From: "Voet" <voet@tanja-myrna.demon.nl>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 20:02:30 +0100
Subject: New story
Source: direct

Title:  A Twist In Time
Authors: Tanja Voet and Joey R.
E-mail: Tanja: voet@tanja-myrna.demon.nl Joey:
Joey@ram32.freeserve.co.uk
Rating: PG/PG-13ish.
Category: MSR, alternate universe.
Disclaimer: Not ours. CC, 1013 and Fox own them. If we did, we'd be
rich but we 
don't so we're not.
Spoilers: Fire, The End, Triangle
Summary: Time can be unstable and can twist and turn, taking you to
places in the past 
you never thought you'd go, taking you to a past that will change the
future....

Authors notes: Joey: Yippee!!!!! Wow!!! Our fifth story together!!!  Cool!
Thanks, Tanja. You're a brilliant friend and an excellent co-writer -
Thank you! Thank you to everyone who's supported us too. We both really
appreciate it. 

Author's notes: Tanja: Hi Joey! Wow it really is our fifth story together,
who would have thought that when we started with our first story :)! I
hope it won't be our last either. Thanks for being a wonderful friend and
the best co-writer I could ask for. Also a big thank you to all the people
who have given us wonderful reactions, that's what keeps us going. Thanks
everybody! I hope everybody likes this story too. 

A Twist In Time (1/6) 

It was an ordinary Monday night with one exception. Fox Mulder hadn't been
to work and hadn't come home to his apartment at the insistence of his
partner, like he usually did. Mulder hadn't been to work. 

He saw no point, his partner and best friend had taken the week off and he
had decided to take the time off too. Partly because he couldn't stand to
be in the office about her when all he would be thinking about was her,
partly because he had been ordered to by his superior, AD Walter Skinner. 

So now, after a day at home thinking about Scully, he was spending the
night lying on his couch, again thinking about Scully. Recently, she was
all he could think about, all of the time. It wasn't..unexpected but it
still surprised Mulder how time could fly when he was thinking about her. 

It wasn't just thinking about her, he was thinking about his feelings for
her and how they'd changed. They'd changed during the years they'd spent
together. They'd changed a lot. At the beginning, he'd been wary of her.
He had been so sure she was a spy, which she was originally assigned to
be. But she hadn't tried to ruin him or his career more so than he already
had himself. She had been fair and had turned into a friend, a partner.
He'd begun to trust her and they'd become friends. As the years went on,
his feelings for her grew stronger and so did the attraction he felt for
her. Now he was certain he wouldn't be able to deny his feelings for her
were just friendly feelings. He knew they were more than friendly
feelings, much stronger feelings. 

At first, he' mistaken his love for her as brotherly love. He'd thought he
was seeing her as a sister, almost a replacement for Samantha. Then he'd
begun to have dreams and thoughts of the non-platonic kind. It was then he
realized he didn't just love her, he was in love with her.

Mulder sighed and closed his eyes, running a hand through his hair. It was
getting more and more difficult to hide. He wanted to tell her so badly..
he was just afraid. Afraid of what it would do to their relationship,
afraid of how she's act to it.

He didn't know how she felt about him. That was the main problem. He knew
she loved him but he didn't know whether she loved him as a friend, a
partner or as another big brother, only one she got a long with a lot
better. He wanted to know but he didn't want to know. He was scared to
tell her in case the feelings weren't mutual, but then if he didn't tell
her, how would he ever know? 

Mulder sighed again. He forced his mind to stop thinking about her, which
wasn't an easy thing to do. He didn't know how long he'd been lying there,
thinking about her. All he knew was that he was suddenly very tired and
the thoughts of going to sleep and getting lost in his dreams was very
appealing.... 

Slowly but gradually, he fell asleep and slipped into a dream world, a
very different world. 

SAME TIME, SCULLY'S APARTMENT.  

It was supposed to be the beginning of her holiday. She was supposed to be
relaxing and getting her mind off work and everything to do with work.
That was a little hard to do when you were in love with your extremely
attractive business partner and best friend.

She'd spent the day with her mother, getting the third degree off her
mother for not having told Mulder how she felt about him yet. She got the
third degree every time she went out with her Mom recently, as well as her
Mom's version of a hundred questions - all centering around Mulder, of
course. She'd avoided answering as many of her mother's embarrassing
questions as possible which was hard, Mrs.  Scully wasn't one to let a
subject be dropped or changed easily. 

Eventually, Scully had managed to excuse herself which was how she ended
up in her apartment with a tub of ice cream for her supper. The rational
and health conscious side of her told her it wasn't very healthy or
nutritious but after spending a day being grilled about a subject she'd
desperately been trying not to think about, Scully told herself it was her
holiday and she could do what she wanted. 

Half an hour later, she regretted the decision and vowed to get along to
her local gym sometime in her holiday to burn off the calories she'd
gained by giving into temptation. She showered and changed for bed and
that was where she was now. Lying in bed, in the dark, staring up at the
ceiling, trying and failing to get a certain Fox Mulder out of her mind. 

It wasn't fair. She loved him, she knew she loved him, with her whole
heart. The only problem was he was her business partner and best friend
and she wasn't supposed to love him. She had told herself that from day
one but it was hopeless, a few cases later and she was hooked. She loved
him, she had fallen in love with him. No one else would even compare, in
her mind and in her heart, to Fox Mulder. 

She just wasn't prepared to accept that. Well, at the beginning. Now,
after six years, she had accepted it and the thought depressed her. She
thought there was no way he could love her as much as she loved him. There
was absolutely no way. 

After all, Scully wasn't Mulder's type - at least not in her eyes.  Mulder
went for long-legged blondes or brunettes, not short-legged red
haired-partners.  She didn't have long legs like Phoebe Green or Diana
Fowley and she, in her eyes, wasn't up to the standards set by those woman
featured in the magazine Mulder read that weren't really his.

Scully sighed and snuggled deeper into her bed. She hated it when she got
onto one of her 'thought trains' about Mulder. She found it hard to get
off.  Once she got over the depressing thoughts that she wasn't his type
and he only had brotherly feelings for her, she allowed herself to dream
and hope.

And her dreams always went back to the time when she was given reason to
hope, the time Mulder had said the words she'd longed to hear - " I love
you." 

Of course, in the morning after her dreams had been pushed to the back of
her mind, she was always reminded by some spiteful part of her brain that
he had been heavily medicated when he'd said it. Unless the medication had
worn off and he'd really meant it but then she'd ignored it which-- Scully
shook her head to stop the thoughts from going any further. It wasn't what
she wanted, she didn't want to be reminded of something she tried so hard
to hide and forget. 

Sure, she loved Mulder. But he was her business partner and her best
friend. That was all. For now, anyway. Her hopes and her dreams would get
her by until she worked up her courage and decided to tell Mulder how she
felt. Then, if he did feel the same way, she'd have more than just dreams
to see her through. And if he didn't...If he didn't, Scully would find a
way to get by. She always did. After all, she wasn't a teenager and
although she'd never had her heart broken as much as she was sure it would
brake if Mulder didn't feel the same way, she would get through it. She
still had her independence and her pride. As long as she had Mulder's
friendship, she would be okay. 

With another sigh, she closed her eyes and settled herself into a
comfortable position. Then she felt her body feel heavy and resisted the
urge to sleep no longer. She fell asleep and slipped into a dream world, a
very different world from the world she was used to being in......... 

End Of Part One. 

A Twist In Time (2/6)
MORNING, MULDER ESTATE.

Birds singing and sunlight blazing through the window woke Mulder. He
stirred and stretched over the comfortable big bed.

Bed? Mulder opened his eyes. He found himself staring up at the ceiling of
a room that was not his living room. He sat up and looked around. He felt
some relief when he realized the bedroom looked as though only he'd spent
the night in it.  That was a huge relief, he didn't want to have to
explain to Scully how he woke up in someone else's bed with no memory of
how he got there. She'd be annoyed, thinking he'd drank too much and had a
one night stand with someone he didn't even know. 

Mulder got up and out of bed, confused at how he'd gone from falling
asleep on his couch in his own apartment to being in a spectacularly
decorated bedroom, complete with antique furniture.

Mulder frowned and examined the furniture. The desk didn't look like an
antique, it looked brand new. The only problem was he recognized it as
being a style of desk common in the 1950's...He shook his head as a
thought washed over him - what if he had been taken back in time again? He
pushed that thought away, telling himself that he had been in his
apartment, not somewhere in the Bermuda triangle. 

He opened the curtains and found himself looking over a magnificent
garden. There was a section fenced off where herbs and vegetables grew and
then there were various flower arrangements and gravel paths crossing and
going in every direction. At the end of the garden, by the big iron gates,
were some huge trees and, as far as Mulder could tell from where he was
there was a stream running through the garden, too. 

His frown deepened and he looked round for his clothes. Seeing none, he
went to the wardrobe and pulled out a suit. Luckily, it was his size so he
slipped it on. Before he could reach for the door handle and see where he
was, the door opened and a small, gray-haired man walked into the room in
what appeared to be a butler's uniform. 

" Good morning, Master Fox," the butler bowed graciously. Mulder found he
couldn't speak, he just stood and stared him. " What, may I ask, are you
planning to do today?" 

" I..I'm not sure," Mulder answered, trying to keep his confusion from
becoming evident. " What..What would you suggest?" 

" Your father is joining your Uncle and Master Elliot at noon to discuss
the arrangements. May I suggest it would be wise of you to attend, Sir?" 
The butler told him, looking very serious. 

" Arrangements for what?" Mulder asked. 

" Arrangements for Master Elliot's wedding, Sir," the butler answered. "
Are you feeling all right, Sir?" 

" Yes, thank you," Mulder lied. The he gave the butler a curious glance. "
May I ask what year it is?" 

" Why, of course, Sir. It's 1952, Sir," the butler answered, obviously
trying to keep a look of surprise from his features. " Are you certain you
are well, Master Fox?" 

" Yes, yes," Mulder nodded, trying to make sense of it. Trying to come up
with an explanation. " I'm fine." 

" Very well, Sir," the butler nodded. " If you require anything else, do
not hesitate to call for me." 

With that, the butler left and Mulder sat down on the bed - apparently his
bed - with a sigh. What was going on here? He was in the 1950's and
apparently had a life and a family. This was different to the last time,
the time he'd gone back to 1939. There he'd been a stranger, someone with
no identity or role to play. This time he did. 

And it got stranger. He did have a cousin called Elliot, in the 1990's.
They hated each other, Elliot was a stuck-up womanizer who got everything
he wanted and thought he was God's gift to women. Mulder hoped this Elliot
wasn't like that but then again, according to the butler, Elliot was
getting married soon. Maybe something's never changed. 

With another sigh, Mulder stood and decided to play along - until he found
out why he was here and how he could get home again, to Scully. A smile
played with his lips at the thought of Scully, she would never believe
him. He could just imagine her expression when he told her. It was that
thought that gave Mulder hope and gave him the determination to get
through this. 

SAME TIME, NEAR THE MULDER ESTATE.  Scully awoke when the door to her
bedroom opened. A timid looking chamber maid entered and moved over to the
bed. Scully groaned and closed her eyes.  She must be still dreaming. 

" Miss. Dana," the woman was softly spoken. " Miss, it's time to get up.
Master Warren and the ma'am want to see you in the parlor." 

At that, Scully opened her eyes. Her uncle was called Warren. She sat up
and looked around the room. It was huge, it wasn't her bedroom. Where was
she? 

" I.. Where am I?" Scully asked the maid as she drew back the curtains. "
Who are you?" 

At that, the maid turned and looked at her, an expression that was a
mixture of concern and alarm on her pretty face. She moved over to
Scully's side and stood looking at her. 

" Miss Dana, are you feeling okay?" She asked. " You're in your room, your
Uncle and Aunt are down in the parlor waiting. If you'd like for me to
fetch them, I will.." 

" No," Scully shook her head. " No, that's okay. I'll be fine.  I'm just a
little sleepy."  She decided to go along with it, with whatever was going
on. She didn't have a clue where she was but she was sure her Uncle would
answer her questions.  He'd always been nice to her, it was her Aunt, Aunt
Rachel, that she wanted to avoid. She'd never liked her. 

" You better hurry, Miss Dana," the maid said, the concern leaving her
voice. " Master Warren has something important to tell you." 

" Okay," Scully nodded and got out of bed. She looked down at herself and
found herself in a lacy night dress, not the pajamas she'd put on the
night before. She shook her head and headed over to the wardrobe to see
what she could wear. 

To her surprise, there were only beautiful dresses she would have chosen
as evening wear. Unless she was back in the '50's where these dresses were
the latest trend....She shook her head again and smiled in spite of
herself. It sounded like something Mulder would have said, if he was here. 

With another sigh, she chose a pale lemon dress and slipped it on. It was
a light material and a perfect fit. It was soft and perfectly suited to
her colorings. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that it
was the kind of dress she would have picked out for herself. 

Before she made her way down to the parlor, wherever that was, she looked
out of her bedroom window. There was a huge garden. A very beautiful
garden, a garden that was beautiful beyond her dreams. She had never seen
anything like it. So many beautiful flowers, a stream, some trees, acres
of green grass...... 

She forced herself out of day dream mode and straightened her back. 
Wherever she was, she got the feeling she didn't want to stay there and in
order to leave, she had to find out how she got here. 

End of Part Two. 

A Twist In Time (3/6)

Luckily, Scully quickly found the parlor. She smiled a small, polite smile
at her 'Uncle' and 'Aunt' and sat down when they indicated for her to. She
sat opposite them and was soon served by the same maid who'd awakened her.
She sipped her cup of tea as she was spoken to.

" Sarah mentioned you weren't feeling well this morning, Dana,"  her
apparent Uncle Warren spoke up. " How are you now you're up and dressed?" 

" I'm fine, thank you," Scully answered politely. She knew something was
wrong, it was too different. Her Uncle and Aunt weren't rich, they didn't
own this huge house and where was her mother? " Where's my Mom?" 

" Dana.." Warren looked from Scully to his wife, Rachel. " You parent's
died before the war, don't you remember? You live with us now." 

" Where's Bill and Charles?" Scully asked, not understanding and feeling
very uncomfortable and very alone. 

" Bill's married and Charles didn't come back from France," Aunt Rachel
told her bluntly. " Stop playing about, Dana. You're not a child anymore,
we haven't got time for fun and games. There are matters of great
importance that we must discuss with you, am I right, Darling?" 

" You are, my love," Warren sighed. " We need to discuss the wedding,
Dana. Young Elliot has decided not to wait any longer and has set the date
for next week." 

" What wedding?" Scully looked confused. " I don't understand." 

" You're wedding," Rachel sighed dramatically. " Come along now, Dana. We
all know it's been on the cards for a while. You're lucky to have caught
the eye of such a fine young man. Rich, too." Rachel sipped her tea. " Now
we have to make arrangements. Firstly, we have to send a message over to
the Mulder's and tell them we consent. Then you'll be required to go with
Master Elliot to the town and announce the engagement officially. Oh, and
you'll have to come up with a reason for why things are progressing so
quickly. Something like 'why wait when you're in love' or something like
that." 

" What? I...Mulder? I don't understand," Scully narrowed her eyes.  "
Elliot Mulder? I don't know him!" 

" We know you've only met once or twice, Dana," Rachel looked at her
pointedly. " But I'm sure you'll get to know him after the wedding. After
all, he is expecting you to be with child by the end of the year." 

" Uncle Warren..." Scully looked to him for help. She could see in his
eyes that he felt for her and that he wasn't too thrilled about the
situation wither but something in the way he took her hand and squeezed it
apologetically, reassuringly told her that there was nothing he could do
about it. 

" I'm sorry, Dana. It's been arranged, there's nothing we can do about
it," he told her.  " I will give you away and Master Elliot has chosen his
cousin Fox to be his best man. There's nothing you can do to stop it." 

" Fox? " Scully's eyes lit up. " Fox Mulder?" 

" Yes," Rachel nodded and then narrowed her eyes. " Don't get any ideas,
Dana. It's Elliot you're marrying and that troublesome cousin of his won't
be able to help you get out of it." 

Scully stood, her heart pounding in her chest. Something was defiantly
wrong. This was so..so old fashioned! Arranged marriages didn't take place
anymore, at least not in America. And to Mulder's cousin? Some guy she'd
never even heard of before? She spun on her heel and fled, not wanting to
look into her Aunt's triumphant and sickening expression anymore. She ran
out of the house and across the garden that had somehow lost it's
appealing beauty. 

She had to get away, she had to run. Maybe this Fox Mulder would turn out
to be her Fox Mulder. Then she'd be okay. He'd help her, wouldn't he? 

The only problem was Scully didn't know where to begin to look. She got to
the gate and ran along the road, heading into town and unknowingly further
away from Fox Mulder. 

SAME TIME, MULDER ESTATE.

Mulder waited to be called into the study. For some reason, he felt
nervous. As if there was something even more wrong than he'd first
thought. With a sigh, he pushed the thoughts away. It would be okay, he
just had to play along until he figured out how to get back to the 1990's,
to Scully. 

" Fox," it was his father's voice, he'd recognize it anywhere.  Pasting a
smile on his face, he turned and stared face-to-face with his father or at
least a man who looked exactly like his father. Bill Mulder smiled. " I'm
glad you decided to join us, being best man is a big responsibility.
You'll need to be filled in on all the details." 

Bill Mulder clapped his son on the back and led him through to the study
where Mulder's Uncle and cousin were, looking exactly like the people he
knew from his life, his ordinary life. 

" Uncle Bill, Fox," Elliot Mulder stood and shook their hands. "  I'd like
to thank you for your help. This wedding has to be perfect." 

" It will be, son," Bill smiled confidently. " All we need is for your
wife-to-be to turn up looking radiant, which I'm sure she will, and then
the wedding will be flawless." 

" Thank you, Uncle," Elliot grinned, his eyes still holding the arrogant
gleam Mulder recognized from the Elliot he knew and Mulder instantly felt
sorry for his cousin's soon-to-be wife. " I have to admit, I am a bit
nervous. We only have one week to make all the arrangements." 

" A week? She's that eager to marry you?" Bill joked. 

" Actually, she's yet to be told," Mulder's Uncle James spoke up. " Rachel
was going to take care of that today." 

" I'm sure she'll be thrilled," Bill assured Elliot. Elliot's confident
grin made Mulder feel sick. 

" She should be," Elliot nodded. " After all, she's a very beautiful young
woman but many have been put off by her.... character flaw." 

" Character flaw?" Mulder raised an eyebrow, looking doubtful. "  You mean
she's immune to your charms?" 

" She's...She's rich but she doesn't act like it. She acts too much like a
middle-class person for some men's tastes," Elliot retorted. " I've only
spoken to her once or twice, she seems..friendly enough." 

" You don't know who she is, do you, Fox?" James Mulder looked surprised.

" Here's a picture," Elliot handed Mulder a black and white photograph as
the telephone rang. Bill Mulder excused himself and went to answer it. 

Mulder looked at the picture and only just managed to keep his jaw from
dropping. In the picture, smiling at her mother, was Dana Scully. And she
looked as beautiful as ever. He looked up and saw Elliot grinning at him
and knew Scully would never willingly marry his cousin, whether it was
Scully from the 1950's or Scully from the 1990's. 

The door opened and his father walked in, looking as white as a sheet. 
Instantly, Mulder was on his feet. 

" That was Rachel Scully," Bill told them. " Dana...She's run away.
Apparently she took the news badly and left. Their searching for her now."
Mulder started to walk towards the door. " Fox, where do you think you're
going?" 

" I'm going to find Dana," was all Mulder said before he left the room and
headed towards the town. 

End of Part Three.

A twist in time (4/6)

Scully ran, no idea where she was going. She only knew that she had to get
away, she didn't want to get married to somebody she didn't know, somebody
she had never met, somebody who wasn't Mulder. 

She wondered how she had even got here in the first place. The last thing
she remembered was falling asleep, thinking of Mulder. The next thing she
knew was waking up in a place and time she didn't know. 

Being surrounded by strange people, who were supposed to be her family. 
Being told that her parents were dead, that she was going to marry some
rich stranger, who was Mulder's cousin. 

Dreams had turned into a nightmare and she had no idea how to get back. 
So she just kept running, hoping that somehow she would find the way back
again. She was so lost in her thoughts, so busy with getting away, that
she didn't realize where she was going. Suddenly she bumped into somebody,
hard. 

"Hey!" she yelled. 

"Hey, watch where you're going!" The other person yelled at the same time. 
Then they looked up, recognizing a familiar voice. 

"Dana?" Mulder asked, hesitantly. 

"Mulder?" she asked in disbelief. He had recognized her, but was that from
a picture his cousin had shown him, or was it because they knew each other
in the future? She was worried that it would be the first, what if he had
just recognized her because of a picture, Mulder never used her first name
after all. 

"Are you all right Scully?" he asked and that's when she knew he didn't
just recognize her from a picture. Somehow they were both stuck in the
same nightmare, it was as if they had gone back into time or something
like that, but how could that have happened? Traveling in time wasn't
possible, or was it? 

"I'm fine Mulder, but how did we get here?" 

"I have no idea," he answered in honesty. "The last thing I remember is
falling asleep on my couch and when I woke up this morning I was suddenly
here." 

"Me, too," she answered. They had no idea what they were going to do now,
but at least they were in this together. Scully knew that together they
would be able to get out of here. 

"What are we going to do now?" Mulder asked, talking to himself, but also
as a question to her. 

She looked at him "I don't know Mulder, I'm still trying to figure out why
we ended up here in the first place." 

Mulder remembered the plans his cousin had to marry his partner, his
Scully. That's when an idea struck him, the idea was weird, but it was the
only reason he could think of, for them being here. "Scully, I know this
is going to sound really weird, but what if..." he hesitated for a moment,
before he continued "what if we are here, because we have to prevent all
this" He waited expectantly for her reaction. 

"Prevent what?" she wanted to know. 

"Your marriage to Elliot." 

"But why? Why would we have to do that?" 

"Because if we don't, it might change the future. Our future." 

"Our future?" she echoed dumbfounded. She was completely lost in the dark,
no idea where he was going. 

He sighed, he was also just guessing, trying to find an explanation, and
this was the only thing he could come up with right now. "Look Scully, I
know this sounds strange, but what if I'm right? What if we're here
because we have to prevent that a change in the past changes our future?
It could be possible. If you marry Elliot, you will get a family together
and if that happens, we will never ..." he paused, knowing that what he
was going to say now would change everything, for good. But he had to
finish now, she was waiting expectantly."Be together" he finished, almost
in a whisper, not daring to look at her. 

When he finally did look up, he was surprised by what he saw. The look on
her face was a combination of disbelief, confusion, love and fear. A look
that mirrored his own feelings perfectly. He had always dreamed of telling
Scully he loved her, but had always thought he would never actually tell
her. Actually he hadn't said the exact words, he had just suggested that
maybe they would be together in the future, but of course that had been
more than enough. 

Scully was doing some thinking too. She had always dreamed of hearing
Mulder say he loved her, or her telling him she was in love with him. 
Never had she expected it to happen one day. Never had she expected it to
happen like this. She knew he hadn't said "I love you", but the words
"being together" had the same meaning. Mulder was right, if she would
marry Elliot it would change the future and that would mean that she and
Mulder would never be together, they might never meet, maybe they wouldn't
even exist.  She wanted to talk to Mulder about all she had just found
out, their feelings, their love, but she also knew that right now their
first concern was preventing the marriage, otherwise it wouldn't even be
necessary anymore to talk about feelings and love. 

Mulder spoke first. "We have to stop this. We have to prevent the
marriage,"  he said. 

"Yes, but how?" she had no idea how they would be able to prevent it from
happening. 

"There's only one option," he said slowly. 

"And that would be?" 

"We have to get married." 

End of part 4

A twist in time (5/6) 

Scully's jaw dropped when he said it. She just stood there. Staring at him
with her mouth open, not saying a word. 

"Scully?" Mulder asked hesitantly, waving his hand in front of her face. 

Realizing he was waiting for a reaction, she came back to reality. Her
brains had gone blank when he had mentioned the words "married" and "we" 
in one sentence. 

"Yeah?" she choked out. 

"Well?" 

"Well what?" she was already glad that she had found back her ability to
speak, thinking was still a little bit difficult. 

"What do you think of my idea? I think it's the only option." 

"I..., I think you're right" she answered. 

"You do?" the answer seemed to surprise him, but he also knew she realized
this was the only solution. 

"Yes, but where? And how, I mean I'm supposed to get married to Elliot
next week. We'll never have enough time to ..." 

He interrupted her "We will have to do it tonight. We'll find a place, I
promise." After that they left town, on the search for somebody who could
get them married, both trying to forget about their feelings for a while. 

LATER THAT NIGHT

They had walked for what seemed hours, in the end finally reaching another
town, where nobody knew them, with a church. Before they entered the
church, Mulder grabbed Scully's hand. She looked surprised for a moment,
then smiled at him. A priest walked towards them, asking how he could help
them. 

"We want to get married." Mulder answered. 

"Right now?" The priest asked in surprise. He looked at Scully's stomach,
to see if there would be a reason for these two people to get married in
such a hurry. 

"Yes, if that's possible?" Mulder asked. 

"Yes, of course, one moment please." The priest quickly walked away to
arrange some things. 

Mulder turned to look at Scully, who seemed really nervous. "Are you
really sure about this?" He wanted to know. 

"Do we have a choice?" She tried to joke, but failed miserably. 

"Not really, but I promise, everything is going to be all right." 

"I hope so," she mumbled. "I sure hope so" At that moment the priest was
back.  The ceremony was over before they knew it. The traditional "I take
the to be my lawful wedded wife and I take the to be my lawful wedded
husband"  were spoken, followed by "You may kiss the bride" 

They looked at each other in shock, that's one thing they hadn't realized. 
They would have to kiss. For a good 10 seconds they just stood there,
staring at each other, before Mulder slowly leaned down, closing his lips
over hers, kissing her tenderly. Both surprised by this new feeling, not
wanting to let go of each other, they just stood there, kissing. 

"Ahem." 

They jumped apart, embarrassed when they realized they were still in
church, the priest standing there, waiting patiently until they would let
go of each other. Quickly thanking the priest, they left. Once outside, it
took them a few minutes to get back to reality, but once they did, they
knew what they had to do. Go tell their family, hoping for the best, but
fearing the worst. 

A FEW HOURS LATER

On their way back, they had discussed who's family they were going to tell
first. It was not like telling one of them before the other would be
better.  Both families would be shocked and angry, by what they had done,
but together they would get through it. In the end they had decided to go
tell Mulder's family first, because it was Elliot who she would have
married otherwise. 

Arriving at the Mulder's residence, Scully suddenly got scared. She
grabbed Mulder's hand, he looked at her and smiled reassuringly.  "Don't
worry everything's going to be all right" 

He pulled her with him into the house, still holding her hand. The butler
came walking towards him. "Master Fox, your father has been looking for
you."  He looked at Scully curiously, wondering who she was. 

"Where is he?" Mulder asked, ignoring the looks the butler shot into
Scully's direction. 

"In the library, with Master James and Master Elliot, please follow me." 
The butler led them to the library. 

Opening the door he introduced them "Sir, Master Fox's here, with
Miss...."  he looked at Scully, realizing he didn't know her name. 

"Scully, Dana Scully," she finished for him. 

Hearing that name, three heads turned into their direction. They looked at
the two young people in surprise, Bill Mulder reacted first. "You found
her,"  he said to his son. 

"Good, welcome Miss Scully. Please take a seat." He motioned to one of the
chairs in the library. But Scully didn't plan on taking a seat at all, she
was perfectly fine where she was right now, standing next to Mulder, who
was holding her hand tightly in his. 

Bill Mulder looked surprised when she refused his offer and only stood
more closer to his son. "Fox?" he asked, not knowing what to expect. 

Mulder knew what he had to do, bad news would not become good news, if
they would wait longer. He turned into Elliot's direction, taking a deep
breath he said "She won't marry you Elliot." 

There, he had said it, there was no taking it back now. Everybody looked
at Scully in shock. 

His father spoke first. "Of course she will Fox, everything has been
arranged." 

"She won't," Mulder said again, more firmly this time. 

"Give me one good reason she wouldn't." 

"She won't marry Elliot, because she's already married." 

"To whom?" 

"To me" 

There was a deadly silence, then Elliot jumped up in anger, ready to
attack his cousin "You what??!!?? You bastard, you...." before he could
actually hit Mulder, he was stopped by his father and Uncle. 

Bill Mulder just looked at his son furiously "Fox I don't know what the
hell got into you, but if this is one of your stupid jokes..." 

"It isn't," Mulder said calmly. 

"Then please leave this house immediately. I have no idea what made you do
this, but you're no longer welcome in this house or in this family." 

"Dad...." Mulder tried, but his father didn't react, all he said was
"Leave" 

Mulder turned to Scully "Let's go Dana, we're obviously not welcome here." 
Before he left the room, he looked at his family one last time, and left. 

Leaving a house and a family he didn't even know that well, Mulder said to
Scully "Well that went well didn't it?" 

She didn't react to that, just looked at him worried "Mulder you do
realize you'll never see your family again, do you?" 

"It's not like I knew them that well, anyway," he answered. "Come on, we
have to go tell your family the good news, although I'm sure they've
already been informed, by the time we get there." 

He was right, by the time they arrived at the house of Scully's Uncle
Warren and Aunt Rachel, the door flew open and they were awaited by a
furious Aunt Rachel. 

"Are you out of your mind!" she yelled, before they even entered the
house. 

"Aunt Rachel, I..." Scully tried, but she didn't get much of a chance,
because her Uncle came walking to them. He also looked angry, although not
as angry as his wife. 

"Dana," he nodded and then, looking at Mulder "Master Fox I suppose?" 
Mulder nodded. 

"Why did you do this Dana?" her Uncle asked her softly, interrupted by his
wife "Because she always knows how to ruin things." One look of her
husband stopped her from saying more. 

"I'm sorry Uncle Warren, I...." she didn't know how to explain, looking at
Mulder for help. 

"We love each other, Sir," Mulder said, more calmly than he actually was. 

Warren's eyes softened, Dana had always been one of his favorite nieces,
he saw her as his own daughter and he could see these two really loved
each other and he would accept their marriage, but he knew his wife never
would.  And no matter how much he loved his niece, he was still married to
Rachel, this would ruin their family name, and that's why he would never
be able to say the words he wanted to say out loud. 

He looked at them in regret "I'm sorry Dana, you know I..." he didn't know
what to say, but he didn't have to, she already understood, they would no
longer be welcome in this house and in this family. 

"I understand, Uncle Warren," she walked to him and gave him a kiss on his
cheek, a tear falling down her cheek.  She just looked at her aunt, but
didn't say anything, after that, she grabbed Mulder's hand and they left
the house without saying another word. 

Standing outside, they realized they were really on their own now. They
had no idea what to do. No longer welcome in families they didn't even
know, caught in a life and a time where they didn't belong. 

They would have to find the way back, only how? They walked for hours, not
knowing where they were going, until it got dark outside and they started
to get tired. They were standing in a dark wood, Mulder looking around,
seeing if he could find some place where they could sleep for the night. 

His eye caught a barn that seemed to be a good place for the night. 

"Look Scully, I think we can sleep there for the night", he pulled her
with him in the direction of the barn, that was a few 100 yards away. 

Opening the door of the barn, they walked in. The barn was almost empty,
only some old stuff standing in it. After being adjusted to the darkness,
they looked around for a place to sleep. In the corner they found some
hay, not the most comfortable place to sleep, but they were too tired to
think of that. They just lied down, Mulder pulling Scully closer,
encircling his arms around her. She snuggled close to him, in the safe
heaven of his arms.  And that's how they fell asleep that night, not
knowing what would happen when they woke up. 

End of part 5 

A twist in time (6/6) 

Scully stirred in her sleep, twisting and turning, while she was dreaming. 
Suddenly she woke up, feeling something warm against her, someone
breathing in her ear. 

She slowly turned around to see where the warmth came from, her jaw
dropping when she realized it was Mulder. Not that she minded lying in one
bed with him, after all she had always hoped something like this would
happen some day, but she wondered how the hell they had got here in the
first place. 

For all she knew she had fallen asleep alone earlier that night and now
Mulder was lying next to her, his arms around her, holding her close to
him, as if he was afraid she would leave him. She liked being this close
to Mulder, for a while she just looked at him, while he slept, wondering
what he was dreaming about. Hopefully not such a weird dream as she had
just had. 

It had been a really strange dream and everything had been so realistic. 
In a way she hoped Mulder would wake up, so she could tell him. He
stirred, mumbling something she couldn't hear. She leaned a little bit
closer, trying to hear what he was saying "no, won't get married to
you..., already ..., love each other", to any other person the words
wouldn't have made any sense, but to Scully they did. Could it be possible
that Mulder was having the same dream? 

She hoped he would wake up soon, before she could even think anything
else, Mulder's eyes flew open, a moment not realizing where he was, his
face showing total surprise when he saw Scully staring at him. 

"Ehm Scully?" He had no idea what he was doing here, last thing he knew he
had fallen asleep on his couch, how on earth had he ended up in Scully's
bed? 

"Yes?" she grinned, she had to admit, this was kind of funny. 

"What the hell am I doing here?" 

For one moment the thought entered her mind, to ask if him if he didn't
remember what had happened last night, but in the end she decided to be
honest. "I have no idea." 

"But..., you mean you don't know how we got here?" 

"No, absolutely no idea." 

"But, I mean.. there must be an explanation for this, isn't it?" Mulder
desperately tried to understand what had happened, but he had absolutely
no idea, neither had Scully, but she did know she liked this. He was still
holding her close to him and she didn't have the intention to make him
stop any time soon. 

Suddenly Mulder also realized that. He blushed and wanted to let go of
her, mumbling that he was sorry, but she stopped him. "Don't." 

"Don't?" he echoed dumbfounded. 

"Don't." she repeated. 

"Why not?" he had expected her to kick him out of her bed by now, but she
didn't seem to mind this at all. 

"I like it," she mumbled against his chest, snuggling as close as
possible. 

"Ehm okay" he answered smiling, pulling her even closer against him. He
still had no idea what had happened and probably wasn't going to find out
either, but he didn't mind. This was all he had ever wanted. He was so
lost in looking at her, that he didn't hear her at first. 

"Mulder?" she interrupted his train of thoughts. 

"Yes?" 

"I had this really weird dream." 

"About?" 

"Well I fell asleep and when I woke up, I was in some place I didn't know.
I was living with my Aunt and Uncle and it was in the..." 

He interrupted her "50's?" 

She looked at him in surprise "yes, how did you know?" 

"I was having such a dream too. My cousin Elliot was there, and you..." 

"Were supposed to marry him." 

"Yes and than you..." 

"Ran away and I bumped into you and we..." 

"Tried to find out what was happening, and we got.... 

"Married, because it would be the only way out." 

"Yes and after that we told our families and they were angry and we were
no longer welcome and we ran and than we fell asleep in this barn and
after that .." 

"We woke up and were here." They looked at each other in total surprise,
they had somehow dreamed the exact same dream. 

"This is strange isn't it?" Scully asked him. 

"Yes it is, why do you think we had the same dream? You think this means
something?" Mulder asked. 

"I don't know, maybe." 

"Scully?" 

"Yes?" 

"I need to ask you something." He looked at her seriously. 

She knew what was coming, the moment she had always hoped and never
expected to come. She looked at him, the face she knew so well. The face
of the man she loved with her whole heart, maybe he was right, maybe this
dream did have a meaning, maybe it was meant to make them tell each other
their feelings. 

"I love you, will you marry me?" he waited for her reaction. He saw her
jaw dropping. Obviously she hadn't expected this. Well actually she had
expected the "I love you", but she hadn't expected him to ask her to marry
him. 

Just like in her dream her brains went blank for a moment, than she came
back to reality, realizing he was waiting for her answer. 

"Scully?" 

"Yes?" 

"Well?" he started to get worried, had he been wrong? For a moment he had
thought she loved him too, but now he wasn't so sure anymore.  Fortunately
she quickly reassured him with her answer. 

"I love you too and yes I'll marry you" she told him, a beautiful smile on
her face. 

"You will?" he asked in shock. 

"Yes, of course I will" she grinned, before leaning down, claiming his
lips in a passionate kiss. 

A few minutes later they let go of each other, a little breathless. 

Mulder smiled, stroking the lines of her face tenderly "I still have no
idea what happened and how we ended up here, and I guess we will probably
never know, but I do know that this was the best dream I ever had." 

"With the best ending" she finished. 

"With the best ending" he agreed. After that they fell asleep in each
other's arms, safe and happy in the knowledge of their love. Some things
were better left unexplained. 

End of part 6 End of story