From: ShelteredTurtle@aol.com
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2000 19:07:39 EDT
Subject: Finish Story
Source: direct

Title: For a Reason
Author: A.C. 
Email Address: ShelteredTurtle@aol.com or XFallthingsXF@aol.com
Rating: PG
Category: S, R, H
Spoilers: all things, Chimera, Christmas Carol/Emily, Redux 1 and 2, One 
Breath, Milagro, Orision, Irresistable
Keywords: MSR
Summary: Post Episode "all things"
Feedback: Yes please.
Disclaimer: The X-Files, all of it's characters, and quotes, do not belong to 
me, but to Ten Thirteen Productions, Chris Carter, and Fox Television.

For a Reason
Mulder's Apt. (Ending Recap)
    Mulder and Scully sit on Mulder's couch discussing the events of the past 
few days. Mulder is the first to speak.
"I just find it hard to believe."
"What part?"
"The part where I go away for two days and your whole life 
changes."
"Mmm, I didn't say my whole life changed."
"You speaking to God in a Buddhist temple. God speaking back."
"Mmm, and I didn't say that God spoke back. I said that I had 
some kind of a vision."
"Well, for you, that's like saying you're having David Crosby's 
baby."
    Scully smiles and looks thoughtful.
"What is it?"
"I once considered spending my whole life with this man. 
What I would have missed."
"I don't think you can know. I mean, how many different lives 
would we be leading if we made different choices. We... We don't know."
"What if there was only one choice and all the other ones were 
wrong? And there were signs along the way to pay attention to."
"Mmm. And all the... choices would then lead to this very 
moment. One wrong turn, and... we wouldn't be sitting here together. 
Well, that says a lot. That says a lot, a lot, a lot. That's probably more 
than we should be getting into at this late hour."
    Mulder looks down at Scully. She has fallen asleep against his shoulder. 
Music begins. In slow motion, he tenderly brushes a strand of hair out of her 
face, then gazes at her a moment. He pulls his Indian blanket over her and 
carefully tucks it around her. He then gets up to leave and goes to his 
bedroom.

2 Hours Later
    Scully slowly awakens with a pain in her back. She never could sleep 
sitting up. She tries to adjust to her surroundings but still can't recall 
where she is. Once she turns her head a little more to the right, she sees 
the fishtank and realizes she is in Mulder's apartment. She stands up, and 
folds the blanket neatly, placing it on the back of the couch. She stands for 
a few minutes, pondering what to do next. She heads to Mulder's bedroom. His 
door is shut, so she knocks and whispers his name.
"Mulder."
    No answer.
"Mulder it's me."
    She hears rustling and decides to step into the room.
"Mulder, are you awake?"
"Mm."
"Mulder."
    Mulder sits up, and wipes his eyes.
"Scully?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm ok. I was just wondering...if um...I could..."
"You could what?"
"May I take a shower? I usually take one to fall asleep."
"Yeah sure. Bathroom's right in there."
"Thanks Mulder. You can go back to sleep."
"No problem Scully."
    Scully walks into the bathroom and closes the door behind her. Mulder 
lays back down and easily falls asleep as the sound of running water acts as 
a lullabye.

45 Minutes Later
    Scully stands at Mulder's sink, pulling down her shirt and zipping her 
skirt. She already dried her hair, and was now thinking about the earlier 
events, and her conversation with Mulder. 
<Time passes in moments ... moments which, rushing 
past define the path of a life just as surely as they lead towards its end. 
How rarely do we stop to examine that path, to see the reasons why all things 
happen, to consider whether the path we take in life is our own making or 
simply one into which we drift with eyes closed. 
    She picks up her black jacket and puts it on. She looks thoughtfully at 
the 
bed.
<But what if we could stop, pause to take stock of each 
precious moment before it passes? Might we then see the endless forks in the 
road that have shaped a life? And, seeing those choices, choose another path?>
    As Scully attempts to leave the room, Mulder awakens. 
"Where you going?"
"I was just going to..uh lay on the couch and then go home when day breaks."
"You're going to lay on the couch in that outfit?"
"What?"
"It doesn't look all that comfortable."
"The couch is fine."
"I meant your outfit."
    They both smile and Scully stares innocently at the floor.
"I'm not sleeping naked, Mulder."
    Mulder laughs.
"Of course not Scully. Here, I think I may have something."
    Mulder gets out of bed and walks over to his dresser, he pulls out a pair 
of gray sweatpants and a navy FBI Academy sweatshirt, and hands it to Scully. 
She smiles and takes them.
"I had a matching gray one, but I lost it."
    Scully smiles shyly. She looks down at the floor again.
"You didn't lose it. You leant it to me after the Padgett incident...."
    Both Mulder and Scully pause, remembering the horrible ordeal. Mulder had 
let Scully borrow the sweatshirt, since her blouse was ruined.
"...I just never gave it back."
    They both look back up at each other and smile.
"Looked better on you anyway, Scully. You can go change in the bathroom."
"Ok. Thanks."
    Once again Scully leaves the room and enters the bathroom. She changes 
into the sweatpants and sweatshirt that are twice her size. When she comes 
out, the sleeves are cuffed three times so her little hands can peek through. 
The pant legs are rolled up twice, and Mulder could hardly see her feet.
"Aww, Scully you look adorable."
"Adorable isn't the word I would use to describe how I look in this outfit. I 
look like a hotdog in an oversized bun."
    Mulder and Scully laugh, and Scully heads to the couch.
"Goodnight Mulder."
" 'Night hotdog."
"Funny Mulder."
"No, adorable." 
    Scully lays on the couch and tries to fall asleep. No such luck. She 
tosses and turns for about 20 minutes and finally she gets up and goes into 
Mulder's bedroom. She stands for a while at the bedside, and then gets into 
the bed next to Mulder. Her subtle movements wake Mulder up.
"Well hello there."
"Sorry. Couldn't sleep. Do you mind if..."
"No problem."
    Scully lays down on the bed on her side and Mulder turns to his side, 
facing away from her. 15 minutes later, Mulder speaks.
"Scully."
"Mmhmm."
"Are you awake?"
"I am now."
"I can't sleep."
"Why?"
"Well for one, you're sleeping on my side of the bed."
    Scully laughs.
"Any other reason?"
"I was just thinking about our conversation."
"What about it?"
"Well, the 'one choice' part."
"Oh."
"Scully?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you happy?"
"I'm cranky and tired, Mulder."
    He laughs.
"I mean with your life. Are you happy?"
"I..don't know. I mean, I'm comfortable."
"Comfortable?"
"Mulder, I have a great job, a great partner, a best friend, a person who I 
trust with my life, my job, someone I trust completely. I have a mother, two 
brothers..."
"One of which hates me. But besides all that Scully, are you happy with your 
life?"
    Scully sighs and turns toward Mulder. He's laying on his back, staring at 
the ceiling.
"Mulder, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm 36 years old, single, living in 
an apartment, with no children. When I was 12, I thought by 36 I would be 
married, had 2.5 children, living in a white house with a dog. But instead, I 
have had to go through burying my sister, my father...my daughter, being 
abducted, having cancer, being attacked by monsters, or obsessed 'can't write 
a book' men. But I like my life. Because...well, if I hadn't joined the FBI, 
had I married Daniel, I wouldn't..I wouldn't have met you. And you are the 
single most important thing in my life. You make the hard things easy to live 
with."
    Mulder turns to Scully and looks at her. They lay in silence for a moment.
"Scully, I lost a sister. A father. A mother. I'm an orphan, if you will. I 
don't have many friends. I don't have a girlfriend. I don't think I could go 
through all that, if you weren't here. You're my center. You're my best 
friend. Hell, you're my significant other, but not in the widely understood 
definition of that term. Scully, look, I love you. I loved you for a long 
time. And I think... I think you already know that."
"Yeah I do Mulder. And I love you too."
    Scully moves closer to Mulder and lays her head on his shoulder while she 
lays on her stomach. Mulder leans down and kisses her. He then rolls on his 
side and wraps his arms around her waist and draws patterns against her back. 
'For a reason', 'My everything', 'Luv U', 'For a reason'.
"Mulder?"
"Hm?"
"I'm happy."
"Me too." 
"You know you're my reason for everything right?"
"Yeah I know Scully. Ditto."
The End