THE MISSION

11x10 — MS4: The storm

This chapter includes lines taken directly from X Files episodes 11x10 (My Struggle IV). No copyright infringement intended. All duplication is strictly for the purpose of remaining canon with the X-Files mythology and overall storyline. Direct quotes can be found in bold. Credit: X-Files writers and FOX.

Also, a HUGE thank you to my betas ATTHS_TWICE and admiralty for helping me to get this work across the finish line ... because nobody gets there alone ;)

MULDER

I wasn't expecting Scully to return home until later in the afternoon, so when I hear the gravel crunching in the driveway, I grab my sidearm and look out the window. With all the events that have unfolded in the last several months, I half expect to see a row of humvees coming up our driveway, but, thankfully, it's not a black ops team of Russians, it's Scully.

Given all that she set out to accomplish this morning, I'm surprised to see that she is back this early, but I'm certainly not disappointed. Returning my sidearm to the top drawer of my desk, I take a seat and pick up the book I was reading, unable to hold back the smile that plays on my lips as I reminisce on the immense pleasure we enjoyed in this very spot the night before.

Her hastened steps and chipped voice are my only warning that something is amiss before she comes barreling through the front door.

The look on her face is not one that requires translation.

Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.

"I'll put you on speaker phone," she says, removing the phone from her ear.

I ask her who it is, but she doesn't respond with words; instead, she turns the phone towards me, allowing me to read the screen as she lays the phone down in front of me.

"This is Monica Reyes."

And just like that, my blood runs cold.

"I think they've got your son, William."

Scully and I haven't heard from Monica Reyes in well over a decade, but Scully's visions of the future indicate that she has a role to play in stopping the devastation that has been promised. This, in combination with her history with Scully, gives her words far more weight than what would usually be allotted to someone who made questionable allegiances prior to vanishing off the face of the earth.

"Just tell me where he is, Monica," I say, sensing that we are very much on borrowed time.

Scully hasn't said a single word since she placed the phone on speaker, but she doesn't have to. The wild emotion brewing in her eyes is transparent. The mere thought of the syndicate capturing our son terrifies her.

"Tennessee. Being transported by a private jet. Tail number N-G-D-J-G, landing in Maryland in two hours."

"Which airport in Maryland?"

"Braddock ATCA, southeast terminal. This may be your last good chance."

My faith in anyone aside from Scully is far from absolute, but what Monica did for Scully all those years ago in my absence has not been forgotten. While I may not like where she has been or who she has been working for, I want to believe that she's the same person who delivered my son. Trust, however, is earned, and she is being far too cryptic for her words to not be questioned.

"When you say last good chance, what exactly do mean?"

"The person who controls your son is the person who controls the future."

I intend to question her further, but before I can, the line goes dead. Freezing in place, I turn my attention to Scully who doesn't appear to be phased by the abrupt end of the conversation. After hearing the details, something within her settled, causing her entire demeanor to shift. She's still unnerved, but the fear I saw in her eyes initially has dissipated.

"He's not on that plane, Mulder," she says, sliding her phone into her back pocket.

"Do you have any reason to distrust her?"

Looking at her now, it becomes increasingly clear to me her plans to meet with Crystal and go to the store were derailed by something. The easy answer would be the call she received from Monica, but that's unlikely given that the drive from D.C. to Farrs Corner takes a little over an hour. The call I just heard the end of had not been going on for over an hour, so something else was responsible for putting her on the road home earlier than planned. Even if Crystal had canceled, Scully would have still gone to the store.

"No, I just … I don't know how I know, I just know that he's not on that plane."

"But what if he is on the plane? What-what if this is our last good chance?"

I hate to question her intuition and connection to our son, but if she's wrong and I don't go neither of us will be able to live with that. The look of frustration and defeat that crosses her face as she breathes deeply is enough to tell me that she has silently come to the same conclusion. What I don't understand is why she isn't moving. This is the first lead we have had on our son since we last saw him outside of Norfolk, and instead of leading the charge, she's frozen in place, her eyes steadying on mine as her mouth opens and then closes. She starts to speak multiple times, but each time, she stops herself short, unable or unwilling to let the words pass as she attempts to formulate them.

"Just come back alive," she says finally, struggling to meet my eyes fully.

Shocked by her response and the emotion I see pooling in her eyes, I want to question her, but the timeline Monica provided doesn't allow for inquisition. If I'm going to make it to the airport in time to intercept our son, I have to leave now, but that doesn't stop me from questioning her with my eyes. In the wake of all of the discussions we have had regarding our desire to move forward, her sending me off to search for our son alone is a regression, and I don't understand it.

Taking a hesitant step forward, I try to gauge the emotions I see pooling in her eyes to deduce the purpose of her staying behind, but she offers me nothing aside from nervous eyes that silently plead with me to not kiss her goodbye. So instead of taking her into my arms, I give her one last longing look of question and nod before I walk out the door and leave her behind. The emptiness I feel without her by my side unsettles me, but I continue to press forward, pulling out of the driveway and onto the highway and praying to a God that I don't believe in that don't regret not kissing her goodbye.

I don't know what awaits me at the southeast terminal of Braddock ATCA, but I do know one thing with absolute certainty. If they have harmed our son in any way … a lot of people are going to die today.

AN: And with that, I'm closing the curtain on TPoE. For those of you who have followed this work from the beginning, THANK YOU for your patience and support. Your KUDOS and comments have given me life and have kept my fingers typing. In the event that you are just now jumping aboard, WELCOME, and I hope you have enjoyed your binge.

If you are sad that it is over, don't be, because this is NOT the end. Alien (Part 2 of the Cleaning Up After Chris Carter Series) will pick up where this work has left off. The first chapter will be titled The Water's Edge and will follow Mulder and Scully's conversation on the dock at the end of MS4.

Why not just continue to add chapters here? Why create two different works?

Alien will follow TPoE and carry over its characters (Crystal) and themes (losing battles and winning wars),, but it will also have a very different feel to it than TPoE. First and foremost, it will not be written in first person. Alien will be a reunion of sorts, bringing back characters from the original 9 seasons while also introducing several characters of my own making. The incorporation of these characters will require a less limiting perspective, which has required me to deviate from my beloved first person in order to do it justice. For this reason, I made the decision long ago to split the works. They will stand alone but also complement each other, so if you're interested in delving further into the conspiracy, having an actual conclusion to the William arc, and are curious about the ins and outs of being pregnant at 54, be on the lookout for Alien to drop in the coming months. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, I can respect that and want to THANK YOU for your support up to this point.