Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 22:35:58 -0000 Subject: xfc: "NEW "Paths of Life" 1 of 1 by DanaK Source: xfc Title: Paths of Life Author: DanaK1013@aol.com Classification: X-file, Post ep. "All Things" and "Requiem" RST Rating: PG-13 Distribution: Archive anywhere, just keep my name attached, and let me know where Disclaimer: The characters of Mulder and Scully are the property of Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. They are not mine, and no copyright infringement is intended. Summary: Deep within her... deep inside... underneath their two hands intertwined in the other's... a new path had begun. Author's Notes: I was inspired not only by the beautifully written episode by Gillian Anderson, but also by the possibility for an 8th season story. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Paths of Life The weekend had been an entanglement of emotions in Scully's mind. The meeting with Daniel after so many years, had brought to the surface feelings she had buried so deep, so long ago. He reminded her of wishes not granted, and plans never fulfilled. These thoughts tumbled around in her mind as Mulder's voice came and went next to her on his couch. Mulder had yet to realize the depth of his partner's emotional travels since he had left for England just two days earlier. She had changed though... there was something different about the way she spoke. Something was missing. Mulder couldn't quite place what it was within her. His partner so rarely revealed slices of whom she thought she was, or should be. Tonight was different though. Tonight she had given him something new about what she had hoped to be... whom she had hoped to be. Mulder wasn't sure what to do with this new piece of Scully. So he listened... and thought... and shared, as always, his perspectives on the cataclysmic forces which seemed destined to shape both of their lives. "All the choices would then lead to this very moment. We wouldn't be sitting here together. That says a lot... I mean... a lot a lot... More then we should be getting into at this late an hour..." He looked towards her to gage her response, and found her sleeping face laying softly against the couch. His mind reflected upon her words, and his eyes softly spoke his thoughts, "Ohhh, Scully... 7 years... and you are still hiding pieces of who you are. You're still wondering if the path you chose was right. It was Scully. It is. For me... it always will be." Mulder tenderly let her know he was there. His fingers pulled back the familiar strand of hair from off of her eyes, and brushed up so slowly against her cheek, just for a second. It was a reminder that her choices... her paths.... had lead her to this moment. Scully felt his touch... knew Mulder was with her. Yet, she was so tired. Her spirit was exhausted from being pulled and torn in directions never expected over the previous days. She needed to sleep... needed to let her unconscious mind settle itself into filing away another memory, deep inside, never to be found or used again. She felt the weight of Mulder's old Navajo blanket cover her... preventing her from moving. Her body relinquished to its spirit, and began to sleep. Mulder slowly got up from the couch. He could see his partner's breathing become deep and slow underneath the rise and fall of his blanket. He wanted to stay, wanted to be there to catch another piece she might let go of... but she was sleeping. She needed the time to let herself work out all which had taken place. He took one last glance at his partner, turned off the floor lamp, and quietly walked down the hallway, back to his bedroom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The sense of sound began to stir the deeply sleeping form of Dana Scully. It began first as a distant rhythm... a tapping... constant... a low rumbling from a far off place. Then the smell... fresh and musky... awakening her mind a little further. Next, a breeze. Not terribly cold, but enough to drift over her, bringing her skin out of it's slumbering coccoon. It was raining. She opened her eyes to find that she was lying on her side, warm against the leather of Mulder's couch... a blanket tucked in all around her body... her head on a pillow. She stayed there for a minute... letting her mind process all that her senses were drawing within her. Her body responded with a relaxing sigh, comfortable, not wanting to move, wanting to enjoy where it was. But her mind continued. Scully knew where she was, and why she had chosen to be there. Choices. The word tumbled back and forth, again and again. Her choice. Her decisions. Her paths. And everything, her mind told her, led to this place... this moment. Always, Mulder. She slowly sat up, wrapping the blanket around her body, and rose to stretch her muscles. She stepped forward, the blanket dragging along the hardwood floor. Outside light from the open window filtered across the desktop clock. 2:26 AM. "Mmmmm..." She glanced down the hallway, and saw the strip of light underneath Mulder's bedroom door. Of course he would be awake... he always was in the middle of the night. Scully walked down towards his room... she could hear the rustling of papers, as she knocked on the door. "Mulder?" Her voice was low and scratchy from her sleep. "Yea......Scully?" She pushed opened the door, and found Mulder sitting on the blue-grey comforter of his bed, an array of papers and photographs spread out in front of him. He had replaced the long sleeve black shirt and jeans he had worn earlier, with a soft grey t-shirt and matching pajama bottoms. His bare feet crossed, and legs resting along the length of the bed. The light from his bedside table cast a soft warm glow about the room. His voice was quiet, "Hey...What are you doing up? I thought you were out for the night." "Mmmmmm... I probably was. I think it was the rain." Scully glanced outside Mulder's window. The rain was very light, but enough was falling for one to see it sparkle against the streetlights, as the trees bent and swayed with the passing wind. Mulder followed her gaze outside, "Yea. It started about an hour or so ago." Looking back at her, "I came out, and tried to tuck you in for the night. Guess I didn't do so good." He said as a slightly devilish grin danced across his face. Returning the smile, and curling the blanket tighter around her Scully replied with a heavy sigh, "Thanks." Her eyes tried to focus on the papers on the bed. "What are you working on?" "Ohhhh... just some more of those computerized crop circle formations from England. I thought I'd go back through it, and see if there was anything I might have missed." He got off of the bed, and began gathering the items. "Find anything?" She asked as she watched Mulder reach for the last of the papers, stacking them together, and tossing them on a nearby desk. "Naaa.. nothing that I didn't already know." "Mmmmmm," Scully contemplated. Her eyes closed, heavy more from thought then from lack of sleep. She pictured in her mind the crop picture, 'Heart Chakra,' which had slipped from her fingers the previous day. It showed an endless, neverending path, a continuance of interwoven twists and turns which, up close seemed complex and distorted. From afar, however, it can be viewed as perfect definitions of time and space. Mulder looked at her. She was standing there, her hair slightly tussled from her earlier nap, stocking feet flat on the floor, his blanket engulfing her silent presence. "Scully?" "Yeah," she opened her eyes and looked at him. Even in the dimly lit room, their eyes searched out the other's. Scully's blue eyes large and deep, opening up to pull in the questioning look from Mulder's. He walked around the room, towards her, and placing his hand around her shoulders, guided her to sit on the bed. His arm was still around her, holding her close, as he sat beside her. "You OK Scully? You looked like you were someplace else there for a minute." A smile and soft chuckle came from deep inside her. "I was just contemplating the crop circles, and how much they remind me of us." "Of us?" Mulder asked questioning. "If I recall, you felt that they were a waste of time." "No. Not any more Mulder. They aren't a waste of time, but a path of time. Yours and mine." She paused for a moment, then taking a slow breath, continued. "Our paths always seem to twist and turn. We are always running around in circles and neverending pathways to nowhere. But, if we stop and look at the result, to take perspective on what we have created, it would show not random occurances, but something beautiful and perfect. Something complete." Mulder reached in front of her, turning her face towards his. He looked into her eyes, understanding the message they were sending. He began to understand the change he had sensed earlier, knowing that Scully had made a choice. She had accepted this new decision in her path of life, and knew it was right. She was meant to be with him. "You are beautiful Scully. You are perfect." "And we are complete," she answered softly. He smiled, and drawing her body closer to his, kissed her tenderly on the lips. It was a kiss of acceptance, of understanding, of the knowledge that this was meant to be. This moment. Together. They parted slowly. Their breathing, full and warm against the other. Mulder looked once again at the errant strands of hair falling forward, covering her face, and delicately tucked them away. "Scully.... I know I would have missed so much, if you had not chosen to journey the path with me. I know there have been signs along the way. Signs both of us have chosen to ignore, or run away from. Signs which might have changed who we are, where we have been, and what we have accomplishd. But those signs... those decisions made.... have lead us to complete this path....together." Scully looked upon her partner's face, and smiled. She stood up, Mulder's arm falling off of her shoulder, and faced him. Her head fell forward, as she released the blanket from around her body. Looking back up to him, her eyes warm and soft, "I want us to continue this path, together." He stood up, and taking her face in his hands, verified his decision with hers, by a kiss. Scully wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to her. Her head tilted up to catch the breath from her partner's lips. No words were needed. Nothing needed to be asked. All was understood. Mulder's hands moved down to Scully's shoulders. His fingers slipped underneath the collar of her jacket, and slowly guided it off her body. He looked back into her eyes, again confirming their decision, their choice, with a deep kiss. She, in return, held his face between her hands...holding onto it, watching him, as he began to undress her. His hands moving to lightly trace the sides of her body... her neck... her collarbone... her shoulders and arms. He pulled the moss green shirt she was wearing out of her waistband, and carefully moved it up and over her head. Her pale skin swelled, nestled inside the black silk of her bra. He looked down at her for a moment, his hand coming up to cautiously touch one full breast. Scully tilted her head back a bit, arching her back to push her body further into his touch. Mulder saw her actions, knew her need, and cupped her breast in his hand... gently circling her protruding, hardening nipple with his thumb. He looked at her again, and Scully's eyes let him know that this was right. This was the path they both needed to begin, and complete together. This was what was meant to be betweeen them. Her hands smoothed the fabric of his t-shirt, feeling his warmth and strength underneath. Slipping further down, she too brought her hands underneath his shirt, and let the tips of her fingers glide along his skin and through the soft hairs of his chest. Mulder stopped, and in one sure movement, pulled the shirt off of his body, throwing it next to hers. It was difficult for both of them to remember a time when this night was not dreamed of or planned for in their minds. So many choices and pathways had seemingly led to this moment, but at the last second, they would change directions and continue the interwoven pattern between them. But tonight, they both knew that the time had come to begin a new journey. They needed to touch and explore the other's body. Each had seen the other's skin, but only in terms of an injury, or resulting from someone else's plans. Never had they been allowed to just feel the other. And so each began tracing pathways... tenderly... fingertips feeling the movement of muscle, the protruding of bone, the softness of flesh. Mulder's hand moved to the one place on Scully's body that he knew... the small of her back, and pulled her closer. Scully sensed where Mulder needed to be, and reached around behind her, unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor. She looked back up at Mulder. Her eyes asking him to continue the journey his hands had begun. He reached up and took hold of her breasts. Feeling them underneath his hand, perfect and full, he then brought her close and tight against him. Thereby letting both of them touch the other completely with their bodies. They kissed again... lips pressing against the other, as Mulder's tongue slid forward, opening her mouth to his. Her soft moan from deep within encouraged Mulder to hold her tighter. She opened her mouth further, and began to discover his. Both investigating the other... slowly... softly..... waiting for the other's confirmation before continuing. Together, without words or even sight, they each reached for the other. Mulder undid the button to Scully's skirt, and slid down the zipper. He pulled the hose off of the curves of her hips, letting them slide, along with her skirt, softly to the floor. Scully slid her hands along the sides of his chest, finding the elastic of his pajama bottoms. Her fingers moved underneath and pulled them down, over his strong thighs, and Mulder stepped out of them. Their lips never parted. Their discovery only continued. Naked to the other, flesh next to flesh, they stopped to decide which path to journey together. Scully looked up at her partner's strong broad tanned shoulders, and her arms went around them, to clasp behind his neck. Mulder, knowing.....together... how to continue, bent down, and in one gentle move, picked his partner up, cradling her close to his chest. He turned around, layed her on his bed and came to rest beside her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scully slowly awoke this time to a new sense... that of strength and love and completeness surrounding her. Mulder. They were both warm and satisfied, laying on their backs, but nestled close to the other. Scully's head settled in the curve of his shoulder, her face close to his heart. His arm snaked under hers, coming to rest low on her body... just above the last piece of her being, which she had kept hidden from him for so many years. Her hand came to rest upon his, as a tender smile came across her face. She had changed. She could feel it. Wishes granted, plans fulfilled. Deep within her... deep inside... underneath their two hands intertwined in the other's... a new path had begun to grow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The End Author's Note: This was written prior to "Requiem" and I was pleased that CC and company had the same possibility in mind. This is my first attempt at X-Files fan fiction, and would appreciate any feedback, especially with some possibilities to continue the story. Thank you so much to Marie, my wonderful and patient Beta-Reader in helping me out with all my questions.