From: "the avenging angel" Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 19:44:12 GMT Subject: We Could Be Heroes Source: direct Title: We Could Be Heroes Author: moi, me, the one and only....Emily E-mail: killerkarma@hotmail.com Category: eh, a bit of angst/ Mulder Scully friendship Story rating: PG Spoilers: everything up to the seventh season Archive: wherever you like, just tell me first Summery: Set in end of the seventh season. (Even though I've not seen it, so if there are glaring mistakes, I plead ignorance) The X-files have just been closed. Mulder's out of the FBI, how will he initially cope? Author's notes: I was gonna write a really LONG, in-depth x-file, but I thought, why not just write a simple story and see how well I know the characters of Mulder and Scully *gulp* (I shouldn't have done THAT), do you think they'd react to things the way I have them reacting? Thanks to anyone who knows me : ) To Mav who started posting fanfic all over the place, to give me the incentive to put all my thoughts together. To my twin, Floh; would you have written this? Huh? Would ya? Would ya? Everyone on the Bolt board who all seemed to get really obsessed with fanfic for a while. And Jay, who makes me laugh and be happy everytime he writes to me because he's just so damn nice. Luv ya all. Disclaimer: Mulder and Scully, and everybody else who I mention aren't mine *sob*. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013 productions, though if he wanted too, I'd be happy to take them. No copyright infringement is intended. It's just a story! ----------------------------We could be Heroes----------------------------- FBI Headquarters Washington D.C September 30th, 2000 5:35pm She stood behind him watching his reactions to what was going on around him. He stood before the office, HIS office, his home for the past nine years. He glanced to his desk, how many cases had passed through his hands, how many hours had he spent here, late at night reading through all the files that the FBI wanted to keep hidden? And now it was over. His quest, his mission. He looked around the office again; knowing this was to be his last chance to take in this room. He was out of the FBI. They'd finally got what they wanted, they hadn't just separated him and Scully, they'd separated him from his life, without Federal access his search was at an end. Scully had quickly offered to continue working in the X-Files, that she would help him as much as she could with information, but then it happened, The X-Files were closed. Permanently this time. Without any chance of re-opening. His life was over. No X-files meant no Scully. Nothing was left for him. Scully slowly rested her hand on Mulder's arm, "Mulder?" she asked quietly, "You ready to go?", but Mulder didn't hear her. He was scanning the bare room. His posters had been taken down; the photos that once littered the office were gone. The place looked.... wrong somehow. "Mulder?" Scully repeated. This time he responded. He turned around to face her, and she saw his face. He looked lifeless, she feared that they'd beaten him. That he had no more fight left. *This isn't right * she thought to herself. She took his hand in hers, as though it might give him strength somehow, "Come on" she said, barely more than a whisper. This was hard on her too. She remembered the time Mulder once said 'This is my life' and she'd replied, 'And it's become mine'. It had. The X-Files were as much her quest as they were his. But as much as she knew that, she knew this was affecting Mulder much more than herself. She felt almost as lost as him. How could she help him survive this? Scully turned slowly and led Mulder away from the office, the door closed behind him and he glanced to it. He stopped. Then chuckled. He broke away from Scully and went back to the door. "Mulder?" she asked.... He was looking at his nameplate on the door, and the piece of scrap paper where he'd written 'The FBI's Most Unwanted'. "I guess I should take these down, huh?" as he spoke he traced the letters of his name on the plate. Suddenly braking from his reverie he quickly ripped the paper off and slid the plate out of it's holder, then placed it in his pocket, turned and motioned to Scully to continue. They walked silently to the car, Mulder uncharacteristically walking a few steps behind Scully. She drove him home, still they stayed silent. When they arrived at his apartment building, Scully reached out for his hand, "Do you want some company?" she asked softly. Mulder stayed silent for a few moments, considering whether he did or not. Finally he looked up to face her, "No," he said quietly, "I'm fine". "Isn't that my line?" she replied, smiling weakly. He closed his eyes for a moment, smiling, conceding the irony, then left the car and disappeared into the building. Scully sat quietly for a minute or so. She thought about what they'd been through together and how much they'd come to rely on each other. For a moment she considered going up to his apartment despite his insistence she didn't have too, but she decided against it. She went home. As she entered her apartment she checked her voicemail: no new messages. She'd got used to that over the past eight years. *No life!* she thought to herself, *not the one I thought I wanted, anyway* .As much as she tried to relax that night, she couldn't stop thinking about Mulder. How was he coping? How was he going to get through this? The X-Files had been his life for nine years, since he'd first managed to get assigned to the x-files. She laughed. Whoever passed THAT decision wasn't the most popular guy once it became clear that The X-Files were there to stay, and not some passing phase the FBI's golden boy, Fox Mulder was going through. Fox Mulder's apartment Arlington, Virginia September 30th 11:14pm The apartment was in total darkness, save for the lone rays of moonlight shining through the window. Fox Mulder lay sprawled on his sofa, eyes tight shut, clutching a picture of his sister, Samantha in his hands. He slowly opened his eyes, staring down at the photograph taken so long ago, he gently stroked her face, wishing with all his soul he could go back, to before his sister was taken, before she was gone. Since that night, 27th November 1973, Mulder had spent his life searching for his sister, as a twelve year old there was nothing he could do except cover the town with fliers, begging for any information about little Samantha Mulder's whereabouts. By the time he was ready to go to college, all he wanted to do was leave, to take a break form the endless search. So he did. He'd often thought maybe the reason he joined the bureau was some unconscious need to stop people going through what he went through.... Maybe. He thought about the past nine years, about the x-files. He ruined his life with the x-files, he was on his way to the top, the fast-track, success beckoned, but no....He found the x-files, but worse than ruining his own career, he'd ruined Scully's career aswell, such a promising career. Hell! He hadn't just ruined her career; he'd ruined her whole damn life. *What have I given her?* he thought to himself, *Nothing! I haven't given her a damn thing. She's lost her sister, her daughter, and almost her own life. * His jaw clenched as he though about it. *Scully...* He thought about the day they first met. God it was eight years ago! Eight years of him, *How the hell has she coped?* He started regretting telling her she didn't have to come up, just her presence would've made him feel better than he was right now. *Oh Scully, loyal, determined Scully.... * She was there when he needed her most, she offered to help him, to stay in the x-files, but she didn't know he'd already been offered help. A deal with the devil, a deal with the Cancer Man. He'd been offered the deal before, work for him, and get what he wanted. Before it was a cure for Scully's cancer, now it was access, access to the truth. Before he'd refused, he didn't need the Cancer Man's truths; he could find his own, but not now. He sighed, and cradled his head in his hands. He turned his attention to the phone, it was almost beckoning him, *call Scully, tell her everything. * Tell her everything.... Tell her the truth. Dana Scully's Apartment Georgetown, September 30th 11:42 Scully reached over and grabbed her phone, "Scully" she said. "Scully." came the reply,"It's me." Mulder. She waited for him to continue "...Scully I, I need to tell you something. I need to tell you.... In person." "I'll be right there." she answered, putting the phone down. She knew Mulder, and she knew from his voice something was wrong, something he'd thought he didn't have to tell her, but knew know he had to. She grabbed her coat and hurried out the door. Fox Mulder's Apartment Arlington, Virginia October 1st 00:35 Scully sat quietly on Mulder's couch. She'd stayed quiet since he'd told her. She was too afraid to ask what he was going to do. *He needs to know the truth, and this is the only way now* She looked over to Mulder, sitting across from her. The air was still, waiting for one of them to start time again by saying something. Mulder looked back to her, trying to see through her expression what she was thinking. He couldn't. He'd decided it was best to let her say something first, but she'd stayed silent. He couldn't wait any longer. "Scully...." "I think you should take it. Take the deal, Mulder." "What?" "It's your chance to find the truth. You're only chance now. Take it." Mulder struggled to find the words to answer her, "...Scully, I" he reached out and took her hand, ".... I'm not gonna take the deal, Scully. If I took it, then I'd become one the men I've been fighting against for nine years. I'd be... I wouldn't be being true to myself...and to you. To what we've been through. I can't take the deal." Scully closed her eyes, relieved, and stooped her head. She looked back up, her gaze meeting Mulder's. She stared into his eyes for a moment, then smiled, and nodded. "So what are we gonna do?" she asked, Mulder shrugged, "I don't know." he said softly, "We'll think of something." He looked down to their joined hands; he rubbed his thumb gently along the back of hers. Then slowly he let go. That's it. Feedback much appreciated. All Done Bye Bye. ~This is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookie, he comes from the planet Kashyyyk, but he *LIVES* on Endor...THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!!!!~ -Johnny Cochran, south park