From: Tammy D. Phillips <thamasdp@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 02:22:34 GMT
Subject: The Fate of Time: Part 3 of 5
Source: atxc

PART 3 - The Fate of Time

He was by her side in a second. "What's wrong Scully?"
Looking up to him, she smile a slight, almost wistful smile. "Nothing's
wrong. Everything is so clear right now, it's frightening. Were you
listening to the questions?"
Mulder nodded, and Scully continued. "That last question kind of threw me
for a loop. I began to think, what if that had been you on the bay? Or me?
What regrets would I have for myself, for you? We only get so many chances,
so many moments in our lives. How many are wasted by the silly things that
ultimately don't matter? If we knew that we were going to die the next day,
would we still act and react as we normally would? Or would we seize life by
the hand, live for the moment, and enjoy the ride as we went?"
Opening his mouth, Mulder went to respond, but found himself speechless. He
wasn't exactly sure where Scully was going with this.
"Mulder, I have always lived my life by the book, with order, with planning.
I thought that was the best way to really live life, that you got more out
of life that way. And, I still firmly believe that. You work hard, you will
be rewarded. However, I guess I just had an epiphany of sorts. There are
some things in life, gifts that shouldn't be taken for granted and if you
don't seize upon them, seize that moment with them, they could be gone
before you know it. I need to learn to enjoy the gifts in life that I do
have, and not wait for life to fit them into my schedule, my sense of order,
or way of previous understandings. Mulder." Scully grabbed both of his hands
with hers and squeezed gently. "*You* are my gift in life. I want you with
me forever, and I want to seize this moment with you before it slips away or
is taken from us. Why wait for something we both want, when we could have it
and enjoy life at it's fullest, for what it's given us?"
Throat feeling dry, Mulder tried to swallow before he croaked a weak,
"Scully?" It was one word that said a thousand.
Giving him a soft smile, slight tears came to her eyes as she spoke. "What
time does the courthouse close?"

*****
Ramada Inn
Historic Old Market
Downtown Omaha, Nebraska
7:03 pm
Mulder guided Scully into the reception room with his hand upon the small of
her back. It was a nice room, a bit small, but it seemed as though no one
minded and everyone was having a good time. The room had a high, positive
bustle of energy about it.
Tonight there was a small reception for all those who came to the
conference, a chance to get to know one another outside the business
setting. A chance to meet, to mingle. Personally, Mulder wanted to get out
of there as quickly at possible and have Scully all to himself. Preferably
in their bed. But, being the two main speakers, it was required of them to
make an adequate appearance.
They had made it to the courthouse after Scully had quickly changed from her
scrubs just in time to get the marriage license application filled out, and
to get married. By the time that was over, the reception had already
started, so Mulder and Scully went straight to the Ramada, still in the
suits they had been wearing all day. To Mulder, it only seemed appropriate
that Scully's wedding dress would actually be a black tailored suit.
She had been very quite since they left the courthouse, and Mulder was
beginning to wonder if she was regretting what they had just done.
Spontaneous was not Scully's middle name. When she grabbed his hand and led
him over to the open bar, Mulder's fears began to subside, slightly.
"What can I get for you beautiful?" Was it just Mulder, or was the bartender
leering at Scully, rather than just being friendly? He felt like grabbing
the slime ball by the collar and yelling at him to quit flirting with his
wife, but thought better of it when he could just picture Scully's reaction.
She'd probably castrate him for behaving like that.
Scully leaned over the bar slightly and gave the bartender a big smile.
Batting her eyelashes a few times, she asked him, "Can I get an un-opened
bottle of your most expensive wine?"
Mulder felt his eyebrows raise to his hairline. Scully was flirting with the
bartender? On their wedding night? Was this a reaction of sorts, some kind
of wedding post traumatic stress disorder?
The bartender grinned back, and replied, "I can't do that sweetheart. This
may be an open bar, but it's not a buffet."
Right, Mulder thought. Nice line jerk-off.
"Please?" She batted her eyelashes a few more times.
Mulder watched the bartender blush slightly and nod. "Okay, but don't tell
anyone. It'll be my job otherwise."
While they waited for the bartender to return, Scully refused to meet Mulder
's eyes. For some odd reason, Mulder chose to stay quiet, morbid curiosity
getting the better of him.
"Here you go sweet cakes," he said, as the bartender uncorked the bottle and
handed it over to her.
"How about two glasses?" There went those eyelashes again.
"Sure thing." The bartender handed over the glasses to Scully, appraised
her, and asked, "Now, just who are you going to share this bottle with,
beautiful? Surely you're not planning to drink it alone. I *do* get off work
in ten minutes."
Mulder watched as Scully's smile froze. "Oh I plan on sharing this with my
husband, thank you for asking. I'll be sure to tell him you get off work in
ten minutes in case he wants to thank you personally for getting us this
bottle, and for being so flattering by calling me sweet cakes." Gone was the
sultry voice, replaces with the interrogation voice.
Not able to help it, Mulder laughed outloud. Scully finally turned to him,
humor brimming in her eyes as she linked arms with him, being careful of the
wine glasses, and led him across the room to the sliding doors to the sun
deck.
"Scully, what was that all about?" he choked out as they took seats
overlooking the Heartland of America Park and the colored fountain that
glowed in the night sky. The air was cool with wind coming gently off the
Missouri River, not quite frozen over yet. The sun deck was somewhat closed
in a sheer plastic covering, so it was comfortable enough to sit out there.
The sounds of downtown and the Old Market filtered through as Friday night
in Omaha was in full swing.
"It was called using my feminine charms to get myself and my husband a
bottle of wine to enjoy on our wedding night, since we have to be stuck
here. Might as well take advantage of the situation." She paused in her
pouring to look up at Mulder, who felt his heart go into triple time at the
site of her. Cheeks flushed with partial excitement, partial cold, she had a
smile about her that seemed to grow by the second. Her eyes sparkled
brightly, and Mulder felt himself drowning in the waves of blue they
emitted. "Wow, Mulder, we're married now." Her smile grew even bigger as she
handed him his glass.
Mulder felt his smile grow to match hers. "I know. Does that mean *I* can
call you sweet cakes?"
"Not unless you want to be permanently limping and delegated to sleeping on
the couch the rest of your life."
"The rest of my life..." Mulder trailed off as the moment fully hit him.
"Hey Scully, we're married."
Scully's eyes brightened even more over the edge of her wine glass. "Didn't
I *just* say that?" Grinning, she reached over the chair and grabbed Mulder'
s hand, interlacing their fingers. "I suppose we should talk now though."
Feeling his eyebrows scrunched together, Mulder looked at Scully a little
warily. "Talk? This isn't where you tell me you used to be a man, is it?"
She squeezed his hand. "Now that you mention it..." Her voice was completely
serious, and Mulder looked over at her in alarm. Looking a little
embarrassed by how serious he was taking her joke, Scully's corners of her
lips twitched as she tried not to laugh. "I mean we need to talk about
working out the details Mulder. Like moving in together together, living
under one roof."
Mulder played with her fingers as she spoke. "Getting you and obnoxiously
big diamond."
"Letting people know we're finally not living in sin."
"Would that require telling our families?" Mulder was not looking forward to
meeting Bill Jr. under these circumstances. He was bound to hate him in this
life too, for running off with his sister and getting married.
"Mulder, my family's going to kill us." Scully trailed off and licked her
lips, as if she were hovering to say something important.
"What is it Scully?"
"Mulder, I'm not changing my name." Looking straight forward, Mulder tried
to catch her eye, but she refused to look at him.
"I know Scully, I know. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Mulder felt his heart melt as she looked over at him, a gentle smile falling
across her lips. "Good. Does that mean I get to call you Mr. Scully?"
The laughter of the two newlyweds faded into the winter night, as they
cuddled close under the blanket of protection from the stars.

*****
Thanksgiving Day
November 23, 1993
Mulder/Scully Residence
8:03 am
"Mulder, get down here, we're going to be late!" For such a tiny woman,
Mulder thought, Scully sure did have a set of lungs on her.
They had been married for almost three weeks, and today was D-Day. D as in
dead. D as in disaster. D as in disowned. D as in they were finally going to
tell Scully's family.
Since returning from the conference in Omaha, they had decided to move
Scully into Mulder's townhouse permanently. Though it was slow going, most
of Scully's things were now in their home, and even more painfully slow was
the merging of their things in a cohesive fashion. Mulder knew it was
driving Scully crazy, not having her usual sense of order at home, but work
was extremely busy and they both had been working extra long hours. Which
was also the reason why they hadn't gotten around to buying rings yet.
Staring at himself in the mirror in their bathroom and taking a huge breath
to calm his nerves, Mulder let the breath out slowly and audibly. They were
having family Thanksgiving dinner at the senior Scully's house, and Mulder
did not want to go. He had met Mrs. Scully several times already in this
life, but never Mr. Scully in either life. Bill Jr. and his girlfriend Tara
were going to be present, but Charlie was at sea and Missy was MIA. What was
he going to tell these people? 'Hi, I'm the person your daughter/sister has
been dating for two years now. Sorry we haven't met, by the way, without
giving regard to any of you or her Catholic upbringing, we got married three
weeks ago in a courthouse in a cornfield. Pass the gravy, please.'
Groaning, Mulder drug himself downstairs and to the living room, where he
knew Scully was waiting for him. Great, on top of everything else he had to
fear today, she looked annoyed with him.
Crossing her arms, she gave him the eyebrow, and Mulder felt himself
physically wince. He knew he was in trouble if he got the eyebrow.
"Mulder, quit moping. We have to do this sooner or later. It might as well
be now so we can get it over with in one shot." While she spoke, Mulder
found a great spot near the toe of his shoe to stare at. He felt her
approach and grab his hand gently.
"Hey," she started in a much softer voice, "I'm just as nervous as you. I'll
be honest with you- my family, our family is going to be upset that we did
this without them. But that's okay, and they'll forgive us and understand
why we did it. Why we needed to do it for us alone, and at that moment. We
might be facing some rough waters, but at least we're facing them together."
He looked up in her soothing eyes, trepidation still dancing in his.
"Come on Mulder, I'll let you ravish me tonight if you're a good boy."
Mulder feigned disinterest. "You let me do that anyway. Give me something
else, something that entices me."
She gave him a once over as she opened the door and ushered him out. The
winter had been unseasonably warm, and many of the trees still held their
leaves. The sun was shining brightly, mocking Mulder's mood, and the air was
crisp. Locking the front door, Scully turned to face him.
"How do you feel about fur-lined handcuffs Mulder?"

*****
Thanksgiving Day
November 23, 1993
1:27 pm
Scully Residence
Baltimore, Maryland
Mulder nervously jiggled his knee up and down underneath the table, and eyed
the food in front of him suspiciously. His stomach was too tied up into
knots to eat. So far, the day had gone exceptionally well, but it was still
early and he and Scully hadn't dropped their news yet. Almost jumping out of
his skin when he felt Scully's cool hand touch his knee, silently telling
him to stop fidgeting, Mulder resisted the urge to down the entire bottle of
wine setting on the table.
Maggie Scully had greeting them with open arms, hugging them both, and Bill
Scully Senior had engulfed his youngest daughter in a big hug, before
looking Mulder over once and extending him a hand, slapping him on the back
like they were new best friends. Even Bill Junior had taken an immediate
liking to Mulder, following his father's gestures of greeting, and Tara was
friendly and very, well, not pregnant. The only other time Mulder had met
her was when she was pregnant with Matthew.
The day had been very relaxing, very laid back, with both the men and women
helping prepare the meal with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade filtering
through in the background. All the while, Mulder was scared to even touch
Scully, let alone look at her. He was afraid they'd give themselves away.
Scully must have caught on, because she would throw him bemused glances,
trying to hold the corners of her mouth down, trying not to laugh at him.
Mulder didn't know whether to be hurt or grateful.
Dinner was fabulous, and Mulder somehow was making it through, speaking when
necessary, laughing on cue, occasionally being witty. His mind was on
complete autopilot.
Suddenly, he felt a soft, warm, impossibly small yet strong hand cover his
under the table, feeling alien next to his horribly clammy and sweaty one.
Counting to ten, Mulder tried to prevent himself from hyperventilating. He
knew what was left unsaid behind that touch- she was about to tell them.
It was a scene out of a sappy comedy movie. Suddenly both Scully and Bill
Junior blurted, "We have something we need to tell you." The siblings looked
at each other in shock, then both dissolved in nervous giggles, while Tara
smiled in amusement, Maggie and Bill Senior shared a knowing glance, and
Mulder tried desperately to keep himself from crawling under the table and
hiding.
"You first," Scully gasped, when she finally calmed down somewhat.
"Well," Bill Junior began, looking at Tara and then back at everyone else.
"I've asked Tara to marry me, and she's accepted."
A round of congratulations, smiles, and a few happy tears followed, and
Mulder thought he even managed to blink for their happiness.
After all had quieted down somewhat, Maggie turned to Scully and Mulder.
"Well, Dana? Fox?"
Scully smiled her thousand watt smile she rarely shared, and Mulder felt all
his strength flow back through his veins. No matter what happened, they
would still have each other. He didn't have to be nervous for anything.
Except maybe when Bill Junior lunged across the table with the carving knife
aiming for Mulder's jugular after they told their secret.
Clearing her throat, Scully squeezed Mulder's hand, and he knew that she was
just as nervous. For some odd reason, that was more reassuring than anything
else.
"Um, well, we kind of have a similar announcement. Mulder and I decided we
wanted to get married a few weeks ago. And," she raised her voice above
everyone else's as everyone started to say their congratulations, "we did.
November 3."
The table went silent, and the expected blank stares and shocked eyes bored
into Mulder and Scully.
Finally Bill Senior spoke. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Mulder finally found something in him that gave him courage to speak up.
Scully didn't need to do all the work, after all. They were in this
together, for better or for worse. "Scul-er, ah, Dana and I got married
November 3. Three weeks ago tomorrow."
The silence was deafening. Maggie's face went pale, while her husband's grew
red. Bill Junior stared at Scully and Mulder like they had grown second
heads. Tara smile warmly at them and was the one who finally broke the
uncomfortable silence.
"I thinks that's wonderful, you two deserve it! I can understand why you
wouldn't want to wait, with your jobs and everything, you never know what
you may have to face tomorrow, what dangers may take one of you away. There'
s something to be said about two people, so obviously in love and loving,
eloping. It's so intimate, and special. Nothing else matters to you except
each other, and that's ultimately what getting married, the actual ceremony
or union should be about."
By this point Maggie and Bill Senior's faces had returned to their normal
coloring, listening to Tara's rational reasoning, but Mulder resisted the
urge to hide the carving knife from Bill Junior, based upon the look on his
face. It seemed like somethings were fated to happen, like Bill thinking he
was one sorry son of a bitch.
"Well," Maggie began, after downing the rest of the wine in her glass. "I
can't say I'm not disappointed that the family didn't get to share in this
event with the two of you, and I can say I'm especially disappointed that
the wedding didn't take place in the church. However, I can see that this
makes you two happy, and maybe ultimately it was for the best to get married
in such a way. I'm not saying it's not going to take some time getting use
to, but if you're happy, then we're happy for you."
Tears sprung to Mulder's eyes, and when he glanced at Scully, he could see
the tears were already flowing down her face. Voice cracking, Scully finally
answered for the two of them.
"Thank you. That's all we want, a chance to be happy, a shot at happiness."
Mulder realized that she had absolutely no idea how true her words rang.

*****
Saturday, January 7, 1994
1:47 am
Mulder/Scully Residence
The fire was blazing soundly, enveloping the room in it's lethargic warmth.
Sighing with contentment, Mulder pulled a sleeping Scully closer to him.
Spooned up together, they had fallen asleep on the couch, watching the fire
and not speaking, saying volumes. Captain and Maggie Scully had left from
their visit a few hours ago, and he and Scully had curled up together after
they had left. Mulder knew that Scully was pleased with her parent's visit;
her father, after joking about having the Christmas tree up still, had
granted her and Mulder his blessings. Even if he hadn't known Scully as well
as he did, her need for her father's approval was obvious as the relief
flooded into her face with a rare showing of pure joyous emotion at his
words.
Mulder smiled to himself as he remembered the past few weeks. This holiday
season had been one of the best that Mulder had experienced in either life.
For Christmas, he and Scully had finally purchased wedding bands for each
other. Though he wanted to buy her an obnoxiously big rock that announced to
the world that she was his, she insisted on a simple band. Scully's argument
was that every time she would have to do an autopsy, she would have to take
off her rings. She feared not only loosing them, but loosing that connection
from him, even just temporary as she sliced and diced someone. The latex
gloves would fit over a band without ripping, so a band it was. Mulder
grudgingly admitted that she was right, but the band they chose together was
beautiful- both their bands were a matching platinum, however, Scully's
adorned one solitary princess cut diamond embedded within the band.
The actual holiday was spent up at the Vineyard, where his parents lived
were still happily married, and where Mulder got to be *reunited* with
Samantha, her husband Andrew, and their two kids, A.J., age four, and
Sabrina, age two. A faint smile crossed Mulder's face at how taken A.J. was
with "Aunt Dana" and how cool she was because she made a snowman with him
and taught him how to make snow angels.
His family wasn't very surprised at the news, and weren't upset at the
delayed announcement of he and Scully getting married. In fact, they were
thrilled to have a new addition to the family and seemed to expect something
like this from Mulder. To Mulder, he felt as though he were truly living in
a dream from which he never wanted to wake. To add to the perfect
ideological scene, his mother teased Mulder and Scully several times a day
during their four day stay when they were going to give her more
grandchildren to spoil.
The trip had stirred an intense longing in Mulder that he never knew was
possible. Sure, he had Scully as a lifetime partner in every true sense,
traditional and nontraditional, of the word, but he wanted more. Seeing
Scully with his niece and nephew, observing Sam and her little family, and
hearing his mother's teasing made him long to expand their own family. He
wanted little uber-Scully-Mulders running around the house. When the
realization hit him that it was possible for Scully to have children still,
he had been elated.
So one week ago, on New Year's Day, just after midnight had rung in 1994 and
Mulder and Scully celebrated at home, Mulder had brought up the subject of
kids with Scully. A shared New Year's Resolution was then sealed with a
passionate kiss and gentle lovemaking as Mulder and Scully decided that they
were going to try and have a baby. Mulder knew it would take some months as
her body readjusted to being off birth control, but there was no time like
the present to practice. After all, practice made perfect, right?
Mulder felt his eyes start to drift again, the feeling about him to only be
described as 'warm and fuzzy', while at the same time that he felt Scully
stir slightly. Feeling her fingers entwine with his, he swore he heard her
mumble, "Mom, Dad? I thought you guys left." She sat up quickly, eyes
fixated on the love seat across the room, and Mulder struggled to sit up as
well.
"Scully?"
She jumped slightly, as if she wasn't aware that he was still in the room.
Looking over to him briefly, she fixed her gaze back in the direction she
had been originally looking. Mulder saw a look of confusion flutter across
her face, and her jaw dropped slightly, as if in surprise.
The phone suddenly rang rudely, and this time he jumped as an ominous chill
fell across him. Phone calls this time of the night were never good news.
Rubbing his eyes, he reached for the phone as Scully gave him a look of
concern.
"Hello?" His voice was low and scratchy.
"Yes, this is Officer Joe Meyers with the Baltimore Police Department. Is
this the residence of Dana Scully?"
"Yeah, this is her husband, Fox Mulder. What is this about?"
"There's been a car accident involving both a Bill Scully and a Margaret
Scully. Ms. Scully is listed as one of the next of kin. I suggest you get to
Johns Hopkins University Hospital as soon as possible."
Mulder felt himself grow pale with fear and his heart dropped to his
stomach. Refusing to meet Scully's eyes, he asked, "Is everything okay?"
The office cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I'm sorry sir."
Closing his eyes, Mulder hung up the phone muttering a thank you under his
breath.
"Mulder?"
He looked up to her, and he could tell she knew immediately just by the look
upon his face. Face crumpling, he saw her whole demeanor deflate as she
pleaded with her eyes to him to be joking, to not let it be true.
"No," she pleaded mournfully, biting her lip and shaking her head.
"Oh god Scully, I'm so sorry," he whispered, drawing her into his arms as
her sobs began to rack her body. Together they shared the pain as he rocked
her, softly stroking her hair and whispering non-sense words of condolences.

*****
Two Days Later
Monday, January 10, 1994
Chesapeake Bay
12:06 pm
They stood overlooking the bay, and a depressing drizzle fell down upon them
relentlessly. Mulder stood close to Scully, as close as he could without
touching her. To her right was the elusive Charlie and his wife,
surprisingly with two kids. To the right of Charlie was Tara and Bill
Junior, looking too mournful to even shoot a glare at Mulder. Melissa Scully
was still missing in action.
Lulled into deep thoughts by the song "Beyond the Sea" playing, Mulder
pondered the significance of both Scully's parents dying at the same time in
this life. Last time, only her father had died, and that was because of a
massive coronary. Bill Senior had still suffered from the coronary this time
around, but it had been while he had been driving him and Maggie home, and
at the same time hitting a patch of ice, causing the car to careen off the
road and roll over a few times.
Captain Scully had not made it to the hospital, but Maggie had hung on,
unconscious, until Mulder and Scully arrived at Johns Hopkins. She tapered
off quietly after Scully had kissed her goodbye.
What caused this to be different? The monstrosity of the implications made
Mulder's head hurt. He couldn't even begin to fathom the theoretic why.
Samantha's never abducted, his family is happy, his parent's stay married,
he becomes the star of the Bureau rather than the joke, he still meets and
falls in love with Scully, he gets to marry Scully this time, her father
still dies, but this time her mother dies untimely as well.
So would the rest of their lives be slightly altered as well, or would only
the most important events in their lives be present? Obviously this wasn't
going to be a slight variation of the other life, because the X-Files were
not present, did not run their lives in this one. Once again, Mulder
wondered about the constants and variables, wondered what other surprises
were going to be in store for them.
He knew for sure thought that he would easily change things back if it took
even an ounce of Scully's pain away. However, he began to think that if
something like her father dying was inevidible, that maybe his guilt for the
pain in her life was unwarranted. Only the fate of time would tell.
Feeling an icy hand grab his, Mulder squeezed Scully's hand tightly.
"You know as a Captain he was entitled full burial in Arlington, but this is
what he wanted, what they wanted. Just the family. He loved the sea and
wanted his final resting place to be with it, and she wanted her final
resting place to be with him."
Nodding, he let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders,
pulling her close. She was so stoic, and it frightened him. The need to
mourn must have been overwhelming for her, but she refused to give into it.
Wishing she would, he leaned in close and whispered in her ear.
"Scully, I know how much you loved them both, and I know how important your
father's approval was to you. But you don't have to be the strong one right
now, the little girl made of iron he was proud of. You need to let it go,
grieve for them Scully. It's okay to let someone else be strong for you. Let
me be that person."
Seeing her bite her lip, he turned her to face him, hands upon her
shoulders.
"Scully, look at me."
She shook her head violently and continued to stare at the ground.
Placing a gentle finger under her chin, he lifted it till her eyes met his.
He could see the fear of the implications of his words looming in her eyes.
To give in, to allow him to be strong for her, would mean a loss of control
for her, and Mulder knew that was one of her biggest fears, to not be in
control emotionally, because that would mean admitting she couldn't handle
everything on her own.
"Scully..." he whispered, the back of his hand tracing her cheek.
Suddenly, she was sobbing uncontrollably, shoulders shaking violently,
breaths hitching. Feeling his own tears flowing, he engulfed her in his
arms. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she clung to him like a
lifesaver as she drowned in her grief and despair.

*****
October 14, 1994
J. Edgar Hoover Building
Office of Dr. Dana Scully
8:14 pm
Mulder stood outside of his wife's office door, knocking lightly before
entering. Her secretary, like his, had long gone home, which is exactly what
Mulder wanted to do. He and Scully had driven to work together that morning,
so he was determined to get her out of there, home, and in bed. Grinning, he
recalled how much fun they had that morning trying to get pregnant.
When he saw her however, he knew that the chance of getting her out of there
any time soon was nil. The room was illuminated by only her desk lamp, and
she was in full concentration mode; glasses on, jacket off, hair pulled
back, and, as he learned as he peeked under the desk, shoes discarded.
"Hey," she said distractedly, flipping the page in the file, without looking
up at him.
"How did you know it was me, and not someone else, like the Director, an
alien, your secret lover..."
He sat down in the chair across from her desk and folded his hands behind
his head, awaiting her response.
"Well, I ruled out the Director immediately because I know he left already
for the day, as he said at the end of our senior staff meeting earlier
today, which, if I remember correctly, you were in attendance, and obviously
not paying attention. I ruled out the alien because aliens don't exist, and
my secret lover isn't coming until tomorrow night, so that left you."
Mulder grinned, loving that they were so secure in their relationship that
they had their 'secret lover' inside joke, stemming from an secret admirer
card Scully had received just this past Valentine's Day. Later they found
out it was from some young, new agent with a serious crush. The card had
read something like: 'I know that you're married, but I can be your secret
lover'. The kid now ran in the opposite direction whenever Mulder was within
twenty feet of him. Mulder hadn't threatened the kid, but he suppose the kid
thought that Mulder would flatten him or something. The poor agent hadn't
realized at the time Scully's husband was his boss.
She looked up at his silence and gave him the eyebrow. "Seriously, Mulder?
You walk and open the door very distinctively. I can always tell when it's
you."
Feeling a warmth spread through his chest, Mulder resisted the urge to grab
her and kiss her senseless. He had never felt so loved, so wanted, so adored
in his life. Guessing that the other Scully did the same thing and felt the
same way, it was so different and felt different when they could verbalize
their feelings in this life. More fulfilled, he mused. Less missed
opportunity, no more loneliness.
"How much longer you gonna be?" he asked propping his feet on her desk, but
immediately removing him at her glare.
"Late. I'm backlogged here with this paperwork, and then I'm going down to
the morgue- there's a backlog there too, and I'm going to help out with some
autopsies. For some reason, all the murderers in the city are deciding to
make their crimes within the Bureau's jurisdiction, and the morgue can't get
the bodies studied quick enough.
Mulder nodded, completely understanding. The VCU was dealing with a
particularly heinous guy at the moment, some sick individual who liked to
kidnap woman, keep them barely alive a few months. Evidence so far showed
that the women were tied up naked, while he got off just by looking at them
in their helplessness. The woman, though they would show no signs of sexual
abuse, showed signs of sever hunger, dehydration, and exposure. After ten
weeks, the guys would then slice open their wrists and let them bleed to
death, before finding a new victim. It was close to the ten week marker, and
Mulder's unit was working overtime to anticipate the guy's next move. The
VCU had no leads and hardly any forensic evidence.
"Well, I'm going home and going to try and get inside this guy's head a
little bit. I'm having trouble concentrating here, with everyone buzzing
about him. I'm going to work where I can clear my head without
 distractions."
It was Scully's turn to nod, and she got up and walked around the desk to
stand before Mulder. She looked at him with concern; everyone knew about the
case with all the media attention it had been gathering, but he had been
keeping her apprised of the grisly details, wanting her opinions and help.
The case was was very difficult for everyone involved, and Mulder was
especially anxious about it.
Standing up, he placed his hands lightly on her hips, and she reached up to
cup his face in her hands. "Just watch yourself Mulder. I know how far you
can let yourself go with these criminals and tying to get into their minds.
Don't forget to come back to me." Her thumbs traced his lips before clasping
behind his neck. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he drew he close to
embrace her.
"I promise Scully," he whispered as he nuzzled her neck.
"Good." Pulling away slightly, she smiled at him.
"I'm gonna take a cab home, that way you can have the car, okay?" Smiling
back, he pushed an errant strand of hair away from her eyes.
"Very noble of you Mulder, to brave the taxi."
"Well you know, I try play the hero to my woman every now and then."
She poked him in the ribs, laughing, and he grabbed the offending hand to
place a kiss on the palm, before moving to her lips.
The kiss was short, but fulfilled. When they kissed, it was never to go
through the motions, but to share emotions and feelings that words between
them could never describe or articulate. Pulling away, they shared a quiet
smile before letting go, as Mulder headed for the door and Scully went back
around to sit at her desk.
"Wake me when you get home, 'kay Scully?"
"Okay Mulder. Try not to scare the cab driver too much with your spooky
talk."
"Drive home safe, Scully. I love you."
He saw her eyes shine brightly in the dimmed room. "I love you Mulder."

*****
October 14, 1994
Mulder/Scully Residence
11:24 pm
Mulder had just gotten up from the couch to take a break, giving the the
table in front of him scattered with photographs, profiles, and all sorts of
other paperwork a last glance, and headed for the kitchen for a glass of
water. Finishing the last gulp in the dark, too tired to turn on the lights,
he heard his cell phone ring from the other room. Gathering hidden energy,
Mulder bounded back into the living room, anxious to talk to Scully.
"Scully, puh-lease tell me you're on your way back home- I'm getting
 cranky."
"Ahh, ahem, Section Chief Mulder?"
Mulder blinked once, surprised it wasn't Scully before he remember to
answer. "Speaking, who's this?"
"It's, ah, ahem, it's Agent Hall sir."
Ah, Scully's admirer. No wonder the kid sounded nervous on the phone. Mulder
shoved aside thoughts of tormenting the kid as he got down to business
instead. The kid was working on this serial killer case, the 'Monster of Ten
Weeks', as the media called the perpetrator, and must be calling because the
next victim had been taken. The MOTW, as the Bureau had dubbed him, always
left a note at the scene where he took the next woman, and Mulder assumed
that the note had been found.
"What is it Agent?"
"Sir, we're, ah, standing at the next crime scene, where we, ah, found the
next note. It was stuck to a windshield wiper of a car stopped at an
intersection just a block from the Hoover building. The car shows signs of
forced entry, and ah, sir? The car is yours and Dr. Scully's."

*****
Intersection of 12th and E Streets, NW
Washington, DC
11:45 pm
"Not again, not again, not again, not again," was Mulder's mantra, in tune
with his hurried footsteps echoing loudly on the pavement.
"I should've known better," he muttered to himself as he crossed the yellow
police lines. After all, the dates for both lives had been corresponding so
far. He shouldn't have let her out of his sight tonight, this night of all
nights. Mulder shuddered as he remembered that even the times were the same,
both burned permanently upon his memories.
"What have we got here?" Mulder questioned as he pushed his way through the
crowd of agents, ignoring all the looks of sympathy that were shooting his
way.
No one answered as Mulder looked around the crime scene, taking in all the
evidence for himself. The driver's side window was smashed in, and the
shards of glass inside were reflecting off of the nearby street light. The
driver's door was wide open, and on the driver's side back seat door there
were scratches and a slight dent. Peering further inside, Mulder saw Scully'
s cell phone and gun in the passenger's side, as well as her briefcase.
"The car was still running Sir and we shut the engine off, but other than
that scene has not been disturbed."
Mulder barely acknowledged the agent with a slight nod. Placing both hands
on the hood of the car, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath,
imagining what took place. After leaving the Hoover parking garage, Scully
would've turned west onto E Street, grabbing her cell phone to call him. At
the corner, stopped at the red light she would be just about ready to dial
home, but the fist would've come through the window first, making Scully
drop the phone and reach for her gun, while the flying glass left small cuts
along her flawless porcelain skin.
The perpetrator would've had the door open before Scully had a chance to
scream, and he would've tried to drag her into the darkness quickly. However
Scully, though rendered silent, would've put up a fight. The MOTW would have
smashed her into the backseat door during the fight, leaving a dent at the
harsh impact as she would be knocked unconscious. Mulder felt the bile raise
to the back of his throat.
"Fuck!" screamed Mulder, punching the hood of the car.
Looking frantic, he turned around quickly scanned the group of Agents
hovering carefully around him.
"I want to talk to the witnesses."
The Agents all glanced at each other nervously, shifting their weights and
diverting their eyes.
"Sir? So far we haven't found any witnesses." The agent who was brave enough
to break the news looked ready to bolt.
"What?!" roared Mulder, standing straight up and throwing his hands up in
the air. "How the hell does one of the Bureau's own, one of your bosses, get
kidnapped right outside of Headquarters, at a busy intersection, and there
are no witnesses? God damnit, find me some fucking witnesses!"
Mulder spun around in a circle, pointing randomly. "Where the hell is
forensics? I want this entire car and note dusted for prints, every fiber
examined. This intersection is remaining closed as a crime scene until I say
so. I want every available agent scoping out every building, every business
within a ten mile radius and every living creature with eyes or ears is to
be checked out and questioned if they saw any one or anything suspicious. We
are going to catch this sadistic son of a bitch once and for all."
Spent, Mulder walked away from the scene, leaning against the nearest car.
Burying his face in his hands, he bit is lip until he felt blood, trying to
hold back his pain and grief. Running his hands roughly through his hair,
Mulder tilted his chin towards the moon, which was casting eerie shadows
over the DC streets, adding to the atmosphere of fear. "Oh god Scully," he
whispered into the stillness of the opaque night.

*****
November 18, 1994
Office of Section Chief Mulder
3:22 am
Mulder's office looked as though a tornado had hit it. Papers, old coffee
cups, and take out bags were strewn about haphazardly. For the past five
weeks Mulder had lived there, only going back home long enough to shower,
grab a change of clothes, and feed the fish. When he needed to sleep, he
slept on the couch here at work- he hated being at home because he felt that
he was wasting valuable time. That was time that could be used to search for
Scully. He also felt her presence strongly at home, and that was just too
painful for him to endure. In fact, he would only go home to shower when his
secretary reminded him, albeit very tactfully, and he would've forgotten to
eat had she not supplied the take out. In the back of Mulder's convoluted
mind, he reminded himself to give her both a raise and a really nice
Christmas gift.
The perpetrator was very good, and Mulder had certainly met his match. The
guy left no forensic evidence, no witnesses. Mulder had drawn up a working
profile of the guy- he was certain it was a guy, and a very big guy at that.
Even with the element of surprise on the perp's side, the guy had to be huge
for Scully not to be able to fight herself free; he had to be at least
Mulder's height, possibly taller. The guy had been a "B" student in school;
not the smartest, but bright enough to pull these kidnappings off so cleanly
and quickly. He was probably also native to DC, having been able to know the
areas well enough to get in and get out without witnesses, and would have
some college, but not a degree.
Why did he commit the crimes in the fashion that he did? The perp's intent
had taken Mulder longer to grasp, but he was confident that his profile was
correct. Mulder surmised that the guy had an Oedipus complex, that he had
adored and had a crush on his mother, had placed her upon a pedestal. He had
eventually, probably about a year before the killings began, made an actual
move upon his mother. Based upon the way the perp killed these woman, the
mother felt guilty, ashamed, and dirty by the way her son had acted, and had
committed suicide by slashing her wrists and bled herself to death. The guy
was on the lookout for another woman who could essential replace his mother,
be that perfect symbol on the pedestal. That was also why the guy never
sexual abused the woman, but masturbated while watching them. He knew his
feelings for his mother were wrong, therefore he's been afraid to touch
these woman sexually, but he craved the satisfaction of release from them.
He wanted to touch them, but couldn't get over the guilt and the shameful
feelings of wanting his mother that way. Eventually, each woman wouldn't
excite him anymore, wouldn't live up to his standards, so he'd kill them in
the same manner his mother had killed herself, then continued on his search
for the 'perfect' woman.
Mulder paced around his office, like a lion trapped in a cage, kicking
random things out of his way. Even with the solid profile, they were no
where closer to catching this guy. Every break, every clue had turned out to
be a dead end. They were now five weeks into Scully's kidnapping, and Mulder
knew they only had four to find her before the guy would kill her, then take
another week to find the next victim.
Sinking down on his couch, Mulder placed his elbows on his knees and cradled
his face in his hands. He almost wish she'd been abducted by aliens or the
government, whomever took her in the last life. For some reason, dealing
with that kidnapping was a lot easier than dealing with this one. It was
almost better not knowing who they were dealing with, rather than knowing
the kidnapper's motives and mind.
Mulder was so deep in thought that he almost didn't hear the phone ring.
Drawing his face up from his hands slowly, he blinked a few times in
confusion, before leaping across the room to pick up the phone.
"Mulder."
"Section Chief Mulder? DCPD picked up a man for drunk driving tonight. You
may want to get down here for questioning. He was pulled over right outside
your house, and, he had some of Dr. Scully's, ahh, ahem, personal items of
clothing with him. This may be our perp."
Closing his eyes, Mulder inhaled a quick breath. This would be too good to
be true.
"Do not let anyone talk to him about Scully, okay? Make him wait, sober him
up a little, and I am on my way. I want to question him myself- I don't want
anyone else fucking it up and asking the wrong questions. Make sure there is
a lawyer present. If this guy is our bastard, I don't want him to get off on
a technicality. Do not let him know that I am her husband either- he would
enjoy that too much."
Mulder hung up his phone, and for the first time in five weeks, he felt
somewhat alive. Even if this guy wasn't the perp, he had access to the perp
somehow. They finally had a viable break.
"Hang on Scully," he whispered. "Please just hang on."

PART 4 - The Fate of Time

*****
Washington DC Police Department
District One, Southeast Side
3:35 am
Mulder had made it across town in record time. He barely remembered to turn
off his car and shut the door as he stormed through the doors of the
precinct. Flashing his badge, he asked, "Where is he? What's his name?"
The officer at the front desk got up and walked to the other side. "Section
Chief Mulder, we've been expecting you, but not this quickly. We'll have the
perp transferred to the questioning room. He's been passed out in the drunk
tank for awhile. We have a court appointed lawyer already waiting, just as
you requested." Handing Mulder a file, the officer placed a hand on Mulder's
shoulder.
"Sir, this is highly unorthodox, especially the nature of the relationship
with the kidnap victim. Because of that, we are placing one of our officers
in the room with you."
Mulder barely nodded as he skimmed the file. The perp's name was Greg Adams,
age 32. At six feet, five inches tall and 285 pounds, Scully hadn't stood a
chance against this guy. Several priors for drunk driving, as well as
kidnapping, which was eventually dismissed for circumstantial evidence.
Biting his lip hard, Mulder tried his best to hold back his anger at the
fact that this guy had been let back out on the streets several years ago,
when he should have been locked behind bars. If the courts had done their
jobs correctly the first time around, Scully could have been saved all this
pain and suffering.
Another officer came through the swing doors and motioned for Mulder to
follow him. His anticipation increased as his footsteps echoed through the
dim, dreary hallway to the questioning room. Pausing outside, Mulder glanced
through the window at Greg Adams. The bastard was sitting there slouched,
with a smirk upon his face. His eyes were a steely gray, and his black hair
was long and unkempt, mussed and sticking out everywhere. He was sweating
slightly, and Mulder guessed it was from the oncoming hang-over.
Calming his temper and his resolve, Mulder entered the room, gave a nod to
both the lawyer and the officer, and sat down across from Adams. The tension
in the room was palpable, and Mulder stared at Adams, partly refusing to
talk until he knew that Adams was feeling sufficiently uncomfortable, and
partly because he was afraid to speak yet.
The two men stared each other down, refusing to give in. Mulder leaned back
in his chair, folding his hands on the table before him, attempting to give
an aura of calm, though his insides were jumping all around. He refused to
loose this staring contest; it could mean Scully's life otherwise.

*****
Washington, DC Police Department
District One
5:27 am
With the exception of blinking, Mulder had not moved an inch in the past two
hours, and Adams had yet to move as well. The two men continued to stared at
each other, and the only sound emanating from the room was the hollow
ticking of the clock on the wall. From one of the side of the table came the
sound of a pen falling to the floor. The lawyer had dropped his pen on the
floor as he nodded asleep and reawoke at the sudden sound. Finally Adams was
broken out of the stare to look at what fell, while Mulder remained staring
at him, and Mulder then knew that he had won that round.
Clearing his throat, Mulder leaned forward against the table. "So, Mr.
Adams, why don't you tell us about your night tonight?"
Glaring at Mulder, Adams crossed his arms. "I don't understand why I'm still
here. Just press the charges for the drunk driving and let's get the show on
the road."
"Ah, but I think you've done a lot more than just drunk driving. Tell me,
when you go out drinking, do you always carry a pair of women's underwear
with you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't? You have no idea how you got that underwear? That's funny,
because I always remember how I acquired undergarments from the opposite
sex, no matter how drunk I was, especially if that garment had obviously
been worn recently and even more if it belongs to a woman that has been
missing for several weeks now."
"I know my rights, I don't have to say a word. Besides, that pair of panties
could have belonged to a dozen woman. How do you know it belonged to the
bitch that's been missing?"
Mulder pushed back from the chair suddenly and walked around to face Adams.
Leaning over, nose to nose, Mulder's voice was barely a whisper.
"They could've been from any woman, but I know for a fact that they're from
the woman the FBI has been looking for. And, I know for a fact you know
where she is. If you know what's good for you, you'll tell us where to find
her."
"Even if I did know who you were talking about or what you were talking
about, what would be in it for me?"
Letting out a frustrated breath, Mulder pounded the table with his fist,
then grabbing Adams by the collar, pulled the bigger man to his feet and
stood in his face.
"God damnit you son of a bitch, you're gonna tell me where the fuck she is,
I swear to god, I will kill you with my bare hands. If she's not, if you've,
if you..." Mulder trailed off from his rampage, throwing Adams back down in
the chair. During Mulder's outburst, the police officer and lawyer had moved
to stop Mulder, but paused mid-stride when Mulder let go of Adams.
Mulder ran his hands roughly over his face, trying hard to keep the tears at
bay. As strong has he tried to be, Mulder knew he was about to loose it
emotionally. Was Scully the one that Adams finally escalated further with?
What if they couldn't find her? What if they did have the wrong person? What
if it were already too late?
Suddenly the door opened, and an Agent stepped through the doors, looking
pensive.
"Sir," he started, looking directly at Mulder. "We found Dr. Scully. She's
en route to George Washington University Hospital as we speak."
Swallowing hard with some kind of emotion that was a cross between relief
and dread, Mulder leaned in close to Adams again, who had paled at both
Mulder's outburst and the news of Scully being found.
"I will make you pay, mark my word."

*****
November 20, 1994
George Washington University Hospital
Intensive Care Unit
7:14 pm
Mulder sat at Scully's bedside, holding her hand tightly. He had only left
her side in the past two days to use the restroom and grab the occasional
cup of coffee, and sometimes if he remembered, food. Scully had been
unconscious since she had been brought in, but thankfully not in a coma. She
was pale, so pale that her skin looked almost translucent, and was painfully
thin. When he had taken the opportunity to look her over himself, after the
doctors had finally left him alone with her, he could see her rib and hip
bones sticking out, almost painfully he thought, against her skin.
The test for trace evidence had come up negative, but Scully did have
several large, greenish-purple colored bruises in several places, including
one incredibly nasty one across her face making Mulder believe she fought
Adams every chance she got. She was severely dehydrated and suffered from
malnutrition. The FBI was, however, able to get DNA samples out from under
her fingernails. Even though DNA analysis was still in its infant stages in
1994, the FBI also had access to the most advance DNA technology of the
times, so Mulder was hoping this would be their smoking gun against Adams.
The most important thing though was that she was alive. Now, she just had to
wake up.
Placing his other arm on the edge of her bed, Mulder laid his forehead upon
his forearm, closing his eyes in exhaustion. He was afraid to fall asleep,
afraid he wouldn't be there for her when she woke up. Deep down, he had
never forgiven himself the first time around for not being there with her
when she had awaken from her coma. This time, he wanted to be the first
person that she saw.
The tears wouldn't come anymore. He was too tired to cry, too emotionally
drained to try.
Mulder then felt a very slight twitch of Scully's fingers. Raising his eyes,
he was afraid to be even slightly hopeful that she was awakening. His eyes
scoured her face, her hands, looking for any sign that she was coming back,
coming back to him.
Moments passed, lost from them forever. When no other part of her moved, not
another twitch, not a flutter of an eyelid, Mulder placed a kiss on the back
of her hand that he was still holding and laid his forehead back down,
praying that his vigil would not only pay off, but pay off soon.

*****
November 22, 1994
George Washington University Hospital
Intensive Care Unit
9:22 pm
Mulder had finally given in, gave up his resolve.
The doctors couldn't figure out why Scully hadn't awaken yet, and had
suggested to Mulder that he talk to her like normal, like he was having a
conversation with her. He couldn't keep the truth in anymore, and told her
the whole story; the other life, the X-Files, her other abduction, her
cancer, Emily, her inability to have children, his brain surgery, Cigarette
Smoking Man, Skinner, the Lone Gunmen, and amazingly enough, all the good
times. Though it seemed to Mulder that all the major events in that life
were surrounded by sadness, his most fond memories were the little things,
the everyday things he took for granted. Her smile, the eyebrow, the slide
shows, her bee pollen. Queequeg. Arcadia. Debating cases in the dusty
basement on a Saturday afternoon with tempting sunshine filtering though.
Non-fat tofrutti rice dreamsicles. Most importantly he told her of their
friendship, and how she challenged him like no other person had. He told her
how in both lives, she completed him, was as much a part of his soul as he
was. He admitted he wasn't sure who Fox Mulder was without Dana Scully, and
how he didn't ever want to know himself without her.
Mulder had just worn himself out talking. He leaned back with his eyes
closed in the hard, uncomfortable orange colored chair to run his hands
through his hair when he heard a barely audible, very confused, "Mulder?"
Sitting ramrod straight in the chair, Mulder leaned in quickly, eyes wide,
and grabbed Scully's hand gently, running his thumb over her knuckles.
"Hi," he whispered, taking his other hand and smoothing the hair from her
forehead.
"Why am I in the hospital Mulder?" she asked hoarsely, blinking a few times
in confusion.
Grabbing a glass of water, Mulder placed his hand behind her head, gently
lifting it so she could take a sip. He replaced the glass of water to the
table next to them even slowly lower Scully back to her pillow, tracing his
fingertips lightly over her unbruised cheek.
"Thank you," she said, a little more clearly. Turning to look at him, she
gave him a look that asked him, 'Well, why am I here?'.
"You don't remember anything Scully?"
Closing her eyes, she licked her lips before answering. "Last thing I
remember was leaving the morgue at Headquarters, hoping you left me some
food. Hoping you were still awake, hoping you weren't too far gone into your
profiling. The guy, the UNSUB, Mulder, was he caught?"
Mulder stared at a point on the far side of the room before answering her.
Keeping his eyes away from hers, he answered, "Yes, he was caught almost a
week ago. Scully, what is the last date that you remember?"
"The last date I remember is October 14...and he wasn't close to being
caught then. Oh my god Mulder, he was caught a week ago? How long have I
been out , and from what? Ten days? Two weeks?"
Mulder swallowed roughly. "Um, officially Scully, you've been unconscious
for six days, from the day that we caught him."
He still refused to look at her, and he could feel her hard gaze upon him.
"What aren't you telling me Mulder?"
"Today's date is November 22 Scully. You were found on November 18, after
the UNSUB had kidnapped you. You were missing for almost six weeks." He
finally met her eyes as she gasped, eyes wide in disbelief.
The atmosphere increasing grew uncomfortable as Scully fell silent, staring
off at the same spot Mulder had focused upon a few moments ago.
"Scully?"
"I'm tired Mulder. I think I'm going to sleep."
"Alright Scully," he whispered, but she was already gone.

*****
September 26, 1995
Mulder/Scully Residence
1:19 am
The past year had been rough for Mulder and Scully. After returning home
from the hospital, Scully had withdrawn, closing into herself. It had taken
a month of healing before the Bureau deemed that she was both physically
well and mentally competent to go back to work. Even so, the nightmares
continued to plague her, on a daily basis in the beginning. Though she told
Mulder she couldn't remember anything from her abduction, her nightmares
seemed to have her relive the experience over and over again. After she woke
up, she would remain frightened, even afraid of Mulder until she was
completely coherent again and realized where she was and who she was with.
Mulder knew that she was only afraid of him because she was still in her
dream, but it still ripped his heart apart.
Scully was also very uncomfortable with her body and sexuality afterwards,
even around Mulder. Her clothes became very non discreet and baggy. It took
two months for her to even feel comfortable enough to sleep with him in the
same bed, and another month before she would even let him look at her
without any clothes on. It wouldn't be until late March until they started
making love again, and even then it was sporadic and strained. Mulder always
made sure he was using protection again, because he knew Scully was in no
shape to become pregnant.
The holidays were also hard. Scully hadn't been released from the hospital
until December 5 because the doctors were afraid with the combination of her
injuries and the severity of her dehydration and malnutrition that releasing
her any earlier would have put her health in jeopardy. She still had to see
a nutritionist until early January to make sure she was eating correctly
again. After her hospital release, Scully had been ordered to see a
therapist once a week, and shortly after her birthday her visits were
shortened to just once a month. All the while, Scully kept insisting she was
fine.
However, as time went by Scully began to heal more and more. The nightmares
were more infrequent, and she wasn't nervous around Mulder anymore. She
started wearing clothes that were more flattering to her figure, and Mulder
didn't have to watch her like a hawk over what she ate. They had discussed
having a baby again, and were not using protection anymore. Finally self
assured in the bedroom again, they were making love almost on a nightly
basis, with her in charge about half the time, as it was before she had been
taken. Plus, she wasn't insisting putting on her pajamas immediately
anymore, and was content to sleep in the nude with him again.
Mulder lay in bed on his back in such that nude state, arms wrapped around
an also very nude Scully, finding it hard to fall asleep. She was sound
asleep, her head resting on his chest, mussed hair tickling his nose. In his
musings, he had some difficulty finding sleep even after a particularly
energetic round, like he normally would. Scully had her monthly session
today, or yesterday, he mused after a quick glance at the alarm clock.
Afterwards, all three had sat down together, the therapist, Dr. Michelle
Mainer, himself, and Scully. Dr. Mainer had said that that Scully was making
excellent progress and only wanted to see her two more times, enough visits
to last through the one year anniversary of her abduction and return. Mulder
couldn't stop grinning all day at the news. His Scully had finally returned
to him.
Scully stirred in his arms and suddenly shot up, eyes wide open, clutching
the cool cotton sheets to her chest. Leaning over to the bed stand, Mulder
flipped on the lamp and sat up with her, noting the alarm and panic in her
eyes.
"Scully, what is it? Is it another nightmare sweetheart?" He reached out to
stroke her hair, but the look she gave him warned him not to even try.
"Mulder, what the hell are we doing?"
With a general look of confusion, Mulder shook his head slightly. "What are
you talking about Scully?"
"You. Me. In bed. Together." She used her hand to gesture as she spoke
punctuating her sentence.
"Scully, we've been back to sleeping together for eight months now. You were
making such good progress, but if you want me to sleep on the couch, I will.
I'll understand"
Narrowing her eyes at him, as if trying to get him to focus more, Mulder
watched her look around the room, running her left hand through her hair and
trying to mask her confusion. Jaw dropping, he saw the color drain in her
face and jaw drop slightly.
"Oh my god Mulder."
She jumped up from the bed quickly, as if it were on fire, pulling the white
cotton sheet with her in a vain attempt to cover herself. The sheet however,
left nothing to the imagination as Mulder's obvious growing arousal proved.
Feeling awkward at being stark naked while Scully was trying to hide, Mulder
reached for the pillow and covered himself with it.
Backing away, she kept moving until she bumped into the closet door, knob
into her back. She formed a silent "Oh," in surprise, eyes still wide.
"Mulder," she squeaked, and he resisted the urge to laugh at her voice. Now
would not be a good time to make fun of her.
"Mulder," she tried again, voice somewhat normal. "You and I, we shouldn't
be in bed, naked together. We're not lovers. We shouldn't be lovers, at
least. We're just partners. At work. On the X-Files. Best friends too, but
nothing more than that."
Opening his mouth to answer, Mulder quickly shut it when he saw her eyes
narrow in realization as she licked her lips. His heart sank as he realized
*his* Scully was gone. This was the X-Files Scully.
"But there are no X-Files, are there Mulder? Samantha never disappeared. And
it wasn't Duane Barry that took me this time, it was Adams, wasn't it, among
a bunch of other things I could mention? And you remember it all, don't
 you?" She shook her head a little.
"Damnit Mulder, you remember it all, don't you, and you thought you didn't
have to tell me! Was this some little game of yours? Were you trying to take
advantage of the situation?" She yelled at him, articulating each word with
extreme force, eyes wild. Mulder still sat on the bed, afraid to move,
afraid to make the wrong move.
"What the hell's going on Mulder?" Her look was imploring, eyes wide and
honest. Leaning over, he slipped on his boxers quickly and walked over to
her, arms crossed.
"No," she whispered, shaking a little and holding out her hand at him. "I
need, I need time Mulder." Ripping open the closet, she quickly dressed and
started out the bedroom door and ran down the stairs.
Mulder felt his heart jump to his throat and fright gripped him. She wasn't
going to leave, was she? Scully didn't run away, that was what he was
suppose to do. He started after her and followed her into the living room,
but she paused in the threshold of the front door before he had a chance to
grab her, pull her back, apologize, confess his love.
"Please don't follow me Mulder. Please don't try to find me. I will be back,
you know I always come back to you. But right now I just...need space."
Watching silently as she walked out the door and let it click softly shut
behind her, Mulder wandered, somewhat dazed into the living room and
absentmindedly sat down on the couch. What will happen now, he thought?

*****
September 27, 1995
Mulder/Scully Residence
6:18 pm
Mulder slowly let the key in the lock, exhausted from emotion, exhausted
from his run. After Scully had left last night, he sat in the darkened
living room, not moving, barely breathing. When he realized the sun was
rising, he found enough energy to pick up the phone and call into work for
the both of them, before he listlessly sat down on the couch again. Not
moving a muscle until about five in the evening, he then decided to go for a
run. In all honesty, he didn't know what else to do.
He also didn't know if Scully would ever come back. If ever she had a chance
to get away from him, this would be it. After all, he told the biggest of
lies and kept the most crucial of secrets from her. Mulder wouldn't blame
her if she took this opportunity to run and get as far away from him as
possible, to go salvage a life while she still could.
Shutting the door behind him softly, he aimlessly threw the keys to the
table by the door, missing entirely. Not even giving them a second look, he
went upstairs, ambling into the kitchen and drank a quick glass of water
before ending up in the living room. In the back of his mind, he thought
that maybe he should eat something, since it had been a full day since he
last ate, but he felt nauseated at the thought of food.
As he scuffled across the soft cream colored carpet, aiming to return in his
personal hypnosis on the couch, the light suddenly turned on. Jumping,
Mulder blinked in confusion, focusing upon the person sitting on the couch.
"What are you doing here?" he mumbled, opting for the armchair by the couch.
"I live here don't I?" Scully asked dryly and rhetorically, leaning forward,
elbows resting on her knees.
"That you do, that you do. However, I was under the assumption that you
wouldn't be returning anytime soon." Finally daring to get a good look at
her, Mulder realized she looked as bad as he felt. Her normal bright eyes
were dull and listless, skin almost ashy looking, hair a tangled mess.
"You look like shit Mulder."
"And so do you. Don't try to change the subject."
She leaned back, covering her face with her hands. "I wasn't changing the
subject, I was avoiding it."
"So which Scully are you? I need to know so I know what is the 'proper' way
to treat you." Mulder internally winced at the harshness of his words,
knowing that it wasn't her fault they were in this predicament, and knowing
she had every right to be upset. However, he didn't want to take his words
back, so he let them hang in heavy silence.
Her hands made an audible slap as they fell down to her legs. "This isn't
*my* fault Mulder, and it's not yours either. But I know you respect the
fact that I needed time on my own to think, to take this all in. So don't
start placing blame."
This time Mulder leaned his elbows on his knees, cradling his chin in his
hands. "I know Scully. It's just, everything, was, well too damn good to be
true, and I don't want to loose it all. I was honestly, entirely happy for
once Scully, and I know it's because I had you by my side. I mean, I've
always had you by my side, but I've never had all of you."
Swallowing hard, Mulder took a deep breath, continuing barely in a whisper.
"You would never let me completely in; your walls were always built so damn
high, and I was always so afraid let you all the way in. I was scared that
if I did, you would consume me, and if you did leave me, I know I couldn't
live with that heartache. But this time, I let you in, and you let me in
too. You had all of me and that feeling was the most incredible experience,
the most wonderful feeling in the world. I know that I won't be able to
stand going back, to change it, or to loose you completely. I feel like a
drowning man right now Scully, with no hope of rescue."
When he dared to glance at her, he saw that the tears were falling openly on
her face, eyes already red and puffy. She was not bothering to try to hide
them or wipe them away, but rather, she was just letting them fall,
cleansing her emotions.
"Mulder, when I left here last night, I started driving. My first instinct
was to go back to my apartment in Georgetown. Then it hit me that I've never
lived there. I then turned around and went to my mother's house- but that's
when I remember she's gone as well. So I drove until I ended up in New York.
Here I was, wandering around Times Square at five in the morning, just
walking aimlessly, trying to make sense of all this."
"When I woke up last night, all I could remember was our lives together on
the X-Files, and I started aching for what I knew was lost from that. The
companionship, the hard earned and well tested trust, the love built upon
mutual respect and shared heartache. I ended up sitting down on the corner
of 42nd and Broadway, just crying and missing us until the sun started
rising. As the first rays of light began to shine, to bring life to the
streets again, I finally allowed myself to remember the past three, almost
four years together. It was as if the beginning of the new day was my new
beginning."
"That's when I realized that if I gave this up, what we have now, I would
miss this us even more. Not being with you like this in every way possible
would tear me apart. Because like you said, we have, now, given ourselves
completely to each other, more fully, and I have never felt more like a
whole person. All because I embrace you completely, and you me. I got up
from that corner and began to walk uptown, toward Central Park, and I felt
my heart physically ache because I cannot be who I am without you. And, I
don't want to try. I've never felt quite like this, and I know I never will,
unless I'm with you. I can take on anything, any mutant, anybody...my
kidnapping, my parents' deaths, simply because I have you with me. I pray I
always will."
Sometime while she was speaking, Scully had moved from the couch to kneel
besides Mulder, and tentatively, her hand brushed across his cheek, wiping
away a tear from the many that had begun to fall from him. Mulder dropped
down beside her, grabbing her hand on his cheek and leaning into it.
"I can't bare to be apart from you Mulder. I can't bare to lose any part of
us either."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Scully, I should have told you."
She sniffled. "Why should you have? Did you honestly think I'd believe you?
Not *that* much is different."
He laughed hoarsely, and looked up to meet her eyes. A small, trembling
smile came to her face, and Mulder brought his other thumb up to trace her
lips.
"Do you know how much you mean to me? How much this moment means to me?" he
whispered leaning in slightly.
"Yes, because it's how much you mean to me, how important being here with
you in this moment is to me" she whispered back, closing the gap as their
lips met in a soft kiss.

*****
October 13, 1995
Inside the Washington Monument
8:47 pm
"You know Scully, being blindfolded by you has always been one of my
longtime fantasies." It was, it honestly was, however in Mulder's dreams the
blindfold had also included no clothes and a bed, not Scully parading him
around without the slightest clue where he was going.
"Mmm, if your a good boy and quit whining, maybe we'll use it again
 tonight."
"Seriously Scully, I've been blindfolded since we left work and not only do
I feel ridiculous, but I want to know where you're taking me." His whining
was punctuated by a slight 'ding', and he felt his whole body weight shift
up.
"We're on an elevator, Scully," he smirked.
"No kidding. You wouldn't happen to have been a crack investigator for the
FBI in a former life, would you?"
Mulder smiled through the darken cloth. Somehow, they were slowly
reconciling the different lives, and their lives on the X-Files was starting
to be known as 'the former life'. They were also finally at the point where
they could make jokes about it.
"What, and I'm not in this one?" he retorted.
"You're an overpaid paper pusher in this one. But it wasn't the money that
attracted me to you, or either of your *glamorous* jobs."
"Was it my fast, insatiable wit? Or my charm? Maybe my classically handsome
good looks?"
He could almost hear her smirk as he felt her breath on his neck.
"Actually, I heard you were good in the sack and wanted to test you out for
myself," she whispered huskily, placing a few wet, open mouthed kisses along
his neck.
"Nice to know I'm good for something," he murmured, before he felt her lips
descend upon his.
The kiss was the most phenomenal he had ever experienced in his life. The
combination of the upward momentum of the elevator, the excitement of being
blindfolded, the unexpectedness of the kiss, and the focus on nothing but
the feeling of Scully's mouth on his was both breathtaking and erotic. If he
hadn't know where they were, he would've taken her right there in that
elevator.
Mulder felt her break apart as another soft 'ding' indicated that they were
at their destination. Without a word, she grabbed his hand and led him to a
seat. He felt her presence behind him, and suddenly the blindfold was
lifted.
Mulder's breath caught in his throat as he looked down upon Washington night
skyline, full of life and light, yet picturesque from so far up. The night
itself was a beautiful fall night with no wind or clouds, a hint of a chill,
and a bright moon illuminating the city.
He felt her arms wrap around his chest and her chin rest upon his shoulder.
"You like?" she whispered.
"Scully, this is...amazing. I'm speechless. But how did you- I mean, the
Monument closes at 6:30. And they usually don't give private tours," he
added, glancing around the enclosed observation floor, completely empty but
the two of them. His eyes finally rested before him, where a table was laid
out. How had he not smelled the aroma of the food earlier? There were two
taper candles lit on the table, providing ambiance. Other than that, the
only light was coming from outside, from the moon and the city below.
"I pulled some strings to get this for you, for us. I actually had a meeting
with the Attorney General a few weeks ago and asked her then, and she talked
to her people in Washington Parks, and well, everything else just fell into
place." She tilted her head in slightly so that their cheeks were brushing
up against each others.
"Just one more thing would make this absolutely perfect- please tell me you
didn't cook this food Scully." He heard her chuckle in his ear. Scully was a
notoriously bad cook, and he loved to tease her every opportunity about it.
"Nope, had it catered in. Your life insurance policy isn't worth enough yet
to poison you with my cooking." He felt the two of the sigh in unison
happily, and the vibrations of her voice as her body was pressed against his
sent a wonderful chill through him.
"Look around, it's just you, me, and the stars. I've always wanted to give
you the stars Mulder. I figured this would be the next closest thing. You
know, I've had this planned for you for years, but I just never felt
comfortable enough, or secure enough to ever try it." He felt Scully unwrap
herself from him and then she was before him, cupping his face in his hands.
"Happy Birthday Mulder," she whispered, before placing the gentlest of
kisses upon his lips. Mulder watched her walk around to the other side of
the table and sit down as he resisted the urge to cry like a baby, right
then and there, all over the garlic bread.
"Scully, I don't know what to say, this has to be, it is, the best, most
beautiful birthday gift of my life, present or former. What makes it all
that much more special is that I'm sharing it with the most important person
to me, the person who shines brighter in my soul than any star."
Pausing in uncorking the wine, Scully looked up and blinked at him, unshed
tears making her eyes shine at him brightly. "Wow Mulder, I had no idea you
could be so romantically poetic." A soft smile crossed her face. "I like
 it."
As she poured their drinks, Mulder took in his surrounding with all his
senses, still astonished. He was glad Scully finally had the opportunity to
give him this gift, not only because it was the most phenomenal gift he had
ever received, but because he liked how it did signal the change in their
relationship. They began to fill their plates in comfortable silence with
salad and some colorful, complicated pasta dish Mulder never could remember
the name of but always enjoyed.
They toasted to soul mates and in the middle of eating Scully asked, "So, I'
ve got two more presents for you Mulder. Which would you like...the good
one, or the *really* good one?"
"Well gee, you make it so hard to decide when you put it like that...I'll
take the good one Scully."
Her smile looked pleased as she reached into her briefcase and found a
folder. She pressed it before him and started to speak.
"An unusual case came before my desk the other day as I was 'spring cleaning
' old, unsolved cases out of forensics. If you notice all the evidence, I
would have to say it was the Tooms case. Of course, as you look at the file
and note the date, Tooms is long into hibernation. It got me thinking
though. There is still need for a X-Files division in the Bureau Mulder.
However, I don't want to be on them again- I'm happy where I am Mulder, and
I don't think you want to live through all that again. You don't have your
quest driving you, though you still have your thirst for the paranormal.
That's not to say your still not passionate and admirable, but, things are
different."
Mulder watched as she inhaled deeply, allowing her to speak before reacting.
"I presented this case and the facts to the Director of the Bureau
yesterday. And on Monday morning the three of us have a meeting about the
possibility of opening a legitimate X-Files division under your direct
supervision."
She finally looked him in the eye, biting her lip, eyes a little nervous.
Mulder felt a smile creep across his face as what Scully just told him sunk
in. She had been completely right when she said that he didn't have the
quest to drive him in the X-Files anymore, but still had a hankering for the
paranormal. Quite frankly, she was also right when she said he didn't want
to live that kind of vagabond lifestyle again. He finally had a home to come
to, so he didn't feel the need to keep running away from his loneliness.
This would be the perfect solution, by being created by the Direct himself,
the X-Files wouldn't be shunned and it would have a superior who was an
advocate of the division.
"Wow Scully...have I died and gone to heaven? That is just perfect, simply
perfect. And this was only the good news? What is the *really* good news?"
Giving him an enigmatic smile, she reached into the briefcase again to pull
out another folder. Silently she handed it to him and waited for him to read
it. After examining it for a few minutes, he lowered the folder to look at
her.
"I don't understand this at all. You're the doctor here, you tell me what
this means."
"That's a blood test done today Mulder. And what those results mean is that
I'm pregnant."
She looked down into her lap before looking up again, a small but radiant
smile crossing her face. Feeling impulsive, Mulder got up suddenly and
pulled Scully out of her chair, giving her a hungry, but soft kiss. Hands on
her face, hers around his waist, they pulled away somewhat reluctantly and
Mulder brushed her hair back, hands coming to rest on the sides of her neck,
thumbs tracing her collarbone.
He brought his forehead down to hers and stared deeply into her eyes,
drowning in their emotion. "That is the best birthday present you could ever
give me Scully."
She leaned over slightly to blow out the candles before wrapping one of her
hands around his neck and pulled him down for a deeper, longer kiss
underneath the stars, on top of the world.

*****
October 31, 1995
Mulder/Scully Residence
8:30 am
Mulder woke up, stretching languidly and lazily. Today was one of his
favorite days of the year, simply because everyone believed on Halloween. He
couldn't wait to dress up and pass out candy to all the trick-o-treaters,
scare the older kids. He also couldn't wait until next year to take his own
child out to play with the ghouls and ghosts.
A loud, pitiful retching from the other room brought him back to reality,
and Mulder realized two things. One, this day may not be as fun as he
thought because of the second thing that he realized which was that Scully
was no longer in bed, which meant her nausea was acting up today.
Hopping out of bed, he threw on a pair of black silk boxers that were
discarded next to the bed from last night and made his way into the
bathroom. Scully's morning sickness hadn't been bad until recently, and even
then it was either nothing, or hit her full force. Today would be one of the
days where it hit her full force, and knowing from previous experience, she
would be sick all day. He had learned quickly that morning sickness did not
limit itself to the morning.
The door to the bathroom was closed and Mulder knocked first, calling out,
"Scully?" Another bought of retching could be heard before he quietly opened
the door. Without a word, he grabbed a washcloth out of the linen closet and
ran it under cool water, squeezing out the excess, as well as filling up a
glass with some water.
She was sweaty and pale, leaning back against the wall, clad in nothing but
one of his t-shirts. Taking the glass from him, she looked up at him with
grateful eyes. As she drank, Mulder rooted around for a rubber band and her
hair brush in one of the drawers. Brushing her hair out of her face, he
secured it with the rubber band before kneeling besides her and patting the
washcloth over her face and neck.
Her eyes were closed as she mutter a faint "Thank you," before getting hit
suddenly with another wave of nausea and leaned back over the toilet again.
Rubbing her back, Mulder hated how he felt so helpless when she felt like
this. He knew there was nothing he could do about it, and that she really
didn't mind, because she finally got to have the one thing she always wanted
but never could have- a child. Even so, he hated seeing her like this, so
miserable, out of control of her own body's reactions, too sick to put up
her 'I'm fine' defenses.
Finally done with that round, she reached up to flush the toilet before
leaning back against the wall again.
"Morning," she said wryly, exhaling slowly before taking another sip of the
water.
"Morning," he responded, going from his knees to sitting next to her. Mulder
patted the wash cloth along her hair line, before dropping a kiss on her
cheek. As much as he loved kissing her, he was not going to touch those lips
after that episode until she brushed her teeth.
"What do you want for breakfast Scully? You go back to bed and I'll bring it
up to you."
"Agh," she groaned, her eyes rolling back into her head. "Food is the last
thing that sounds good right now."
"I know. But we both know you need to eat something."
"I know. Surprise me Mulder, just nothing with grease. I'm going to take a
shower while you do that, because I feel disgusting. Maybe I'll brush my
teeth as well so that way I can repay you with a nice kiss on the lips."
They chuckled slightly as she called him on the chaste kiss on the cheek.
Mulder helped her stand up and she clutched her stomach, taking deep even
breaths, trying to hold back another round.
"Thank god it's a Saturday," she muttered.
"Scully, this isn't gonna last all nine months, is it?" She was only about
to start her ninth week, and Mulder was not only growing weary of this
sickness, but at how hard it always hit her and the toll it took on her.
"Which part? The having a baby part or the regurgitation of all my internal
organs every other day?" A smile crossed her face as she walked past him and
turned on the shower before turning to face him. Her smile got wider at the
look on his face, which Mulder mused was a cross between 'I'm being serious'
to 'You're not very funny' to 'Glad someone has a sense of humor about this'
.
"No Mulder, it should dissipate in a few weeks, replaced by other wonderful
things, like stretch marks, swollen ankles, having to go pee every five
minutes, tender breasts, weight gain, possibly constipation, heartburn,
waddle walking, false contractions. . ." She trailed off, and Mulder's head
begun to spin. She was smiling though, and he could tell that she was going
to embrace everything with this pregnancy, regardless of the uncomfortable
aspects. They both knew that the good definitely outweighed the negative
aspects, and didn't mind a bit.
"Oh, waddle walking, huh? Can I start calling you 'Daisy'?"
The eyebrow went up as she narrowed her jaw at him. "Not if you want me to
answer, or if you want to be in a full body cast afterwards. Just because I
haven't shot you in this life doesn't mean I still can't."
"Ouch, that one hurt. Must be those hormones, so I'll forgive you."
Grinning, he scooted out of the way before she could swat at him. He was
going to get her some breakfast and then go play with the ghoulies and
ghosties. It was his favorite holiday after all, and life was treating him
well. He might as well live it up.

*****
January 3, 1996
Office of Section Chief Mulder
J. Edgar Hoover Building
10:50 am
Mulder couldn't stop whistling or humming. Live was good. Life was
excellent. Hell, life was swell.
He had just finished a meeting with his X-Files agents, and the X-Files
division was doing well. When there were cases locally, Mulder sometimes
went along to the field, just to give the beginners helpful insights and
Scully sometimes joined them as well. The office was relegated to the
basement again, but this time Mulder made sure extra windows were installed
and the heat worked properly. As much as he loved seeing the X-Files
flourish and being part of them again, especially when Scully could join
them, they were not all consuming as they had once been. His life was
focused on more important things. Like Scully and their baby.
Even though she was only starting her 18th week, Scully was so tiny that she
was beginning to show. And, Mulder thought as he walked through the hallways
of the J. Edgar Hoover building to her office, she would castrate me if she
knew I called her tiny. Petite, that was the politically correct word she
preferred.
Thankfully her morning sickness had subsided, but she was now suffering from
exhaustion and insomnia. Also heartburn on a daily basis, as well as the
urge to go to the bathroom every two hours, on the hour. What a combination,
Mulder thought wryly.
Walking through her inner office, he greeted her secretary, Tammy with the
normal, 'How are you?' pleasantries.
"The door's locked, Section Chief Mulder," Tammy informed him, their code
talk letting him know that Scully was taking a nap. Even though Scully knew
it was very unprofessional, when the moment caught her during the day and
she didn't have any pressing appointments, she grabbed a quick nap on her
office couch. The doctor in her knew that unprofessional or no, since she
was having trouble sleeping at night she should take advantage of anytime
that she could fall asleep. Only Tammy and Mulder knew that is what she was
doing when she locked her inner office door.
Shooting a grin at Tammy, Mulder pulled out a set of keys from his pocket
and quietly opened the door to Scully's office, shutting and locking it
behind him. The sight before him melted his heart.
She was curled up on her side on one of the couches with her tan trench coat
covering her legs. Mouth slightly slack, one hand was underneath the throw
pillow and the other was resting on her slightly bulging abdomen. Mulder
hated the fact that he had to wake her up.
Kneeling before her, he listened for a few moments to her deep, even
breathing. She really was having a difficult time sleeping at night, and
Mulder seriously thought about letting her sleep. They could reschedule
their appointment.
However, Mulder knew he'd been in greater trouble if he didn't wake her up
and ended up rescheduling, so with a sigh, he softly shook her shoulder.
"Scully," he whispered. "Wake up Sleeping Beauty."
She slowly pulled herself out of her dreams, blinking a couple of times
before focusing on him.
"Mmm, I was just having a wonderful dream about our first kiss," she said,
voice musky with sleep.
"On our first date at that Italian place?" Scully sat up and Mulder sat down
beside her. She was leaning forward, elbows on her knees and face in her
hands, Scully's way of waking herself up. While she was forward, Mulder took
the opportunity to rub her lower back. Though she never complained about it,
he knew it was starting to ache and give her problems. He could see her try
and rub it when she thought no one was looking.
"Ohhhhhhh," she groaned softly. "Don't stop that Mulder." Her head hung
slack as he applied a little more pressure. "No Mulder, not that kiss, our
kiss on New Years. In 2000."
"That was a nice kiss Scully."
"Nice is such a benign word Mulder. Granted it wasn't electric, but I'd say
warm, rather than nice."
"Chaste?"
"Classy."
"Romantic?"
"Definitely. At least for me. After that kiss I felt the world fall from
under me Mulder, in the good way. How about you?"
Gently nudging her to turn sideways, Mulder kept massaging her back, using
both hands. "All I could think about was how soft your lips were. Then, how
happy I was you kissed me back and didn't slug me."
"I'd never hit you for kissing me Mulder. God knows I wanted it for so long.
Was it just a New Years kiss Mulder, or were we hiding behind that as an
excuse, hiding behind the holiday so we wouldn't get hurt, get involved
further, wouldn't let our emotions show?"
"It was definitely more than a New Years kiss Scully, so much more. Maybe
that's why we're here, maybe we screwed up too much in the other life, let
so many chances miss and pass us by, that we were brought here to be
together like we were meant to be together.
"Fate Mulder?" He could hear her sarcasm and smiled.
"Destiny."
"In a parallel universe?"
"No, I think more like an alternate universe."
"Hmm. You know, this is unfair. You're hands feel so good and you're being
so sweet and attentive that I can't think cohesively enough to debunk your
theory."
Mulder brought his hands up to her shoulders and began to rub those.
"Probably just as well. You know how turned on I get when you rip my
intellect apart into smithereens."
"Remind me tonight when we get home, I'm sure I'll be able to 'debunk' a few
things."
"I love it when you talk dirty to me."
Standing up, Scully gave him an amused smile. "Just think Mulder, I'm *just*
starting to get into the horny stages of pregnancy."
Leaving him with the extreme possibilities, Scully made her way to the door.
"Come on Mulder, we're going to be late for our appointment."

PART 5 - The Fate of Time

*****
January 3, 1996
George Washington Medical Group
Office of Doctor McIntyre
1:10 pm
Mulder couldn't help but squeeze Scully's hand from excitement. This was
actually his first ultra sound he had been present. The previous times some
Bureau matter had come up last minute that required his attention, and so he
had missed the appointments. The pictures Scully brought home were nice, but
he knew wouldn't be the same as seeing it live via medical satellite.
He and Scully had agreed since she was suppose to be barren in the other
life as well as going though chemotherapy that she would see the doctor
twice as often, just to be on the safe side. Neither had any idea what
physical ailments or traits had preceded them into this life. Dr. McIntyre,
though not knowing about the other life, had agreed to more frequent visits.
The doctor had stated her reasoning being that since Scully was just now
having her first child while in her thirties and the fact that Scully's body
was so small, that Scully ran a probability of having complications or being
high risk if she wasn't monitored carefully.
Feeling her jump slightly as the gel was placed on her stomach, Mulder
grinned down at her. He could imagine that the gel was cold.
"Beats being covered all over in alien goo though, doesn't it Scully," he
whispered in her ear, careful to not let the doctor overhear.
Biting back his smile as she attempted to give him a halfhearted stern look,
Mulder focused on the monitor. Dr. McIntyre had begun to run the metal thing
over Scully's stomach. Just as the image popped onto the screen, Mulder
reminded himself to ask Scully what that metal thing was called.
Speechless, Mulder stared at the screen in awe. There was his unborn child,
their unborn child. Infinitely tiny eyes, mouth, nose, arms, fingers and
legs lit up the screen, and Mulder felt a lone tear run down his face. It
was the most beautiful, amazing thing he had ever seen. What made it even
more special for so many reasons was that is was Scully having this child.
A gentle touch to his face broke him out of his reverie, and Mulder glanced
down at Scully, who had tears in her eyes as well. They shared a
heartwarming smile, the silence between them speaking a thousand words.
"Dana? Fox? Would you like to know the gender?" Dr. McIntyre asked, and
Mulder was momentarily distracted by her accent. This was also the first
time Mulder met Scully's obstetrician, and he guessed she was from Australia
by that accent.
One quick look was all it took to come to a consensus between Mulder and
Scully.
"No, doctor, I think we want to wait," Scully said.
"Very well. Everyone appears healthy and right on target. Now, I will have
the nurse give you your copy of the tape from today's visit on your way out.
Do you have any questions Dana? Or Fox?"
Mulder began to answer 'No', but Scully's voice popped over his.
"Dr. McIntyre, I'm a little worried that I haven't been able to feel the
baby move around much, and when I do, it's a very faint feeling. Is that
normal, okay? Aren't most babies suppose to be moving around a lot after the
14th week?"
Mulder gave Scully a look, but she avoided looking at him, intent on the
doctor. She hadn't mentioned this to him.
"No, Dana, not at all. You're baby is just still comfortable in one place
for right now. Just wait until he or she starts using your bladder for
football practice."
The doctor nodded and left the room as a nurse came in to help Scully clean
up and redress. Mulder anxiously took the tape from the nurse as they left,
and whispered to Scully, "Why didn't you tell me about your worries?"
She shrugged at him as they stepped into the brisk January air. Pulling her
coat tightly around her, she answered, "I didn't know if I was just being
paranoid. I knew if I told you, you would have had an epileptic seizure from
worry. Don't be mad and don't pout Mulder. If I had been genuinely,
extremely concerned, I would have told you and would have went in for an
appointment sooner."
They got into the car and Mulder started the engine, turning the heat up as
high as it would go to warm up. "I know that Scully. I just don't want you
to revert back to your 'I'm fine's."
He was staring straight ahead, but even so, he saw her roll her eyes.
"Mulder, I'm not going to discuss this with you, nor am I going to waste my
energy trying to reassure you."
"I know Scully. I was just taken by surprise, okay? I don't want to make an
issue out of it either."
"Good."
"Good."
"Fine."
"Fine."
He pulled out of the driveway and onto the street. "Are you sure you don't
want to know the sex Scully? It's not to late."
"Just drive Mulder. That's one surprise you're just going to have to deal
with.
Once again, they shared a smile and Mulder's hand found Scully's as they
drove back to work. Mulder couldn't wait to show everyone the tape.

*****
March 14, 1996
Office of Section Chief Mulder
J. Edgar Hoover Building
3:10 pm
Mulder sat at his desk hurrying through the mundane task of paperwork while
NPR played quietly in the background. Sighing, he painfully remembered his
and Scully's argument from that morning. She was now as big as a house, and
Mulder couldn't believe she still had eight weeks to go before giving birth.
He was afraid she was going to tip over any moment. However, she did have
that rosy, healthy glow about her, even though she was resigned to wearing
flats since she couldn't balance in her heels anymore.
During the mornings, Scully took longer than normal to get ready due to her
protruding belly. Mulder had taken initiative for the past few weeks to make
her breakfast. This morning he had made her usual wheat toast with
all-natural blueberry jam, yogurt, a cup of chai tea, and a banana. When she
had finally made her way down to the kitchen, she not only burst into tears
for him not taking into consideration what she might want to eat, but
proceeded to yell at him for assuming that she couldn't think enough on her
own to decide her own breakfast. That's when she went about reheating left
over spaghetti for breakfast along with eating some carrot sticks and
ignoring him for the rest of the morning.
Mulder had been dumbfounded, but not surprised. Since entering her third
trimester, Scully had been irrational and extremely emotional. He found it
was better to just let things run their course, let Scully get it out of her
system rather than trying to defend himself. It unnerved him to see her cry
so much; hell, up until this point he had cried in front of her more than
she had cried in front of him. He really missed horny Scully from the second
trimester. Now that kind of hormonal rampage was one he could deal with.
They literally had made love at least one time a night, every night, for
seven weeks straight. Now Scully slept on the recliner most nights because
sleeping sitting up was more comfortable for her. They had temporarily moved
the recliner into the bedroom to accommodate her.
There was a soft knock at his door and before he could say, 'Come in,'
Scully was already in, slowly crossing the room to one of his chairs,
waddling. Yes, Mulder thought, she was definitely waddling. She slowly sat
down on the chair, in the way that only extremely pregnant women could sit.
The look on her face indicated to Mulder that she was either about to cry or
explode at him, but he took a chance anyway and asked her what was wrong.
"Dr. McIntyre called me in today, wanted to see me last minute. I was still
angry at you, though I can't remember why, so I didn't call you. She's
worried about the health and the stress on the baby, Mulder, with he or she
being so big already and me being so small and still working in a high
stress job. She's put me on mandatory maternity leave effective immediately.
Eight weeks Mulder, eight weeks I have to sit at home and be useless! Eight
weeks to do nothing but be an incubator. But what if I've put the baby in
jeopardy by working?" Her lower lip started to tremble, and Mulder fought
the urge roll his eyes or scream. He didn't know if he could handle eight
more weeks of irrational Scully.
Instead, Mulder quickly crossed the room and guided Scully to the couch,
where he sat beside her and rubbed her back soothingly, other hand finding
one of hers.
"Scully, you are not super woman. The fact that you've worked this far along
is amazing. Most people I know couldn't handle your job under normal
circumstances, let alone while they were pregnant. And the baby is fine- Dr.
McIntyre is just being cautious so that way our baby is healthy. You know
what? I think you are doing the most amazing, selfless, and beautiful thing
by bringing another human life into this world."
His arms moved around her and Mulder pulled Scully into a hug. "Don't think
of it as a mandatory leave, think of it as a well deserved vacation.
Remember all those books you want to read, and movies you want to see? Now's
the perfect time to do that. C'mon, I'll cut out of here early, we'll go get
your things from your office, we'll go home, I'll run you a nice bubble
bath, and then we'll eat some dinner and just relax, together. Tomorrow you
can type up notes and memos, at home, for me to bring to your assistant so
he can get a handle on things while your gone, okay?"
Sniffling, she nodded, and finally looked up at Mulder.
"Can we have Caffe Italiano's again?"
"Don't you want anything else besides Italian Scully? We've had Italian for
the past ten nights."
"Chinese then?"
"Scuh-leeee. . . That's practically Italian. It's noodles, just in a
different sauce."
"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms and leaning back away from him. Mulder
resisted the urge to run and bash his head into his wall.
"Scully, we'll compromise. We'll have Caffe Italiano deliver your food and I
'll order my food from somewhere else."
"Hmm. You always have to be so god damn rational, have the 'perfect'
solution for everything."
"Do you want to fight, or do you want a bubble bath? I'll even wash your
back and paint your toes for you tonight."
A small smile finally came to Scully's face. "You'll really paint my toes
for me?"
"Anything for you Scully."
"Just for that, I'll let you choose what we have for dinner tonight." Scully
reminded Mulder of a kid making a huge sacrifice, which in her case, she
probably was.
"Alright Scully, let's get out of here." Mulder helped her stand up and
sighed in relief behind her back. Only eight more weeks of being the
rational one. That was becoming his mantra.

*****
May 10, 1996
Mulder/Scully Residence
5:54 pm
"Scully?" Mulder called out as he shut and locked the door behind him. With
four weeks left until Scully gave birth, Mulder had been trying to come home
earlier, doing as much work from home as he could. Often, he would also come
by and check on her during his lunch, which he knew really annoyed her. At
least she had gotten past the really emotional stage and she was pretty much
back to her rational, non-whiny self, though her food cravings were
something left to be desired.
"I'm in the living room Mulder." Her voice filtered into the front hallway
as Mulder walked toward her, stopping by briefly to grab plates and napkins
from the kitchen.
"You dinner, milady. Pizza topped with pepperoni, green olives, onions,
mushrooms, and anchovies for you." She was sitting lengthwise on the couch,
feet propped up on a few pillows to aid in her swelling ankles. As he
entered, she laid down the book she had been reading on her enormous stomach
and gave him a big smile.
"Thank you Mulder. I've been craving that all day. Now, if there's a ice tea
in the bag, it could be love."
"Hey, that's my line," he teased as he pulled the coffee table up close and
arranged everything down upon it. Moving the pillows, he sat down on the
couch and pulled Scully's feet on his lap before leaning over to fix his
plate.
"Po-ta-to, po-tat-oh, it's all the same in the end, isn't it?" Reaching into
the bag, she pulled out a decaffeinated iced frappachino.
"Where did you find a decaffeinated one?" she asked excitedly, eyes wide.
"Saw it in a vending machine today, bought stock in the company, brought you
home one," he mumbled through his pizza.
"I'd kiss you if I could lean over that far," she said between her own bite,
pizza sauce smearing on her cheek.
Mulder reached over and wiped it off, placing a quick kiss on her nose and
then lips. "But I still can."
"Good. Somebody's gotta have dexterity in this relationship."
They finished eating their pizza as Mulder filled her in on the latest big
cases, asking for her opinion in all of them. Sitting like that for awhile
just talking, Mulder rubbed Scully's feet, massaging all her toes and
ankles. Finally, when he thought she was asleep, he got up carefully to
clean up.
"No Mulder, let me clean up. I need the exercise," Scully said groggily,
pulling herself to standing slowly.
"Okay Scully, but don't stretch to reach for anything."
"I won't mother," she responded dryly as she waddled into the kitchen with
their plates and trash.
Moving the coffee table back to it's spot, Mulder went about picking up the
living room, resisting the urge to hover over Scully, to make sure she wasn'
t overextending herself. Suddenly, over the noise of the running water, he
heard a crash that sent him running to the kitchen.
Scully had one hand clutching the counter, supporting her while the other
grasped her belly. She was ghostly white and gasping.
He started to run over to her, thinking maybe the time had finally come when
she shook her head minutely, gasping at him to call 911 before moaning in
excruciating pain and almost falling to the floor.

*****
May 10, 1996
Georgetown Memorial Hospital
Emergency Waiting Room
8:32 pm
Mulder sat on the edge of the hard, plastic orange chair, slightly rocking
back and forth, nervously chewing on his thumbnail. Glancing at the clock
again, he realized only two minutes had passed since he had last looked at
it. What was taking so long? Why wasn't anyone telling him anything?
He felt as though a thousand butterflies were fluttering in the pit of his
stomach, and after his initial adrenaline rush had worn down, a grueling
nausea had plagued him. Rubbing his hands roughly over his face, Mulder
leaned back in his chair. Scully couldn't lose their baby, she just couldn'
t. It would kill her. It would be worse than when she thought she could
never have children; it would be horrendous for her to lose that hope of
that one chance, that one possibility, then for her to have never become
pregnant at all.
"Please," Mulder prayed silently, though he wasn't sure whom he was praying
too.
The EMT's had let Mulder ride in the ambulance at least, but once they got
to the hospital, they had pushed him away, concentrating on Scully. He had
been delegated to signing the paper work and then waiting out here for the
past two hours, with no word.
"Mr. Scully?"
Mulder looked up at the doctor in green scrubs, trying to read if the news
was good or bad. Try as he might, all Mulder could see in the doctor's
expression was neutrality.
"I'm Mr. Mulder, Ms. Scully's husband," he said standing up to face the
doctor.
A slight look of surprised floated across the doctor's face before she
masked it again quickly with professionalism.
"I'm Dr. Lance. You may go in and see Ms. Scully now."
"Dr. Lance? Is she okay? Is the baby-"
"Ms. Scully asked specifically that she be allowed to explain to you first."
Mulder and Dr. Lance had been walking down the sterile, lifeless corridor as
they talked. Coming to a closed door, the doctor nodded to it, indicating to
Mulder that they had reached Scully's room.
"Thanks," Mulder whispered quietly as the doctor turned and walked back down
the corridor. Inhaling, Mulder turned opened the door slowly, prepared to
face the worse.
Walking in tentatively, he spotted Scully, head turned away from the door.
The lighting was dim, as if she were suppose to be asleep or in deep sorrow.
He was walking as quietly as possible when she turned her head to face him,
letting out a hoarse greeting.
There were large black bags under her red-rimmed eyes, and her skin seemed
almost a pale blue in the lighting. The lines of her face were worn, and she
looked as though she could sleep for a week straight.
Mulder made it to her bedside and grabbed the hand closest to him. His other
hand went to cover her other hand that was lying on top of her stomach
protectively.
"Scully?"
"I'm fine Mulder. The baby's fine. I had a partial abrupt ion, where the
placenta starts to rip away from the uterine wall." She gave him a
reassuring smile and their baby decided to reaffirm her statement by kicking
toward the joined hands. Mulder gave her a smile of wonder in return, eyes
becoming lighter.
"The doctor thinks that it's because Bubba here is getting so big, and my
body is so small that the tear happened- my body is just not handling the
stress well. The doctor also said that I will probably have to deliver by
C-Section rather than natural child birth."
Pulling up a chair, Mulder sat and grabbed her hand again, this time in both
hands, and brought it up to his lips to kiss. "You mean all those lamaze
classes were for nothing? And I practiced so hard!"
He was rewarded with a slight, but a little bit of a weak laugh.
"Oh Mulder, you were the best breather there. I'm so sorry you won't be able
to put those skills to good use."
Raising his eyebrows, he asked, "How long do we have to wait after the baby'
s born? I could definitely figure out a way to use those skills then."
Scully raised both her eyebrows back at him. "Anyway Mulder, the doctor also
said that we're going to try to keep this baby in as long as possible, for
the health of the baby. Which basically means I'm delegated to bed rest for
the next four weeks. I'm gonna need some strong, handsome, virile man to
wait on me hand and foot. Any idea where we can find one?"
Scooting closer, he leaned over so the tip of his nose was barely touching
hers. "I can think of someone."
Eyes wide, she asked, "Really? Please describe all his attributes so I can
determine if he's qualified enough."
"Well, he's a little bit over six feet, a pretty athletic build. Kind of has
a big nose, green eyes, brown fluffy hair, a great sense of dry humor,
extremely intelligent. And, I know for a fact though that he would love to
wait on you hand and foot. In fact, I know for a fact that he loves you so
much that it's blinding."
Though they were both aware of each other's love, the words were rarely
spoken aloud, saved only for special occasions. He watched Scully's face
soften, eyes misty, and Mulder brought his lips down to hers, gently,
lovingly.
Pulling away, he leaned back in the chair again, never letting go of her
hand.
"Mulder?" Scully asked, interrupting the comfortable silence that had
befallen them.
"Yeah?"
"You said that you thought we were here because we had not done things right
in the past. That this was our opportunity to do things correctly."
Leaning in, Mulder searched her eyes to try to figure out where she was
going with her train of thoughts.
"Yes, I think that's why we're here."
"And, who knows what that one variable, or several variables might have been
to change everything for us. Maybe it's the fact that Samantha was never
taken from you. Who knows. Yet some things have remained identical between
the two lives, yet others are similar but the details have changed, and
still other things are completely different."
"Maybe those things that are the same are meant to be; those are the
invariables in our lives. Maybe destiny is a cross between fate and personal
construction."
"Maybe. What happened to the other time though? Where did it go? And do
other people remember their old lives, or are we the only ones affected?
Would other people be living the same lives regardless of how we live ours?
I refuse to believe that a person's life can remain so isolated from
everyone else's." Breaking eye contact, Scully looked across the room and
licked her lips slightly, a sign that she was not getting at what she really
wanted to say. Mulder decided to bite on her verbatim bait.
"Scully, what's really on your mind? You know I could give you my theories
up and down and sideways to your questions, but in all honesty, we both know
that neither of us has any idea, or any real way to figure it out. So what's
truly bothering you?"
Her eyes closed tightly and her lips pressed together so hard they almost
turned white. Finally, she turned to look at him, unadulterated fear in her
eyes.
"Mulder, what if this baby is Emily?

*****
May 20, 1996
Mulder/Scully Residence
10:24 am
Mulder leaned back against the arm of the couch, idly flipping channels on
the television, waiting for Scully to return from her third trip to the
restroom in just under twenty-four minutes. He had chose to stay home from
work that day, mainly because he knew that Scully was going stir crazy
staying at home by herself. Today they had decided to lounge around, sleep
in late and do nothing together, simply because they both knew that once the
baby came, those days would be long gone. He was still in a tee shirt and
yellow pajama pants. Scully was dressed in a baby blue pajama set, with a
big terry cloth robe covering her, since she always insisted she was 'cold,'
though the DC summer of one hundred degree temperatures with matching
humidity had already kicked in.
A creak of the floorboards behind him indicated that Scully was returning,
and he craned his neck backwards, trying not to laugh at her. His once
petite, graceful and elegant partner was so big it was a wonder she didn't
tip forward. To walk, she had to take wide-berthed steps and her hands were
always bracing her lower back. Still, Mulder thought she couldn't look
anymore beautiful. Her skin and eyes were positively radiant, always
glowing, and her face, breasts and the rest of her body had a soft
roundness.
"Where am I going to sit now?" she asked with one eyebrow up, taking in the
fact that since her last trip, Mulder had sprawled his legs lengthwise down
the couch.
Bending the knee closest to the edge, he placed that foot down on the carpet
and patted the space between his legs. He watched as Scully waddled over to
him, setting herself down with a soft grunt. Instinctively, she leaned back
against him as his arms wrapped out her abdomen, resting near the top of her
rounded belly. Her fingers came up to intertwine with his.
"I think Bubba here has decided that my bladder makes a comfortable pillow,"
she murmured as her eyes closed and her head fell back against his shoulder.
Planting a soft kiss to her exposed neck, Mulder rubbed at her belly. "Maybe
the kid's just getting anxious to come out."
"God, I can only wish. Sometimes I think I'm gonna be like this the rest of
my life. Mulder, I've forgotten what my toes look like. Do you know how
utterly bizarre that is?"
Before Mulder could remind her that he was quite intimately familiar with
what her toes looked like, after all these months of rubbing them and
painting her toe nails for her, her belly shifted, and they both smiled
simultaneously, Scully opening her eyes to meet his.
"I love it when he does that," Mulder said, squeezing Scully's fingers with
his.
"He? How do you know it's a he?"
"I can just tell these things Scully."
"Uh-huh," was her sarcastic response, but though a gentle smile.
The two fell silent, enjoy each other's quiet company. Scully dozed off
after awhile, and Mulder began to nod off as well, when he suddenly felt a
tightening in Scully's stomach as her eyes flew open and she gasped.
"Scully? Are you okay? What was that?"
Eyes wide, she blinked at him several times and gaped, before inhaling a big
breath and let it out slowly.
"That, Mulder, was a contraction."

*****
May 24, 1997
Mulder/Scully Residence
8:01 pm
Walking to the couch, Mulder tripped on a random stuffed animal, stumbling
foolishly to regain his balance. Giving the neon green frog a deadly glare,
Mulder kicked it out of the way before flopping down on the soft cushions,
only to be greeted with a hard, plastic edge in his back that felt
suspiciously like a key. Lifting his shoulders slightly, he pushed the
offending toy out of the way to the floor and leaned back, closing his eyes
and groaning.
His thoughts drifted to the past year, ever since Scully had given birth.
Like her doctor suspected, Scully's body was too small to handle natural
delivery, even with their baby two weeks early, and had to go into an
emergency c-section that night. At about 9:50 pm, May 20, 1996, their son,
William Fox Mulder had been born, took his first breath of life. To this
day, Mulder continued to be in awe of the little human being they created,
were in charge of, were in love with.
The trauma and stress to Scully's body had left her unable to bear any more
children. Which was fine with the both of them, he thought ruefully. William
was more than enough to handle, and as Scully said, one miracle was all she
ever wanted, all she ever needed, for all she could ever hope. William
certainly was their miracle. He was very bright already at a young age,
certainly happy and good natured, though he did have a stubborn streak that
Mulder and Scully claimed came from the other.
At the Bureau, the X-Files were thriving and Mulder was actually enjoying
the boss role he played in the division. Scully, impressing the higher-ups
continually with the smoothness and efficiency she ran the pathology
division, somehow she always found time to consult with his agents on
extremely unusual cases that needed a very scientific perspective. Mulder
enjoyed these moments when he got to work with her, when their minds dueled
and challenged each other.
Mulder had recently heard through the rumor mill (actually through Scully's
secretary Tammy, which he confirmed with his secretary Allison), that an
Assistant Director's position would be opening up soon with a retirement,
and that both he and Scully were in contention. Letting out a deep soft
chuckle, Mulder couldn't help but laugh at the complete opposite circle
their professional lives were, hell, even their personal lives. It would be
ironic if they both were up for the same promotion.
"What *ever* could you find funny right now?" Scully asked wearily as she
sidestepped both the offending frog and plastic keys before plopping down on
the recliner. Turning slightly over his shoulder to look at her, Mulder
thought she looked absolutely stunning, if not disheveled, with her hair
back in a messy ponytail, glasses on, blue button-down shirt untucked and
soaked, black pants, and no socks or shoes. After William had come, Scully
was frantic about loosing the extra weight gain and was now more lean than
she had been before she became pregnant with William.
"Too bad you weren't wearing a white shirt Scully. I would've like that," he
commented, vaguely pointing to her soaked shirt. When he saw traces of the
eyebrow hitching up, he continued, "And I am so glad tonight was your turn
for bath night."
"Your son seemed to think that bath time tonight was an extension of his
birthday party," she said wryly, leaning back in the recliner and closing
her eyes.
Since William's birthday had fallen on Tuesday, they had postponed the big
birthday party for early that day. Teena and William, Samantha, her husband
and kids, and Melissa had come; Bill and Tara had called, unable to make the
transcontinental flight, and Charlie had called from his station in the
Persian Gulf. William went to the Department of Justice daycare, so some of
his buddies from there with their parents had also joined in on the
festivities. The Mulder/Scully household that day had been bustling. And
between the birthday cake, brightly wrapped presents, new toys, candy, all
the people, and being the center of attention, William had been a handful
all day. Hyper did not accurately describe their son that day. Bouncing off
the walls didn't do the description any justice either.
"Like I said, better you than me," Mulder laughed, lacing his fingers behind
his head. He was exhausted and he knew Scully was just as exhausted. Who
knew that parenting could be such hard, tiring work? He was so grateful he
and Scully could do this together, not only for the bond and love they
shared with their son in doing it, but Mulder couldn't imagine trying to do
it himself, how difficult that would be.
When the stuffed frog hit him directly in the face, Mulder laughed again,
and asked, "Is he down and out for the count?"
"Like a rock. I don't think he's gonna wake up until September."
Mulder scooted over to the back of the couch, turning on his side. Patting
the space next to him, he raised his eyebrows, silently inviting Scully to
come share it with him.
Groaning as she got up, she was about to sit down with him when Mulder shook
his head.
"What Mulder?" she asked, annoyance creeping in her voice.
"I think you should take off that wet shirt Scully, before you catch cold."
"Really? Would that be your medical opinion?" The corners of her mouth
twitched.
"Uh-huh."
"Hmmm...I see. You may be onto something there." Scully slowly unbuttoned
her shirt, and Mulder drank her in, reveling in every glorious patch of skin
that was revealed. Shirt unbuttoned, she slide out of it and threw it over
her shoulder.
"You know Mulder, this bra is all wet too. Do you think I should take that
off as well?"
Nodding to her, Mulder watched as she reached around to unhook the blue
satin bra, breasts suddenly free, nipples standing erect in the cool air.
Instantly, Mulder became hard just by looking at her.
"How tired are you Scully?" he asked, suddenly sitting up.
"I can last all night long. Can you?" She smirked at him, wetting her lips
with her tongue.
"I think we need to try and experiment before I can come to any scientific
conclusions to answer your question." With that he jumped off the couch and
quickly grabbed Scully around her thighs, picking her up and carrying her
over his shoulder to the bedroom, their laughter trailing down the hallway
long into the night.

*****
Friday, February 20, 1998
Office of Dr. Dana Scully
J. Edgar Hoover Building
6:06 pm
Whistling, Mulder jauntily opened the outside door to Scully's office.
Tonight, they were going to par-tay. Missy had William for the weekend, he
was treating Scully to a weekend get-away for her birthday, and he was very
anxious to leave the Hoover building and get fun times rolling.
Truth have it, they really weren't going anywhere for her birthday, as
Scully was reluctant to have both of them leave town for any number of days
without William. Instead, they were going to go to spend the weekend at the
Ritz-Carlton in Arlington and pretend no one else existed but themselves.
Either way, Mulder was excited to have Scully to himself for a full 42
hours.
Noting that Tammy, Scully's secretary, was already gone for the day, Mulder'
s whistling increased a pitch in excitement. Obviously Scully was as anxious
as well to leave for the weekend. Without knocking, Mulder entered, only to
find Scully sitting totally in the dark, blinds open, staring at the
shadowed streetlight providing the very minimal light in the room. Mulder's
whistling stopped suddenly, feeling the dread in the room.
"Scully?"
She physically jumped at the sound of his voice and turned around in her
chair to face him. Even in the dimness, Mulder could see that her eyes were
red-rimmed and swollen, face pale. Frozen in place, Mulder felt compelled to
cross the room and embrace her, but something held him back, as if he needed
to distance himself from what she was about to tell him.
"What is it Scully?"
Licking her dry, cracked lips, Scully let out a hollow laugh.
"Mulder, any of your impending guilt for ruining my 'other' life can hereby
be eradicated." Her words weren't meant to be hurtful, but rather
matter-of-fact, and Mulder felt his insides twist at both her detachment and
her opening words to him.
"What do you mean Scully?"
Standing with a paper in her hand, she walked to him, almost as in slow
motion. As she got closer to him, he saw the piece of paper was actually a
x-ray, and she handed it to him.
"Maybe some things are fated to be Mulder."
Mulder glanced at the sheet, then back to Scully, confused. He couldn't make
heads or tails of the x-ray, and her admission in the belief of fate
frightened him. He knew then that something must be seriously wrong.
"What do you mean, Scully?"
"I have cancer. Again."
"Again? What do you mean again? Is it the same, or different, or, or. . . "
Mulder trailed off, unsure which questions were the appropriate ones to ask.
"It's the same Mulder. Same kind, same place, same inoperability. But
everything's different. There's so much more at stake now. We have William.
I have you. This time around it wasn't brought on by a government conspiracy
and it can't be cured by replacing a chip. I don't, I don't know what to do
Mulder, or what to think. Maybe we had just gotten too content, maybe you
and I aren't supposed to be this happy."
Crossing the room in three quick strides, she stood to meet him, staring at
him. He noted that she seemed frightened to touch him, almost as if her
illness would physically reach through and cause him more pain. Reaching, he
took one of her hands, marveling at how tiny it was, reminded how fragile
she could be, and held it with both of his. He brought it up to his chest,
placing it over his heart.
"I refuse to believe that Scully, refuse to believe that this happened
because we finally found happiness. Your cancer went into remission the
first time and maybe it wasn't through the chip. Maybe it was through your
faith. Maybe it was through fate. Who's to say that it won't go into
remission this time around?"
"Mulder, I never told you, but all that time after my cancer went into
remission, I believed that it was the chip, your belief in its power that
saved my life. And now there is no chip to fall back upon. There's nothing
to believe in." She looked down at their feet, meeting toe to toe, unable to
look him in the eye anymore.
"There is so much that I have believed in over the years, in both lives, but
I have never faltered in my belief in you, in us. We will get through this
Scully. William will have both a father and mother to watch him grow up.
We'll grow old and gray and cranky together. Just please, don't shut me out
this time around." Mulder pleaded, trying to get her eyes to meet his.
Pulling her hand away, Scully turned to face the window again. "I never
meant to shut you out."
"I know Scully, but you did. You always do. What hurts me most is not the
fact that I can't share your pain, or the pain of my own, but the fact that
you didn't trust me enough to let me in."
They stood like that as moments passed, her staring out the window, him
staring at her back.
Finally, she cleared her throat roughly. "Mulder, I trusted you to let you
in. I never trusted myself. I guess, even now, I've always been afraid and
awestruck by the power of our relationship. Had I let you in then, I
would've drowned. We were so emotionally connected, yet when it mattered
most, were the most emotionally dysfunctional people I've known. I couldn't
handle giving my emotional self up completely, because I was afraid to
believe that something like this could be real. That our feelings were just
all an illusion, and the moment I let that final wall down, you would be
gone, and at that point, so much of me would be you that I couldn't go on
without you. That's what scares me the most, the thought of having to live
my life without you. If I kept my distance, I would be fine, and I wouldn't
lose myself." Her voice had lowered to barely a whisper, and Mulder had
gradually gotten closer to her in order to hear her.
"Do you still feel that way?" He whispered in her ear, one arm wrapping
around her shoulders, the other around her waist.
"No. I feel like I've just finally found myself, through you. In you."
Grabbing one of Mulder's hands, she brought it up to kiss his knuckles.
Kissing the soft skin behind her ear, Mulder planted his chin on her
shoulder.
"If you don't want to go to the Ritz this weekend Scully, I understand. If
you need to start treatments, or just need time to yourself." She moved her
lips to kiss the inside of his wrist.
"No Mulder, let's take this weekend for us. No cancer, no work, no adorable,
curious little boy running around who could walk in on us. On Monday, we'll
worry about the future. Let's just make this weekend a memory for us."

*****
Saturday, February 21, 1998
Ritz-Carlton
Pentagon City
Arlington, Virginia
6:23 pm
Mulder blinked sleepily into the last of the daylight that was filtering
through the windows, languidly stretching out Scully, who turned toward him
at his movement.
"Hi," she said, staring him in the eyes. Her eyes were bright and Mulder had
a difficult time believing that she was sick again. Then again, the first
time around, he wouldn't have guess that she was sick then either, not until
the end. That admission is what scared him the most. Pushing those thoughts
out of his head, he smiled.
"Hi. Do you realize we've been naked for almost twenty-four hours straight?"
"Glad you noticed," she responded dryly, but her smile gave her away.
Groaning, she pulled herself out of the gigantic, four post bed with silk
sheets.
"Where you going?" Mulder asked, wincing as he realized he was whining.
"I'm ordering room service. I figured we need to replenish ourselves if we'
re going to last another twenty-four hours naked."
He pulled himself out of the bed, following her into the living area of
their suite. "Woman, you know what I like."
Rewarded with an eyebrow as placed their order, Mulder was pleased at both
the fact that they knew each other so well that she didn't need to ask him
what he wanted, and that she was ordering several desserts and a bottle of
wine with their entrees.
Making his way over to her, he kneeled at her feet, taking the arch of her
foot and began to kiss it.
"Mulder, what are you doing?" He grinned internally as he felt her squirm.
"Didn't you know that the arch of your foot is an erogenous zone?"
"Stop that. It tickles. Besides, I've already been seduced and plenty turned
on; save that lip work for later."
With a feral grin, Mulder licked his way up one leg, purposefully missing
her center, dipping into her belly button and up her sternum, finding his
target on her lips. He noted that Scully was breathing heavily, lids heavy
as she watched him.
He spoke between kisses. "I think we should move to a nudist colony."
Scully pulled away from him, laughing. "Way to ruin a moment Mulder."
"What?" He pulled away, leaning back to sit on the couch next to her. Mulder
had to admit, he was a little hurt.
"A nudist colony, Mulder? What could be more unsexy than seeing a whole
bunch of people naked all the time. Part of nude being sexy is the fact that
you don't see people nude all the time. So when the clothes go off, it's
exciting. Besides," she said, straddling Mulder, "I'd have to deal with all
these other women looking at you, and I'm just not very good at sharing."
Mulder closed the couple of inches to her lips, her mouth parting under his.
The kiss deepened, his hands tangling in her tussled hair, her breasts
grazing his naked chest.
A sudden knock at the door broke the two apart. Mulder groaned, throwing his
head back against the couch, and looked back up, spying Scully biting her
lip trying not to laugh. At her poor try of attempting to look sympathetic,
Mulder felt laughter boil over his lips, and Scully joined him, wiping tears
from her eyes.
'If only this moment could last forever,' he thought as Scully grabbed her
robe to go answer the door. He quickly pushed his ominous feelings aside to
enjoy the rest of the weekend with Scully.

*****
January 29, 1999
George Washington University Hospital
Department of Oncology
7:01 pm
Mulder crept into the darkened room, a sickening feeling eating away at the
pit of his stomach. Careful not to be too loud, Mulder pulled the chair over
and sat by Scully's bedside.
There were so many things that made this round with cancer worse. Already
experiencing it once. Knowing that this time around there was no chip to
cure it, no governmental intervention that caused it. Seeing how hard she
was fighting for her life with no avail. William.
Scully had been doing well on and off for the past year, but since New Year'
s she had to be hospitalized. Staring at her, Mulder could see her pale blue
veins in her gaunt, ghostly white face. She had become so thin that Mulder
feared a breeze would break her in half. This past week she had taken a turn
for the worse, and last night she had slipped into a coma.
Their neighbors had been watching Will and had just left with their son. The
doctor had thought it a good idea that Will have a chance to say good-bye to
his mother, just in case.
'Just in case,' Mulder thought grimly, as he laid his head down on the bed
next to Scully's. 'Just in case' she leaves us. 'Just in case' I have to
raise our son alone. 'Just in case' I can't do this without her. Mulder's
thoughts swirled through his mind, haunting him, shrinking his heart.
"Scully, I don't think you'll ever truly know how much I adore you, worship
you, chagrin you. I don't want you to go, I can't live without you. You are
so much more than me than I am of myself. My heart beats because of you. I
breath because of you. But if you do go, I know it wasn't without a fight,
and I love you for that. I wouldn't expect anything less. I want you to know
that I will make sure that Will is reminded every single day how much his
mother loves him and misses him."
With a gut wrenching sob, Mulder caressed Scully's face and picked up her
left hand. Placing a kiss on the top, he traced her wedding ring.
"Thank you," he whispered, as the heart monitor flat lined, just as it
should have from a gunshot wound on that date in a previous life.

*****
A Few Days Later
Mulder Residence
6:00 am
Mulder groaned as the alarm went off, not remembering having set it. His
eyes were gritty and throat raw from having cried himself to unconsciousness
after Scully's funeral the previous day. He was grateful that Will had
stayed with the neighbors again for the night. Mulder needed time to heal,
time to mourn without being under the watchful eyes of their son, so he
could be strong for Will, whom, not even at three years, seemed to know what
happened to his 'Ma'.
Sitting up and attempting to rub his eyes clear, Mulder realized with a
start that sometime in his oblivion of mourning that he had changed from his
black suit he remember laying down in, to his yellow pajama pants. His
yellow pajama pants he hadn't owned in several years. Actually the ones he
owned in his other life.
A quick appraisal around the room told Mulder he was not in his and Scully's
row house in DC, but in his 42 Hegal Place apartment in Arlington. Before he
could make heads or tails of the situation, a sudden noise from the living
room quickened Mulder's pulse. He automatically reached for his gun off the
nightstand, and was grateful to find it there.
"Mulder?" he heard Scully call out and he dropped the gun, covering his
ears. He was imagining this, as his way of dealing with her death. His
hallucination became worse as he saw her in the doorway. Gritting his teeth,
he cried a weak, "No!"
Then he could feel her next to him, her hand on his arm.
"Mulder, it's me. I'm really here. You're not imagining this."
"Scully?" he asked hopefully, peaking at her from under his lashes.
"Yes. Oh Mulder," she simply whispered, drawing him into her arms.
"Did you, did you have the dream too?" he choked between tears,
unnecessarily as he already knew she had. "My god Scully, I thought you were
dead."
"Me too. Imagine my surprise when I woke up alive," Scully said dryly,
wiping her own tears. "But Mulder, I don't think it was just a dream."
Mulder pulled away from their embrace to look at her. "What do you mean,
Scully?"
"Look at your left hand Mulder."
There, shining brightly in the early morning light, was his wedding band.
Briskly, he grabbed Scully's left hand, to find she had the band on too.
"Whoa," was the only response he could think.
"Whoa? That's it Mulder? I was expecting something a little less mundane,"
she teased, with an amused eyebrow raised.
"You wanna make these rings official again?" He scooted closer to her.
"Mulder," Scully responded, annoyed. "Don't you want to know what happened
to us, or why, or for what purpose? Aren't you having trouble taking this
all in? I know I am. Once again, we have to reconcile that we were living a
completely different life, but now we're back in our old ones, yet we have
memory of events that never happened. This is hard for me Mulder."
"It's hard for me too Scully, but I don't know if we'll ever be able to
figure that out. Maybe it was a wake-up call of sorts. Or maybe it was a way
to show us the truth we *should* be seeking. In us."
Scully looked pensive for a moment. "You know Mulder, we didn't loose
anytime in this life. Today is Valentine's Day. February 14, 2000. Maybe we
just got a shove from Cupid," she teased.
Mulder laughed. "You always have to look for the simplest explanation, don't
you? Wouldn't you think that Cupid would've found a less complicated way?"
Looking Mulder deep in the eyes, Scully responded in a husky voice. "Maybe
Cupid tried, and we weren't listening."
"Well then, Cupid just pulled off one hell of a stunt." Mulder's voice
dropped an octave as he began tracing his fingertips on Scully's collarbone.
"I think we owe Cupid a debt of gratitude," Scully responded, her fingers
tracing Mulder's jaw line.
"Hmm...sounds like a X-File." Mulder leaned in until they were eye to eye,
noses touching, lips just an inch away.
"Sounds like it. Maybe we should investigate further," Scully whispered, as
she closed that final gap.

*****
FIN
*****