Go Ask Alice... (Part 3 of ?)

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Summary: Skinner is just beginning to realize what they have done to his agents, and Scully ponders their lives as Mulder struggles to recover. Skinner realizes the hospital isn't safe, and Mulder makes a grave sacrifice. -Shipper alert!- hold on! (HERE THERE BE MAJOR ANGST!!!!! MulderAngst, ScullyAngst, SkinnerAngst, and a little AnnaAngst thrown in for good measure)

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, & Danethra who belong to me) belong exclusively to Chris Carter and 1013 productions.

Scully carefully got out of bed and took the few steps that lead her to the chair beside Mulder's bed. She glanced back towards the door knowing that even thought Skinner wasn't here at the moment, he would be unhappy to see her out of bed. Her strength was returning, and with it came her frustration. She sat down and watched him as he shifted towards her, knowing even before he was fully awake that she would be there.

She had been here many times, where Mulder would wake and look up at her, rewarded for living yet again by the smile he loved so much. She didn't force herself to smile this time, he couldn't see it. Instead, he was the one to force a smile for her. She simply sat quietly and caressed his hand, wishing she could hear the word he spoke. She heard it in her mind as her thoughts replayed the countless times his voice had reached out to her, stopping her, saving her, comforting her.

Scully slammed down on her self-pity as it threatened to rise again, turning instead to the frustration at the lack of control she felt. They were helpless; constantly tired, their bodies forcing them to drop into sleep at the top of every hour only to force them to wake again 60 minutes later. Despite the doctor's efforts and the various drugs that were attempted, the schedule remained. They had escaped one form of captivity, only to find that they were both held captive within the limitations of their bodies.

She had been abducted before, the memories of those three months wiped from her memory, and for once, she wished for that gaping hole to replace the dark images of the time they were in that place. They had taken control of her body, they had taken her hearing, they had even taken her ability to speak, but this time, they had left her the memories.

There was no way for her to tell Mulder...anything. She was learning the rudimentary beginnings of sign language when she was awake, slowly getting back her ability to communicate with Skinner, and the doctors, but Mulder would never be able to see what she was saying, or read anything she wrote to him.

It's not your fault, Mulder. I know you tried, I know what they did to you for trying to help me. Oh, Mulder... Look what they've done to you...

Mulder had taken the brunt of everything, forcing their anger on purpose by refusing to cooperate so they would focus on him, instead of her. Sacrificing himself to try and keep her safe. When they took her hearing, and her voice...

Mulder holding me, his body shaking with sobs I couldn't hear. I tried to let him know I was fine, I was ok, but then, they went for him, and there was nothing I could do...

Considering the condition they were in, his plan worked. She was stronger, her injuries minor, her mind intact. He was...

Taken from me, they took him away from me. I was alone, for days. The men, they may have raped me, forced me, but I was safe, somewhere out there with Mulder. I waited for him, and at some point, I woke and he was there. He was broken, and he will never know what happened to me. Never. Not now, not after... I am the strong one. He saved me, I can save him. We will save each other in the end.

He is lost in his mind, lost to reality. His moments of lucidity are few and short, unless there is someone talking to him. Bastards. They knew what they were doing. Breaking him in such a way that only a voice can keep him here, and they took my voice. He can still speak, one word answers or questions, no more. I can't hear him, but I can see what effort it takes for him to force more than that out, like he is fighting himself. Like when we try to force ourselves to stay awake...

Mulder jumped and whipped his head around towards the door, Scully turns around and stares at the three men standing in the room. Her sanity breaks and she leaps into Mulder's bed, into the safety of his arms.

Strong arms pull her off of Mulder and she fights. Suddenly, the clock touched the beginning of a new hour, and she is forced into oblivion.

Skinner steps off of the elevator and passes the empty nurses' station. Suddenly his mind screams at him and he drops into a dead run, pulling his gun.

Two more men step out of the room, one carrying Mulder, the other a gun. Skinner fires, instantly killing the man with the gun. Something slams into his shoulder and forces him to the ground. Pulling himself up on one knee he fires again, missing the man as he slips into the stairwell.

Skinner ignored the throbbing in his shoulder and took off after them at a dead run. The stairwell exited into the parking deck, Skinner kicked the door open and quickly glanced around. The men were placing Mulder & Scully in the back seat of a car when Skinner fired two shots killed the man closest to him. In three quick strides he reached the last man and placed the gun against his temple.

The man threw his fist into Skinner's Bullet wound, sending the AD to the ground. Without a backward glance, the man ran and lost himself in the parking deck.

SHIT! DAMN! Where the fuck were the guards? Goddammnit! I almost lost them, again...

Skinner fought the blackness that tried to overtake him and succeeded. He leaned against the car, his breath coming in deep gulps. Looking into the car, he saw Mulder & Scully still sound asleep in the back seat. Without a moment's hesitation, he slid into the driver's seat and took off.

The man ran through the parking deck; as he turned a corner his face met with a hard, wooden object and the world went black.

Alex Krycek stood over the man and dispassionately unloaded his gun into the man's head. He knew he would never find out who the man was working for, and at the moment, he didn't care.

Sliding back into his car, he glanced down at the tracking monitor. A small dot moved across the screen; his device was working.

"Shit." Skinner swore as he glanced at his watch, turning off the car. "We have to hurry, or I'll be carrying you." Skinner said, blatantly ignoring the questioning look he knew existed on Scully's face as he helped her out of the car. She reached up and her eyes widened as she saw the blood covering Skinner's shoulder and arm. Making sure she was steady, he helped Agent Mulder out of the car.

Skinner lead the way and tried not to think about how his pace was tiring his agents. Almost there, almost there. Damn it Anna! Why can't you have a normal driveway? Even though he was upset about it now, he knew that whatever his niece had done to prevent cars from working on the land would help him in the end.

One minute you're in an empty valley, the next step you are standing on her doorstep. Scully looked on wide-eyed as Skinner knocked on the oaken door.

Skinner swallowed the tinge of fear and the mound of anger that arose in his throat and leveled his gaze at the man.

"You want more than that." Austaur replied, hardening his heart against the feelings of pity he felt for the two agents who so obviously needed his help. They were the reason, they were the cause.

Skinner frowned but before he could answer, he felt Scully slipping beside him and suddenly his attention was focused on not letting her fall. He winced as he heard the 'thud' of Agent Mulder hitting the ground.

"Damn it!" Skinner swore as he unconsciously moved his bad arm in an attempt to hold her. Suddenly, Scully was no longer there. Skinner looked up in surprise as Austaur held her in his arms. Looking back, he noticed that two other strangers had retrieved Mulder. He stared up at Austaur in surprise.

"Come in." Austaur said, reserved, as he carried Scully into the house and handed her to another. "Make them comfortable, and bring the healers. You," He said to Skinner. "Follow me."

"I need to see Anna. And my agents, they..." Skinner complained, refusing to follow.

"You need healing, pardon me for pointing it out, but you are bleeding all over Anna's rug." Austaur pointed out and then sighed as Skinner refused to budge.

"Stubborn, just like Anna. At least I know where she gets it from. Don't worry about your agents, as much as I hate to admit this, you were right to bring them here." Austaur's words came across as resigned, almost guilt ridden. The apology that followed seemed forced, but sincere. "You will have to forgive me, I am very protective over Anna. She is very special to me, to us. I know she is your family, but...well, I will let you see for yourself."

Austaur trailed off as he stood before a pair of double doors. Skinner knew without being told that the room in front of him was Anna's.

Skinner walked into the room, allowing time for his eyes to adjust to the lower light level as Austaur followed him in and shut the door behind them. He walked over to the bed and looked down at his niece, his breath catching in his throat.

She was pale, her normally porcelain complexion translucent and beyond pale; Dark circles under her eyes looked like purple bruises against the pallor of her skin, and her hand, which had been partially bandaged before, were completely encased in white gauze. She looked so small, so fragile.

"This is the price she has paid for helping you." Austaur replied stoically. "Do you even have any idea what she has done for you?"

Skinner looked up at him, his eyes bright with unshed tears as the guilt he already had for what Mulder & Scully are going through compounded with Austaur's words.

"I told her not to go. She was still weak from an energy backlash she suffered weeks ago. In her eagerness to please you she wouldn't listen to me.
"She wasn't ready to control the amount of energy needed to open that gate to bring you to safety. You saw what happened; her control began slipping even before she came through the gate. She couldn't properly ground the energy and the backlash of the gate's collapse ran the easiest course, through the line she was using and right through her. She managed to get her hands on the floor to allow the energy to run back into the ground rather than incinerate her.
"We were worried at first, we didn't think she would make it. Now, well, we don't know how long it will take for her to completely recover, if even if she will. We won't know how much damage has been done until she is stronger.
"She was asking about you, and your agents..." Austaur trailed off, and withdrew silently when he noticed she was coming to.

Skinner watched as Anna's eyes fluttered briefly, then opened. She stared up at him, her eyes focusing slowly.

Skinner knelt beside the bed and placed his hand on her forearm. She lay so incredibly still; she was weak, weaker than a newborn baby, and he could see the effort it took to speak to him. He didn't understand the cause, but he could very much see the effects.

"Two visits in one week. Did I win the sweepstakes?" Anna whispered back, cutting him off with an attempt at a joke. She sighed and her eyes closed as she drifted back into the darkness.

Skinner choked on his tears and let the damn break over him. Austaur moved to him quickly, catching the Assistant Director before he fell.

Austaur walked into the bedroom and moved over to his friend and healer, Danethra.

"Well, I wish they all could be as easy as that one was." She replied, chuckling and motioning over to Skinner who was out cold on a bed. "Gunshot wounds are easily healed, as long as the iron is not there. They are sleeping peacefully right now, and even though the healers are having to re-enforce their sleeping patterns, physically they should recover quickly.
"This one though..." Danethra sighed as she looked over at Mulder who was struggling to wake up, despite the healers best efforts to keep him asleep. "He is broken. I don't quite know yet how much we can help him."

"He is lost in a loop created for him. We are trying to break him out of it, but he won't let go. It's going to be a long night."

The first thing Mulder noticed as he crept towards consciousness was the bed he was lying on.

"Scully!" Mulder bolted straight up as the memories flooded back. He reached around desperately and was stopped by a light caress on his face that gently landed to rest on his lips.

His hands reached out and she took them, encasing them in her small, warm fingers, squeezing gently.

Skinner's here, too. We are safe. I feel better? I feel like I have slept, really slept, not like... How long was I asleep?

"Sleep?" Mulder frowned as the question he wanted to ask disintegrated before it reached his lips.

"Why?" Mulder began to break a sweat and fidget restlessly as he struggled to speak. He felt Scully's hands touch the side of his face and turn it towards her. He was frightening them, but he didn't care.

"Mulder, calm down." Skinner's hands gripped him, holding him steady. "Listen to me!"

Mulder entered a full-blown panic and Skinner wrestled with him, pinning him against the bed.

"Damnit Mulder! It's not that important, whatever it is. Just calm down and Listen!"

"I" Mulder gritted his teeth and forced the words out. "Can't." Tears began streaming down his cheeks. "Talk!"

"Listen to me! Scully can't hear you anyway!" Skinner's voice slammed down on Mulder as he reached for anything, anything, that would stop him from fighting him.

"Listen!" Skinner pulled on his most authoritative Assistant Director's voice and it worked. Mulder stopped struggling and turned his face towards the sound of the voice, waiting.

I am blind. I can't even talk! He's right, Scully can't hear me. Why did you rescue me? I am useless...

"Scully." Mulder whispered, hating himself for his weakness. Scully's hand pressed into his for reassurance that she was still there, his rock.

Skinner looked up at Scully who was studying her partner's face. She caught Skinner's gaze and held it, impressing her worry across to him. He sighed and stood, leaving them to each other and marveling at Agent Scully's strength.

Skinner closed the door and leaned back against it, looking up at the ceiling. He had nowhere to go; he wasn't prepared to go back to the Bureau and face up to the mystery they had left behind at the hospital. It wasn't safe yet to bring Mulder & Scully back into the world, or let anyone close to them know where they were. And then there was his niece.

Anna. They can erase a gunshot almost like it was never there. What they've done for Mulder, and Scully... Why can't they help her? Is it can't, or won't?

Skinner pondered these thoughts as he made his way to Anna's room. He could have walked the route blindfolded, as often as he had been back and forth between the rooms these past few days. He opened the door to her room and hesitated; there was a lady, *Danethra* he remembered, bringing Anna lunch. She smiled up at him.

Skinner nodded and stepped into the room, walking over to the bed. He looked down at the soup, then over at his niece who was still sleeping.

"Here, I'll do that." Skinner didn't even look at her as he took the chair beside Anna's bed.

Skinner studied his niece's face for a moment, she didn't look as if she had gotten any better despite Austaur's assurances. She literally had not moved since his arrival here. Gently, he reached over and caressed her face to wake her.

Skinner studied her, almost as if he were sizing her up. He decided she needed to eat.

Anna sighed as she allowed Skinner to spoon a couple of bites of the soup into her.

Skinner grabbed the glass and held it to her lips; she watched him over the rim of the glass.

Skinner didn't answer until it was evident that Anna was not going to eat until he explained what was bothering him. She listened patiently as he talked about Mulder & Scully, and a little bit about himself.

At least she's eating, god, she looks so fragile right now. I think this is the longest she's been awake since I got here. She's tired. The soups gone!

"You need to rest." Skinner placed his hand on her arm gently before he stood to leave.

"Bring him here to me, I can talk to him. I can help." Anna said, her fatigue evident in her voice. "Bring him here, later."

Skinner began to reply but stopped himself when he noticed she had nodded off again. He smiled as he left her room.

Skinner shook his head as he read the note Scully handed him. He looked up at her and signed slowly.

"I talked to Austaur on my way up here. Would you like to go outside for a while? They are having coffee on the deck, and you are invited."

Scully walked over to Mulder and touched his arm, he flinched, but did nothing. She smiled sadly at Skinner as she left, following his directions down to the deck. Skinner shut the door behind her and went over to Mulder.

"Agent Mulder?" Skinner began, hesitantly. When Mulder didn't answer, he sat on the edge of the bed. "Scully went outside for coffee. You can ignore me, but I have something I want you to hear."

Skinner began telling him the story behind their rescue. At the mention of Anna and the events that surrounded her, Mulder began to seem interested. By the time Skinner concluded the story, he knew he had Mulder's full attention. The rest of the conversation Skinner spent trying to decipher Mulder's one word questions.

"Sick?" Mulder said, sounding more like himself than he had since Skinner found him. "Still?"

"Yes. Well, kind of. I am not sure exactly what is going on or understand what has caused it, but she is not well." Skinner answered, watching Mulder's face carefully. He could see Mulder's brain working.

"Yes." Mulder re-affirmed and carefully stood up, holding onto the bed as he tried to orient himself in the darkness. Skinner quickly understood and moved to help him. Slowly and carefully, they went up to see Anna.

Skinner lead Mulder to the chair position beside Anna's bed, she was still asleep. He waited quietly as Skinner went to wake up his niece.

"Uncle?" Anna pulled herself out of sleep and looked over to see both her Uncle and Agent Mulder at her bedside. She smiled, and her smile didn't falter as her eyes fell on Agent Mulder.

"Hello, Mulder." Anna said, still trying to clear away the cobwebs that clung to her thoughts. She forced away her exhaustion and turned her attention to him. Skinner looked down at her and hesitated, not wanting to leave either of them. She returned his gaze and held it, he broke away and left quietly.

They sat in silence for a moment as Anna watched Mulder sitting there beside her. She reached out her hand to him, amazed at how much it took out of her to do so, and lay it gently on his knee. He flinched, before he laid his hand on top of hers and her heart fell.

"Will you trust me?" Anna asked softly. Anna watched his face slowly as it moved through several emotions before settling back into the stoic mask it had become. He nodded slowly.

Anna closed her eyes in concentration, wincing at the headache her efforts brought. She knew she shouldn't be doing this, that Austaur would kill her if she didn't die first, but she couldn't go against her nature. The pain that exploded in her head when she opened the link between her and agent Mulder almost sent her back into oblivion, but she held on, and when she reached a manageable level of control, she began.

This can't be real, I am imagining things now. Scully would laugh, Spooky's hearing voices...

*I assure you that you aren't imagining things. My uncle, Skinner, told you about me...*

Oh God it feels good to have someone understand me... Why can't I talk? What did they do to me?

Anna whimpered as stars began exploding behind her eyes from the effort of her workings.

I have read about this, you have backlash from the energy you used to save us, don't you? What happened?

Mulder went rigid as images began pouring into his mind, memories that didn't belong to him, as Anna showed him what happened.

"No." Mulder whispered as he 'watched' the gate form, and collapse. Then he crumpled in the chair, overcome with sensations of weariness and pain before it vanished - instantly.

Mulder sat very still as he went over everything he had 'seen' and been told, extracting through it with his detective's mind and comparing it to countless X-Files he had sifted through in the past.

You shouldn't be doing this. This is very dangerous for you isn't it? How are you standing it?

*Not as much as you might expect, but I can get around. Go ahead and ask what you really want to, I don't mind.*

Mulder stilled his thoughts. Even though he could not see her, he could imagine what this was doing to her. Not yet.

He could sense the latent fear in her mind, curious, he probed deeper almost afraid she would stop him. Suddenly, he found the reason. She was afraid she would be caught. He also found how much this was costing her, and how much she wanted, needed, to help him and Scully. He also realized that she couldn't keep this up much longer.

He was distracted by the sound of knocking at the door. Skinner had returned, and Scully was with him. Mulder smiled; the knowledge that she could cure him was enough. He could wait.

"Scully." Mulder said, smiling and standing. He waited for the secure feeling of the AD's hand on his elbow. "Talk."

Anna looked up at him and knew what he wanted. She ignored Skinner's glare of disapproval as she motioned weakly for Scully to sit.

"Please, uncle. Just for a minute. Then I will rest, I promise." Anna said, trying not to look so worn and tired. Skinner frowned.

Scully sat in the chair and smiled; Anna reached over for her hand, and Scully accepted it, frowning slightly at the bandages. Her eyes widened as a voice echoed in her head.

*Hello Agent Scully. I know you can't hear me right now, but I am going to try to fix that. I hope you understand.*

Scully went rigid as Anna transferred the energy she was holding over to her, cleansing her body of the left over toxins and healing the damage they had done. The sounds of the room came to Scully in a load rush, and as she looked down in wonder, Anna went blissfully into oblivion.

"Anna? Shit." Skinner left Mulder standing in the middle of the room and ran to her. Scully was staring at her in shock as she listened to the chaos that filled the room.

Austaur slammed open the door and crossed the room, pushing both Scully and Skinner out of the way in his haste to get to Anna. Skinner took one look at the expression on his face and backed off. He helped Scully off of the floor and stared at her. He could have sworn she just said something.

"Oh, Mulder! I can hear you!" Scully ran over to him and practically knocked the breath out of him in her haste to reach him. She was crying hysterically and Mulder just held her and smiled.

Skinner looked on in disbelief. Understanding dawned into his mind and he slowly turned around. The bed was surrounded by people, but he caught a glimpse of his niece as someone moved to grab a towel. She was unconscious and bleeding from her ears, and her nose. He turned back to Scully, feeling sick to his stomach.

"Mulder?" Scully looked up into his squinted eyes and gasped. He still couldn't see her. "Mulder, I thought,"

"Ok. Scully." Mulder said, grinning ear to ear. He knew, and that was enough for now. He pulled her close to him again and tilted his head down to kiss the top of her head. Beautiful Scully. It's all ok.

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