Title: Time Flies
Spoilers: Sometime in season 5, after TR&TB and before Folie A
Deux. 
Category: CXA
Summary: After a chance meeting, Mulder and Scully team up with the
Doctor and Martha to solve an X-File. Timeline for Doctor Who:(new
series) early season 3, after Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the
Daleks.
Keywords: M/S UST.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own neither TXF nor Doctor Who, and none of their
associated characters.
Archive: Sure, but please ask first.
Feedback: Is welcomed at pomme_noire@hotmail.com
Author's Note: My apologies for any geographical inaccuracies
regarding Washington D.C.
Also, thanks again to belsum for her beta-ing awesomeness!

~~~~~~~~
The Doctor was not surprised that Agent Mulder was extremely
reluctant to take his partner's advice to go home and get some
rest. Even though he likely had been told the same thing by the
doctors at Georgetown Memorial as well, the man did not want to
miss out on the rest of this X-File. The Doctor could relate very
well to that state of mind. Which is why he was more than a bit
suspicious when Mulder suddenly capitulated to Scully's insistence
that he go home, on the condition that they first pick up his car
where it had been left in front of Michael Davis's house.

Of course, Scully was also more than a bit wary of this sudden
resignation. Raising an eyebrow, she fixed him with her gaze. "And
you'll what, just drive yourself home from there? Mulder, you have
a *concussion* - you shouldn't be driving anywhere for at least a
day."

"So you're just going to drop me off at my apartment while the rest
of you tie up all the loose ends?"

Scully sighed, and the Doctor and Martha exchanged glances. Both of
them knew better than to interrupt. Finally, after a pause during
which everyone was looking to her, and she was simply glaring at
Mulder, Scully countered Mulder's question with one of her own.
"If- *if* - you were to come to the Stewart house," she said,
"would you really find it less boring to sit in the car than it
would be to stay at home? Because whether you think so or not, you
need rest."

"I'll stay in the car," Mulder promised. "Like the getaway driver,
waiting outside for the rest of the crew." At Scully's look, he
added, "Except for the driving part, of course."

The Doctor was getting impatient. He had a bad feeling about the
machine's continued existence, and it wasn't going away, despite
the fact that Anna Stewart was currently sleeping under sedation in
the hospital right behind them. "Right," he said, "so can we head
back to the Stewarts'?"

"Let's go," Scully said, and the four of them got into the car. The
Doctor noted that Scully stood unobtrusively beside her partner,
ready to help him get into the passenger seat if needed, but that
she promptly moved to the driver's seat when he didn't need her
aid.

Before he had too much time to dwell on his observations of these
two very dissimilar and yet extraordinarily close people, Scully
spoke up again. "So why exactly is destroying this machine such an
urgent task, Doctor?"

"Well," he answered, running a hand through his hair distractedly,
"I just think that it's much too dangerous to be left intact, even
while its creator is nowhere near it. Too great of a potential for
things to go wrong."

"What would happen if it activated while Evan wasn't there to
convert the - what was it - quantic energy into telekinetic
energy?" Mulder inquired.

The Doctor blew out his breath. The images running through his head
were of such a scenario. "That would not be good. Think
explosions-- massive explosions." In response, Scully's grip on the
steering wheel tightened.

They arrived at the Stewarts' house without much delay. As soon as
they pulled up to the curb, the Doctor unbuckled his seatbelt and
dashed up to the door of the house, aware that Martha and Agent
Scully weren't far behind. Evan had told them where he kept a spare
key, but the Doctor didn't want to waste the time it would take to
go to the side of the house and find the right flowerpot, so he
took out the sonic screwdriver and opened the door in seconds.

When the three of them got inside, they all noticed it right away.
"That smell - I think it's worse," Martha remarked, and Scully
agreed.

"That's not a good sign," the Doctor said grimly. "It probably
means that part of the machine is breaking down, which could set it
off." He turned to look at the others and took a deep breath. "When
we get downstairs, you have to be extremely careful if you're going
to help dismantle the machine." Meeting their determined
expressions, he sighed, and they went into the basement. The Doctor
hadn't really thought he could get Martha or Scully to leave it to
him, but he had wanted to try, anyway.

It was dark, but the opposite wall where the machine was located
had several small lights that gleamed at them as they came down the
stairs. The Doctor turned on the light and immediately went over to
the toolbox that was on a bench. He quickly issued instructions on
how best to disassemble the machine, leaving the most dangerous
sections of it - the areas that were perilously close to falling
apart - for himself. If Martha guessed he had organized it this
way, she did not protest, though the Doctor did catch her looking
at him with concern a few times as they set to work.

~~~~~~
Mulder watched as Scully and Martha followed the Doctor toward the
house at a run. He sighed, then reclined the seat. He was already
beginning to regret not just going home after all - waiting in the
car was probably going to be worse. He had to admit that he most
likely would not be much use trying to help take this machine
apart. Especially since it would involve changing position, and
every time Mulder attempted this, the prescription pain reliever
he'd been given did not prevent a return of his headache.

Closing his eyes, Mulder willed himself to relax. He had almost
succeeded when a tap on his window made him jerk upright (then
wince at the ill-advised movement). It was Michael Davis.
Surprised, Mulder rolled down the window.

"Agent Mulder?" the man said, looking hesitant.

"Mr. Davis," Mulder replied. "Is there something I can do for you?"

He shrugged. "I... it's just that - well, I've been starting to
feel really odd in the past few hours, and it kind of reminds me of
how I felt right before I was transported. I was going to call the
FBI and see if I could get a hold of you or Agent Scully, but then
I saw that your car was still outside my house, and so I thought
you might still be close by..." He trailed off.

Mulder was silent for a moment, attempting to see if he felt
anything like he had right before being teleported. It was a bit
hard to tell, with the painkiller and the headache. Then he
realized that Davis was waiting for a response. He cleared his
throat. "Well, Agent Scully and I think we located the cause of the
teleportations," he began. "She and some associates of ours are
inside that house," - he pointed - "dismantling a machine that we
believe might have been part of the source of the energy needed to
transport you and the others."

The man looked slightly reassured. "That's good to hear. But... do
you know why I would be feeling a little like I was right before it
happened to me?"

At that moment, Mulder began to feel something that was definitely
the same kind dizziness he remembered from right before his
teleportation. He closed his eyes and put a hand to his head. "When
did you say this started for you?"

"Just a few hours ago," Davis replied. He sounded worried as he
asked, "Are you all right, Agent Mulder?"

"I'm starting to feel a little dizzy myself," Mulder answered, eyes
still closed. "It doesn't really go well with the concussion I got
earlier today, after I was teleported to the top of an apartment
building."

At this, the man's voice took on a definite edge of panic. "It
happened to you, too? And now you're feeling dizzy?! What-- what
should we do?"

The lightheadedness faded to a slightly more manageable level, so
Mulder felt it was safe to open his eyes. "I don't know," he said
honestly, looking at Davis. "I have a feeling that we'd both feel
better if we weren't so close to that house, but I couldn't say
that for sure."

"Well, I'm out of here, then," the man muttered. Before Mulder
could say anything else, Michael Davis ran back to his house. In
just minutes, Mulder saw his car peel out of the driveway and speed
off down the road, tires squealing as he turned onto the street.

*What a caring, considerate man,* Mulder thought to himself with a
wry twist of his lips. He decided he'd better call Scully and let
her know of this new symptom. She wouldn't be pleased, but she
would be less pleased if he didn't tell her and ended up being
teleported again. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of that
happening again, either.

When she answered the phone, Scully sounded tired. Mulder asked her
how things were going.

"All right, I think," she replied. "Between the three of us, we've
gotten about half of the machine taken apart." Then her tone became
concerned. "What's up, Mulder? You're not just calling to check up
on us."

"You got me," Mulder said. "Actually, uh, not to rush you, but I
think I'm starting to agree with the Doctor that that machine needs
to be gone as soon as possible." He gave her a quick summary of his
conversation with Michael Davis, and when he told her about the
return of the dizziness and how it was still lingering, he heard
her take a sharp breath.

"Hold on a second," she said tersely, and Mulder heard her talking
to someone, but couldn't hear the exchange. "I'm going to hand the
phone to the Doctor," Scully informed him.

"All right." Mulder waited, and a second later, the Doctor's voice,
brisk and businesslike, was on the line.

"Your partner tells me you're feeling like you were right before
you were teleported, Agent Mulder?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Mulder answered. "I suggested to Michael
Davis, who was feeling the same way, that it would be better for
him to get out of the area - get out of range, maybe."

"And he did," the Doctor finished, "but you, having promised your
partner to stay in the car, did not leave with him."

"Well, to tell the truth," Mulder informed him dryly, "Mr. Davis
didn't actually seem to care whether or not I wanted to leave with
him."

The Doctor sounded slightly amused. "Aha. Well, so now the
important thing is whether or not your theory is correct, and it
would be best for you to get out of the area." He paused, thinking.
"The dizziness hasn't gotten noticeably better in the past few
minutes?"

Mulder considered. "No." Then he swallowed, and carefully leaned
back against the seat. "No, now it's getting worse."

"Okay. Ooh, no, leave that part - that component seems to be very
important. Sorry," he said, "but I think your increased
lightheadedness may have helped us locate something crucial."

"Glad I could help," Mulder said, only half-sarcastically. He
thought he could distinguish an irate outburst from Scully in the
background, but he wasn't sure.

Scully came back on the line. "Mulder? How are you doing?"

"Uh, the dizziness is back down to a workable level," he reported.
"Does the Doctor have any theories as to what's causing this? Am I
going to take another exciting, involuntary trip?"

Scully was irritated. "His theory is that the Stewarts might both
be psychically connected to this machine, and that Anna is somehow
still trying to activate it, even from the hospital."

Frowning, Mulder said, "Well, then I sure hope Michael Davis got
well out of the way, if her link to the machine is still that
strong."

Ignoring this, Scully continued, "As for you being transported
again, he seems to think the best thing to do to prevent that is to
finish taking this thing apart. I'm sorry, Mulder - can you hang in
there a while longer?"

Trying to keep the tension out of his voice, Mulder answered, "I
guess so. Not much choice, is there?"

"Mulder--" Scully began, but he cut her off.

"I don't really know how this works, but I guess I'd better keep my
door open, in case I do get teleported - I wouldn't want to have to
go through the windshield or anything." He hung up.

Mulder sighed again and sat back further in the seat. Though he
knew this situation wasn't Scully's fault - in fact, it was mostly
his own, since he'd insisted on at least coming along on this
little venture - he hated the fact that all he could do was sit
here and wait. And to make matters worse, he was a sitting duck. He
couldn't even go inside and help take the stupid machine apart.
Instead, Scully was in there, right next to a source of hazardous
energy that could go off at any moment. She was in more danger than
he was.

~~~~~~~~~
Scully put her phone back into her pocket and turned back to the
others. "He'll wait," she said succinctly, rubbing a hand across
her forehead. "Let's get back to work."

As she joined Martha at the section of the machine that they had
been working on before Mulder's phone call, Scully saw the younger
woman's sympathetic expression. "Agent Mulder doesn't really like
waiting, does he?" At Scully's head-shake, Martha smiled wryly and
gestured discreetly at the Doctor, who was busy at the center
console. "Neither does he. Always has to be in on the action."

Scully could definitely see that. From even limited interaction
with the Doctor, she had already noticed that he liked to be
involved in the action - even FBI investigations for which he
didn't really have qualifications. In many ways, he and Mulder did
seem to be similar: they both were intelligent, impulsive, and
heedless of danger to themselves. Scully wondered briefly if the
Doctor also had the tendency to be as much of a jerk as Mulder
could. She had the feeling that he did.

The trio worked in silence for a while. Scully had to admit to
herself that she was impressed at the overall quality of the
construction - she had to work quite hard to loosen the bolts and
nails. Of course, this just meant that Mulder would be sitting out
in the car for longer, so she wished that Anna Stewart hadn't been
quite so good at building.

Abruptly, the silence was broken by a shout from the Doctor. "Ah!
Here we go!"

Scully and Martha turned to look at him. He blinked at them through
his glasses, then said excitedly, "This piece here is the most
important section, the part that actually starts the chemical
reactions that produce the energy." He pointed at a fragile,
intricate-looking portion of the machine that was made up of glass
tubes. There was a panel attached at the base of a section directly
behind the on/off switch.

"So if we all concentrated our efforts there," Scully said, "would
that mean we wouldn't have to take the rest of this thing apart?"

The Doctor frowned. "Well, it would still be dangerous - Mrs.
Stewart could come back home from the hospital and put it back
together if too much of it was left. But, seeing as how we have
poor Agent Mulder waiting for us outside, I would say yes, if we
took this piece apart, the immediate peril would be gone." Then he
looked at Martha and Scully in turn. "But please promise me that
you'll do exactly as I say - this is an extremely delicate
business, and a wrong move could have very serious consequences."

"I think we both grasp the seriousness of the situation, Doctor,"
Scully said with a hint of impatience. Martha murmured her
agreement, and they set to work under his very precise instruction.
It was painstaking. Scully felt almost like she was performing
surgery on the machine. Though she was concentrating on following
his instructions, she also couldn't help but notice that the Doctor
used his sonic screwdriver quite often to assist in taking the
device apart. Scully had no idea where anyone could get an
instrument that could aid in medical diagnoses and also function
like a normal screwdriver.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of craning her neck
over a relatively small part of the entire machine, Scully noticed
that they were within sight of the goal. The Doctor met her eyes
and smiled. "Well," he began - only to freeze as a part of the
machine behind them suddenly started up with a low humming noise.
His eyes widened. "No, no, no!"

"Doctor, what do we do?" Martha called out over the steadily
increasing sound.

He looked up from the panel they were working on for a second. "If
we can just finish this," he yelled back, "the power shouldn't be
able to keep building."

Scully did not like the fact that the Doctor still wasn't entirely
sure this plan would work. Nevertheless, his idea was the best and
only one they had, so she resolutely focused on the task at hand,
endeavoring not to imagine what might happen to Mulder if he were
teleported again in his current condition. Her concentration was
not improved by the humming sound, and the general feeling of
tension building in the room.

~~~
In a hospital room in Georgetown Memorial, Jeanne Fisher suddenly
began to seize, though she remained unconscious. Doctors and nurses
rushed in, alerted by her heart monitor's reading of her rapid
increase in heart rate.
~~~
In his car on the way out of town, Michael Davis was abruptly
struck by a wave of nausea so strong that he only had time to be
grateful that he wasn't on a busy street before he lost control of
the vehicle.

~~~
In the car outside the Stewart house, Fox Mulder was struck by a
similar wave of nausea, mixed in with an intense need to leave, to
get as far away as possible. Before he was even totally aware of
what he was doing, Mulder had opened the car door and staggered out
onto the sidewalk. The pounding in his head and the dizziness
combined to almost bring him to his knees, and he tasted bile at
the back of his throat. He tried to swallow, and managed to move a
few more feet before all he had eaten that day came back to haunt
him. He did not feel better afterwards - the need to get away was
still too strong, and the nausea had not abated.

Mulder found that, between the pain and the dizziness, he could
hardly see where he was going. With the part of his brain that
wasn't in a haze of agony, he hoped desperately that the fact that
the world seemed to be blurred around him didn't mean that he was
about to be teleported again. The first time had beaten him up
enough. As he sank to the ground and began to lose consciousness,
Mulder gripped onto the grass under him, even though he knew that
probably wouldn't keep him here if the machine's energy increased
anymore.