From: dgraml6525@aol.com (DGraml6525) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New Story: Dinner Date Date: 28 Jan 1996 21:52:04 -0500 These characters belong to Chris Carter, Twentieth Century Fox, and Ten Thirteen Productions. Some of these ideas belong to Chris Carter (some that he may not admit to) and all of the above powers that are. No infringement is intended. "The Dinner Date" Part 1 By DGRAMLl6525@aol.com Margaret Scully straightened the white tablecloth and slid the centerpiece around until it was absolutely straight. It was a rare occasion that she ever had her whole family home at once. Her four children seemed to live their lives as far apart as possible. Her two sons were both married and very busy with their careers. Bill Jr. did always seem to find time to bring his two sons to see their grandma, but it never seemed like enough to Margaret. Her two daughters, Melissa and Dana were as different as oil and water. Melissa believed in the supernatural: spiritual healing, crystals, and psychic phenomenon. Margaret's husband Bill always believed that this was Melissa's way of rebelling. Now Dana, she believed that everything was grounded with science. Dana had dedicated her life to science. Was this her way of rebelling? Maybe....and there had been many heated discussions in the Scully household because of it. Dana was the third youngest of the kids. A tomboy by nature. As a child, she was always hanging around her brothers, chasing them through the woods, wanting to play with them. Dana grew to be a beautiful young woman. When she decided to go to medical school, Bill and Margaret were thrilled. But right before her graduation, Dana decided to enter the FBI academy. Her father and her fought long and hard, but Dana did what she wanted in the end. Now, almost five years after her graduation from the academy, Dana was working with an agent named Fox Mulder on cases that most FBI agents in the bureau were ashamed to admit existed; the X-Files. These cases had cost Dana every bit of a normal life that she could have possibly had. Since she had begun working with Agent Mulder, Dana spent more time with him than anyone. In the three years that they had worked together, Dana had only dated once to Margaret's knowledge. Not that she thought Dana should jump into marriage, she just wanted to see her happy. But when Bill had died suddenly shortly after Christmas almost two years ago, Margaret got the surprise of her life. She realized that Dana gained her comfort, not only from her father's memory, but from Mulder himself. Margaret had thought that they were only friends. But she sensed something new from her daughter when she talked about Mulder. Margaret wouldn't quite call it "love" at the time, but it was something that could quickly grow into something special. ' Margaret never quite understood this. She had only met Mulder a few brief times, and he didn't really seem Dana's type. But then, something happened that gave her a new understanding. An escaped mental patient broke into Dana's apartment in August of last year and kidnapped her. Mulder went to the ends of the earth to find her. But in the end, he came up empty handed. Fox and Margaret spent alot of time together while Dana was missing. And three months later, when Dana was mysteriously found, she saw the love between them open up like a morning blossom. Even Melissa commented to Margaret about it. But Fox and Dana would never let anything happen... not when there was still so much work to do. So Margaret concocted this Scully family dinner to give them a little push. She had Dana invite Mulder, even though he was not really a "family kinda guy". He always seemed as if he had no one in his life. But Margaret would have welcomed him into her family in a heartbeat. The sound of the footsteps at the front door broke her out of her reminiscing. She opened the door to see Melissa with someone who looked as if he just came from Woodstock, and the boys were coming up the walkway. Now all she needed was Dana and Mulder. This was supposed to be their night, even though they didn't know it. Then she heard another car in the driveway and knew that they were here. Dana came through the door....but alone. "Where's Mulder?" was the first thing out of Margaret's mouth. Dana looked at her, trying to be neutral. "He didn't want to intrude on a family affair" was all she said. Bill Jr. whispered to Dana "But that's what Mom is trying to do, bring him into the family!" Dana's eyes widened. "Why is she trying to do that?" Melissa laughed and followed everyone else into the kitchen. Suddenly Dana heard her reply waft in through the open door. "I can't imagine why, can anyone else?" Bill Jr. grinned and went into the living room and sat on the couch as his two sons went outside to play. Dana sat on the couch next to him. Bill quietly said to Dana, "Mom and Melissa claim that you are head over heels with this guy. Of course I wouldn't know, I have only met him once, briefly." Dana looked genuinely shocked at the thought. "You've got to kidding! With Mulder?! No way!" Bill looked at her, furrowed his brow and smiled. "Starbuck, you've never been able to fool me. You are! I can see it in your eyes. All someone has to do is mention his name and you get all starry eyed!" "It's so cute!" Dana was about protest, but stopped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she looked at him as she fingered the cross around her neck. "Do you know what it is like? To just want to just grab ahold of someone and press your lips to his?" Bill just looked at her and said "Not really." Dana then caught what he said and slapped him on the arm. He laughed and then said "Why don't you do something about it?" But Dana was lost in a world by herself..."Everytime he touches me or just brushes past me, I get goosebumps." Just then Melissa, who obviously had been listening from the back of the room, piped in; "I'll take care of you guys Dana." Bill rolled his eyes. "Hey, Melissa is going to light a candle for you two!" Margaret, already hearing the argument that was brewing, yelled from the kitchen "All right guys, knock it off!" Dana just sadly said "Why worry about Mulder. He didn't even want to come and spend time with me away from work. He's obviously not interested." Margaret walked in from the kitchen and said "Were you in the same room with me, him, and Melissa when he gave you your cross back? The emotions along could have melted a polar ice cap!" "Mom, not you too!" Dana exclaimed. "Conspiracies at work, conspiracies at home.... What next?" Just then the two boys came in from the yard, with ice cream cones in their hands. "Where did you get that from?" Bill Jr. bewildered. "The nice young man that was in the hedges gave it to us." "What nice young man?" Dana demanded, jumping to her feet and heading to the door. "He said to make sure that we told you this. His name was Alex...Alex Krycek. And that he knew Aunt Dana so it was okay for us to take the ice cream." Dana's face paled just as there was a knock at the front door. Dana slung the door open to see Mulder standing there, with a bottle of wine and little bouquet of flowers. "I hope your mom doesn't mind but I cha-" Dana grabbed his arm. "Get in here, you're not going to believe this"! =========================================================================== From: dgraml6525@aol.com (DGraml6525) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New Story: Dinner Date 2 Date: 28 Jan 1996 21:52:04 -0500 These characters belong to Chris Carter, Twentieth Century Fox, and Ten Thirteen Productions. Some of these ideas belong to Chris Carter (some that he may not admit to) and all of the above powers that are. No infringement is intended. "The Dinner Date Part 2" Mulder looked around the spacious backyard, watching the slow sunset. He and Scully had checked all around the hedges. The only thing they had found were footprints in the soft dirt. But they were too big to belong to the boys. They definitely were an adults. "Do you really think Krycek was here?" He asked Scully. "How else would the boys know his name? My mother is the only one who ever heard anything about him, and I doubt she would tell her grandsons about him." Mulder glanced at her framed in the bright orange sky. She was worried. He could tell. He was closer to her than anybody. Over the years, he had learned to read her emotions by a simple glance. The two of them could speak volumes with a look or a touch. He knew that right now, she didn't want to discuss this matter any further, not yet anyway. They walked back towards the house. Mulder looked at the Scully homestead and wondered what it would have been like to spend your childhood in such a place. Doting parents, brothers and sisters, Sunday dinners with countless relatives. His own family had been destroyed when his sister was taken. Not only was she taken, but his family and childhood went with her. He could almost see the echoes of the four children playing in the grassy backyard. Bill Jr. always being the big brother, and the auburn haired younger trio tagging along behind him. The sound of their giggling and laughter filled his imagination. Since Samantha had disappeared, he forgotten how sweet that sound was. This was the childhood that he always wanted for himself. Scully's voice drew him back to the present. "So what do you think Krycek is up to?" "Truthfully, I just don't know." "As far as I know, he has never been anywhere near my family. Why now?" "They're not after you're family. This was meant as a subtle warning to us. I....there is something I didn't tell you." "Why do I always have the impulse to reach for my gun when you say that?" "When I got home from work two days ago, I needed to find some information about the case we just closed. I tried to contact Mr. X. He, of course, didn't show up." Scully gave him a knowing glance. She had her own horror stories to tell regarding the mysterious "Mr. X" as Mulder called him. "Anyway, the masking tape on the window had been ripped off the window and balled up on the floor. My desk lamp was on the floor next to it, smashed into three pieces. Someone was trying to send me a message." "What have we done recently that would warrant their attention? I mean the Valley Forge case was a routine murder case. Well, routine for us...." A sly grin spread across hid face. "They're still smarting about the MJ files." Scully closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Please don't mention that fiasco again! Anyway Skinner-" "Skinner doesn't have the final say. At least not where the X-Files are concerned." As they stepped foot onto the back porch, Scully nodded knowingly. This fact was something that she regrettably had come to accept. They entered into the kitchen just in time to see everyone sitting down in the dining room. "Where did Melissa and her date go off t-" She began. "Dana don't try to change the subject. Who is this 'Alex Krycek' and why was he hanging around in our backyard?! If he knows Dana, why didn't he come into the house? Why-" "Bill!" Margaret cut him off. Mulder noticed Bill calm down with just one spoken word. Margarett Scully radiated that type of presence. Her calm yet strong presence radiated to everyone around her. Mulder had even fallen victim to it before. "Krycek is someone who Dana and Mulder used to work with. We'll just leave it at that." Scully looked at Mulder. She noticed that he didn't look her mother in the eye. He also didn't answer any questions. Just how much time had they spent together when Dana had been missing? Bill didn't seem happy with the answer he received but he let it drop. Dana's brother Bryan, sensing that the conversation was closed, began talking to Bill about their businesses. The rest of the dinner went smoothly. The situation was tense, but Margaret made sure that everything went smoothly. As everyone was leaving, she pulled Mulder to the side. "Bill will be keeping an extra eye on the boys, don't worry about them. But you....You keep an extra eye on Dana. I don't think I could stand to lose my daughter again." He smiled and nodded. Margaret reached up and pulled him into a hug. Mulder didn't know how to react ....But he put his arms around her and tentatively hugged her back. This drew Dana's attention. She made a B-Line over to them. "I told you once, and I'll keep telling you until you believe it. I think of you as part of this family" Margaret told Mulder. "So don't go off and pout." Mulder laughed and walked out the door to wait for Scully on the steps. Dana wished she knew half of what went on while she was gone. Dana looked at Mulder on the steps. He had a lost puppy look on his face. He wanted something from her. Dana masked a grin. She said her good-byes and headed out towards her car. She walked fast, still grinning: "Could my mother be any more obvious?" she thought. "Could I get a ride home with you? I took a taxi here. I traded my car in today. I can't pick up my new one until tomorrow." Scully looked at Mulder. "Another new car? What kind this time?" "A Saturn. I really like the girl in the commercial." Scully shook her head. "I've never seen it." It wasn't a long drive to Mulder's apartment. They traded small talk, but avoided the questions that was on both of their minds. Scully walked with Mulder up to his apartment. She had to pick up some forms from him. He fumbled with his key in the lock while trying to think of something to say to her. He always felt like a teenager ending a first date when he had to say 'good-bye' to Scully after they had an evening out together. He must have been staring at her. "What?" She asked him wide-eyed. "Nothing, I was just daydreaming." "Did this months 'Adult Video News' come in the mail this morning?" He grinned at her ("God that grin" she thought) as they went through the door. His foot hit something on the floor. He picked up a yellow envelope which obviously had been slipped under the door. He opened it and took a cassette tape out of it. Dana took the envelope from his hand. "Oh no, Mulder look at the return address." Mulder read: "Inspector Pheobe Greene, Scotland Yard, c/o the MacIntosh Inn, Washington D.C." "No, not again. I can't deal with her mind games again"! He looked furious. Scully felt the jealousy well up in her, just like the last time 'Inspector Greene' had paid Mulder a visit. She wasn't going to let him see it though. He had seen it last time. He knew.... But like their relationship, it was better left buried and undiscussed. She knew it as well as he did. "What is that smell?" She asked suddenly, trying to push those thoughts out of her mind. "I don't know. It smells like something burning" He looked at the coffee table in front of his couch. There were dirty dishes where he had left them. But in a glass, there was a smoldering cigarette. "Morley." But they both already knew it would be. "He's been here. Cancerman was in here." Scully said, "What the hell else is going to happen tonight?" The sound of a gun being cocked from behind them made them both spin around. Krycek stood there with a gun held at their heads. "Now maybe the two of you will listen to me"..... =========================================================================== From: dgraml6525@aol.com (DGraml6525) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New Story: Dinner Date 3 Date: 28 Jan 1996 21:31:09 -0500 These characters belong to Chris Carter, Twentieth Century Fox, and Ten Thirteen Productions. Some of these ideas belong to Chris Carter (some that he may not admit to) and all of the above powers that are. No infringement is intended. The Dinner Date Part 3 of 5 Mulder instinctively stepped in front of Scully. "What are you doing here?" He demanded "Only to give you something that you need." Krycek said as he reached behind his back and closed the door. His hand lingered for a moment at the table beside the door. He then reached back in front of himself and placed it back on the gun. Scully stepped out from behind Mulder, her eyes blazing. "Why would we believe anything you say? A proven liar, as well as a murderer?" Krycek slowly shook his head. "I didn't kill anyone." He stated matter-of- factly. Mulder opened his mouth to argue but Krycek cut him off. "Just listen... I don't have much time. An old friend of yours is going to be contacting you soon. Believe and do everything she says. She is going to send you information that you need." "What kind of information could we possible want from you?" Mulder questioned. Scully still couldn't believe that a quiet dinner at her mother's house had turned into this fiasco. >I should have expected this< she thought. >So goes the lives of the X-Files investigators.< Krycek's voice brought her back to the situation. "The tape that contains the MJ files. I assume you want it back." "You expect me to believe that you are just going to hand it back to us? What's the matter Krycek, your conscience getting to you?" Mulder replied sarcastically. Krycek's gun never wavered from them. Scully knew that if she or Mulder tried to grab for their weapons, one shot would be all it would take. "Mulder, let's just say that it is more advantageous for me to get rid of the tape, especially now. You don't need to know why. Just keep your eyes and ears open. What you decide to do with the files is up to you." Krycek said as he began backing towards the door. "Agent Scully, I didn't mean to frighten your family. I was hoping to catch the two of you alone in a place where 'they' don't listen. But I guess it doesn't matter anymore. He is omnipresent, everywhere. And you two are the only one's who can stop him." And with that, he opened the door and stepped out. Mulder grabbed his gun from behind his back and ran out the door after Krycek. He returned to his apartment with a confused look on his face. "He was no where to be seen. Scully how can a simple dinner at your mother's turn into this?" "It's our destiny Mulder. Face it, we are never going to live a normal life. Who do you think this woman is he is talking about?" I don't know...My god, the tape! The tape from Pheobe... where did it go?" He frantically searched the floor until he found it laying on the floor. He ran to the closet and pulled out his cassette recorder. His hands were shaking as he and Scully huddled towards the small speaker. "Greetings Agent Mulder. Recently a colleague of yours approached me and asked for my help. It seems that the two of you are on bad terms. And with Agent Scully, yours, and my friendship being as good as it is, he naturally turned to me for help." Scully's jaw began to ache. She then realized that she was grinding her teeth. She unclenched her jaw and shouted "Will you get on with it!" "As I was saying, it seems that you and Agent Scully have something that this man wants... some type of data tape. He is willing to give something dear back for it. He wants you and Agent Scully to meet him midnight, Wednesday night at the old Cumberland processing plant. He wants you to come alone. Ta-Ta" Mulder shook his head as he stopped the tape. "She always had a way with words." "Mulder, who could it be?" "Cancerman, he was already here once tonight. He's ready to deal. He must think Krycek gave us back the files." "I think he did. Take a look at this." Scully pointed at the table next to the door where Mulder usually threw his mail. Laying on top of the pile was a data cassette. Mulder snatched the tape and stared at it, almost in awe. Scully placed a hand on his arm. "We have to call Skinner. He needs to know about this." Mulder nodded and went to get his address book. He made the call, hoping not to wake Skinner's wife Michele. But with the way the night was going, she of course answered the phone. Mulder apprised Skinner of the situation as Scully wondered into Mulder's bedroom. She sat on the edge of the rarely used bed and listened intently as Mulder and Skinner made plans for following day. When Mulder finally hung up the phone, he peeked into his bedroom only to find Scully stretched out on his bed, fast asleep. Careful not to wake her, he pulled the blankets down and tucked her in. She moaned and turned towards him. "So what are we doing?" She managed to mumble. "We are going to meet Skinner in the morning to check the tape and make sure it's authentic. We'll go from there." She didn't answer him. "Dana?" "Get out of my room mom" she mumbled, pulling the blankets over her head. He smiled and went to settle himself on to the familiar couch. He laid there, staring at the ceiling. 'Something dear to him'? Nothing in his lonely life was dear except for the memory of his sister. He turned to his side and watched Scully sleep in the other room. Okay, she was dear to him. He knew it. But he had her already. Well, in a manner of speaking. Watching her sleep put his mind at rest. He finally drifted off to sleep. *********************************************************************** Hours later, Scully stood with Mulder and Skinner in the basement of the J. Edgar Hoover Building. Mulder popped the data disk into his computer and waited for it to open. Finally, long lines of Navajo appeared on the screen. Mulder jumped up in excitement. "There it is!" "We've got it again!" "Agent Mulder, you and Agent Scully are going to have to meet with him tonight. They have something that MUST be important to you or Agent Scully. You have to find out what it is." Scully knew that he was right. She watched as Mulder's face fell. Mulder knew that Skinner was right. ************************************************************************ At ten minutes before midnight, Scully and Mulder entered the Cumberland Processing Plant. Actually, what was left of it. They immediately saw the small orange glow of a burning cigarette in the darkness. They walked towards it, stopping about 50 feet away when the lights suddenly came to life. Scully almost fell to the ground in shock. Margaret Scully stood next to Cancerman with a gun pointed at her and Mulder. Cancerman smiled and simply said "Surprise". Margaret just grinned. "Stupid, stupid people" she hissed. Cancerman changed the subject. He had a blanket thrown over his shoulder. Something was wrapped in it. "Did you bring it?" Mulder knew that Scully wouldn't be able to answer. "Maybe, but what could you have that could possibly make me turn this tape over to you?" The blanket began to move. A little head popped out from under it. "Who are those people?" The little girl asked. Scully turned her head away from her mother long enough to see Mulder stiffen and begin to pale. His eyes were as wide as saucers. Cancerman put his hands the little girls head and smiled at the two agents. The little girl slid out of Cancerman's arms and stood next to him, taking his hand. Scully guessed that the girl was maybe 7-10 years old. But the long brown hair and light colored eyes made her look familiar. But where had she seen the little girl before? Sculy looked again at Mulder, wondering why he was so quiet. Mulder turned to her and whispered one word...... "Samantha..............." =========================================================================== From: dgraml6525@aol.com (DGraml6525) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: REPOST: Dinner Date 4 Date: 29 Jan 1996 19:10:29 -0500 These characters belong to Chris Carter, Twentieth Century Fox, and Ten Thirteen Productions. Some of these ideas belong to Chris Carter (some that he may not admit to) and all of the above powers that are. No infringement is intended. The Dinner Date Part 4/5 "Mulder that is not your sister, just as that is not my mother." "Oh Dana, don't try to kid yourself. Think about it... I was the one who told Duane Barry your address... hell, I picked him up from the hospital and drove him there! That night, I just happened to show up at your apartment to make sure the idiot hadn't screwed up!" Dana's world was crashing down around her. Somehow, she knew her mother was telling the truth. It all made sense. 'They' always seemed to find out things that she didn't confide into to anyone...except Mulder and her mother. She knew her mother was speaking the truth. All the years of listening, consoling, and comforting her daughter. This monster had used it against her and Mulder the whole time. She looked into her mother's eyes. The eyes that she had found so comforting her whole life were steel blue now with no signs of the love that had been showered onto the four Scully children. The little girl was growing restless. "Who ARE these people?!" She pouted.. "Samantha, this man here.... he is your brother." Cancerman told her. "My brother? Oh no, he can't be. You see, my brother Fox is only 12 years old... we were just playing Stratego the other night before I fell asleep and woke up here." "Well Samantha, it will be hard for you to understand, but he is your brother ." Margaret said, using that tone that Dana knew all too well. Cancerman smiled at the two terrified agents standing in front of him. "Well, it seems that whoever took her have found the perfect fountain of youth." He look turned sinister, just as quickly. "Now hand the tape to Maggie and back away from her. I'll let Sam go at the same time." Margaret began to stride forward confidently. As she got close to her, Dana kept staring into her face, hoping her mother, her wonderful and loving mother, would give some clue that none of this was real. But Margaret gave no such clue. Margaret stopped in front of them. She reached out her hand. The other still held her gun, trained on them. Mulder held the data tape out to her. Just as she reached for it, he swung his arm around and knocked her to the floor. She swung around, furiously. Mulder grabbed Dana and began running towards a pile of debris. In the chaos, Samantha pulled away from Cancerman and hid behind some old crates. Mulder and Scully were about 10 feet away from Margaret when she fired her gun. The shot hit Mulder square in the lower back. Dana screamed as she saw the bullet exit through his abdomen. Mulder collapsed into a dead heap onto the floor. Sculy dropped to her knees next to him. She reached into her pocket and pulled put her gun, aiming it directly at Margaret. "You wouldn't shoot your own Mother Dana....." Margaret said nervously. She turned, hoping to get support from her cigarette smoking colleague. He was gone. "Dana give me the gun. How would you ever explain the fact that you shot your own Mother? Dana, you know deep down I love you the best." "Y-Y-ouu sh-sh-shot M-M-Mulder....." Dana stammered. "Oh Dana, sweetheart, he's okay. Look, he's still breathing." "Dana glanced at Mulder's silent body on the floor. He was breathing, lightly. There was an expanding pool of blood forming under him. "Oh mom... I love you for whatever your reasons....." "Dana, you've always been my favorite. Come here, give Mommy your gun and we can get Mulder some help." "Dana walked towards her mother. Margaret wrapped her arms around her. Dana still held the gun. "Mommy....." she cried into he shoulder. Dana still held the gun. Margaret smiled. Dana still held the gun. Margaret began shaking her head. >Stupid girl< she thought as she tried to slip the gun from Dana's grasp. Dana fired the gun. The shot went right into her mother's heart. Margaret fell onto the floor, dead before she even hit the concrete. Dana turned back to Mulder. He was still alive...barely. Samantha ran from her hiding place and knelt down beside next to Dana. Mulder weakly opened his eyes. Dana knew she was going to lose him. This time, for good. Samantha reached out and put the data tape into Mulder's hand. She gazed into his face. 'Are you really my brother?" She was so confused. So much of this world was different, but she was not sure how. "Yes" he whispered. He took her hand and picked Scully's up with the other. "Well Dana, we finally found her." "I know Mulder, I...." He put his finger to her lips. "I know." He smiled, gasped out one more breath, and died. Dana collapsed onto his chest. She screamed "No" over and over again. Samantha began to cry, even though she had no idea what had just happened in front of her. Skinner and the cavalry arrived moments later. Skinner had to drag Scully off of Mulder's corpse and carry her from the building. He contacted her sister Melissa , who picked her up and took her home. Skinner promised Dana that Samantha would be taken to the hospital and checked out. She then would be taken to her mother in Massachusetts. He doubted if Scully ever heard him. She just stared straight ahead, not really hearing or saying anything. *********************************************************************** Melissa got Dana into her apartment and wrapped her into a blanket. Dana was in shock. Melissa knew that. But Melissa was fighting her own grief. She believed that she and Dana needed to share their grief. "Dana, take heart in the fact that Mom died doing what she wanted to do." Scully looked at her sister, dumbfounded. "What do you know?" The harshness of her words made Melissa sit back a little. "Nothing, I just assumed Mom was there trying to help you and Mulder. Why else would she be there?" Dana had heard enough. Her mother was dead....>why did I have to find out the truth like this?< Mulder was dead....the one thing that meant more to her than life itself. A part of her had died in the old rundown building. The most important part of herself...... >That's it< she thought. >It's the only way.< Missy was sitting there in the living room, grieving for the loss of their mother. Dana walked into her bedroom and got her gun. Her 'back up gun' as Mulder always called it. The FBI had confiscated hers for evidence. She walked aimlessly from the bedroom into her bathroom. The pain from the little thought of Mulder was cutting her like a knife. Dana locked the door. She checked the chamber of the gun. It was loaded. "Dana, what are you doing in there?" Came Melissa's worried voice. Dana put the gun to her head. "I'm fine Missy." >Wait for me Mulder< she thought. She pulled the trigger............................ =========================================================================== From: dgraml6525@aol.com (DGraml6525) Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative Subject: New Story: Dinner Date 5 Date: 28 Jan 1996 23:48:30 -0500 These characters belong to Chris Carter, Twentieth Century Fox, and Ten Thirteen Productions. Some of these ideas belong to Chris Carter (some that he may not admit to) and all of the above powers that are. No infringement is intended. The Dinner Date Epilogue The sound of the shot echoed through her ears. Her eyes snapped open just as her head snapped up off of the pillow. 'Slow down, slow down, have to slow down my breathing.' "It wasn't real, none of it was real." She finally began to calm down. 'My God, how real it all seemed.' Dana slipped out from under her husband's outstretched arm. She tiptoed into the bathroom. She bent over the sink and splashed cold water onto her face. Her whole body was soaked with sweat. It had been a long time since she'd had a dream like that. Recently, Her life had been too calm for even to think about things like that. Hormones, that was it. The doctor warned her that her body would be a 'a little off kilter.' That HAD to be it. Dana padded into out of the bathroom and gazed lovingly at her husband. He laid peacefully on the bed, oblivious to the turmoil that had just happened in his wife's mind. Lucky him... she knew that he really would be able to understand all of the fears that she has kept bottled up for so long. She walked down the hallway. A soft light came from under one of the doors. Dana opened the door softly and stepped in. Her mother sat in the room quietly; cradled in her arms was Dana's 10 day old daughter. "Oh honey, I didn't mean to wake you. Sarah began to fuss so I thought I would sit with her for a while." Dana smiled. "You're going to spoil her Mom." "Well, I'm her grandmother, I'm suppose to spoil her. You would NEVER let me spoil you and Melissa....." She looked away sadly. The baby shifted a little in her arms. Margaret smiled down at the baby. "It amazes me how much she reminds me of Melissa. It is still hard to believe that Missy has been dead for four years." Dana watched her mother thoughtfully. 'How could I have ever believed my Mother was capable of such horrible things.' "I would like to believe that Melissa lives on in Sarah." Dana said quietly. Margaret looked a little surprised. "I didn't expect you to say that Dana, it's no really your type of thing." Dana broke down into tears. "I love you Mom" she sniffed and hugged her tightly. "Gotta love the first few emotional weeks after a baby arrives" Margaret laughed. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw the expression on her daughters face. "Honey, what is it?" Dana shook her head. "Just a crazy dream. It terrified me at first but now I know that it could never, ever be real." Margaret kissed her on the top of her head. "Well you know if you want to talk about it, I'm always willing to listen." "Thanks Mom. And thanks for coming to help with the baby." "I'll be here as long as you need me. But right now, Sarah needs you. She's hungry and I don't think I can help in that department." Dana took her daughter in her arm. "Goodnight Mom, try to get some sleep for a change, huh?" Margaret followed her daughter out of the nursery. She lovingly watched as Dana disappeared into the master bedroom with her little brown haired granddaughter. 'What a wonderful daughter I raised' she thought as she settled into bed. ************************************************************************ Dana settled onto her side of the bed and began nursing the baby She stroked the baby's fuzzy brown hair, completely in awe of the little being in her arms. Her nightmare was fading farther and farther away. It didn't even seem real anymore. Dana's husband raised up in bed. "Hey Sarah, getting fueled up for the night? You seem a little down, you okay Dana?" Dana grinned at him. "I'm fine Fox. Everything is fine." The End (Yeah, I know it was a sappy and anticipated ending. But you didn't really think I would kill off all of our favorite heroes did you?) Please send comments to DGRAML6525@aol.com