Author: Tony.
E-mail: crockettuk@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13. (Mild adult language and violence).
Keywords: DSR.
Feedback: Keep it coming!
Disclaimer: John Doggett and Dana Scully and other characters mentioned here-in are the property of 1013 Productions.
Here's the delayed chapter 2 of my new fic (food poisoning can really cramp your writing style!) As well as dedicating it to my regular fave Shoddsisters, i'd like to specially dedicate this chapter to our new members Stephanie, Eliver and Liz, and also the lovely Cassie for not only showcasing my previous fic at ATD and TLS but my artworks too! Thanks, babe!
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As Doggett brought the four-by-four to a halt by the farmhouse entrance, the
telescopic rifle
barrel tightened its focus on the disembarking couple.
"I hope they understand why we've come here...." Scully addressed Doggett as he held open the passenger door for her and she climbed out of the vehicle. "How much I want William back....I don't want to destroy whatever happiness these people have had by adopting him, but I have to be selfish....I have to have him back, John."
Doggett took her hand tenderly in his.
"Don't push, Dana." His strong measured voice advised her. "I'm sure they'll listen to what you have to say....just take it easy, darlin'. I'm here for you whatever, ok? For you and him."
Scully returned his touch with a loving squeeze, his comfort and concern warming her greatly and making her truly ready for the emotional reunion ahead. Slowly, they made their way to the front door of the house, Doggett knocking on it while Scully stood beside him, her features betraying a slight tremble as she tried to compose her emotions. They waited for several seconds for someone to appear then Doggett knocked again before they both realised the door was open. With Doggett's second strike on it, it swung slowly open revealing a ransacked kitchen with table and chairs overturned and smashed crockery lining the sink and floor. Scully and Doggett's expressions filled with sudden horror at the sight that befell them, Scully's voice a frightened gasp as she spoke.
"Oh God, John..." Her shaking voice filled Doggett's ears. "Something's happened to them.... something's happened to my son!"
As a panicked Scully went to tear off into the rest of the house, Doggett held onto her, pulling her back to him.
"Dana! Take it slow! Anybody could be waiting for us in there!"
A thousand possible nightmare scenarios were flooding through Scully's brain as Doggett produced his gun to protect them both.
"I have to find him, John!" Scully exclaimed. "I have to make sure he's ok! I have to! If I abandoned him and he's hurt or....I have to see him!"
Scully broke free of Doggett's grip.
"Dana!" He shouted after her as she made her way forward towards the adjoining rooms. She reached what obviously seemed to be her son's room, making her way hurriedly over more broken furniture and damage as Doggett followed her, his gun ready to take down any intruder who might be waiting for them. As the door to William's room swung open, Scully rushed inside and stopped in her tracks as she beheld the stuffed animals lying all over the floor in front of her son's new crib. As Doggett came up behind her, he came to a halt too as Scully slowly approached the crib, her blue eyes open wide as they fell upon the half-damaged mobile hanging above it. Looking down into the crib, she found it empty, just pulled-back covers where her son had obviously been recently lying. Tears began to fall from her pained eyes and she slowly sank to her knees in agonised disbelief as Doggett moved over to her.
"No...no...no..." Scully's voice broke into strangled sobs. "He can't...be gone...not after all this...not after I left him....please God no....William..."
Doggett slowly pulled Scully to her feet, putting his arms around her to comfort her and even he was surprised by the force of her throwing herself against his body to seek his embrace as her released emotions wracked her. He held her tight to him, his face pressed down to hers as she broke down.
"Dana..." he whispered in her ear. "Oh, baby, I don't know what to say...."
Scully buried herself into Doggett's powerful embrace, wanting desperately for him to shield her from the pain eating up her heart this very second. As they stood holding each other amongst the littered carnage of William's room, they suddenly heard a noise from another room in the house. The noise of someone moving. Scully's watery eyes looked up into Doggett's.
"John...."
Scully broke free of Doggett's arms and raced out of the bedroom.
"William!"
As a worried Doggett raced after her, Scully came across the figure making the noise in the hallway- it was a young man dressed in green combat fatigues and he was pointing a telescopic rifle right at her as she stood frozen to the spot. As the man went to press his finger on the trigger, Doggett appeared.
"Dana!"
Doggett threw her back into the safety of William's room with him as the rifle blasted into the wall Scully had been standing by. As the man let loose another salvo, Doggett made sure a shocked Scully was alright, cocking his gun angrily.
"Who is he?" came Scully's breathless reply as Doggett moved, gun raised, to counter this new threat. "What has he done to my son??" She began to move angrily forward and Doggett could see the fury blazing in her eyes now- a fury he had seen before when her son had been threatened. Equally furious, he held her back.
"I'm damn well gonna' find out, Dana!"
As Doggett cocked his head around the corner, he saw the man in the fatigues tearing past him through the kitchen and exiting the house. As he went to chase after him, Scully followed. But Doggett stopped her forcefully.
"Dana! Stay here! There could be a firing squad waiting out there and you ain't armed!"
Scully fought his hold on her, her anger at not knowing her son's fate consuming her now.
"Damn it, John!" Scully spat. "I have to know what's he done to William! If he's hurt him, I'll kill the bastard!"
Doggett held her firmly, knowing full well what pain she was feeling and understanding it.
"You'll have to take your place in the queue, Dana!" His eyes burned into her own. "Let me go after him and I'll get the truth from him, I promise you!"
Doggett raced from the kitchen as Scully fought to control herself.
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As Doggett tore across the farmhouse grounds after the mystery man, his mind was focused on Scully's anger and pain and it fuelled him like nothing else could to catch up with this man and discover what had happened to William. He had seen Scully suffer so much emotionally in this past year and was determined to at least stop her punishing herself for giving William away for adoption and bring a little happiness back to her agonised soul. He loved Dana with all his heart and had hoped against hope he could reunite her with her child. Now all of that was threatened by the appearance of this man and Doggett was as mad as hell. And he knew just one thing: he was going to get this man to talk, whatever it took.
As he dived behind a nearby barn for cover to protect himself from another broad salvo of fire from the running man's rifle, Doggett shouted after him.
"You might as well give it up! Cos' there's nowhere you can run from me, buddy! Wherever you've taken Dana's kid, you've got one choice! You're gonna' tell me what you've done with him! And the sooner you tell me, the less I'll beat it outta' your ass! SO GIVE IT UP!"
As the man crouched stationary behind the low fence surrounding the property, Doggett carefully clocked his position and started to make his way furtively back around the barn to come up behind his attacker. As he reached the far back corner of the barn, he raised his gun and prepared to surprise the gunman from the back. But as he lept out to cover the man with his weapon, he saw he was no longer behind the fence and realised that his move had been anticipated. As he became aware of movement to his side, Doggett flinched as a cheesewire snapped around his neck, held by the mystery man tight around it, cutting into his skin as the man attempted to choke him to death. Doggett kicked back at his assailant, trying to topple him and succeeded in forcing him against the back of the barn, slamming him hard against it and winding him. As the cheesewire fell to the grassy ground, Doggett laid two strong punches into the man's chest and then smashed the man into a pained upright position, his hand locked tight against his attacker's throat and his gun jabbed hard into the man's ribs. Doggett's face was white-hot with aggression as he held onto the man hard.
"Alright, you son of a bitch! You really want to walk off this farm alive today, you better spill what you're doing here and where Scully's son is! You hear me?"
The man remained defiant, despite the pressure Doggett was exerting on his windpipe.
"Strong and silent, huh?" Doggett snarled, moving his gun down to cover the man's left kneecap. "Maybe another kind of pain will get you to open up? I can be a very lousy shot sometimes and that could be very bad for you, tough guy! Wanna' test just how bad I can shoot at this range, huh?"
A familiar voice spoke from behind Doggett.
"And how bad I can too??"
Doggett turned to behold a furious and emotional Scully covering the man with a gun too.
"I want to know where my son is right now....and you better tell me....because I want him back... I need him back....you understand?"
Doggett tried to calm her as her finger tightened on the trigger.
"I have him, Dana! He isn't goin' anywhere!"
Scully's blue eyes blazed as she surveyed the man's face which was obviously registering just what she would do to him.
"You know how far a mother will go to protect her child? How far I'll go after all I've been through this past year? I just want this nightmare to end and you better help me to do that! You better tell me where my son is right now or I'll send you right to the hell you came from very very slowly!"
Doggett looked back into the man's eyes, twisting his hand tighter around his throat.
"You better listen to her, buddy! And listen to me! Where is William?"
The man finally choked a whispered reply.
"Far away from here....far away...."
"Is he alive?" Scully came closer, lowering the gun as Doggett released his grip on the man slightly.
"Yes...."
"Then you better take us to where he is, hadn't you?" Doggett hissed. "And the couple who adopted him? They alive too?"
"As far as I'm aware...."
"That's good...." Doggett took the man's arms and pinned them behind his back, tying them tight with some wire hanging from the back door of the barn. "Your chances of survivin' this day are improvin', buddy! So, who do you work for? Who sent you here to snatch them, huh?"
The man looked past Doggett to a drained-looking Scully, fixing her with his eyes. Doggett tightened his grip on the man's bound hands.
"Who told you he was here?"
The man looked deep into Scully's watery blue eyes.
"You know him very well, lady..."
Scully stepped forward, her face inches from his, Doggett unnerved by how calm she had suddenly become.
"Who told you? I want to know!" Scully suddenly exploded, launching herself at the man. "I WANT TO KNOW!"
Doggett restrained her, holding tight onto her as the man slowly gave her the answer she could hardly believe.
"Your lover. Mulder."
As Scully's blue eyes opened wide in utter shock, Doggett was equally numb at the information. Just as Doggett was going to counter the man's statement, he heard the unmistakable sound of another rifle cocking behind them.
"Hold it right there, people."
Scully and Doggett turned around to behold two more armed men covering them. The one closest to them spoke.
"I know you've got many questions. And if you behave yourselves, you might just get the answers. If you don't you'll die right here...right now."
Scully and Doggett looked deep into each others eyes as the men closed in on them.....
