From: "Lindsay Carpenter" Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 14:03:15 PDT Subject: Sleeping Scully Source: direct Title: Sleeping Scully Author: Lindsay Carpenter E-Mail: Linz1013@hotmail.com Rating: G, mild language Category: MSR Spoilers: none Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance; alternate universe Summary: It's Sleeping Beauty meets The X-Files in an adaptation of the classic love story. Disclaimer: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and all characters revolving around the show do not belong to me but to the creative geniuses over at 1013 and FOX. Sleeping Beauty does not belong to be but to the Disney Co. . . at least this version does. Author's Note: 'Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.' That's what my horoscope said and here I am again. I decided to write but none of my stories in progress seemed to want attention. As a child, Disney's Sleeping Beauty was my favorite movie and now The X-Files has inspired me to write. . . so here we go again. Please keep in mind that this is a Fairy Tale and I have made a few adjustments in the original story of Sleeping Beauty, and to the character lives of Mulder and Scully. Dedications: This one again goes out to Emily. You have been with me through soooo much in the past few weeks, I can't thank you enough. I hope you can stick it out until I find what I'm looking for. Susan, my inspiration, motivation, and comma woman! I honestly don't know where I'd be without you on these stories. Thank you so much for putting up with me. Please send all comments and constructive criticism to: Linz1013@hotmail.com prologue Fall, 1999 FBI Headquarters, Basement office 9:15 am Agent Fox Mulder had not slept in almost 24 hours. He had come into the office on Tuesday morning and hadn't left since. Scully had come and gone yesterday, and he was expecting her to walk in the room any minute. He was going through a rather thick file; one which Scully had taken no interest in to begin with. This was a different file though. This one held somewhat of a fairy tale that was over a hundred years old. He had been thoroughly reading the file for many hours trying to grasp the concept. His eyes were drooping as he came to the half-way point of the file for the third time. At 9:15 Agent Dana Scully strode into the office with two cups of coffee in her hands. She saw Mulder and sighed. "Mulder, have you been here all night?" "Yeah, I guess I have if you're here." He gave her a lopsided smile and closed the file. "Why don't you go home? If Skinner asks, I'll tell him I sent you home with a fever." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Nah, I'll be OK. I just need a cup of caffeine. Thanks for grabbing me a cup too, Scully." He took a generous sip and went back to the file as Scully settled into her chair. "Mulder, is this going to be like yesterday? I mean we barely said two words to each other throughout the whole day." She began to open a file and go through her notes. "Probably Scully. This is a really good case file." His eyes began to droop again. "Well all right. I have a lunch date with my mom at 11:30, so I guess you'll be on your own. Want me to bring you back something?" she asked as she began to type away. "I'll let you know when lunch rolls around." Mulder said and Scully responded by nodding. Then they both set off on their separate cases of the day. 11:21 am "Mulder, I'm gonna head off now. I want to drop this off before I leave. Can I bring you back anything?" She inquired as she headed to get her coat. "Sure, a sandwich would be nice. Pasta would be better. Whatever you think I should have is fine by me. Thanks Scully." She smiled and headed out the door. Once Scully was gone, Mulder toed off his shoes and kicked his feet up onto the desk, file in hand. "Sleeping princesses and fairy God-People. Only I would believe this stuff." He yawned and slowly began to drift off. He drifted off to a far away land of Kings and Queens; of evil Lords and gifts from little magical men; a place from his X-File. XmXsXmXsXmXsXmXsX part 1 Many years ago The Kingdom of Scully Once upon a time, in a small Kingdom there was a King and his fair Queen. For many years they wanted a child and finally their wish was granted. King William and Queen Margaret of Scully had a beautiful daughter with hair like the sunset and eyes like the sea. They named her Katherine. King William had a grand ball to honor the arrival of the new princess. The whole kingdom was invited to his ball, as well as those allies from surrounding kingdoms. King William of Mulder brought his own young heir, Prince Fox, to the ceremony. It was on that day, Prince Fox and Princess Katherine were betrothed. Little Fox was not impressed. It was a glorious day to rejoice. As the King and Queen of Scully were speaking to the King of Mulder, the trumpets rang out and through the gates appeared three men: the Magical God-Fathers; Sir John, Sir Melvin and Sir Ringo, an unusual name to be sure, but one only had to look at the multitude of ornaments on his fingers. Each bowed to the Kings and Queen. "We have come here today to bless the child and bestow gifts on her." Sir John announced. They smiled and nodded their consent. Sir John stepped over to the sleeping Katherine. "Precious princess, I bestow upon you the gift the of sciences. May your life be filled with the wonder of questions and the joy of finding the answers to all you search for. Sir Ringo went next. "Dear child, I bestow upon you the gift of skepticism. Though to some it may seem more of an albatrose, it is through this gift that you will always find the truth and answers to life's unanswerable questions." Sir Melvin stepped over to the child and was about to speak when the gates suddenly opened in a cloud of thick smoke. "It's the Lord of Ash." murmured the gathered crowd. "Why your Majesties; congratulations on the birth of your daughter. I cannot understand why I was not invited to this festive gathering." "You weren't wanted." Sir Melvin stated. The evil Lord took a long drag on pipe of tobacco. "Oh, I see. Well, I would like to give the beautiful princess a gift as well." Before he said another word, Queen Margaret ran to her sleeping child and picked her up instinctively to protect her. "One day, in the far future, Princess Katherine of Scully, you will prick your finger on a spinning wheel and you will die." The crowd gasped and began murmuring as Queen Margaret sobbed over her daughter. "Your majesty, Sir Melvin has not yet bestowed his gift." Sir John pointed out. King William looked hopeful. "Then he can reverse this curse?" "Well no, not completely." Sir Melvin explained. "But I can help." He stepped over to the baby and smiled. "Small child, I fear that we can not always protect you from the evils of this world. When the time has come you will prick you finger, but not in death, just in sleep. To wake from your slumber. . ." He paused thinking, "The kiss of love, from a man you trust." The three Godfathers bowed to their King and Queen and then backed up to leave. As they walked slowly back toward the royal egress, Sir Ringo whispered adamantly, "Sir Melvin? What in the name of the Gods of heaven and earth was that kiss of love nonsense all about? Have you been reading that foolishness by Grimm again?" "I was on the spot, I couldn't think of anything else." Then they went to their cottage. XsXmXsXmXsXmXsXmX 2 weeks later "Sir Walter, I just don't think that it is necessary to go through with this. I have had all the spinning wheels in the Kingdom burned and I have fifty more guards surrounding my palace." King William was in his chambers with his wife and trusted advisor, Sir Walter Skinner. "Your majesty, will due respect, I still believe that Katherine is in danger. She must not stay in this castle much longer." "But he said in the far future this would happen. Not now, Sir Sir Walter." Queen Margaret was clearly upset. Sir Walter had suggested that someone take the tiny princess away from the Kingdom for her protection. He feared that the Lord of Ash would return, if he learned of the partial cure Sir Melvin had placed on her. Suddenly, as if I light went on in he head, he had an idea. "I've got it." "What is it, my trusted friend?" King William asked intently. "The God-Fathers can take her away. They have powers, they can protect her better then your guards can. They could take her somewhere and bring her back when Lord of Ash is dead." "That still doesn't account for the spell," Queen Margaret pointed out. "Yes, but we can hope the spell can't go on without him." Sir Walter countered. King William nodded and looked at his Queen. She too nodded as the unshed tears spilled over. He had his guard summon the Magical God-Fathers. Late that night "We will protect her and keep her from harm's way until it is safe to return her home to you," Sir Melvin promised. He lifted the child from her mother's arms and carried her off into the night with Sirs John and Ringo following. They headed deep into the woods to an abandoned cottage they had just finished fixing up. For the next 21 years, Princess Katherine, whom they had taken to calling Dana, would live in peace and safety with her 'Uncles'. end part 1 XsXmXsXmXsXmXsXmX part 2 21 years later "I cannot believe that twenty one years have passed already. I do believe that it is time to take the Princess back to her parents. Don't you agree Sir Melvin?" Sir John asked as he worked on his latest experiment. "I don't know, Sir John. As far as we know Lord Smoke-Ass is still alive and kicking. I don't think we should risk it." Sir Melvin was in a corner reading a book. Sir Ringo walked in from the other room, a tall vial in his hand. "I must agree with Sir John. We've been here for over 20 years and still, even with that damned wheel thing here, nothing's happened to her. Princess Katherine needs to meet her parents." "Yes, but she thinks her parents are dead and that he name is Dana. This will come as such a shock to her." Sir Melvin argued. Just as he was about to belabor his point, the beautiful Princess Katherine, or Dana as she was now called, came bounding down the stairs of their forest cottage dressed in riding gear. "What are you boys up to?" She asked as she grabbed her hat from it's hook. "Up to? Nothing, dear girl, we were merely discussing our latest project, nothing more than that," Sir John stumbled in an attempt to avoid alarming the young beauty. "Oh, well OK. I'm going riding. I should be back for supper. Don't wait for me though OK?" She headed for the door, Sir Melvin on her heels. "Hey, remember none of that 'man' riding. I caught you yesterday. It's not lady-like Dana. Ride side saddle OK? And don't talk to any strangers." He helped her onto the horse and she smiled. "Of course." She rode off deep into the forest. He went back into the cottage. "She's riding like a man again. I told her not to, but she will." "Oh, let it go," Sir Ringo urged. "You know, if we don't pay attention, this little -project- will turn to an inedible paste instead of the icing for our dear charge's birthday cake." Sir John had to agree, and proceeded to stir the ingredients. "Sir Melvin, can you pour three teaspoons of sugar into the vial over there?" Sir John pointed to the table in the corner. "Icing?? You two have been concocting icing all this time? Good lord, what have we come to?" Sir Melvin inquired quite exasperated. "What's next, sewing and baking?" "Well the sewing is your job Melvin. . . Sir John and I are handling the baking. We need a gown for her to wear when she's presented to her parents." Sir Ringo said snickering as he threw Sir Melvin a spool of thread and needle. "Baking and sewing, what have we turned into?" Sir Melvin mumbled as Sir John and Sir Ringo laughed. XmXsXmXsXmXsXmXsX Briar Woods As soon as Dana was out of site of the cottage she threw her leg over the horse and sped into the forest. "Come on girl! Let's see what we can find today!" She galloped through the trees until she came to a clearing, where she slowed and got down, looking around. There were birds singing and she could heard water running. But the noise she heard most distinctly was the clapping of horse's hooves echoing through the woods. "I wonder who is out there. Come on, let's go find out." She mounted the horse and sped in the direction of the noise. After Dana disappeared into the wood a young man on another horse slowed on the other side of the clearing. "Whoa, boy. Did you hear that?" The man removed his hat and jumped down from his steed. Prince Fox of Mulder had wandered into the clearing. "Someone was here, there are the hoof prints." He noticed a blue riding hat on the ground. "Ah, it was a lady that was here. She went east, toward the sun. Let's go give this back." He mounted and headed back to the woods. As Dana crashed through the other side she saw the man speeding into the woods. Fox heard her come through and he halted and turned around. Dana felt her breath catch in her throat. "You have my hat, Sir. I'd like it back." He laughed at her statement. "Oh, would you? I saw you riding. You don't ride like a lady should. Do you think you could catch your hat from me?" He held out the hat to taunt the young woman, as he guided his horse to back up into the forest. Suddenly, he gave his steed two light kicks and he was off and running. "Of course I can." she shouted, and before the young prince knew it she had almost caught up to him. Dana continued to make a good chase after him over hill and dale. Though the prince rode his horse hard and sure, the young woman easily kept up. "Where did you learn to ride like this?!" He yelled over his shoulder. "I taught myself. No one would ever teach a lady this!" Then she saw it. The branch caught her eye before it caught his. "Look out!" She slowed to a stop and hoped he could as well. He didn't. Fox crashed head first into a thick branch. He felt his body hit the ground and felt a pain in his back and neck. The last thing he remembered was a woman's scream and a beautiful face hovering over him. He closed his eyes and gave into the pain. XsXmXsXmXsXmXsXmX "Come on, wake up." Dana began to worry. It had been a long time since the man had fallen and hit his head. She had ripped her dress and wet it, washing the cut on the side of his forehead. His eyes began to flutter and then he opened them, seeing the beautiful red headed angel. "Oh. . . that hurt." He said as he attempted to sit up. She watched as he leaned up against a tree, his hand reaching up to touch his wound. "I washed the cut. You took a nasty fall. I tried to warn you. But it was too late." She explained as he look around. Hanging on the nearby tree were his cape and hat and her drenched riding hat. His boots were on the bank. "Sorry about the hat. I would have given it back." "It's OK. That was an amazing ride though. I didn't think my horse could pull it off." She smiled at the young stranger. She felt a strange and safe connection to him. He felt the same. "I'm William, who are you my lady?" He reached for her hand and gently kissed it. She felt the blush creep into her cheeks. "I'm Dana. How come I never see you in these woods? I come here all the time." Fox didn't want to reveal his royal status so he called himself by his middle name. "I live in the Mulder Kingdom. I don't come here often. But if it means seeing you again, fair Dana, I shall come here morning, noon, and night!" She smiled and stood up. She didn't even know this man, yet she felt that she could trust him. "I must be going. My uncles will begin to worry. I'm sorry." "Oh please don't go. I've only just met you. When will I see you again, Dana?" He stood and took her hand in his. "I don't know." She stopped to think. "I live in the small cottage West of this clearing. Be there tonight. I will see you then." She walked to her horse then turned around. She impulsively blew him a kiss and then she was gone, riding to the west. Fox walked over to his horse and mounted it. "Well, I guess we'll be back tonight. We must go back and tell father the news." Then he was gone. end part 2 XmXsXmXsXmXsXmXsX part 3 God-Fathers' Cottage Dana strode up to the quiet house. She heard a clatter when she rode up and quickly took to side-saddle. No one came out of the house though. She entered the dark cottage. "Uncles? Are you in here?" She called out, still wondering where the noise had come from. "Happy Birthday, Dana!" They jumped out of the corner and turned on the light. On the table was a cake with pink icing like the sunset and gown the color of the ocean. "Oh my, you dear men. This is so wonderful. Thank you so much. This gown is lovely." She walked over and gently touched the fine silk and lace of the dress. "When am I going to wear it though?" "Tonight, when we take you home." Sir John mysteriously announced. "Home? But Uncles. . . I am home." She finished quietly. "Dana, we need to tell you something. You're now twenty-one years old and we feel that it is the proper time for you to return to your parents, the King and Queen of Scully." Sir Melvin watched her turn pale at the mention of her parents. "My parents are dead, you told me that Sir Melvin. King and Queen of Scully? That makes me a--" "Princess," they all chimed in. Sir John continued. "When you were born you were betrothed to the Prince of Mulder. The time has come for us to return you to you parents, so you can be wed. "I can't marry him! I love someone else. I met him this afternoon. His name is William, and he's coming here tonight!" She began to sob as Sir Ringo neared her. She backed away from them. "I'm sorry child, but you must forget him. You are Princess Katherine of Scully. We had you here to protect you. Now it is time for you to move on in your life. You must see your parents. We leave this night." Sir Ringo explained to her. "No--" she whispered and ran to her room, sobbing on her bed. XsXmXsXmXsXmXsXmX Mulder Palace "Father! Father where are you?! I have wonderful news for you!" Fox rode into the courtyard of his father's palace. "What is it son? Where have you been? Princess Katherine is returning to Scully tonight and we must announce your marriage to her." King William took his son's hand and lead him into the palace. "No, father. I met the woman I'm going to marry. Her name is Dana. She's wonderful father. I know it, I mean I hardly know her but I know she's the one. I must return to her." He walked back to his horse, his father hot on his heals. "Fox William! You have an obligation to your Kingdom and to King William of Scully! You must marry Katherine!" He yelled after his son as he rode off into the approaching sunset. XmXsXmXsXmXsXmXsX The Magical God-Fathers led Princess Katherine into the palace grounds unnoticed. They quietly crept up the stairs to the Princess' private chambers. "Sit here Katherine. We have a last gift for you, your Highness." Sir Melvin went over to Sir John and Sir Ringo and took the wrapped package. Katherine looked at the box and back at them. "I'm Dana. I don't even know who Katherine is." She said through her tears. "You will grow to know her. She is you." Sir Ringo said. "Everything will soon fall into place. Have faith dear child." Sir John laid hands on the two other men. They left her alone to open the gift and have a moment alone. Once they were gone she lifted the lid. Inside was a simple but elegant gold crown. She took it out and silently sobbed. She did not want to marry Prince Fox of Mulder. She loved William. She walked over to the mirror to try on the crown. Her dress caught on the edge of the table and tore. "Oh no!" She cried out. She silently cursed the dress meant for a princess. She knew she had to face the King and Queen to find the truth. First, she needed to repair the small tear. In the corner was a spinning wheel. She walked over and took a seat, pulling up the torn section of her gown. She set up the wheel but was at an awkward angle. She reached out and pricked her finger on the needle of the spindle. "Ow," she whispered as she brought her to her mouth. Katherine felt her body go numb and then everything went black as she hit the grown. Outside the princess's godfathers heard the crash and bolted into the room to find the princess sprawled out on the floor. Sir John lifted up her hand to find a tiny prick on her finger. "Even when he's not here, he really is." "My God, what will her parents say? All these years, it had to happen now." Sir Ringo said. "I hope we can think of something for her sake." Sir Melvin helped Sir John carry her over to the large bed. They laid her down carefully on the bed and walked out of the room, locking the door. "They won't know. The whole Kingdom will sleep." They all left and spread out over the Kingdom, gently touching the shoulder of each person, putting them into a deep sleep. When Sir Ringo came to the King of Mulder, he whispered something in Sir Ringo's ear. "Talk some sense into my son. He must marry. . . not Dana." Putting the puzzle together Sir Ringo realized that the man 'Dana' met was actually Prince Fox of Mulder-- his middle name being William like his father. Sir Ringo told this to Sir John and Sir Melvin. "We have to get to the cottage! He can break the spell." Sir Melvin yelled as he ran to the horses and they rode off into the night. end part 3 XsXmXsXmXsXmXsXmX part 4 God-Father cottage that night Fox walked into the dark cottage and was ambushed by about six men dressed in black. Standing by the door was the Lord of Ash smoking his long, onyx pipe. "Where's Dana?" Fox asked. "She was taken home. But that's not your concern. Your concern is whether you will live through the night." He walked out the door while his men dragged Fox along. Meanwhile, the three godfathers arrived at the house without weapons, other than their own magic. They watched the men in black ride into the night with their only hope of saving Princess Katherine. "We have to follow them. We have no choice." Sir John stated. And they rode off into the night, hot on the trail of the Lord of all evil. XmXsXmXsXmXsXmXsX Fox sat in a cold dungeon. The Lord of Ash had told him of his plans for him. Fox would sit in solitude for all time. While he sat and waited to die, his love, Dana, would lie on a bed sleeping in an ageless sleep. Night came and a loud bang woke the Prince up. "Please don't talk, your Highness,' Sir John called into the dungeon. "We are here to save you." Suddenly, the door opened and in stepped three odd looking men. The tall, gangly one carried the sword of one of the three dead guards that now laid outside his small cell. The small, elfish looking man held out another of the guard's shield. While the most ordinary of the three, held out a riding crop. Finally, the gangly one spoke. "We can get you out of this evil place, but you must find your way back to Dana yourself. We give you these weapons to arm yourself against the evil that threatens to block you, and the riding crop that will help you return to your beloved as swiftly as possible. She love you, Prince Fox. She loves you and you must come through for her; you must come through the whole kingdom." Sir Melvin cast a spell that placed the young prince on top of his mighty white steed. The could feel the rush of wind as Prince Fox allowed the strong horse to lead him back to his fair maiden. At the palace gate, there was the Lord of Ash waiting for Fox to appear. "I knew you were a clever young man, I didn't know you were stupid as well." "You're going to hell Ash." He drew his sword and advanced on him as Lord Ash pulled out his weapon and advanced on young Prince Fox. Curses sparked in the air around them as they for to an inevitable death for one. "I will not let you live though this, I swear by it." Fox raised his sword and Lord Ash made a move to stab him in the gut. Just as Ash put his guard down with thoughts of victory, Fox moved down and slashed his arm throwing him off guard. As he grabbed his arm, Fox stabbed him deep into the heart. The Lord of Ash and Evil was killed by Fox's hand. Before his eyes the evil Lord disintegrated into a pile of ash. Once he tore his eyes away he looked to the sounds of the three lone men who remained awake standing on a terrace. Fox suddenly realized they could lead him to his fair Dana. Inside a tiny room was the peaceful and beautiful sleeping Dana. He knelt beside her and took her hand in his. He leaned over her and. . . XsXmXsXmXsXmXsXmX "Mulder!!!!" Mulder's eyes shot open and he yelped as he fell out of his chair landing on the hard floor, his file scattering over the floor. He looked up over the desk to see Skinner standing in the doorway. "Mulder, it's almost 7:30. Scully left and came to tell me you had fallen asleep and she couldn't wake you. I came down here to make sure you weren't dead." Skinner looked at the mess on the floor. "No, sir. I'm all right. I just had the weirdest dream. That's all." He got to his knees and gathered his papers. "Well, go home and get some good sleep. Don't let me see this happen again, OK agent?" Skinner walked out of the room. "Yes, sir." Mulder mumbled after him. He sat back in his seat and rubbed his neck. 'What a strange dream,' he thought. "Yeah but how does it end?" Mulder picked up the phone and dialed Scully's home number. "No answer, damn." Mulder said as he gathered his things and headed to the door. "Strange dream indeed. Frohike making a dress." He shook his head, locked the door and headed out of the building. end part 4 XmXsXmXsXmXsXmXsX epilogue Scully's apartment 8:25 PM Mulder arrived at her door and used his key to get in. Her lights were out, minus the small ray of light coming from the bedroom. "No Mulders land in there." He mumbled to himself. He walked through the apartment to her bedroom and opened the slightly open door. Scully was laying on her bed, her book opened on her stomach. She was fast asleep, her hair like rays of sunlight casted on the white pillow case. Her eyelashes laid softly on her cheeks and her chest rose and fell in deep sleep. "Sleeping Scully." Mulder whispered as he watched her sleep. He walked over to the bed and knelt next to her, gently removing the book, careful not to wake her. She made a soft whimper and quieted again after he put the book on her night stand. Mulder took her hand in his and ran his thumb in small circles on the back of it. 'The kiss of love, from a man you trust.' Mulder thought about the dream he had. "And it will break the spell of Sleeping Scully." Mulder smiled and leaned over Scully. His lips met hers in a gentle, sweet kiss for a few seconds then he pulled away and knelt back down. He waited, and after a moment Scully's eyes fluttered open and made contact with Mulder. "Mulder," she whispered, "did you just kiss me?" she asked, smiling. "Well I had to find out if the fairy tale came true." She looked at him puzzled, still laying on the bed with Mulder by her side. He began to tell her about the strange dream he had about the tale of the "beautiful sleeping red-headed princess. To break the spell the one that looked like Frohike, said she had to receive the kiss of love from a man you trust. Well I got to part right before the Prince of Mulder kisses the sleeping Princess Scully and Skinner walked into the office telling me to go home and get sleep." "So why are you here?" She asked sitting up in the bed, Mulder still holding her hand in his. "Well I didn't get to see how the tale ended. So, I called you but you didn't answer. I drove over here, and since you were sleeping I thought I'd see if the tale was true." He was grinning at her, an impish grin she knew too well. "And this is the X-File you were reading the past two days?" "Well yeah. I guess it's not an X-File if I solved it. You woke up from the kiss didn't you?" He got up and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her hand. "You love me, Mulder?" She asked, even though she knew the answer. "You know I do, Dana. I've always loved you. I just don't know how the fair princess feels." He leaned closer to her. "I love you too, Mulder. . . and you know it." She leaned up and kissed him softly. She pulled away and smiled. "So you're telling me Frohike sewed Princess Katherine a dress and Langly and Byers made her a cake? What did you eat?!" Mulder laughed and pulled her into a hug. "I don't know, but I'm glad it has a happy ending." And they did live happily ever after. . . well at least until the next X-Files case. The End Thanks so much for reading! Just hit the reply key and drop me a note. I really do love to know what you all think! Chao, Lindsay (Linz1013@hotmail.com) Tomorrow is not a promise so make the most of today.