A note to the reader, this chapter does contain a graphic scene and may not be appropriate for anyone with
a weak stomach.  Okay, you have been adequately warned, enter at your own risk.

WyndamereŠ

Nik decided to take a walk while he was waiting for Lucky and Emily, but instead he just paced back and
forth outside the main house.  He was becoming increasingly worried with every passing minute.

<What is taking them so long to get here?   I wish Lucky had told me what this meeting was all about.  It
must be bad news if he asked Emily to leave school.>  he thought anxiously.

Just then he heard a female voice in the distance.   "Emily, is that you?"   he called out.

Emily appeared on the path and answered,   "Yeah, Nik, it¹s me."  Then she added playfully,   "Long time,
no see."

Nik laughed and said,   "Aren¹t you missing something, pronouns, a direct object or two, a verb?"

They both laughed nervously, knowing that the reason for this emergency meeting was not good.

"So, do you have any idea why Lucky wanted us to meet today, and on such short notice?"   Nik asked as
nonchalantly as possible.

"Your guess is as good as mine.  He didn¹t say much over the phone, only that he wanted to meet here as
soon as possible."   She paused thoughtfully and then added,    "He mentioned something about bringing
along a friend, do you know who he was talking about?"

<Probably Elizabeth>  he thought.  "I am sure he will explain as soon as he arrives."   Nik evaded nervously.
  <Why is he bringing her I wonder.  Surely, he does not expect Emily to talk to a complete stranger about
what happened.>

Just then voices broke into Nik¹s thoughts.   "Wow!  This place is huge.  Why don¹t you live here with your
brother instead of at the boxcar?   It¹s not like they don¹t have space."   Elizabeth said.

"That¹s a whole other story.  Come on speed it up, no time for sight-seeing."   Lucky urged her.

They broke through the trees and headed towards the clearing where Nik and Em were standing.

"Sorry we¹re late, but motor mouth here wanted to take the scenic route."   Lucky teased Elizabeth playfully.

He then formally introduced Emily and Elizabeth.   "You can call me Lizzie B. for short."   Elizabeth added
when Lucky was done.

Stalling the serious conversation as long as possible Lucky asked Emily,   "So, how¹d you swing it with your
classes?"

"Unfortunately, I ate something that didn¹t agree with me, so I¹m at home right now resting."   Emily said
mockingly.

Nik interrupted their antics and asked,   "So what is this about, Lucky?"

He was silent for a moment trying to think of the best place to start.  He decided to be direct,   "We,
Elizabeth and I, think we found your rapist Em.  And it¹s not who you think it is."   Lucky said bluntly.

Nik¹s arm immediately went around Emily, who appeared to be in shock.  Lucky proceeded to relay to
them the whole story, starting with his first meeting with Mulder and Elizabeth.  He went on to explain how
Mulder had stumbled upon the bloody items in the back of Tony¹s car, and finished up with Scully¹s request
for blood and hair samples.  Elizabeth periodically chimed in to remind Lucky of forgotten details.  Emily was
crying softly in Nik¹s arms by the time Lucky had finished explaining.

Seeing how upset she was, Lucky tried to calm her.   "At least you know now, right?  You don¹t have to
wonder anymore.   And you never have to see him again, he¹s dead, and even if he wasn¹t, I¹d kill him."  He
reassured her.

Lucky¹s statements, in addition to Nik¹s silent comforting, seemed to calm her down.   "How soon do I have
to take the samples?"  Em asked.

"I told Dr. Scully that I¹d be by this afternoon.  We should know for sure tomorrow morning."   He said.
 "Listen, you don¹t have to even see her.  She gave me a home sampling kit.  We can take the samples here,
and I¹ll just run them by there for you."   Lucky reminded her.

"Okay"  she said weakly to Lucky.  She then turned to Lizzie B. and said,   "Would you mind coming with
me while I do it.   I¹m not all that fond of the sight of blood, especially my own."   With that, Em and Lizzie
B. headed for the house.

Lucky and Nik stood still, both becoming increasingly aware of the awkward silence settling between them.
 Finally Lucky broke the silence and said,   "So, how¹s it hanging?"

"How is what hanging?"  Nik asked confused.

"Never mind.  Listen, when we¹re finished here Elizabeth and I are going to drop off the stuff at the
coroner¹s office and probably get something to eat.  You and Em want to meet us at the Outback for a late
lunch?"  Lucky asked

"Sure, if Emily is up to it."   Nik accepted cordially and then added,   "So, are we going to be friends now?"
 Nik asked tentatively, knowing he was pushing his luck with this conversation

Lucky grimaced and said,   "Whoa man, let¹s not get carried away here.  How¹s about we take it one day at
a time, okay?"

"Good idea,"  Nik agreed.
 

Meanwhile at the coroner¹s officeŠŠ

Scully is in the process of checking the blood typing results from the clothes against all the murder victims.
 Mulder is looking on silently.

"There is no match.  The blood that you found in the back of Dr. Jones¹ car doesn¹t belong to any of the
other murder victims."   Scully finally concluded.   "That means, it most likely belongs to your rape victim."
  she added compassionately.

"Thanks Scully."   Mulder said gratefully,   "for everything."

"There is no need for you to thank me, if fact I¹m the one who owes you gratitude.  You¹ve helped me more
than I can say.  Anyone with the proper medical training could¹ve run blood tests."   Scully said.

"Yes, but you still didn¹t have to do it."   Mulder insisted.

Just then Lucky and Elizabeth arrived at the coroner¹s office.  They came into the lab to find Scully seated in
front of a microscope.  She appeared to be gazing up at Mulder, who in turn was looking down at her
longingly.

"Hey Boss, Dr. Scully,"   Lizzie B. interjected,   "We got the samples that you need."

"Good, I¹ll get started on these right away."   Scully said as she got up.

"You don¹t need me for the rest of the day, do you?  Lucky and I were going to go and get something to
eat."   Elizabeth said.

"That¹s fine.  I was going to suggest that we both take the day off,"   Mulder  agreed.  "We¹ll pick up with
the investigation tomorrow."

With that Lucky and Elizabeth left.  <Actually, I¹m a little hungry myself.>   Mulder thought.  <I wonder if
Scully would have dinner with me?>  he pondered.

"You know, Scully, I know this is short notice, and you have a lot of work to do, but we never did have a
chance to get together like we planned.  Do you want to get something to eat later?"   Mulder asked her
nervously.

"Okay, just let me finish up here, and IŒll meet you at the hotel in a couple hours."   Scully accepted.

Mulder left a happy man.
 

Meanwhile across town on Helena¹s yachtŠŠ

Helena smiled to herself,  <This is just too easy.  Everything is going precisely as planned.  By tomorrow
morning, I will be rid of that little nuisance, Alexis.  And the best part is, thanks to that little nitwit accomplice
of mine no one even suspects me, not even Stephan.  Having her followed was the best idea I have had in
months.>  Helena thought silently.

"Ari, did I not tell you before that foreplay is not what I want?  Mekkos understood this perfectly, why can¹t
you.  Please do not force me to be rough with you.  Just do as you have been told, and we will both be
satisfied."  Helena snapped at him.

"By the way, did you complete the chore I gave you earlier?"  she demanded to know.

"Yes, mame, I sent the note to her hotel room this afternoon.  She thinks that she is having dinner with Mr.
Aston at 9:00 tonight."   He replied as he was unzipping his pants.

"Good."  She said.   <It will not be long now my beloved Nikolas.  We will be together again very soon.>
 Helene silently mused.

Ari finished undressing, and positioned himself on top of his mistress and began he duty a minute later.

"Yes, yes, harder!"  Helena yelled in the throws of passion.  Their sexual encounter brought new meaning to
the term Œquickie¹.
 
 

Chapter 10

Later at the OutbackŠ.

Elizabeth and Lucky arrived first.  They got a table, and began engaging in conversation.

"So, what is it you do when you¹re not assisting Mulder?  I know you have a secret passion because I can
see it in your eyes."   He asked.

"I¹m an artist.  I draw, I paint, I even do a little sculpting."   Elizabeth admitted.

"Come on, there¹s more to it than that, what medium do you paint in?  What¹s your favorite color?  What
kinds of things do you like to paint?  Are you a realist, a cubist, an impressionist?"  Lucky asked, intrigued.

"Well, since you asked, I usually paint in acrylics, but I¹m just starting to get into watercolor.  When I draw I
prefer charcoal because it¹s a lot easier to do lights and shades that way.  I usually paint people, their faces,
their expressions, sometimes their hands and feet.  I¹m a realist, but I have been known to venture into
abstraction in my sculpting work.  And lastly, my favor color to paint in is blue?"  Elizabeth told him
excitedly.

"Why blue?"  Lucky inquired.

"Because, it can be used to express so many feeling at once.  I do a lot of monochromatic paintings in blue."
 She said.

"Monochromatic?"   he repeated questioningly.

"Using only one color."   She supplied, then added shyly,    "You know, I could do a picture of you if you
want, but that would mean that you¹d have to come over again tonight."

"I know what you¹re trying to do, and it¹s not going to work.  You don¹t want me to stay in the boxcar, do
you?"   Lucky guessed correctly.

"Please, Lucky, I don¹t like you staying there alone.  What if you get robbed or something, it¹s not like
there¹s a door you can lock."   Elizabeth said in a worried little voice.

"I know, I¹ve been meaning to look for an apartment.   It¹s just that with all that¹s been going on lately with
the attack, looking for Em¹s rapist, the PC murders, and my parents, I just haven¹t had time."  Lucky told
her.

"Let¹s compromise.  Stay with me, while you search for a place of your own.  I¹ll even help you look.
 Deal?"   Elizabeth suggested.

"You drive a hard bargain.  I accept."   Lucky said happily.

Just then they spotted Emily and Nik.  Elizabeth waved them over.

"Hey guys."   Emily said.

"Hi Emily.  You okay, I mean how are you holding up?"   Lucky asked tentatively.

"I¹ll be fine.  I was just shocked to fine out that it was someone that close to me, you know.  I¹m just glad
it¹s over."   Emily said with a long sigh of relief.

"What were you two talking about so intensely when we arrived?"   Nik asked.

"Lucky¹s living arrangements,"   Elizabeth answered.   "He has finally come to his senses and agreed to stay
with me until he finds a more appropriate place to live."

"That¹s great Lucky.   Now maybe my parents will listen to reason."   Emily said enthusiastically.

"Don¹t count on it.  They still haven¹t forgotten that time we ran away together, remember."   Lucky
reminded her.

"But that was ages ago."   Em said   "Besides, I¹ll be eighteen soon, so it really won¹t matter one way or the
other."

Elizabeth then excused herself, and went to the ladies room taking Emily with her.  While they were gone the
waiter came over to take their orders.  Nik and Lucky ordered for the ladies.

"So, how¹s Em really doing?"   Lucky asked

"I think she will be alright eventually.  She became very upset after you left, but I think it had more to do with
who her rapist was then the actual rape itself."  Nik said

"You take care of her, you hear, or you¹ll suffer the same fate as Dr. Jones."  Lucky threatened only half
kidding.

"Elizabeth seems nice."   Nik stated, changing to subject

"Yeah, she¹s great.  I never thought I¹d meet someone as great as her.  She has the best sense of humor.
 Before I met her, I can¹t even remember the last time I laughed."   Lucky confided.

In the ladies roomŠ

"So Liz, what¹s going on with you and Lucky?"   Em inquired.

"I¹m not sure.  All I know is that I like him, and I want to get to know him better.   I like being around him.
 We have so much fun together.  Do you know that last night we actually had a pajama party, complete with
a pillow fight and everything."   Elizabeth confided.

"I approve.  Lucky needs some fun in his life.  He¹s had so many problems to deal with lately, some of which
are mine.   I¹m glad he has you, and I was hoping that we could be friends too.  I¹m usually not such a
basket case all the time."   Emily confided.

"It¹s okay, I understand.  I¹ve seen a lot of atrocities happen to people in my line of work, and I can
truthfully say that you are handling it better than most."   Elizabeth reassured her.

Back at the PC HotelŠ.

Mulder was dressed and ready to go, all he lacked now was Scully.  He wondered what type of food she
liked, and finally decided on the Outback.  They had a wide variety of foods, so she should be able to find
something she liked.

Just then there was a tap on the door.  Mulder opened it to find a very nervous Scully standing there.  She
was dressed a little less conservative than usual.  The dress she had on was somewhere between Scully and
Scarlet, although attractive nonetheless.

"You look nice.  I hope the Outback is okay with you, I wasn¹t sure what kind of food you like."  Mulder
said.

"That¹s fine, I¹m a meat and potatoes kind of girl."   Scully said with a smile.

With that, they left for the restaurant.  They arrived just as Lucky, Elizabeth, Emily, and Nik were leaving.

"It is getting late, I had better get Emily home, especially after last night."   Nik said with a grin.

"What happened last night?"   Elizabeth asked.

"Well, to make a long story short, Nik and I fell asleep in the gazebo, and his family and my family were
frantically looking for us this morning."   Emily said.   "I thought grandfather was going to have a cow when
he found out where we were all night."

They all started to head for the door, when Mulder and Scully arrived.  Elizabeth spotted them and smiled
thinking  <Looks like the Boss is falling hard for the good doctor.>

"Hi Boss, Dr. Scully."   Elizabeth said mischievously.   "I hope you have a nice evening."

Without waiting for a response, the foursome departed.  Mulder and Scully sat in an isolated little corner and
the waiter came and took their order a little later.

"So, tell me how long have you been in the P.I. business?   She asked.

"Not long, a little over two years.  Before that, I was a professor of psychology and abnormal psychology at
Oxford, which is also where I did my undergraduate work."   Mulder replied

"What made you leave?"   Scully asked.

"It cease to appeal to me, I needed something a little more challenging."   Mulder answered.   "How did you
end up in medicine?"

"Completely by accident or more appropriately by the process of elimination.  Nothing else really appealed
to me"   Scully said.   "Once I took my first science class if college, I was hooked."

"So what do you do in your spare time?  Any hobbies?"   Mulder asked, becoming more and more intrigued
by her.

"None that I can think of.  I tend to be a workaholic, especially now that Missy¹s gone.  That¹s the one thing
that I miss about her the most.  She used to love to have fun, and she would force me to go with her when
she thought that I¹d been working too hard."   Scully confided.   "As you might have guessed, that¹s why my
alter ego was such a good-time girl."

"You know, I find you fascinating.  You¹re intelligent, cool, and confident when it comes to your work, but
just the opposite in your personal relationships."    Mulder observed.   "You know it¹s okay to be vulnerable.
 You don¹t have to put on a front for me, I like you just the way you are."

"I¹m so used to being the strong one in the family, the person that everybody else leans on, that I guess I just
forgot how not to be"   Scully replied.

Just then, their food arrived.  They finished eating and talked for a couple of more hours before they moved
to leave.

When they got to Scully¹s house, neither of them wanted to say goodbye.

"I¹ve been thinking, since you already have a lot of knowledge about the case coupled with the fact that you
are more familiar with the people in this town, and in addition to the fact that you could provide some new
insights onŠ."   Mulder rambled.

"Mulder, get to the point."   Scully said.

"I could really use your help with this case."   Mulder finally stated.   "And I have a sneaking suspicion that
you and I would make a great team."

"I¹d love to help."   Scully said in acceptance.

Mulder leaned over, kissed her on the cheek, and said   "Thanks, Red."

Chapter 11

Stephan was really in love with Kat in this story.   Since Kat was killed by the PC killer, Stephan was never
on trial for her almost murder at their engagement party.  He never forgave Alexis for trying to break up he
and Kat, although Nik did eventually soften towards her.  Stephan has no knowledge of Lucky and Nik¹s
tentative truce.

Tony was put on trial for Michael and Robin¹s kidnapping, and was found innocent because of Helena¹s help
but he was murdered before the verdict became public knowledge.  Carly didn¹t have a chance to shoot him
when the verdict came out because he was already dead, and subsequently she never went into a mental
institution.
 

At the PC HotelŠŠ

Elizabeth and Lucky were up late.  LizzieB. had started on a portrait of Lucky, and they¹d stayed up quite
late talking while she painted.  They were still sleep the next morning at 10 A.M. when Mulder burst through
the door.

"Nap time is over, folks.  There¹s been another murder."   he announced loudly   "Scully¹s working on the
autopsy as we speak.

"Who?"   Elizabeth and Lucky said in unison.

"Alexis Davis."   Mulder said shortly.   "Early this morning, one of the maids found her in her hotel room with
her throat slit."

"You mean she was murdered right here in the hotel?"   Elizabeth said shakily.  "This is really creepy.  She
lives just two floors down from us."

Lucky pulls her into his arms,   "It¹s okay, I would never let anything happen to you."

"And to think, I didn¹t want you to live in the boxcar because I thought it was too dangerous."  Elizabeth said
self-mockingly into his shoulder.

Lucky smiled silently at her quip.  At this point Mulder interrupted and said,   "Listen why don¹t you two get
dressed, and while you¹re doing that I¹ll start questioning the hotel employees.  Then we can head over to
Spoon Island, and talk to the Cassidines.  By that time, Scully should be done with the autopsy report."

"Cool."  Elizabeth and Lucky replied.  With that Mulder headed downstairs.  He wanted to start with the
desk clerk.

He walks up the front desk and asked the clerk   "Sir, did you just come off the night shift?"

After receiving a positive reply Mulder asked,   "Can you tell me if Miss Davis had any visitors, that you
know of?"

"Well, I don¹t know if she actually had anyone up there with her , but I know that she was expecting a
guest."  He said.  "A man called late yesterday afternoon and left a message with the front desk saying that
he¹d meet her in her hotel room at 9 P.M.  Shortly after that someone ordered dinner for two to be served in
her room."

"I don¹t supposed you know with whom she was supposed to be dining?"

"At the time, I thought it was Mr. Aston, but now that I think about it, it could have been anybody.    You
see the gentleman didn¹t specifically identify himself as Mr. Aston.  Everyone knows that they were seeing
each other, and since he¹s usually the only person who visits I just assumed."   The clerk said sadly.

"What about dinner, who ordered it?  Was it the same guy or someone else?"  Mulder asked,

"It was a lady¹s voice, but I don¹t know that it was Miss Davis¹ or not."   He admitted sadly,   "I¹m sorry I
couldn¹t be of more help.  I always liked Miss Davis."

"Is there anybody else who might be able to identify these people by name?"   Mulder asked

"Not that I know of.  I¹m the only one who talked to them directly."   the clerk said sadly.

"Who was in a position to actually see who came in and out of Miss Davis¹ room?"  he inquired at last.

"You might want to talk to the maid who works that floor.  The work schedule is in the kitchen on the wall."
  The clerk informed him.

Mulder wasted no time in finding the maid that was on duty the night before.  He caught her just as she was
leaving.

"Mame if you could just answer a few questions, I won¹t detain you long."   Mulder asked politely.

"Okay, but make it quick, finding dead bodies really takes a lot out of me, you know."   She said callously.

Ignoring her flippant comment Mulder asked,   "I just need to know if you saw anyone going into or coming
out of Miss Davis¹ room last night, prior to her murder".

"Yeah, I remember a short brunette going into her room.  The only reason I remember is that, later on I
spotted a taller blond coming out of her room with the exactly same outfit on."   She said.  "Weird huh?"

"Could you tell weather they were two different women or the same woman incognito?"   Mulder
questioned.

"Naw, I wasn¹t paying that close attention, I just caught them out of the corner of my eye.   I guess it could
have been two different women."   She pauses to think.  "Hell, for all I know, the brunette could¹ve dyed her
hair and put on heels."

"How much time elapsed between the time when you saw the brunette and when you saw the blond?"
 Mulder asked.

"It was a while.  Let¹s see, it was still light outside when I saw the brunette, but by the time the blond
appeared it was dark.  An hour, maybe two."   She said straining her memory.

"Thank you, mame.  That¹s all the questions I have for now."   Mulder said.  He made his way back to the
main lobby, where LizzieB. and Lucky were waiting for him.

"I¹m on my way to Spoon Island to break the bad news."   Mulder announced.  He then turned to Lucky
and said,   "Looks like I¹m going to have to take you up on your offer of help."

"Cool.  What¹s the plan?"  Lucky asked enthusiastically.

"I¹m not sure yet, maybe surveillance."   He said.   "Let¹s get going."

With that, they headed for Wyndamere.  When they arrived, Nik was the first person they saw.

"What happened?"   Nik asked, knowing immediately that something was wrong.

"Nikolas, I presume?"   Mulder prompted.

Nik nodded in reply.

"Is Mr. Cassidine here?  This concerns him too."  Mulder asked.

"What concerns me?"   Stephan inquired as he came in through the side door.

"I regret to inform you and your nephew that Miss Alexis Davis was found dead in her hotel room early this
morning."   He said, pausing before he continued,   "Her throat was slit."

Both Stephan and Nik wore a stricken look.  Stephan wasted no time in pulling a now crying Nik into his
arms.   After a minute, Mulder interrupted.

"I don¹t mean to be insensitive, but I need to ask you a few questions Mr. Cassidine."   Mulder said
tentatively.   "I think that the same person or persons who killed the others also murdered Miss Davis.  I
already have a couple of leads, and the sooner we move on your cousin¹s murder the better our chances of
.Š."

Stehpan interrupted him and said,   "She was my sister, not my cousin.  Her name was Natasha Cassidine,
and I would appreciate it if you would put that in your official report."

"Okay.  Now, I know that you and your sister were estranged, but do you know of anyone that would want
her dead?"  Mulder asked.

"Helena!"  Stephan, Nik, and Lucky all said at once.

"Helena Cassidine?  Her name appeared in a couple of the reports I read.  What relation is she to Miss
Davis and why would she want her dead?"   Mulder inquired.

"Natasha was my half-sister, a product of an affair my father had with an opera singer.  Her very existence
was an affront to my mother, and most certainly reason enough to have her killed."  Stephan divulged.  "My
sister came to me on several occasions and expressed fear, but I foolishly thought she was playing on my
sympathies in order to return to the family"

"By any chance is your mother a blond?"   Mulder asked.

"Yes, why?"   Stephan asked.

"Just a hunch.  Was your mother equally intolerant of your fiance¹, Miss Bell?"  Mulder asked.

"Unfortunately, yes.  My mother felt that Katherine was beneath me, and was not hesitant in showing her
disapproval at my choice of wife.  She even approached Katherine, personally on occasion."  Stephan
informed him

"Thank you, Mr. Cassidine, you¹ve been a great help."   Mulder said and then turned to Nik and said,
 "Listen, Nikolas I need to asked you a couple of questions, too."  Mulder said, and then added.   "Alone, if
you don¹t mind Mr. Cassidine."

Stephan began to protest, but Nik stopped him saying,   "It¹s okay, Uncle."

Stephan hesitantly left, looking suspiciously at Lucky.

When they were alone, Mulder asked Nik,   "Can you give me any kind of description of the person you
interrupted the night of your brother¹s attack?"

"Whoever it was, was short, but other than that I am not sure.  It was dark, and at the time my main concern
was Lucky."  Nik said sadly.

"I don¹t suppose you could tell if the person was male or female?"  Mulder asked

"Not with any certainty, no."  Nik asked.

"Okay, this is my problem, I can see why Helena would kill your aunt and your would-be stepmother.  And
since there was and I assume still is a family feud going on between the Spencers and the Cassidines, I can
also see why she would want to kill the Luckster here."  Mulder said

At that, Elizabeth unconsciously moved closer to Lucky.

Mulder continued his analysis,    "and even Dr Jones now that is has been confirmed that he was her
supplier, but for what reason could she have wanted to kill Jasper Jax and the Quartermaine kid."  Mulder
pondered aloud.

"My theory is that there are two killers, both women.  One of course is probably your grandmother, but I
cannot figure out who the second woman is."   Mulder said in frustration,   "That¹s where you guys come in."

Just then Lucky said,   "I don¹t know if this is relevant or not but I know of a connection between A.J. and
Dr. Jones.  Both of them at one point thought that they were the father of my cousin Carly¹s baby, Michael.
 When the baby was born, it got ugly, that is until it came out that Jason was the father."

"Interesting, that would explain the baby blanket."  Mulder said.

"Tell him the rest, Lucky."  Elizabeth urged him as she noticed his guilty expression

"How do you know there is a rest to tell?"  Lucky asked her incredulously.

"Oh I don¹t know, maybe because you have that guilty as sin look on your face,"   She answered.

"Okay, okay, here goes.  When I first left home, I went to work for Helena in order to find out all I could
about my family¹s skeletons.  Helena had me doing odd jobs, but the oddest was when she had me break
into the Assistant District Attorney¹s office and get dirt on her.  Helena then used the evidence that I stole to
blackmail the ADA into letting Dr. Jones off with a slap on the wrist.  Now, I¹m sure she asked for a favor in
return, which I¹m guessing turned out to be the sedative."  Lucky explained.

"Great deduction.   I agree with your theory,"   Muder said then asked.   "Okay, now who is this Jason
person?"

"He is Emily and A.J. Quartermaine¹s brother, although he goes under Morgan.  Aside from Emily and her
grandmother he is estranged from his family."   Nik chimed in.

"The plot thickens!"  Mulder said humorously, then added,    "Listen, like I was saying before Lucky¹s attack
of conscience, I need you guys to help me with surveillance.  Since I don¹t exactly know who I¹m looking for
here, I want to use people that I know I can trust.   And that means Lizzie B., Lucky, Nikolas, and I was
hoping Emily too."

Nik said,   "I am sure she would love to help since two of the victims were part of her family.  Besides, it
might help take her mind off the rape and the identity of her rapist."

"Good.  I want Mrs. Cassidine watched 24 hours a day.  She¹s bound to contact her accomplice sooner or
later.  I want three two-man teams.  Lucky, you and LizzieB., take the early shift.  Nik, you and Emily take
the evening shift, that way she¹ll have plenty of time to get home from school and do her homework. And
Scully and I will take the graveyard shift.  Under no circumstances is anyone to leave their assigned partner
while on their watch, this lady and her cohort have proven to be a lethal combination and I don¹t want
anyone else falling victim to them."  Mulder explain.

"Do the Quartermaines know about Alexis yet?"   Nik asked, concerned about Emily.

"Probably, the only reason that you and your uncle didn¹t get a courtesy call from the police was because I
volunteered to be the one to tell you."   Mulder stated, then added,   "Listen Lucky why don¹t you and
LizzieB. head over to the coroner¹s office and fill Scully in on what¹s going on and see what she¹s turned up.
 Meanwhile, I¹ll head over to the Quartermaines and ask Mr. Aston a couple of questions.  I also want to
swing by and talk to this Carly person.  Nikolas, you come with me, I¹m sure Emily will need a shoulder to
cry on."

With those parting words the groups scattered.
 
 

Chapter 12
 

At the QuartermainesŠ.

At the news of Alexis¹ demise, pandemonium reigned at the Quartermaine house.  Ned was catatonic with
grief, Edward was ranting about finding another attorney at ELQ, Emily was quietly crying on the sofa, Alan
and Monica were arguing over media spin control, Lila was trying to reign in Edward, and Reginald was
answering the non-stop phone calls.  The media was already beginning to gather outside, when Mulder and
Nik arrived.

Mulder took in the media frenzy outside, and the loud voices coming from within and then said,  "This place
is a madhouse.  Let¹s try the side door."

Him and Nik circled around to the courtyard entrance, on the way Mulder instructed Nik on what to do.

"Listen, why don¹t you deal with Emily while I question Mr. Aston.  Catch her up on what we talked about
earlier, the duel culprit theory, the rules and times of her watch shift, the identities of the other players
involved, and you might want to get a story together to tell her family while you¹re at it."  Mulder advised,
  "Oh and one other thing, Scully gave me Emily¹s test results this morning when I requested the autopsy.  It
looks like Dr. Jones was indeed her rapist."

Nik entered the Quartermaines house with a heavy weigh on his shoulders.  He went straight to Emily, who
was extremely relieved to see him.

"I¹m so glad you¹re here.  I was so worried about you when the police told us about Alexis."   Emily said as
she launched herself into his arms.

"As you can see, I am fine.  You don¹t have to worry anymore."   Nik said into her shoulder, then he pulled
back and looked into her face.

"The test results are in, aren¹t they?"   Em said softly.

To this Nik replied,   "Yes, why don¹t we go out to the gazebo and talk.  There is a lot I have to tell you, and
I don¹t think you family is going to notice at the moment."

Nik and Emily quietly slipped out the side door, and headed for the gazebo.  Meanwhile, Mulder fought to
get the attention of all the Quartermaines at once.

"Listen up everybody, I know that everybody wants to get their two cents in, but I can only hear one person
at a time.  In fact, everybody shut up except Mr. Aston, his is really the only statement worth having at the
moment."   Mulder said loudly.

A hush fell over the room, at which time Mulder addressed Ned directly,   "Did you contact Miss Davis
either directed or through messenger at her hotel yesterday afternoon?"

"No, detective Mulder, I didn¹t"   Ned replied blandly.

"Did the two of you have plans for dinner last night?"   Mulder asked   "And if not, where were you last
night?"

At this point Edward interrupted and said,   "I hope you¹re not insinuating that Ned had anything to do with
it?  Why would he kill her?  As much as I disliked it, they were dating, in case you didn¹t know."

Ignoring him Mulder continued,   "Mr. Aston?"

"No we didn¹t.  I had to work late, and it ran into the night.  After I got home from the office, I ate a late
dinner and went to bed."   He said.   "You can check with the cook if you want."

"That won¹t be necessary, Mr. Aston.  Thank you for your time, I¹ll be going now."   Mulder announced.

As Mulder turned to leave everyone once again erupted into inquiry; the questions ranged from the bold to
the ridiculous.

"What?  Get back here!"   "What about A.J?"   "Aren¹t you going to ask the rest of us what we think?" "Do
you have any leads at all concerning my son¹s death?"    "That¹s all the investigating that you¹re going to do?"
  "Some P.I. you are, you don¹t even have a partner."   "Who hired you anyway?"   "Haven¹t you seen
Sherlock Holmes?  The Maltese Falcon?  Moonlighting?  All good P.I.¹s have a partner, a girl Friday, a
wise-cracking secretary or something!"   a variety of voices yelled at Mulder¹s retreating back.

<Geez!  What a bunch of lunatics!  No wonder Morgan disowned them.>  Mulder thought as he walked to
the Gazebo to see how Nik and Emily were doing.

When Mulder entered both Nik and Emily looked up, from a seemingly deep conversation.  "You¹re done
already.  I¹m surprised that they let you get away that fast."  Emily said in amazement.

"You know they still haven¹t noticed that you¹re gone."   Mulder said with a smile,   "Hi, I¹m Mulder, and
you must be Emily?"

"That¹s me, it¹s nice to meet you Mr. Mulder"   Emily said.

"No Mr., just Mulder."   He corrected her, and then added,   "So has Nikolas apprised you on the situation
yet?"

"Yeah, he just finished telling me.  I¹d love to help."   She said,   "The only problem is we can¹t seem to
come up with a suitable lie to tell my family.  You saw them back there, you know how they can be."

"How¹s about you get an after school Œjob¹?  You can tell your family that it helps to keep busy so you
don¹t miss your brother as much.  They seem to be easily preoccupied so they won¹t question it if they think
you¹re at work."   Mulder suggested,   "Oh, do either of you have a cell phone or a pager, any sort of
communication device?  I might need to contact you while you¹re on watch."

"Actually we both have cell phones, and Lucky does too.  After Lucky was attacked, I insisted that we have
some sort of emergency communication system, just in case something else went wrong."   Emily said.

"Good thinking.  IŒll get the numbers from Lucky later."   Mulder said.

"Cool, when do we start?"  Emily said.

"Tomorrow evening at five o¹clock.  Scully and I will relieve you at midnight.   Nikolas will drive you home
at night, that way you won¹t have to do a lot of lying about why you can¹t catch your usual ride home."
  Mulder said.

"Nik IS my usual ride home."   Emily said, and they all laughed.

Alan¹s frantic shouts could be heard in the distance,   "EMILY! EMILY! Are you out there?  She had better
not be consorting with that good for nothing Spencer kid again!"

"I¹d better go before they hurt themselves."   Emily said as she got up to leave.

After they were a safe distance away Mulder inquired,   "Are they always like that?"

"Yes, sans the media."   Nik replied.

"Why don¹t you stick around here and make sure she¹s okay.  I just have one more stop to make before I
meet Lucky and Lizzie B. at the coroner¹s office.  I¹ll let you know if there are any major developments."
 Mulder directed, and then revised,   "Actually, I think I¹ll swing by the coroner¹s office first, and see what¹s
up."

Nik left to rejoin Emily, while Mulder made his way over to the coroner¹s office.  He arrived to find Lucky
and Lizzie B. leaning over the recently deceased, with Scully standing nearby deep into explanation.  Scully
spotted him first.

"Good.  You¹re here"   Scully said,   "Looks like you were right, the killer or killers do indeed appear to be
female.  I found massive hair fibers on the victim as well as a handful of hair in the victim¹s fist.  After careful
analysis of the hair, I concluded that it belongs to a female.  Also, the wound on the victim¹s throat has a
downward tilt to it.  This seems to indicate that whoever murdered the victim was either shorter than her, or
in a position that was subordinate to the victims¹."

"Unlikely."   Mulder concluded.   "Surely, this woman wouldn¹t simply sit down, lie back, and let the
murderer slit her throat."

"Quite true, unless of course she both knew and trusted her murderer, and was therefore relaxed in her
presence."   Lucky said.

"I find that hard to believe, considering that we¹re all assuming Mrs. Cassidine killed her. Stephan Cassidine
already told us that Miss Davis was afraid that her stepmother would kill her.  Of course, the other member
of the duo could have killed her, which would make more sense, I doubt if a woman as rich and influential as
Mrs. Cassidine would get her hands dirty killing anyone."   Mulder countered.   "That reminds me, Scully,
was the hair you found blond or brunette?"

"The hair came from a blond."   Scully supplied.

"Hmmm, that¹s strange.  The hotel maid said that first she saw a short brunette, then an hour or two later she
saw a taller blond.  Now assuming that the two were one in the same, why would she go through all the
trouble of wearing a wig and possibly heels to hide her appearance and then leave truck loads of her actually
hair at the crime scene?"

"Yeah, but what if there were two woman instead of one?"   Elizabeth vulunteered.

"Then you still get shades of the same question.  Why leave all that evidence?"  Mulder stated.

"I see where you¹re going with this."  Scully directed at Mulder, then turned to Lizzie B. and Lucky to
explain,   "Even if there were two different women, since they both were involved wouldn¹t one want to keep
the other from getting caught.  Hence, logically, the second women should have tried to dispose of the hair
that we found at the scene, or for that matter why did the first woman leave it behind in the first place.  She
had plenty of time to clean it up, the victim¹s room wasn¹t scheduled for a cleaning until early the next
morning. "

"Okay, here¹s my theory.  I think that their partnership is over.  Their alliance was probably shaky at best,
 but now it¹s every woman for herself.  Most likely, they¹re each trying to lay it on the other, which would
explain the sloppy crime scene."   Mulder theorized.   "IŒm guessing that the brunette killed Miss Davis
earlier in the day before it got dark, and then returned around nine o¹clock at night, when she was originally
supposed to arrive, as a blond in heels and planted the evidence.  She wanted to make it appear that her
taller blond counterpart killed Miss Davis."

"Not that it¹s doing us any good.  We can¹t very well go around accusing every brunette under 5¹5¹¹.  If that
were the case, I¹d be a suspect too!"   Elizabeth lamented humorously.

Lucky took a minute to smile down at her, before he turned back to Mulder and said,   "About what you
said a second ago, about their alliance being shaky.  A thought occurred to me.  Why form an alliance at all,
especially a tenuous one?  What did either one of them have to gain from it?  I don¹t know about her partner
in crime, but Helena could just as easily have had Alexis and the others killed by some mercenary who was
both loyal and efficient."   Lucky suggested.

"That¹s an interesting question you pose, young man."   Scully said as she pondered on his statements as did
Mulder.

"I have an idea."   Lizzie B. said excitedly,   "Hey Boss, do you remember when Scarlet was telling us about
how the police were baffled because some of the victims were seemingly unconnected?  Well, maybe that¹s
why these two got together, to confuse the police"   Elizabeth tentatively suggested.

"Go on, I¹m listening."   Mulder prompted her.

"Okay, say Mrs. Cassidine had a list of people whom she detested and wanted to kill, which we now know
includes Miss Davis, Miss Bell, Lucky, and maybe Dr. Jones, too.  She couldn¹t very well just knock them
off one by one without someone suspecting her.   Even if she hired someone to do it for her, she¹d still be a
suspect.  Meanwhile, across town, we have another woman with the exact same problem except that her list
contains Jasper Jax, A.J. Quartermaine, and probably Dr. Jones.  So in order to throw the suspicions off
both of them, they created this whole crazed PC killer thing as a smoke screen to hide the fact that these
victims aren¹t random.  Now, we know what the connection is between Miss Davis, Miss Bell, and Lucky;
 Helena Cassidine hated them all.  Now all we have to do is find out what the connection is between the
other three victims, and we¹ll have the identity of the second woman."  Elizabeth finished brilliantly.

"She¹s right."   Lucky said with pride,   "Beautiful and intelligent, too, my kind of woman."  Lucky whispered
secretly to Elizabeth.

"Her theory does sound highly probable, Mulder."   Scully said to a still pondering Mulder.

"Lizzie B., you¹re a genius."   Mulder said excitedly.

"Well you know what they say, ŒGreat minds think alike¹"   Elizabeth said happily.
 
 

Chapter 13
 

Jason never left the mob, and he is still living in the penthouse.   He and Robin are together but they don¹t
live together.  Carly lives in the penthouse across the hall, and Michael lives with Carly.  Jason and Carly
came to a tenuous joint custody agreement, and she and Robin try to avoid each other.  Of course, since
Carly still wants Jason and she continues to resent Robin for testifying on Tony¹s behave, there is very little
peace between the threesome.

Jason has begun to have feelings for Carly, but he has not told anyone, yet.  Reynaldo is not dead in this
story.

V never resigned from the PCPD.

This chapter picks up exactly where Chapter 12 left off, with Lizzie B.¹s  brilliant deduction.
 

"Whoa, let¹s not get too excited yet."   Mulder cautioned.   "We still have to do the surveillance in order to
get a line on some suspects."

"Okay, so, what¹s the deal?"   Lucky inquired.

"Nikolas and Emily are scheduled to start tomorrow at 5:00 p.m., but Scully and I will start our first shift
tonight.   Here¹s how the rotation goes:  Scully and I start at midnight and our shift ends at 8:30 tomorrow
morning.  Lizzie B. and Lucky, your shift starts then and goes until 5 o¹clock tomorrow afternoon.  Then Nik
and Emily will take over, and so on and so on.  Everyone has a cell, so communication won¹t be a problem"
  Mulder explained.

Looking intensely at Scully, Mulder said,   "I¹ll see you tonight around 11:30, just meet me at the hotel and
we¹ll go from there."   then turning to Lizzie B. he said,   "In the meanwhile, I still need to speak to Carly
Roberts, as well as the prodigal Quartermaine.  And I¹ll probably need your help, Lizzie B."

"Sure thing, Boss."   Elizabeth replied, then she turned to Lucky and said,   "This should only take a couple
of hours so, I¹ll meet you back at the hotel then, and we can pick up where we left off last night."

"Cool, that¹ll give me a chance to see Lulu,"   Lucky said, then added softly,   "You know, you two are my
favorite people in the world."

"Just for that, I might have a surprise for you when I get back."   Lizzie B. said with a smile.

After Mulder took down Lucky, Emily, and Nik¹s mobile phone numbers, he and Lizzie B. headed for the
penthouse.  While they were in route, Elizabeth inquired about Mulder¹s trip to the Quartermaines.

"So how¹d it go with Emily and the Quartermaines?"   Lizzie B. casually asked.

Mulder grimaced and said,   "Let¹s just say that since I¹ve met her family, I now have two reasons to
sympathize with her."

"Ouch!  That bad huh?"   Lizzie B. said.

"However bad you¹re thinking they are, trust me they¹re worse."   Mulder assured her as they pulled into the
penthouse garage.   "They bring new meaning to the phase ŒRich and strange¹."   he said as he began to
detail his visit to the Quartermaine mansion.
 
Reynaldo met them at the door, and announced them as they entered the penthouse.  Mulder and Lizzie B.
came in to find that Jason and Robin were in a heated argument.

"But, why does she have to live right across the hall from you!"   Robin lamented.

"I¹ve explain this before."   He said in an exasperated voice,   "I want Michael close to me, and you know
that he and Carly are a package deal."

"Yea, well this particular package is ticking.  You know this arrangement isn¹t going to work.  I¹m surprised
it¹s worked for this long.  Carly still wants you, and sheŒs using Michael to stay close to you."  Robin said.

"LookŠ."   Jason began.

When Mulder and Elizabeth entered, Jason immediately stopped what he was saying and addressed Mulder.

"Who are you and what is this about?"   he asked.

Lizzie B. answered for them both.   "His name is Mulder.  He¹s a private detective, who¹s been hired to look
into the PC killings, and I¹m his assistant Elizabeth, but you can call me Lizzie B.  We are here to ask you
and Miss. Roberts some questions."

Jason corrected her,   "Ah no, this isn¹t Carly.  She¹s my girlfriend."

"Isn¹t Miss Roberts your girlfriend?"   LizzieB. said confused.

Robin stood up and said indignantly,    "No, Carly is merely Michael¹s mother, I¹m his girlfriend."

"And your name isŠ"   Lizzie B. prompted.

"Robin Scorpio"   she finished, then continued.   "Can¹t this wait?  Jason and I were in the middle of
something."

Jason then took Robin aside, and they spoke privately for a minute.

Mulder leaned over to Lizzie B. and muttered,   "Geez, who got drunk and cut their hair?"

Lizzie B. smiled and said,   "Be nice, Boss."   Although she silently mused,  <They do have hair issues that
need resolving.>

Jason and Robin rejoined their guest.  Jason spoke first.

"So, what was it you wanted to ask me."   Jason inquired.

Just then there was a loud commotion outside.   "JASON!  MICHAEL!  Where the hell is Jason!!?  I¹ll kill
him if he left my baby alone with that sanctimonious bitch!"   Reynaldo opened the door to receive a very
angry Carly.

<Looks like that package finally exploded.>   Lizzie B. thought, as an overwhelming need to duck seized
her.

"Jason, where is my son, and why exactly weren¹t you two home when I got there?"   Carly asked loudly,
oblivious to Robin and the other penthouse guests.

"Carly, calm down.  Michael is upstairs with Lateasia, and he¹s fine."   Jason said in a soothing voice.

"I thought you were going to babysit at my place; I told you I¹d be right back,"   Carly said in a hurt voice.

"Look, I got hungry, and you didn¹t have much in the frig, so I brought Michael over here so that Lateasia
could look after him while I fixed myself something to eat."   Jason said placidly.

Carly then spotted Robin,   "God!  And what are you doing here!!?  It¹s bad enough I have to put up with
you, but I¹ll be damned if I¹ll have you playing mother to my son right under my nose, while you poison his
mind against me.  Jason, you know the rules."

"Robin was just leaving."   Jason assured her.

"You just make sure you keep away from my baby!"   Carly directed at Robin.

"Carly, now isn¹t the time.   We have company."   Jason informed her

"Oh, what do they want?"   She asked Jason as she looked around at Mulder and Elizabeth.

"They want to ask us some question about the murders."   Jason answered.

"Well, I guess I¹ll be going.."   Robin trained off as she headed for the door.

"Good riddance,"   Carly muttered under her breath as she rolled her eyes.

<Hmmm.  She¹s more of a Quartermaine than he is.>   Mulder concluded as he studied Carly.

"Mr. Morgan, I know that you and your brother were estranged, but do you know of any enemies of his, or
anyone who might benefit from his death."   Mulder asked.

"No."   Jason said shortly.

"What about you, Miss Roberts?"   Lizzie B. added.

"I don¹t know, we haven¹t been close for a while."   Carly said flippantly.

"Were you on equally bad terms with Dr. Jones before he died?"   Mulder inquired.

"Everybody knows we couldn¹t stand the sight of each other, so yeah I guess you could say we were on
pretty bad terms,"   She replied snidely.

"What about Jasper Jax, did you know him?"   Lizzie B. chimed in.

Carly shifted nervously in her seat before she said,   "Why are you asking me all these questions?  I had
nothing to do with this.  Just because I knew two or three of the victims doesn¹t make me a killer."

"No one is accusing you of anything, we just need you to answer a couple of questions."   Lizzie B. said
calmly.   "Now, Mr. Jax?"

"Ah, I knew of him, but I didn¹t know him personally."   Carly said, and then added impatiently,   "Now, is
that all?"

"Just a couple of more questions.   Why did you hide the fact that Jason was the father of your baby?  And
why did you finally decide to tell the truth about the child¹s paternity?"   Mulder asked.

"At first, I hide it because I didn¹t want to lose Tony, but after he turned out to be such a hypocritical ass I
didn¹t want him.  Later, he and A.J. threatened to take Michael away from me, so I told the truth because I
knew Jason would let me keep my son."   Carly explained.

What about Miss Davis, how did you feel about her?"   Mulder inquired.

"I hated her guts.  She¹s the one who got Tony off for kidnapping my son."   She admitted, then added
nastily,   "Now, are we done?"

"Yeah, we¹re done.  Thank you for your time."   Mulder said as he and Lizzie B. left.

As soon as the doors of the elevator closed Lizzie B. said,   "She¹s lying."

"Yeah, she¹s definitely hiding something, I¹m just not sure what."   Mulder replied pensively.

"Hey Boss, I was wondering since Lucky and I start our shift tomorrow I Š."   Lizzie B. trailed off.

"Go, we¹re finished for today anyway.  Besides I need to get some rest before Scully and I start our all-night
vigil."   Mulder said with a laugh.

With that they headed for the hotel.  Once they were there, Lizzie B. dropped Mulder off and went shopping
for Lucky¹s surprise.  Mulder took the time to go over all the case facts before he stretched out on his sofa
for a nap.

An hour later, Lizzie B. returned to her room with supplies and began setting up Lucky¹s treat on the
balcony.

<This is going to be so much fun!  I hope he likes it>   Lizzie B. thought nervously.

Just then there was a faint knock on the door.   <That¹s him!>   she thought as she rushed to conceal her
surprise.

She opened the door to find an obviously distressed Lucky standing there.

"What¹s wrong?  What happened!?"   Elizabeth asked frantically, afraid of what he was going to say.

"I had a run in with my parents."   He confided.

"Why don¹t you come in and tell me about it?"   she suggested.

He came in, walked over to the sofa, and sat down.  Elizabeth immediately joined him.

"Tell me about it."   She said as she touched his shoulder.

"I thought that since today was Saturday, my parents would be out running errands, and I¹d be able to visit
Lulu without seeing them.  They usually leave her with my Aunt Bobbie when they go out, but not today."
  Lucky shared sadly.

"What did they do?"   Elizabeth said almost afraid to know the answer.

Lucky stared at her with that little boy lost look and said,   "Nothing really, they were just the same as they
always were, but the thing is, I miss them.  I mean, I miss them how I used to think they were."   he admitted,
then added in a haggard voice,    "How can I both love and hate them at the same time?"

At this, Elizabeth pulled him into her arms and held him as he cried.  She stroked his hair and told him
everything was going to be fine.

After his tidal wave of emotions pasted, she broke the silence,   "You know, maybe you can¹t go back to the
way things were, but you can start over and built a new relationship with them"   Elizabeth suggested,   "I
know they love you."

"I don¹t know.  It¹s been so long, maybe it¹s better this way."   Lucky said hoarsely.

"Well, you could always try, and if it doesn¹t work out you can just stay with me forever."   Lizzie B. said
with a smile.

Lucky laughed weakly and said,   "I was planning on doing that anyway."

"Well, since you¹re going to be here for a while, are you up for a little spontaneous fun?"   She asked
mischievously, trying to distract him from his problems.

"What did you have in mind?"   Lucky asked.

"How about a picnic?"   Lizzie B. revealed.

"In the middle of the night, Elizabeth?"   Lucky said skeptically,   "And lest we forget, there are two killers on
the loose."

"Its not THAT late."   Elizabeth reasoned.

"Okay, I¹ll give you that one, but how do we know that PC¹s deadliest duo aren¹t on the prowl tonight?"
 Lucky said.

"Oh, they won¹t bother us."   She said as she stood up, walked over, and turned off the lights.

"What are you doing?"   he asked

Ignoring him she then went over to the balcony window and slowly opened the curtains.

"Surprise!"   she announced,   "What do you think?  Do you like it?"

Lucky looked through the glass doors to see that she had set up a picnic blanket complete with place
settings, soft lighting, and a light brown picnic basket which appeared to contain dinner.

"Wow"  He said simply, then turned and looked at her,    "You did all this for me?"

"Yeah, so what do you think?"   she asked tentatively.

"I like it.  I like it a lot."   He confessed as he came to rest beside her.

"I¹m glad you like it."   She beamed up at him.

He reached to open the door for her and said,   "Ladies first."

They ate, talked and laughed for hours.  They talked about her art, his music, life in general, their
long-termed career plans, and a million other things.   Then, Lucky suddenly grew quiet.

He looked at her deeply and finally said,   "Come here, I wanna tell you something."

Elizabeth leaned toward him as he did toward her.  He stopped when he was about an inch from her, and
reached out to touch her hair with his hand, then he whispered,   "Thank you."

With that he closed the small space between them and kissed her lips softly.

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