Timeless (21b/?)
by Elisa P. Black

  "He's not to one who attacked Dana, but he's the only one who 
can help us find out who did."
  "I can do that on my own.  Now move!"
  "Mulder, don't!"  Scully voice stopped him.
  "Why would the good detective die anyway?" he asked bitterly, 
raising the gun again.  "He's a vampire."
  "Nick was weakened by your first shot," Nat explained.
  Mulder looked unconvinced and his finger tightened on the 
trigger.  Scully tried again.
  "Mulder, don't.  He didn't attack me so why should you kill 
him?"
  The FBI agent lowered the gun reluctantly.  "Okay, talk."
  "There are some vampires in the city who make up the 
Community," Nat began.  "They usually live in obscurity thanks to 
the efforts of a certain group called the Enforcers.  These 
older, more powerful vampires eliminate anyone or anything that 
they think will threaten the Community or threatened to expose 
its existence to the general public."
  "And you help them by covering up the evidence from the 
autopsies," Mulder retorted.
  "If I hadn't known about them, the I would probably have missed 
the evidence anyway," Nat argued.
  "People are dying on a regular basis here, and you're covering 
up the evidence.  You *do* know, so you *are responsible."
  "I had no choice.  They would kill me, my friends, my family."
  "Mulder," Scully interjected quietly, "how far would you go, 
how much would you give up, for your sister? Or for me?"
  He hesitated, and she continued.  "Let it go, Mulder.  We can't 
fight each other while something much bigger is happening out 
there.  That's where the most people are dying now, with whatever 
is going on, whatever we have to stop."
  He put away his gun and sank into the bedside chair.  Scully 
reached out and took hold of his hand.  The two then turned to 
Nick and Nat.
  "Well," Nat continued, "right now something very strange is 
happening.  There have been so many deaths recently.  If what the 
man who kidnapped Scully and me before said is correct, then it's 
because someone is creating many more vampires.  These young ones 
have not been taught how to control themselves, and they mus be 
destroyed.  The Community is working to get rid of them and to 
track down the one behind this."
  "So what are we supposed to do?  Just sit back and let people 
continue to die?  Let this Community of vampires clean up after 
itself and destroy all the evidence, leaving no one the wiser?"  
Mulder asked sarcastically.
  "No, we should do all we can to stop the killings.  Both we and 
the Community have the same goal there.  The rest we can worry 
about later."
  Mulder considered it and then nodded.  "I can agree to that for 
now.  But I still don't trust you and I will be watching you 
two."
  "Fine with me," Nat replied, somewhat relieved.
  Scully nodded also.  "Good.  You'll keep me posted while I'm in 
here."
  Her partner looked ready to protest, but she shushed him.  "And
you will check in with me every now and then so I know you're
okay."
  Mulder nodded meekly.  "Yes, mommy."
  He got a punch in the arm for that.  Then they all turned to
Nick who had remained silent through the whole exchange.  The
vampire looked at Nat and sighed.
  "All right.  But Mulder cannot run around killing vampires. Its
much too dangerous, and the Enforcers would see it as a threat."
  "So what *do* we do?" asked Mulder in agitation.
  Nat looked out the window and noticed the impending dawn.  Time
to get Nick home.
  "Sleep for now.  Doctor's orders."
  Scully laughed.  "I couldn't have said it better myself."
  "Our doctors work on dead people.  What does that say about us?"
quipped Mulder.
  They all laughed.

  The men in the dark room exchanged grim looks.  It meant bad
news to be called so early in the morning.  In uneasy silence,
they  waited.
  Well-Manicured Man walked in.  "We may have a problem"
  The pudgy man known as First Elder spoke.  "What do you mean?"
  "A vampire, possibly the one who originated the Toronto
situation, attacked Agent Scully tonight.  The Hunter had to deter
him personally."
  "What of the vampire?"
  "We don't know.  It took in some of the Hunter's 'blood' and
began to fly away erratically.  Our man lost sight of it somewhere
along the way."
  "But it knows.  As does Mulder and Scully.  This is not good."
First Elder looked extremely worried.
  "Dr. Lambert and Detective Knight also know, " continued Well-
Manicured Man.  "I believe that the four may have formed a truce."
  "A dangerous alliance for us to face."
  A new voice interrupted.  "I wasn't called for this meeting?"
  The men all turned to see the most recent arrival whose voice
they recognized far too well.  It was Cancerman, smirking
insolently at them.  He took a puff on his cigarette.
  "Leave those four to me, gentlemen.  I can handle them."
  Well-Manicured Man let out a snort of laughter.  "Really?  You
can't even handle Mulder alone."
  Cancerman simply smiled.

End of Part 21b