Title: It

Author: Pattie

Rated: PG-13,

Category: Post-Ep., Kidfic, AU

Spoiler: Genderbender

Summary: A baby left on Scully's doorstep raises
more questions than answers.

Feedback: patfiler@hotmail.com

Archive: Gossamer, The Nursery Files.

Disclaimer: Silly, I only own the OTHER characters!
These stories are written for free I don't intend
copyright infringement. Besides, Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen
Productions and Fox Studios own the whole kit'n caboodle.

Author's Note: Written for The Nursery Files "Foundling's
Tale" Challenge.


DANA SCULLY'S APARTMENT
GEORGETOWN, DC
OCTOBER 14, 1994
9:52 PM


*How much time does it take to restock an overnight bag?*
Scully wondered, as she tucked a freshly laundered pair of
socks away. *Maybe I could calculate that, figure out how
much time I've spent doing this in the past year, and charge
them for overtime.* She added a bar of scented soap and was
just about to close the bag when the phone rang.

"Scully."

"Please listen, I haven't much time." A female voice spoke
quickly and quietly. "There's something on your doorstep I
want you to take care of... "

There wasn't another word from the person. "Hello? Hello?"
She considered the possibility it was a prank call, but she
thought perhaps it was something Mulder might need from a
source, possibly even a wrong number. She looked at the
display: "Unknown Name, Unknown Number," Scully sighed. When
she opened her apartment door, she found out why this person
did not want to be identified.

Safely ensconced in a cardboard box was a baby, wrapped in a
yellow blanket. It couldn't have been more than a few days old.
The moment she saw the child, she felt a sense of awe and
wonder. How could someone leave such a precious gift from God in
the hallway? "Think, Dana. Your blood pressure will naturally
rise when it cries, you'll feel all motherly and try not to get
attached to it, so just call the DSS and report an infant found
on your doorstep." Despite her inner voice of reason, Scully's
instincts took over, and she carried the box, along with a bag
of spare diapers and some formula into the living room, and gazed
upon the sleeping infant. It had an amazing hypnotic effect on
her. She didn't quite know how or why she felt that way. She
had seen adorable babies before, but this feeling was like no
other.

A short note was taped to the box. "Please take care of my baby
for a while. I'm in danger. Elizabeth." Well, that sure helped.

What would she do next? There was no name to the child, no
papers to give even a clue as to the identity of the child, and
this was disconcerting. The doctor in Scully wondered about
health issues. The woman in Scully knew it must have been hard
to let go of such a gift, and also knew someone could have been
running in shame -- scared that her parents would know, an
abusive mate might be on her heels, maybe a victim of rape
running away from pain and embarrassment.

Then the phone rang. "Scully." Good. The baby had slept through
that.

"Scully, have you ever wondered... " Mulder.

"Mulder, something's come up. I can't talk right now."

"You've got a date?"

"Don't try to be funny, Mulder. We just got back from Gawdawful
Idiotville, and someone left a baby outside my door..."

Mulder smiled. "A baby?"

"A baby, and it looks like it's waking up. I'll talk to you
whenever. Bye."

"A baby on Scully's doorstep?" Mulder was amused. He knew she
wanted a normal life, but this was practically instant
motherhood. He just knew she wanted children some day.

The child's cries were met with Scully's soothing voice and
warm arms. "Oh, now what's the matter? Are you hungry? Maybe
wet? Let's take care of things right now. Yes. Whoever you are,
you sure are beautiful."

While she waited for a bottle to warm up, Scully changed the
infant's diaper and wiped the tears from it's eyes. "Well, now
that I know you're a girl, that's something to help me find out
where you come from. Yes." It felt so natural yet scary to hold
the little tyke, rocking her and reaching for the bottle. She
tested the formula on her wrist and then offered it to the child,
who drank as if to save her life. "You really ARE hungry, baby
Jane Doe. My God, that sounds so cold."

Scully debated the position she was in. As any other decent
citizen, aside from her status as a Federal Agent, it was her
duty to report her find to the Department of Social Services.
But couldn't it wait until morning? Since she was a doctor, she
could examine the child and write a medical report, thus saving
time and effort.

"Well, I guess I have a guest for the night, whoever you are.
Yes. Pretty girl, why would your mother ever want to let you go?"
When the baby had consumed half of the 4 ounce bottle, Scully
burped her and continued to feed her. She burped her again, and
rocked her until she fell asleep, which wasn't that long.

Since the baby was in a new environment, Scully felt she didn't
need to be startled by a ringing phone, and shut off the volume.
Perhaps if the baby was asleep in the box in the living room,
she could leave her cell phone on and answer any calls in another
room. So, she walked into her bedroom and dialed Mulder.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, it's me. I'm going to keep the baby overnight and check
her out before I call the DSS."

"Are you sure you want to do that, Scully?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure. I don't know why anyone chose me, but
it's obvious they knew something about me if they called me and
asked me to take care of her."

Mulder smiled. "Her? Does she have a name?" He was watching one
of his movies, and turned down the volume.

"Uh, no. But whoever left her here cared enough to leave some
diapers and a few bottles of formula. There was no name or
number for me to go on, so I'll try and get a trace on it. I'll
let you know if I come up with anything. She appears to be about
three days old. I'd better trace that call. If anything comes up,
call my cell."

"Okay. Scully?"

"Yes?"

"Congratulations."

Scully sighed and went to check on Baby Jane Doe.


***

1:49 AM

Scully had fallen asleep on the couch when the little girl's
cries woke her. She went to pick the child up, took another
bottle out of the fridge and warmed it up. As she was changing
the child, she was startled into full wakefulness. She cleaned
the baby's bottom and grabbed the bottle, heading straight to
the couch and called Mulder on her cell phone.

He had been fast asleep, and picked up the phone without
opening his eyes, "Yeah. Mulder."

"Mulder, you're not going to believe this... "

"I believe in all kinds of things, Scully." He looked at his
watch. "Isn't it past your bed time?"

"Jane Doe appears to have become John Doe." She kept her eyes
on the infant and waited for her partner's reply. "Remember
the Amish outside of Steveston?"

"What?" Mulder sat up. Now HE was fully awake. "The supposedly
Amish who not only attracted with their strong pheromones, but
changed sex."

"She's now a he." Scully burped the baby half-way through the
bottle and continued to feed it. "Mulder, I swear I know my
Gray's Anatomy, so please don't say anything even remotely
snide. I don't have any explanation for this. The call came
from a phone booth at Fenmore and Main, but I'm guessing the
mother is on the move."

"Okay. I'll check the hospitals to see if there were any women
who... the Amish who weren't Amish, but Kindred., Scully. I
wouldn't rule them out. You remember the antics of Brother
Martin in Steveston.

"Omigod. Do you think one of them might have gotten someone
pregnant before they left?" Her heart sank as she once more
burped the little boy, or girl, or boy, and she rocked 'it' gently in
one arm.

"Maybe. Or maybe one of them liked life so much here they got
pregnant and didn't want anyone to know they'd been doing the
forbidden game with one of the terrestrials."

"But we know very little about them. I didn't even get the
chance to examine any of them, let alone get a DNA sample."

"Well, it was offered," Mulder admitted sarcastically. "Look,
it's Saturday, so you can sleep in. Relax. I'll check the
local hospital for any early releases and see if any pregnant
runaways were reported. You get some sleep."

"Yeah, thanks, I will. And Mulder?"

"Hmm?"

"No more cracks about brother Albert."

"Okay. Just sit tight and I'll see what I can come up with.
Maybe brother Martin's back for a little rest and relaxation."


***


6:01 AM

The cries of the infant signalled that it was feeding time again.
Scully changed the baby, and noted Baby Doe had reverted to being
little 'John Doe'. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"
As she gently placed the bottle to the child's mouth, she
wondered about life wherever his 'people' came from. Had they
always been able to change genders? Were they family types or just
breeders? Did they know about her? Then it hit her: It was reality
check time. Two years with Mulder on The X-Files. What was she
thinking? Extraterrestrial baby lands in her lap? What were it's
people all about?

She waited until Baby John was asleep before showering, then made
a pot of coffee and some scrambled eggs. By the time she leafed
through the morning paper on her doorstep, it was 7:30, and she
was silently debating whether to take a DNA swab from the child's
mouth. As she went to get her doctor's bag, her cell phone rang.

"Scully."

"Is it... is my baby all right?" It was the baby's mother.

"Yes. Uh, how did you get this number? Can I..."

The phone went dead, and Scully knew the call, in all
probability, would be impossible to trace. She thought perhaps
Mulder had found something pertaining to the child's birth.

Mulder had been out for a run and was reading a file. "Mulder."

"It's me. The mother called again, and Baby Jane is Baby John
again. Any news on the hospitals or runaways?"

"Nothing. Well, there was a woman from Nebraska vacationing in
Washington. Went into labor on the steps at the Lincoln
monument. Mother, father and twins are doing well. No police
reports or word on the street about a woman with a three-day-old
baby. The free clinics hadn't seen a three-day-old baby with any
of their clients, or even attended to a spur of the moment
labor. I think you should do a DNA work-up."

"Already on my mind. I think I can count on the lab not to let
this go anywhere but our ears. The next time he wakes up, I'll
take a swab and a physical. I'd hate to take a blood test on a
little baby, but... "

"You're getting attached to it?"

"Mulder, it's an adorable baby. I know it's natural to get
attached. I also know I'm a scientist, and we need some answers
soon. And I forgot to tell you: the mother's name is apparently
Elizabeth. The note referred to her baby as 'it.'"

"Okay. Let me know when you get to the lab and I'll head into
the Hoover. Maybe there's something similar in the older
files."

"All right. I may as well give 'it' a bath, buy some more
diapers and formula and get the samples down there. I'll
probably be there at noon. Sorry to spoil your Saturday."

"Oh, I was just going to take my dry-cleaning in. I can always
take it into Washington. As for the basketball shirts and
skins, I was going to pass anyway. I'd better get going."

"Okay. I'll get the samples and meet you at the office then.
I'll borrow the Klevins' car seat."


***


J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC
12:45 PM

Scully had been sure to leave her answering machine on in the
event the mother would call again. Her cell phone was turned on
and if the woman called again, the call would be traced.

As Scully gave the lab technician the vial with the DNA swab,
Mulder searched his files for anything they might have
overlooked regarding the mysterious 'Kindred'. Files were
cross-referenced while blood samples and the DNA sample went
through an assortment of tests.

At 2:04 PM, Scully received another call. "It's me. Elizabeth.
I know I didn't tell you much, and you're kind of confused by
all this, but our babies generally don't settle into a long-
term gender until the age of one of your years. Gotta go. I
know I can trust you, and I will be back soon for -- I'm sorry.
Now I really have to go."

"Elizabeth?" *So much for that*, Scully thought. A trace
yielded nothing. "They don't settle into a long-term gender until
one of our years?"

Mulder entered the lab as Scully was feeding the foundling. He
smiled as he gazed into the baby's face. For some reason, he felt
very drawn to it. "I couldn't get anything more than we already
had. He or she really has an effect on me. I didn't think I'd
feel like being a father any time soon. It sounds to me she's one
of them, and took a liking to our forbidden ways, perhaps killing
the father, perhaps not. Maybe one of the others is involved. For
some reason this kid is growing on me, and not like any other
cute baby."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. It's not exactly the same as the
phenomenal influence the adults had, apparently. I couldn't get a
trace on the last call. I don't know how she got my cell phone
number, but this woman is terrified. She's definitely running
from somebody."

"Maybe a communicator?" Mulder smiled. "Maybe they're intuitive."

"At this point, I really wouldn't be surprised. Jane is John,
John is Jane, and the mother did tell me they settle on a gender
at about one year of age. However long that lasts, I don't know.
I'm still waiting for the blood tests. Mulder?"

"Yes?"

"It seems I've run out of formula. Would you mind -- "

"I guess not. What brand?"

"Non allergenic, I suppose. Just to be on the safe side."

A lab tech emerged from behind a door. "Well, I don't know what
type of blood this is. It appears to be regular, red blood, and
while it has some properties of A positive, I'm not sure it's
safe to say what type the child is. We're seeing some rather
unfamiliar genetic material here."

"What about the DNA?" Mulder wondered.

"It's going to take a while, I'm afraid. Look, why don't you go
home and I'll call Agent Scully when the full results are in?"

"We'd prefer one of us were here," Scully replied, all the
while smiling at the child.

"I can call you, and this little one reminds me of my little
nephew. Look at those long eyelashes..."

"Look, Alan. I'd prefer none of this gets out, and I'm sure
Mulder and I can take turns sitting right here."

"All right. I bet you're tired, though. You look like you could
use some rest."

"I'll get some ready to use formula," Mulder announced. "I can
relieve Scully when I get back. I'll even take the baby home
with me if necessary, but we are going to get to the bottom of
this."

The tech shrugged. He didn't know anything except some strange
blood test results. "Okay. Well, suit yourselves. I'm going to
see what Stevens has come up with. What a cutie."

"I'll be back soon, Scully. Then I want you to go get some
sleep."

"I'm not going home."

"Then, stretch out on my desk or sleep in Skinner's office.
Just make sure you do get some sleep. Okay?" He knelt to face
her and brushed a lock of hair aside. "The baby will fall asleep
in the car seat. You know that."

"Uh huh. Thanks, Mulder."


***


SCULLY'S APARTMENT
9:32 PM

Because the tests proved inconclusive yet quite interesting,
Scully and the baby went back to her apartment. Mulder sat
watching the child as Scully warmed a bottle for little Jane/
John. It was amazing. The manner by which this child could draw
such protectiveness was so strong, yet so puzzling. "Scully?"

His partner was warming a bottle. "Just a sec. Okay, here's
our bottle, yes, and we're so hungry." She held the baby and
watched her little blue eyes.

Mulder sensed Scully had forgotten he was about to ask her
something. He cleared his throat. "Uh, Scully, I don't mean
to be a wet blanket, but don't you think we should call CPS
about an abandoned baby? I know the mother's out there, but
we can't hold onto this baby forever."

Scully shook her head and shot him an angry look. "Mulder,
don't call them. The mother's not far away and she wants her
baby back. Let's just wait for her to call again."

"How long, Scully? What's to say Sister Elizabeth isn't just
like Brother Martin. Maybe she's getting some and then killing
her partners, escaping as Brother Whoever?"

Scully burped the child. "Mulder, you really do trust no one.
If anything, there haven't been any similar cases like that of
Brother Martin's recently, and I believe the mother just wants
to get on with her life with her baby."

"Maybe they don't bond with their partners the same way we do,
Scully. Maybe we're not meant to know what they are, but you
know what happened the last time one of theirs decided to
take in some of the night life here."

Scully didn't bother to answer. She burped the baby again
and changed her diaper. Now it was his diaper. Just as
she finished fastening the sleeper the phone rang. "I'll
get it." She took the child to the phone with her while Mulder
jotted down a few notes. "Scully."

"Agent Scully, I don't have too much time so listen carefully.
You've got to help me get somewhere they can't find me, away
from this city."

"Elizabeth? What about the child's father?"

"He's... he's alive, and I was living with him until he left me.
I have no money or trade in your world and no one to count on.
I know my elders are looking for me. I feel them getting closer.
Meet me down at Ramble and Briar as soon as you can, with my baby.
It can't be raised among your people and you can understand why.
I have to take her with me. They won't kill one of their own. I
will be punished, but not too terribly." The young woman ended
the call abruptly.

"Elizabeth? Hello? Mulder, we've got to get to Ramble and Briar
as soon as possible. We have to protect the mother... "

"Let's go!" Mulder grabbed his coat as his partner packed a few
extra cans of formula, and held the door for Scully and the
infant.


***


CORNER OF RAMBLE STREET AND BRIAR ROAD
10:30 PM

Mulder stopped the car five car lengths from the corner and sat
waiting.

"C'mon, Mulder. We have a chance not only to help the mother,
but learn something more about the Kindred."

"What if it's a set up, Scully? They only said they never kill
one of their own."

"Well then, you'd better have your gun because I left mine at
home. Let's go."

They walked to the corner and there stood a young woman, not
more than 20 by all appearances, dressed in worn blue jeans,
blue tee shirt and black leather jacket. "My baby!" The woman
cried. "I'm so happy we're all right." She reached out for the
child, but Scully was hesitant to let Jane/John go. "Please!"
Her long, dark hair shimmered under the street lights, and
Mulder seemed to be daydreaming.

"Keep your mind on business," he reminded himself silently.
"How do we know you didn't kill the father?" Mulder asked the
woman, staring straight into her eyes and trying not to be
attracted to her. Yes, this woman had that effect as well. His
tone was more gentle than that of the usually serious FBI Agent
questioning a person of interest in a case.

"I... We're not all like Brother Martin, Agent... ?"

"Mulder."

Scully saw that look in his face. Wasn't that how she must have
looked when she first met Brother Albert. "We need to know if the
father's okay," Scully said softly.

"He is. We couldn't stay together. He didn't... didn't understand
the ways of my people, and I was something of a mystery to him.
The people you call 'the Kindred' are coming for me. I have to
go. I'm taking a bus out of here tonight. Please, give me my baby."

Moments after Scully had given Jane/John to Elizabeth, the woman
began to run for the bus station, shouting: "They're here! Don't
let them get me!"

"We have to think up a diversion, Scully."

"Like what? Arresting them for trespassing on our planet? Mulder,
I doubt we can stop them. They took care of Brother Andrew, and
they'll take care of Elizabeth and her baby."

"Her part human baby, Scully."

"That's true, but they weren't a threat until Brother Martin got
so tied up in his crimes. Just how do we explain this, Mulder? Do
we write up a report on it? What do we do?"

As Elizabeth ran with her baby, all Mulder and Scully could have
done wouldn't have stopped the three shadowy figures who were
running after the woman. It was as if several frames were missing
from a movie reel, as the shadows became four, one with a shape
that could only have been the baby. As quickly as they appeared,
they disappeared. Mulder looked upward and nudged Scully. "Look."

As they gazed at a round object with rotating blue lights, the
watched in astonishment as that, too, vanished. There was
no sound except the street noises and a bus pulling out of the
station.

Mulder turned to his partner with a dazed expression.
"There goes another mystery, Scully."

"We can't call it an official case, and frankly I don't know how
to add it as a follow-up to the first case. Just how would we
refer to the child?"

"You've got a point there. Who wants to go on record as being an
'It'? The baby obviously wasn't a born hermaphrodite, and I doubt
anyone at the Bureau would believe the term 'shape-shifter'. I'll
write it up privately, and just keep it to myself. Just between
you and me."

"Can you really do that, Mulder?"

"I think so. Let's call it a night."

He hadn't been told at the time, but a report with a picture of
a crop circle discovered in a farm in Pennsylvania would arrive
in their office four days later. The pattern was very similar
to the one that had occurred many months ago in Steveston.

The next day, Mulder wrote a report and simply labelled the file
'IT'. No one would ever believe the file was about such a child.

Or would they?


END