From: Ambino1111@aol.com
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 18:41:26 EDT


All Lies Lead To The Truth
by: Amber Donahue
November 22, 1997

CHAPTER 1

	After all they had been through, after all they had seen, it was a 
simple shoot-out that got the best of the pair of agents. Although it may be 
hard to believe a shoot-out would be simple, compared to their other work, it 
was.
	With Scully back from the brink of death, her daughter dead, and 
Mulder more determined than ever to find the truth, they continued on the X 
Files. Their fifth case since Scully's release from the hospital found
them in 
Kentucky, following up on an apparent abduction. A little girl was thought to 
have been abducted, and her step-brother disappeared at the same time as 
well. As it turned out, that older step-brother had kidnapped her and held 
the girl for ransom. They traced the call to an abandoned warehouse. It was 
late at night when Mulder and Scully, without waiting for backup, ventured 
into the old building. 
	"Mulder, I don't think this is a good idea," Scully whispered, tugging at 
his trench coat.
	"Scully, I want to get this kid. He probably knows that we're here 
already. It's just a matter of time before he flees. Stay here, okay? I'll be 
alright."
	"Like hell I'm staying here," Scully told him firmly. He shrugged and 
gave her a lopsided smile. 
	"Then come on. I'll take the left, you take the right," he said, nodding 
down the hallway.
	Scully agreed, and they quietly went on their way.
	Mulder was three doors ahead of his partner when Dana Scully first 
heard the shots.
	"Mulder!" she shouted, and ran to the room as fast as she could. A 
figure bolted past her and she pulled her gun on it.
	"Stop! Federal Agent!" she yelled. The figure kept running.
	"Stop!" she yelled again. When he didn't comply, she squeezed the 
trigger and shot him in the left leg.
	When she saw his body drop, she turned and ran into the room.
	Fox Mulder had collapsed in a pool of blood. She bent down to check 
for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there nonetheless.
	"Scully," he mumbled weakly.
	"Hang on, Mulder. I'm here. Hang on," she said, reaching into her 
pocket and pulling out her cell phone. She quickly called 911.
	"Yes, I need an ambulance at 206 Merrill Court. We have an agent 
down! Please hurry!"

CHAPTER 2

	Images flooded his mind. So many, piled on top of each other and 
running at high speed, that it was impossiblee to shut any of them out, yet 
impossible to acknowledge them all. 
	Then suddenly, it all ended. He was floating on a sea of clouds, bathed 
in warmth and light. He was so peaceful that he never wanted to leave. In 
the back of his mind, he heard a far-off voice. He couldn't quite make
out 
what it was saying, but it wouldn't stop. He wanted it to shut up, to once 
again leave him alone in the warmth and calm, but it didn't happen. 
Suddenly, he watched, terrified, as a massive storm moved in, and the 
lightning started to dash through the sky. Without warning, a bolt laced 
through his body, sending currents of electrical shock through his bones
and 
jerking him awake.
	The bright white light hurt his eyes. Oh God, I really am dead. he 
thought wildly. It took a moment for him to readjust himself. He hurt too 
much to be dead. There were lights above him, and he was pretty damn 
sure that Heaven or Hell did not have artificial lighting.
	"Fox! Are you awake? It's me, your sister Samantha," a young voice 
spoke excitedly from next to him.
	"Samantha?" he croaked. He turned his head and tried to sit up.
	"No, Fox, don't try to move. Your father just went to get the doctor," 
Mulder recognized his mother's voice.
	"Samantha?" he croaked again, unbelieving.
	"What, Fox?" she asked gently.
	"You're really here?" he asked, blinking. He couldn't believe
it. His 
years of searching were finally over.
	"Yeah, I'm here. Where else would I be? Besides, I get to miss school 
for this."
	By this time, Mulder was sitting up in bed. He turned to look at his 
little sister. He gasped.
	"Sam!?! You look.... you're only eight!" 
	She gave him a funny look.
	"Geez, you weren't in that coma that long!" she remarked 
sarcastically.
	"What day is it?" he asked quietly.
	"Why, it's November 20," his mother answered, her voice filled with 
worry.
	"What year?" he asked, ready to jump up. "Where's Scully? What have 
you done with her?"
	"Scull-lee?" Samantha asked slowly, giving him another funny look.
	"It's 1973, Honey. Same as before the accident."
	"What happened?" Mulder asked his mother.
	"You and Samantha were climbing in the trees, even though I told you 
not to," she started weakly. "Then your ankle got caught. I heard you 
scream, and I came running outside. You tried to twist and break free, but 
you fell and hit your head."
	"I hit my head?" Fox asked, momentarily forgetting about his other 
questions.
	"Yes, Butt-munch. Why'd you think you were in a hospital?" Samantha 
said, rolling her eyes.
	"Samantha!" her mother reprimanded. Sam instantly looked down at 
her feet.
	"Sorry, Mom," she said quietly.
	"It's okay, Honey."
	The door swung open, and Bill Mulder walked in, followed by a nurse 
and a doctor.
	"Fox! How are you feeling?" his dad asked, and Mulder got a lump in 
his throat.
	"Dad?" he asked faintly. His father was immediately by his side.
	"What's wrong, son? Are you feeling okay? You had us very worried," 
his father babbled as Mulder stared, unbelieving, into his face.
	"Your old man's right, Fox. You scared all of us. We weren't sure how 
bad the damage was. All I can say is, you must have set one hell of a tree-
climbing record to get injuries this bad from the fall," the doctor told him as 
the nurse bustled around, taking his pulse and other hospital procedures.
	"Just how bad is it, Doc?" Bill Mulder asked, turning away from Fox.
	"We-we're not really sure. It could be nothing. The brain is a very 
complex and very sensitive organ. We don't know much about how it works. 
Fox could survive all this with nothing more than that scrape on the noggin. 
However, he could have slight brain damage, or he may even have triggered 
a state of amnesia," the doctor lowered his voice, and both Mr. and Mrs. 
Mulder stepped closer to him as he whispered, "What kind of questions has 
he asked? How did he seem when he woke up?"
	Bill looked at his wife, and she glanced at her son before answering.
	"Well, he did act a bit strange. He couldn't believe that Samantha was 
standing besides him. He told her that she looked only eight. Then he 
wanted to know the date and the year, and he demanded to know what we 
did with 'Scully'. He didn't seem to remember the accident. And, of course, 
did you notice the way he looked at you, Bill, when you walked in? He 
couldn't believe you were here, too."
	The doctor looked deep in thought.
	"I don't know what exactly has happened with your son. Physically, 
besides his sprained wrist, young Fox is in ideal shape. Mentally and 
emotionally, I'm not so sure yet."
	"Should he stay overnight again?"
	"It wouldn't hurt, but if you'd like to get him home for the holiday 
season, it wouldn't worsen his condition any."
	"Thank you, Doctor," Bill said, extending his hand. They shook.
	"You're welcome. And you, Fox," he said, speaking louder so the
two 
children could hear him. "Stay out of those trees."


	Fox William Mulder wasn't sure he was awake, or if he was, lucid. 
When he got home and was slowly helped up to his bed by his father, a little 
voice in the back of his head kept insisting that his father was dead, shot by 
Fox's very own ex-partner, Alex Krycek. When Samantha brought him up 
some homemade chicken and dumpling soup, that same little voice informed 
him that his sister had disappeared the night of November 27, 1973 at about 
8:53 PM, and she couldn't be right here in front of him.
	However, another voice in his head told that little voice in the back 
that it was November 20, 1973, and Samantha wouldn't disappear for seven 
whole days. 
	Then the little voice retorted with a pertinent question on how he knew 
his future life as if he had lived all 24 years past this point already.
	When the second voice could not supply a sufficient answer, Fox 
sighed and closed his eyes. His head really hurt.
	He listened to the sound of his mother washing the dishes in the 
kitchen. If he really listened carefully, he could hear the sound of his
father's 
and sister's voices as they talked and laughed about something.
	The comforting sounds of home relaxed Mulder as he drifted off to 
sleep.

	"What do you mean 'there's been no change'?" A fiery Dana Scully 
asked a nervous-looking intern.
	"Well, ma'am, he hasn't gotten any better. From my understanding," 
he said, staring down at the chart in his hands, "he's lost a lot of
blood. 
There's internal bleeding that we can't stop, and he hasn't regained 
consciousness. Have you notified his family?"
	"There's only his mother left, and I called her a good half-hour ago. 
She said she's on her way."
	"I hope she gets here soon enough. I'm afraid he hasn't much time 
left."
	"Can I see him?" Scully asked, her voice cracking as she struggled to 
maintain her composure.
	"Yes. Follow me," the intern turned left and led her down a seemingly 
endless hallway. With every step, Dana Scully felt time nipping harder and 
harder at her heels. No, dammit! She thought madly. I will not lose him!
Not 
after all we have been through! Not before I can tell him that I love him.
	That last thought startled her, but she knew there was no time for 
Bureau policies. Fox Mulder was her best friend. She trusted him, she 
respected him, she loved him more than she anyone else in her life. She 
needed him. After five years of working together so hard, after five years of 
struggling through governmental lies and fake alien abductions, after all they 
had seen and all they had done, she could not live without him.
	The intern had led her to the room. She paused and stared at the 
number on the wall next to it. How ironic, a part of her noted. His room 
number is the same number as the address of the warehouse where he was 
shot.
	She thanked the intern and slowly turned the handle. Closing her eyes, 
she entered the room. Slowly, she opened her eyes to stare at the figure 
laying deathly still in the hospital bed.
	Throughout their cases, both of them had had their turns at being 
beaten-up and having to stay the occasional night or two in the hospital. It 
was a given in their line of work. But never in all the years she had known 
him did Fox Mulder looked so utterly, utterly...... terrible.
	"Mulder?" she asked quietly as she moved to sit by his side. "Mulder, 
it's me, Scully. Can you hear me?"
	The silence that greeted her was more painful to her heart than any 
angry words could have ever been.
	She stared helplessly at her partner, the tears streaking silently down 
her cheeks going unnoticed.
	Fox Mulder lay completely still. Not a single muscle could be seen 
moving. Only the weak-but-constant beep of the heart monitor proved to 
Scully that he was still alive.
	"Mulder, I know you probably can't hear me, but I want you to know 
this," she paused, gently waiting for any response. When she still got
none, 
she continued. "Mulder, I love you. I have always loved you, even when
you 
were a pain in the ass," she gave a tearful half-hearted chuckle. "And I need 
you, Mulder. I know you probably didn't expect this from me, the ever-
strong Dana Scully, but I really do need you. So don't you die on me, 
dammit! You hear me? You're gonna make it! I'll be damned if I'm gonna 
stand by and watch you turn in because of a few lousy bullets. What about 
the truth, Mulder? Is it gonna find itself? And what about your sister, 
Mulder? You'll never know if she's alive. you'll never know what happened to 
her that night. Mulder, you can't leave me now."
	That was all she could handle. She took Mulder's hand and broke down 
right there beside him. She felt her whole life collapsing as the odds against 
her partner's survival stacked up against them.
	How much she wanted him to suddenly sit up from the brink of death 
and exclaim, "Now there's a miracle, Scully. Explain away." and then say "I 
told you so." when she couldn't. Just how much she wanted him to be 
alright, she feared, he would never, ever know.
	She rested her head on his bed, right next to his. She listened quietly 
as the machines beeped and breathed for him. She listened as his heart rate 
got slower and slower. And she listened as his lifeline went flat.


	Mulder jolted up in his bed. His heart was beating wildly in his chest. 
He was covered with sweat, and gasping for air.
	He tried taking deep breaths. He was okay. It was only a nightmare. It 
wasn't real. He was okay. He was alive.
	And he was twelve.
	Oh God, he thought tiredly. What is happening to me?


CHAPTER 3

	"Are you sure you'll be alright, Fox dear?" Mrs. Mulder asked for the 
tenth time as Bill helped her into her winter coat.
	"We won't be too long," Bill told his son, rolling his eyes good-
naturedly at his wife's over-protectiveness. Fox smiled weakly.
	"And Samantha, you'll be good, won't you?"
	"Yes, Mom."
	"Don't give your brother a hard time. And, Fox, Samantha has 
permission to watch that movie at 9:00."
	As much as the young Fox Mulder in him disliked his mother's fussing 
about leaving them home alone, the older Fox Mulder part was grateful to 
her beyond words. However, his plan to get his parents to stay at home with 
him and Samantha had failed. Repeatedly.
	"C'mon, Honey. The Galbrands are expecting us," Bill said, trying to 
drag her out the door.
	"Do you have to go, Mom?" Fox asked, deciding to shoot where it 
counted - motherly guilt. "I don't really feel so well."
	He saw the hesitation in her face, the uncertainty that suddenly 
overwhelmed her. He also saw, though, the determined look on his father's 
face. He was awfully focused on getting her out of the house as quickly as 
possible. Since the older and experienced Fox knew what would happen, he 
began to wonder how his dad knew, and whether or not it had all been a set-
up from the beginning.
	"Honey," Bill spoke up, growing mock-angry. "The Galbrands have 
invited us over. Our kids are responsible. They're twelve and eight, for 
crying out loud. Let's give them a chance to prove themselves."
	"I don't know, Bill," she paused. "It's only been a week since Fox had 
his accident."
	"We'll be fine, Mom," Samantha said impatiently. She was getting 
antsy.
	Fox Mulder sighed. It was a lost cause. He would just have to find 
himself another way to avoid the terrible deed about to occur.
	"Don't worry, Mom. We'll be alright," he mumbled, staring at the floor.
	"Okay. We'll be home at eleven. Don't stay up too late!" his mother 
was still calling orders as Sam walked over to the door to close and lock it.
	"Now what?" she asked him, her eyes shining.
	"Wanna play a game?" he asked her. It was only 7:30. If he got her 
suspicious about the abduction now, they'd never make it to 9:00.
	"How about Stratego?" she asked, bounding over to the living room 
cabinet to get out the board game.
	Just to hear that name brought a pang of loss and guilt through his 
heart.
	"How about Monopoly?" he asked her nervously.
	"No, you always cheat at that," she paused thoughtfully. "Unless I can 
be the car AND the banker AND go first."
	"No!" The word slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it.
	"Okay then, help me find Stratego."
	Mulder stood silently, hands down by his sides.
	"How about a card game?"
	Sam shook her head.
	"Chess?"
	"No."
	"Checkers?"
	"No."
	"Chinese Checkers?"
	"No."
	"Monopoly?"
	"You already tried that."
	"Alright, fine," he said, walking over and yanking the box out of
the 
cabinet. He didn't see the point in fighting with his sister over a board game.
	As they settled down and set up their pieces, Samantha turned on the 
television.
	"What movie is coming on?" he asked her, trying to use his height
to 
peer over the board at her pieces.
	"I dunno. I guess I'll just have to turn it off before it's even over for 
The Magician at 9:00, huh?"
	Mulder smiled sadly and shook his head. Once you had lived a life like 
he had, some things weren't as important as others.
	Sam's eyes widened at that, but she soon forgot all about the 
television. It was an hour later when they were on their fifth game and she 
was starting to lose that Mulder started to get antsy.
	"Oh, this isn't fair, Fox! You're cheating!"
	"How could I cheat?" Mulder said, moving his piece up a square.
	"Never mind," she mumbled, and stared at the pieces in front of her.
	"Hey, Sam?" he asked her suddenly, an idea dawning on him.
	"What?"
	"How long would you say it would take the fire department to get 
here?"
	"Not too long. Why?"
	Mulder paused, but decided his plan was best. He'd rather get in the 
trouble of having pulled a "false alarm" on the fire department than
have his 
sister disappear again.
	"Wanna call them?"
	"For what?" She asked, but her eyes were already glowing with 
mischief.
	"We'll tell them there's a really big fire at our house."
	"Okay. Wanna do it now?"
	"Well," Mulder glanced at the clock. It was 8:42. Eleven minutes left.
	"Yes," he said, and ran to pick up the phone.
	"Turn off the TV and come here," he called from the kitchen. Sam 
switched off the Special Report on the Watergate scandal and ran into the 
kitchen beside her brother.
	The guilt of calling the firefighters to save his little sister could
not 
even take up a fraction of all the guilt he carried around inside himself as an 
adult.	
	Within eight minutes, the fire department was there. Quite a 
commotion was made by all the sirens and trucks. A whole bunch of 
neighbors were outside, gossiping and wondering what was going on. Among 
them were Mr. and Mrs. Mulder, who were approaching the front door 
looking far from happy, but probably for different reasons.
	"Uht-oh, Fox. Mom and Dad are gonna kill us," Sam noted as she 
peeped out of the window. 
	Fox glanced at the clock before answering.
	"Don't worry. Let me take all the blame for this, Sam."
	It was 9:04 PM in Chilmark, Massachusetts, on November 27, 1973, 
and Samantha Mulder was still safely with her brother.


CHAPTER 4

	It was mid-December now. The world outside was thoroughly 
blanketed with several feet of snow, and with one look up at the sky, it
was 
obvious there was still more to come.
	The spirit of Christmas Cheer flowed through the house, and Fox 
Mulder could not remember his family being happier. 
	He, however, was a wreck. Every night, he was plagued by dreams of 
his death in the future. He had not slept in over two and a half weeks.
	Part of him was afraid of letting his guard down again. He was afraid
of 
what he might learn.
	The dreams, however, didn't bother to wait out his new-found 
insomnia. They didn't need him to be asleep to show him what they needed 
to show him.

	The chilly air was damp, the ground covered in dew, and a light 
morning fog hovered around the grass.
	It was a bleak, dreary day, and it matched perfectly with how Dana 
Scully felt.
	She stood around the casket as the sermon was read, not listening to 
anything but her thoughts. She numbly noticed that Skinner was there, 
along with Mrs. Mulder, the Lone Gunmen, and a man that looked an awful 
lot like the 'deceased' Cigarette-Smoking Man.
	Her heart had found a new emptiness, it ached with the unveiling of a 
sudden void.
	She stared at the closed casket in front of her, watching as droplets 
from a slight drizzle landed silently on the flowers.
	Oh, how she needed her mother! But she had not even called Margaret 
Scully, who was visiting Dana's brother Bill, his wife, and their new baby 
boy, to tell her the terrible news. She would have told Bill, and Dana could 
not handle the way Bill was bound to react.
	Dana Scully watched as people started to leave. For many of them, it 
was over. At least the majority of them got some sense of closure from 
attending the funeral, but Dana Scully received no such sense. She just felt 
it was an abrupt ending that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
	She knew that they wanted to talk to her, but she would not allow it. 
She hurried to her car as fast as she could without running and climbed in, 
slamming the car door shut. The tires squealed as she pulled away, away 
from the pain and away from the past.
	She had lost so much over the last five years. Her father, her sister, 
her daughter, even her dog, and now her partner. She lost her health, her 
confidence, and she lost three months of her life. She had lost it all, and 
what had she gained?
	Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All her sacrifices to finding the truth with 
Mulder had been a waste, all her losses were in vain.
	She was so wrapped up in her morose thoughts that she didn't even 
see the truck barreling down the intersection as she drove across.


	"Aghhhh!" The stifled scream escaped from his throat as he awoke.
	The first thing he saw as he jumped back into full awareness was the 
sight of the ceiling above his head.
	What the ???? he thought groggily. I thought I was sitting in the arm 
chair downstairs, watching T.V..... 
	He climbed out of bed and stumbled down into the kitchen.
	"Good morning, Fox," his mother said cheerfully, busily making a large 
breakfast over the stove. His father was absorbed in the morning 
newspaper, and his sister was eagerly setting the table.
	"Sleep well?" his father asked him, lowering the paper enough to look 
at his face.
	"I-Well, not really."
	"What's wrong, son? Been having some bad dreams lately?"
	"No, just weird ones."
	"You fell asleep in the chair yesterday. Dad had to carry you up to
your 
bed," Samantha informed him, filling glasses with orange juice.
	"I was wondering how I got there."
	"You have to get some more sleep, Fox," His mother scolded him 
gently as she glided to the table with a pan of sizzling eggs.
	"I know, I know," He paused as he slid into his chair at the table. 
"Hey, Dad?" he asked.
	"What?" he asked absently.
	"What are you doing today?"
	It was Saturday, and the Mulder children had just started their long 
Winter Break. Fox knew Samantha was planning on going next door to play 
with her friend all day.
	"Oh, same old, same old."
	"Are you having some of your business partners over tonight?"
	His father looked slightly surprised at the question. Fox noticed the 
Look his mother gave her husband.
	"Why yes, I am. Are you going to be home tonight, boy?"
	"I wasn't planning on it."
	His father nodded and took a sip of coffee.
	Fox had been thinking about what he was about to do, and he decided 
that what he was going to do was the best and only choice he had.
	For a moment, he considered staying for the meeting tonight, and 
seeing just what it was that his father discussed with this mysterious group 
that would later control most of his life.
	But then he realized that what he was doing was more important. After 
breakfast, he escaped back up to his and Samantha's room, and started 
quietly packing. He heard Samantha leave, and his parents talking over the 
sound of his mom doing the dishes.
	After he had a hearty amount of clothes with him, and other supplies 
(except for candy bars and gum, he didn't pack any food, but he had a 
healthy sum of money from saving up over the years for a new bike), he 
placed the note that he had written on Sam's bed, slyly slipped downstairs, 
grabbed a coat, and snuck out of the house, quietly shutting the door after 
him.
	Albeit he was only twelve, and he didn't ask permission, and it was
a 
really foolish thing to do, but going to San Diego in search of his future 
partner and best friend seemed like the right thing to do for Fox Mulder.

	The plane ride from Massachusetts to California was long and boring. 
On the way, Mulder was too restless and too excited to worry about falling 
asleep. He fidgeted the whole time, and kept folding and unfolding the piece 
of paper he held in his hand the entire flight.
	On it, he had scribbled an address that he had gotten through some 
days of hard searching at the library : 1013 16th street, U.S. Naval Base, 
San Diego, California.
	The plane touched down, and when Mulder arrived in the airport, he 
headed straight for the phones. He called a cab, and within minutes, he was 
on his way.
	All he had to do now was get past the fairly large security guards.

CHAPTER 5

	His palms were sweaty when he spotted the red mailbox reading 1013 
nearly ten minutes later. 
	Luckily, all he had to say to the guards was that he was here to see Bill 
Scully's daughter Dana, and they let him in with a grin. They probably 
thought she had a boyfriend. 
	Mulder noticed that the people in this neighborhood seemed very 
close. Of course, since the men were buddies in the force, it seemed right 
that the families would be friends, too.
	Nervously, he turned to walk up the sidewalk to the house. Next door, 
three little girls were playing jump rope (two were swinging it and giggling, 
while the other was jumping in and out). Mulder wondered if one of them 
was Melissa, or even Dana.
	He raised his fist to knock on the door, and paused. What the heck was 
he doing? The only way he knew this person was by some dreams he had 
since he hit his head almost a month ago. Surely she would think he was 
crazy, if she even believed him. Mulder had to remind himself that Scully 
would be just as much a skeptic as she was (would be) in the future.
	He decided to chance it anyway. The one thing he knew about Dana 
was that she would at least listen to him. She was fair, after all.
	Knock, knock. 
	It seemed like an eternity before the door swung open.
	"May I help you?" a little boy with the trademark red hair that ran in 
the Scully family asked, peering up at Mulder with curious eyes. Mulder 
knew it was Charles, her younger brother.
	"Is- Is Dana here?"
	The little boy stared at him, then nodded.
	"I think she's out back by the creek. Who are you?"
	Mulder gulped.
	"My name's Fox Mulder. I know your sister."
	"Okay. Come on in. I'll go get her," Charles raced off through the 
house. 
	"No running!" came Mrs. Scully's voice from upstairs, but Charles was 
already outside.
	Mulder stood, nervously rocking back and forth and shifting from foot 
to foot, playing with the straps of the backpack he wore on his back as he 
examined the room. It looked a lot like Bill Scully Jr.'s house from the future.
	Suddenly, William Scully, Sr. came walking down the stairs. Mulder 
looked at him insecurely. Fox had never met Dana's dad, but he had heard 
so much about him.
	"May I help you, son?" he asked the young boy. The Navy man was 
dressed casually in jeans and a tee shirt.
	"Uh, no, sir. Yes, sir, actually. I'm looking for your daughter, uh, 
Dana."
	Bill Scully took the opportunity to scrutinize the fidgety boy standing in 
front of him. He certainly looked several years older than his Starbuck,
and 
Bill didn't remember seeing him around the base. Maybe he was new, or 
went to Dana's school. Either way, the boy looked decent enough.
	"I believe she's out back, son. Why don't you go out there and find 
her?"
	Mulder nodded.
	"Thank you, sir," he said, flustered. Bill smiled as Mulder cautiously 
made his way through the house.
	Charles came rushing up to him as he opened the back door.
	"She's up in the tree house. I told her you were here."
	"What did she say?"
	"Nothin'. But she looked all weird."
	"Okay. Thank you, Charles."
	"No problem," the little boy answered, and didn't seem surprised at all 
that Mulder knew his name.
	Mulder walked through the fairly large well-kept lawn to the row of 
trees in the back. A well-made tree house perched in the largest.
	Mulder crawled up the ladder, feeling unsure but suddenly 
comfortable.
	"Hello?" he called before he poked his head in.
	"Yeah?" a voice answered. A voice he was so used to hearing, changed 
only slightly through time.
	He pulled himself up into the tree house, and caught sight of Dana 
Scully.
	She was over in the corner, staring out the little open space 
considered a window. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she 
wore jean overalls and a white tee-shirt. The freckles on her face were more 
noticeable, and her eyes seemed more green than blue. Still, Mulder knew 
this was his partner.
	"Scully?" he asked quietly. He knew it was stupid - he should have said 
'Dana', but it seemed to slip out.
	"What do you want?" she asked, still not looking at him.
	"I-well.....Do you know who I am?"
	"Of course I do."
	"But how, though?"
	Now she turned to look at him.
	"Well, Charlie told me you were here, but I guess I knew. I don't 
know. I mean, I got hit in the side by a car about a month ago, and I hit my 
head. When I woke up, I felt like I was older, like I had lived my life already, 
and watched my partner die, and watched me die, but I'm still only me.
It 
was kinda scary."
	"That's weird. I fell out of a tree a couple weeks ago, and when I woke 
up, it felt like I had gone backwards in time."
	"You mean, "that's 'spooky'", don't you, Mulder?" she
asked, and 
widened her eyes, surprised at herself.
	"Have you told anyone?"
	"No. What's to tell? I don't even know what it is."
	"You didn't even tell Melissa?"
	She shook her head. 
	"You know Melissa. She would've gotten it in her head that I have 
some physic power or something."
	It was Mulder's turn to nod.
	"How did you find me?"
	"Well," Mulder took a breath. "I remembered most of what you told me 
of your childhood. I knew you grew up in Naval Bases, and I think you told 
me that you were stationed in San Diego for a while, so I checked the 
records of who was here currently, and luckily you were here."
	"But what about your parents? OH GOD! And what about your sister? 
Did you save her?"
	"Yeah, I did. She's at home with my mom and dad. You see, they 
didn't exactly know I was coming here. In fact, they didn't know I was going 
anywhere. I just wrote them a letter and left."
	They remained in silence for a while, each thinking over what the other 
had said.
	"What are we gonna do about this, Mulder? What does it all mean?"
	Mulder took a deep breath, then let it out in a long sigh.
	"I don't know, Scully. I don't know."
	Clinging to the tree just outside the tree house, Charles and Melissa 
looked at each other in awe.

CHAPTER 6

	Dana Scully invited Mulder to stay for dinner, which he did gratefully. 
It had been a while since he had last eaten.
	The seven of them sat around the table. Conversation was next to 
nonexistant. Dana and Fox were lost in thought, and barely noticed the looks 
that Missy, Charlie, and Billy were exchanging. None of them had told their 
parents about what they had heard outside of the treehouse. After all, there 
was no proof that there were any problems with their sister and this new 
boy.
	Bill Scully chewed his meal thoughtfully. He approved of this Fox 
Mulder, who had come and spent the day with his baby girl. He remembered 
the conversation he had had earlier with his wife.
"Have you seen Dana? Anne Harding stopped by earlier to play, but I 
couldn't find her."
"Yeah, she's out in the treehouse."
"Oh, I should've known. That girl loves that treehouse dearly, Bill.
I wonder 
what she does up there."
"Well," Bill gave a hearty laugh.
"What?" Margaret looked at him curiously, the soapy liquid dripping off her 
hands going unnoticed.
"Dana's got a new friend. An older boy," Bill couldn't help the grin.
"A boy? Is he up there with her?" her voice had a motherly frantic edge.
"Lighten up, dear. She's a smart girl."
"I know, I know. It's just...... she's my baby."
"Oh, are you kidding? She's nine already. Pretty soon she'll be moving out, 
getting married, having kids," Bill said, wrapping his arms around his
wife's 
waist as she finished with the dishes.
"This is a very good meal, Mrs. Scully," Fox Mulder complimented, shaking 
Bill Scully out of his thoughts.
"Why, thank you, Fox," she answered.
	The silence settled in once again. Bill felt he should be the one to start 
up a conversation.
"So, Fox, I haven't seen you around in the base. Are you new?"
	Mulder looked at Dana, then back at her father before answering.
"Well, I guess you could say that. My father works for the government."
"Oh, really?" Bill asked. He had known that this wasn't a Navy Boy
all along. 
He had carried himself differently. "Do you live close by?"
"Not really, sir. Quite a walk."
	Dana smiled. She knew Mulder was alluding her father on purpose, but 
he wasn't lying to him at all. She also noticed how Mulder, although 
intimidated, seemed to admire her father, and that made her happy.
"Well, son, do you need a ride home tonight? I'd be happy to take ya," Bill 
offered, noticing that Margaret was gazing thoughtfully into space.
"No, no. That's okay. Thank you, sir, but I don't mind walking,"
Mulder felt 
terrible. He didn't want to lie to anyone, much less Scully's dad.
"Are you sure? It's already getting dark out."
"No, I'll be fine, sir."
	Bill was enjoying how fidgety he was making Fox. He knew it wasn't 
right to toy with the child's mind, but he liked the kid so he wouldn't be too 
hard on him.
"So, were you and Dana working on a project in the treehouse?"
	Dana flushed, knowing full well what her dad was thinking. 
	Apparrently, Mulder knew exactly the same thing, and he also knew 
that they had no alibi to back themselves up without telling the truth that no 
one would believe in the first place. Since it didn't bother Mulder as
much as 
he could see it was bothering his partner, he decided to torture her.
"N-no, not exactly, sir."
"What was it then that you two were doing all that time?" he asked, smiling.
"Well," Mulder paused, grinning in delight at Dana's furious glance in his 
direction.
"Wait!" her mother suddenly announced, saving her daughter from 
embarrassment. "I know you from somewhere, don't I, Fox?"
	He looked over at Scully. 
"I don't think so," he answered nervously. "Why do you say that?"
"Well, I.... I don't know, really. It's all foggy, like a dream, but I remember 
you, and Dana was gone, and I gave you back her necklace and told you to 
give it to her when she got back. And then, you got angry in the hospital...." 
her voice trailed away.
	Bill Scully looked from his wife, to his Dana, to Fox Mulder. He noticed 
how white the latter two looked, and how shaken Margaret was.
"Are you staying for dessert, Fox? Margaret here makes a mean apple pie," 
he said as his wife stood up to collect dishes. 
"Oh, well, I can't really. I have to get going soon," he said, then jumped up 
to help her.
"Here, let me get those for you, Mrs. Scully," Fox said, snatching plates and 
glasses off of the table.
"Why, thank you, Fox, but I can handle it," she said, placing the last of the 
dishes in the sink and opening the oven to pull out a warming pie.
"I insist you stay for dessert, Fox. I'd be insulted if you didn't."
"Well, in that case," Mulder grinned, sitting back down. He didn't
need too 
much urging.

	The apple pie had been delicious, and after all the ranting and raving 
and eating, Fox regretfully informed the family that he must be leaving. 
After saying good-bye to everyone (and receiving an icy glare from Bill Jr.), 
Mulder headed to the front door.
"Can I walk Mul-Fox to the door?" Dana Scully asked.
"Sure," Bill said, hiding a smile.
	Mulder and Scully stood outside on the porch. The sky had turned 
midnight blue, with rays of crimson and violet still barely visible.
"Are you sure it's okay if I sleep in the tree house?"
"Yes, I'm positive. I'll come out later when everyone's asleep and bring you 
some supplies."
	They were quiet for a moment, looking up at the stars.
"What do you think is going on?" Scully wanted to know.
	Mulder grinned.
"Isn't it obvious?"
"No."
"They think I'm your boyfriend."
	Scully glared at him, but couldn't help a smile.
"You know that's not what I-"
"I don't know," his voice took on a serious tone. "I don't know."
	They became quiet again.
"Well, I think they're secretly watching us, so gotta play the part," he said 
quietly, leaning over and giving her a peck on the cheek.
"See ya later," he exclaimed cheerfully, and started walking down the 
sidewalk. Scully sighed, then a smile creeped up on her face. Trying to 
vanish it, she turned around and walked inside, ready to face the music.

CHAPTER 7

   The night air was cold as Dana Scully quietly shut the backdoor behind 
her. Poor Mulder, she thought, he must be freezing out here.
	As she made her way through the yard, she kept thinking about the 
dreams she had been having. She would never admit to anyone how much 
this whole thing was freaking her out. On top of that, having Mulder here 
proved that it was a real problem, and needed to be dealt with, not ignored.
	She climbed the ladder to the tree house and found Mulder laying on 
his side facing her, an extra sweater pulled on, sound asleep.
"Oh, Mulder," she said quietly, pulling a blanket she had brought with over 
his body.
	She placed the pile of other supplies in a corner, and grabbed the 
extra blanket off the stack. She laid down on her back, her hands under her 
head, and stared up at the stars through the 'sunroof' Ahab had built.
	She was exhausted from fighting off the dangerous realm of sleep for 
so long. Hearing Mulder's soft snores right next to her didn't help the matter, 
and she decided with a yawn that she couldn't fight it anymore and closed 
her eyes, unconsciously moving closer to her partner for warmth in the chilly 
night.
	From his bedroom window, William Scully looked out over at the 
treehouse. He had figured out that something was wrong when he had gone 
upstairs for something and saw the Mulder boy climbing up into the 
treehouse with nothing but his trusty backpack. Not wanting to worry 
Margaret, who was consumed with figuring out her surfacing 'memories', he 
had stayed up, listening to Dana rummaging quietly in her room near one in 
the morning. He watched from the window as she brought a pile of things up 
to the treehouse. Now, Bill Scully was not a stupid man, and had built the 
treehouse, unknown to his Starbuck, so that the largest window faced the 
window of his and Margaret's bedroom. He had seen the boy pull on a 
sweater as midnight had approached, and he had seen him fall asleep. Now 
he watched as Dana covered up Mulder, grabbed a blanket of her own, and 
fell asleep.
	He knew that he would have to ask his daughter what was going on 
soon enough, but instead he smiled and climbed into bed. It could wait until 
tomorrow.


There were several people in attendance at Dana Scully's funeral.
	Her grieving mother was there, who couldn't hide her tears. Her older 
brother Bill and his wife Tara and their son Matthew were there as well.
Her 
younger brother Charles was there, along with her godson and their family, 
old friends from Med school, the Lone Gunmen, Walter Skinner, the Well-
Manicured Man, and the same man who looked like the Cigarette-Smoking 
Man that had been at Mulder's funeral.
	After the service was over, Mrs. Scully started walking towards her 
car. Before she could climb in, Skinner approached her.
"Hello again, Mrs. Scully. I'm sorry about your daughter."
"Thank you, Mr....Skinner, is it?"
	Skinner nodded. He put a hand gently on her elbow and turned her 
from the crowd.
"What is it?" she asked immediately.
"You were told that Dana's death, that the car crash was an accident, were 
you not?"
"Yes, a truck slammed into the side of her car. What are you saying?" she 
was losing patience. 
"This whole thing was not an accident. Are you aware of what happened to 
Fox Mulder?"
"Fox? No, I was wondering why he wasn't here. I was worried. He didn't 
answer when I called him."
	Skinner took a deep breath, wondering why Dana hadn't told her 
mother about her partner's death.
"Fox Mulder was shot and killed five days ago. In fact, your daughter was 
leaving his funeral when she was killed."
"Fox is dead?" she asked, unbelieving. 
After a long pause, she spoke again. "What are you trying to tell me?" 
She asked, withdrawing from the world.
"Your daughter was murdered, and so was her partner. I just wanted to let 
you know that I will do whatever I can to make sure that these men are 
brought to justice. Are you aware of what Dana had been through with 
Mulder on the X-Files?"
"I know that she was kidnapped twice, she was close to death but survived, 
she got cancer from her apparent abduction, but she survived that, too, and 
she found out she had a daughter formed from a technique of cloning. I also 
know that she was very, very close to her partner, and was probably very 
distraught when he died. What did you want to know?"
"I didn't want to know much, Mrs. Scully, I wanted to tell you. Had Dana 
spoken to you personally about what they had uncovered?"
"Why? Do you think my life is in danger?"
"I think that they think that Agent Scully was not quiet. I think that
they 
believe she told you and the rest of the family information that the two
of 
them had uncovered. And I think they will do anything to stop a leak."
"I thought they already did," Mrs. Scully said bitterly, and turned around.
"They stopped your daughter, Mrs. Scully, and they might be after you."
"Why me? They're threatening my life? I know nothing!"
"I know that, Mrs. Scully, and I'm willing to protect you until we can bring 
these men to justice. If you'll just come with me....."
"I thought that Dana told me that these men cannot be brought to justice."
	That stopped Skinner for a moment.
"Mrs. Scully, I-"
"No, I just want to go home. Dana and Fox have both told me that these 
men cannot be brought to justice. If they could, Melissa's murderer would be 
in jail, and my daughter and her best friend would not be dead. I am so very 
tired, Mr. Skinner. I cannot take anymore loss at this time. I was never
as 
strong as my baby girl. Now, if you will excuse me," Mrs. Scully made to 
push past Skinner, but he took her arm to stop her.
"If you won't listen to me, then maybe there's someone else you can talk 
to," he said, reaching into his coat pocket.
"Who?" she asked, curious despite herself.
"Someone who knows what kind of pain you're going through," Skinner 
handed her a paper with an address scribbled on it, then turned away and 
headed for his car.
	He lost two of his best agents in less than a week, and was more 
determined than ever to finally achieve what Mulder and Scully didn't - 
exposure. He was going to make that smoking son-of-a-bitch pay. He had 
seen the supposed deceased at both of their funerals, and that pissed him 
off even more. They already had his soul, but not his spirit, and Walter 
Skinner would not let Mulder and Scully's fight go unfinished.

CHAPTER 8

	The thing that woke Fox Mulder up was not the dream he was having, 
or the freezing cold, or the loud singing birds, or the bright sun slowly rising 
in the sky. It was the smell of strawberries that filled his nose.
	Half-conscious, his brain began to work, remembering where he was. 
He was twelve, in San Diego, and in a tree house. The last fact, that his 
partner was curled up in his arms and they were both covered in nice, warm 
blankets, didn't register until he was fully awake.
	Holy cow, he thought, his face in her hair as his eyes blinked open. So 
that's what smells like strawberries.
	Mulder was so tired. He wanted to sleep forever, but he told himself 
that the sweet-smelling girl asleep in his arms had nothing to do with that 
(even he didn't believe himself this time). He'd go right back to sleep now, 
even if it meant having the dreams. They weren't as scary anymore, seeing 
both he and Scully were dead already in them. Now, he was beginning to 
wonder what was going to happen. It was almost like a T.V. show marked 
every night with 'To Be Continued'.
	He lay there for a while, losing track of how long. Then he decided 
there was nothing else to do without waking Scully up to move off of him
so 
he fell back asleep.


"Where's Fox?" William Mulder asked, sitting down to dinner.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him all day. I'm worried, Bill."
"Oh, don't worry. He cannot have gone too far."
"So you'll be back next Friday, right, dear?"
"Yes. I'll be in New Mexico till then. Business, you know."
	Tina Mulder nodded, and began pouring milk for Samantha, who was in 
the bathroom washing up.
"Mom! Dad!" Samantha yelled, racing into the kitchen, out of breath.
"What's wrong, Sam?" Bill said, standing up.
"It's Fox. I.....I found th-this note on m-my bed. H-he flew to S-San Diego."
"WHAT?!?" Bill exclaimed, snatching the piece of paper from his daughter.
	Tina looked as though she would faint as he read the words aloud.
"Dear Sam, Mom, and Dad, I'm really sorry about this, and I won't blame 
you if you never forgive me, but it had to be done. Ever since my 'accident', 
I've been having weird dreams about my future. I will tell you a little bit so 
you can better see why I flew to San Diego. In my dreams of my future life, 
Sam had been apparently abducted (by aliens? the government? a serial 
killer? I don't know anymore, or should I say 'yet') on November 27, 1973. 
Mom and Dad (Dad especially) never forgave me. I went off to Oxford, and 
then joined the FBI. After a while, I left the Bureau mainstream and 
discovered paranormal cases called 'X-Files'. I was assigned a partner to 
keep me in check. Dana Scully was her name. She was a hard-core scientist, 
a doctor, and a non-believer. Most of our cases went unsolved, but I had
a 
friend who helped us out, known only to me as Deep Throat. He was shot 
after he exchanged a parcel (containing an alien?) for my life. The X-Files 
were shut down and Scully and I were reassigned. I got a new partner, Alex 
Krycek, but I will talk about him later. Shortly after Krycek and I were 
partnered, Scully was kidnapped by a psycho named Duane Barry who 
believed he was an alien abductee. He drove Scully to Skyland mountain 
where she disappeared for three months. The X-Files were re-opened and 
she finally turned up in a D.C. hospital in a coma. Alex Krycek turned out to 
be working for the evil man I called the Cigarette-Smoking Man. He 
disappeared for a while, only popping up again to betray anybody he can.
I, 
meanwhile, had found a DoD file with the 'truth' about aliens and everything. 
Dad told me that there were truths he needed to tell me, about his 
involvement in a conspiracy and Sam, or whatever. I never found out 
because he was shot by Alex Krycek. I went to New Mexico and almost died 
inside of a boxcar that was set on fire by the CSM. Scully and I battled 
clones, monsters, Russians, killers, past lives, and still managed to pull 
through. Scully discovered an implant in her neck. She took it out, and soon 
after got cancer. I faked my death to try to find a cure for her (actually, I 
faked my death because it was very convenient at the time, but I did find a 
supposed cure). The CSM told me to put the chip implant back in her neck. 
She did, but I'm not sure that's what saved her. Soon after, she discovered 
she had a daughter, Emily, who turned out to be another alien-hybrid/clone. 
Emily died, and not long after I was shot in a warehouse. I died as well, and 
Scully was hit by a truck while leaving my funeral. When I woke up and 
discovered I was only 12 and Sam and Dad were there, I couldn't believe it. 
It seemed that I had actually LIVED through all of that. I've tried to
stay 
awake because the dreams terrify me. I decided to do the only thing I 
thought I could - go to San Diego in search of my (future? deceased? 
nonexistant?) partner, Dana Scully. I hope you will not worry about me too 
much. I will be home soon. And Mom, I've learned to take care of myself 
just a little bit from my future (or my dreams. I'm so confused.) Don't 
disappear on me, Sam. And Dad, whatever you're involved in, please get
out 
now so you don't ruin our family's future, and the Scullys'. Love always, Fox 
William Mulder."
	Bill looked up. Tina had sunk into a chair, bewildered. Sam was looking 
patiently up at him. And Bill was completely at a loss of what to do.
"Honey, if any of my associates call, tell them I will be in San Diego. Sammy, 
why don't you go over next door and play?"
	Samantha nodded, even though she didn't want to go.
	I'm gonna kill that boy, William Mulder thought as he left the kitchen 
to pack.
	

	Dana Scully had not slept very well for several weeks. The dreams had 
been haunting her, and she had been consumed with the thought of what 
she should do about them. However, the couple of hours she spent asleep in 
her partner's arms had been refreshing enough to make up for the past 
sleepless nights.
	Mulder was still sleeping when Dana awoke the next morning, her 
head resting on his chest and his arms wrapped around her, keeping her 
safe.
	The bright sunlight shined down through the 'sunroof' and through
the 
small windows. Dana stayed right where she was, listening to her best 
friend's heart beat. She was still tired, and she wanted more than anything 
to know what was going on.
For once, she could not remember the dream she had just had. Dana 
wasn't sure if that was good or not.
Underneath her head, Fox began to stir. Scully sat up, and pretty soon 
he was sitting up next to her.
"Good morning," she said to him, a little shy. He nodded, lost in 
thought.
"Did you have the dream?" he asked. She shook her head.
"I don't remember having any dream," she informed him.
"Well, I had one," he said. "And we can't stay here much longer."
"Why not?"
"Because my father's on his way to San Diego, and he's not pleased 
with me."
"But where are we s'posed to go?" Scully asked him. "You spent your 
money on a ticket out here, and my family won't let me go anywhere with 
you."
"There has to be someone we can trust," Mulder said thoughtfully.
"Like who? The Lone Gunmen?"
"That's not a bad idea, Scully. They might come in handy later. 
Seriously though, what about your father?"
"Ahab? Are you kidding me?"
"No. I think he'd be willing to help us. He's got to know that 
something's up. Even your mom's having some memories. If we told him 
about this now, he might believe us."
"Okay, let's say we ask him to take us somewhere and he says yes. 
Where will we go?"
"That's the problem," he said simply. "I didn't learn anything
new from 
my dream. All I know is that my dad was going to meet with some of his 
business associates in New Mexico."
"Then maybe that's where we need to go."
"Okay, but let's go eat breakfast before we do anything. I'm starving," 
Mulder said, starting to climb down out of the tree house.
Scully just grinned and followed her partner down the ladder. She had 
a feeling that no matter what danger came their way, she and Mulder would 
survive as long as they had each other. She hoped that was the case.