Title:  Resistance 2.0
Author:  Peggy Mulder (as told to Vickie Moseley)
Summary:  It's Christmas, 2012.  The Mulder 
family has come a long way, from Mexico into the 
mountains of Canada.  But the invasion isn't far 
behind them.
Archive: yes
Category:  MSM Kidfic Post-Col
Disclaimer:  I can't claim most of these people but I 
can claim Peggy and her friends.  Everyone else 
belongs to 1013 Productions and 20th Century 
FOX.  No copyright infringement intended.
Dedication:  Cyberroses and chocolate Mulders to 
Lisa, who once again brought this story to life with 
her beautiful artwork.  Many thanks to Chuck, 
faithful keeper of the S8 canon (which I quite 
frankly never really committed to memory) and 
Supreme Beta Reader.  Special thank yous to all 
who wrote me after Resistance 1.0.  All the gentle 
(and pokey) nudges finally paid off because the 
Muse came back.
If you haven't read Resistance 1.0, you probably 
should.  It's on my site 
www.vickiemoseley.freeservers.com

Resistance 2.01

December 24, 2012
150 miles north of Edmonton, Alberta

It was Christmas Eve.  The only reason I knew that 
was because when we were driving through 
Edmonton in the dark of night, the stores were 
closed and the streets were deserted but all the 
churches had cars in the parking lots.  I heard 
Daddy say something to Mom about stopping but 
she shook her head and wouldn't look at him.  She 
kept driving.

It seemed like we'd been driving forever, even 
though it was just a couple of weeks.  Everything 
was such a jumble since Daddy got hurt at work.  
When Uncle Pete picked me up at school to take me 
to Mom at the hospital, I didn't think anything good 
could ever happen again. Mom was crying and the 
doctor told me that my Daddy might not ever wake 
up.  I thought my world was ending. That was 
before Will stepped off the elevator.  

I knew who he was the minute I saw him -- Will's 
been in my dreams all my life.  Still, it was a little 
weird to know that the guy in my dreams was my 
real flesh and blood brother and that now he was 
with us.  I've always known I had a brother, but like 
my friends who had siblings in college or step-
siblings who lived in other states, we didn't all live 
together.  But unlike my friends, I could never talk 
about Will or even talk to him.  Only in my dreams.  
I remember wondering that night if I was dreaming 
that he'd come home and that we were going to 
Canada.  I thought I'd wake up in the house in El 
Paso and find out it was all because I tried to eat the 
green salsa on my nachos instead of the mild red 
stuff Mom tells me to use.  She told me once that 
Irish-New English stomachs just can't handle the 
hot stuff, but Daddy laughed and told me to eat my 
nachos any way I liked.

It had been hard at first.  Will was really upset that 
his other mom and dad, the people who had adopted 
him, had been killed.  I felt bad for him.  I would 
hate to lose Mom and Daddy.  Mom was really 
upset but she tried to hide it.  She always thought 
Will was safe and after finding out that his parents 
had been killed, she realized he wasn't any safer 
adopted than he would have been with us all along.  
It took her a long time to work that out in her head.  
I wanted to help her, but she doesn't know I know 
what she thinks and I'd like to keep it that way.

We left El Paso just a day after Daddy woke up 
from his coma, and he was awful weak then.  Mom 
was so worried and would look at him all the time 
when he wasn't looking.  She even checked his 
pulse when he was asleep.  I wanted to tell her he 
was fine, he wasn't dying anymore, but I'm not sure 
I could have convinced her of that.  She had to 
figure it out for herself.

But that night, Christmas Eve, Will was asleep in 
the seat next to me.  He seemed to be sleeping a lot 
back then.  Sometimes he would dream about his 
other home, his other family.  I could see his 
dreams, just as I was pretty sure he could see mine, 
but I never asked him.  When he'd have those 
dreams he'd wake up sort of startled, like he'd gone 
from one nightmare into another.  Then he'd look 
over at me and smile.  Sometimes I'd reach out my 
hand and he'd grab it and we'd do our 'secret 
handshake'.  We'd grab our fingers like we were 
going to have a thumb war, but we wouldn't do 
battle.  We'd just hold hands.  My fingers would 
tingle a little but it felt good, like we were even 
more connected.

Daddy slept all the time at first and Mom said that 
was good, he needed the sleep to get better.  After 
we crossed the border into Canada, he stayed awake 
more and kept watching the road and the other cars 
around us, just like Mom.  Once we left Edmonton, 
we didn't see any other cars.  It looked lonely 
outside.  It was snowing and it was so pretty out, 
but it felt like we were all by ourselves, no one else 
left in the world.  That scared me -- the idea that we 
would be all alone.  But Will took my hand and I 
felt better.  I just sat there in the back seat and 
watched the snow.  The snowflakes looked like 
stars in the headlights.  A tunnel of stars that flew 
toward us.  One time Daddy asked Mom if she 
needed a break, that he could drive a while.  She 
ignored him at first but then took his hand and 
kissed it.  "No, you stay put.  I'm fine."  Daddy 
grunted something when she said that, but I didn't 
hear what he said.  Mom laughed a little but kept on 
driving.

Because Daddy couldn't ride for very long, it was a 
long journey.  We stayed in crappy old motels on 
the back roads.  I wished we could stay somewhere 
with an indoor pool, but knew better than to ask.  
Every place we stayed Mom would check us in, 
telling the clerk it was just her husband and 
daughter with her and ask for a room away from the 
main road.  We'd sneak Will in when we were sure 
no one could see him.  The police and everybody 
were looking for him for the first few days.  That 
meant we'd get carry out food all the time, too and 
when we did go to a drive through at a McDonalds, 
Will hid under the blanket that Daddy had been 
using.  I used to think it was a real treat to eat 
McDonalds but I never wanted to see one of their 
salads or breakfast burritos again.  

Mom had the car television turned to CNN all the 
time we were driving.  The east coast of the United 
States had a severe outbreak of the flu.  They named 
it Avian Flu 5 and said it was related to the bird flu 
that turned out to be not that big a deal back when I 
was little.  But this flu was much worse and the 
hospitals were already full.  They said quarantine 
procedures were in place and all the international 
flights had been cancelled and they were advising 
people not to travel by air at all.  When we crossed 
the border, Mom didn't take the road -- she went 
across a field at night and we slept in the car until 
about 10:00 the next morning before we made our 
way back to the road.  The Canadians closed the 
border a day after we crossed it to stop the spread of 
the flu but according to the TV reports there were 
outbreaks in most of the major cities from 
Newfoundland to Montreal and Quebec.  Both Will 
and I knew this wasn't the flu.  Mom and Daddy 
knew it, too.  We also knew that it wouldn't matter 
if we came across someone who had it -- we 
wouldn't get sick.  We can't get sick from it.  That's 
why the aliens want to find us so bad.  What Mom 
and Daddy didn't know then was that they wouldn't 
get sick either.  

There were other things I knew as we were driving 
but I wouldn't let myself think of them, just in case 
_they_ might hear.  Like when Will figured out 
where we were going and I told him not to think 
about it.  It was all about keeping safe, getting to 
where we were going without getting into any 
trouble.  

Oh, and saving the Earth.  But I knew at the time 
that would come later.  When we were ready.

It had been quiet for a long time, just the snow and 
the road and off in the distance, I could see 
mountains.  "Sweetie, there aren't any other roads 
out here according to the GPS system," Mom said 
to me from the front seat. 

"I don't think it's on there, Mommy.  How far out of 
Edmonton are we?"  Before she had a chance to 
answer, Will woke up and looked around.

"What is that?" he asked me, frowning at first.

"What?" Mom asked, trying to look at him in the 
rearview mirror.

"That -- hum," he said, looking out the window at 
the mountains all around us.  I just smiled at him 
and said nothing.  He smacked my arm.  "Squirt, 
answer me," he demanded.  Very soon I'd be big 
enough to smack him back, but he really didn't hurt 
me when he did it.  I'd figured out that was just how 
big brothers act with their little sisters.

"Look at those mountains, Will," I told him.  He 
stared out the window and shook his head.  "Will, 
look IN the mountains," I corrected myself.  Then 
when he looked, his eyes brighten.

"I see it, now!" he said happily.  "Oh God, there's 
tons of it there!"  

"Magnetite?" Daddy asked.  Since he couldn't turn 
around all the way to see Will, I nodded at him.  
"Good.  We'll need it."

Again, I kept silent.

In just a few minutes, I knew the road we were 
looking for was right ahead.  I squinted through the 
snow, which was falling harder, and pointed out the 
front windshield.  "There, Mommy, right there.  See 
that little bush?  Just past that.  Wait till the wind 
blows a little, you'll see it."

Sure enough, a gust of wind blew the snow around 
and the gravel of the crossroad was there for all of 
us to see.  "You're sure about this, Peg Leg?" Daddy 
asked.

"Absolutely," I told him.  We were there.  We were 
almost to our new home.  

Suddenly, Will laughed.  "Mom, Dad, I hear 
Gibson!  He's telling us to go 3.7 miles down this 
road and then stop.  There will be someone coming 
out to meet us."

The last stretch of gravel had to be the longest road 
of the trip.  I had never met Gibson before then, but 
I knew that he was as much a part of our family as 
Will.  Our 'other family' as I thought of them.  The 
ones my parents left behind when they went into 
hiding years ago.  I also knew that Gibson was not 
alone.  There were people with him, people my 
parents hadn't seen in a long time.  Just anticipating 
how happy my Mom and Dad were going to be 
made it seem that much longer until we saw a beat 
up old pick up truck at the side of the road.

"3.7 miles, on the nose," Mom said with a smile on 
her face that I could see in the rearview mirror.  She 
pulled the van in behind the pick up truck.  The 
driver's side door on the truck opened and someone 
came out dressed in a heavy parka with the hood up.  
I knew who it is immediately and felt butterflies in 
my stomach as he battled the wind to approach our 
car.

Daddy unbuckled his seatbelt and opens his door.  
He'd been walking a little better the past few days, 
but Mom was still worried about him.  She reached 
out a hand, she wanted him to stay put, but he was 
already out of the car and she opened her door to 
follow him.

The headlights on the snow gave us a perfect 
picture.  The wind was blowing snow fairies all 
around the three people.  I saw the man in the parka 
push back his hood, showing a black wool cap and 
his face in the stark light.  Suddenly my Dad 
recognized his face and grabbed the man in a fierce 
bear hug.  Mom looked shocked, but she recognized 
the man, too and joined Daddy in the group hug out 
in the snow and the wind.  They talked and if I 
wanted to I could have 'listened in', but I decided to 
give them their privacy.  I knew what they were 
talking about -- Daddy's accident and Will showing 
up and 'the date', which had already passed three 
days before.  It was all that had been on their minds 
the whole trip.

"Who is that guy?" Will asked beside me and I 
wonder why he doesn't know.  I think it's because 
he had only seen us in his dreams, he hadn't had a 
chance to really 'read' our parents.  

"He's our friend.  You knew him when you were 
little."

Will concentrated for a minute and then looked at 
me.  "Is he bald under that cap?"

I smiled and nodded.  "Now do you remember?"

"A big guy.  He used to hold me.  I - I remember 
him holding me."  Then his face lit up.  "Uncle 
Walter!"

I bobbed my head.  "I've never met him.  He doesn't 
even know about me, unless Gibson told him.  
Mom's probably telling him about you right now."  
We watched as Walter Skinner tried to look into the 
blinding headlights with a surprised and happy look 
on his face.  He took four big steps and he was at 
my door.  Mom reached around him and opened it.  
He looked in at both of us and we squinted in the 
sudden glare of the dome light.

"Oh my God," he whispered.  "Scully, she looks 
just like you!  Mulder, no one could ever mistake 
that boy for anyone but your son," he said with a 
grin.  

"Peggy, William, this is -- "

"Uncle Walter," Will said with a matching smile.  
"Good to see you again, sir," he added and I rolled 
my eyes -- where did the 'sir' come from?

"Hi," I said, smiling too.  I'd seen him before, in 
Mom's dreams of her old home.  This man helped 
both Mom and Daddy.  Will was right; he is kind of 
like an uncle to us.  But at that moment he was 
standing there with the door open and the wind 
came in making Will and I both shiver.

"Well let's get you all someplace warm.  Scully, just 
follow me.  We're only going a little way down this 
road, around that hill there.  Everyone is anxious to 
see you."

Mom got in and Daddy hurried to get in his seat.  
They didn't bother with seatbelts, I could tell they 
were too anxious.  I was so happy for them.  Mom 
pulled the van in behind the pick up.  We drove 
around the hill to find a canyon.  The road went 
down so that steep bluffs rose above us on both 
sides.  After a while the canyon widened and I saw 
houses.  There were probably 30 little houses and a 
few larger buildings all nestled in between the 
bluffs.  In the snow it looked so peaceful.

"Like Bethlehem," Mom said aloud.  Daddy 
reached over and took her hand.

"More like Egypt," he answered and I could see her 
squeeze his hand.  

Uncle Walter pulled the truck up to one of the larger 
buildings.  Even though it was the middle of the 
night, there were lights on in all the windows.  I saw 
people walking around.  In my head I heard their 
voices, really their thoughts.  They were all worried, 
but they were also excited that my parents had 
finally made it.  There was an awful lot of hope in 
that building, the hopes of all the people gathered 
there.  I looked over at Will and I saw he sensed the 
same things I felt.  We exchanged a look -- 
wondering if we were up to meeting all those 
people and more.  We knew our family was the 
hope they were all thinking about.

Mom and Daddy got out of the car, Daddy opened 
Will's door and Mom opened mine.  I took a deep 
breath and stepped out of the car.  

It was freezing!  I can't remember ever being that 
cold, even when we hadn't lived on the border of 
Mexico.  We lived in Wyoming for a while and it 
was cold there in winter, but that cold turned the air 
in my lungs to blocks of ice.  I looked over and saw 
Daddy having some trouble, clutching his chest.  
Will stepped forward and put his arm around 
Daddy, guiding him toward the big double doors of 
the building.  Mom watched them and I saw tears 
forming little frozen diamonds on her lashes.  I took 
her hand and we followed right behind them.     

Resistance 2.02

December 25, 2012
12:11 am

Daddy and Will were at the door before Mom and 
me.  Uncle Walter was holding the door and helping 
Will get Dad over the small stoop.  The building 
looked like a community center, like the  one we 
had in El Paso.  One story, a room big enough for 
girl and boy scout meetings or a chili supper to raise 
money for new playground equipment at the park.  
As we got close, I could smell wonderful scents.  
Roast turkey and stuffing was the strongest, but 
underneath it I could smell all sorts of food and 
coffee.  My stomach grumbled and Mom smiled at 
me.

Finally, we were inside.  Uncle Walter was helping 
Dad out of his jacket and showing Mom where she 
could put our coats.  Daddy was waving off Will's 
attempt to get him to sit down in a chair.  Daddy 
looked around at all the people and suddenly, the 
whole room stopped moving.  Everyone was frozen 
in place and I wondered what was wrong.  Then I 
saw them.

Daddy was staring at the three men in the front of 
the group of people.  He started shaking his head 
and he got real pale.  I could hear him screaming 'no 
no no' in his head and I wondered why everyone 
else couldn't hear him.  But the shortest of the three 
men ran over and hugged Daddy hard and patted 
him on the back, leading him to a chair near the 
tables.  The other two were over in a second, and 
Daddy was whispering 'you're dead, you're dead, 
you can't be here,' and they were laughing and 
shaking their heads.

Mom had been putting away her coat but when she 
saw what was happening, she ran over to Daddy.  
That's when she saw the three men and she stopped 
and stared, too.  Tears were running down her face 
and she started crying for real and I could hear her 
thinking 'no, it can't be -- not another miracle!'  The 
little man who had helped Daddy turned to Mom 
and hugged her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.  

"We're real, Dana."

"I don't understand," Mom said, shaking her head 
and wiping tears from her eyes as she hugged each 
of the three men in turn.  

"It was a ruse.  We had to go underground.  We 
knew we were compromising everything by staying 
-- well, alive," said the man with the beard.

"We always told you our kung fu was the best," said 
the man with blond hair.  "Did we do a death scene 
for the Oscar's or what?"

"I just, I don't believe it," Mom said and hugged 
each of them again.

Daddy hadn't said a word, but finally spoke up.  "I 
saw you.  I saw you in the desert," he rasped.  I 
could see tear tracks down his cheeks, too.  Will 
was really uncomfortable that Daddy was crying, 
but I knew they were happy tears.

"I know.  We hated to fool you like that," the short 
man said.  "You were our test case."

"Holographic imagery," the blond man jumped in.

"We just wanted to warn you off.  You could have 
been killed in those pueblos," the bearded man told 
him.

"Holograph -- " Daddy said, nodding.

"Mulder?" Mom asked.

"I saw . . . I saw ghosts, Scully.  Krycek, X, I 
thought these guys were ghosts, too, when I saw 
them, or rather, their images in the desert."

"You never told me," Mom said and she started to 
cry again.  Daddy held his arms out and she went to 
him.  Daddy looked over and saw Will and me 
standing by the door.  He motioned us over.

"Come meet more of your family," he said with a 
smile.  "Peggy, Will, these are your uncles, Jon, 
Melvin and Ringo.  Guys, our daughter Margaret 
Christina, and I think you might remember the tall 
young man standing next to her."

"Farm boy, it's good to meet you in the flesh, man," 
said the short one.

Will's eyes got real big.  "Wait, do I know you?" he 
asked

"Ladiesman, Lord Manhammer and Narc, at your 
service," the blond answered.  "But you're welcome 
to call us Uncle Frohike, Uncle Langly and Uncle -- 
"

"Jon," said the bearded man, shaking Will's hand.

Will broke out into a wide grin and suddenly he was 
hugging the three men, too.  "I can't believe this!  I 
mean, you guys were on Gibson's blog, but to meet 
you -- to find out you know my Mom and Dad -- "

"Speaking of Gibson, where is he," Mom asked.

"Just waiting my turn," said a really handsome man 
who came forward from the crowd.  "Hi, Peggy, 
Will."  He came over to us and shook Will's hand, 
but Will pulled him into a hug.  Then he just hugged 
me.  "I'm so glad everything turned out," he said to 
Will.  He poked me on the nose and I could hear 
him thinking 'you and I have to talk -- I'm way too 
old for you.'  I blushed and giggled.

"Hey, we put on this spread just for you four, so 
let's eat.  After dinner, we have a house made up for 
you and we'll let you get some rest and then we'll 
meet up tomorrow for leftovers and planning."

We filled our plates and had just sat down to eat 
when I 'heard' a lady.  She'd been standing in the 
back of the room but she wanted to come over.  I 
nudged Will and he looked up at me, a big bite of 
turkey leg in his mouth.  I nodded to the lady and he 
looked over at her.  "Dad, I think that woman is 
trying to get your attention," Will said, with his 
mouth still partially full.  I had already discovered 
that whatever else they might have done for him, his 
adoptive parents hadn't done the best job of 
teaching him good table manners.

"Scully, isn't that Marita?" Daddy asked Mom.  She 
looked over to where he was pointing and finally 
picked her out of the crowd.  

"Yes, I think so."  Mom stood and waved.  The 
woman broke into a big smile and came over.  It 
was only when she got to our table that I noticed 
she had a boy a little older than Will with her.  He 
was taller than her and had dark hair and dark eyes.  
He was really cute.  I hoped I wasn't blushing again.

"Agent Mulder, Agent Scully," she said formally 
and looked nervously back at the boy.  "It's so good 
to see you, especially since the last time we met was 
under unfortunate circumstances."

Mom motioned for her and the boy to sit down.  
"Ms. Covarrubias, I'm so glad your here."  Funny, 
Mom sometimes says one thing when she's thinking 
something entirely different and it was one of those 
times.  She was thinking she would have to keep a 
close eye on the woman.

"Yes," Ms. Covarrubias said, looking down at the 
table.  "I wanted to thank you," she said, finally 
looking up at Daddy.  "When I testified -- you could 
have -- "

Daddy reached across the table and patted her hand.  
"Marita, I never wanted to see you hurt.  It wouldn't 
have helped me."

She smiled and pulled her hand back in her lap.  
"Anyway, I'd like you to meet my son, Alexi.  
Alexi, these are the people I've told you about."

Mom's eyes about popped out of her head when she 
heard the boy's name.  "Is he . . . his father . . ?"

"Alex was his father, yes," Ms Covarrubias said 
sadly.  "Alexi had just turned 18 months old when I 
was called to testify.  I was so afraid that they 
would find him -- "  She bit her lip and a tear fell 
down her cheek.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to 
intrude on your meal.  I just wanted to welcome you 
here and tell you that if you need anything -- 
anything at all, just call me.  We're a tight knit little 
group that Gibson has assembled and we help each 
other all we can."  She and the boy got up and went 
back to the food line.

Mom stared after her for a few minutes and I 
decided not to 'peek' in on her thoughts.  I knew she 
wasn't happy just by the way she was sitting.  
Daddy did too, because he put his arm around her 
shoulder and pulled her over to kiss her on the 
forehead.  "Scully, it was a long time ago.  The boy 
never knew him."

"But she did," Mom said in the voice she reserved 
for people she really didn't like.

"She helped me, she was a good informant."

Mom looked at Daddy and shrugged out from under 
his arm.  "Yes, well, she can inform someone else 
now."

Daddy chuckled and shook his head.  "Those green 
eyes are showing again."

"Mom's eyes are blue," Will said, totally confused.  
I just sighed and shook my head.  There were so 
many things I had to teach my brother.

Uncle Walter and Gibson sat down at our table, 
giving Mom and Daddy matching looks.  Only 
Gibson smiled and dropped his head.  I knew he'd 
read Mom's thoughts.  

"She's been a big help, Dana," he said quietly.

"She's was a 'big help' 15 years ago," Mom said, 
sounding not at all persuaded.  "If this is the virus, if 
this is the beginning of the invasion, what good will 
a glorified administrative assistant to the UN do 
us?"

Uncle Walter winced and said nothing, but Dad put 
on his serious face and looked over at Mom.  "She 
knows where strategic stores of oil and food are 
located."

"She did, when she was with the UN.  How long 
ago was that?"

"Scully, you're tired, it's been a shock seeing 
everyone, let's just drop it for now, OK?" Dad 
asked.

Mom bit her lip, but finally nodded.  By that time 
Uncle Mel, Uncle Ringo and Uncle Jon had joined 
us.

"So, you just took over a whole town?" Daddy 
asked.

"It's an old mining town.  They resident population 
had dwindled down to 15 people.  They were more 
than happy to have us move in.  We're using the old 
mine facility for laboratories," Uncle Jon told him.  

"What research have you been doing?" Mom asked.

Uncle Walter smiled at her.  "Remember the vial of 
vaccine you left in my safekeeping?"

Mom looked over at Daddy, clearly interested.  
Daddy looked confused. "I didn't think there was 
enough left to make a sample."

"There was and we have," Uncle Mel replied with a 
big grin.  "We've managed to do a lot in the last 11 
years.  We'll show you everything after you've had a 
chance to settle in."

"Are the reports we've been hearing true?" Daddy 
asked.

"The news stations aren't giving the whole story, if 
that's what you're asking.  So far the virus has a 
mortality rate of just under 90 percent," Uncle Mel 
said.  Mom closed her eyes and I could 'hear' her 
praying.  "We have been successful in inoculating 
about a quarter million folks here in the US.  Our 
counterparts in Europe and Asia have been a little 
less successful.  We haven't heard from our African 
operations in a few months.  We fear the worst."

"Basically, we can do nothing at the moment," 
Uncle Walter said sadly.  "The world is quite 
naturally in a panic.  We do know that the internet is 
still operative and for the time being, most of the 
electrical grid is still up and running.  Much of it is 
automated, so we hope to keep the lights on.  But 
once the initial attack is over, the real battle begins."

"We have maps of the pandemic, Scully, if you 
want to take a look at those tomorrow," Uncle 
Ringo told Mom.

"Yes, I would," Mom agreed.  "I've studied the old 
models for a while -- the ones from H5N1 from six 
or so years ago.  I'd like to see if this virus is 
following that pattern."

"How long can we last up here?" Daddy asked.  
Mom glared at him and then looked in my direction 
but Daddy just shrugged and looked back at our 
four uncles.

"We have huge supplies of oil and natural gas -- 
that's how we're heating the homes and buildings.  
Food isn't a problem and when our stores run low 
we can raid Edmonton.  Basically, the diminishing 
population is working in our favor, at least until we 
can get self-sufficient.  We already have a small 
farm operation."

"I'd like to help out with that," Will finally broke in.  
I could feel him on the edge of his seat, wanting to 
be accepted as a grown up.  

Uncle Walter smiled.  "I think that would be a fine 
idea, William.  Maybe you can help us fix the 
tractor.  It's been running rough lately."

"What brand?" Will asked.

"It's a John Deere," Uncle Jon answered.

"Crap," Will muttered.  "We'll have to make due," 
he said.  "Let me tinker with it, I might be able to 
get it running all right."

All that farm talk was making me sleepy.  I had 
finished my dinner, even the piece of pumpkin pie, 
and I was really getting sleepy.  I shoved my plate 
to the center of the table and laid my head down on 
my arms.  Later, I felt myself being lifted into the 
air and my head came to rest on someone's warm 
shoulder.  It was Uncle Walter, I could hear him 
telling Daddy that he didn't want him to drop me.  I 
could hear his thoughts as he carried me out into the 
cold night.  

He was thinking we were the best Christmas present 
he'd ever been given. 

Resistance 2.03  

Christmas Morning, 2012
11.21 am

The smell of bacon cooking woke me.  I crawled 
out of bed, a big bed with really pretty blue and 
white sheets and covers, and looked around.  My 
room was beautiful, the nicest room I had ever seen.  
The curtains matched the covers on the bed.  I had a 
dresser with a mirror.  There was a little dresser 
next to my bed and someone had put Tribble's cage 
there.  She was happily running her wheel.  It was a 
room like I'd always dreamed of having.  I wanted 
to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming, but my 
stomach growled and I knew I was awake.

My stomach made me follow the bacon smell.  
Along the way I finally got a look at our new home.  
It was two stories and the bedrooms were upstairs.  
I saw four bedroom doors.  Mine was right next to 
the bathroom.  I peeked into the other rooms, one 
room had a couple of desks and two filing cabinets, 
the other room had a big bed like mine.  The last 
door was closed and I knew Mom and Daddy were 
still asleep behind it so I let them be.

Down the stairs, there was a hallway.  Through an 
archway was the living room and it had a fireplace.  
I smiled because Mom always liked fireplaces.  
What made me smile even more was the big 
Christmas tree sitting in front of the window.  There 
were even four stockings hung over the fireplace.  I 
wanted to peek inside the stockings, but my 
stomach growled again, louder and I decided I 
better see what Will was up to in the kitchen and if 
he could cook.

"Hey, short stuff," he greeted me and I stuck out my 
tongue at him.  It was fun having an older brother, 
but I wasn't going to let on that it was.  "How do 
you like your eggs?"

"Cooked," I said, snatching a piece of bacon.  "This 
bacon's too crisp.  Daddy likes his bacon soggy," I 
informed him.

Will frowned.  "You mean floppy," he said.

"Mom calls it raw, actually," I said back.

"I can make him some more.  So, how do you like 
your eggs 'cooked'?" he corrected himself.

It was time to test the waters.  I knew he could feel 
my feelings, but I didn't know how well he could 
hear my thoughts.  I stared at him for a few seconds, 
just picturing the way Mom always made my eggs.

He looked at me funny at first and then he smiled.  
"Over easy it is," he said and turned back to the 
stove.  I smiled, too.  We knew we'd have a lot of 
fun with our new trick.

I searched around the kitchen, finding where 
everything was.  It was nice not to have to run out 
into the cold and unpack the car.  There was 
everything we needed and then some in the kitchen.  
I found the coffee and started the coffee maker and 
then decided to make some toast.  The freezer held 
cans of frozen orange juice concentrate, so I made 
the juice.  There was even strawberry jam for the 
toast.  It was really a nice place!

We were just sitting down to eat when Mom 
appeared in the doorway.  "Well, look who's up," 
she said, coming over to kiss first my head and then 
Will's.  "My, my, my.  And someone has been 
busy!"  She snatched a piece of bacon and then 
went to get herself a cup of coffee.

"Will thinks he can cook," I said and he pulled my 
pigtail, but not enough to hurt.  I grinned at him.

"It looks like he's right," Mom said and sat down to 
fill her plate.

"How do you like your eggs, Mom?" he asked.  
"No, wait a minute."  He closed his eyes and I had 
to reach under the table and kick his shins.  

'She doesn't know' I tried to send to him as quickly 
as I could.  Will's eyes flew open and he looked 
over at me and frowned.  "Um, just guessing, over 
easy?"

Mom shook her head.  "Scrambled, please.  And if 
you don't mind, in the microwave--no butter just a 
little splash of milk.  Your father likes them over 
easy."

I let out a deep breath and went back to eating.  

"Did you see the Christmas tree?" Mom asked me.  
"I think I might have seen some presents under 
there, too."

I grinned and nodded.  "Can we open them after 
breakfast?"

"If your father is up by then.  He was pretty worn 
out last night.  He needs to take it easy now that we 
aren't on the road."

"Is that coffee I smell, and bacon?"   Daddy was 
standing in the doorway, his hair in all directions.  
He smiled at Mom and went over to give her a kiss.  
"I woke up and you were gone," he said.

"Coffee," she replied with a grin.  "And guess who 
made breakfast?"

He looked first at me and I shook my head.  Then 
he smiled over at Will.  "You have your old man 
beat.  I can't open a can."

Mom and I laughed, it was pretty much true.  She 
was always shooing him out of the kitchen.

"Did you see what's in the living room?" Mom 
asked him.  

He nodded as he sipped his coffee.  "The work of 
the four elves, I would assume.  I saw packages 
under there, too."

"Mommy said we could open them after breakfast," 
I reminded both of them.

"Eggs scrambled and two over easy," Will 
announced and put the plates on the table.

It was so nice, sitting in that kitchen the first time, 
all of us together.  Every once in a while Mom 
would get a funny look on her face.  I knew she was 
thinking about her family, my grandma and uncles 
and their families.  There we were, having 
Christmas breakfast before opening the presents and 
Mom's family was out there in the world, possibly 
dying from the virus.  It made her sad and happy at 
the same time.  Then she looked over at Will and 
she was thinking so loud it almost hurt my head.  
'Just like when I found out about you and Mulder 
was missing', she was thinking.  I had to get her 
mind back on happier things.

"This is a really neat house, Mommy!  My bedroom 
is so pretty.  And I can see the mountains out my 
window."

"How's your room, Will?" Daddy asked him.

"It's OK," Will said quietly.  While I was hearing 
only Mom, Will had been remembering his family, 
too.  I saw images of his last Christmas with his 
adopted parents.  He got a dirt bike and a new 
fielder's mitt.  I closed my eyes and thought hard.  
'But this year, you got a sister', I suggested.  He 
looked over at me and smiled, wiping his eyes 
before Mom noticed.  'You're right', I heard loud 
and clear.  'Can I exchange her for a puppy?'

I knew he was teasing and I wanted to laugh, but we 
hadn't said anything out loud, so the best I could do 
was get up, pretending to get more orange juice 
from the refrigerator and kick his shin as I passed 
him.  He was taking a sip of juice and spit it out 
across the table.  Daddy looked over at him, all 
concerned.  Mom jumped up to get a paper towel.

"Will, are you all right?  Peggy, watch where you're 
going," Daddy scolded.

"Sorry," we both said at the same time.

Mom raised her eyebrow and Daddy just looked at 
each of us in turn.  "I think they're starting to gang 
up on us, Scully.  We better watch our backs," he 
said and Mom just grinned.  

"But we're older and we've been watching our backs 
for longer," she told him.  We finished breakfast 
without any further excitement.  I was getting antsy, 
I wanted to go see what was under the tree.  

It seemed weird, worrying about Christmas presents 
when the whole world was falling apart.  But all the 
people I knew and loved were in the room with me.  
We were safe; no one had found us as we ran all the 
way from El Paso.  The house we were in was the 
nicest house I'd ever seen in all my life.  How could 
I be sad?

I was playing with my fork and knife until Daddy 
glared at me.  I must have been drumming.  He 
hated it when I drummed things like my pencil, my 
silverware.  Mom always told him it was his genes 
showing, but he ignored her.  Still, it was so hard to 
wait for them to finish eating!

"I think you've tortured her enough, Mulder," Mom 
finally said.  I took that as my cue and scooped up 
my plate and Daddy's while Will took Mom's and 
his to the sink.  We dumped the plates in the 
dishwasher and raced each other to the living room.

The fireplace was gas and it took only a minute to 
get a fire going.  Mom spent a little while looking 
around the room.  The furniture was nice, not 
exactly brand new, but better than any I could 
remember us having before.  There was a television 
and DVR, but we knew the news was the last thing 
we wanted to hear.  The sides of the fireplace were 
shelves of books and Mom took a few out to read 
the titles.  Daddy cleared his throat.  "Now who's 
torturing them?" he asked.

I was surprised by how many packages were under 
the tree.  There were at least three or four presents 
for each of us.  While Mom and I sorted out the 
presents, Will dug through his stocking.  He found a 
big stick of peppermint, an orange, an apple and at 
the very bottom, a baseball.  He looked at the ball 
for a few minutes and then looked over at Daddy.  
Our father grinned and looked exactly like Will, 
then held his hand up.  Will tossed the ball to 
Daddy, who caught it one handed.

"No -- "

" -- throwing baseballs in the house," Mom and I 
said together and we both started to giggle.  There 
was a knock at the door and I ran to open it, but 
Mom stopped me and made me stay behind her.  
She looked out the side window and smiled.

"Look, it's Santa Claus and his three helpers," she 
joked as Uncle Walter, and Uncles Mel, Ringo and 
Jon came in, stomping the snow off their boots on 
the hall runner and pulled off their coats and hats.

"Oh, good, you found everything," Uncle Walter 
said, coming into the living room.

"Walt, you didn't have to go to all this trouble," 
Daddy said, starting to stand up, but Uncle Walter 
put his hand on Dad's shoulder.

"I think I've missed out on more than a few 
Christmases with you four.  I wanted to make up for 
that.  And the way things are going . . ."

"Mommy, I saw eggnog in the refrigerator," I said, 
not wanting to ruin the day talking about what was 
going on outside the house.

"Um, I think there might have been a six pack of 
beer in there, too," Uncle Melvin said.  "I'll help 
you, Little Lady."

I giggled, I had grown to like all my uncles in just 
the short time I'd known them.

"She hasn't had a chance to open her presents," 
Uncle Jon said.  "We know where everything is, 
you just relax and enjoy."  

Will and I took that as our signal.  We sat down on 
the floor under the tree and tore the wrapping paper 
of one present each.  I got a down jacket.  Will got a 
set of thermal overalls.  We shrugged and grabbed 
another two packages.  I got a fur-lined hat and 
scarf and fur trimmed gloves.  Will got thermal 
gloves and wool socks.  So far it wasn't exactly 
what I had hoped to find.

"Here, Peggy, open this one," Uncle Ringo said, 
pulling a box from behind the tree.  It was a big box 
and we had some trouble getting it out into the 
front.  I opened it with a little worry.  Just to be on 
the safe side, I tried to read his thoughts, but he was 
thinking about a video game and some lady name 
Jade Blue, so that was no help at all.  Carefully, I 
tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box.

I couldn't believe my eyes.  It was a dollhouse.  
After looking at it for a few minutes I realized it 
was exactly like the house we were in, with the 
bedrooms upstairs and the same furniture and 
everything.  There were even little people to live in 
the house.  A man with dark hair, a short woman 
with red hair, a blond older boy and a red haired 
girl.  Our family, only dolls.  I couldn't help myself, 
I ran over and threw my arms around Uncle Mel 
and then Uncle Ringo and Uncle Jon.  

"Hey, don't forget the big guy," Uncle Ringo said, 
pointing to Uncle Walter.  So I hurried over and 
hugged Uncle Walter, giving him a kiss on the 
cheek.

"We didn't know if you were too old for a 
dollhouse," Uncle Jon said shyly.

When I looked over at Mom and Daddy, Mom had 
tears in her eyes.  "You're never too old for a doll 
house," she said.  

"Isn't it perfect, Momma?  Don't you just love it?" I 
said, dropping down next to the house so I could put 
the furniture in the rooms.

"Oh, man, oh man, oh man!"  I looked up in time to 
see Will dancing around the room.  "A fielder's 
mitt!  It's just like -- "  He stopped and his face just 
drooped.  He chewed on his lip for a minute.  I 
knew he was trying not to cry.  "Ah, thanks, you 
guys.  I really . . . "  He looked at Dad and then at 
Mom and all of a sudden he ran from the room.

We all looked at each other for a minute.  Then, 
Daddy got up.  "I'll go see if he's all right," he said.  

When Daddy left, the uncles kept looking at each 
other.  They all felt bad.  In their minds they were 
trying to figure out what had gone so wrong.  I 
hated to see them sad and worried.  

"It's OK.  He's just missing his other family," I said.  
"He'll be all right after he talks to Daddy."

Uncle Mel reached under the tree again.  "Here, 
Peggy.  There's one more present for you."

It was a small box and it didn't take long to unwrap.  
When I opened the lid, I stopped and looked at 
Mom.  It was a necklace made out of this stuff that 
looked like shiny plastic but felt like metal.  It was 
dark gray, almost black.  I picked it up and held it 
out for Mom to see.  

"Is that magnetite?" she asked Uncle Mel.

He nodded and took the necklace from my hand so 
he could fasten it around my neck.  "The stuff is all 
over the place up here," he said.  "The turquoise of 
the northwest territories."

"I love it, thank you," I told them and hugged each 
of them one more time.  "Mommy, Gibson's here.  
Can I let him in?"

"I didn't hear a knock," Uncle Ringo said, looking at 
Uncle Mel funny.

I had to remember to keep quiet around everyone.  
"I heard his boots on the porch," I said, trying to 
cover my slipup.  Right then a loud knock came 
from the front door.  "I'll get it!" I yelled and ran to 
the hallway.

Gibson looked even better after I'd had some sleep.  
But he could read me too easily.  He laughed, not a 
mean laugh and I heard him think 'come see me in 
12 or 15 years'.  Then he tugged on both my braids.  

I could have been angry, but I wasn't.  It was too 
nice to have someone else who knew how to read 
thoughts and didn't mind that I did, too.  I looked at 
him and thought really hard.  'OK, 12 years, but 
then watch out', I thought.  

He laughed out loud and squeezed my shoulder.  
"You are Scully's daughter, that's for sure," he said 
and poked my nose like he had the night before.  I 
took his hand and led him into the living room.

"Gibson," Mom said, standing up to give him a hug.  
"Merry Christmas."

Gibson hugged her back.  "Merry Christmas, Dana."  
He looked over at the uncles.  "I hate to bring bad 
news, but Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and 
Washington have all fallen.  We haven't gotten any 
news from Europe in over 24 hours.  Chicago is still 
holding on but Atlanta and all of Florida should fall 
any time now."

"Peggy, why don't you go get your father," Mom 
said quickly.  

She didn't want me to hear all the bad news.  Too 
late, I knew what Gibson was going to tell them 
before he opened his mouth.  He looked over at me 
and I heard him in my head.  'I'm so sorry, Peggy.'

'It's OK', I thought back to him.  "OK, Mommy," I 
said out loud.

When I got to the top of the stairs, I could hear 
them, really hear them with my ears.  Daddy was 
telling Will that it was OK to be sad, it was natural, 
but it was OK to be happy, too, because he was just 
a kid still and he was supposed to be happy.  His 
parents would want him to be happy.  He told him 
that was all Daddy ever wanted, for Will and me to 
be happy while we were still children.  I hated to 
interrupt, but I knew Mom and the others were 
waiting.  I knocked on the door.

"Daddy, Mommy needs you downstairs.  Gibson's 
here."

Will wiped his eyes and Daddy squeezed his 
shoulder.  "You gonna be OK, sport?" he asked 
Will.

"Yeah, I'm OK, Dad," Will said, sniffing once and 
then putting on a brave face for Daddy.

"I love you, son.  Your mother and I -- I can't tell 
you how much it means to us to have you here.  It's 
OK to grieve, but always remember, you are our 
son and we love you very much."

"I love you, too, Dad," Will said, and I knew he felt 
like crying again, but stopped himself.  "Go on.  
Don't keep Gibson and the others waiting."

Dad patted his shoulder and stroked my hair as he 
passed me.  I went in to sit down next to Will on the 
bed.  

"What's Gibson here for?" he asked, wiping his 
nose on his sleeve.

"They're talking about the virus.  Wanta listen?" I 
asked.

He smiled at him and pulled me over to hug me 
hard.  "Where have you been all my life?" he asked, 
teasing.

"In your dreams," I said.  He laughed and I giggled.  
Then we settled in to hear what the grown ups were 
thinking.       

Resistance 2.04

Will was frowning.  I was trying to concentrate, but 
he got up and started pacing the floor.

"This won't work.  There are too many of them.  I 
can't separate their thoughts," he whined at me.

"Just think of one person.  Picture them in your 
head," I tried to explain.  "Think of Daddy."

Will stopped and wiggled up his face.  After a 
minute he shook his head.  "Not a good idea.  He's 
wondering why Mom got up so early."

Oops.  Wrong person.  "OK, concentrate on 
Gibson," I suggested.  Meanwhile, when he was 
quiet, I was trying to concentrate on Mom.  I could 
read her thoughts easier than anybody.

"Gibson just told me to butt out, he'll let us know 
what's going on when it's time," Will said and threw 
himself on the bed in frustration.  "Peggy, they're 
not going to let us know what they're doing because 
they think we're just little kids.  And in your case, 
they're right!"

I glared at him.  I almost had Mom in my head and 
he had to interrupt me to say something stupid.  I 
looked at him and thought hard.  'Spoiled brat!'

His eyes grew huge and he sat straight up.  'Takes 
one to know one -- brat!'

"Shut up!" I yelled.  "I'm trying to listen!"

"Fine!" he yelled back.  "Go ahead, listen!  I'm 
going to my . . . the other bedroom!"

He was hurt now, and angry.  Just like Daddy 
sometimes.  "Will, I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have 
thought that," I said as he stomped out of my room.

"Look, I'm not like you," he said, standing in the 
hallway, hands on his hips.  "I can't just read other 
people's minds.  It gives me the creeps!  And this 
whole deal about everybody in the world dying.  
Don't you get it -- we're gonna die, too, if we don't 
do something to stop them!"

"What do you suggest?" I shot back.  "Go after a 
virus with a machine gun?"  

His eyes narrowed and I knew I'd done something 
bad.  As Daddy would say, I'd just crossed the line.  
Before I could say I was sorry, Will turned on his 
heel and stomped into his room.  Before he 
slammed the door in my face I could hear his 
thoughts.  'Stay the hell out of my head, Brat!'

I didn't try to talk to him or even send thoughts to 
him.  I'm pretty sure he hated me right then and I 
didn't want to hear his thoughts about me.  I went 
back to my room and tried not to cry.  

Outside, it was starting to snow.  It was already dark 
and it was only a little after two in the afternoon.  I 
walked over to Tribble and got her out of her cage.  
I wondered if hamsters were able to get the alien 
virus.  I didn't want Tribble to die, even though 
Daddy told me when we got her in the summer that 
she would only live about 3 years.  I sat down on 
the floor next to my bed and cried.

I heard a noise and looked up to see Will standing 
in my doorway.  "Can I come in?" he asked.

"I didn't kick you out the last time, you left," I told 
him.  I was still sort of mad because he got so mad.  
Besides, he called me a little kid.  I had every right 
to be mad at him.

"Peggy, you gotta understand, this is all new to me.  
My whole life has been turned upside down in just a 
few weeks."

I gave him the meanest look I could.  "Oh, yeah, my 
life hasn't changed at all.  My Daddy almost dies, I 
get a brother I thought was in my imagination, I 
have to leave my school and my home to go 
somewhere so cold that I need fur-lined underwear -
- "

He started to giggle and I guess I couldn't help 
myself, I started to giggle, too.  

"Fur-lined underwear?" he asked and we both 
started laughing.  We were laughing so hard, I 
couldn't catch my breath.  Tribble got scared.  She 
slipped out of my hands and ran under the bed.

"Will!  Tribble!" I shouted as I saw her little tail 
disappear under the edge of the bedspread.  

"I'll get her," he promised and as fast as that he was 
crawling under the bed.

"Can you see her?  Don't squish her trying to get her 
out -- oh, and Will, be careful because when she's 
scared -- "

"Ouch!" Will yelped and there was a thump and 
another "ouch!"  

"Will, are you OK?" I asked.

"Read my mind, genius," he shot back.  But he was 
wiggling his legs and bottom and soon he came out 
with Tribble firmly in his hand.  "Your monster bit 
me!"

"She's a hamster, not a monster," I told him, taking 
Tribble from him.  "Sorry, Tribble.  Did my mean 
brother hurt you?"

"Not as much as she hurt me," he said, sticking his 
finger in his mouth.  

Once I had Tribble back in her cage, I took his 
finger and looked at it.  "Did she break the skin?"

"No.  But it's sore.  And I hit my head under there."  
He leaned over to show me.  I rubbed his head, but 
couldn't feel a bump.

"Mommy says Mulders have hard heads," I told 
him.  I looked up at him and realized that I really 
didn't want to be mad at him.  So I put my arms 
around his neck and hugged him tight.  "I'm sorry I 
called you a spoiled brat," I said.  Darn it all, I 
started to cry again.

He patted my back.  I felt little drops on my neck.  
He was crying too.  It would have been easy to peek 
in and read his thoughts, but I knew he wouldn't 
want that.  I just held him while he cried on my 
shoulder and I cried on his chest.  After a long time, 
I think he got tired.  He sat down on the bed and had 
me sit beside him.

"When Dad was in the hospital, he was dreaming.  
He knew they were coming.  He knew it.  But he 
thought we'd lose.  That's why he wouldn't wake up 
from the coma.  I met him on this beach -- maybe it 
was a dream.  I told him we have to fight them.  
Peggy, back in El Paso, I thought -- I thought we 
had a chance.  I thought they would come in big 
ships and we'd shoot them down out of the sky like 
in the movies.  I never expected -- "

"I know," I said.  "I didn't think they'd just make 
everybody sick, either.  But Will, I don't think you 
were wrong.  I think we can win.  I think we can 
beat them."

"How?  Everybody will be dead but us.  And what 
happens when the virus comes here?  Peggy, how 
do we even know we won't die, too?"

"You won't."  Gibson stood in my doorway.  "Sorry, 
I didn't mean to intrude.  I told them I was going to 
the restroom.  Are you guys OK?"

I shook my head no.  Will did, too.  "You heard 
us?" I asked.

He smiled at us.  "You were kinda loud," he said.

"Did Mom and Daddy hear us?" I asked.

"They thought you were playing," he said.  Gibson 
took the chair from the corner of the room and sat it 
by the bed.  He sat down and smiled at us.  "I don't 
have a lot of time, but I can tell you a little bit about 
what's going on.  You won't die of the virus.  You 
can't die.  That's why the aliens and the people 
working with them were trying to get you, Will.  
They knew you were immune -- both of you.  So are 
your parents."

"How can Mom and Dad -- "

"Exposure.  Your parents have both been exposed to 
the alien virus, a couple of times.  And that 
exposure happened before either of you were 
conceived.  So you carry that immunity, too.  It's in 
your DNA."

Will looked over at me.  "That means it's -- "

"I know what DNA means," I told him.  He really 
did think of me as a kid!

"Anyway," Gibson continued, "you aren't the only 
ones with immunity.  There are others who have 
been exposed.  And there are people who just 
haven't gotten the virus, a natural immunity for 
whatever reason.  But I can tell you this, we have to 
contact as many of the survivors as possible before 
we can launch the counter attack."

"How do we do that?  Do we just make phone calls 
and hope somebody picks up?" Will asked.  He 
could be as sarcastic as Daddy when he wanted to.

Gibson shook his head and then tapped Will on the 
forehead.  "The survivors, whether they know it or 
not, are connected up here.  All we have to do is 
find them and use the connection."

"You mean us," I said.

"The three of us, yes -- at first.  As we make other 
connections, we can get them to help us.  But we 
need to work fast.  It's going to take time and we 
don't have long.  As soon as they think the virus has 
eliminated most of the population, they'll begin the 
second phase."

"Which will be -- what?" Will asked.

"Reforming the planet.  They intend to use the 
survivors as slaves.  Those infected with the virus 
will act as incubators for their offspring.  They 
aren't coming in big ships.  They're already here.  
They'll build their army from their young."

I know I made a sick face.  "Yuck!  That's gross."

"It almost happened to Mom," Will said.  

Gibson looked at him, surprised.  "I never told you 
that."

"You didn't have to.  Dad still has nightmares.  I've 
seen his dreams.  She was in a spaceship, someplace 
cold.  In his dream, the alien -- "  He stopped and 
looked at me and then turned back to Gibson.  
"Well, you know."  

"So how do we stop them?"  I still wanted to know.

"We have to work hard and fast.  We've laid the 
groundwork already.  We have a vaccine.  It kills 
the alien fetuses.  But up till now, it had to be 
injected.  We need a better way of administering it 
over a large area.  And it won't be easy.  There will 
be some that hatch early, the vanguards.  We'll have 
to kill them first."

"How much time do we have before they start to 
hatch?" Will asked.

"Not much -- about four or five months.  The rest of 
their population will take closer to a year to 
gestate."

"How do you know all this, Gibson?" I asked.  I 
was being good, I wasn't cheating and reading his 
thoughts.

"I was held hostage with one once, in a nuclear 
reactor.  I was about your age, Peggy.  I read its 
mind."

Will whistled.  "What happened?  Why didn't it just 
kill you?"

He shrugged.  "It tried.  It was transforming into its 
most dangerous form when it just -- died.  I was 
thinking how scared I was and hoping someone 
would find me.  I could see your father, he was 
trying to get into the room where I was being held, 
so I hid, thinking I could hold out.  And then I got 
mad, because I was sick and tired of being treated 
like a lab rat.  I hated that alien so much.  I couldn't 
stop thinking of how much I hated it.  When I 
finally stood face to face with it, I just thought 
about how much I wanted to tear it limb from limb 
and . . . it just collapsed and died right there.  I 
started to run, tried to get out and somehow I hit my 
head.  When I woke up, I was in a school for deaf 
kids in the desert."

We didn't know what to say to that.  Everything 
we'd been through was nothing compared to what 
had happened to Gibson.  He was right, he was too 
old for me.  He would probably always be too old 
for me.

"So, what can we do?" Will asked finally.

"Tomorrow, I'll start working with you both.  With 
a little practice, you should be able to reach out, 
connect with the survivors.  It will take time, but I 
think we can get started right away -- if your parents 
are willing."

"Do they know about this?  That we would be 
helping?" I asked.  I could already hear Daddy's 
objections.  I knew Mom would blow a gasket at the 
thought of us 'mind reading' across the planet.

"Let me handle your parents.  I've known your 
Mom and Dad a long time.  I think I can get them to 
agree to this.  But in the meantime, it's still 
Christmas.  We're about finished downstairs.  We're 
going over to the community center and have 
leftovers from last night.  You can meet some of the 
others.  There are even some kids about your ages."  
He patted Will's shoulder and put his hand on my 
head.  "I know what it's like to be different.  But I 
want you to always remember -- you're still kids.  
Don't let anybody take that away from you."

"So, we're just gonna let this go, go eat and have 
another party?" Will asked.  He wasn't real happy 
right then, and what Gibson had said had really 
made him uncomfortable.  I wasn't reading his 
mind, I could just tell by the look on his face and 
the way his arms were hugging his chest.

Gibson smiled at him.  "You have so much of your 
father in you," he said.  "Take the time to enjoy life 
while you can.  It will give you strength to get 
through the rough parts."

That satisfied Will, as least for a while.  "OK, then.  
Let's go meet everyone else in town."

Resistance 2.05

Christmas Day
4:00 pm

It was still snowing as we walked to the community 
center.  It was the first time I had a chance to look at 
the town, since I'd been asleep when we left the 
center the night before.  Our house was at the end of 
a block of houses just like it, most with lights on 
and Christmas decorations out front.  I saw trees in 
every window.  It was like walking in a fairyland.  I 
couldn't help but think of one of my favorite books, 
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. 
Lewis.  I felt like Lucy, looking for the lamppost.  
Mom and Daddy could be Susan and Peter.  But 
that left Will to be Edmund and I didn't like that 
thought.

I was still a little hurt by his reactions of the 
afternoon.  Yes, his life was upside down, but so 
was mine.  He was worried about the aliens, but so 
was I.  He didn't like the fact that we were being 
treated like kids, but so did I.  He couldn't see past 
his own nose.

Mom and Daddy had been through a lot their whole 
lives.  No one had ever sat me down and told me the 
stories, but I could hear it when Mom thought.  She 
lost Daddy a long time ago and that still scared her.  
I didn't peek into Daddy's thoughts much, but he 
was afraid of losing Mom just as much.  And when 
they thought about me or even Will before he came 
back -- sometimes they were just terrified.  That 
was why I wondered how Gibson would ever 
manage to talk them into letting us help fight the 
aliens.

It was only a couple of blocks from our house to the 
community center.  The whole town was only as big 
as our neighborhood back in El Paso, which was 
fine by me.  I liked small towns.  We'd lived in one 
once when I was little.  I learned to sidewalk skate 
in a small town.  I noticed that even though it was 
really, really cold, no one was driving cars -- 
everyone was walking.  As a matter of fact, except 
for our car in the driveway, I couldn't see other cars 
anywhere.  I guessed they were all in the garages.

We stepped into the community center and that 
wonderful smell from last night hit me again.  This 
time, since I wasn't so sleepy and hungry, I walked 
around the place.  I even looked in the restrooms, 
which were really nice.  There was a kitchen in the 
back of the big room, a really big metal refrigerator, 
probably where they put all the leftovers.  The stove 
was as big as the one at my old school.  There was 
even one of those big dishwashers.  

They were still putting the food out, so Uncle Mel 
took Mommy over to meet some of the women 
doing that.  Uncle Walt took Daddy over to talk to 
some of the men who were moving chairs and 
tables.  Gibson nodded his head and Will and I 
followed him.  In a small back room, several kids 
were playing ping-pong and video games.  
Everyone stopped playing when Gibson walked in.  
They all smiled at him and a couple of the little kids 
ran over and hugged him around the legs.

"Hey, guys, I want you to meet some people.  This 
is Will and Peggy Mulder."

Will opened his mouth, like he was going to say 
something.  I know he was thinking 'my name is 
Will Vande Kamp' but he closed his mouth before 
he said it out loud.  I was glad he didn't correct 
Gibson.  Maybe he was starting to figure it all out.  I 
didn't have much time to think about it because 
some of the girls were coming toward me and 
introducing themselves.  The older kids and some of 
the younger boys were doing the same to Will.

Two girls were my exact age.  Elisabeth was tall 
and blond and really pretty.  She said she liked 
people to call her Beth, not Lizzy and I understood.  
I didn't like people to call me Maggie, either, even 
though I knew that was my Grandma Scully's name.  
The other girl was darker haired, almost black, with 
skin that reminded me of a lot of my friends in El 
Paso.  Her name was Regina but she liked to be 
called Reggie.  I thought that was funny but didn't 
laugh because I didn't want to upset her.  They had 
brought their new dolls they just got for Christmas 
and pretty soon we were playing house in the 
corner.  I looked over and Will was playing ping-
pong with three other kids.  He seemed to be having 
a good time.

"So, do you go to school?" I asked Beth and Reggie.  

They both giggled.  "Sure!  Are you going to come 
to school, too?"

I shrugged.  I sure didn't see how Mom or Daddy 
would let me get by with NOT going to school.  "I 
guess I will.  I'm in fourth grade."

Beth looked impressed.  "We're in third, but our 
class is split."  I must have looked confused; I didn't 
think she could read my thoughts.  "Half our class is 
third grade and half is fourth grade.  We don't have 
enough teachers to have a different teacher for each 
grade.  But we don't have a really big school either.  
There are only five of us in third grade and now the 
fourth grade will have six people in it.  That will 
make us the largest class in the school."  She was 
very proud of that fact.

I was amazed.  My class in El Paso had thirty-five 
kids in it and that was just my classroom.  Poor Ms. 
Ramirez just barely kept the peace, Mommy used to 
say.

"What's the teacher's name," I asked.

"Mr. Byers and he's really nice, but he's also very 
strict.  You have to have your homework in the next 
day or he sends a letter home to your parents."

Mr. Byers.  I shook my head.  Uncle Jon was my 
teacher?  "Do you know who Will's teacher is?" I 
asked.

"What grade is he in?" Reggie wanted to know.

I thought for a second, I knew it but I had to think 
about it.  "I think he's a freshman," I said.

"You don't know what grade your brother's in?" 
Beth asked with a funny look on her face.  I knew 
she thought I was crazy or something.

"He just got promoted," I said, covering.  

"Oh, well, if he's in high school, he has Mr. Frohike 
for math and science, but Ms. Covarrubias teaches 
social studies and Mr. Langly is the school's 
computer and technology teacher.  He comes in 
sometimes and teaches us, too."

"Wow," I said.

"Gibson helps at the school, too, sometimes.  He's 
our playground supervisor and lunch aide," Reggie 
added.  "Sometimes he travels, then we have 
parents come and supervise."

I thought Gibson would be a good person to have on 
a schoolyard  -- he knew trouble before it started.  
But I wondered what Will would think when he 
found out our uncles were our teachers.  Or what 
Mommy would think when she found out the lady 
she didn't like from Christmas Eve was now Will's 
social studies teacher.  I remembered we had a 
neighbor who was very nosy back in that small 
town.  That woman was the reason we moved.  
Small towns can be very crowded, Daddy had told 
me then.

"Want to see the school?" Beth asked.  When I 
nodded my head, she took my hand and she and 
Reggie led me to another little room with a window 
out the back.  "It's that red brick building right 
there."  She pointed to a big two-story building 
surrounded by streetlamps with a lot of room 
around it.  "That's our room, the one in the left side 
corner on the bottom.  We don't have a lunch 
program -- you bring a sack lunch, but we have a 
really nice gym.  The older kids play basketball and 
volleyball there on weekends and during breaks.  
We're on Christmas break now, so we don't have 
school until after New Years Day."

I hadn't thought about that, school break and how 
much I used to look forward to it.  It was always fun 
because I got to spend time with Mom and Daddy 
and I got to read whatever I wanted to read.  "Is 
there a library in town?" I asked.

"We have one at school," Beth said.  "And the town 
library is a block past the grocery store."

"Good," I said.

I was about to ask the girls more about town when 
Ms. Covarrubias came to the door.  "Children, it's 
time to eat."

Beth and Reggie looked at each other and then me.  
"Want to eat with us at the kids table?"

I wanted to, but at the same time, I wasn't sure.  "I 
better ask my parents," I told them and ran off to do 
that.

Will had already beat me to it.  "So do you mind?" 
he was saying.  

Mom looked nervous, but Daddy just smiled.  
"Sure, go ahead."  Will grinned and ran off to a 
table where the bigger kids were sitting.  I saw him 
give a 'thumbs up' to Alexi, Ms. Covarrubias' son.  
Alexi nodded and they both went to the line to get 
their food.

"I met some girls from my new class," I told Mom.  
"They asked if I could sit with them."  I pointed 
over to where Beth and Reggie were watching us.

Mom licked her lips like she always did when she 
was about to say no.  Again, Daddy spoke for both 
of them.  "Sure, Peg Leg.  But remember, you 
always go home with the guy who brought you."  I 
must have looked at him funny, because I sure 
didn't understand what he was talking about.  
"Never mind, wrong context.  Go have fun."  

We had a lot of fun at the kids table.  I met the rest 
of our class.  I decided not to tell anyone that our 
teacher was a close friend of our family.  We talked 
about books and games and stuff.  I hadn't done that 
in a long time.  It felt really good.

The next time I saw my family was as we were 
helping clean up from the meal.  Will was talking to 
Daddy, who was looking pretty serious.  I came up 
and hugged him and he didn't even really notice.

"I just don't know," Daddy said to Will.  

"But Uncle Walt is coming.  C'mon Dad.  We were 
stuck in a car for weeks.  I need to stretch."

"I understand that, but . . ."  He looked over and I 
could see he was focused on Alexi, standing near 
the door with some of the other boys.  

"But what, Dad?  We're just going to the school 
gym to play basketball.  I used to do that all the 
time at home," Will said, putting his hands on his 
hips.  

I closed my eyes.  That was not the way to handle 
our father.  Pushing him just made him angry and 
then he'd say no.  I learned that the hard way.

"That was different and you know it," Daddy said, 
using his stern voice.  

"You won't let me play basketball?" Will whined.  I 
knew he was hurt, and I couldn't blame him.  
Something was going on and I almost peeked to see 
what Daddy was really worried about.  I didn't get a 
chance because Mom came over, wiping her hands 
on a towel.

"What's the matter?"

"I want to go play basketball with some of the guys 
and Uncle Walt.  Dad won't let me," Will said.

"Mulder?" Mom asked, looking up at Daddy.  
"What's the problem?"

Daddy wanted to say something, I could tell, but he 
just kept looking over at Alexi and shaking his 
head.  "Fine.  Go.  But if Walter leaves, you leave, 
got that?"  Daddy turned on his heel and stomped 
off.

"What was that all about?" Will wanted to know.

"I don't know, sweetheart.  You don't worry about 
it.  I'll talk to him.  You just go have a good time.  
And don't forget to button up and wear your hat.  
It's cold out there."

Will nodded and started to leave.  All of a sudden 
he turned back and leaned over to give Mom a kiss 
on the cheek.  "Thanks, Mom."  He headed to the 
door before she could say anything.

Mommy was stunned, plain and simple.  She 
reached up and touched her cheek where he'd just 
kissed her.  She looked down at me and I could see 
tears on her lashes.  I reached up and touched her 
cheek, too and smiled.  I knew she wasn't crying 
because she was sad.  Mommy was happier than I'd 
ever seen her.

"I better see what's gotten into your father.  You go 
play with your friends, OK?"

I nodded and walked slowly over to where Beth and 
Reggie were helping put away folding chairs.  Not 
really meaning to, I thought about Daddy.  Pretty 
soon, his thoughts were plain as day.

Daddy knew Alexi's dad.  But that wasn't the worst 
part.  Alexi's dad had . . . no that couldn't be right?  
Daddy believed Alexi's dad had tried to kill Will 
before he was even born?  I got an image of a man 
with dark hair, a dark jacket, standing in a parking 
garage.  He had a gun pointed at someone and the 
all of a sudden, there was a hole in his forehead and 
blood -- 

I dropped the chair I'd been carrying.  It took me a 
minute to catch my breath and when I did, I looked 
over at Daddy.  My Daddy had -- he'd killed Alexi's 
dad.  Sure, the man was going to kill my Daddy, but 
still!  I couldn't' believe it.

I felt Gibson's hand on my shoulder.  "Peggy, you 
don't know the whole story."  I looked up at him.  I 
wasn't so sure I liked Gibson peeking into my head.  
Now I knew how everyone else felt.  

"Alex Krycek, Alexi's father, was a very 
complicated man.  He never really knew what side 
he was on.  In the end, he chose the wrong side.  He 
would have killed Will, your father and your 
mother.  You would never have been born if he'd 
had his way.  And it wasn't your Dad who killed 
Krycek, it was Walter Skinner.  Krycek was 
controlling Walter and wanted him to do his dirty 
work.  Krycek wanted Walter to kill your Dad.  
Walter did the right thing back then.  Believe me, it 
was the only thing he could have done."

"Daddy thinks Alexi will be like his father was?" I 
asked.

"It has him worried.  He just wants to watch Alexi 
for a while, until he knows for sure."

Something suddenly occurred to me, something I 
picked up from Gibson.  "Alexi's like us, isn't he?"

"Both Alex Krycek and Marita Covarrubias were 
exposed to the black oil -- the alien virus -- before 
Alexi was conceived.  So yes, he is like you.   Not 
exactly, you two are special.  But he's more like you 
than like the others."

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  
But I knew for certain, we'd find out soon enough.

to be continued in Resistance 3.0, coming soon