Disclaimer in part one.  For missing parts:
http://members.aol.com/shippergrl/truth.txt

Truth
Part29
by Jessica Zvyarek Taylor & eponine119 
jzyvarek@udel.edu, eponine119@att.net


 She didn't need to decide, not right then, at least. 
 Mulder sat
up, his contented, unguarded smile forcing her to
smile as well.  He wrapped his arms around her,
planting a kiss on her cheek and then pulling her
down.

 "Come back to bed."  He was still groggy and half
 asleep, but he
had noticed the lack of warmth from the body beside
him.  It was warmth from a body he desperately wanted
beside him.  She offered no resistance when he pulled
her down next to him, letting him nuzzle her neck and
kiss her face.  She turned her head toward him and she
was finally given the opportunity to kiss him with her
memory intact.  It was every bit as enchanting as she
thought it would be, deep and wonderful and loving and
long.  The kind of kiss they'd talked about when they
were playing that game.  It wasn't long before he
rolled on top of her, obviously intent on making love
again.  His lips moved away from hers and onto her
neck.  She bent her head back so he could kiss her on
every square inch of the sensitive skin at her throat.
 He nipped at her ear again, the way he had on the
cruise that night, and she couldn't fight the moan.

 "Oh, god, Mulder..."  She expected him to continue,
 expected to
feel his lips teasingly land somewhere else to elicit
another moan from her.

 What she got was the increased pressure of his lower
 body pushing
against hers as he propped himself up on his elbows. 
"Scully?"  He was looking at her, and she couldn't
immediately understand why he was so confused.  She
didn't think she'd done anything wrong.

 "Yeah?"  What else was there to say?  He sat up and
 turned away.
She followed suit, touching his shoulder and watching
him shrug her hand away.  

 "You got your memory back."  He sounded let down.

 Scully couldn't help but feel hurt.  He'd only wanted
 her because
he'd thought she was someone else.  Not someone else,
really, just someone with her face and her voice and
her mannerisms, but with an entirely different
personality.  At that moment, it stuck her.  He didn't
love her. He wanted her.  And there was a world of
difference.  She stood up and stalked off into the
woods, praying he wouldn't follow because she wanted
the time to sulk.

 He remained where he was on the beach.  It didn't
 make sense to
him that her memory had returned so quickly.  Maybe
she had been pretending the previous night, just to
get him to have sex with her.  He felt like he'd been
used, raped in a way.  He didn't like it.  He'd been
worried about the amnesia, but he assumed it would
clear up in time, though not exactly the next morning.
 They'd made progress on that ship, filling up with
water, about to die in each other's arms.  That was
it, he figured, she'd thought they were dying.  And
then when they didn't, she decided to get something
out of it.  He almost wished he'd thought of it. As
mad as he was, he couldn't let her wander off.  If the
amnesia was real and she were to fall or reinjure her
head, it might return.  And then he would have to go
through it all again.  It was best to keep an eye on
her until she got to a doctor.  

 He followed her path, listened for the sounds of
 sniffling and
stumbled upon her a couple minutes later.  She had
pulled her knees into her chest, her arms pillowing
her face, her shoulders shaking.  He'd managed to hurt
her again, even though she was the one who neglected
to mention getting her memory back.  He knelt down in
front of her, pulling her arms out from under her head
and holding her hands.  She looked at him for lack of
anything else to look at.

 "I don't know what I did this time, Scully, but I'm
 sorry."  He
was.  He was sorry for a whole hell of a lot.

 Sniffle.  "You only wanted me when I couldn't
 remember.  You lied
to me."  Sniffle, sniffle.  He laughed.  Not at the
unseen humor, but at the irony.  Here, he thought she
only wanted him when she couldn't remember.  "Don't
laugh at me!  It's not funny."

 "I know, it's just that we've had so many
 misunderstandings on
this trip, but I can't remember ever having one in the
five years prior."

 She contemplated him for a moment.  "What does that
 mean?"

 He lifted her hands to his lips. kissing each of her
 palms.  "It
means I have wanted you from day one.,"  He dropped
another kiss on each of her hands.  "loved you from
day two,"  He let go of her hands to press a kiss onto
each cheek.  "and been married to you since
yesterday."  He placed a chaste kiss on her lips,
pulling back before she had the chance to kiss him
back.  He stood up quickly, reaching for her hand. 
"Let's go."

 "To where?"  She felt like he knew something she
 didn't, but she
stood up and took his hand anyway.

 "Well, we've royally screwed over our honeymoon
 cruise and
vacation, and about ruined our wedding, then we got
rescued from a sinking ship by something that I'm sure
you'd deny even if you had seen it, and now, we're
stranded on a tropical island with no prospects of
getting rescued and nothing to do."

 She pushed him up against a tree, pressing herself
 against him as
hard as she could.  "Whatever are we going to do with
ourselves?"  She could see them living out the rest of
their lives on the island, spending their days talking
and their nights making love.  Why hadn't she tried to
get them shipwrecked before?  She had, but that was in
an alligator infested swamp.  This was much better.

 Mulder pushed her away, taking her hand and dragging
 her back to
the beach.  "I'm hungry, Scully.  Let's try fishing."

 Scully made a face.  "Let's try berries, Mulder. 
 There's just
something about beheading things and pulling out their
guts that makes me want to eat vegetables."

 "OK, and then we can build a fire and sing camp
 songs."  He
grinned at her.

 "Mulder, are you..."  She stopped talking, blatantly
 distracted by
something.  Mulder turned and looked, and saw what had
caught her attention.

 "Scully, is that?"  He couldn't make himself say the
 words,
because he was sure that by speaking them, the mirage
would be forced to vanish.

 "Yeah, I think so."  She crept forward, reaching out
 suddenly, and
grabbing the reigns of the horse that had thrown them
off and run away days earlier.  "Mulder, we must both
be having a very vivid hallucination here, because I'm
pretty sure that I'm holding onto that horse we took
out the other day.  What's your hallucination of?"

 "A horse."

 They both nodded, thinking about how insane they
 really must have
gone.  The horse noticed nothing and went on merrily
chomping on berries. "Mulder, if this is that horse,
then we're on the same island?"

 "Right."

 "So we get on this horse and go back to the resort
 and brave
another boat or we let go of it and have to kill our
own dinner?"

 "Right."

 "Mulder, boost me up?"  He took the reigns from her,
 helped her up
into the saddle, and then climbed on behind her.  He
felt her inch forward, trying to keep space between
them.

 "What's wrong, Scully?"  He didn't want to take it
 personally, but
she was acting like he had cooties.

 "I'm just recalling how we fell off the horse the
 first time and
I'm not really looking forward to walking all the way
back."  He didn't answer her, just looped his arms
tightly around her waist and promised himself that he
would be good.

 She nudged the horse forward and it made a kind of
 unhappy noise
and continued its feast on the berries.  She dug her
heels in harder and it made another annoyed sound, but
started to walk.  No matter how hard she pushed, the
horse took its time walking, nowhere near the gallop
it used to escape from them before.  It was three
hours before the horse ambled its way back to the
town.  But they were happy to have gotten there at all
and let the horse go as soon as they saw the resort. 
The horse remember having more than one gear and took
off, running back into the wooded part of the island
and disappearing.  Mulder reached for Scully's hand
and they started walking up to the main building. 
Surely someone there would have heard about the crash.


 Scully pulled open the door, glad to get out of the
 hot sun and
into air conditioning.  Something seemed strange about
the place as she looked around.  She remembered the
walls being a different shade of blue, but she decided
she'd just spent too much time out in the sun without
her sunglasses on.  She walked up to the desk and
tapped the bell.  A woman stepped out from the office,
looking perfectly normal, in a black suit and light
green blouse, instead of the customary blue and white.
 Scully smiled, thinking the woman looked oddly
familiar.  She didn't have the chance to ask before
she heard Mulder's incredulous voice.

 "Bekkie?"  He couldn't believe it and yet, he knew it
 was true.
She nodded and looked confused.

 "You guys look familiar, but I can't quite place you.
  Have you
stayed with us before?"

 Scully looked at Bekkie, the gawky smiling 17 year
 old was gone.
This couldn't be her.  "We're Fox and Dana Mulder, the
boat we were on..."

 Bekkie's eyes opened wide, her jaw dropped open, and
 every last
bit of color drained out of her face.  "Oh, my God." 
Scully looked at Mulder, he looked at Bekkie.  

 Another person popped out of the office.  "Is
 something the
matter?"

 Bekkie looked at her friend.  "These people were on
 that boat."

 The friend looked confused.  "What boat?"

 Bekkie leaned in to whisper to her friend.  Mulder
 leaned in
closer to listen in.  "The seance... remember the boat
wreck, five years ago?  These were two of the people
reported dead, they never resurfaced. But they don't
look any different."

 Mulder straightened back up.  Five years would
 explain Bekkie's
transformation, but that was all it would explain.  He
glanced at Scully, who'd caught only a few of Bekkie's
words and was as lost as he was.  He saw a newspaper
lying on the counter and pointed to it.  Scully read
the date:  February 25th. 2003.

End of part 29.  Comments: jzyvarek@udel.edu,
eponine119@att.net	

Disclaimer in part one.  For missing parts:
http://members.aol.com/shippergrl/truth.txt

Truth		
part 30
by eponine119  & Jessica Zvyarek Taylor
eponine119@att.net, jzvyarek@udel.edu

 "I don't feel like Rip Van Winkle," Scully said, to
 Bekkie's blinking
amazement.
 "You don't kiss like him either," Mulder muttered and
 was treated to
Scully's outraged stare.  He shrugged back. What else
was he supposed to say?!
 "Is there a phone I can -?"  Scully asked, thinking
 of her poor mother. 
What would she say? How much she must have suffered
all these years, Scully thought.
 Bekkie - whose name badge now proclaimed that her
 name was
"Rebekkah" - shook her head sadly.  Her eyes were
still wide with the amazement of seeing two 'ghosts.' 
"I'm sorry," she said.  "There are no telephones on
the island.  A few years ago, we changed over from the
Wedded Bliss honeymoon resort to a haven for
Techno-phobes."  She looked at them carefully. "This
isn't some kind of sick practical joke, is it?"
 "Only if you're the one playing it," Mulder informed
 her, knowing it
wasn't possible.  This *was* Bekkie, this was the same
island, yet subtly changed with the changes the world
had no doubt wrought in the last five years - five
years that had just gone the way of the nine minutes
in their first case.  Looking around, he saw that the
words she spoke were true - there were no
technological instruments of any kind.  It would have
been too much trouble to concoct this as a joke, even
if someone had been evil enough to want to play it. 
He had nothing in his bag of tricks to explain this.
Not yet.
 She was thrown by his comment. She was thrown by all
 of this.  The
poor girl was shaking and looked like she was about to
have a nervous breakdown.  "I'm sorry, the next ship
back to the mainland doesn't leave until tomorrow
afternoon.  We can, of course, provide you with a
cabin and anything else you may desire.  To try to
compensate."  She bit her lip as soon as she said the
word, imagining the lawsuits her careless words might
bring. "Not that we think we're responsible, or, or,
or anything."
 Mulder shot her a tight smile.
 Rebekkah leaned over the counter and addressed them
 in a low,
careful whisper.  "You might want to stay in the cabin
tonight."
 "Why?" Scully leaned back, using the same
 conspiratorial tone. "You're, well, sort of like
 legend on the island.  And when word gets
out...I don't think you understand the kind of people
who come here."
 "What kind of people?" Mulder asked, seeming
 intrigued. Of course,
Scully thought, every detail of the future would
fascinate him.  Mulder was insanely curious.
 "People who've, you know, had a little too much. 
 They seize onto
these anomalous happenings. Most of them are lonely,
and come back here once or twice a year to try to meet
other people they can relate to.  They feel isolated
from society because they scorn technology's
advances."
 Bekkie'd turned herself into a quite a good little
 profiler, Mulder
thought.  "And what about you?  Why are you still
here?" he asked.
 She shrugged. "It's a good job."  Then she turned
 serious.  "I mean it,
you two.  These people are kooky, and they really
latch onto the romantic idea of two people who came
here, found love, and married just hours before they
disappeared forever.  If word gets out and you're
accessible, you might be here forever.  Answering
questions."  She turned to a man who had appeared at
her elbow.  "Ramon will show you to your cabin."
 Ramon was also looking at them with quivering awe. 
 He opened his
arm in a gesture to show them which way to go and they
walked ahead. Scully could feel his eyes burning a
hole in her back and dropped her pace to catch him. 
"Hi, Ramon," she said.
 "Uh, hi," he said as though being addressed by a
 deity. "Why are you staring at us?" Her tone was
 wheedling, like she would
use with a small child.
 "You're, well, them!" he cried.  "The people from the
 Fox Festival." "The what?" Mulder choked at the same
 moment Scully snorted, "The
*Fox* Festival?"
 Ramon only nodded solemnly.  "It is occurring
 tonight.  It is the
highlight of the island's activities.  Our patrons
enjoy the legend.  Here is your cabin. I must leave
you."  He looked between them and the door nervously.
 "What are you afraid of?" Scully said, the keenly
 intuitive detective
that she was.
 "This is your cabin.  Legend has proclaimed it
 haunted since you
disappeared all those years ago."
 "Five," said Mulder.  He realized Ramon had probably
 still been
watching Disney movies five years ago, but he still
bristled at the characterization of them as these
ancient beings.  They hadn't aged, either, so he
wished the kid would get over it.
 Ramon nodded, and sort of bowed to them as he backed
 away hastily. 
He acted like he feared they would suck him into some
kind of temporal anomaly and when he came through on
the other side, he'd be so old he'd have to shave
every day.  Mulder knew true fear when he saw it -
Ramon hadn't even waited for a tip.
 Scully pushed the door open and went inside. "Hasn't
 changed a bit,"
she said, looking at the wall where the entertainment
center had been seemingly only a day before. 
Instinctively, she reached for the lightswitch, only
to find there was none.  It took some fumbling in the
dark before she located the matches and the candle and
managed to light it.  "I know they had electricity in
that main building," she grumbled, finding another
candle and lighting it, handing it to Mulder.  She
wandered away and he wondered where she was going. 
His answer came a moment later when he heard the
toilet flush.  Always the lady, he thought.  He'd
located an Almanac on the shelf and settled down on
the bed to read it.
 He heard Scully come back and begin to shuffle
 through the books. 
He turned his face away and tried to hide it behind
the book, but he knew he wouldn't be able to hide the
repetitive motion of his hand coming up to his eyes. 
And he couldn't let the tears run down his face
unchecked.  A depression on the bed near his legs told
him that she'd joined him.  She put her hand on his
knee and made him look at her.  She was asking what
was wrong - as though she didn't know! - without
saying the words.  "We lost five years," he sniffled.
 "This from a man who once cheered the loss of nine
 minutes," she said
gently.  He could see the tears glittering in her eyes
now, too, but she was too dignified to let them fall.
 "It's five *years,* Scully.  I'm...hell...more than
 forty years old now! 
There was so much I wanted to do before I was forty."
 "You're not five years older, Mulder. The rest of the
 world is, is all." "Oh, is that all?"  His sarcasm
 was biting. Scully understood it, though.  He was
 hurt, and most of all, he was
scared.  This was what Mulder did when he was scared. 
A defense mechanism learned in his difficult
childhood, she was certain. 
 "How can you just accept this?" he accused.
 She took a deep breath to calm herself before
 answering.  "What else
can we do?" she said simply.  She went on to explain,
"We went to sleep last night and woke up five years
later.  There is no evidence that anything happened to
us during those five years.  This is very different
than waking up in a hospital the other side of death
in  November when the last thing you remember was
being forcibly abducted in September."
 Mulder couldn't help the sob that escaped him then,
 thinking of her
disappearance and the things that had been done to her
- because of him.  And now this, too, had happened
because of him. If only he'd stayed in DC, maybe
looked into that boring matter of the killer bees in
Arkansas that Skinner was so hot about, then she would
be safe. But no. He'd wanted to change things. And
change they had.
 "The world is a different place, Scully," he told
 her.  "These
technophobic people Bekkie mentioned may be right."
 "What are you talking about, Mulder?" she asked,
 looking inquisitively
into his eyes.
 "The Project went forward.  In 1999, on the eve of
 the new
millennium, a force of clones 'outed' themselves and
established a new world order,"  Mulder said,
repeating what he had just read in the book.  "The new
technologies they had secretly developed were powerful
and awe-inspiring. This led to a global depression in
the year 2000, as the human worker was suddenly not
needed.  Of course, depression brings war.  2001 saw
heavy casualties.  Only now, it indicates, are things
beginning to return to the way they were before."  It
was too hard for Scully to believe and she just
frowned at him.  "It's a good thing they offered us
this room for free," he said wryly, "Because even the
money's changed.  Even *basketball* has changed," he
lamented.
 "Wow, that *is* far reaching," she said, unimpressed.
  They stared at
each other for a long moment, trying unsuccessfully to
read each other's thoughts.
 "What are you thinking?" Mulder said finally,
 intrigued by the look on
her face.
 "I want to go to the Fox Festival," she said.  He
 groaned, but she took
his hand insistently.  "We have to see."

xxx

 They snuck up on the edge of the outdoor party.  It
 was like a luau
Julie could only have dreamt of, with a roaring fire
and people gathered around it.  Except there were no
funny costumes and no pig.  Thank goodness.
 A man sat at the center of the circle.  The firelight
 played oddly on his
face. Everyone sat rapt as he spoke.  "I knew Fox
Mulder," he said in a soft voice.  "He knew about the
clones before they came. He was a prophet for our
time!"  There were mumbled assentions to go along with
this. Scully glanced at Mulder and saw him puffing up
his chest, preening as though he had something to be
proud of.
 But then she heard her name and looked back at the
 storyteller.  "Dana
Scully was his life. She was beautiful, and what's
more, she was smart.  Smart enough to challenge
Mulder's bullshit theories.  She would have known the
science behind the world changes.  And she was leader
enough to stop them."  
 Mulder looked at Scully's smile.  He caught her, and
 she knew it, and
she began to whisper something to him, but he shushed
her.  This was the part he wanted to hear.  The man
continued.  "What they had together was amazing.  And
they kept their love a secret, so secret that even
those closest to them, knew nothing of it."
 "I don't know that man," Mulder editorialized.
 Scully studied that man's profile, his thinning blond
 hair, and his
velour track suit.  "He looks kinda familiar," she
said.
 "If the 80s are coming back, I'd like to sleep
 another 5 years please,"
Mulder murmured.
 "Don't worry, maybe you didn't miss parachute pants,"
 Scully muttered
back.  They were joking, but he only held onto her
hand more tightly.
 The man waved his hands and performers took the
 center stage,
looking like children dressed for a backyard play.  A
tall but paunchy man with dark hair grimaced
menacingly.  He wore a dark blue bathrobe like it was
a trenchcoat.  A shorter, thinner man - odd how it all
seemed to be men on this island, Scully thought -
bounced out a moment later wearing a yarn wig that
made him look like Raggedy Ann.
 "Although no marriage license was ever located, the
 two were finally
united in marriage on this island," the storyteller
continued.  The man and the 'woman' behind him knelt
before a man in genuine priests' garments.  "And we
have here tonight, the man who *actually* married the
great Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, they who fought so
valiantly to preserve our way of life even before it
was known what the clones were planning."
 Thunderous applause drown him out as the priest
 stepped forward.
Thankfully the two men who represented them in this
odd little play disappeared again.  
 "This is gonna be good," Scully muttered, waiting to
 see what the man
would say about their legendary selves.  She'd never
thought in a million years that she would be at the
heart of a twisted cult, and yet here she was.  All
she had to do was take a breather for five years.
Maybe if she made it ten, they'd make her a saint. 
Disappearing back into the wilderness with Mulder
seemed more appealing every moment. It was
embarrassing to be idolized.  Mulder must have been
feeling it too, she thought, since he was digging his
fingers painfully into her arm.
 "Even though they were deeply flawed people, we do
 not respect any
less the efforts they made," said the priest.  *Deeply
flawed?* both Mulder and Scully thought irritatedly. 
"Even though he was directly related to the Evil
Dictator, the overthrown Queen Samantha, and even
though she was was hopelessly devoted to the
misbegotten 'science' of her time, Fox and Dana were
-"
 The crowd didn't take this well.  A couple of
 hecklers shouted out, and
an object thrown from the crowd barely missed the
priest's head.  The storyteller rose to try to regain
order.  "Hey!" he cried.  "There is a rumor that they
didn't die after all. There is a rumor that they are
on the island even as we speak and not one day older
-"
 "You'd better believe it," Mulder shouted, revealing
 himself to the
crowd.  "And Langly, you know me better than this." 
The man in the center of the ring started with
recognition. Mulder shifted and Langly saw that Scully
was standing there too.  He dropped to his knees,
crossing himself.  "What the hell happened to you?"
Mulder demanded of his short-haired, contact lens and
track suit wearing, very reformed old friend.
 He never received an answer.  The crowd had turned on
 them. 
"Impostors!" was the general cry, and the mob surged
forward.
 "Run!" Scully screamed, holding Mulder's hand and
 sprinting for their
cabin. He followed her at every step and they
barricaded the door a moment before the people caught
up.
 "Oh my god," Scully said, leaning against the door,
 trembling. "I can't believe this," Mulder said. 
 "Want to go back to living in the
wild?"
 She was tempted.  "We can't," she said, shaking her
 head sadly.  "I
have to see my mother, and my brothers.  If they've
built some damn cult up around us, they will just have
to unbuild it."  She crossed the room.
 "Where are you going?" Mulder asked, still pressed
 against the door as
though his back was going to keep the mob outside.
 "To bed.  I'm hoping I can dream myself back to 1998.
  Good night." 
Without further ado, Scully climbed under the covers
and pulled them up over her head.

xxx

 "Do you think it's safe to go out there?" Scully
 asked, looking
nervously at the door the next morning.
 "It's the only way to get the boat back," Mulder told
 her.  "Besides, I
think we're safe."
 She looked at him like he was crazy.  "Those people
 were pretty angry
last night, Mulder, I think -"  He was shaking his
head. "What?"
 "Impostors are a tradition at the Fox Festival," he
 told her, cringing at
the name.  "After the chase, there is much dancing and
celebrating.  Guess they were pretty confused when we
didn't let them catch us."
 "They'll recognize us, Mulder, and mob us -"  Scully
 said,
unconvinced.
 He was shaking his head again.  "They'll never
 recognize us," he said
positively.  "You know how memory fades after a
while?"  He held up a paperback book.  "The way we've
been immortalized by the quick-to-make-a- buck R.W.
Langly, no one will ever recognize us."
 "What are you talking about?" she demanded, reaching
 for the book. "I didn't know you'd ever hosted a
 little-known talk show, Scully.  Or
that one of your students when you were a teaching
assistant in med school went on to find a cure for
herpes."
 "I didn't do either of those things, Mulder," she
 said with a frown. "Exactly," he said.  "Let's get on
 the boat and leave this crazy island." "Is it going
 to be any better in the crazy world?" she asked,
 seeming
genuinely afraid and hesitant to go.
 "I think so.  At least in this aspect.  This island
 is a gathering place for,
well, our cult.  Sort of like a giant convention
center, or magnet for all the conspiracy minded folk
Langly's been feeding information all these years."
 "Why?" she asked, distressed that the former Gunman
 could sell them
out this way.
 Mulder looked pained. "I think the poor guy cracked
 when Byers and
Frohike were both killed in the clone wars. They were
closer than family to him.  We can't blame him.  He
did what he had to.  Or thought he had to."
 "He needed help," Scully said sadly.
 "At least now he has support," Mulder volunteered. 
 "He admits in the
book that he was always kinda in love with you," he
added, and instantly knew it had been the wrong thing
to say by the way Scully's face turned white, and then
her cheeks began to glow pink with an angry vigor.
 "Let's go home, Mulder," she said, threading her
 fingers through his. 
"Nowhere could be worse than this island."
 He was mildly wounded that she didn't at least have
 fond memories of
their "honeymoon" on the island, but they were both
very overwhelmed by the surprises life had sprung on
them in the past day.  "Let's go home," he said,
feeling more dread than curious at what would greet
them when they reached home.  They got onto the boat
in silence, not knowing what to say.

End of part 30.  Comments: eponine119@att.net,
jzyvarek@udel.edu

Disclaimer in part one.  For missing parts:
http://members.aol.com/shippergrl/truth.txt

Truth
Part 31
by Jessica Zyvarek Taylor & eponine119 
jzyvarek@udel.edu, eponine119@att.net


 The boat looked a lot like the one that had wrecked. 
 Enough like
it that Scully hung back from it, bumping into Mulder.
 He was eager to return home and see what it was like
there.  He'd gotten over the initial shock of having
lost five years and was now incredibly excited about
what life would be like.  He noticed Scully's lack of
interest in getting on the boat.

 "Scully, what's wrong?"  His hand went to her back as
 it had so
many times in the past, his mannerisms as unchanged by
the passage of five years as his mind was.

 "I don't want to get on that boat, Mulder.  I want to
 stay here."
She sounded like a whiny kid and she didn't like it.

 "Why?"  He wanted to be happy that she wanted to stay
 there, but
he wasn't sure he had anything to do with it.

 She turned to him, wide eyes and frightened.  "I'm
 afraid of the
water."

 "That's weird, cause it doesn't bother me at all
 anymore."  He was
amazed at how true it was.  The thought of being out
on the big huge uncontrollable ocean no longer
instilled fear in his guts.   He was kind of
enthralled by it.  He saw that she wasn't kidding,
though, and his heart went out to her.  He knew
exactly how she felt.  "Hey, it's OK, Scully.  We'll
be all right.  What are the odds of us being in
another shipwreck?"

 She whimpered, and he regretted having made a joke
 out of her
fears.  He took her hand and walked slowly onto the
boat, keeping a tight hold on her so that she wouldn't
be able to run away.  She hung back slightly, but she
was more afraid of being left on the island alone than
getting on the boat with Mulder.  She gripped his hand
tightly as they climbed on board, moving her hand to
his arm to clutch it violently once they got there.

 Not used to seeing his unflappable partner quivering
 in fear and
not liking it one bit, Mulder grabbed the first crew
member he could find. "How long till we dock?"

 "Twenty minutes, sir.  You and your wife need to take
 your seats
now."

 "Twenty minutes?  45 miles in twenty minutes?  What
 the hell kind
of boat is this?"  Mulder couldn't believe that was
all it would take.

 The man looked insulted.  "I assure you, sir, our
 boats are the
top of the line.  You'll be hard pressed to find
others much faster than ours.  If you're insinuating
that we're running substandard equipment here..."

 Scully raised her hand to quiet the man.  "No, no
 that's fine.
Thank you.  Would you mind directing us to the closest
airport from the dock?"  She really wanted to get
home. as far away from water as she could get.

 "Airport?  I haven't a clue.  How long have you been
 on this
island? No one's used planes in years."  He looked
confused for a minute. "You two look like... Nah,
can't be.  They've been dead for five years."

 Mulder and Scully both whimpered at the mention. 
 Mulder spoke up
first.  "We've been gone a long time.  So, if you
wouldn't mind telling us where our seats are and
what's the fastest way to Washington, DC, we'd be
appreciative."

 The guy regarded them strangely, pointing off at a
 door behind
them.  "Any two seats in there will do.  As for
Washington, the AirTrack's the fastest way.  Don't
know where you guys have been that you haven't heard
of the AirTrack."  He walked away from them, mumbling
to himself about the crazy couple behind him.

 Scully turned to find their seats, still attached to
 Mulder's arm.
"I hope you don't need tickets or money for the
AirTrack."  Mulder squeezed her hand and followed her
into the passenger compartment.  

 They grabbed the first two seats they could find, not
 daring to
look at the other people in the room.  After a few
silent minutes, Mulder shifted slightly in his seat,
glancing around him, noticing for the first time that,
while the colors varied, the people were wearing
clothing all the same.  Mostly dark colored pants or
skirts, lighter colored shirts, and practically
identical white shoes. 

 He nudged Scully's arm and bent to whisper to her,
 afraid of being
overheard.  "Check out the clothes."  She shook her
head, dictating that she had no interest in the
fashions.   There was a loud crack, a bang, and then
they felt themselves slammed back in their seats.

 "Guess that's why no one's standing out on deck,
 Mulder."

 Thankfully, just under twenty minutes later, the
 pressure relented
and people moved around.  Mulder stood up quickly,
pleased that he hadn't become seasick.  He was proud
of himself.  He led the way out to the deck and looked
for another crew member he could question.  All the
others seemed to know exactly what they were doing and
where they were going. Mulder and Scully were lost. 
The dock looked like a regular airport, complete with
computer screens and irritating announcements. 
Suddenly, Scully surged forward, still connected to
Mulder's hand, giving him no choice but to follow.  He
saw what had gotten her attention.  A big white
outline of a telephone on a blue background.   The
international symbol for a public phone.

 But when they neared the sign, they saw no phones. 
 Nothing that
even resembled a phone.  Scully glanced around,
walking up to one of the blank screens that looked
like a TV that was turned off, and copied the actions
of a man at another terminal.  She touched her palm to
the screen. It lit up, revealing a woman with dark
curly hair and brown eyes.

 "Welcome.  May I help you place your call?"  

 Scully nodded, and then, not seeing a camera, said
 yes, just in
case.

 "Who are you calling please?"  Scully could see the
 woman's hand
poised at a keyboard.

 "Margaret Scully."  Her voice came out strong and
 clear, not a
hint of the timid, scared, pathetic way she felt
showing.

 The woman clacked away.  "Hmmm.  Spelling of Scully,
 please?"
Scully spelled it.  "Do you know what city she's in?"

 "Baltimore?"  Scully hoped her mother hadn't moved. 
 This was
already traumatic enough.

 "Are you sure about that?"

 Scully shrugged.  "No.  She lived there in 1998."

 "Could she have gotten married?" The woman's helpful
 voice started
to grate on Mulder's nerves.

 "No?"  Scully hadn't intended it to be a question.

 "I am showing a Margaret S. Skinner, former address
 in Baltimore,
Maryland."

 Scully's dropped open.  "That can't be her."

 The woman smiled and pressed another key.  "Well,
 then, I'm sorry.
Is there another call I can place for you?"

 Mulder stepped forward.  "How about Walter Skinner?"

 "Middle initial?"  Mulder provided it.  "It's the
 same number.
I'll connect you."  

 The happy operator screen faded to gray and then the
 gray faded to
the image of a brown haired little boy.  "Hawoow?"

 "Um?"  It was all Scully could squeak out.  She
 glanced back at
Mulder, pleased to see that he was as upset by this as
she was.  Knowing that he was blown out of the water
by this too, she managed to compose herself.

 They watched the screen as two hands lifted the boy
 out of the
way.  "I told you not to answer the phone, Andrew." 
The man sat down and turned to the screen, speaking
before he recognized the two faces staring back at
him.  "Hello?"  Then his jaw dropped open.  His mouth
opened and closed quite a few times, telling Scully
this nightmare was every bit as horrific as it seemed.

 Mulder was amused by Skinner's reaction to their
 resurfacing.
"Hi!"  It was the happiest tone he could imagine ever
having used in his life.  "Miss us?"

 "But you... where... how?"  

 Skinner didn't get the chance to finish his
 blathering before a
pair of arms encircled his neck, and a unidentified
face pressed a kiss onto his cheek.  The faced turned
to the screen.  "Who's on the phone, honey?"  Her face
paled in recognition.

 So did Scully's.  "Mom?"  She whimpered again and
 then sank to the
floor and latched on to Mulder's legs like a four year
old who didn't want to go to school.  "Mulder, I want
to go home.  This isn't funny anymore." She was
whining.  And crying.

 Mulder's eyes were glued to the screen in front of
 him, only
vaguely aware that his wife was having a nervous
breakdown next to him. Mrs. Scully, um, Skinner, had
joined her, um, husband at the console.  As had the
little boy and a matching little girl, who were
tugging at Skinner's shirt and saying 'Daddy.'  Mulder
stared, eventually regaining his composure, sort of.

 He nodded at the two kids.  "Are those my half
 siblings in law?"
Humor was his favorite, and most effective, defense
mechanism.

 Maggie continued to stare, Skinner answered.  "That
 would depend
on if those rumors about you and Dana getting married
the day of the crash are true."  Another whimper from
the woman connected to his legs distracted him and he
bent down to try to convince her to stand up.

 She shook her head and then rested her forehead on
 his knees,
mumbling all the while.  "No.  I'm not letting go till
everything goes back to normal."

 "Don't!"  The call from the speaker made him look
 back at the
fading screen, but it was too late.  The call was
lost.  A moment later, another operator appeared.

 "Welcome.  May I help you place a call?"

 "Walter Skinner, please."  The operator nodded and
 the screen
faded again.  Mulder smiled to himself for having
figured out the logistics of the new phone system.

 The image of Skinner and Maggie returned.  "Fox, you
 can't turn
away from the screen or it will hang up."

 "Yeah, I noticed."  Mulder looked perplexed for a
 moment, not sure
what else to say.  Scully had called them.  It hadn't
been his idea.  "Can we come home?"  It was the best
thing he could come up with.  As scary as it would be
there, it would be better than in a crowded terminal
with all this new technology that they didn't
understand.

 "We'd love for you to come home!  I'll go put some
 dinner in!"
Maggie walked away, leaving Skinner alone.

 "Um, how do we come home?"  Mulder reached down and
 patted
Scully's head, just to assure himself she was still
there.

 "Lean a little to the left.  Let me figure out where
 you are."
Mulder did as he was told.  "OK, Mulder, when we hang
up, turned around and look for the counter.  When you
get there, tell the people working the desk that
you're picking up two travel vouchers and give them my
name. They'll direct you to the AirTrack gate.  See
you in a little bit."  The screen went blank.

 Mulder looked around, seeing a pair of men he
 instantly knew were
guards staring at Scully.  He bent down next to her. 
"Scully, those scary looking men over there will
probably not take too well to our story, so what do
you say, you stand up, we follow Skinner's directions
and we go home and have your mom's spaghetti tonight?"

 Scully followed his gaze to the guards.  "OK."  She
 stood up,
feeling a little better without having to see the
image of her mother and her boss.  She even walked up
to the counter without Mulder's prodding. She didn't
even reach for his hand.  When the man looked up, she
pretended that she did this all the time.

 "Yes, we're picking up two travel vouchers please. 
 Walter
Skinner."

 The man played with his little keyboard.  "Yes, gate
 34, follow
the yellow arrows."  He handed over two pieces of
paper, which she took and then turned back to Mulder. 
She held them up for his inspection, as if to say
'look, ma, I did it myself!'

 He took her hand and looked for the arrows.  They
 followed them
down a corridor and up to the desk at the far end.  It
looked an awful lot like an airport, but he knew
better than to mention it.  They stood in the line,
slowly making their way to the counter handed over
their vouchers. The woman nodded and then asked them
to place their hands on a flat screen.  Scully glanced
back at Mulder and gave an almost imperceptible shrug,
then placed her hand on the screen with Mulder's.

 "That's odd."  The woman's voice reminded them of
 Julie.  The
computer says you guys are missing."  They didn't even
have a chance to look worried before she waved them
by.  "It's just a glitch, we have your scans, go on
through!"

 Sighing, Scully stepped through the doorway, and onto
 the
AirTrack.  "Mulder, we're on a giant subway in the
sky."

 Mulder looked out the window, then around the train
 like vehicle
they were in.  "Yeah, but the stations are cleaner
than the Metro stations at home.  No homeless people."
 Scully wanted to laugh, but she couldn't.  

 "OK, Mulder, how long does the AirTrack take to where
 home is
now?"

 The AirTrack operator's voice crackled through the
 speaker before
Mulder had the chance to speak.  "Next stop,
Washington.  Arriving 30 minutes."

 Scully looked at Mulder, Mulder shrugged.  They found
 their seat
belts and leaned back in their seats, wondering when
they would wake up.

 The AirTrack moved at a considerably faster pace than
 the ship
had, but the trip wasn't characterized by the violent
onset of pressure at the start.  The AirTrack offered
a smooth, quick ride and it was apparently heavily
traveled.  Mulder spent the half hour looking out the
window, amazed that a monorail had become the wave of
the future.  Hadn't he ridden one of these at an
amusement park when he was 15?  He tried to suck
Scully into his vortex of joyous discovery, but she
was staring at the back of the seat in front of her,
determined to ruin his good time. That was her
function, she decided, she existed merely to keep her
flighty partner's feet on the ground.

 Near the end of the trip, Mulder leaned over to her. 
 "You know,
you're little brother's name is Andrew."

 Scully glared at him.  "Half brother."

 "I wonder what your sister's name is."

 Scully glared again.  "Half sister."

 "Any guesses, Scully?"

 Scully did not like how amused Mulder was with the
 idea of her new
siblings.  Half siblings.  But she found herself
relaxing, talking to Mulder, pretending they weren't
on a futuristic monorail that was moving at the speed
of light.  "Mulder, if we're moving at the speed of
light and we go backwards, can we get home before we
left?"

 "Huh?"  He reached out to check for a fever.

 "It's probably Annie.  That's what Charlie's name was
 going to be
if he was a girl."

 "Scully..."  She was acting strangely.  It must have
 been an
effect of the five missing years.

 "I'm glad you're not calling me Mulder.  That could
 get
confusing."  She looked down at her ring, twisting it
around on her finger.  It felt so familiar by that
point that it was like she'd been wearing it for five
years.  Who knows, she thought, maybe I have been.

 "So, you're considering us married?"

 "Aren't you?" She tore her eyes from the ring to look
 at him,
feeling her heart skip a beat at the thought that they
were going to go through all that again.

 He smiled, lacing his fingers through hers.  "Yup. 
 Just wanted to
make sure."  She smiled back and rested her head on
his shoulder. "Scully?"  She muttered something to
indicate that she was listening, but her head didn't
lift from his shoulder.  "If Skinner decides to be
nice and give us our jobs back, do you still want it?"

 She lifted her head up and looked at him.  "Why
 wouldn't I?  As
far as I'm concerned I was at work with you a week
ago?"

 He nodded.  "Things are different now, though.  We'd
 probably have
to go back to the Academy to learn all the new laws."

 She squeezed his hand reassuringly.  "I'm sure you
 can handle it."

 "Don't you mean we?"  Did he sound hopeful or scared?
  She
couldn't tell.

 "Mulder, I was thinking maybe about us and you know,
 maybe having
kids?"  She separated their hands because it felt
better to her to be able move them around.  "I know we
can't have any, but we could adopt or something.  I
don't want to pressure you or..."

 He touched her hand lightly, stopping her words. 
 "It's OK.  I
want them too.  Let's just get our bearings and figure
out what's going on and then we can look into it."

 She couldn't hide the smile that crept across her
 face.  She
linked arms with him and rested her head against his
shoulder again.  "I love you, Fox.  Have I ever told
you that?"

 He grinned at her, even though she couldn't see it. 
 "We've been
married five years and I can't recall you ever saying
that."

 She looked up and kissed his cheek.  "Then I think we
 ought to
make up for lost time."

 He kissed her on the lips, letting his lips linger a
 little longer
than they needed to.  "I think you're absolutely
right."

 The operator's voice filled the air once more,
 distracting them
from their plans.  "Now arriving, Washington."

 Mulder let out a breath and unbuckled his seat belt,
 waiting for
Scully to do the same.  "Ready?"

 "Or not."  She stood up and walked to the door,
 letting Mulder's
reassuring hand rest on her back.  She waded through
the crowd at the gate and looked around.  It was
pretty much the same as the last terminal.  She
stepped closer to a wall and checked with Mulder. 
"What now?"

 "Guess we look for a taxi?"  Mulder followed the
 crowd of people
into the main part of the building.  Scully stayed
close to his heels, afraid that if they got split up,
they'd never find each other again.

 They found their way to the front of the building and
 stepped
outside.  Scully looked up, and tugged on Mulder's
sleeve.  "I think we've slipped into every sci fi
movie ever made."

 He didn't see what she was looking at, he was too
 busy looking at
the cars, much wider, flatter objects than they had
been in years past. "Why?"

 She pointed up at the sky.  "Flying cars."  Mulder
 looked up,
making a dramatic show of it, and saw what Scully had
seen.  Flying cars. He sighed in disappointment.

 "What are the odds that yellow checkerboards still
 mean cabs?"

 She looked at him and shrugged.  "Why?"

 "Cause I see one."  He marched off, trying to fight
 through the
congestion to get to the car.  Scully meandered after
him, still looking up at the cars.  They were
absolutely amazing.

 Mulder reached the cab, pulled open the door, and was
 quite
annoyed when it opened backwards, making him look like
an idiot.  Scully managed not to laugh, thankful that
it hadn't been her mistake, and climbed in, pulling
Mulder after her.  

 The car driver turned to look at them, not
 understanding their
collective sigh of relief.  Not only was he human, but
he was greasy and intimidating and missing three teeth
and nothing made them feel better than the
indiscernibly foreign taxi driver accent he had.

 This was tricky and he hoped cabs were somehow
 connected to the
phone system.  "Walter and Margaret Skinner's
residence, please."  The driver nodded and pressed
something next to him on the seat.  Numerous beeps
echoed into the back.  Then the car lifted twenty feet
straight up in the air.

 Scully climbed over Mulder's lap to look out the only
 window in
the back.  She loved it.  "Mulder!  We're in a flying
car!"  

 He pushed himself into the seat she'd occupied
 earlier, giving her
better access to the window.  "I'm happy for you,
Scully, but I think my motion sickness has returned."

 She paid him no attention as she watched the ground
 zip away under
them.  "I want a flying car, Mulder!"  She actually
waved when they passed another car, laughing when the
driver gave her the finger.  "Guess somebody woke up
on the wrong side of bed."

 Too soon for Scully's liking, the car slowed and
 lowered back to
the ground, the doors opening automatically.  She went
to climb out, but the driver caught her shoulder.  She
turned back to see another one of those flat screens. 
Feeling like an old hand at it, she pressed her palm
against it and waited for the driver's go ahead.

 He looked confused.  "Says you're missing.  Must be a
 mistake.  Go
on."

 Shrugging, Scully stood up with Mulder right behind
 her.  They
were standing in the driveway of an obnoxiously large
house.  She glanced back at Mulder, wishing they were
still in the car.  It was less stressful than knocking
on her mother's door.  But there was nothing she could
do. She walked up to the front door and knocked.

 The door swung open a few seconds later, but no one
 was there.
Deciding it was some kind of automated thing, she
reached for the screen door.  A high pitched voice
stopped her.

 "Stranger!"  The shrill cry was joined by three
 others.  Scully
looked down.

 Five of them.  There were five of them.  Three were
 screaming, one
was crying, and the other pushed open the door. 
"You're the phone people."  There were three girls and
two boys, all with brown hair and blue eyes, all
standing the exact same height, looking like mirror
images of each other, except the girls had longer
hair.  

 Mulder nodded and stepped in the door, turning back
 to Scully just
in time to catch her as she passed out.

End of part 31.  Comments: jzyvarek@udel.edu,
eponine119@att.net

Disclaimer in part one. For missing parts:
http://members.aol.com/shippergrl/truth.txt

Truth
part 32
by eponine119  & Jessica Zyvarek Taylor
eponine119@att.net, jzyvarek@udel.edu


  With Scully in his arms and no longer blocking his
  view, Mulder could
see why she'd fainted.  Even though she'd had four
children from her previous marriage and five from this
one already (in five years no less!) Margaret Scully
Skinner looked about ready to deliver number six. 
"Hi," he said awkwardly, trying not to drop the
drooping Scully on the floor.
 "Oh dear," Maggie said, looking from her daughter to
 Mulder and back
again. "Where have to two of you been?"
 "The Bermuda Triangle," Mulder said sheepishly.
 "I guess you liked it if you stayed five years,"
 Maggie quipped, placing
a hand at the base of her back and turning to bellow
into the house. "Walt!" she hollered, then turned to
the munchkins staring at Scully.  "Kids, come on,
clear the way."
 Walter Skinner, seeming even more buff and
 intimidating than ever,
appeared and walked toward Mulder with such
determination that Mulder stepped back, afraid that
his former boss and now father in law was going to hug
him.  Instead, he took Scully from Mulder as though
she weighed less than air and carried her into the
living room.
 Scully came to about halfway to the couch.  She
 looked up and the
sight of Skinner's face so close to hers almost made
her faint again. "Put me down!" she screamed, feeling
hysterical.  Skinner did as she demanded, settling her
onto the couch.
 "Scully, are you okay?" Mulder asked, at her side in
 an instant with
one hand on her forehead and the other squeezing her
wrist.
 "No," Scully gulped and jumped off the couch, holding
 her hand over
her mouth as she careened toward the bathroom.
 Maggie Scully just made little clucking noises that
 made Mulder turn
around and look at her.  She was stroking her large
belly and looking at him. "That's how it always was
for me," she said.
 "What was?" Mulder asked, alarmed, hoping she was
 referring to
belated-onset carsickness or future shock.  Maggie
just shook her head and waddled away, leaving Mulder
alone with Skinner. "Hi," he said, feeling embarrassed
and striving to cover it.  "Dad," he added because he
couldn't resist the opportunity to see Skinner's old,
familiar scowl.  Maybe it was because so many people
had told him it was five years, or maybe it was
because of all the changes he'd witnessed, but Mulder
was starting to feel like he really had been gone more
than just ten days.
 "Where the hell have you two been?" Skinner demanded,
 sounding
every inch the boss.  Or protective father. Mulder
couldn't tell.
 "Um, the Bermuda Triangle, sir."
 "Why didn't you tell me about this before you went?"
 "I - well - the dog, sir."
 "The dog?" Skinner's eyebrows hovered above his
 glasses. "It ate my report, sir."  Mulder strained
 not to laugh at the look on
Skinner's face.  But at that moment, Scully came back
into the room. Her mother followed not far behind with
a package of crackers.  A warning went off in Mulder's
mind, but he dismissed that possibility as impossible.
 Almost as impossible as a sixty year old pregnant
 woman? that
annoying voice in his mind demanded.
 "You're probably too young to remember, darling, how
 it was when I
had your brother, but I had the same problem,"  Maggie
said, patting her daughter's leg.
 Scully's eyes were wide and blank. "What are you
 talking about,
Mom?"
 Maggie's eyes widened, mirroring her daughter's. 
 "You don't know,"
she said.
 "Know what?"
 "She thinks you're preggers, Scully,"  Mulder said. 
 Scully switched
her focus and gaped at him.
 "That's - that's - that's -" she said, or tried to
 say, her voice rising with
each attempt, "It isn't possible!"
 "Neither is losing five years in one fell swoop,"
 Mulder said.  But he
couldn't help grinning as he took Scully's hand. He
was more excited by this than anything he'd seen in
the future so far.  "Isn't it romantic," he whispered
to his wife, "conceived on our wedding night."
 "That will have to be proven," Scully said, still
 staunchly denying that
anything so weird could have happened to her.  It had
taken her mind of denying that they were in the
future, though, so Mulder thought they were in pretty
good shape.  "Aren't you going to introduce us?"
Scully asked in a soft voice, looking at the troop of
children who were staring quietly and calmly at them
with five identical sets of brown eyes.
 "Of course!" Maggie said.  "This is Andrew, Sergio,
 Michelle,
Meighanne, and Gesykka."
 "I'll never remember that," Scully whispered to
 Mulder, then turned to
face her mother. "How did all of this come about,
Mom?"
 Her mother's hand snaked out to take Skinner's hand. 
 "We met and
fell in love, Dana.  Surely you can understand that."
 Scully nodded, and Mulder could tell she was putting
 on a brave face. 
"But five children?" she whispered
 "Oh, times are different now, Dana," her mother
 laughed.  "You don't
have to have them yourself. Unless you want to, of
course.  Artificial wombs were approved to market just
after you disap - left."
 "They all grew in an artificial womb?" Mulder asked,
 fascinated.  "All
together?"
 Maggie nodded.  "All together.  Of course, sometimes
 nature takes a
hand, like with our little Samantha."  She rubbed her
belly and Mulder and Scully exchanged a quick look. 
Maggie noticed this.  "I hope you don't mind, Fox.
We'd already decided to call her after your sister."
 Mulder was speechless.  Finally some words returned
 to his shallow
brain.  "Mrs. Scully - I mean  Skinner, I'm touched, I
don't know -"
 "Please, call me Mom," Maggie reminded him with a
 smile. "And call me Sir," Skinner reminded them both.
 "Walt, they're family!" Maggie protested. "I suppose
 you'll want your jobs back," Skinner said gruffly.
 "Well -" Mulder said, waiting for Scully to answer
 before he said
something she wouldn't agree with. After all, he and
his work had gotten her into this whole mess in the
first place.  But she said nothing, sitting there as
though completely lost in thought and overwhelmed. 
"I'd love to, sir."
 "I didn't mean you, Mulder, I meant Dana," Skinner
 clarified.  At the
sound of her name, Scully looked up.  "There's no need
for the X Files now; science has explained most of
that crap as perfectly normal.  But there's always a
call for another skilled, forward thinking scientist
like Dana."
 "I'll have to think about it, sir," Scully said
 demurely while Mulder
fumed about how he'd been blown off by Skinner. He had
to be kidding, right? No  X Files? What kind of world
was this, Mulder thought. Flying cars, children grown
in cabbage patches...he was beginning to feel a little
nostalgic when the doorbell rang.
 "That's probably Annie and Denise," Maggie said,
 lumbering to her
feet.  "Walt, why don't you come with me to get the
door?"  She gestured to her husband with her eyes,
suggesting that Mulder and Scully might need a little
time alone.
 "Mom?" said Scully before her mother reached the
 door. Maggie
paused to hear her daughter's words.  "When are you
due?"
 "Two weeks ago," she answered happily and headed for
 the door. "My god, Mulder," Scully said in a shocked
 voice.  "It's all too
incredible." 
 Mulder could only nod, but then realized she wasn't
 looking at him, so
he said, "Yes, Scully, it is." After a pause he
continued, "I'm so sorry."
 "Why?" she asked.
 "If it wasn't for me dragging you along, you'd have
 been in this world
the whole time and you wouldn't be so shocked now."
 "No, Mulder," Scully said. "If you'd left me behind
 and gone by
yourself, I can't...I'd have thought you were dead for
five years. I couldn't have lived through that alone."
 "Scully?"  He said, interrupting her hot tears.
 "What?" She looked up.
 "You're forgetting I couldn't have gone alone. It was
 a honeymoon
cruise."
 "Oh."
 "Besides, I didn't want to."
 "Oh," she said, accepting that as a token of love and
 leaning over to
kiss him gently on the lips.   A moment later, though,
she was sitting up and thinking again.  "I wonder who
Annie and Denise are," she said.  "There's no one in
our family who -"  Scully trailed off with her eyes
fixed on the figures in the doorway.  
 Her silence got Mulder's attention and he looked up.
 Instantly he felt
as though the rug had been pulled out from under his
feet and he'd fallen backwards onto his ass. 
"Samantha?" he cried.
 "Fox, it is you!" the woman with the brown hair said
 with a huge grin. 
She looks like Mom, Mulder thought, getting to his
feet and hugging her tight.
 "You're safe!" they said at the same time.  Their hug
 broke apart and
they stood there a long time staring at each other.
 "You're younger than me now," Samantha said, laughing
 at her
brother.
 "You wish, brat," Mulder retorted.
 "Who're you calling brat, buttmunch?" Samantha
 demanded.  "You'd
better behave yourself or my husband'll kick your
ass."
 Her honesty was refreshing, Mulder thought. "Who's
 your -"  His
question was answered as the man walked into the room.
 "-husband," he finished lamely, looking into the dark
green eyes of Alex Krycek.
 "No!" Scully cried, getting to her feet and joining
 the fray.  All heads
turned, surprised, in her direction.  "You were on the
island with *my* sister!"
 No one looked more confused than Krycek.  "Samantha
 and I have
been married since 1991," he said.  "I'm sorry I
couldn't tell you, Mulder, but your dad would have
killed me."
 "My dad?" Mulder gaped.
 Samantha nodded.  "You knew him as the cigarette
 smoking man," she
explained.
 "Cancerman," Mulder said in a low, angry tone.  That
 bastard couldn't
be his father! he thought, but even as he thought it,
he knew that in his heart that it was true in a sick,
Star Wars kind of way.  "But he's dead."	
 "No," Samantha said, astounded. "Where have you been,
 Fox?" "It's a long story," he said. Scully was
 standing by his side with her arms crossed, tenacious
 as a
puppy.  "Where were you five years ago?" she demanded
of Krycek.
 "If this is about your sister, Scully, I'm very
 sorry, but I wasn't there.  I
didn't do it."
 "So you've said before," Scully insisted.  "But I saw
 you with her.  I
know it was you!"
 "What are you talking about?" Krycek asked, confused.
 He'd thought
she'd gone back to her maniacal ravings that he'd shot
her sister Melissa. He'd heard it all before and
couldn't understand it, even after all this time.
Samantha could vouch for him - he hadn't been there to
shoot her. He'd been busy that night.  His hands had
been very full.  A lightbulb came on over his head. 
"Unless -"
 "What?" Scully demanded.
 "Unless you saw my long lost presumed dead twin
 brother Nikolai,"
Krycek said.
 "Shit," Scully said, "This is General Fucking
 Hospital."  "Dana," her mother said, cautioning her.
 "My life is a goddamned soap opera!" Mulder had never
 heard her swear that way before. "Scully, are you
okay?" he asked, placing his hand against her arm.
 "No, I am not okay!" she said in a breathy, upset
 voice.  "Yesterday
everything was fine and great and today everything's
different and crazy! Krycek's got a twin brother and
your sister is married to him and my mother is married
to Skinner - Skinner, for god's sake - and has five
children!  We lost five years!"
 "Sssh, it's okay," Mulder said, holding her against
 him as the crowd in
the doorway of the living room disbursed.  There was
another ring at the doorbell, so Maggie and Skinner
went to answer it.  Krycek produced a magic-seeming
toy from his pocket that made the childrens' stoic
faces turn to grins of amazement and they followed him
further into the living room.
 "You okay, Scully?" Mulder asked after she'd stopped
 sniffling into his
sleeve.
 "I'm fine," she said, raising her head and bracing
 her shoulders. "Good, because you're going to love
 this."  Her eyes met his,
questioning, and he glanced over her shoulder.  She
turned and looked.  To his surprise, the sight didn't
send her back into tears.  Scully grinned and opened
her arms to hug the man standing behind her.
 "Charlie!" she cried, embracing her brother.
 "It's Annie now," he replied, hugging her back. 
 Annie, nee Charles
Scully, was dressed elegantly in a black slim skirt
and white silk blouse. Mulder thought s/he was
attractive, until it hit him to wonder how Bill
Scully, Jr. would look in a dress and heels.  He wiped
that thought from his mind as quickly as possible. 
"And this is Denise."
 Denise was also a man in women's clothing.  He had
 long brown hair
and rather nice legs.  Stop it! Mulder thwarted his
thoughts.  "So nice to meet you finally," Denise said,
putting out her hand for Mulder to shake.  "Dad's told
us so much about you."
 "Dad?" Mulder asked, turning to Skinner, who didn't
 even look
embarrassed.
 "He introduced us," Denise said.
 "Denise is a DEA agent," Annie added.
 "You're going to have to tell me all about this!"
 Scully said
enthusiastically.
 "I promise, sis.  And you'll have to tell me about
 *him,*" Charlie
added, sliding his eyes over Mulder before he swayed
his hips into the living room. Mulder felt
overwhelmed. He hadn't even begun to recover when he
heard Charlie squeal, "Lexi! Sammi!"
 "This is a regular family reunion," Mulder said,
 feeling more and more
like he wanted to run screaming back to the deserted
island with Scully so they could be alone.
 "Where are Bill and Tara?" Scully asked her mother.
 "And Matthew." 
Her eyes filled with tears as she realized Matthew
would be five years old. Little Emily would have been
eight.  She gave a little sniffle.
 "They're coming on the 8:30 AirTrack," Skinner said. 
 "They couldn't
make it for dinner, unfortunately."
 "Dinner?" Mulder and Scully asked simultaneously.
 Maggie and Walter looked at them.  "You do know it's
 Thanksgiving?"
They said at the same time.
 Mulder and Scully looked at each other.  "If it's
 Thanksgiving, where's
the snow?" Scully asked.
 "And the, well, the turkey?" Mulder added.
 "I can't deal with this!" Scully said, turning tail
 and going into the
living room.  But when she got there, she found it was
too full of small children, killers, missing women and
men dressed as women giving horsey rides to small
children who were sort of related to her and all
looked like clones anyway, for her to feel
comfortable.  She stomped into one of the bedrooms and
went to close the door.
 Mulder's hand stopped her.  It was on the door.  He
 narrowly avoided
losing several fingers to her confused wrath.  She
flung herself onto the bed and he joined her, holding
her close.  "I know it's a lot to deal with," Mulder
said.
 "You could say that ten more times and still not be
 lying," Scully said. "Isn't there anything you like
 about the future?" Mulder coaxed. "I like the flying
 cars," Scully confided with a tiny grin that told him
everything was going to be okay after all.
 "See?" said Mulder.
 She looked up at him.  "What would you say if I said
 I wanted to be a
truck driver?"
 "I'd say you should get some rest...or something,"
 Mulder said, pushing
her down on the bed and climbing on top of her.  
 "Mulder, get off!" she whispered, shoving him so hard
 he fell off the
bed. "Mulder, are you okay?"
 "Great," he muttered, rubbing his arm where he'd
 fallen on it.  "What
did you do that for?"
 "We can't do that here!" she said in that same
 fevered whisper. "Why not?" Mulder asked. "This is my
 mother's house!" Scully replied. "Scully, we're
 married!" "Yeah, I can tell by the way you keep
 calling me 'Scully,'" she
muttered.
 "Dana -"
 "Don't call me that!" she cried.  Now that he had
 nothing to call her,
Mulder climbed up on the bed and started kissing her
neck.  "Mulder!" she said insistently.
 "That's your name too now," Mulder pointed out.
 "Fox," she said, annoyed.  
 Mulder cringed and she gave him a look that said,
 see?  "What?" he
said.
 "This is my mother's house with *Skinner*!  We can't
 do anything
here!"
 "I guess you're right," he said, moving reluctantly
 away from her.  The
idea did kind of give him the heebie jeebies.  "What
are we gonna do now?" he asked.
 "Mulder, what if she's right?" Scully said.
 "About what?"
 "What if I really am pregnant?" she asked, and she
 looked scared to
Mulder. He put his arm around her to try to make that
look go out of her eyes.
 "Then it's a blessing," he replied, completely
 honestly. "But Mulder, what kind of a baby do you
 think it will turn out to be,
born to a mother who had her ova stolen by aliens and
conceived in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle while
we were losing five years?"  Scully sounded really
afraid.
 Mulder took her hand firmly in his and pulled her up
 from the bed. 
"Mulder?" she asked, but he didn't say anything as he
wrapped his arm around her and propelled her back to
the noisy living room.  "Mulder?" she said, sounding
more alarmed.
 "Scully," he said finally, directly into her ear, his
 hot breath sending a
delicious chill down her spine.  "They'll fit right
in."
 Staring at the motley crue yelling and screaming and
 pulling hair and
teaching makeup techniques and running military laps
around the room, Scully knew he was right.  She put
her arm around him in return and hugged him back,
reveling in the feeling of loving and being loved and
feeling secure in that.  When he leaned down and
kissed her, she kissed him back.
 That was when Maggie gave a little cry that managed
 to silence the
entire room.  "I think," she gasped, "It's time."  Her
hand on her stomach gave them  no doubt as to what she
meant.

End of part 32.  Comments: eponine119@att.net,
jzyvarek@udel.edu

Disclaimer in part one.  For missing parts:
http://members.aol.com/shippergrl/truth.txt

Truth
Part 33
by Jessica Zyvarek Taylor & eponine119 
jzvarek@udel.edu, eponine119@att.net

 "What do you mean it's time?"  Scully's voice was
 high and
hysterical.  Skinner patted her shoulder reassuringly.

 "Don't worry about it, Dana.  She's had a few."  He
 put an arm
around Maggie's shoulders and helped her from the
room, toward the stairs.

 Mulder jumped in front of them.  "What are you doing?
  Take her to
the hospital."

 Maggie and Skinner laughed, pushing Mulder out of the
 way.  Krycek
walked over and slung an arm around his shoulders. 
"Come on, Fox, it's no big deal.  There are doctors
available upstairs."  He punched him teasingly in the
arm, ignoring Mulder's hateful stare.  "Come on, let
it go.  It's been years, we're brothers now!"

 Mulder violently pushed Krycek away and found a quiet
 corner,
which wasn't easy, to sulk in.  He was busy sulking
when Krycek's wondering eye fell on Mulder's
distraught wife.  "Hey, beautiful.  If you ever want
to leave him, I'm your man!"  He leered at her, but
the leer faded as Samantha hit him over the head with
Denise's purse.

 "Jerk!"  Samantha put her hands on her hips and
 stomped her foot,
watching her husband rubbing the bump on his head. 
Scully vaguely realized that when people were missing
for twenty some odd years their mental development
didn't make much of a surge forward.  "All you
murderers are the same.  Not an honest man among you!"

 Scully stared as Samantha stomped off to sulk like
 her brother.
Krycek got up off the floor where he'd fallen, moving
to the couch and bringing Scully with him.  She
resisted, but he kept a tight hold on her arm.  "Sit,
Dana, I want to talk to you."

 "If you think I'm going to sit down and talk to you,
 that bump is
worse than you think."  She went with him anyway,
sitting beside him.

 "I can tell this whole future is alarming you, it's
 OK, I'm not
going to hurt you."  Krycek's demented smile made her
feel slightly better.

 "You're a murderer.  You killed my sister!  Who's not
 dead..."
She trailed off, not sure why she thought he'd killed
her undead sister anyway.  They'd already caught the
man who did that.

 "Maggie told me you're expecting.  I'm so happy for
 you and Fox."
Krycek actually looked happy.  "There's someone you
guys might want to see.  She's a psychic who works
especially with pregnant women.  She can broadcast her
visions on a television screen so you can see your
baby. It's neat!  Samantha and I were just there last
week.  She's amazing.  You might want to tell Fox,
though, I don't think he's taken too well to me." He
patted her on the knee and walked off to find his
wife.

 Scully scraped herself off the couch and walked
 towards the next
room, peering in carefully to make sure she wasn't
going to run into anyone she did or didn't know.  She
had to find Mulder and then she was dragging him back
to their little island paradise.  It didn't take long,
he was the only person on his knees facing a wall with
his hands folded in prayer.  Scully approached him
quietly, not sure what was going on.

 "Holy Mary, mother of... bless us our gifts...  Man,
 I don't know
the words."  Mulder hung his head and dropped his
hands to his side.

 "Mulder?"  She tapped him on the shoulder and he
 shrugged.

 "I figured it might help.  I mean, it can't really
 hurt, can it?"

 "Krycek wants me to tell you about this psychic that
 can project
our baby onto a TV screen, but I want me to tell you
that we're walking out the door and going back to our
little island."  She took his hand, as if they might
have better luck forging the scary new world together.

 "I think I understand what all those people were
 afraid of.  Do
you honestly think we could have prevented this?"

 Scully smiled up at him, the only other person in the
 house
dressed in normal clothes, and if she tried to block
out all the background noise, she could almost pretend
that everything was still all right.  "Look at me. 
Mulder, I know that if there was anything, and I mean
anything, that we could have done to prevent this, we
would have."

 Mulder smiled and gave her a hug.  They walked into
 the other
room, holding hands, watching Annie give Sammi tips on
how to keep her lipstick from coming off on her cup
and Lexi was braiding Denise's hair. "But you know,
Scully, everyone seems genuinely happy here.  Maybe we
should just leave it alone."

 She looked at her weird family, having the sneaking
 suspicion that
the rest of the families were as weird, and tried to
be happy.  "Mulder, could you really ever be
comfortable here?"  

 He looked over the room, his eyes finally falling on
 Scully, and
he shrugged.  Then they heard Krycek's voice start
singing, and turned to stare.

 "Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener, then
 everyone would be
in love with me..."

 Mulder and Scully ran for the door, tripping over
 Skinner and
their new brother.  "Hey! Where are you guys going? 
Say hello to Fox!"

 Together, they pushed past him and out onto the front
 porch.
There was a woman standing there, in traditional gypsy
garb, holding a key chain with a small globe attached
to it.

 "Someone called for a psychic?"  The gypsy/psychic
 checked her
watch and tapped her foot.

 "Wow.  You're really psychic!"  Scully was amazed at
 how the woman
had known they'd been speaking about her.  Mulder was
annoyed.

 "Let's go, Scully.  I don't trust her."  He stepped
 forward and
tugged on her hand.

 "But, Mulder, she's a psychic!"  Realizing her own
 words, Scully
looked down, wondering how she would ever live this
down.

 The gypsy reached out, placing a hand on Scully's
 stomach.  "I'm
in a bit of a hurry here, so I'll make it quick."  The
woman moved her hand around for a moment.  "OK, twins,
fraternal, a boy and a girl, one's a redhead, one's
got brown hair, both have hazel eyes.  I've got to be
going now."

 Scully stared after the woman who took off in her
 flying car.
"That was amazing, Mulder!"

 Mulder leaned over, calling away Scully's attention. 
 "Scully,
look at us.  It's not being psychic, it's an educated
guess about what our kids would look like.  Let's go. 
Before your mom has anymore kids."

 Scully pulled her hand away, upset that Mulder was
 making a joke
out of it.  "What's wrong with her having kids?"  She
could list a hundred different reasons, but it was
different when it was someone else having a problem
with her mother having kids.

 "What if one of them turns out like Bill?"  He knew
 he'd done
something wrong by the way Scully's mouth opened in
outrage.

 "What's wrong with Bill?"  She loved her older
 brother.  How dare
Mulder talk about her family like that.

 "Scully, he beat the crap out of me!  I don't like
 him."  He
didn't mention that Bill had beat the crap out of him
because he'd used the word 'Dana' and the word 'fuck'
in the same sentence, regardless of the fact that it
wasn't at all like it sounded.

 "You probably deserved it.  Go away.  Go find your
 mother.  I'm
spending Thanksgiving with my family.  My real
family."  She turned to walk back in the house.

 "Scully, why are they having Thanksgiving in
 February?"

 She was so distracted by his words that she didn't
 notice when the
door swung open in front of her.  Skinner was on his
way out the door, wanting to tell the neighbors about
the new baby, but he didn't see Mulder and Scully
standing on the steps.  The door hit Scully right in
the face, knocking her backwards into Mulder.  Mulder
tried to steady her, but lost his balance and they
both fell back, smacking their heads loudly into the
concrete walk.

 Skinner was leaning over her when Scully slowly
 blinked her eyes.
It took quite a while before things swam back into
focus and she gratefully accepted Skinner's and
Mulder's help in getting off the ground. Her hand went
to her head automatically, rubbing the sore spot.  

 Skinner still looked concerned, and quite a bit
 guilty according
to Mulder, after all he had been the one who pushed
open the door so quickly.  "Are you all right?" 
Skinner's gruff voice didn't sound at all like the
proud papa anymore.

 Scully blinked again, looking at Skinner, and made a
 face.
"You're not my dad."  At the sound of Mulder's
laughter, she turned to glare at him, realizing for
the first time that they weren't standing outside
anymore.

 Skinner looked adequately surprised initially, then
 settled his
hands at his hips.  "Well, there's a load off my
mind."  

 Scully looked back at him.  She didn't remember him
 wearing a
tuxedo before.  "What happened?"  She sounded and felt
weak.  She looked back at Mulder, who she noticed
miserably was wearing a tux as well. Whatever was
going on, she knew her walking shorts and tank top and
sandals weren't appropriate.  She looked down, an
noticed for the first time that she was wearing a
floor length, siren red, open backed gown, five inch
heels, and there was a slit in the skirt almost up to
her waist. She turned her head sharply, noticing a
mirror and saw the way her hair was swept up and piled
on top of her head, a few curly tendrils hanging down
and framing her face.  

 Mulder stepped closer to her side, placing a hand at
 her elbow and
gently prodding her to a seat.  Once they were seated,
Mulder removed his hands entirely, and she had to
admit she felt slightly more comfortable. He shrugged.
 "I don't know, Scully.  We were going in, he was
coming out, we both fell, I don't remember much else."

 Skinner stepped forward, looking tired and unhappy
 and really
rather attractive in his tux.  "You were both out cold
for at least five minutes.  I think I should call an
ambulance.  Agent Scully, you don't look well."

 Scully looked up at the older man, completely
 transfixed by the
gleam of the light on his bald head.  "Sir, do you
have any children?"

 Mulder snorted.  "Named Meighan and Jessyka?" 
 Scully's jaw
dropped open and she stared at Mulder, missing
Skinner's expression.

 "Come to think of it Agent Mulder, you don't look
 well either.
Have you guys been drinking?"  The man's words went
unheard as Mulder and Scully looked at each other.

 "Did you..."  They started and stopped in unison,
 before each of
them shook their heads and brushed it off.  Nah...

 "Sir?"  Scully pulled herself together as best she
 could, not sure
which reality was the alternate one.  "Where are we?"

 Skinner pointed at a sign, which luckily answered
 Scully's second
question of 'what year is it' as well.  Mulder read
the sign aloud.  "Why, Scully, we're obviously at the
1997 Annual FBI Awards Banquet and Christmas Party."

 "It's not February?"  Scully sank back down into the
 chair.  "And
we're not in Bermuda, either."

 Skinner laughed, thinking her behavior had just been
 a joke.  "No,
unfortunately.  We're in Virginia in December.  You
know, when I instructed the two of you to show up
here, I expected that you would not come together. 
I'm sure the rumor mill is in overdrive tonight."  He
added a raised eyebrow and looked Scully up and down
with an appreciative leer.  Then he patted Mulder's
shoulder.  "Though I can't say I blame you for not
wanting to share."

 Scully crossed her arms over the low cut dress while
 trying to
pull the slit closed as well.  She decided standing
would allow the revealing dress to cover more of her
body, but she was having some trouble balancing in her
shoes.  She wanted to go home, assuming she still had
one.  "Sir, unless you want me to slap you with a
sexual harassment lawsuit so fast you won't know what
hit you, I'd advise you to at least stop drooling
until I've left the room."  She turned on Mulder, her
eyes blazing with anger.  "How dare you!"  She walked
back into the reception, trying to remain upright and
not trip over her own shoes, since everyone's eyes in
the place were on her.

 She sat down at the first table she could find.  Two
 minutes
later, Tom Colton joined her.  

 "Hi, Daaana."  She could smell the alcohol from ten
 feet away.  He
tripped into the chair next to her, placing a hand on
her exposed thigh. "You could do sooo much better than
Fox, you know."  He nodded at her, before taking
another swing out of the bottle he'd lifted from the
open bar.

 "Go fuck off, Colton."  She turned away, seeing
 Mulder approaching
them.  She didn't have a chance to stop him before
Mulder lifted Colton out of his seat by his shirt
collar.

 "Get our hands off of her, Colton."  Colton shakily
 held his
balance as he swung a fist at Mulder.  But Mulder was
sober and threw a better punch, sending Colton sliding
backwards on the floor.  He reached for Scully's hand,
pulling her out of the hall, leaving all the other
agents to stare after them.

 As soon as they were back in the hotel lobby, Mulder
 let go of
her.  "Mulder! I can't believe you did that."  Her
cheeks were flaming red and she wanted to disappear.

 Mulder looked at her like she was insane, which she
 was almost
sure she was at that point.  "Should I have let him
feel you up in there?"

 "It was none of your business."  She wanted to walk
 away, but she
knew he'd follow her and she couldn't quite remember
how she'd gotten there.

 "Well, you wanted me jealous, didn't you?  That was
 the whole
point of this"  He gestured at her dress, comprised
primarily of a gauzy lycra/spandex blend that left the
better part of the dress to one's imagination. 
"wasn't it?"

 "If you must know, Mulder, I have no recollection of
 buying this
dress, putting it on, or coming here with you."  She
sat down on a bench and looked down at the fancy
hotel's carpet.

 "Last thing I remember, we were having an argument
 about a
psychic"

 "On my mother's porch"

 "Who was married to Skinner"

 "And had just given birth"

 "To Fox Skinner."

 "In 2003."

 "Oh, God.  You were there."  Scully dropped her face
 into her
hands and whimpered.

 The sound seemed familiar, although he couldn't
 remember hearing
his partner whimper at any time.  Then he remembered
the scene in the dock, where they'd encountered the
AirTrack.  He reached out and put his arms around her
shoulders, rocking her slightly, wanting to jump for
joy when she hugged him back.  "Shhh, Dana, it's OK. 
We'll figure it out."

 "But it was just a dream, wasn't it?  You don't
 remember it
because it was just in my imagination because I must
have had too much to drink or something, right?"  Her
arms were still wrapped around him when she spoke, but
he reached behind him to gently pull her wrists back.

 "Maybe we had the same dream."  He looked down at her
 hand, at the
gleaming wedding band on her left hand, the one that
had belonged to his great-grandmother.  He tapped it,
drawing her attention to it.  "Where'd you get this?"

 "You put it on me when we were getting on the boat." 
 He paled at
her words.  "The boat that we never got on because it
doesn't exist."  She went to take it off, figuring he
would want it back.

 "No, Dana."  His hand folded over hers, preventing
 her from
removing the ring.  "Keep it, honey."

 She just looked at him, her memory of the cruise
 already starting
to fade.  Then she stood up suddenly.  "I have to find
something out before I forget."

 Mulder took her hand and went with her as she walked
 down the
hall.  She spotted Skinner talking on the phone,
gesturing wildly with his free hand.  He was speaking
loudly enough that they easily overheard him.

 "No, I have no idea.  I think she knows, though... I
 didn't tell
her...  Because of something she said...  she said
'you're not my dad.' ... well, she'd bumped her head,
but I'm sure she's all right... Mulder's with her...
OK... I love you too, Maggie."  He hung the phone up,
turning around to catch Mulder and Scully standing
there, their mouths hanging open in shock.

 Scully took a firm hold of Mulder's jacket with both
 hands and
looked up at him, her eyes joining her voice's plea. 
"No, please, Mulder, tell me it's not true, please!"

 Mulder looked at the woman clinging to him and
 shrugged
helplessly.  He looked up to glare at Skinner but the
other man had already slunk away.  He carefully
unfastened her death grip on his jacket. "Let's go
home.  We'll get a taxi, I'll make sure you get home
safe, and then I bet after a good night's sleep, we'll
both feel better."

 She walked with him to the hotel's front desk where
 he asked the
woman, a young woman with oddly familiar golden curls,
a blue and white uniform, and a shiny gold name tag
that read 'Julie,' to call them a cab. Julie smiled,
and then pointed to a man who was standing at the desk
with her.  

 "You'll have to ask Matt, he calls all the taxis!" 
 Happy Julie
went back to her work, typing merrily on a computer. 
Mulder followed Julie's directions, and then led
Scully out to the vestibule where they waited for the
cab.

 "Mulder, how will you get a good night's sleep?  You
 never sleep."

 He grinned at her.  "I'll just watch you sleep.  You
 sleep well
enough for both of us."  Scully response was drowned
out by a high pitched squeal.

 "Fox!"  A tall, obnoxiously thin, red headed woman
 ran up to them
and latched onto Mulder's arm, pouting and smiling at
the same time while pushing Scully out of the way. 
"You're not leaving without me, are you?"

 Mulder squinted at her and bit his lip, not sure if
 he wanted to
take the plunge.  "Tanya?"

 "Why Fox, you act like you've just seen a ghost!" 
 Tanya bent over
to rest her head on Mulder's shoulder while Scully
walked back to the desk to ask Matt for another taxi.

 While she was standing there, she felt an arm slide
 around her
shoulders, and she was loathe to look up and meet the
man's eyes.  "Hi, Daniel."

 "Dana, I missed you.  Where have you been?"

 She didn't manage to formulate an answer before she
 saw a girl
come bounding down the hallway with a precariously
balanced tray of hors d'oerves.  The girl leaned over
the desk, and tried to get Matt's attention.  "Not
now, Bekkie."  The young waitress bounced back down
the hall, magically keeping her tray balanced while
she skipped.

 Scully leaned heavily against Daniel's shoulder, not
 sure she
could keep herself standing any longer.  Mulder
watched as Scully slumped in Daniel's arms, and peeled
Tanya off in time to run over and take Scully out of
Daniel's arms.  Mulder carefully lifted her into his
arms and out to the taxi that had arrived, completely
unaware of how Tanya and Daniel were left gazing at
each other.

End of part 33.  Comments: jzyvarek@udel.edu,
eponine119@att.net

Disclaimer in part one.  For missing parts:
http://members.aol.com/shippergrl/truth.txt

Truth
part 34
by  eponine119  & Jessica Zvyarek Taylor
eponine119@att.net, jzyvarek@udel.edu


 "Mulder?" Scully said, feeling even more confused
 than she had
before.  Why had he just shoved her boyfriend and his
girlfriend into a car together and pulled her out of
it?  And come to think of it, why had Tanya and Daniel
looked at each other that way?  It had been strangely
reminiscent of the looks she and Mulder often shared. 
Did that mean...?  She began to nervously twist the
ring on her finger - the only remnant of "proof" of
what she remembered.  Or thought she did. Already it
was beginning to fade and be replaced by what she knew
to be the truth.  Tanya was a bitch who Mulder
couldn't even talk to, but kept around because he
liked to fuck her.  The first time Scully saw Tanya,
she'd been shocked at the perceived resemblance to
herself.  But she was certain that was only wishful
thinking, that she wanted Mulder to love someone who
looked like her...
 Scully realized he hadn't answered her, so she said,
 "Mulder?" again. "Taxi!" he yelled, running after one
 of the yellow cars that whizzed by
him.  It stopped up the road and he grabbed her arm
roughly, pulling her along with him.
 "Hey!" Scully cried, but he paid her no attention. 
 He shoved her into
the cab and jumped in, slamming the door behind them. 
"Where are we going?" she demanded.
 "The FBI Building.  16th and E," Mulder instructed
 the cab driver,
who floored the gas, sending Mulder and Scully
tumbling into each other.
 "What's going on here, Mulder?" Scully demanded.
 "We need to talk," he answered.
 "We're going to work to talk?"
 "I can't be sure whose place Tanya and Daniel will go
 to," he answered
and the thought made her skin crawl.  She didn't want
to imagine Daniel taking that slut back to her
apartment.  But she also knew Daniel, unfortunately,
had practically moved in. Scully hadn't said anything
before since she was never home.  She knew she had to
pack his things first thing tomorrow and leave them in
the hall, though.  She no longer wanted to be with
him.  Not in the least.
 "You really think...?" Scully asked, raising her
 eyebrows at Mulder,
who nodded.  "Good, let him beat her for a while," she
said. Mulder started, but didn't say anything.  She
watched the creases in his forehead grow deep, though,
so she put her hand on his arm. "It was only one
time," she reassured him. "And I broke three of his
ribs."
 "What did you ever see in him, Scully?" Mulder asked
 honestly. "Sixteen-fifty," the cab driver
 interrupted, saving Scully from having
to answer.  Mulder didn't even argue as he shoved a
twenty dollar bill at the driver, and didn't ask for
change, either. He had his hand around Scully's arm
and was shoving her out of the cab instead. She stood
by his side as the car sped away, feeling forlorn,
standing on the empty street in the dark, all alone.
The FBI building wasn't in the best of neighborhoods.
She'd often noticed Mulder surreptitiously following
her to her car when they stayed late, making sure she
got there all right. 
 She shivered, and Mulder shrugged out of his coat,
 draping it around
her bare shoulders as they made their way to the
employees' entrance.   They didn't speak as they
passed the guard and waited for the elevator down to
their basement office.  Once there, they took their
usual places - Mulder at the desk and Scully at the
table near the door that wasn't rightly a desk, but
was as good as she was going to get.  Considering the
way they were dressed, it didn't feel normal.
 "Well?" Scully asked, wondering why Mulder had
 dragged her back
here in the middle of the annual FBI Christmas party. 
She wouldn't have minded staying a while longer, being
given the opportunity to show off this dress she'd
bought expressly to catch Mulder's eye and make him
forget that pale, washed out frizzy-haired Tanya.  If
he'd only asked her to dance instead of asking her to
return to work...
 "I was waiting for an answer to my question, Scully,"
 Mulder said
formally.  "But I suppose the fact that you can't tell
me what you see in a buffoon like Doug -"
 "Daniel," Scully intoned.
 "Daniel," Mulder picked up smoothly, "backs up my
 theory that you
kept him around for his muscles and nothing more."
 "Not quite, Mulder," she replied, knowing it would
 make him angry. 
She knew the "muscle" comment was a direct dig at her
going back to her ill- fated date with Ed Jerse.  She
couldn't help it if she liked men who took care of
themselves.  "It wasn't his big *muscles* I liked." 
Mulder's face turned red and she expected the top of
his head to blow off and steam to rise like in
cartoons. It didn't happen, so she pushed him a little
farther.  "Why don't you tell me what was so appealing
about your little friend Tanya?"
 "Let's not do this," he said suddenly.
 "Do what, Mulder, I'd like an answer."  She moved
 closer, trying to
impose on his personal space, intrude on him, make him
answer her. Make him pay attention to her for once in
their stupid partnership, in any case!
 "I didn't have to close my eyes to pretend I was
 making love to you and
not her," Mulder said in a low, strange tone.
 Scully slapped him and he grabbed her hand. They were
 both
breathing hard as they glared at each other. "I don't
look anything like her!" she informed him.
 "I know," he said back.  Their glaring was turning
 into an intense
staring contest, and neither of them wanted to be the
one to look away first. There was only one place this
was leading, and neither of them wanted to lose. 
"Damn it, Scully," Mulder said, tilting his head and
she knew what was coming next. She could feel the kiss
on her lips already.  
 "What?" she breathed, pausing to wet her lips.
 "When you look at me like that I just want to ..." 
 He stopped himself. "Want to what?" she taunted. On
 the inside she was shrieking, OH
GOD YES KISS ME NOW,  KISS ME NOW!!!!!!!
 "Do this," he admitted, putting his hands on her hips
 and backing her
into the filing cabinet. It was cold against her skin,
since her dress had no fabric to protect her from the
metal.  Mulder was quite a mover, she thought, as he'd
managed to hike her skirt up to her waist as he was
maneuvering her into position.  His hand slipped down
between their bodies to caress the tops of her thighs
above the stockings she was wearing with a very
naughty black garter belt.
 "I think you forgot something," Mulder commented,
 moving his hand
up.
 "I didn't forget," she said boldly.
 "Darn, and now I'll never find out if the garters go
 on over or under the
panties," he murmured, making her smile the way only
Mulder could.  A second later, she gasped as his
fingers found her warm core.  His fingers pushed her
to the high edge of the cliff many times before
finally he pushed her off. She screamed as she fell.
 When she opened her eyes and looked at him, he was
 smiling a secret
smile. "I want you inside me," she whispered.  He
seemed happy to oblige, filling her so completely that
she gave a soft, surprised sound. He was so big and it
had been so very long, but it felt so good...
 (She'd lied about Daniel; Mulder had been right that
 only his muscles
were big.  That was why Daniel hit her sometimes - he
was incapable of pleasing a woman. But that had been
fine with Scully, raised as she had been in the
Catholic faith not to be promiscuous. Besides, she had
been saving herself for Mulder.)
 There was a storm out on the ocean, and its frenzy
 drove the waves up
and up, crashing ever faster over them until finally,
the storm broke.  It took a long time before they
settled back to earth and looked at each other.
 "Wow," said Scully.
 "Double wow," Mulder replied, grinning at her.  That
 was when she
knew she really loved him.  She wanted to be able to
see that grin whenever she pleased. She wanted it to
be her own, personal Mulder grin.
 "That was..." she said, but words failed her.
 He stroked a strand of her hair away from her face. 
 "I didn't hurt you?"
he asked. "I was afraid I might have..."
 "No, Mulder, you didn't hurt me. It was perfect. You
 were perfect." "You made this noise and I -"
 Sometimes, she swore, Mulder was as innocent as a
 schoolboy. 
"Mulder, if you don't recognize pleasure when you hear
it, there's much I need to teach you."
 "Believe me, I'd love to learn," he said with a
 mischievous look in his
eyes that made her heart clench. Did he think they
were just playing games? Now that the "take your
partner" game was over, would he move onto "the
naughty schoolboy" with someone else?
 She refused to let her insecurities show. "Mulder,"
 she said in a low,
sexy voice.
 "Yes," he said in a tone that told her he'd follow
 her anywhere. "Can you put on your glasses?" she
 asked, hoping he wouldn't laugh. He had those babies
 out of his tux pocket and onto his face in a matter
of seconds.  "Only if you'd be willing to use these,"
he said, making a venture of his own as he withdrew
his handcuffs for her display.
 "Hurt me," she cried with playful abandon as she
 thrust her wrists out
for him to take.  The metal was cold against her skin,
but they soon managed to warm it up between them.

xxx

 The months passed.  Scully evicted Daniel, and she
 never heard Tanya
mentioned by Mulder again.  She wasn't certain the
woman was gone, however, since Mulder would never let
her come to his apartment.  And how would she be able
to find an incriminating strand of hair clinging to
his jacket when she and Tanya had the same color hair?
 She sighed.
 "What was that sigh for?" Mulder asked, putting down
 the file he had
been paying rapturous attention to for the better part
of the day.
 "I want to go to your apartment," she said frankly.
 "You don't want to do that," he cautioned her.
 "Mulder, I don't feel like we have a real
 relationship.  We don't date,
and the only time we...you know..." She glanced at the
walls, aware that they did, in fact, have ears at
times.  "Is when we're in a motel on a case.  Once, in
my apartment.  I haven't been to your apartment in
months."  While she spoke, she'd been moving closer
and she rubbed her hand up and down his arm.
 "Wouldn't it be more exciting to do it on Skinner's
 desk?" Mulder
offered with hopeful eyes.
 Scully rolled her eyes and looked at him seriously. 
 "Mulder, the
cleaning people are onto us. No one can 'forget' to
turn in a report *that* many times.  He's going to
find out."
 Mulder shook his head. "He's too in love with your
 mother to notice." "STOP!" Scully shouted, clapping
 her hands over her ears.  "I don't
believe it, there is NO evidence that it's true -" 
Since he wasn't talking, she uncovered her ears.
 "Except that he hasn't called us in to ream us in
 over a month, Scully,"
Mulder reminded her.  "Even you have to admit that's
weird."
 "We've been doing very good work," Scully said
 prissily. "Don't you think he should have called us
 in when I accidentally
looked the other way and let the suspect in those
murders escape before I could call backup, and I
couldn't shoot him because I'd dropped my gun?" Mulder
pointed out.
 "I knew you were testing him with that one!" Scully
 cried.  "Okay,
Skinner's been a little preoccupied."
 "More than a little," Mulder insisted, but she shook
 her head and
began to turn away.  He touched her and she hesitated,
looking back at him. "The real reason I haven't had
you in my apartment is -"
 "Figuratively or literally?" Scully asked, giving him
 a careful look. He considered his words. "Both," he
 admitted.  "I don't have a bed,
Scully."
 "Where do you sleep!" she cried.
 "Exactly," he said, nodding.  
 "How long have you lived in your apartment, Mulder?"
 She looked
like she didn't believe him.
 "Seven years. Which is why I was too embarrassed to
 bring you home
and let you find out for yourself that the only room
I've furnished is the living room."  His eyes betrayed
that this was a big confession, one with which he was
trusting her implicitly.
 "What about your couch?" she asked.
 "What about it?" he asked, and she marveled that any
 man could be so
incredibly dense. Either that or he didn't want her,
she thought, and it put a frown on her face.
 "We could, you know..."
 "Not on the couch, Scully," Mulder said firmly.
 "Fine, then," she said in a tight little voice,
 turning away before he
could see her tears.  She picked up her briefcase and
her trenchcoat, knowing he was staring at her.  "If
you don't want to have a relationship with me, I
understand."
 "Scully -" Mulder said, getting up, ready to go after
 her. "No, really, it's okay," she said, putting on a
 brave face.  "Just because
we're partners doesn't mean you have to like me. We
tried it a few times. We had fun. Just because I 
thought that meant that we meant more than that -"
 She wasn't even making sense,  Mulder thought,
 knowing he had to do
something, but he couldn't.  He opened his mouth and
couldn't find the words. There were tears in her eyes
and he couldn't say anything.  How could he have known
she'd be this upset that he didn't have a bed?
 "It's fine, Mulder, I understand completely," she
 said, already thinking
of ways to word her letter of resignation. But she
knew she couldn't resign. She loved the FBI, and she
loved being Mulder's partner. As long as they were
partners, she could harbor the tiny hope that he'd
remember what he'd once seen in her.  She knew she'd
seen love in his eyes before.  Besides, if she
resigned, Skinner would tell her mother and her mother
would kill her. She'd been so determined to become a
good agent, if she turned back now, it would betray
everything she believed in.  Everything she'd
struggled against - like the male agents who'd laughed
at her in the FBI Academy because she was short and a
girl.  She remembered what her father had always told
her...
 "Scully, were you leaving?" Mulder asked, because
 she'd been
standing there with her hand on the doorknob and a
weird look on her face for some time.
 "Yes, Mulder, I was!" she cried, and walked through
 the door. She
slammed it behind her, and dissolved into tears. 
Mulder didn't come after her. And she knew she
wouldn't run into Skinner.  She was pretty sure he was
at her mother's house.  She sniffled all the way to
her car.
 Inside the office, Mulder reached for the file that
 had been hiding on
the corner of his desk for almost two months, since
that fateful night of the Christmas party. It had been
waiting for just the right moment. There would never
be a better moment than this one, he thought. It was
his wild card, his ace in the hole.  
 It was his last hope.

xxx

 Scully had calmed down in the hours since she had
 left the office.  A
hot bath, a tall frothy Cappuccino from Starbucks' and
an extra squeeze of her favorite strawberry scented
body lotion had gone a long way toward improving her
mood.  She could be Mulder's platonic partner. She'd
done it before.  She'd do it again. What was important
was that she didn't let her silly romantic dreams of
love get in the way of what was really important to
them - the truth, and trust.
 She answered the phone, when it rang, with a
 pleasant, "Hello?" "Scully, can you get here - to the
 office - right away?  Something's
come up. Something important."
 Mulder's voice was urgent.  "I'll be right there,"
 she said and was
halfway to the door before she remembered she was in
her white terrycloth robe and slippers.  She paused to
change, and hurried on her way.

xxx

 Mulder was waiting for her.  He'd lit what seemed
 like a hundred
softly scented candles and placed them all around
their office. He was a little afraid that one of them
would catch a draft and ignite one of the posters,
folders, or books that littered the office.  *Their*
office.  There was a huge bouquet of white flowers on
top of Scully's table in the corner.  He held another
bunch of bright red roses in his fist, almost crushing
their stems, waiting for her to come.
 The door flew open. "Mulder, what's going on?" Scully
 demanded
breathlessly and he got the tiniest charge from
knowing that she'd run right over.  Then she stopped
and actually looked and saw.  The shocked look on her
face made Mulder's heart beat more strongly. 
"Mulder?" asked Scully.
 He was shaking. He couldn't believe it.  He was so
 nervous. He held
out the flowers and hoped she wouldn't see him
trembling.  "These are for you," he said and felt like
the biggest fool ever.
 "The case involves a florist?" she asked, even though
 neither of them
knew it was true. Mulder laughed roughly and watched
her lean in to smell the roses.  "They're beautiful -
it's beautiful, Mulder, I don't know what to say."
 "Don't say anything," he said.  "Just listen."  He
 took the flowers from
her hands, not seeing the touched look her face, not
noticing that it turned bereft without her flowers. 
He set them aside and humbly went down on his knees in
front of her, his face open and vulnerable as he
strained his neck looking up at her.
 "Mulder, no," she murmured.
 "Scully, yes," he said, taking her hand in his.  From
 his pocket, he
produced a small box.  He opened it and she saw the
way the simple diamond ring caught the light. It
wasn't gaudy like the ties Mulder wore.  It was
understated.  That it matched her taste touched her. 
But for a moment she wished that it reflected more of
him.  But then, she didn't want an engagement ring
that came from a 25cent trinket machine.  She had no
doubts as to what it was.
 "Will you?" he asked.
 "Will I what?"  She was going to make him say it.
 "Marry me."  He slid the ring high up onto her
 finger. "Mulder, I just had the oddest sensation of
 deja vu." "Scully, I'm surprised that you believe in
 deja vu." "I don't, but if it indicates somehow that
 this is meant to be and that
this is going to be right..." she said.  "Get up."
 He shook his head stubbornly.  "Not until you
 answer." "You didn't have to do this.  Just because
 we fought..." "I didn't do this because we fought,"
 Mulder informed her. "I did this
because I love you."
 "Then I have to say yes, don't I?" she breathed
 lightly. His eyes turned dark.  "Don't be obligated,
 Scully." "I didn't mean it like that, *Mulder.*"
 "What does that mean?" he asked, and she saw that he
 was retreating. "Are you going to keep calling me
 Scully when we're married?" she
asked as charmingly as possible.
 "You'll have to say yes first," Mulder told her.
 "Yes!" she cried, and a moment later Mulder had flung
 both of his
arms around her neck and was hugging the life out of
her. "Yes yes yes yes yes!" she cried, and heard him
saying it too.  They clung together a moment. "Maybe
if my mother catches the bouquet at the wedding she'll
finally tell me the truth."
 "Are you ready to face Skinner as a stepfather?"
 Mulder asked. "Are you ready to have him as a
 stepfatherinlaw?" she shot back and
watched him cringe.  She laughed and he laughed too. 
"Well, at least I know you're not marrying me for the
baby's sake," she said lightly.
 "SCULLY?" Mulder cried, and she only laughed harder. 
 The shock on his face was priceless.  He gaped at her
 questioningly,
and she nodded with a grin.  "It's true.  It must have
been the night of the Christmas party."
 "But I thought -" he said.
 "Guess they were wrong," she said and he had never
 seen her so happy. 
"Or it's a miracle, Mulder. Our own little private
miracle."
 "I love you," he said.
 "I love you too," she replied.

xxx

End of part 34. Comments: jzyvarek@udel.edu,
eponine119@att.net

Disclaimer in part one.  For missing parts:
http://members.aol.com/shippergrl/truth.txt

Truth
Part 35
by Jessica Zvyarek Taylor & eponine119 
jzyvarek@udel.edu, eponine119@att.net


 She could feel the weight of the ring on her finger
 and it made
her unable to stop smiling.  Things had been so up in
the air with her and Mulder since the Christmas party,
but now, looking at the diamond ring, she was sure
things were finally going right.  

 "Scully?  You OK?"  He caught her hand, trying to
 read her face.

 "Yeah, I was just thinking.  We have to go tell my
 mom!"  She was
so excited, the knowledge of her engagement giving her
an inexhaustible source of energy.  She turned to
leave the office, blowing out as many candles as she
could on the way.  Mulder finished off the candles and
followed her to her car, letting her drive.  Her grin
widened when she saw that he expected them to take her
car.  Maybe old dogs could learn new tricks.

 The trip to her mother's seemed to take only a few
 short minutes,
but that was probably just because Mulder was holding
her hand the whole way.  Every time she looked over at
him, she saw him grinning back.  It was rather
distracting.  Regardless, they made it to Mrs.
Scully's house in one piece.  An unfamiliar car was in
the driveway and it made her heart skip a beat.

 "Did your mom buy a new car?"

 "Mulder, why would my mother buy a Crown Victoria? 
 She still has
the '72 wagon."  Scully tried to convince herself that
her mother simply needed a new car, but it wasn't
really working.

 "Scully, that car just seems really familiar." 
 Mulder didn't even
have to say what he was thinking because the Scully's
front door opened and two familiar figures were
visible in the light.  Scully was still staring at the
car.  "Uh, Scully?"

 She turned around, instantly seeing who was there,
 and her hand
went to her mouth.  "Oh, no."

 Mulder took hold of Scully's arm and prodded her onto
 the porch
and through the front door.  Skinner crossed his arms
and stood behind Maggie, though whether for protection
or support, Mulder couldn't tell. Maggie hugged both
Mulder and Scully, an awkward silence following
immediately as Mulder and Scully stared accusingly at
their boss.

 Mulder leaned over to Mrs. Scully, using his best
 stage whisper.
"I don't have to hug him, do I?"  

 Mrs.  Scully's laugh eased a little of the tension. 
 Skinner
extended his hand, instantly letting Mulder know that
he wasn't their boss in that situation, he was
Maggie's boyfriend.  Mulder shook the offered hand and
then went back to standing mutely next to Scully.  The
poor thing was still in too much of a state of shock
to speak.  It was Mrs. Scully again who came to the
uncomfortable group's rescue.  

 "Dana, I'm so, we're so glad you're here.  I have
 something I
wanted to tell you."  She took her daughter's arm and
led her into the living room, the two women sitting
next to each other on the couch.  The two abandoned
men looked at each other warily, not sure what to say.
Skinner waved his hand, as if to invite Mulder into
the living room as well, with a manner that seemed to
convey that he was at home and Mulder was the guest. 
It made a cold shiver run down Mulder's spine.  They
had just been joking in the office.  This wasn't
something they wanted to see.

 While they walked, Skinner spoke quietly enough that
 he wasn't
overheard.  "Was that a ring I saw on Dana's finger?"

 Fear shot through Mulder; his heart stopped beating
 for a second
and he could just about hear the words 'you're fired.'
 He wasn't sure what to say.  "Wouldn't Agent Scully
be more appropriate?"  He crossed his fingers and
prayed.

 "Not under the circumstances."  With those mysterious
 words,
Skinner settled on the couch beside Maggie at the same
time Mulder sat beside Scully.  There wasn't enough
room on the couch for four people, though, and both
Skinner and Mulder chose to vacate their seats in
favor of two chairs on opposite ends of the room.

 When everyone was settled, Maggie smiled brightly and
 reached out
to take Skinner's hand.  The thought of Skinner
holding hands with anyone made Mulder want to laugh,
so he turned his eyes to the carpet and left them
there.  Maggie cleared her throat.  "I have an
announcement to make." Scully looked to Mulder for
support, but he was still staring at the floor. 
"Actually, I have two."  Mulder dared to glance up,
taking in Scully terrified expression, Maggie's
gleeful face, and Skinner's apprehensive glare in one
shot and then looking back at the floor. "Walter and I
have decided to get married."  An odd sense of deja vu
coursed through Scully's veins, and she met Mulder's
eye, knowing he was feeling it too.  Neither said a
word.  Maggie looked to Skinner, he shrugged, and she
continued.  "I'm also expecting a baby."

 Scully uttered a small frightened squeak and Mulder
 could only
describe her expression as comically homicidal. 
Mulder decided that he could speak for the pair. 
"Congratulations.  On both accounts."  He glanced at
Scully, seeking permission.  He saw nothing
identifiable, probably because she was thinking of
going on an ax murdering spree, sparing her mother's
and partner's lives, but taking out the rest of the
east coast.  Or maybe just Washington.  She couldn't
decide.  The more people she killed, she figured, the
easier it would be to plead temporary insanity.  She
could easily envision explaining to the judge that
she'd found out her boss was about to become her
stepfather and that her own child would be older than
one of her siblings.  She started to giggle while she
thought about the looks on the faces of the people in
the court room as she told her story, especially that
of her lawyer.  Maybe she should defend herself, one
more log for the fire.  Her laughter developed into a
sort of hiccuping snicker as she tried to stop it.

 Mulder decided that he'd better say it before Scully
 got herself
committed.  "Mrs. Scully,"  She opened her mouth to
protest.  "Maggie, um, Sir,"  Again, Maggie opened her
mouth to protest and again Skinner shrugged.  "um, er,
eh, Walter,"  Scully's snickering grew a little in
volume.  

 "Dad!"  She blurted out happily, her face red from
 the suppressed
laughter.  Mulder won the fight against laughing
himself, and tried to continue.

 "Actually, in light of both of our announcements, I
 guess I can
call you dad now too."  Maggie gasped excitedly.

 "You can both call me Walter."  

 The room lapsed into an uncomfortable quiet, broken
 only by
Scully's snicker.  Mulder tried to determine if it was
safe to speak. Scully spoke up instead.

 "What about Wally?"  

 Everyone turned to look at her, her shoulders shaking
 violently,
tears running down her face.  She immediately stopped
laughing.  She glanced at Mulder, once the other pair
had turned away.  She somehow found the strength not
to suggest 'Waldo.'

 Mulder cleared his throat again, waging a silent
 battle with
Scully, daring her to make another comment.  She
didn't.  "I've asked Dana to marry me."  Skinner stood
up, again offering his hand to Mulder, this time in
mutual congratulations.  Maggie stood as well, pulling
on Mulder's arm until she was able to plant a kiss on
his cheek.  "And we're also expecting a child." 
Skinner smiled, seemingly happy.  Mulder looked to
Maggie.

 Maggie reached out and smacked Scully right across
 the face.
"Dana Katherine Scully!  You're Catholic!"

 Scully's hand went to her cheek, jumping to her feet
 and frowning
in defiance.  "And you of all people have the right to
speak."

 Maggie looked embarrassed for a moment.  Then she
 spoke quietly.
"I've already been married."

 Scully's jaw dropped open in disbelief.  "Oh, is that
 how it
works?"  She couldn't believe she was getting a talk
on morals in front of her partner and boss from her
pregnant mother who was marrying a man a little more
than half her age.  Scully grabbed Mulder's wrist,
tugging him along behind her.  "Let's go."

 Scully pulled open the door and stopped short when
 she saw the
woman on the step.  "Can I help you?"

 "Dana?"  Why did that woman's voice sound familiar? 
 "Dana, it's
me!"

 She looked again.  "Charlie?"  The woman grinned,
 letting Scully
get a good glimpse of the tooth Charlie'd knocked out
playing hockey with her.

 "It's Annie, now."

 "AAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"  She screamed
as loud and as
long and as hard as she could.  Nothing changed.  Then
she closed her eyes and did it again.

 She felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her.  Her
 eyes opened to
darkness and a familiar voice calling her name.  

 "Dana?  Dana, are you OK?  Wake up."  Dana blinked a
 couple
hundred times looking up at her brother's worried,
lipstick smeared face.  

 "Charlie?"

 "Should I get mom?"

 Dana looked at her brother, his stocky legs covered
 with
pantyhose, his eyes lined with make up, their mother's
heels about three sizes too big.  "Mom is going to
kill you when she sees you!"

 Charlie grinned, his teeth all wonderfully intact. 
 "It's not
mom's.  It's Missy's!"  Her brother hobbled away,
happily adjusting his skirt as he went.

 Dana turned on her lamp and reached over to extract
 her notebook
from under her bed.  She had to write down her dream. 
She hadn't heard from her penpal in a while, but there
was no way she could ignore the crazy dream.  It took
her an hour to write it all down, but when she was
done, it still seemed fresh in her mind.  She took out
an envelope from the brand new box of stationary she'd
gotten for her ninth birthday and addressed it:  To
Miss Samantha Mulder.  She paused for a moment as she
wrote the name, her heart seeming to soar as she wrote
the last name.  A weird feeling overcame her
momentarily, almost as if she'd been there before. 
She shrugged and turned off her light, pulling the
covers back up and trying to fall back asleep.

****

 Agent Fox Mulder put the lid back on the box in his
 closet,
feeling as dejected as always whenever he looked
through Samantha's letters.  The woman who was being
assigned to work with him, the spy they were sending
down to him, was named Dana Scully.  He'd done all the
research he possibly could on her, still convinced
that she wasn't for real, and still unsure as to why
he knew her name.  All the letters were signed 'Dani,'
but there was no last name and he was left wondering. 
He'd looked at the letters a hundred times, skimmed
the content of most them too, but he'd never read
them.  It didn't seem right to go through his sister's
things.  But the last letter in the box, the last one
that ever came, had been sent a few months after
Samantha had disappeared.  It hadn't been opened until
that night.

 He'd smiled as he read it, amazed at the mention of
 his own name
and the detailed account of his personality, which at
the time the letter was written, was completely
different.  And it had been signed Dana Scully. 

 He had no doubt that it was the same red haired angel
 from his
dreams.  The same woman he'd met years earlier at an
FBI function when she'd only been in college.  She was
so young and beautiful, but still so mature and
friendly.  They'd instantly felt the connection, but
for whatever reasons, hadn't exchaged names or
numbers.  He'd spent years knowing she was the woman
of his dreams, wondering how he'd let her slip through
his fingers, praying he'd get another chance.  Now it
seemed his dreams were about to all come true.

 Maybe it was just meant to be.  He smiled, laying
 back on his
couch to sleep, hoping he'd dream of her one last time
before she appeared at his side.

THE END!!!!!

Congratulations, you've read the whole thing.
Hopefully you laughed and maybe you cried.  We just
want to say again the cliches were all intentional -
every last one - and written with love.

Now that you made it to the end, why not send us some
comments?  Did we miss your favorite cliche?  Did you
fall to the floor laughing?  Tell us!

eponine119  & Jessica
eponine119@att.net, jzyvarek@udel.edu