking to someone, which in itself wasn't unusual, because she always talked to her dolls out loud. But I heard a man's voice -- soft and somewhat familiar.

"I went up to the half-opened door and peeked inside. I saw a man sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Samantha in his lap and stroking her hair. I wasn't sure what to do at first. My parents were at a neighbor's house, so I went back into the den and called the number my dad had left for me. While someone was calling him to the phone, I heard this strange whirling sound and I looked back into the hallway and I saw this bright light coming out of my sister's room. I dropped the phone and I ran into the room. The man was standing now with Samantha in his arms, and behind them was this large, swirling circle of blue and white light.

"The man looked at me, and at first I thought he was my father. It looked just like him except that his hair was longer, he had a mustache and he wore some odd looking clothes I'd never seen before. I asked him who he was. He said his name was William Mulder and that he was from a universe that was identical to mine. Then he looked at Sam as though she was the most precious thing in existence, and said, 'Almost identical.' My sister asked him if I could come with them, and he looked at me with such sadness in his eyes and shook his head. 'I'm sorry, but we have one of him already,' he told her.

"Then before it could all sink in what was happening, he turned and leaped into the swirling light. I heard my sister scream my name and I watched, frozen in that spot as they slid down a spiraling hole. By the time I thought to follow, it was too late. The opening closed up just as I reached for it and the force of it knocked me off my feet and slammed me into the wall.

"I was in a state of shock when my parents found me. Stayed that way for two weeks afterwards. When I finally rejoined the living, I told my parents what I saw that night. My mother only cried, thinking that I had lost my mind. But my father... I think he believed me. He never came out and said so, but he had this expression on his face which said to me that what I saw was possible. But all he said to me was, 'You knew where I kept the gun. Why the hell didn't you use it? Your mother will never forgive you for this, you pathetic little shit.'"

The pain he had felt when those words were first spoken so many years ago, had returned full strength. Mulder squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to block out his father's voice and the anguish it instilled.

"It was that moment that I started praying for the man who was my father in another world to come back. I could tell in those brief few moments when I met him that he was a much better dad than mine was. My sister could tell too. That's why she let him pick her up in the first place. But he never even wanted me. He had one of me. I wished so much that he hadn't. I'd go into my sister's room nightly for years, hoping to see that swirling light, hoping Samantha could talk him into coming back for me."

Mulder finally fell silent. Apparently drained from the mere act of opening himself up to another human being. Tears welled in his eyes as he stared off into the darkening distance. He felt a tiny hand on his back, rubbing gently in a circular motion. He was so use to having Scully by his side, that he was surprised when he looked to his left and saw Wade nestling against him in a show of compassion.

"You've had a pretty hard time of it, haven't you?"

Feeling suddenly embarrassed, he shook his head. "I didn't mean to bore you with my pathetic life story."

"I wouldn't call it boring or pathetic. Just... sad."

The even sadder part he had neglected to tell her. The part where his parents had sent him to a shrink for six months and the man convinced him that what he saw had been imagined. He was told that he had substituted the intruder's face for his father's because he couldn't bare to think that his sister had been taken by someone who would harm her. He was told that the reason there had been footsteps leading up to his sister's window outside, but none heading away, was because the man had simply gone out the front door, pushing in the button to lock it as he left. And the reason there were no muddy footprints beyond his sister's room was because the man had removed his shoes to keep from making so much noise as he walked about. And the reason young Fox didn't recall any of this was because when he tried to attack the intruder, he had been shoved against the wall and suffered a concussion.

That's the story that had been drummed into his head and that's the story he had believed for years until he joined the FBI and began his own investigation into Samantha's abduction. With full access to the police records, he discovered that a neighbor out walking his dog had reported seeing a bright, blue glow through the opened bedroom window with windblown curtains flapping wildly, though the night had been a calm one.

The report also contained a statement from his father who admitted to hearing a strange noise through the phone when his son had placed a call to him that night. He stated that he heard mumbled voices, heard his daughter scream followed by a loud thump. He had heard it all. He had probably heard the voices clearly enough to know that his son had told the truth. He had probably known back then that sliding was possible and that his parallel duplicate had stolen his daughter. And yet....

Mulder shook the thoughts of the past out of his head and turned his focus to a new idea. "What would you say to my wanting to go along when you guys get ready to slide?" He tried to keep the desperation out of his voice, but Wade was able to easily pick up on it.

"You think you'll be able to find your sister by sliding with us?"

"I don't know. I just know that I won't find her on this world. Has an outsider ever gone with you before?"

"Yes, there have been occasions, you know, to help save someone's life or give them a new start someplace else."

"Then I'd like to come with you."

"What about your life here? Your family and friends? You'd willingly leave them behind?"

"There's only my mother," stated Mulder ruefully. "She's comatose from a massive stroke. I think that my sister's return would benefit her a lot more than my hanging around."

"But you realize, don't you, Mulder, that if you slide with us, there's no guarantee that you'll ever find your sister. And there's a greater possibility that you may never find your way back home."

"I understand the risks."

"What about your partner? You two look like you're pretty close."

"We are," Mulder readily admitted. "Scully seems to have adopted me like a puppy from the pound. She looks after me. Perhaps if I wasn't carrying around enough personal baggage to cripple an elephant, I might admit to feeling something stronger towards her. But even so, Scully knows what my number one priority has always been. She's known that the day might come when I would have to choose. She knows which way I would choose. I *am* prepared to go with you, if you'll allow me."

She could see it in his eyes how much this meant to him. "If you're really sure about this --"

"I am," he replied with no hesitation.

"In that case, I'll talk to the others and we'll see how it goes."

"Thank you."

----------

When Scully and Quinn returned from the store, Mulder walked out to meet his partner at the car while Quinn and Wade went on into the house with the groceries.

"Learn anything?" Mulder asked as he walked her to the rear of the car.

"He told me about some of the places he's been and he showed me his gizmo," she said teasingly.

"Oh yeah? How big was it?"

"I don't believe in judging a man by the size of his gizmo."

"That's a relief," he smiled. "Are we talking about the same thing?"

"Actually, it's called a timer. It looks something like a remote control for a television set. Supposedly, it lets him know when the portal will open, and if you handle it incorrectly, you could conceivable blow yourself up."

"And you don't believe a word of it, do you?"

"I told him that I needed proof. He said that I'd have it tomorrow morning at nine-forty-five. That's when the portal is scheduled to open."

Standing at the rear of the car, Mulder gently pulled on Scully's arm to position her in front of the trunk. To her surprise, he placed his hands around her waist and with one swift motion, lifted her to sit upon the car's trunk. This placed her at an eye to eye level with him. He looked at her, an odd grin on his face. He obviously had something on his mind, but he seemed reluctant to come out with it.

"What is it, Mulder?"

"What if tomorrow at nine-forty-five, a gateway to a different world *does* open up? I don't have any proof that it will happen, and I admit to having some doubts that it will happen, but I'm not going to dismiss the *possibility* that it may happen. And if it does indeed occur, I plan to step through it with them."

"Mulder," Scully sighed, "I know what this is all about and I wish you wouldn't do this to yourself again."

"Do what?"

"You set yourself up for disappointment, and when it comes, you're completely devastated by it. Think. Even by the greatest miracle imaginable, even if this promised gateway *did* open up and you stepped inside, according to Quinn, there are countless dimensions out there. Searching for a missing person in only one world is hard enough, but trying to search, hundreds, perhaps thousands of worlds is like... like trying to find a lost contact lens in the ocean. And you're not even sure which ocean to look in."

She had expected a look of despair, but instead she found a determined gleam in his eyes as he responded to her analogy.

"Scully, if someone told me that the only hope I had of ever finding my sister was to go search the oceans, I'd be out swimming with the dolphins this minute, and Jacques Cousteau would be my best friend. I believe I'll find her someday. For over twenty years now, that belief has been the force that drives me to get out of bed each day, to put one foot in front of the other and step out into the world. Meeting those people in there has been the break I've been waiting for. This is my chance to find the right ocean to search. I *have* to go for it."

"What about your mother, Mulder? Are you just going to desert her?"

"Scully, if anyone or anything can bring my mother out of her coma, I believe it would be Samantha. Look, Wade told me that every world they've been to, it was always the same year. She said she did the math and counted all the days that they've actually spent in other worlds. In reality, it's been a full two years, but technically, only a few weeks have gone by for them. So, I don't believe that much time will actually have passed between the time I leave and the time I return."

"You plan on coming back? How? Quinn invented his own stupid gizmo and he hasn't a clue on how to get back home."

"I believe that the man who took my sister had total control over his coming and going. I think that his own Samantha had probably died, and that he came looking for a replacement to take back home. So, when I slide into a world where the technology is such that sliding through the universe is comparable to surfing the internet, then I'll know I'm in the right place. I'll just find Samantha and bring her back with me."

"What if she doesn't want to come back with you? What if she's all grown up with a family of her own and a brother who's your duplicate?"

She saw the gleam in his eyes finally go dim. He hadn't thought of that. He still thought of Samantha as the eight-year-old pigtailed little girl in the pictures he had enshrined at home and in his office. Scully was almost regretful that she had brought his dreams crashing down so hard. He was silent for several moments, then at last, he looked at her, a new sparkle gaining life.

"If that is the case, then I'd like to see for myself. I'd... I'd walk up to her and I'd introduce myself. I'd say to her, 'Hi, I'm Fox, your original brother. I just came to see how you were doing. I've missed you a great deal, but I see that you're happy and healthy and you've got a beautiful family. I just want you to know that... I love you.'

"Then, I'll lean over and kiss her cheek and we'll hug and cry, and she'll tell me how much she's missed me and wanted me with her. And she'll ask me to stay for dinner and ask about my life. And we'll share a perfect evening together. Then, about a half century later, my great-grandkids will gather around me and ask me to tell them the story again about when I found my long lost sister. And there'll be this big, stupid grin on my face."

The gleam in his eyes began to resemble tears. "Don't try to talk me out of it, Scully. Please don't. I have to go. I have to try. This is the closest I've ever been to that no name ocean."

The fact that he was begging her not to talk him out of it, signified to her that he *could* be talked out of it. She thought seriously about doing just that, but decided against it. If she insisted on interfering with his lifelong dream, he would come to despise her. Their partnership would disintegrate, their friendship dissolve. Besides, the odds were he wouldn't be going anywhere anyway. So far, despite what their new acquaintances boasted, there was still no proof that sliding was possible. Keeping that frame of mind, she was able to muster up a smile for him.

"You're a big boy, Mulder. You're old enough -- if not necessarily wise enough -- to make your own decisions. If this is what you really want, I won't try to talk you out of it."

He was at first shocked to hear her give in until it dawned on him why. "Oh, I forget; you don't think it's possible. That's why you gave up on me so easily."

"I'd never give up on you, Mulder. Science would never forgive me. You go. You find your sister. You have dinner and a special evening with her. Then you come back here and work on being a great-grandfather."

"Yes ma'am. I will."

----------

After dinner, Mulder asked Cleatus where the closest motel was. Scully was about to speak, but Mulder signaled her with their own special silent code to keep her still. They had already visited the local motels in the area, so she realized that Mulder must have been up to something. It became clear just what it was when Cleatus extended his hospitality once again and encouraged them to spend the night. Scully agreed to share a room with Wade, while Arturo and Rembrant shared the other spare bedroom, each with bunk beds. That left Mulder and Quinn to share the fold-out sofa in the living room.

"Did Wade tell you that I wanted to go with you guys when you slide tomorrow?" Mulder asked as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"Yeah," Quinn nodded, already stripped down to his underwear and sitting up in bed. "But I think maybe you should give it a lot more thought first. You know, this is something you might easily regret later."

Mulder nodded. "Just so there's no misunderstandings during the night; I like to hog the covers, and that something hard you might feel poking you in your side, is more likely to be my gun than anything else."

"Thanks for the warning."

----------

Chapter 5 of 8

He was back home. It looked different now. It was dark, musty and a haven for cobwebs. The furniture wore dingy white sheets and tents of heavy, clear plastic. He stood in the living room, poignantly fingering the family pictures on the mantelpiece. A blue, glowing light slowly began to brighten the room. Mulder turned his head and stood stupefied as a small figure emerged from a gently swirling vortex and walked towards him. She was wearing the same pink overalls and flowered shirt that she had been the last time he saw her, and her long pigtails still framed her round, freckled face.

"Samantha?"

"I think I came to the wrong place," she spoke as she glanced about at her surroundings. "But it looks sort of the same." Then she faced Mulder. "I'm looking for my brother. His name is Fox Mulder. Do you know him?"

Mulder dropped to one knee and viewed his little sister from a lower level. "It's me, Samantha. I'm Fox."

She took a step back and shook her head adamantly. "No, you can't be. Fox is just a little boy. He's bigger than me but he's still little."

"I was little, a long time ago when you first went away. I grew up."

"You couldn't have grown up," she protested. "I haven't been gone that long. I told my new dad that I wanted you to come stay with us. I cried and cried so much that he finally said okay." She was close to tears now. "Why did you have to go and grow up, Fox?"

"I'm sorry, Sam. I had no choice. But you can come stay with me now. I'll take care of you."

"Where's Mom and Dad?"

Mulder couldn't find the courage to tell her that their father had been murdered by persons unknown and that their mother -- suffering from a massive stroke -- was no more than a human vegetable in a nursing home. Apparently, his expression and his silence had given her a bit of a clue.

"Something bad happen to them?" she asked, to which her big brother only nodded. "My other dad's real nice, Fox. My mom is too. I even like my other brother. He's a lot like you used to be, only... I know he's not you."

Mulder timidly reached out and took her hand in his. "Will you stay?" he asked, biting back the tears with a forced smile. "I need you so much."

"I want to, but I don't think they'll let me."

"If you want to stay, I promise I won't let them take you from me again."

She smiled for the first time and threw her arms about his neck. He squeezed her tight, sighing deeply at the recovery of this most sought after treasure. That peaceful moment of bliss, however, was shattered by the loud, roaring sounds of the vortex as it suddenly came to life. It doubled in size and created a huge vacuum to which items were being sucked in left and right. Samantha screamed as her legs flew up into the air, her arms still clinging about her brother's neck. Mulder held her tightly with one arm while his other reached out for something to anchor himself. He managed to grab the leg of the sofa as the sheets and plastic from the furniture flapped madly in the air suction of the vortex and eventually flew into it.

Mulder felt his grip slipping on his sister. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to summon up enough strength to hold on. But with each second, he could feel her inching away until he held her only by her tiny hand. "Please, God," he prayed, "don't let me lose her again. Please!"

Quinn stirred awake at the sound of the muffled plea. He sat up and looked over at Mulder whose left hand was extended upward, reaching out for some invisible goal. "Samantha! No-o-o!" he cried out. Not sure how to wake the sleeping agent or even if he should, Quinn placed his hand in Mulder's opened palm. Long, slender fingers grasped him tightly. The desperation in their search for contact calmed.

Mulder suddenly bolted upright in bed, his breathing heavy and his heart racing, his eyes open but unseeing. The identity of the hand he held clutched to his chest was still unnoticed. Quinn placed a gentle touch at his back.

"Mulder, are you okay?"

"Fine, Scully," was the murmured reply. After the moment it took to orient himself, Mulder recognized that the less than petite hand he held did not belong to either his sister, nor to Scully. He let go of it and turned his back to Quinn, placing his feet on the floor.

"You were having a nightmare," said Quinn.

"Yeah, I know. I was there."

"It was about your sister, wasn't it?"

"Look, I'm sorry I disturbed you. Why don't you just go back to sleep. I won't bother you anymore."

Mulder got up, grabbed his trousers from a nearby chair, quickly slipped them on and walked silently into the kitchen. He drank a glass of water and afterwards was prepared to sit in the darkness all alone for the rest of the night. The small light over the kitchen stove came on. Mulder was slow in reacting to Quinn's presence.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," he apologized meekly.

"It's okay. Mind if I join you for a little while?"

"I'm afraid I'm not very good company right now."

Quinn filled a glass with water and sat at the kitchen table across from Mulder. "I've had some rough nights like that myself," he said after a couple of sips from his glass. "It was after my dad died. I was eleven. I still get them from time to time, usually around Christmas and Father's Day. I guess it's easier for me. At least I have what they call... closure. I know exactly what happened to him, I know where he rests. Only problem now is, I just can't get back to him. Or my mom. I really miss her. I see versions of her from time to time, and that helps, but it's not the same."

There was silence for several moments as each of the young men sat reflecting inwardly. "I dreamt she came back to me," said Mulder. "She was still this little girl and she had come back looking to take me with her. Only I was all grown up now and she didn't understand how I could have grown up when she had been gone for only a short time. But she agreed to stay with me anyway, and I promised her I wouldn't let them take her away again. But the vortex started to pull her in and I couldn't hold on." He shook his head mournfully. "Why did I have to be so pig-headed? Why did I insist on trying to keep her here with me? It would have been so simple to just follow her back to her world."

"It was just a dream," Quinn pointed out.

Mulder grunted. "Yeah. Just a dream."

Quinn sat studying the heartbroken man across from him and came to an important conclusion.

"You know. There's a funny thing about sliding. In the beginning, our slides always took us to the same city and the same year. Then one time we landed in San Francisco but it was a whole different era. It was when I was a kid. I met myself at a time I was going through a rough period. My father had just died, and I felt I had no one to turn to. So I was able to go to myself as an adult and help me through the bad times.

"We thought it was some sort of weird magnetic curve that caused the time difference. But Wade suggested that maybe it was some sort of emotional curve caused by the *need* to make things better. We thought that was why we ended up here in Georgia instead of our normal San Francisco. We thought that Rembrant's uncle needed our help for some reason. But I don't think that anymore. I think the real reason we're here, is because *you* need our help."

Mulder perked up at that last statement, but remained silent.

"When you stop to think about it," Quinn continued, "it's the only thing that really makes sense. So, if you're still interested, you're more than welcome to come with us."

Teardrops he hadn't realized he'd been holding at bay, escaped Mulder's eyes and trickled down his cheeks. Quinn reached out and patted his arm compassionately.

"Don't stay up too late, Mulder. I guarantee, you're going to need the rest."

----------

Oct. 18
8:42 a.m.

When Scully came downstairs in the morning, she couldn't find Mulder anywhere inside the house. She looked out the front window and sighed heavily when she saw him sitting casually on the car hood, his back to the house and his eyes cast upwards to the yellow and red leaves of the tall oak above him. She went outside and approached him cautiously, trying to keep the fallen leaves from crunching beneath her feet but having little success.

"Don't you know you can't sneak up on a person in the middle of fall in the middle of Butts County, Scully?" said Mulder without turning around.

"How did you know it was me?"

"How could I *not* know? Is breakfast ready yet?"

"No, I don't think so," Scully replied as she came to stand next to her partner.

"We're having grits. Have you ever eaten grits before, Scully?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"There's nothing like 'em. Of course, you have to cook them just right. If you use too much water, they become runny, and if you use too little water, they become stiff and clumpy. You want them just the right consistency so they're thick enough to cling to the spoon but still smooth enough to pour into a bowl. Then you add just the right amount of salt and butter, and serve with bacon, scrambled eggs with cheese and a hot, buttered biscuit with gravy. And you have to make sure you eat 'em while they're still hot because when grits begin to cool, they quickly develop a skin over them."

Scully grimaced mildly. "I'm glad you told me. So, I take it, you've eaten quite a few grits in your time?"

"No, actually, I've never even seen any up close. I'm just going by what Mr. Brown told me when I said good-morning to him."

"Oh."

Mulder reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small envelope which he held out to his partner. "Scully, I'd like to give you something."

"What is it?" she asked before accepting it.

"It's the key to my safety deposit box, the password to my savings account and a few hastily written instructions on what to do with them."

"What *do* I do with them?" she asked, grasping the envelope in her hand.

"Well, I don't have time to make any formal arrangements. I need for you to do a couple of favors for me. There's a special fund set aside for my mother's care. I'd like for you to maybe check on her from time to time to make sure she's being looked after properly. Also, I need you to see that the payments are made on my apartment. If I haven't returned in a couple of months, then I'd like for you to put my things in storage and let the apartment go. I mean... I know it's a lot to ask at the last minute, but I'd really appreciate if you'd do it for me. "

Scully shook her head, frowning upon Mulder's futile preparations. "Mulder, this is completely unnecessary."

"Look, I know you don't believe, but please, indulge me a little longer."

She blew out a hopeless sigh, then gave in to his request. "All right. So how long should the storage last? Until you run out of money?"

"No. No that wouldn't be wise, would it?"

"Then how long? One year, two, three --"

"Three," Mulder cut her off. "I'm sure three will be more than enough."

"Right. Well, I guess that's everything then," Scully stated in a mocking tone. "Your mother, your apartment, your money... looks like you've thought of everything. Oh wait! You forgot something. What about your job, Mulder? What do you want me to tell Assistant Director Skinner? That you've quit; that you're taking a leave of absence; that you fell down a large rabbit hole --"

"I don't believe you're taking this very seriously."

"Did you honestly expect me to?"

"I expected you to be my friend. Up until now, that always meant that you at least respected my beliefs even if you didn't agree with them."

She felt suddenly ashamed for slighting him. "I'm sorry," she apologized whole-heartedly. "I just think you're getting a little too carried away with all this."

"Scully, I know it's hard for you to accept it, but these people are for real. They're planning on leaving in an hour, but they haven't made any arrangements for transportation. They don't have cab fare or bus fare. They haven't asked Mr. Brown or myself if they could catch a ride someplace. If they were the ones that disappeared from this world a few months ago, they haven't bothered to call home to let anyone know they're alive and well. I checked the phone records a little while ago. I've managed to catch each of them alone at one point and do my own interrogation. Their stories all match. Why would they lie about being Sliders? What purpose would it serve?"

"To confuse you. Mulder, people have used your beliefs against you before. You have enemies, and they would like nothing better than to see you destroyed, either all at once or a bit at a time. And I'm not sure I can handle having to pick up the pieces when this all comes crashing down on you."

"In an hour, there won't be any pieces left for you to be picking up. And even if I *am* still standing in this universe an hour from now, then I'll handle it. You won't have to." He held his hand out, willing to take back the envelope he had given her and relieve her of any further responsibilities.

She started to give it to him, then changed her mind. She had to admit to herself that though her mind was dead set against the possibility that Mulder or his new friends would be sliding within the hour, there was that section of her heart that actually wanted him to go off and realize his lifelong dream.

"Why don't I just hold on to this for awhile," she said, offering no reason why she should. Her eyes held him with compassion, and that's all the explanation he needed.

"Thank you," he whispered.

They held their gaze until the shrill chirping of Mulder's phone broke the spell. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. "Hello, Mulder here," he responded into the mouthpiece. "Oh, hi, Daphne." Scully rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "Yes, I slept very well, thank you.... Yes, as a matter of fact, we did find them. Thanks a lot for your help.... Yeah...? Are they still there?" Mulder asked in a suddenly serious tone. Scully looked at him with concern. "Yes, Daphne, you did *very* good. Thank you."

"What is it?" Scully asked as soon as he hung up.

He slid off the car's fender and shoved the phone back into his pocket as he spoke. "Well, you might not believe in the Sliders, but apparently, someone else does. Daphne says that three men just left the diner. They were asking about our friends inside. She says they all look like death warmed over."

"The infamous Black Squad?"

Mulder nodded. "She said she didn't tell them anything, but that one of them went over to check out the pay phone."

"Mulder, if they run a trace, it won't take long for them to figure out where we are. We've got to get them out of here."

"Let's go."

Mulder and Scully rushed back into the house and quickly, but quietly explained the situation they were all facing. Quinn voiced his concerns about their host who was clanking about in the kitchen out of earshot.

"What about Cleatus? Do you think he should come with us?"

"I think he'll be okay. As long as they believe he doesn't know anything."

"But with us taking off so suddenly," said Wade, "they'll suspect we knew they were coming, won't they? And if we knew, then they'll figure he *has* to know something."

Mulder gave the problem a little thought. "I've got an idea. I'll talk to Cleatus. Scully, go ahead and get them to the car."

As Scully carried out his orders Mulder approached Cleatus in the kitchen.

"Mr. Brown?"

"I know y'all said y'all didn't want no breakfast, but I knew as soon as you smelled this bacon frying up --"

"Mr. Brown, I'm afraid we can't stay for breakfast," Mulder apologized sincerely. "We really do have to be going. My partner and I have a plane to catch. And we told Rembrant and the others that we'd drop them off at the bus station on our way."

"Oh, they need to go to the bus station? I'll drive 'em."

"Really, that won't be necessary. Rembrant left some important papers in a bus station locker that I need to pick up anyway. So it's best that we just all go together now."

"Well, all right then. Let me just turn this off." Cleatus turned off the stove and set his cooking aside so that he could go say a proper farewell to his house guests.

The good-byes were short but nonetheless heartfelt. Wade gave Cleatus a kiss on the cheek, and he received a warm bear hug from Rembrant. The travelers piled into the car, with Wade seated between Rembrant and Arturo in the back and Scully squeezed between Mulder and Quinn in the front. They waved good-bye to their generous host and drove off posthaste.

"So what did you tell Mr. Brown?" asked Scully when they had gone about a mile down the road.

"I told him that you and I have a plane to catch but that we had to drop our friends off at the bus station first. So when he's asked why we left so suddenly, he'll have something that'll stand up."

"So where are we headed now?"

"The airport."

"You don't think they'll have someone waiting for us there?"

"At the Atlanta airport, yes. But there's one a little further south in Macon. By the time we can get down there, it should be close to sliding time."

"Damn!" Quinn cursed under his breath, just loud enough to be heard by sharp ears.

"Quinn, what is it?" Scully asked.

Quinn shook his head regretfully. "Guys we're going to have to go back."

"I don't think so," said Mulder.

"If you ever want to realize the joys of sliding, we *have* to go back."

"Mr. Mallory," Arturo's voice boomed, "you didn't!"

"We were in such a rush to get out of there...."

"You remember exactly where you left it?" Mulder asked.

"No. I just know I don't have it on me now. Unless one of you guys picked it up."

"Not me," Wade sighed.

"Sorry, Cueball," said Rembrant.

Mulder slowed the car and prepared to turn around. "We just have to hope that the Black Squad doesn't get there before we do. Scully, why don't you call ahead. Maybe Mr. Brown can locate it for us and have it waiting when we get there."

Scully couldn't believe that they were actually turning around and going back for that supposed miracle gadget. She wanted to slap some sense into her partner, but she knew he wouldn't be satisfied until he saw this farce all the way through. She reluctantly dug out her cell phone and placed the call. She waited through several rings before Cleatus finally answered with a subdued, "Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Brown, this is Dana Scully."

"Oh, it's you," Cleatus responded in an uncharacteristic gruff voice. "What do you want?" he asked, sounding nothing like the cheerful, hospitable man they had just said good-bye to barely ten minutes ago.

A warning bell went off in Scully's head and she chose a cautious route. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I believe I may have left my fountain pen on your coffee table. It's black and gold with my initials on it."

"Yeah, it's here," came the unexpected response. After a brief pause, he added, "Are you coming back here for it?"

"Could you hold on just a second, please?" She muted the phone, then spoke to Mulder who was already curious about her conversation. "Something's not right. Mr. Brown asked if I was coming back to pick up my imaginary fountain pen he just found."

"Shit!" Mulder hissed. "Tell him we won't have time."

Scully spoke into the receiver again. "I just talked to Mulder and he says we won't have time to turn around and come back. Would you mind very much mailing it to me? I'll call you back with an address later. Gotta run now. Bye."

"What's going on?" Wade was the first to ask the question on everyone else's mind.

"We think that the people who are after you are already at Mr. Brown's house," Mulder answered. "They were probably telling him what to say over the phone."

"You don't think they'd hurt him, do you?" asked Rembrant.

"There's no reason they should," said Scully. "Sounded like he was cooperating with them." She looked to her partner. "Now what?"

Mulder responded by stopping the car and backing it into a nearly invisible dirt road, shielded by kudzu-covered trees on both sides. It was either somebody's half-mile long driveway, or the local highway patrol speed trap hideout. At any rate, it made a good hiding place and they could still see passing traffic. Mulder parked and turned off the engine.

"Are we just going to sit here?" asked Arturo.

"For now," said Mulder. "Give them a little time to try and catch up with us. Hopefully, Scully's performance convinced them that we weren't coming back. Then when they reach the expressway, they'll head north to the bus station and airport while we go south. In the meantime, does anyone know any good "Knock Knock" jokes?"

Arturo grunted. "I'm afraid there's no such thing."

A few minutes later, a large, black sedan zoomed by at least thirty miles over the speed limit. "Did that happen to resemble a bat out of hell?" said Mulder dryly.

"Where's the highway patrol when you need them?" said Scully.

Mulder started the car. "Okay, gang. Here we go again."

----------

Chapter 6 of 8

When they made it back to the house, they saw Cleatus about to get into his station wagon. He stopped and walked up to the driver's side of the rental car.

"There were some men here just a little while ago looking for y'all," he spoke to Mulder. "They said they were with the government, but they looked like hoodlums up to no good."

"I think you might be right. They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No. They shoved me around a little, but they ain't hurt me none."

"I'm sorry we brought trouble to your doorstep, Mr. Brown. But I don't think you'll have any further problems with those men. Unfortunately, we left something behind --"

"Oh, I lied about finding your fountain pen," he said to Scully. "They told me to say that to get you to come back. But I didn't really find it."

"It's okay, Mr. Brown. But do you mind if Quinn and I go in and take a look around?"

"Oh, go right ahead. Here's the door key," he said as he handed it over to Scully. "I was getting ready to leave in case they came back."

Scully and Quinn got out of the car and went inside to look for the timer. Cleatus looked into the back seat at Rembrant.

"You don't owe them money, do you? They looked like the money collecting type. I could tell one of them had a gun on him."

"Well, I guess you could say I have *something* they want."

"Well, I'm sorry, I can't help you out with that. You know, I'm on a pension. But you need to leave those types alone. You could look at 'em and tell they're bad news."

"Yes sir, I know. But don't worry, after today, they won't be a problem."

"That's good." Cleatus casually stuffed his hands into his coat pocket and seemed surprised at something he discovered in one. "What's this?"

"What?" asked Mulder.

Cleatus pulled out a fountain pen. "Oh, well what do you know. This must be the little lady's ink pen. How'd that get in there?"

Mulder took the pen that Cleatus offered him. Instantly suspicious of it, he carefully twisted off the top portion to reveal a listening device. He held a finger up to silence Cleatus who was confused by the pen's innards. Mulder blew the horn loud and long to give whoever was listening an earful, then he opened the door and crushed the device to pieces as he slammed it shut.

Scully came to the front door to see what was going on. Mulder yelled at her through the car door window. "We've got to move, Scully! They're on to us!"

"Quinn still can't find it," she yelled back. "It's not in or around the sofa bed."

"Are they looking for that remote?" Cleatus asked.

"You've seen it?"

"I picked one up off the living room floor early this morning and stuck it in the utility drawer in the kitchen with all the rest."

"Scully! Try the kitchen drawers!" Mulder yelled.

"The one next to the refrigerator," said Cleatus.

"Next to the refrigerator!"

"I collect those things," said Cleatus. "People toss 'em out all the time. I got about thirty in there. I never know when I might lose the one that comes with my TV or VCR, but I won't have no problem finding a replacement. One of those is bound to work."

"Smart thinking," Mulder grinned.

Quinn came running out of the house excitedly. "Got it!" he shouted triumphantly. Scully took the extra seconds needed to lock the door, then she ran to give Cleatus back his keys. Once everyone had piled back into the car again, Mulder gave a warning to Cleatus.

"The men in black are coming back this way. I suggest you make yourself scarce for a while. Agent Scully or I will leave a message for you at the Day & Night Diner and let you know when it's safe for you to return home."

The old man nodded and moved spryly to his vehicle. Mulder pulled out of the driveway, then waited until he saw that the station wagon was on its way to safety before tearing off in the direction they had originally come from.

"How do we know they're coming back?" asked Scully.

"They planted a bug on Cleatus. Let's just hope we can make it back to our little hiding place in time."

Mulder floored the gas pedal and in a couple of minutes found himself back at the little side road. Instead of taking the time to back in as he did before, he drove straight into it, kicking up a cloud of dust and rubble.

"I think I saw that black sedan headed down the road just as we turned in here," said Rembrant.

"You think he saw us?" asked Scully.

"Don't know. But I sure hope that dust cloud we kicked up dies down quick."

Mulder slowed the car to a stop when he came to a clearing filled with several abandoned vehicles and discarded furniture and household items. There was no road beyond the dumping ground, only room to turn around and go back the way they came. Mulder turned the car around, then cursed aloud when he saw what faced them.

"Dammit!" he growled when he saw the black sedan a hundred yards away and closing in fast. "Everybody out!" he shouted as he hit the brakes. "Scatter! They can't chase after all of us."

The doors flew open and everyone scampered out in different directions. When the black sedan came to a stop, three sinister- looking men in black exited with guns drawn.

"The agents you can kill," the leader was heard to say, "but the Sliders, we take back alive."

The men split up to hunt their quarry hiding among the trees and discarded junk. The man that had gone to the left heard a rustling of leaves coming from the far side of a rusted pickup truck. He stepped as softly as he could through the noisy leaves on the ground and rounded the rear of the truck. He smiled wickedly to himself when he saw a pair of petite, denim-covered legs attempting to disappear underneath the truck near the right front axle. He hurried to them and grabbed an ankle before it was moved out of reach.

Wade yelped and kicked as the man tried to pull her out into the open. While the man was preoccupied with her capture, he didn't notice a figure approaching from the front of the truck. By the time he noticed a shadow falling over his arm, it was too late. A three-foot stretch of a lead drainage pipe crashed against the back of his skull. He dropped his gun and collapsed to the ground out cold.

Rembrant picked up the man's gun, then patted him down for more weapons. He came up with a derringer, a switchblade and a pair of handcuffs. Wade pulled herself from underneath the truck as Rembrant secured the man's hands behind him with the handcuffs. Afterwards, he held up the two guns and switchblade, giving Wade her choice.

"Which would you like?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

Wade deliberated between the three, then after a quick glance at the unconscious man in front of them, she pointed to the lead pipe on the ground.

The professor had taken refuge behind a washing machine. He had heard the footsteps approaching but was unsuccessful in finding a feasible means of self-defense. He was completely helpless when the second gunman discovered him squatting behind the useless appliance.

"Well, well, look what we have here."

He motioned with his gun for Arturo to stand up. As the professor did so, the gunman grabbed him by his lapel and stuck the barrel of his gun against his temple.

"You wanna live to see tomorrow, fat boy?"

"There's no need for name calling."

"Why don't you do yourself a favor and tell your little friends to come out of hiding?"

"If you think those selfish bastards will sacrifice themselves in order to save my life, I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken."

"Why is it I don't believe you?" The gunman pulled him out into the open, then yelled out, "Agent Mulder, I've got the professor here! If you want him to keep breathing, you'd better convince the others to come forward! You've got ten seconds."

"If I'm your bargaining chip, killing me in ten seconds would be useless, don't you agree?" said Arturo.

There was a loud rustling of leaves as Quinn came forward, his hands in the air. "Don't hurt him," he told the gunman.

"Mr. Mallory," Arturo sighed, "you shouldn't have. This buffoon was only bluffing."

"Well, I didn't want to take that chance. Look," Quinn spoke to the man in black, "why don't you just let all the others go. I'm the only one you really need. I have the device that makes sliding possible and I'm the only one who knows how to operate it."

"Mr. Mallory, no," Arturo pleaded.

"Shut up!" The gunman pushed the professor down to his knees and signaled for Quinn to come closer.

Quinn slowly stepped forward. "Listen, I've hidden the sliding device. If you let everyone go, I'll lead you to it and I'll go with you without a fuss. You don't need any of them. Just let them go."

"Those aren't my orders."

"Your orders are to bring us back alive," said Arturo.

"Perhaps, but accidents *can* happen. So, you lead me to the device, or an accident might just befall your big mouth buddy here."

"Okay, okay," said Quinn. "I'll cooperate. Just don't hurt anyone. I hid it under the front seat of that old Pinto down there."

The gunman yanked the collar of Arturo's jacket, urging him to his feet. "Lead the way," he told Quinn while keeping the barrel of his gun pressed against the back of the professor's head.

As they walked the twenty feet to the burnt out Pinto, Quinn urged their captor to be careful with the gun. "Do you have to keep that thing pointed at his head like that? It might go off."

The man didn't seem to be particularly bothered by that possibility, but seeing how he had everything under control, he politely pointed the barrel skyward and smiled rather wickedly at his younger victim.

"Thank you," said Quinn, letting go a deep, worried breath. As they neared the broken down vehicle and the remains of a doorless refrigerator, Quinn spoke to Arturo. "Hey, Professor, I've got a good "Knock, knock" joke for you."

Arturo was certainly not in the mood for jokes until he saw the mischievous look in Quinn's eyes. He nodded almost imperceptibly to signify his understanding of the situation. "I'm listening."

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Duck."

The two men simultaneously dropped to the ground just in time to avoid colliding with a rusty muffler. The man behind them, however was not so lucky. The hollow piece of iron smashed solidly into his face. It wasn't enough to knock him out, but it did stun him, giving Mulder the upper hand as he jumped from behind the refrigerator and continued the attack. A karate chop to the wrist, relieved the man of his weapon, a well-placed knee to the groin worked wonders, followed by a driving elbow to the back of his neck. As the man crumbled to the ground unconscious, Mulder took out his handcuffs and used them accordingly.

"Very impressive, Agent Mulder," said Arturo, still seated on the ground next to Quinn.

"You guys okay?" asked Mulder as he stood up from securing the gunman.

"Mulder, look out!"

At the sound of Scully's warning, Mulder looked in her direction, puzzled over seeing her poised with her gun aimed right at him. Quinn, however saw the real danger and rushed to throw himself at Mulder and knock him out of the line of fire. The two fell to the ground as three gunshots rang out.

Mulder quickly rolled Quinn off him and reached for his gun. When he looked for someone to aim it at, he saw a man in black sprawled on the ground about thirty feet away. "Stay down," he told Quinn as he cautiously went to check out the gunman.

He held his gun trained on the still body on the ground. When he reached the man in black, he kicked the gun from his hand, and keeping the barrel of his revolver pressed against the man's head, he felt his neck for a pulse. He allowed himself to relax when none could be located.

Mulder picked up the loose gun, turned the safety on and placed it in his coat pocket. He smiled lightly at Scully when she approached. "Pretty nice shooting, partner," he told her as he reholstered his own weapon.

"Okay, guys," Quinn announced as he checked the timer, "we're down to five minutes. Mulder, when the portal opens, we only have about one minute before it closes again. If you're having any second thoughts --"

"None," said Mulder. His eyes were on Scully, but she pretended not to notice. Instead, she focused her attention on the Sliders. She exchanged handshakes with each and received a quick kiss on the cheek from Quinn.

"Good-bye, Dana. I wish we'd had more time." He glanced at Mulder and added softly, "Don't worry. We'll look after him."

She could only nod her response. The Sliders finally all moved several yards away to give the FBI agents a semblance of privacy. Mulder approached Scully, his left hand went out to rub her right arm up and down.

"You know, you could still be right," he began. "Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe there really isn't a portal. Maybe --"

"Bluebirds will fly out my butt," Scully scoffed.

Mulder chuckled. "Why, Agent Scully, developing a belief in the absurd and a sense of humor all at once. You do believe now, don't you?"

"I didn't just kill a man for nothing. I'm sure I could probably think of a logical reason why they were after us to begin with, but --"

"You'd be eating into the time we have left to bid each other a fond farewell."

Scully smiled unhappily. "I've always wondered just how far I'd follow you on your personal quest." With the toe of her right shoe, she drew a boundary line across her path.

Mulder glanced down at the crude line which slashed between the leaves in front of him. "Thanks for coming *this* far."

"You really believe you'll be coming back?"

"If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be going."

"The things you believe in aren't always realistic."

"They are to *me*."

She had no comeback for that. Her eyes landed on the multi-colored striped tie she had bought for him last Christmas. A tie she felt she'd never see again. "I'll miss you," she told the silken neckwear.

Mulder watched her sadly as she avoided eye contact with him. With his index finger, he tilted her chin upwards and forced her to look at him. He had told his sister *after* she had been taken away from him and often in his dreams; he had told his father, as he stood over his grave; and he had told his mother now that she's comatose and his words make no sense to her. He didn't want to tell Scully once he was a whole universe away.

"I love you," he told her, not in a romantic or passionate fashion, but rather stated as a simple matter of fact.

As the tears rolled down her cheeks, Mulder swooped his arms about her and pulled her close to his body, feeling her trembling against his chest.

"I'll be back, Scully."

"Shut up, Mulder," she sobbed. "Just shut up."

He did what he was told and just held her as tightly as she held him. When they heard Quinn announce a one-minute warning, they gradually loosened their embrace. Mulder lifted her chin and wiped the dampness from her face with his thumb, which then brushed against her mouth. He thought hard about kissing those soft, red lips. On one hand, he was afraid he'd never get the chance to again; and on the other hand he was afraid that if he *did* kiss them, he'd never be able to walk away from her. Either she must have been reading his mind or she was experiencing the same dilemma because she made it easier for him. She raised up on tiptoes and pressed her lips sweetly against his cheek.

"See you soon, Mulder," she said and pulled away quickly.

He returned her peck on the cheek. "See you... Dana," he said, then began walking backwards away from her. "Sorry to leave you with this big mess," he spoke of the men in black. "What are you going to tell Skinner about this?"

Scully shrugged slightly. "Simple. I'll tell him the truth."

Mulder nodded. "I sure hope these guys aren't pulling my leg with this thing. Because I'm going to feel really foolish if I'm still standing here in two minutes."

"Well, compared to some of the places and situations we've ended up in," said Arturo, "feeling foolish in front of a beautiful woman is not so bad."

Scully smiled weakly as she stood there looking like a lost little girl. A trickle of red on her wrist watch caught Mulder's eye. It couldn't possibly be what he thought it was. He walked back towards her slowly to get a better look. As he approached, his eyes grew wide when he saw that the small spot on the left sleeve of her coat was actually a bullet hole.

"Scully, you've been shot," he told her. She was either in too much shock to notice or the pain hadn't had time to catch up with her yet. When he tried to open up her coat to examine her, she pushed his hand away weakly.

"It's nothing," she told him. "Just a scratch."

"You knew? What; were you trying to hide it from me?"

"It's time!" Quinn announced. He pressed a button on the timer and the gateway opened. A whirling sea of blue and white light caused the air and leaves to gust around them. Mulder was almost fearful of it. It looked the same as he remembered from so many years ago and so many countless nightmares. Quinn was ushering his friends into it and they leapt in without hesitation, treating it as though it was a marvelous ride.

"Mulder, are you coming?" Quinn raised his voice to be heard above the roar of the wind.

"Scully's been hurt! I can't leave her."

"I'll be fine, Mulder. I have my cell phone. I'll call for help."

"Are you sure?"

"Mulder!" Quinn shouted. "It's now or never!"

"You have to go, Mulder," said Scully, growing paler by the second.

Still he hesitated, his eyes zeroing in on the blood dripping down her left hand as it hung numbly by her side. His debilitating concern for her caused a wrath to stir in Scully.

"Dammit, Mulder, I do *not* want to be what stands between you and your lifelong dream. Now will you get the hell out of here before it's too late?"

Mulder looked back at the portal. Quinn gave him a helpless shrug to indicate that he could wait no longer, then made a grand leap into the vortex. Mulder faced Scully once more. With tears flooding her eyes, she mouthed the word, "Go."

With both deep regret and ardent determination, Mulder turned, made a mad dash and dived headlong into the vortex a split second before it closed. Scully gasped at the sight. She had wanted him to go. She had even begged him to go, but now that he had vanished into the unknown, she found herself unprepared for the reality of losing him. Perhaps it was that or the loss of blood from her wound that caused the swimming in her head. Suddenly, her legs could no longer support her weight and she sank to the ground and fell into unconsciousness.

----------

Chapter 7 of 8

Butts County General Hospital
Oct. 19 7:47 p.m.

Scully awoke in a dimly lit room. She could tell what kind of room she was in by the sound of beeping monitors and the IV taped to the back of her hand. She couldn't recall how she had gotten there. She didn't remember calling for help before passing out. She figured that perhaps one of the locals had come by to dump more of their garbage and discovered her among the debris.

Then, she thought of him, and there was a sudden emptiness in her soul. As many times as she had come in the past to losing him to gunshot wounds, viral illnesses and a host of inexplicable phenomenon, she had never given up hope that he would recover, that he would somehow return to her intact. But all those times, he had at least been in the same universe as she. Even when he took off someplace without telling her where he was headed, she could always conduct a search for him, because she knew he *had* to be on the planet somewhere. But not this time.

Tears formed in her eyes as she softly spoke his name. "Mulder."

"I'm here," she heard something that sounded like his voice reply. She was imagining it, she knew, but she smiled bitterly at the sound of it. "Mulder, please, come back," she cried.

"I'm right here, Scully," the voice spoke again. This time it was accompanied by a hand caressing her forehead.

Scully turned her head in order to follow the hand back to its owner. A stubbly face with tired eyes loomed in close to her. "Mulder?"

"It's all right," he cooed. "You're in a hospital, Scully. You've been shot, but you're going to be all right."

"What are you doing here? Did you find your sister already?"

"No, that trip was canceled."

"But... I saw you go. I saw you leap into the vortex."

"You must have been dreaming."

"You stayed because of me, didn't you? I'm so sorry, Mulder," Scully began to cry again.

"There's nothing to be sorry about."

"I know how much you wanted to go with them. You threw away your only opportunity because of me," she sniffed.

"I chose to stay and help save my best friend's life rather than follow a dream. You're really not going to fault me for that, are you?"

"I just don't want you looking at me and thinking about what could have been. That perfect evening with your sister. You may never get another chance."

"Scully... it's okay, really. Now do you mind if we just worry about you for a change?"

"It seemed so real."

"What did?"

"I watched you go through the portal with the others. You actually ran and took a flying leap. And it swallowed you up just before vanishing into thin air."

Mulder mused over her IV. "That must be some good stuff they're giving you here. But I don't know how you could even dream that I'd abandon you like that."

"You've ditched me plenty of times before, Mulder."

"Ditching you, Scully, is my round-about-way of saying, 'Give me a little room to breathe,' or either, 'I feel you're safer staying behind.' Abandonment is leaving for purely selfish reasons when someone needs you. I may ditch you on occasion, Scully, but I would never abandon you. And I will never blame you for my not sliding. That was my decision. I chose to stay. End of story. So don't... just don't even think about it anymore. Okay?"

She was able to give a minor nod just before drifting off to sleep. Mulder remained at her bedside, holding her delicate hand in his. Even though he had told her not to think about it anymore, he couldn't help but conjure up the events of yesterday morning when everything that *could* go wrong did. What was to have been the moment he had waited for all of his adult life turned into a total fiasco.

----------

Off-Road Dump Site
Oct. 18 9:39 a.m.

While checking to make sure that the gunman Scully had shot was no longer a threat to them, Mulder was shaken by Wade's screaming of his name. When he looked in her direction, he saw her kneeling on the ground and cradling Scully in her arms. He didn't remember running to them, but somehow he was there on his knees and looking for signs of life. He gasped in relief at finding a pulse.

"Let's lay her down," said Mulder as he helped Wade to ease his partner to the ground. Mulder took off his overcoat, then his suit jacket which he balled up and placed beneath her head. He opened up her coat to expose what he thought was a chest wound at first because of the blood, then pinpointed it to a shoulder wound. He hastily ripped off his shirt and used it to cover her wound and apply pressure.

"We need to call for help," said Wade.

Mulder indicated for her to take over the first aid duties, then he rummaged through his coat pockets for his cell phone. He dialed 911, praying that this small town had the emergency system in operation. All he got was static. Thinking his phone was damaged, he retrieved Scully's and tried again.

"Dammit!" he cursed. "The signal's not getting out. Too many trees. We'll have to put her in the car and take her to the hospital ourselves."

"Mulder, I'm afraid we've only got about five minutes left," said Quinn.

Mulder stared at him for a moment, allowing that information to sink in along with the realization of what it meant. He shifted his gaze to his partner's unconscious form on the ground. It wasn't fair, was all he could think. To be this close to that ocean and unable to go swimming in it because it would mean his best friend would be left behind to die on the shore.

"I can't leave her," he murmured.

"I know," said Quinn. "And we can't take her with us because there's no guarantee we'll be able to get her medical help where we're going. I'm sorry."

"Perhaps it wasn't meant to be," said Arturo philosophically.

Seeing his bare arms covered with goose bumps, Rembrant picked up Mulder's coat from the ground and covered him with it. "It won't help matters if you go catching a cold," he said with an added sympathetic pat on the back.

"We'll help you get her into the car," said Wade.

Rembrant moved the black sedan out of the way as Wade and Quinn helped Mulder gently ease Scully into the back seat of the rental car. Then they all stood in front of the opened driver's door to say good-bye. Wade presented Mulder with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Rembrant and the professor each gave him a heartfelt handshake.

"Maybe you weren't sent here to help me after all," Mulder said to Quinn as he shook his hand good-bye.

"I wouldn't say that. Just because you can't go with us, doesn't mean *we* can't conduct the search for you. We'll look for your sister, Mulder," Quinn promised. "On every world we slide to, we'll search for her."

A new hope flooded through Mulder's veins. His hands trembled as he took out his wallet and pulled from it two photographs. As he handed them over to Quinn, he told him, "The first was taken when she was seven. The other picture is a computer composite of how she might look now. There's some personal information on the back that might help."

Quinn took a quick glance at the photos, then carefully stashed them in the back pocket of his jeans. There was a silent nod between both parties, then Mulder got behind the wheel and started the car. He drove slowly and watched in his review mirror as Quinn pushed a button on the timer and opened the portal. The Sliders each waved at him right before taking that fateful leap into a new dimension. The gateway remained open a few seconds longer, almost tauntingly, after they had cleared it. When it shrank away into nothingness, Mulder focused on the road ahead and pressed his foot down on the gas pedal. ----------

FBI Headquarters
November 20
11:21 a.m.

"Mulder, why do you insist on ignoring the obvious?" Scully sighed as she sat across from her partner going over their latest case. "The evidence clearly substantiates the theory of a second suspect."

"Scully, haven't you ever seen cases where the obvious is conveniently *too* obvious? There's something deeper to this case which we've either overlooked or simply accepted at face value."

A knock at the door brought the debate to an abrupt end. The agents exchanged a quick look of surprise, then Mulder strolled to the door and swung it open. A young woman stood there, dressed as though she was ready for a safari, wearing khaki trousers and shirt, topped with a suede jacket and carrying a canvas handbag.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Hello, Fox," was her bubbly reply.

Mulder's head cocked slightly to the side like that of a puppy confronted with something new. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

"You used to. It's been a while though."

Mulder was instantly intrigued. He possessed a perfect memory for faces and names and although this woman seemed familiar, he couldn't quite place her. "Please, come in," he said, stepping to the side and allowing her entry. She had piqued his curiosity and he needed time to sift through his memory bank of childhood acquaintances who could have grown up to become this mystery woman.

"That's my partner, Dana Scully," he introduced her with a wave of his hand in her direction. The two women nodded a hello to each other, then the mystery woman turned back to Mulder.

"Still haven't figured it out, have you?" she said in a playful manner.

"Do I get any hints?"

"Well, you used to walk me to and from school everyday when we were kids."

Mulder studied her face intently. The large, brown eyes with the puffiness underneath were very much like his father's had been; and her dark brown hair, full lips and small chin were very much like his own. But it was impossible. It couldn't be her. He shook his head for even thinking that.

"It's been a long time, I know," she said when she detected in his eyes that he had deduced her identity. "I had been told that I could never come back here again. I was told to forget all about you, which I never did, but I *had* given up on ever seeing you again. Then I ran in to some friends of yours."

"Friends of mine?" Mulder questioned with an air of suspicion. He could count what few friends he had on one hand, and none of them would have encouraged this impostor to attempt whatever sick game she was playing.

"Yes. Actually, they sought me out. They told me a friend of theirs had been looking for me."

"These friends of mine; would they be as mysterious as you or would they happen to have names?"

"Of course they have names. Rather interesting ones at that. Let's see, there was... Quinn, Wade, Professor Arturo and... I couldn't believe it, Rembrant 'Crying Man' Brown! I don't know about here but he's pretty hot stuff where I come from."

At last, he believed. He glanced at Scully and saw her wide-eyed and amazed as well. "Samantha," he whispered.

----------

Chapter 8 of 8

"I'm sorry I let him take me, Fox," Samantha began her apology. "I never wanted to leave you behind. But he made me all these promises and the way he looked at me and the way he held me in his arms, I knew he'd make a better dad than ours was. I did want to come back for you though, but they told me it wasn't possible. All these years, I never knew it was possible. But when your friends came to me and told me about you, I went to Dad and begged, pleaded, threatened until he agreed to help me. It was possible all along, if you have enough money and power and you know the right people. Luckily, Dad fits that description. I'm just so sorry I took so long to figure that out."

Her eyes began to water, matching the emotions of her long, misplaced brother. He pulled her into strong arms, embracing her with a firm grip, as though daring anyone to even try to pull them apart. She nestled her head beneath his chin and allowed her tears to dampen his shirt. Scully watched the two reunited siblings with a lump in her throat. It was a sight she never thought she'd witness. She found herself sniffling and wiping streams of moisture from her own cheeks.

Brother and sister stood crying and hugging for several moments before they were finally able to fully contain themselves. Samantha was invited to sit down in Mulder's chair while he sat on the edge of the desk at an angle facing her.

"So... how've you been?" Mulder asked, not knowing how else to begin.

"Good. I'll give you the condensed version of my life. I'm married with two daughters, ages four and six. I work as a legal secretary in a small law firm and my husband is a computer game designer. The people who I have considered my family for the past twenty- three years now are all alive and well and make great baby- sitters. Dad is a senator, mom is a social organizer, and big brother is a psychologist with a very lucrative private practice. Basically, I've lead a pretty conventional life. So, what about you, Fox? Except for growing up minus one sister, how's life been treating you?"

Mulder shook his head pathetically, not wanting to delve into his troubled background. "Except for missing growing up with my little sister, my life has been pretty uneventful," he lied.

Samantha eyed Scully momentarily and received a 'Don't you believe it' look from her. Searching her brother's eyes, she could see them full of pain and regret. "How are Mom and Dad, Fox?"

He shrugged and sighed heavily. "He's dead, she's one step from it," was his simplified response.

"I'm sorry," Samantha sympathized and reached a hand out to pat his arm. After a moment she asked, "Married?"

"I'm a walking disaster. Who'd have me?"

"I'm sure you could find a taker if you looked beyond your own nose, or perhaps even over your shoulder."

Mulder glanced over his shoulder at Scully and saw her flustering from Samantha's comment. To her surprise, Mulder didn't give his standard, "We're just partners," reply. Instead, he smiled modestly, then turned his attention back to his sister.

"I've been with the FBI since I graduated from college. I'm a doctor of psychology and I started out profiling serial killers. Now I've moved on to investigating crimes considered unsolvable or just too plain weird, including abductions of little girls by men from unknown dimensions. I have very few friends but I balance it out by having way too many enemies, which is just as well, because I'm not the warm and fuzzy type, and I trust almost no one. How long will you be staying?" He had spoken quickly in a subdued monotone and the question at the end was nearly lost in the delivery.

"Uh... well, they only wanted to issue me clearance for eight hours, but I managed to wrangle another four out of them."

"Them?"

"It's a long story."

"Mulder," Scully spoke up, "why don't you just take the rest of the day off? I can handle things here."

"Thanks."

Before they left, Samantha took a package out of her handbag, gave it to Scully and whispered a few words in her ear. Mulder was curious, but he respected their right to secrecy. He was sure Scully would confide in him eventually. When they left the building, Mulder took his sister to lunch where they continued to get better acquainted. Afterwards, they went to visit their father's grave, then on to the convalescence hospital to see their mother.

"Is she expected to get better?" Samantha asked as she sat holding her mother's hand.

"They don't know. They say that she could come out of it anytime but that she'd be partially paralyzed and unable to speak. Then again, she may *never* regain consciousness."

"Have you given up on her?"

"No.... Sometimes," he admitted, standing over the bed and gently petting his mother's hair. "I used to think that all she needed was to know that you were back. But now... I don't know."

"Poor Fox. I feel so guilty now, knowing what a miserable time you've had. I wish I had never gone away."

"Doesn't mean that things still wouldn't have turned out this way. Dad wasn't the easiest man to get along with. I think some things he may have been illegally involved in was what got him killed. I haven't been able to find out the truth, probably never will."

To relieve some of the depression that had recently set in, Mulder took Samantha on a sightseeing tour of Washington. The hours flew by, and they ended the day with a late night pizza at Mulder's apartment. With only a small portion of the pizza consumed, they sat across from each other at the small dinette table in the kitchen.

"Will you be coming back?" he asked, realizing that her time was almost up.

"I don't know. There's a lot of red tape involved. Although sliding is relatively as simple as flying in a plane, it's highly regulated and policed. You know, we can't have every Tom, Dick and Harry going to any universe he pleases and doing whatever the hell he pleases."

"Like kidnapping little girls."

"I forgave him for that. He was so heartbroken when his own daughter died and so afraid that his wife would die of depression. They both spoiled me rotten."

"I suppose there's no way I could visit you, is there?"

"You could follow me through when I leave. But Dad would probably make sure you got sent right back. He'd have too much to explain. What he did when he brought me through, was highly illegal, but he had the connections and the money to pull it off."

"So this is it then? Twelve hours in twenty-three years."

"I think we made the most of it, didn't we?"

Mulder shrugged. "I guess."

"So when are you going to marry your partner and start raising a family?"

"What makes you think I'd want to marry Scully?"

"Because I can see the little spark between you two. You're soul mates. And my other foxy brother is already engaged to his Scully. She was my obstetrician. They met when I delivered my first kid. They've been off and on for years now, but he finally realized that he's not going to find anyone better for him. And neither will you."

"Would you come back for the wedding?"

"If I could. But even if I can't, you shouldn't let that stop you."

Samantha's watch began to beep. She looked at the digital readout on it, then silenced the beeping. "I'm afraid it's that time," she told him as she got to her feet.

Mulder simply nodded, then followed her silently into the living room. He embraced her one final time, holding on tightly and finding it almost impossible to let go. Samantha waited patiently for him to pull away first. He planted a kiss on her cheek, told her he loved her and received the same in return. He then took a couple of steps back and looked sadly on as she pressed a button on her watch. A current of warm air swirled about them and a beacon of bright light engulfed the room as a portal opened up in his living room. She presented him with a bittersweet smile before turning and leaping into the wormhole. Mulder started, then planted himself firmly where he stood. It took all the willpower he could muster not to follow.

When the vortex closed, the darkness and loneliness of his home instantly surrounded him. He told himself that he wasn't going to cry. He lied. He wrapped his arms tightly across his chest and bit on his bottom lip as he dropped to his knees and allowed the dam to burst while rocking back and forth on his haunches. The faucets that were his eyes, dripped continuously for several minutes, then he became startled by a knock on his door. Before he could decide on whether or not to answer it, Scully's voice called out, "Mulder, it's me."

Mulder went into the kitchen and pulled down a paper towel to dry his face. He ran his hands through his hair to smooth it down and drew in a couple of deep breaths to help further calm his emotions. Once he felt ready and before Scully could complete her third round of knocking, he opened the door put failed to let her inside.

"Hi. I just wanted to stop by and say good-bye to your sister before she left."

"You're too late. She's already gone."

"Oh. I'm sorry I missed her. Are you all right?" Scully asked, noticing the redness of Mulder's eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Can I come in for a few minutes?"

He answered her by walking away from the door but leaving it opened wide. By the time Scully had entered and locked the door behind her, Mulder had toed his shoes off and stretched himself out on the couch with his arms folded beneath his head and his eyes closed. Scully perched herself on the edge of the sofa arm and looked at him.

"So how was your day?" she asked. "What did you guys do?"

"Nothing special. Went to see Mom and Dad. I showed her a few of the sights. Had our picture taken at one of those instant booths. Came back here for a quiet pizza dinner."

"You know, Mulder, I wasn't so sure I'd find you here when I came. I thought you might've gone back with her."

'I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought seriously about it."

"So why didn't you?"

"I guess I was afraid that I'd screw up her life. She loves the people she's with now and if I suddenly popped into the picture, I'd only end up making her and everyone else miserable. I don't know if you've noticed, but I can be pretty self-centered and pig- headed when it comes to having things my own way."

Scully suppressed a giggle. "No, I hadn't really noticed that about you."

"Besides, when I stop to think about it, I have a pretty fulfilling life here in my own world. When I'm not suffering from depression or bad dreams or paranoia or on the job injuries, I really do enjoy myself. I have a job that I like, a couch that I love, my Elvis magnet collection and you. What more could I want?"

Scully reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a video tape cartridge. "This?"

Mulder finally opened his eyes out of curiosity. "What is it?"

"Something your sister wanted me to give to you after she'd gone."

Mulder sat up when Scully offered him the video. He turned it over in his hands several times as if he could discern what was on the tape by the mere handling of it. Finally, he got up and stuck it into the player and turned on the TV.

"Are you cold?" Mulder asked Scully rather than inviting her to take off her coat and make herself at home. She took the hint and after putting her coat away, sat down on the couch a few inches away from her partner.

He pressed the play button on the remote control and scrunched up his face, fearful of what images the tape might hold. He began to relax bit by bit as the video played on. His sister sat before the camera giving a monologue.

"Hi, Fox. This is your little sister Samantha. Of course, I'm not so little anymore. Since you weren't around to watch me grow up, I thought I'd put together this montage that captures all the important highlights. Feel free to fast forward or turn it off whenever you feel like it. This was hastily put together, and some things I wasn't so sure about, but I hope you like it. So, without further ado...."

Mulder watched captivated as he saw his little sister go from unwrapping presents at Christmas and blowing out candles on birthday cakes to dancing in Swan Lake and cheering her team to victory. A pang of jealousy shot through him as he watched her cavort and possessively cling to the brother that should have been him. But he couldn't linger on that. Soon he saw his sister wearing a cap and gown, a wedding dress, then maternity clothes. Her children were adorable and it was apparent that her husband was madly in love with her. She was unquestionably happy.

At some point during the viewing, Mulder had grabbed Scully's hand for support. When he became aware of the connection, he looked at her sheepishly as if to apologize for taking her dainty digits hostage. Her lips bowed into a warming smile and she sandwiched his hand within both of hers. He looked back at the TV screen when several familiar voices sang out his name. Quinn, Wade, Rembrant and Arturo mugged into the camera and waved comically at him.

"It took fifty-seven slides, Mulder, but we finally found her for you, buddy," beamed Quinn.

"And even if she's not the right one," Rembrant jumped in, "she's the best one we've come across."

"And you're the best Mulder we've come across," said Wade. "I hope everything works out for you guys. Good-bye, Mulder."

"Farewell," said Arturo. "And give my best to Agent Scully."

They all chimed in a farewell to Scully, then Quinn informed them that it was time to go. The video reached an abrupt end, then automatically began to rewind itself.

"It seems since that world was so far advanced with the technology of sliding, they should have been able to get someone to help them find their way back to their own universe," said Scully.

"My sister said that they were short on time. They only had three hours to spare by the time they had located her. She said she couldn't guarantee them that she could get them to the people they would need to see or that they would help them. She said that the whole business of sliding is carefully regulated and full of red tape. Certain people with money and power can cut through the red tape. Her father is one of them. The Sliders didn't want to take a chance on bureaucracy, so they just continued on their journey."

"Maybe it was meant to be," Scully mused.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe they've been chosen. By whom or what, I don't know, but perhaps they've been selected to travel through time and universes to help others. Maybe they're angels in a sense."

Mulder looked at her curiously. "Angels? You believe in angels?"

"Well, I'm not saying I believe in little fat cherubs with wings, but I believe in the idea that sometimes, someone is out there watching over us, helping us when we need it most."

"Well, I guess that makes you *my* angel then." He gifted her with a smile, then asked, "Would you mind if we watched this again?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."

As he started the tape again, Scully shifted her position slightly so that her head rested upon Mulder's shoulder. He leaned in more towards her so that his cheek nestled against her auburn hair. Sometime during the night, Scully awoke to find herself being stretched out on the sofa and covered with a blanket. Her head was then given a pillow-covered lap to rest in, and soon she felt the back of Mulder's fingers caressing her cheek.

"You *are* warm and fuzzy," she murmured.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered, then pressed his lips gently against her forehead.

Scully let her heavy eyelids close again and as she drifted back off to sleep, she heard a far away, feminine voice say, "Hi, Fox, this is your little sister Samantha."

THE END