The needle hurt like hell.  The pressure was constant and with every wrench of the car it seemed to press further, harder into her neck.  As she lay by his feet on the car floor with her head by his lap, he held her tightly, pulling her head next to him for a better grip.  From there she could se the streetlights pass by but they had disappeared all to quickly.  She glanced up at him and saw the anger he was feeling.  Her fear was building up and flashbacks tormented her every time she closed her eyes.

"I can't believe they took it away from me," David said aloud but she didn't think he was speaking to her.  "All my hard work…all this time…"

"David…" her voice was a mere whisper.

"Dana, you have to help me harvest the rest…only you can save me now."

                Mulder charged after the car in a futile effort to catch up with it.  He dashed back to the lab and called for assistance.   And later as he drove through the streets with Skinner he was yelling into the phone searching for clues as to where he would have taken her.  The team at the storage facility in Arlington reported that there were several body parts being held there.  In fact there was more there, then the recent spat of murders could account for.

"If he thinks we took the organs away from the storage then he's not going to back there," Skinner said.

"Or he could go back to start again," Mulder counted.

"He's too smart for that."

"He's stressed and panicking, he's going to go to familiar ground."

"His flat?"

"Hers?"

                They looked at each other and Skinner pulled the car into an emergency stop.  Mulder called the first team of agents and ordered them over to Blake's apartment.  He held onto the dashboard as Skinner turned the car sharply, heading for Scully's place.  They sat in silence as the city streets streamed by.  The car was left abandoned and they both jumped out rushing in.  Mulder pulled his key out and charged in through the barely open door.

"Scully…Scully?" he called.

"Scully?"

                Mulder checked all the rooms but came up empty.  He came back into the room, anguish written all over his face but within seconds the façade was pulled back on and he turned to skinner.

"We have to find her, we have to find her now."

As he leant by the kitchen counter he watched Skinner dial the other teams for updates and it was then he saw it.  Bending closer he picked it up and held it up to his face.  The syringe was small and empty with only a trace of blood on the outer covering.  

"Hey, look at this."

"What is it?"

                He stood and held it out to Skinner who took a closer look.

"When Blake was taking Scully, he had a needle in her neck."

"But this could be one from her own medical supply."

"I don't think Scully leaves this kind of shit just lying around."

"Well Mulder, they're not here."

"But they were."

                He pushed past skinner and left her apartment but instead of going outside he made his way to the stairwell.  Skinner followed and caught the door closing and saw Mulder's legs disappearing upstairs.  The roof top access door was heavy but Mulder managed to open it letting it slam closed behind him.  From the doorway most of the roof was a mass of heating vents and chimneys blocking any chance he had of getting a clear view.  He slowly made his way around glancing around the corners, his gun held steadily down by his side.   He heard the roof top door opening again and hoping it was Skinner he continued with his search. 

                He saw her hair first.  It was sprawled out on the ground reaching away from her head.  As he stepped closer he could see the rest of her body.  Her arms were stretched out away from her and her feet were lying straight down.  Her clothes had been removed and she lay in her underwear, her skin dirty from what seemed to be drag marks up her right side.   When he saw her it was like all the air had been pulled out of his body.  He heard a sound behind him and whipped around to find Skinner standing next to him.

"She's here, we need back up, and I'm going to see if I can get to her, I haven't seen Blake yet."

"Okay Mulder, I'll sort out the backup, be careful…he might still be here."

                Mulder crouched low and looked around for Blake.  There was no sign of him so he dashed over to where Scully lay.  Her eyes were open and he could see the dried tearstains that marked her face.  Her eyes turned to meet his and he saw something pass through them but he couldn't make it out. 

"Hey Scully…are you okay? Did he hurt you?" he eyes travelled the length of her body but he could see no wounds or marks.  When she didn't move he looked closer at her and saw the puncture mark on her neck.  His fingers touched it and suddenly more tears fell from her eyes.

"Scully did he…can you…" he took off his jacket and draped it over her body.  "Can you blink? One for yes, two for no?"  She blinked.  "Is he still here?" She blinked once.  "Where did he go?"  Her eyes danced and he caught a smile before it passed his lips.

"Sorry, I'm going to get you out of here."  He lifted her up with one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back and neck.  He pulled her body close to his and stood.  When he turned around he found Skinner lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, with Blake standing over him.  With Scully's head resting into his chest he was pleased that she was unable to move it to see what stood before him. 

"Where are you going?" David's voice was low but steady filled with an anger that racked through Mulder's body.  He instinctively tightened his grip around Scully and held her closer.  Even though she couldn't move he knew she would hear them and somehow he felt that would be worse for her, to be completely dependant on him for survival, to be so venerable.

"David, I need to get her to a hospital."

"No, you can't have her, I need to use her."

                Praying that Skinner called for backup before Blake had gotten to him Mulder slowly circled around him towards the door.

"STOP!" David screamed.  Mulder jerked to a halt and faced Blake.  "Put her back.  I have surgery to do."

"No, you can't have her."

"PUT HER DOWN."

"No.  If you want her you have to get through me."

"Fine by me."  Blake took a step forward and raised his hand, showing Mulder the scalpel and syringe.  "I have all the tools right here."

                With the syringe held up he flicked the top of the needle, letting a spurt of liquid fall out.  Mulder started to walk backwards away from Blake and he wished he had another arm to pull out his weapon.  Shifting Scully's weight around he watched Blake advancing towards him

"David…the back up is here, you wont get away with this…"

"Well, Mr Mulder…that's where you're wrong."

                He lunged forward but as he lifted his arm up wielding the syringe tightly in his hand a loud crack sparked through the air.  His body lurched and Mulder watched as it fell to the ground twitching.  Without waiting to see what happened he rushed for the door and barrelled down the stairs where two EMT's and more Agents met him.

"Skinner…AD Skinner is up there, he needs help."

                Refusing to release Scully onto the gurney he held her and stepped into the back of the waiting ambulance.  He held her close and loosened his grip for the techs to check her vitals.  Having told them that he thought she was injected with Rocuronium they called ahead to the hospital warning them what to expect.  Eventually he was forced to relinquish her to nurses in the emergency room and he laid her gently onto a bed.  Holding her hand he raised it to his lips and kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers.  She met his gaze and tried to reassure him but with out the power to smile, to raise her eyebrow to give him some indication, she screamed silently, hoping he'd hear her. 

                Mulder was ushered into a waiting area where he soon saw Skinner being wheeled by.  Hours passed and Agent Walker arrived.  He sat next to Mulder and said nothing, waiting for the signal to speak.

"What happened to Blake?" Mulder finally asked.

"He was killed.  One fatal wound to the base of the neck fired from over 540yards, rooftop sniper across the street.  Skinner got the call through and set us up well for the ambush.  How is he doing?"

"He has responded well to treatment and recovered over 70% mobility."

"And Agent Scully?"

"She hasn't taken to it too well…some movement, one arm and her head…her speech is slurred but she's getting better."

"She was affected for a longer duration than Skinner, maybe she just need a bit longer to recover."

                Mulder looked at Walker curiously and nodded.  He had barely spoken to this agent before but here in the silent hall of this hospital he seemed to know exactly what t o say, what he needed to hear.  Words he had told himself already but it sounded more convincing coming from someone else.

"What about the organs from the Warehouse?"

"A lot of them have been identified but there are so much more than we expected.  I have some agents going over a back catalogue of murders looking for missing organs and body parts.  It's going to be a long process, looks like we have over forty different pieces."

"Jesus…does anyone know why?"

"I don't know…it looks like what ever happened, happened a long time ago…maybe we'll never know.  Looks like another X-File."

                Mulder looked up and saw him smiling softly, and returned the smile.  It wasn't meant to be mean and Mulder appreciated the joke.

"Story of my like Walker, story of my life!"

"Anyway, I'll be in touch.  Say hello to Agent Scully for me."

                He got up and left Mulder to stay his vigil in the hospital.  Curled up on the uncomfortable plastic chairs Mulder slept oddly, his neck twisted, his back arched, his legs cramped.  He woke to the gentle shaking of a nurse and when he saw the uniform it took a second to realise it wasn't some weird dream and where he was.  Bolting upright he shook his head and stood shakily.

"Is she okay?" he walked towards her room.

"Yes, she's asking for you."

"Asking…she's talking?"

His pace quickened and he opened her door, forcing himself forward still afraid of what he might find.  She was sitting up, her eyes closed and her head resting back on the pillows.  He didn't speak and waited for her to turn to him.

"Hey Mulder…quit staring!" she turned to face him and smiled at him.

"Scully…" His words were breathless and he moved closer to the bed, taking her hand he rubbed it gently.  But she pulled him into a hug and held him close.

"Oh god Mulder…oh my god," she cried.

                Cried onto his shoulder.  Tears fell openly and the pressure, the torment and frustration from the past few weeks finally broke free as she sobbed deeply against him.  His arms matched her strength and returned her embrace.  They stayed like that for a long time as he stroked her back and her hair, gently soothing her pain away, taking everything she had to offer.  Until finally her sobs subsided.  Not wanting to release her fully he twisted his weight to the beds back rest and pulled her with him letting her rest against his chest.

"You okay?" he uttered softly.

"Better now.  Thanks."

"No, thank you."

"For what?" she asked turning her head to look up at him.

"For letting me in."

                They sat in silence for a while each one basking in their own thoughts but in each other's arms.

"What happened to Blake?"

"He was shot.  He's dead."  There was no triumph in his voice as Mulder told her what they found.  It was an honest tale of a brutal experience that neither of them would be able to forget, but here, with Scully in his arms, weeping gently, her tears unafraid to be seen by him, her fear unaware of a shyness she once held over it.  He felt happy.  Her pain stung but he was glad she let him feel it with her.

                Resettling her head she snuggled into his chest letting her arms snake around his body.  His steady heartbeat knocked against her cheek and she lounged in its sound.  His breathing became slow and steady and when she looked up she found his eyes closed, his mouth fallen a little open.  She moved over in the bed and he instinctively followed her burrowing deeper onto the bed.  She rested against him once again and allowed her tiredness to drag her eyelids closed again.  Knowing that when she woke he would be waiting for her ready to fill her head with tales of flying saucers, missing links and aliens. 

"Ahhh…back to reality," she sighed and finally let sleep claim her fully.

FINISHED.

** Sorry about the ending but I've been sick as a dog this weekend and the ending didn't seem to work for me.  Do you think I should do it over?  I had a really good scene for the ultimate meeting with Blake but it wasn't working.  Let me know if you think I should change the ending. **