From: Katvictory@aol.com
Date: Sat, 3 Apr 1999 10:11:07 EST
Subject: Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Katvictory

TITLE: Knockin' on Heaven's Door
AUTHOR: Katvictory@AOL.com
CATAGORY: Surprise - HUMOR & Not my usual torture for Mulder, but he is in a 
hospital.  It's what my husband calls one of my Para-Mulder Shorts
DISCLAIMER: Mulder and Scully belong to Chris Carter and Fox.  Elvis belongs 
to God.  Yes, kiddos, Elvis has left the planet.
SUMMARY: Mulder finds a reason not to walk through the Pearly Gates.
RATING: G
FEEDBACK: Katvictory@AOL.com
THANKYOUS: Amy, this one's for you...Humor and romance


Knockin' on Heaven's Door
by Katvictory

Dana Scully sat by Fox Mulder's bedside relishing the sound of his voice, 
thankful that he was still alive.  There had been too many touch and go 
moments the past ten days.  His heart had stopped on the way to the hospital. 
 It had stopped once again, on the operating table.  Twice, his first couple 
of day in the ICU, he had stopped breathing.

But, ten days after being shot in the chest, here he was, sitting up in bed, 
telling her about his near-death experience.  Scully was so grateful just to 
have him here, she promised herself she would not debunk anything he told 
her.  She swore she would not raise a brow or roll her eyes.  She would hear 
the tale he had been so eager to tell her since he had regained 
consciousness, and she would keep all doubts and scientific theories to 
herself.  That was how she felt before he had started talking.  Later, after 
he had finished his tale, well -- let's just say Mulder's version of 
'crossing the bar' was a bit different from any she had ever heard.

***************
"Scully, you know I was awake when they put me in the ambulance.  You were 
there.  I heard the sirens start up, I could hear the EMTs talking about my 
condition.  I knew you were right at my head, watching every move they made.  
I felt you there with me.  I knew when things started going south.  I heard 
you yell at the driver to stop the ambulance.  When my heart stopped, I rose 
up, out of my body.  I watched them that first time they tried to jump start 
my heart.  At that very moment, I was swallowed up by a light.  The next 
thing I saw was a man walking toward me..."

"Your father?"  She asked expectantly.  Scully had heard hundreds of these 
stories.  She had even experienced one herself, a few years back.  She new 
the popular scientific explanation for them, that lack of oxygen to the brain 
caused the hallucinations.  But, Scully had her faith, it was strong, so on 
this matter she chose to admit -- she really didn't know the truth.

"Not hardly" Mulder answered her question with a grin.  "As the man walked 
closer I could hear he was singing..."

This was a new twist to the common tale, one she'd never heard of.  Scully 
leaned forward and asked him expectantly, "What was he singing?  Did you know 
him?"

Mulder's smile was pure bliss as he remembered the heavenly voice singing, 
"oh yes, it was "It's Now or Never". Scully, it was Elvis - The King"

Scully really and truly tried not to laugh.  She bit her lip till it almost 
bruised.  But she couldn't help herself.  Peals of bawdy laughter burst out, 
coming from clear down to her toes.  She could see Mulder's face fall with 
disappointment.  But she couldn't contain her mirth.  She giggled so hard, 
she was afraid she was going to wet her pants. 

Mulder's expression had begun to change, going from hurt, that she didn't 
believe him, to anger that she found this momentous experience funny.

"Scully," he cried indignantly, once she had regained some semblance of 
control.  "Please."

She wiped the tears from her face and struggled valiantly to compose herself.

"Scully, I have an epiphany and you laugh," he scolded in disappointment.

"You had an Elvis Epiphany?" she started to snicker and her battle was now 
lost.  She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

After several long minutes, she came out - Her face was washed, a stoic 
expression was firmly in place.  She took her seat beside him, the picture of 
composed calm.

Mulder turned away.

"Mulder, please.  Tell me rest."  Scully knew he wanted to be begged, so she 
did.  "I won't laugh, I promise.  It's just that you caught me by surprise.  
I never expected for Elvis to meet anyone at the Pearly Gates.  Please, go 
on."

He looked at her suspiciously, sizing up if she were baiting him, then nodded 
to her that he would go on.

"Elvis walked right up to me and asked me my name. I told him and he smiled 
and said - 'Well, son, It's your call.' " Mulder related doing a fairly 
passable imitation of his idol, " 'You wanna go on up, or you wanna go back?' 
"

"I really didn't know what I should do.  I mean things weren't looking to 
good for me as I remembered.  So I shrugged.  Elvis smiled at me and said, 
'Doan worry, you got time.  They jus' took you into surgery.  You could still 
go both ways.'  We had been walking while we talked and we made it to this 
big white room.  A waiting room.  We sat down on a bench to talk."

" 'How's thing's goin' down there?' he asked.  It kind of surprised me that 
he didn't know and I told him so. ' I'm pullin' this duty for another few 
years.  It's not too bad, I meet a lot of interestin' folks.  But most of 
them's in a big hurry cause they already made up there minds where they wanna 
go.  So we doan really get much chance to chat. So are things okay down 
there?' "

"Well, Pricilla is a movie star now.  She's doing pretty good with it, I 
guess.  She's got a great head for business.  She opened up Graceland to your 
fans.  I went a while back and the place looks great.  Just like how you left 
it."

"Elvis smiled at me, glad that she was doing so well, he really loved her you 
know?"

Scully nodded that she did know.

"Then he asked about his daughter.  I told him that Lisa Marie had married 
Michael Jackson.  He looked shocked. ' That little high voiced black kid 
singer?' he asked.  Well, I told him, He grew up.  He isn't black anymore, 
but his voice is still high.  It didn't last and last I heard she's going to 
start singing.  She's got a contract I heard.  Elvis smiled again and nodded 
'My boy, My boy' he laughed, shaking his head, 'kid's are somethin' huh.'  
Just at that moment a clipboard popped into his hand and he looked down at 
it.  'Your window's closin' Mulder.'  Scully Elvis called me Mulder."  Mulder 
bragged.

Scully crossed her legs and nodded.

"I just sat there trying to figure out what to do.  I asked Elvis if he would 
go back if he got the chance.  He shook his head, 'No my Mamma's here, an' my 
Daddy.  We got a pretty good band what with Janis an' Buddy an' Stevie Ray 
here.  Th' foods great an' you can eat all you want an' never gain a pound.  
I kinda like it here. Do you have anybody here? ' "

"I told him my father, and explained we really never had gotten along.  Elvis 
thought for a moment then asked me, 'let's try it this way then.  Do you have 
somebody you want to go back to?'  That was all it took Scully.  I made up my 
mind -- the light came and the next thing I saw was you.  Sitting beside me 
like you are now..."

"You came back because of me?"  Scully asked softly, wiping a tear from her 
eye.

Mulder grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze, the he nodded.

Scully swallowed hard before she spoke, "I'm sorry I laughed, Mulder."

"That's all right Mama, " he drawled.

THE END