Go Ask Alice... (Intro/Part 1 of ?)

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Summary: Mulder & Scully are kidnapped right under Skinner's nose (major SkinnerAngst!) and after two months he is the only one who hasn't give up. Where does he go for help? INTRO: Skinner's niece, Anna who in her own right is an X-File (ever wonder how Skinner really swallowed those field reports?)

Thank you's: Thank you to MulderAngst and all of you wonderful writers & esp. Susan Proto who inspired me by writing the 'Abah' series!

Disclaimer: You know it's coming, and here it is! ALL of the characters, names, descriptions, places, etc. (except Anna & Austaur who belong to me) belong exclusively to Chris Carter and 1013 productions.

AD Walter Skinner turned his car off of the main highway onto a two lane country road. He frowned as he glanced at the clock, more out of habit that thought, as he drove deeper into the Mountains towards that place of insanity.

He berated himself in his thoughts; almost two months and the Bureau had found nothing. His guilt rose up in the back of his throat and he grimaced, why did he wait? Why did he wait until they labeled the file 'unsolved' and bury it before he went for help? Was he so arrogant?

He almost missed the turn. Slamming on his brakes, he turned swiftly and slowed the car down as he crawled up the mountain along the seemingly untended dirt road. As he drove, his eyes glanced across the file lying next to him, an X-File. Mulder & Scully's very own X-File.

They disappeared, literally without a trace, right under his nose. The agents were forbidden to associate with AD Skinner after the X-Files were taken from them and given to Spender, so he had arranged a secret meeting with them to take place in a hotel across town. They had met in the room and before they could begin, he was called to the front desk to clear up a problem with the bill.

"Why did I fall for that? If I hadn't Mulder & Scully would still be here. I'm the Assistant Director of the FBI for chrissakes! I should have known better!"

By the time he had returned to the room, they were gone. No one had seen them leave, and Mulder's rental car was still parked in the lot. No evidence, no signs of struggle, no agents. He was left to pick up the pieces.

Skinner came full circle and stopped the car in front of a large ornate iron gate blocking the road. He sat in the car, staring at the empty valley beyond the iron.

The back of his neck tingled with the unmistakable feeling of being watched, and he turned his gaze up on the two stone gargoyles seated on either side of the gate. Grabbing the file, he removed his gun and lay it carefully under the passenger seat before he locked the car and began to walk up to the gate. Pausing briefly, he looked once more through the iron bars before turning and going around the gate to stand quietly at the other side.

He walked along the road, going deeper into the field, his eyes cast down on the dirt.

Stopping suddenly, he looked up and shivered as a large chateau loomed before him where only minutes before stood a barren valley. He shivered involuntarily as he mounted the steps and knocked on the door which opened suddenly revealing a smiling face that looked up at him.

Things I don't want to know. And Mulder & Scully always wondered why I was able to handle their field reports. Hell, look at my family!

"Hello Anna." Skinner mumbled as he stared at his niece. She hadn't changed at all in the years that had past. Her waist-lengthed snow-white hair was braided and thrown across her shoulder, and her china complexion revealed clear amber eyes that sparkled up at him.

"Uncle! You're late!" Anna grinned as she grabbed the Assistant Director in a hug, standing on her tiptoes to throw her arms around his neck.

She still looks like a teenager. Why is it that I always forget how short she is?

"Because." Anna replied pulling back, her smile widening as she successfully spooked her uncle once again. "Are you coming in?"

Walter Skinner, Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and veteran of the Vietnam war hesitated, overcoming the unreasonable fear that crept into his mind over the very thought of entering that house again.

"Jesus! It's just a house!" Anna said, rolling her eyes as she stepped aside, motioning him in and shutting the door behind him. He glanced around nervously as he followed her into the kitchen.

"What happened to your hands?" Skinner asked, looking down at the bandages that covered her wrists and wrapped around her palms.

Skinner nodded as he walked past the boy without looking up. With his eyes deftly averted, he missed the amusement dancing in Austaur's eyes as he watched this hulk of a man practically cower before Anna.

The words were framed more as a statement than a question, and even though he searched for a sign of mockery within the voice, all he found was sincerity.

"Two of my agents are missing. Agents Mulder & Scully." He replied, laying the file on the counter between them. His eyebrows raised in surprise as she completely ignored it.

"Those were the ones on the X-Files, right?" Anna said, the unhappiness evident in her voice. Ever since she had found out about the division, she had constantly badgered her uncle on updates and info involving the cases.

Anna frowned as she leafed through the file. It must be bad for her uncle to call her, given his feelings about her.

Anna scoffed. "Oh yeah, right. Those idiots can't find a damn car sitting in the middle of an empty parking lot. Mulder and Scully, from what I know, are the only agents worth a damn up there. Besides you, of course."

Eyes peered through the door quietly watching as the two agents slept fitfully in their drugged haze. He glanced at his watch, 30 more minutes before they had to be awakened again. He sighed as he wondered who suffered more from this schedule of 1 hour of sleep, 1 hour of wakefulness more, the captors or the captives?

Orders are orders. This would have been much simpler if we could just kill them.

Anna glanced up as Austaur entered her room, shutting the door behind him. She had just finished showering, and was towel drying her hair.

"You are still drained from..." Austaur started, only to be cut off with a sharp look from Anna.

Austaur walked over to the bed. "I know how much your uncle means to you, and I know how much it would mean for you to please him. But now is not the time. It is too dangerous."

"He works for the government." Austaur pleaded, pushing his hair behind one slightly pointed ear.

Anna stood up and walked to the door. "What if? What if I told you to fuck yourself. What if I refused to help you and your friends when you needed it. That is my uncle, he needs my help. It is my world out there and those agents who are missing may even save your ass sometime. So, if you don't shut up and lay off I will personally reduce you to the two foot tall toy-maker you are supposed to be!"

Skinner yawned as he pulled the car back onto the interstate. They had been at it all night, first Mulder's apartment, then Scully's, then to the hotel room where they had gone missing. He was exhausted and Anna, for all of her mystical prioress, was curled up in the passenger seat asleep.

He glanced over at her and couldn't help but smile as visions of her when she was a child flooded his thoughts. Back before she became so, well, unexplainable.

But she says she knows where they are. How? Why? I don't think I want to know. I know I don't want to ask. Have I lost my mind? Going on hunches and the whims of my niece? I think I know how Scully must feel.

Anna stirred slowly, mumbling something about a fight. Skinner glanced over at her quizzically before touching her shoulder in an attempt to bring her back to consciousness.

"I'm up! Ok, I'm up. Where are we?" Anna groaned, sitting up straight and looking around. Opening the car door she jumped out and ran for her house.

"Video hookup, hang on a minute." Anna bit her bottom lip and prayed she could find them.

Suddenly the computer flashed and three men Skinner recognized appeared on the screen.

"Enough! Lady Morganne, what can we do for you?" Frohike said, smiling into the camera.

Skinner stared on in disbelief as he watched his niece consort with the Lone Gunman.

"I think she's on the fox hunt." Langely commented smiling, gaining a sharp nudge from Frohike.

"Yes, I know where they are, but I need you guys to get up here. I am going to need your help getting them out."

"Yeah, and tell them a witch has conjured up their location. With all due respect I don't think that will fly." Langley said.

"Besides, the government's involved, if we let the Bureau know, it might do more harm than good." Byers offered.

"They're in Virginia. Find me a list and pics if you have them of any government owned property, farms, or buildings in the state - cross-reference with any unusual activity in these areas and send it over." Anna said, purposely avoiding her uncle's stare of disbelief.

Skinner forced down the years of training and silently watched as they hacked and slashed into god knows where to get Anna the information she requested.

Anna entered a few commands and brought up the list, zeroing in on two properties.

"Check items 24 & 56 for on property animals or storage facilities, and bring me the satellites on them"

Skinner watched as she slammed off the computer and darted upstairs. He was so overwhelmed with a sense of disbelief and what-ifs that when she reappeared, completely changed and carrying a bag, it surprised him.

Skinner peered out from behind the trees steeling his nerves against his mind's assault.

This is Ludicrous! If, big IF, they are even in there, what in the Hell am I doing letting my niece go into something like this?

Skinner glanced at his watch and looked over at where Anna was waiting. He couldn't actually see her, but he know she was there. He checked his gun for the third time, suddenly he blanched as a realization ran over him.

AD Skinner, quietly and calmly began to flip. Anna was so confident that somehow his mind had let him forget that she wasn't one of his agents.

Anna watched the building carefully while she prepared. She knew they were in there, she could feel it.

Even if my uncle does think I'm totally nuts. Well, he has seen enough to know that I can handle myself when I need to. So it has kept him out of my life for a couple of years, he just will never understand. This Mulder, on the otherhand, probably will.

She closed her eyes and reached inwards, grounding and centering herself before she reached out for one of the many strands of energy that pulsated through the earth like arteries leading to a heart. She felt the brief pop as she grabbed the line and everything shifted into place. A moment of panic as she struggled to control the energy, she could tell she was still weak from her last fight as she fought to keep from getting psychically fried.

Shit! I am weaker than I thought, fuck. It's ok, as long as I can hold onto this line...

Anna tried not to think of what kind of abuse she was putting her body through; it had been several months since the 'episode', and still she hadn't completely recovered. Unconsciously she glanced down at the bandages covering her wrists. Hell, the burns left on her hands by the energy were still healing.

With the energy under a tentative control, she reached out and, taking a deep breath, she began.

Using what Austaur used to call her 'Jedi mind trick' *no, these are not the druids you are looking for* she literally walked in past the guards and, glancing back to assure that Skinner was following, she went hunting.

Mulder groaned as he heard the door open, backing himself further up into the corner he was buried in and placing himself more in front of Scully, who peered out cautiously.

Anna walked over to them, kneeling down and softly laying a hand on Mulder's shoulder. She jerked back in surprised when he yelped and pulled away.

Anna looked on confused as the lights came on and Scully withdrew behind Mulder.

"Mulder? Scully?" Skinner let his hand drop from the switch and stared in shock.

Mulder pulled away in surprise as he felt a hand touch his shoulder, expecting another blow. When a soft voice came instead, he turned his head towards the voice in puzzlement. When he heard Skinners voice, the tears began to flow unstoppable down his cheeks.

Skinner walked over and knelt beside them; his heart wrenched in his chest as he quickly looked them over.

"Mulder, can you walk?" Skinner asked quietly, almost fearing the answer. He let loose the breath he had been subconsciously holding when Mulder nodded.

Scully watched in confusement trying to make out what was going on. She recognized Skinner, but her mind refused to believe her eyes and she couldn't hear what he was saying.

Suddenly the lights went out and the door behind them slammed. Anna jumped at the noise, her hold on the energy line almost failing as she mentally groped for it trying desperately not to lose it. A voice echoed through the corridor as the footsteps receded.

Ok, go easy on me, this is my first submission! ;)
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