Chapter 5 - Houses and Hearts

While Rosie attended to her sick great-granddaughter, Dana Scully recieved further background from Maxine Klinger Hiron.

"Rosie and her brood are family. Toshi - that's the hubby - well, his great-grandfather was the SOB who got Rosie's Mom pregnant. He was never worth anything, to either family. Especially his Korean family. After he passed in 1980, Toshi's Mom insisted that the two families meet, to heal old wounds. The upshot is that Toshi is sent to the U.S. to attend a business school near my home. He stays with us, since Pop and Rosie know each other from the 4077th. Well, we meet, fall in love, and get married. Of course, since, at the time, I'm preggers out my ears, my Dad nearly kills him. But we get married, have a few more, etc."

Dana checked her notes. "I take it that it was during the etc. that your family met Fox Mulder."

Maxine smiled. "My mom-Soon-Lee-she adores Spooky. He boarded with us, in Toshi's old room. He was always willing to help around the house, and was never late with any bill. I sometimes got the feeling that Fox's folks were a trifle distant with him, after what happened to his sister. I know that Mom had a crush on him. Totally innocent, though. Pop thought it was cute, so far as it went. You see, to Mom, any secret-police-type like you FBI people who cared about and respected others were aces. I hear the ROK's guys were rough numbers, back when."

"Has Mulder ever discussed what happened to his sister with your family?" By this, of course, Scully meant, what Fox Mulder believed happened to Samantha that night long ago.

"Oh, you mean, the Aliens? Sure. I mean, he was there. Wouldn't he know what occurred? Truth be known, at times I felt like a substitute Samantha. More truth be known, I....kinda felt like my Mom did, not so sister-like. But his lady is the Truth, and the little witch isn't sharing. That, and me and my Mom each being married to terrific guys kinda nipped things in the bud. Now, if Toshi and Pop had just been bums...."

"Actually, if Mulder has a lady, its his quest for what he believes to be the truth. That aside, have your children been ill like Rosie's family?"

Maxine frowned. "I've never been sick-ever. My kids neither. My big brother Wally-er, Walter Sherman Klinger-he's always been sick, on and off. Nothing big, its just like he's got no resistance. And they tested for normal immune problems, so that ain't it. Rosie's brood has a 60% stillborn rate. Except for poor Su-Na, all the rest are in perfect shape. Kind of like..."

Dana completed her grim thought. "A winnowing".

Rosie then returned, and bid Maxine check on Su-Na while she and Scully talked.

"Now, Agent Scully, I tell you of how Colonel Blake build the 4077th, my bar, a company clerk, and a furnace he only use once. Also, we speak on how he took the meteors from the sky and made a deal with the devil."