From: DnRdl@aol.com
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 08:06:24 EST
Subject: "never ever" by Daniela Riedel
Source: direct

Title: Never ever
Rating: PG
Category: SRA
Classification: MSR
Spoilers: Requiem
Summary: nearly everyone did it so I did it too - this is another version of: 
Mulder returns
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Mulder, Scully and the mentioned people are the 
property of Chris Carter, 1013 and FOX television. 
Feedback: Always welcome at dnrdl@aol.com 

~Never ever~ 

"Scully." She answered the phone.

"Am I speaking to Dana Scully?" an unfamiliar voice asked her.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"I hope so. My name is Ken Jackson, Dr. Ken Jackson. I'm working in a 
hospital in San Antonio, Texas. And... ehm... I don't really know how to 
explain this but I have this patient who constantly calls your name. He's in 
a kind of coma or that was what we first thought. He's not moving or speaking 
or anything else, he's just calling your name."

Scully didn't know what to say and she surely didn't dare to hope that this 
person could be Mulder, her Mulder, who had been missing for the past three 
months.

"Who is this man?"

"That's our problem. We don't know. Nobody knows how he got here or who 
brought him here. One day he was just laying there and the rest I told you 
already. And I hoped that by calling you we might get some more..." He 
couldn't  even finish his sentence for he was interrupted by Scully's 
determined voice.

"I'm coming. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay, thank you." But he just talked to a dead line for Scully had already 
hung up the phone.

She rushed into her bedroom packing several things in a hurry and was out the 
door not fifteen minutes later. She drove to the airport like crazy breaking 
several speed limits on the way. She was lucky to get a flight to San Antonio 
half an hour later. It was only when she sat in her seat waiting for the 
airplane to take off that she realized that she hadn't told anybody about 
this. She knew in this moment that she should have called her mother or 
Skinner or even the Gunmen but she couldn't help herself. She was just 
determined to get there as soon as possible. If it was really Mulder she 
would call them and tell them everything after having spent some time alone 
with Mulder. If it wasn't him and she had spent her energy in another 
disappointment she could tell them later or never. 
She leaned back in her seat and tried without success to relax at least a 
little. She was too excited. She was well aware of the fact that all of this 
could be for nothing and that it was possible that it wasn't Mulder but she 
just felt it. She couldn't wait to see him and tell him about everything he 
had missed especially about the little one growing within her - the miracle 
they had never dared to hope for. 

When the airplane had landed on the airport of San Antonio Scully was the 
first to leave it. She grabbed her luggage and got into the first cab she 
could get. The nearer she got to the hospital the stronger her feelings grew 
that it was Mulder. She couldn't explain why, probably a part of their unique 
way of knowing that the other was near. It had been there in the past too and 
got now stronger than ever. 

She could find her way through any hospital easily and soon stood in front of 
the information desk asking, "I'm looking for Dr. Jackson. Could tell me 
where I can find him?"

She was a bit taken back by the nurse asking her in return,
"Are you Miss Scully?"

"Yes, I am."

"Dr. Jackson is waiting for you. He's in his office. Second floor, third door 
to the right."

"Thank you." And she was on her way wondering why everybody seemed to know 
about this mysterious case.

Dr. Jackson didn't like it when he didn't know something for sure and this 
patient brought him mysteries every day. He didn't know how this man got 
here, who brought him here or what exacty was wrong with him. They had done 
every possible tests with him finding nothing. He had no internal injuries, 
no mental illnesses and all his bodily functions were alright. Then why, for 
God's sake, didn't he wake up? He hoped that this woman, Dana Scully, would 
be able to help solving some of the mysteries. Speaking of whom... a knock on 
the door announced her arrival.

"Come in."

"Dr. Jackson?" she asked unsure.

"Yes, please have a seat Miss Scully. Thanks for coming here so fast."

"No problem, I would rather see your patient right now, if you don't mind."
"Okay, then please follow."

They both walked down the hallway each lost in their own thoughts. Scully's 
nervousness increased with each step they got nearer to the supposed hospital 
room while the doctor silently wondered about the woman's determination.

He stopped in front of a door.
"Do you want to go in there alone or should I accompany you?"

Scully thought about the question for a few moments before answering with: 
"I'd rather go alone. I'll talk to you afterwards."

"Sure."

Taking a deep breath she put her hand on the door's handle.

What if it wasn't him?
What if it was?
With those thoughts on her mind she opened the door to her destiny.

Oh.My.God.

It was indeed Mulder. Fox Mulder the man she had missed so much during the 
past three month, the man who was the father of her unborn child, the man she 
needed so much in her life, the man she loved more than anything.

Slowly she approached the bed he was laying in. He was unmoving and seemed to 
be oblivious of his surroundings. Everything he did was staring at the 
ceiling and murmering words Scully couldn't understand from the distance but 
understood as soon as she was at his bed side.

"Scully, please. Dana Scully." 

He repeated those words over and over and it brought tears to her eyes. 
Though it was only a whisper in which he spoke the words, his voice held so 
much desperation. She wanted to hug him and kiss him right away but she was 
unsure of how he would react or if he would react at all. 

She decided to try it slowly. She bent her head down to him, so her face was 
close to his ear. As softly as he spoke his words she talked to him.

"Mulder? Mulder it's me, Scully. You can stop calling, I'm here now. Mulder, 
can you hear me?"

She moved back a bit to see his reaction but there was none. He didn't even 
blink. And he didn't stop calling out to her. Next try. This time she brought 
her hands up to his face giving in to the need to touch him.

"Mulder, please, I'm here. Please give me a sign."

Again nothing. She became more and more desperate. He didn't even notice her 
presence. Suddenly she was torn between staying with him to make him take 
notice and the urge to run away and cry her eyes out. She decided to go and 
talk to the doctor before coming back.

Dr. Jackson was waiting impatiently in his office waiting to hear answers to 
all his questions.

"So Miss Scully, I surely hope you can help me by telling me something about 
this mysterious patient of mine."

"i try, okay... ehm... your patient is Fox Mulder. He's a special agent with 
the FBI and I'm his working partner. Three month ago during a case he kind 
of... disappeared. Nobody really knows where he was taken to or what happened 
to him. And I searched for him during those three month. Unfortunately I 
never got any living sign until... well, until you called me this morning."

"At least we have a name now. So he's an FBI-agent?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any idea what's wrong with him?"

"Unfortunately no, I wish I had."

The doctor suddenly sensed something in the way Scully had said her last 
words. Maybe they were more than simply work partners. It was obvious that it 
was important for her to come here as soon as possible. And she had wanted to 
see this Fox Mulder first thing after having arrived here. She also seemed a 
bit confused as if she didn't know whether she should be happy or not about 
finding him in this state of health.

"So you can't help bringing him out of his momentary state?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm not."

She was overwhelmed by the sudden wish to be alone to think things through 
and to decide what to do next.

"Dr. Jackson, I'm sorry but would you excuse me for a while? I need some time 
alone. I'll be back later and if you don't mind I would like to stay in his 
room for some time then."

The doctor didn't really understand why she behaved the way she did but what 
should he do?

"Sure, take your time. I'll speak to the staff so that there'll be no problem 
for you staying with him later."

"Thank you" She left his office then.

As soon as she was outside the hospital and seated on a bench nearby she let 
the tears fall. The sudden realization that she had found Mulder and that he 
was alive but somehow not really himself hit her full force. She couldn't 
stop the tears for a long time. She only wished Mulder would be there with 
her holding her in his arms and murmering encouraging words to her as she was 
sure he would. 

She wanted to tell him so much. Before he disappeared they never had the 
chance to talk about their feelings. Sure they had been close. This night in 
the hotel in Oregon. She wanted so much to tell him that she loved him dearly 
but couldn't find the courage to do so. Both of them knew about the other's 
feelings though. And both were happy with this one night were nothing really 
happened but the bond between them got even stronger because of a night of 
simply holding the other until they drifted off to sleep. She had come to his 
room because of her chills and dizzy spells she couldn't explain. That this 
night would become the most important one to her she only realized 
afterwards... when she got the news that the artifical insemination was 
successful though the doctors first said it wasn't. All of those things he 
didn't know about and that thought only made Scully cry harder.

When she finally calmed down again she took a few deep breaths and made her 
way back to his room wishing him to wake up soon.

Nobody questioned her when she went straight to his room. A chair had been 
placed next to the bed but instead of taking it she sat on the edge of the 
bed. She took his much larger hand in her small one and just looked at him 
for a few minutes. She studied the beloved features of his face, the rise and 
fall of his chest with each breath he took but what held her attention were 
his eyes. She used to love those expressive hazel eyes but now they were 
emotionless. The tears welled up in her eyes again. Carefully and slowly she 
layed her head on his chest closing her eyes and letting the scent of him 
envelop her.

"Mulder, please come back. I need you so much, come back to me," she sobbed 
into his chest.

The room was quiet except her sobs and both of them whispering to the other. 
When Dr. Jackson came in to check on them he was stunned by the sight. Now he 
was convinced that they were much more then work partners. Scully didn't even 
notice that someone had entered the room for she was totally lost in her 
thoughts and Mulder around her. 

Dr. Jackson silently left the room again and gave an order not to disturb 
those two. They should only enter the room in case of emergency.

Scully didn't know how long she had been there it seemed like hours and 
nothing had changed so far... until suddenly his breathing changed. Scully 
moved up quickly and looked at him. His calm deep breaths got quicker and she 
first feared that he might get into shock. Alternating her looks between his 
heart monitor and him she waited for something to happen. Then it hapened, he 
blinked. His constant staring at the ceiling changed. He blinked a few times 
and began to move his head. 

"Mulder? Mulder, can you hear me?"

"Scully?"

"Yes, Mulder it's me, I'm here."
She had to suppress the urge to move his head so that he looked at her but he 
did it himself. After overcoming his disorientation his eyes slowly focused 
on her face.

"Scully..."

"I'm here, can you hear me?" she became desperate again.

There was silence in the room for some moments and both just looked at the 
other.

Then a smile spread on his face and his eyes got their life back.

"Scully, you're here. You found me."

Those few words and the look on his face made her heart jump.

She answered his smile with one of her own and in a matter of seconds flew 
into his arms and this time he did hold her when she cried and this time they 
were tears of happiness. He immediately wound his arms around her body and 
tucked her head under his chin. Again there was silence in the room while 
they were just holding each other.

"Glad to see you happy Scully"

"I am happy, now that I've got you back."

His holding was replaced with his gentle hands stroking her back. Finally her 
tears stopped and she just lay on his chest enjoying his presence.

"Mulder, I love you," she just whispered the words but he heard them.

"I love you too more than anything."

She lifted her head again never getting enough of looking into his eyes. Her 
hands also found their way to his face stroking it lovingly and memorizing 
everything. Finally closing the remaining gap between them they shared their 
first kiss. They had loved each other for so long and only now after seven 
years they acted on their feelings. 

"I missed you so much during those three months and I needed you with me." 
She said after they broke the kiss both being breathless.

"Sorry that I wasn't there."

"No, sorry I didn't mean to blame you it's just that I wished you were there 
with me when I found out that..."

"What?" He had no idea what she was talking about.

"I'm pregnant Mulder." She smiled at him and made his heart stop for a moment.

"You mean it... it was... successful?"

"Yes, I found out the day after... after you disappeared." 

"I wish I had been there with you."

"It's okay, you're here now and that's important."

"And I want to be part of everything now."

"Sure, you'll be."

Everything would be fine again. They were sure of it. He was back and they 
had finally declared their love towards each other. 

The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with Mulder's health and he released 
him after two days of observation though he wasn't sure what he wanted to 
observe - the state of his patient or Mulder and Scully together. The 
relationship between those two occupied his mind more than the sudden 
recovery. When he was in the room they acted as if they were just friends 
nothing more but once he caught them holding hands and changing loving 
glances but he still wasn't sure. So on the day of their leaving he brought 
up the courage to ask.

"Mr. Mulder, Miss Scully can I ask you something personal?"

They exchanged a glance, one of their unique ways to communicate, before 
Mulder answered, "Sure, what is it?"

"Please don't feel offended but though Miss Scully told me you're work 
partners and friends I always have the impression that there is something 
more."

"It's somehow hard to explain. We are work partners and we are each other's 
best friend but there is so much more. You see, I trust her with my life and 
she is the most important person to me. I would do anything for her and I 
love her. So I think you're right when you say there's something more between 
us." 

During his explanation Scully had tightened her hold to his hand and she had 
the sudden urge to be alone with him. Dr. Jackson on his part had the feeling 
that this wasn't really meant for him to know but that this man had needed to 
say all of this.

"Well, ehm... thank you for this detailed explanation. I wish you all the 
best." He shook each their hands and left in a hurry then.

Scully looked up at  Mulder then giving him a loving smile.

"That was without a doubt the most beautiful declaration of love I've ever 
heard in my life."

"And I meant every word of it."

His fingers touched her cheek in the same time his lips touched hers. 
Standing there in an hospital hallway they shared a sweet kiss oblivious to 
their surrounding and the envious looks they got.

~~~

Two weeks later they were in the cozy surrounding of her apartment enjoying 
their time together.

"Mulder?"

"Mmmh?" was his lazy reply.

"Are you happy?"

That question got his attention and he lifted his head to look her in the 
eyes. He looked at her worrying expression and had to smile.

"Let's see - I'm laying here safe and warm with the love of my life which 
seems to love me just as much as I love her. My head lays on the comfortable 
pillow of her tummy and underneath grows our baby. I think I can say that I'm 
the happiest man alive." To emphasize his words he tightened his arms around 
her waist and cuddled his face deeper into her tummy.

Tears shimmered in her eyes after his words. God, she loved this man. She 
brought her hand to his face stroking his cheeks. 

"I love you too and I couldn't be more happy to have you back and..."

He cut her off: "I'm never letting you go again."

With that he moved his face from her tummy up to her face and kissed her 
softly. 

"Never?" she asked both of them knew it was just teasing on her part.

"Never ever again..." And he didn't disappoint her.

THE END